eurekapd Chapter 198 Audrey's Feelings
Chapter 198 Audrey's Feelings
Chapter 198 Audrey's Feelings
3 gold pounds is definitely not enough for researching a new generation of sky weapons, and Evan does not have the financial resources to take over the project completely.
However, if the only requirement is to build a flying machine, and not even a very sturdy one, then 3 gold pounds in research funding would be more than enough.
Overjoyed, Professor Murphy quickly stuffed the check on the coffee table into his pocket and signed the contract drafted by Catherine Grey without even looking at it, as if afraid that Evan would change his mind.
"I hope Professor Murphy will also be more frugal and conduct some feasibility verification in advance during the research. After all, we are not just making toys. The ultimate goal is to bring Emperor Roselle's vision to life and completely revolutionize the future of warfare."
Evan finally offered some reminders, warning Professor Murphy not to get carried away and forget the ultimate goal.
"Don't worry, turning the flying machine envisioned by Emperor Roselle into reality has been my childhood dream, and I will make good use of every penny."
Professor Murphy solemnly assured Evan that after leaving the lab, Catherine Grey, sitting in the carriage, tried to speak several times but hesitated, making Evan feel uncomfortable. Finally, he couldn't help but speak up:
"Ask whatever you want, you look terrible on me!"
"How can you be sure this project will break even? That's 3 gold coins! That's practically all your working capital!"
Catherine Grey had helped Evan with the acquisition of Tingen, so she knew very well that most of Evan's money had been used for the acquisition of Tingen's assets. He didn't have much liquid capital on hand, and it didn't seem wise for him to invest all of it in a project with an uncertain future.
Evan smiled, then thought for a moment, and then said:
"Even if this project is not ultimately approved by the Ministry of Defense, if a fully developed, flyable, and single-person controllable aircraft can be produced, it will definitely not be a loss. Those nobles who pursue speed and passion will definitely be willing to pay for this project, which is the same reason why many people are obsessed with horse racing."
Recalling the things those rich people did for thrills in his past life, Evan had no doubts about the project's prospects.
Moreover, this project also served as an incubator in Evan's mind, just like the aerospace project in his previous life.
Putting everything else aside, miniaturization of the engine is a necessary condition for an airplane to take off. If Professor Murphy can achieve this, Evan might be able to develop steam-powered cars in the future, ushering in the automobile age for the world.
Seeing Evan's confident demeanor, Catherine Grey couldn't help but speak up, but ultimately gave up trying to persuade him. She figured it was enough to just say he was fulfilling his responsibility; after all, it wasn't her money.
"By the way, could you also ask Mr. 'Craftsman' if he's interested in this project?"
Evan suddenly thought of the demigod "craftsman" behind the "lawyer" lady and felt that if he provided support, the project would be more likely to succeed.
"I will bring it up, but I can't guarantee he'll be interested."
With just one sentence from Catherine Grey, Evan didn't dare to hope that she could lead a research project for a demigod 'craftsman'.
As dusk settles and the streets come alive, most of Backlund's aristocracy gathers on West Vellas Boulevard in Queens.
Today is the birthday of Duke Nigan, the political heavyweight of the Kingdom of Rune, the prime minister's brother, and the leader of the nobility.
Almost all the nobles, wealthy merchants, and foreign envoys of Backlund would come to congratulate him with gifts if they received an invitation. When Evan arrived, the entire street was blocked by carriages, so Evan was forced to get off the carriage and walk to Duke Negan's mansion.
Many nobles had already gathered in the mansion, all vying to offer their blessings to Duke Negan. Evan finally managed to squeeze to the front and present his gift.
After hearing Evan's description of the gift, Duke Negan was indeed very pleased and kindly inquired about Evan's work situation during this period.
"The navy is the cornerstone of the kingdom's prosperity and the area where the kingdom's military development is most focused. Therefore, the navy highly values the active participation of young talents and will not bury any talent."
Duke Negan was well aware of Evan's achievements during this period, and even remembered Evan's initial idea of joining the army. He directly offered to recruit Evan on behalf of the Navy.
Evan could only laugh it off, and Duke Negan didn't take it seriously and let Evan off the hook.
Leaving Duke Negan's side, Evan discovered that Robert, who had arrived earlier, was with a man who appeared to have gray hair.
The sprightly old general spoke, took a glass of red wine from the waiter, and walked over.
"Come here, Evan, let me introduce you. This is General Bahrain of the Army. When I served in the army, I was well taken care of by General Bahrain. This is my younger brother, Evan, who is now working for MI9."
General Bahrain returned Ivan's salute, then looked him up and down before speaking to Robert:
"Don't say that. We helped each other succeed. Without you charging ahead back then, I wouldn't have been promoted to general so easily."
Your younger brother is quite good; he has the same flair as you did back then. You brothers have truly surpassed yourselves!
To this, Robert could only humbly reply, "You are too modest. You have been in command of the First Cavalry Regiment for many years and have a great reputation throughout the continent. Your promotion to general is only a matter of time. How could I possibly push it forward?"
"By the way, Evan, Duke Negan just pulled you aside for a bit, what did they talk about?"
Robert's last words were addressed to Evan, indicating that both he and General Balin had witnessed Duke Negan talking to Evan.
"They didn't say anything specific, just that if I still intend to join the military, I hope to serve in the navy."
Robert and General Bahrain were visibly taken aback when they heard Evan's words. They hadn't expected that Duke Negan would openly poach their men and discuss this issue directly with Evan.
"I saw an old friend, you two chat first!"
It's best not to get involved in such private matters, so the Bahrain general naturally made an excuse to leave.
Watching the departing Bahraini general, Evan took a sip of his red wine and asked:
"Has the matter concerning the General been resolved?"
"It's resolved. His Excellency Balin executed him personally!" Robert said calmly.
Evan was taken aback, then couldn't help but look at the Bahrain general who was already chatting and laughing with his old friend, thinking to himself, "How ruthless!"
But thinking about it, it makes perfect sense. People like them are the least able to accept betrayal, and it would be illogical for them not to take matters into their own hands.
"What are your plans regarding Deputy Director Jonas? He probably won't let this go easily, will he?"
Jonas Augustus suffered a double loss this time, not only losing an important asset but also losing several of his trusted men who had been sent to stake out the area.
More importantly, the fact that his plan to have people guard the illegitimate son of the Bahrain general was leaked indicates that he had Robert's intelligence sources around him, which made him even more uneasy.
If Evan were Jonas, he would feel like he was going crazy.
Sometimes you can't push people too hard, or you never know what they might do next.
Robert and Irwin didn't want Jonas to go crazy or step down at this time, so they also had to do a good job of appeasing him.
"I spoke with Jonas this afternoon, preparing to hand over the position of head of the internal department to him after the split of MI9, so that he would be in charge of internal work from now on, and he agreed."
When Evan heard this, he nodded. It was like giving him a slap followed by a sweet treat.
However, Evan suspected that Robert was just making empty promises, using this promise to keep Jonas Augustus in check and keep him in line for a while, rather than actually preparing to fulfill the promise.
After all, being in charge of domestic intelligence was extremely important, and Evan didn't believe Robert would give up so easily.
But that wasn't Evan's concern; he trusted Robert would handle things properly.
"What do you think of Duke Negan's suggestion?"
Robert, being an army graduate, naturally hoped that Evan would join the army in the future. However, Evan's performance during this period showed that he was no longer the naive college student he once was. He had begun to think independently and determine his own future, so Robert asked him in a consultative manner.
"To be honest, I'm also a little hesitant and don't know how to choose."
This is actually a pretext. Although the navy has surpassed the army in status for more than a hundred years due to the advent of the colonial era, Evan still believes that the ultimate dominance of the North Continent will still depend on the army.
The First World War in Evan's previous life had already proven this point of view. Britain, which attached great importance to the navy, ultimately relied on sending millions of troops to wear down Germany together with France.
Not to mention that Rune is not an island nation, but a real continental country, and the army's position is irreplaceable.
But Evan was equally unwilling to directly enter the combat ranks of the Kingdom of Rune's army, regardless of what position he could obtain.
The army he led was always the Royal Army, not a legion that belonged solely to Evan.
Evan's connection with the military cannot exceed the military's connection with the royal family, which would be very detrimental to Evan's future use of the military for his own purposes, and would be unacceptable to Evan.
This is also a key reason why Evan believes the Kingdom of Rune ultimately abandoned the practice of training hunter-path demigods in its army.
The Augustus family, who control the arbitrators' channels, would never tolerate the emergence of private armies outside their control within the Kingdom of Rune, as this is not permitted by the national system and order they have established.
In contrast, in the Fusak Empire, the army was an appendage of the Einhorn family, their private army, which was directly controlled by members of the royal family, so there were no such concerns.
Of course, Evan, who was good at planning ahead, had already planned his path long ago; it's just that the timing wasn't right yet.
Therefore, she could only pretend to be embarrassed in front of Robert.
"Since you haven't made a decision yet, you should think about it carefully. This concerns your future, unless you give up joining the army!"
'
Robert respected Evan's opinion this time and gave Evan full choice.
Just then, some commotion at the entrance to the villa's hall caught the attention of Robert and Irwin.
After everyone dispersed, they realized that it was Count Hall and his family who had arrived.
The arrival of the Earl of Hall and his family made the Duke of Negan no longer reserved. He went forward to greet them with his wife and son, while Robert also brought Evan forward to strike up a conversation.
As he approached, Evan saw Miss Audrey following behind Earl Hall. Even though he had seen many witches, Miss Audrey still caught Evan's eye tonight.
She wore a white long dress with a high collar, high waist, and leg-of-mutton sleeves, the multi-layered cake skirt perfectly supported by her. Her long golden hair was elegantly tied up, and she wore a pair of small and beautiful emerald earrings. She wore white ballet shoes studded with many small diamonds, exuding an elegant and pure temperament.
When Audrey saw Evan looking at her, she gave him a sweet smile, which made Evan's heart flutter.
"It's been a long time, Evan. I knew you were a great young man two months ago, but I never expected you to achieve such merit so quickly and be exceptionally granted the title of baron by His Majesty the King."
After offering his blessings and a gift to Duke Negan, the star of the ball, Earl Hall looked at Robert and Evan. He remembered Evan, so he said something to him.
"I don't deserve Uncle Hall's praise; it was just a bit of luck."
Moreover, this wasn't solely my achievement; my superiors and colleagues all provided tremendous help.
"Haha, you don't need to be so modest. If you could achieve great things just by relying on luck and colleagues, then this world would be too unfair."
After praising Evan, Earl Hall walked past him and formed a small circle with Duke Negan, Robert, and some gray-haired nobles, while the others tactfully kept their distance.
The Earl of Hall's wife, led by the Duchess of Negan, also formed a circle with other noblewomen and socialized with each other.
Only Hilbert Hall, his sister Audrey Hall, and Evan remained to speak.
"Many people didn't expect that you would achieve such merit in such a short time since you came to Backlund, earning you a knighthood from His Majesty. Congratulations!"
Audrey's brother was the first to congratulate Evan, but Evan couldn't help but feel a sour taste in his words, mixed with jealousy.
But considering he's someone who can't help but be suspicious of even his own outstanding younger brother, and also someone who thinks highly of himself...
Evan didn't find it strange at all.
"It's mainly good luck. Hilbert, you're not bad either. I heard that the Earl has already put you in a position in the council and started to involve you in related matters?"
This is the Earl formally establishing you as his heir, allowing you to inherit the Hall family's connections. Sooner or later, you will be able to inherit the Hall family's Earl title and their seat in the Upper House.
Evan offered a small compliment to Hilbert Hall, mainly emphasizing the Hall family's earldom and hereditary seat in the House of Lords, implying that he was just a minor baron and nothing special.
In the Kingdom of Rune, the parliament is divided into two houses: the lower house controls the legislative agenda, and the upper house is responsible for review. A bill can only be passed if both houses receive a majority of votes simultaneously.
Members of the House of Commons are elected by universal suffrage, while seats in the House of Lords are mostly hereditary nobles, with a small number appointed by the King.
Robert's power is so great not only because of his extensive influence in the House of Commons, but also because the Horn family also holds hereditary seats in the House of Lords, giving them significant influence and enabling them to push through legislation in both houses simultaneously.
So when Lord Hilbert heard Evan's compliment, he couldn't help but show a stubborn and arrogant expression, which made Audrey, who was standing aside observing everything as an "audience," break down. She felt that her older brother's behavior in front of Evan was too unbearable to watch.
As an "audience member," she naturally knew what kind of person her brother was. At the same time, she also understood that Evan's flattery of her older brother was not genuine flattery, but rather a way to dismiss a potentially hostile act from a second-generation nobleman.
Thinking even deeper, given Evan's strength and personality, he never took the hostility of some noble second-generation people seriously; otherwise, he wouldn't have appeased those noble second-generation people when he first appeared at their family banquet.
Evan did this entirely to avoid conflict and to prevent Audrey from being put in a difficult position. Otherwise, he would have already turned his back and left. He doesn't tolerate people being treated this way.
Because of these thoughts, Audrey felt both gratitude towards Mr. "Power" and embarrassment at her older brother's performance.
Just then, the band playing at the edge of the ballroom stopped, and Duke Negan stood on the second floor of the ballroom, looking down at the guests and beginning his speech.
The Duke of Negan first thanked the eldest prince, who represented the king, then thanked all the guests, and finally announced the start of the ball amidst everyone's toasts to him.
First, the Duke of Negan and his wife, who was just over 30, led the dance, and then all the guests joined in to dance to the cheerful music.
Out of the corner of his eye, Evan noticed several young noblemen approaching Audrey. He sneered inwardly, then extended his hand to Audrey and said:
"For today's first dance, may I have the honor of inviting Backlund's most beautiful jewel to dance with me?"
Audrey smiled gently, placed her hand, clad in a white long-sleeved glove, into Evan's hand, and said:
"It is my honor, Your Excellency the youngest baron in the kingdom."
Evan led Audrey by the hand and walked towards the dance floor. Noticing the hateful gazes of the nobles who were about to ask her to dance, Evan smiled calmly and placed his hand on Audrey's waist in front of them, starting to dance to the rhythm of the music. This made those nobles furious and lose their composure on the spot.
"Is this the 'Challenger,' Mr. Evan?"
Audrey, who was dancing with Evan, naturally noticed the furious suitors outside the dance floor. Somewhat surprised by their outward display of anger, she asked curiously.
After becoming part of the "audience," Audrey knew that if she accepted an invitation to dance from one suitor, while the other suitors would outwardly express their regret in a gentlemanly manner, their true feelings wouldn't be as refined as they appeared, and might even be somewhat unpleasant.
But it has never been so obvious on the surface.
Based on the information she had gathered over this period, Audrey could only speculate whether Evan had "provoked" them.
"If I had 'provoked' them, they would probably be holding knives and trying to kill me right now. It's mainly because they had bad intentions, and I provoked them a little, that this situation arose."
As Audrey twirled during the dance, she stole a glance at her distraught suitors and noticed they were all staring at Evan with murderous intent, as if they wanted to devour him whole and take his place. She then pursed her lips and said:
"Since becoming a viewer, I have seen too many people's secrets, too many faces hidden behind masks, and discovered many unknown secrets and little details. Some moved me, some saddened me. The two faces in front of and behind people have almost made me lose faith in humanity."
Since Evan ascended to the Sequence 6 Schemer and Pleasure Witch, he can freely control his aura, causing those around him to feel either disgust or affection towards him.
Evan naturally wouldn't want Miss Justice to dislike him, so Audrey said some things that she usually found difficult to confide in others.
"Then don't trust human nature. I can only wish that after you understand everything, you will still love your family and friends."
Audrey murmured to herself, then smiled sweetly and said to Evan:
"Thank you for your understanding. By the way, I want to apologize to you on behalf of my brother, and also thank you for your forgiveness."
Evan shook his head slightly, indicating that it was nothing, and then said:
"I have something else to discuss with you. Ms. Fors has successfully ascended to become a Sequence 8 Beyonder, but the ascension has not reduced the damage of the Full Moon Curse to her. On the contrary, it has intensified the torment to her. I don't know when she might lose control because of this."
I know you haven't been going out much lately because of the Duke of Negan's matter. If it's inconvenient for you, then I'll have to guide her to join the Tarot Club.
Audrey felt a pang of unease; she hadn't expected that the seemingly languid Ms. Fors was in such dire condition, facing the imminent risk of sudden death.
Audrey was deeply impressed that no "antisocial personality" had emerged under these circumstances.
"I'll do it. You two are in a superior-subordinate relationship, but in the Tarot Club you'd be on the same level, which would be awkward for both of you. Besides, I already promised to introduce them to the Tarot Club, so I can't back out halfway. I'll guide them!"
Evan thanked Audrey again for her help, and then said:
"I won't be assigning any tasks to Fors for a while, so she'll be free anytime. You can organize some book clubs or similar gatherings to attract her."
"Oh, by the way, I introduced a member of the Life School to Viscount Grelint last time, and then I forgot about it. Do you know how their talks went?"
Last week, Grynt finally made up his mind and asked Evan to act as his matchmaker.
Evan then introduced Darkwell of the Life School to Viscount Grinch, and Evan didn't inquire further about what they discussed or how they discussed it.
"I heard that Grelint has become an apprentice and, with the help of his teacher, has officially become a 'pharmacist.' I also heard that he's going to open a herbal medicine shop soon."