Chapter 666: Transforming into a Butterfly

"Ah, so it is His Highness Thales and Miss Hilley..."

Inside the Tide Theater, an old and famous theater in Iris District, a richly dressed audience member came to the second-floor box in delighted surprise, only to be stopped by both Wya and Security Officer Cacqueray. He could only raise his voice as much as possible, trying to attract the attention of the two honored guests inside the box.

"Just now I was too far away. Forgive my poor eyes for not recognizing you. But from a distance, ah, you truly looked like a perfect pair!"

As if he failed to recognize us, Thales thought while politely responding on the surface and sighing listlessly in secret. Did he not see the security arranged before and behind the entire theater, inside and out?

Very soon, this bold guest was politely invited out of the box by Mallos. He returned to the ordinary seats on the first floor, watching the play while recounting his extraordinary experience of "chatting and laughing with the prince" under the admiring and envious gazes of the people around him.

By comparison, Hilley was not disturbed at all. She watched the play with great interest, clapping in support or laughing in response from time to time, giving the theater owner more than enough face.

On the third day of the Emerald Celebration, one of Emerald Palace's traditional activities was the "Noble Lords' Procession."

It was said that after "the Southerner" Hyman and Miss Regina were married, the Eight-Fingered King and Duke Cork remained in the palace to receive guests from all directions, while the bride and groom both went out on a procession to inspect the people's conditions. Everywhere they went, they rewarded good and punished evil, aided the poor, and rescued those in danger.

Therefore, on this day each year, the Duke of Iris had to follow tradition and reproduce the glorious story of the two ancient noble lords, inspecting the entire Jade City, enjoying festivities with the people, and remaining busy all day. This was also why Thales had the chance to go out with Hilley and watch a play.

"Of course, whether nobles, lords, officials, or commoners, people will fight until their heads are broken for a place close to the Duke of the South Coast in the procession," Hilley said disdainfully.

"Wow. You really know a lot." Thales was impressed.

Hilley kept all her attention on the performance on stage and casually lifted a piece of paper.

"Here. The cheat sheet Ashford stuffed to me."

"Cheat sheet?" Thales was stunned.

"To live up to 'the talent and learning of a noble lady of Covendier.'"

Oh.

"Then is it not inappropriate for only Zayen to go on the procession?" Thales frowned. "Should we follow along too?"

"Why?"

"You know, Prince Hyman and Miss Regina, Jadestar and Covendier..."

"You and me?"

Thales' expression changed.

"Oh, sorry. I swear I was not... I really wasn't implying anything about you..."

Hilley glanced at him.

"Yes. Originally, you weren't."

Thales could only shut his mouth.

Soon, the heroine on stage retreated behind the curtain. This section ended, and the play changed scenes.

"So Zayen really said that? That wool merchant managed hidden accounts?"

Hilley clapped while returning to the topic they had been discussing before being interrupted by the guest.

"Yes." Thales nodded. "So Zayen 'handled' him in advance to prevent Secret Intelligence from digging up his abnormal account entries and damaging the foundation of his rule."

Hilley frowned.

"That is not quite right. He admitted it too readily."

"It is not quite right," Thales exhaled. "But we will know the truth."

Miss Covendier thought for a while, then her expression changed slightly.

"Wait. Does that mean not only did you not give up, you sent even more people to investigate Diop's background?"

Seeing that he had been seen through, Thales smiled reluctantly.

"In a more low-key and concealed way."

Thinking of Mallos' report, Thales hoped Zombie and Ralf could find something.

"What way? Are you certain Zayen will not know?"

Thales frowned at Hilley.

Hilley raised an eyebrow and lifted her gloved hands.

"All right. I won't ask."

Thales breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you for understanding."

"But if you continue investigating, are you not afraid it will backfire like last time? That Zayen will catch you red-handed at the murder scene and drive you out of Jade City?"

Thales fell silent for an instant.

"I know. But thanks to you, Zayen and I have not completely fallen out. At least we still maintain a bit of tacit understanding."

Hilley's eyes moved.

"Tacit understanding?"

"Next time something similar happens, he will inform me beforehand to avoid my subordinates being caught 'entering a house to commit murder.'"

"And you believe him?"

Thales sighed.

"At least it is a posture."

Hilley seemed lost in thought.

The curtain on the stage opened again. The next section began. The male lead walked onto the stage in comical, ill-fitting clothes, swaying with each step. The supporting characters forced smiles and praised him with all their might, drawing roaring laughter from the audience. "What did you say? These are your mistress's clothes?"

Hilley spoke again.

"When I was little, I once broke a vase left by Queen Bella and wanted to frame a cousin who looked down on me. But just as Mother became angry, Zayen stood out and admitted that he had done it, while secretly using tricks to let everyone know that I was the one who broke the vase."

The Covendier girl sneered.

"After that incident, I received the blame. Zayen received our parents' praise, the family's reputation as 'a good elder brother who takes responsibility,' and one cousin's gratitude."

Thales' attention was drawn. He turned back to look at Hilley.

"What are you trying to say?"

Hilley shook her head.

"Since childhood, Zayen has known how to put on airs and use a beautiful posture to seize the greatest benefit."

She admired the performance on stage, her gaze slowly focusing.

"Even as his younger sister, I knew since childhood that you cannot trust Zayen. At least, you cannot trust him completely."

"By Sunset." Amid the laughter, Thales frowned. "It must be exhausting to live in your family."

"Said by someone from the Jadestar Family?"

Thales' expression paused.

"Let's return to the main topic."

The prince sighed.

"I know very well that Zayen's guarantee is only a beautiful posture. Just like Diop's murder case, by the time he 'informs' me, he will presumably have already cleaned up the mess, leaving me no clues or openings. But I can at least be certain of one thing: Zayen has already crossed hands with Secret Intelligence. Right now, he does not have the leisure to specifically deal with me. On some level, even keeping me in Jade City benefits him."

"Benefits?"

Thales nodded.

"From Moss to Diop, Secret Intelligence tried every way to bring them into my sight, hoping that impulsive Prince Thales would dig out secrets and expose the inside story," Thales said in a low voice. "Meanwhile, Zayen followed my movements, rushed ahead of me, silenced them first, buried them deeply, and suppressed and dissolved the conspiracy without a trace."

Hilley flattened her mouth.

"It sounds as if you are the chess piece in their game, one that everyone can pick up and move around."

Thales looked at her unhappily.

"Oh, sorry. I should have put it more tactfully." Hilley turned her head expressionlessly. "After all, the truth hurts people the most."

That really was tactful.

"No. At most, I am a chessboard. A battlefield." Thales was silent for a while, then sighed absently. "Those in Jade City who are swept into this, even losing their lives for it, they are the true chess pieces drifting with the current and unable to control their own fates."

Hilley said nothing. She only stared at him silently.

"Now, three lives are gone just by themselves, perhaps more. And we are still in the dark, unaware of the state of the battle," Thales said faintly. "I do not like this."

"But what if this is exactly what Secret Intelligence wants?"

Hilley spoke softly.

"To keep you in the dark and let you flail your fists around instinctively and muddle-headed? What if this is what fits their calculations?"

Thales frowned.

Then let them eat shit.

He said silently.

As they spoke, another guest who had inexplicably wandered to the second floor and "unexpectedly met" the prince and young lady in surprise was politely asked to leave by Mallos and the others. Thales and Hilley could only fall silent again for a while and shift their attention back to the stage.

The play being performed in the theater was this year's very popular new show, "The Startling Record of Transforming into a Butterfly." It told the story of Origi, an illiterate but warm-hearted foolish young man during the Red King's tyranny.

By chance, Origi saved the prime minister's niece. But when the prime minister rewarded him, he said the wrong thing. "I want a good job where I don't need to stand in the sun, one that doesn't see the light." Thus he was mistakenly assigned to Secret Intelligence. In Secret Intelligence, this simple and straightforward new agent made all sorts of jokes, but through accidental blundering and reckless action, he also solved countless difficulties: bravely fighting the Dark Room, contending against Quintana, cleverly capturing rebels, sweeping across the three kingdoms of the Lost Sea, rescuing the kingdom from fire and water, gaining the king's trust, and incidentally winning the heart of the prime minister's niece.

During one mission, Origi accidentally discovered that the cases he had handled in the king's name were actually countless unjust and false convictions that would kill hundreds or thousands of innocent people. However, under the bewitchment of Secret Intelligence's chief, and in order to be worthy of his beloved and remain with her forever, Origi avoided the torment of pain and guilt, choosing numbness and escape. Slowly, Origi grew and matured. He learned vanity, understood hypocrisy, became versed in human relations, and rose rapidly while avoiding harm and chasing benefit. He was no longer the foolish young man of the past. Just like the title of the play, he transformed from an ugly but simple caterpillar into a numb and struggling chrysalis, and then into a beautiful yet poisonous butterfly.

At the end of the story, on the eve of a wise king's coronation and the end of tyranny, the powerful Origi became involved in a political conspiracy framing the prime minister. He died beneath the desperate blade of his beloved, and at last awakened in her arms, passing away in tears.

To be honest, whether the script or the actors, the quality was indeed much better than in the capital.

Thales scratched his head. Hmm. If this were in the capital, a play that smeared and mocked Secret Intelligence and promoted "improper values" probably could not be performed. No, perhaps not. That depended on each king's historical evaluation and positioning of the Red King. Would it be forceful criticism and deep reflection, or "objective, rational, and diverse viewing"? Would it be "historical conclusions cannot be distorted," or a "sensitive topic" best avoided?

In short, he did not know whether it could be performed or not.

"May I give some advice?"

Thales was startled back to himself and discovered that Hilley had spoken.

"Of course. I'm all ears."

Hilley's eyes burned.

"If you want to start from the streets, for example by tracing clues through the Blood Bottle Gang, be very careful."

Blood Bottle Gang?

Thales' expression changed slightly.

"You..."

"How do I know you intend to start from the Blood Bottle Gang?"

Hilley turned her head and smiled faintly.

"Same as you."

Under Thales' doubtful gaze, Hilley carelessly picked up her tea.

"If Diop truly was a hidden accountant who could not see the light, then when Zayen 'handled' him, he absolutely could not use official resources on the surface, such as the Security Hall or Jade Legion."

Thales thought of the killer Glover had described.

"My brother would have to use another set of people, channels that cannot appear in writing or in public. And when Diop usually handled hidden accounts, he would inevitably use similar people. Coincidentally, in Jade City, those channels, and those who eat from this bowl of rice, after seven bends and eight turns, can more or less be connected to one large gang..."

"The Blood Bottle Gang." Thales sighed.

Hilley nodded happily.

"Your direction and thinking are correct. Most powerful and influential families have gloves to do dirty work for them." Miss Covendier looked toward the stage, where the male lead Origi and his beloved were in their final confrontation. "Compared with Emerald Palace, which leaks no water, these gloves are naturally easier to break through."

Thales sighed.

"Except for one thing." Hilley's tone shifted, making Thales' gaze move slightly.

Hilley curled her lips.

"It is said that long ago, Jade City's street gangs and groups, from cobblers to street sweepers, from night-soil men to masons, numbered dozens large and small, with no unified command over one another. Like most cities in the world, that was completely normal."

Thales was somewhat confused.

"Until?"

Hilley's expression gradually became serious.

"Until several decades ago, a certain duke of House Covendier, 'Ram-Horn Duke' Cork, suddenly had a whim. He changed the old noble style and stretched his noble hands, hands that never touched mud, out from his prosperous palace, down toward the lower classes, sinking into the people, incorporating and even investing in the non-traditional forces 'outside the chessboard.' This brought a turning point to Jade City's streets."

Non-traditional forces outside the chessboard.

Ram-Horn Duke Cork.

Thales raised an eyebrow.

"Turning point. You mean..."

Hilley looked at Thales seriously.

"An outsider gang made up of coarse veterans from the Western Desert, which began by smuggling prohibited liquor, entered Jade City at that time. It received tacit permission and even support, quickly broke the balance, and in just several decades swept through Jade City's streets and underworld."

Thales understood something.

"House Covendier colluded with the Blood Bottle Gang at that time?"

"More than that."

Hilley said, "Arms, prostitution, drugs, human trafficking, street intelligence, rural influence, market monopolies. Starting from Jade City's streets, after obtaining House Covendier's support, the Blood Bottle Gang's 'business' was no longer limited to smuggling prohibited liquor. They changed direction, transformed, grew stronger, expanded, and entered fields unfamiliar to them in the past. Their tentacles reached into the towns and countryside of the whole kingdom, into corners the army and guards could not touch, connecting with many officials and even local lords, forming cooperation, providing 'services,' and helping with 'governance.'"

"Services," Thales frowned. "Governance?"

Hilley ignored him.

"Just like that, the Iris's power and money, the Blood Bottle Gang's violence and organization, official and unofficial power, complemented each other, converged, and became one."

Became one.

Thales thought of Bladefang Dune Camp in the Western Desert, and the tacit understanding, perhaps with a little threat mixed in, and cooperation between the Wings of Legend and the mercenary leaders.

"You mean House Covendier is the Blood Bottle Gang's backing, and they are superior and subordinate?"

Hilley shook her head.

"I would not say that. After all, the Blood Bottle Gang is not an army and not a loyal dog. The Duke of Iris cannot use them as easily as moving his own arm, and the enormous gap between them cannot be ignored. The two sides definitely do not have no disagreements."

But her tone changed.

"However, it is true that the connection between House Covendier and the Blood Bottle Gang is closer than that between an ordinary local lord and a gang. Mutual benefit has long become tradition. Compatibility has already become habit. The relationship is more complicated than you imagine. Each generation of the Duke of Iris has also been accustomed to monitoring and even controlling the streets and underworld through such unconventional chess pieces."

Thales exhaled.

"No wonder. No wonder in Jade City, Zayen could so easily spread rumors about me according to his wishes."

"So if you place your breakthrough point in such a place," Hilley concluded, "you must be extra careful."

Thales was silent for quite a while. He watched Origi on stage weep in pain and speak his heart beneath the moon.

Only then did he realize that as "The Startling Record of Transforming into a Butterfly" progressed, the audience had not laughed for a long time.

"These things, street gangs, the underworld, and the like," Thales said in a low voice. "As a noble young lady, how do you know them?"

"Ha, I knew you would say that." Hilley's expression darkened, her tone sarcastic. "Allow me to kindly remind you, Duke Thales, that the young lady before your eyes is surnamed Covendier."

Thales' expression changed.

"Sorry. I did not mean anything else. You are right. You are a Covendier." He sighed. "Better because of friends, not destroyed by enemies."

Hilley was silent for a while.

"When I was little, someone once spread rumors about me. The streets were full of discussion."

Thales raised his gaze.

Hilley spoke of the past, unhappy and gloomy.

"Father did not use the duke's authority to suppress the rumors. He knew that would only backfire. Instead, through the Blood Bottle Gang, he used rumors to fight rumors, and in the end restored my reputation."

Thales frowned.

"Your reputation?"

"Yes. My reputation." Hilley's face was full of sarcasm. "The reputation that concerned whether I could be married off or not."