Don't ask about other people's tasks casually, and don't ask if you shouldn't.
What Shinji is doing now is to inquire about other people's missions and ask questions that he shouldn't ask - at least on the surface. Although from the standpoint of the "Dark Hand", Shinji is also within the scope of the mission, but he can't take the initiative to confirm this.
"Is this a sarcasm or a warning?"
"Neither, just stating the facts."
"Forget it. It doesn't matter whether it is or not. What matters is that there is a contradiction in what you said just now. The whole Clock Tower knows the style of Her Majesty the Queen. She loves talents and has the confidence to subdue those who are unruly. I have never heard of her using conspiracy traps to eliminate these talents in advance just because they are difficult to control in the future."
The woman being questioned did not panic. She smiled and explained:
"A truly talented person wouldn't fall into such a crude trap. I couldn't even tell if someone was dead or not. Those people don't seem to be worthy of the title of talent."
"Playing dumb is not a good habit, Miss Huaye. You should know that I am not talking about the result, but the method and concept - not everyone can reach the height of Her Majesty the Queen. In the eyes of most magicians, Mr. Heine and Miss Luvia have stood high enough to lead a corner of the magic world."
"Hehe, Mr. Shen seems to have great respect for Lord?"
"There are many people who admire her - don't use this clumsy way to change the subject. Regardless of whether I am the 'Hand of Darkness' or not, your answer will determine the outcome of the bet."
"The answer is actually very simple. Apart from a specific person, I didn't deliberately target anyone. The invitations were also distributed in a special form. For example, the one in your hand was first sent to Lord El-Melloi, and then after several rounds of circulation, it finally reached you. It's a very interesting result."
As he said this, a hint of amusement appeared on Hanano Hishiri's face.
"Is it targeting? Or helping? In any case, Professor Velvet's choice proves that he is a smart man. Mr. Shen is Chinese, and he should know the story of 'Jiang Taigong fishing, those who are willing will take the bait'."
"Of course I know." Shinji nodded, his eyes also revealing a playful look, "Miss Hanano wants to be Jiang Taigong?"
"It's just a metaphor. That gentleman can fish with a straight hook, and I can only throw an attractive bait, but I don't know which fish will take the bait."
"Not only do you want to catch a specific fish, but you also want to get something extra. Isn't that a bit too greedy?"
"It's not greed." Hanano Hishiri shook his head, the amusement on his face turned into helplessness, "It's hard to ensure the success of the mission without this method."
"Oh? What kind of fish is so powerful?"
"Orlok Sisamond."
"What a big fish. The others are future stars at best, but this one is truly the one in power. Has he offended you in any way?"
"He didn't offend us. He offended the owner of this castle, Griffin Ashburn. Ashburn didn't die of natural causes. He was murdered by Orlok Sisamond."
"I see. Grivin was an assistant to the Law and Politics Department. He was killed and you need revenge."
"No. We just received the commission prepared in advance by Grivin. The handling of the estate has always been handled by our Legal Affairs Department."
Kanono Hishiri corrected him, but unfortunately Shinji, who knew the truth, didn't believe it at all.
"Does the estate settlement also include revenge for the deceased?"
"If the reason is justified, and a certain price is paid, it is not impossible."
"Hmph, you're really nosy, the Law and Politics Department, hey~ the Law and Politics Department."
Shinji snorted twice in a sarcastic tone, but Kanono Hishiri didn't care. The Law and Politics Department had received too much criticism and they were used to it.
"Are there any other targets besides Orlok?"
"No, but I don't know if the rest of the magicians will be affected. After all, I was only responsible for sending invitations and faking my own death, and the rest was left to Ashburn's 'legacy'; its appetite is bigger than I thought - I'm a little worried that it will get out of control."
"Worried about it getting out of control or worried about it not getting out of control?"
Facing Shinji's sharp question, Kanono Hishiri answered solemnly.
"It's the former. If possible, I hope Mr. Shen can help me."
"How can I help?"
"Help me deal with that 'beast'; it has a special ability to stop magic seals. Only a warrior like Mr. Shen who can fight without relying on magic seals can possibly deal with it. As a reward, I am willing to divide a part of Ashburn's inheritance."
"Including Ashburn's secret technique?"
"Yes, but I don't recommend choosing this."
"Why? Is Ashburn's title as a restorer fake?"
"No, the restoration is real, the problem is the materials used in the restoration."
"What material?"
"Magic Seals, Magic Seals of other magicians."
Shinji looked thoughtful when he heard Kanono Hishiri's answer.
Hua Ye Ling Li asked in confusion: "Mr. Shen, aren't you surprised?"
Magic seals are like organs of the human body and cannot be transplanted casually. It is simply a fantasy to mix unrelated magic seals together.
However, Shinji's answer surprised her.
"Butterfly Magic—It seems that Orlok and Ashburn have a deep relationship. Using magic seals as raw materials, no wonder the Law and Politics Department is needed to cover it up."
"Mr. Shen... is so perceptive." Hanano Hishiri praised.
"It's even worse than Miss Huaye."
Shinji was not being modest, he already knew the answer and was just following what the other person said.
"Then I don't want the seal repair technology. I want the relevant information and hard currency of butterfly magic."
"make a deal."
"Without further delay, I'll go now. Where is it?"
"In..." Kanono Hishiri closed his eyes and seemed to have activated a certain spell, "... In the vestibule, he is fighting with Mr. Heine."
"Then the last question, the answer to the riddle - ask the angel's name, that riddle should be yours."
"Oops." Hisori covered her mouth. As if to say, I thought I wouldn't be exposed.
"Because it's too complicated, so complicated that it's out of the original Kabbalah system. It feels like you're deliberately making things difficult, not something an old man nearing the end of his life would do. And your 'death'; you were pierced by Michael's sword. Michael used his sword to repel Satan, and Satan is a snake. You're comparing yourself to a snake hiding in the dark. The image is very vivid, but it's too playful."
The woman twisted her body and really looked like a snake, a beautiful snake.
"So that's the problem - the answer is Aladiah. Do you need me to tell you where the answer comes from?"
"No, I'm not interested." It was enough to know that the answer had been forgotten by herself. "Congratulations, Miss Huaye, you won the bet. I hope that something like this will not happen again in the future."
"I hope so. I wish Mr. Shen good luck in martial arts."
After getting the answer he wanted, Shinji no longer hesitated, let go of the dagger, and turned away.
Watching the back of the young man who had battled wits and courage with her disappear into the darkness, Hanano Hishiri gently stroked his pierced chest and whispered to himself, as if whispering.
"Magicians dance with deception and mystery. Everyone knows that the root cannot be reached, but everyone aims at it. Only we will not participate in that silly dance. Will you be one of us? Shen Zhong."
A roar that did not belong to a human came from outside the corridor. It seemed very close, yet very far away.
The woman stood behind the door, listening attentively, quietly waiting for the final outcome.
She didn't lie. She was only responsible for casting the bait, and then the fish that were hooked would fight each other. She could accept either outcome.
PS: For the specific answer to the puzzle, please see the first volume of "The Second Generation Case Files", which is very interesting - this time, I tried to describe it from a side perspective, and narrate it from the perspective of an observer and other perspectives as much as possible, so I won't go into details. The battle part may use a small part of the original text, after all, it involves settings and special magic, and the rest will try to describe it from a different perspective to avoid being banned.