Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength
Chapter 374 - 373: Two Invitations

Chapter 374: Chapter 373: Two Invitations

Countess Mursoni planned to attend a performance at Oak Theatre this weekend evening.

Residents of the Riverbank district warmly welcomed the countess’s arrival and presented ...

On Thursday night of the week, after Ronald returned to his lodging apartment from the Chamber of Commerce, he glanced at the newspapers laid out on his desk.

Following the hints previously given by Heloise,

He had now incorporated entertainment news into the important newspapers he routinely collected.

Just as Heloise said, the targeted Countess had arrived in Springs and had attracted quite a bit of attention.

However, there was one thing Ronald had not anticipated.

In this matter, it turned out that he didn’t need to deliberately approach her.

Tonight, when he came back from the evening shift, Ronald found that he had received a letter containing a beautifully designed invitation.

And the signer of the invitation was none other than the Countess herself,

— Reidicia Mursoni.

Ostensibly, she invited Ronald to a dance she was hosting personally, aiming to meet young talents active in Springs.

But in reality...

As a member of the mystical side,

This invitation probably also included intentions of drawing in someone like Ronald.

Sitting at his desk, Ronald patiently read through all the news about the Countess.

Her first attendance at the theatre was scheduled for Saturday, and he had received the invitation for the following Monday.

Having just arrived in Springs, it seemed that the Countess was also planning to collect some information before engaging deeply with the local caster community.

"..."

"But that’s good, it saves me the trouble."

After pondering for a moment, Ronald smiled and shook his head.

Now the trouble of strategizing shifted from him to her, and as the original holder, he would certainly become a prime target for recruitment. This would save Ronald quite a bit of effort, which was definitely good news for him.

"Hmm...?"

As Ronald was analyzing the situation,

He heard several faint sounds of tiptoes touching the ground from the apartment below the balcony.

A few seconds later, there was a ’pop’ sound from the third floor.

— Someone had climbed up the wall!

— It must be Heloise...

Ronald snapped his fingers lightly, then walked over to the balcony to draw the curtains.

Then...

Then the girl’s body hurled directly into his arms.

"Ronald, long time no see!"

"..."

Feeling the warmth of the girl in his arms, Ronald was briefly startled.

The visitor was indeed Heloise.

However, today she didn’t come in the form of Thor or Raphael.

Instead, she came directly in the guise of the actress and singer Alida!

Almost dragging Alida into the room, Ronald pulled the curtains while he asked Heloise:

"What does this mean?"

"A famous actress publicly having a secret meeting with a man?"

After hearing Ronald’s words, Heloise immediately pouted in a girlish manner and complained in a coquettish tone:

"Why do you make it sound so unpleasant?"

"I’m just here to secretly meet my childhood lifesaver, not really to have a liaison with some stinky man."

"..."

Silently looking at Heloise in front of him, Ronald softly recited a poem from "Divine Comedy":

"Its name is Styx,

The dark waters flow downward, reaching the dim and steep cliffs.

..."

Taking in his surroundings,

Ronald only spoke after confirming that no unexpected people had appeared:

"The reporters outside definitely saw you coming in."

"Are you sure it’s okay?"

"..."

Heiluoysi blinked at Ronald.

"What problem could there be with the reporter I invited?"

"..."

Ronald blinked as well.

Not knowing what to say, he covered his forehead and sat back down in the chair.

"Alright then, tell me your plan."

"I’ve seen the news about the countess too, and I even received an invitation from her personally."

"Eh?"

Hearing Ronald’s words, Heiluoysi walked to the desk with a surprised smile on her face.

Consciously, she picked up the invitation and then boldly sat on Ronald’s lap, rubbing her body to find a comfortable position, and began pretentiously reading the text on it:

"Ahem—"

"Dear Mr. Ronald, I have recently heard of your campaign against the heretics in Springs, and all your actions have shown you to be a person of justice and integrity. As chance would have it, I boldly invite you to come..."

Ronald sat up straight, listening as Heiluoysi read the contents of the invitation.

He didn’t move an inch.

Only when Heiluoysi put the letter back on the desk did he speak:

"So, you saw it, what are your thoughts?"

Listening to Ronald steering the conversation towards serious matters, Heiluoysi didn’t continue to tease.

While lowering her head to think, she started to share her initial idea:

"Well..."

"Originally, I booked a ticket for you for the Saturday theater performance, and your seat happened to be right next to the countess’s special seat. Using the pretext of being my friend, you could have made contact with her openly."

"But now that you have the invitation..."

"Doesn’t that make my plan somewhat redundant?"

Before attending the ball next week, Ronald was supposed to have a ’chance encounter’ with the countess at the theater.

Under the watchful eyes of those interested, this seemed a bit contrived and suspicious.

After pondering for a few seconds, Ronald decided calmly:

"This performance"

"I will still go and watch."

"You made such a fuss to come invite me tonight, if I did nothing in response, it would seem even stranger."

"..."

From the information Heiluoysi had released so far,

Ronald, as an important friend of this actress and opera singer, had every reason to attend the performance and enjoy a special seat.

As long as Ronald didn’t purposely try to contact the countess during the show,

to others, his behavior might seem more contrived.

It was better to just go with the flow.

Hearing Ronald’s decision, Heiluoysi nodded in agreement.

"Since it’s your decision, I’ll support you."

Then, the girl changed the subject:

"But Ronald, do you want to stir up some scandal with a famous actress?"

"The reporters outside are my people, anything can be arranged, you know?"

Ronald decisively gave Heiluoysi a look:

"You should head back early, I’m getting ready to rest."

Heiluoysi promptly jumped up and then headed towards the balcony:

"Ha ha—"

"If you don’t want to, then I’ll head back first."

"Ronald, get some rest early, don’t disappoint that countess, you know!"

"..."

Watching Heiluoysi’s figure disappear towards the balcony, Ronald sensed through his emotional detection that she was leaving the neighborhood.

He shook his head slightly.

Ronald picked up the performance ticket Heiluoysi had quietly dropped when she placed down the invitation, and then he closed the door and walked into his bedroom.

It was time for him to rest too.