Chapter 1321: The Council of Three
Qi Xuansu and Madam Wu temporarily left the Lower District, but Qi Xuansu’s true body remained in the Richmond District.
Not only had he avoided exposing his identity, but he even had an alibi. While the four senior councilmen were fleeing the Lower District with Strauni, Qi Xuansu had been in the Upper District, drinking the finest red wine and chatting with Archbishop Swanson about various anecdotes and curiosities.
By the time Strauni returned, the banquet had reached its end. Ironically, although the senior councilmen had dragged their feet for four hours before taking action, they wasted no time when retreating. They only took less than half an hour to return to the Upper District.
The four senior councilmen did not show themselves. When Strauni returned, a noticeable portion of his hair had been singed. Archbishop Swanson even teased him, asking if he had accidentally burned his hair on a candle during some special game.
Strauni could only respond with a bitter smile. Somehow, he had been dragged into the affairs of the four senior councilors and had nearly died in a massive explosion. He had a vague premonition that the incident might be related to Dutch. Perhaps Dutch was not the only one who had come to St. York. Other high-ranking figures from the Beichen Hall might also be present.
Although the other senior councilmen believed the mysterious enemy to be from the Western Daoist Order, Strauni believed that Beichen Hall might be behind it. After all, he himself was an external member of Beichen Hall.
Strauni then took a seat across from Qi Xuansu.
Qi Xuansu said nothing and merely pointed at Strauni’s collar.
Strauni froze for a moment. He reached up to touch it and brought it up to his eyes to examine it closely. It was a metal beetle that was the size of an ant, making it extremely difficult to notice.
Qi Xuansu took the metal beetle and casually tossed it out the window. It landed perfectly on a passing carriage driver. Only after the carriage had rolled far away did he speak. “Alright.”
“What was that?” Strauni asked.
“A small device made from arcane alchemy. I’m not very familiar with the principles behind it, but I’d guess it’s used for eavesdropping or surveillance. It doesn’t matter now. It can listen to that carriage driver instead. It might be good for whoever is listening to learn about the daily life of ordinary people so that they can stay grounded,” Qi Xuansu said calmly.