**Chapter 53: Carrying the Lady Away Overnight!**
In fact, before *The Count of Monte Cristo* and *The Three Musketeers*, Shaya had published other books.
However, due to his previous profession not being related to writing, the early books he produced were rather unremarkable. Moreover, he had not fully transitioned out of the identity of a traveler yet, resulting in those earlier works being quite poorly written.
After all, without a template, it wasn’t enough to just copy things verbatim, and with some memories missing, upon converting to the writing style of this world, artistic refinement was necessary.
Thus, unsurprisingly, the early books were “flops.”
Out of a spirit of self-indulgence, he added many jokes and references that people in this world would not understand, leading to a poor reading experience.
So when mentioning the writer Cain, people often overlooked his earlier works.
Upon hearing Lady Violet’s words, he instantly understood her identity.
A book fan.
Shaya suddenly recalled the invitation mentioning a book fan wanting to meet him, which must be this lady?
With some confusion in his thoughts, Lady Violet stood up under Shaya’s gaze, clasped her hands together and nervously asked, “Are you… Mr. Cain?”
Seeing her tremble slightly, Shaya felt a bit sorry for her exhaustion.
He nodded, “That’s me.”
“Oh my, by the goddess!”
Lady Violet’s eyes lit up, her face flushed as she covered her small mouth, speaking softly.
At the same time, she made a prayer gesture, as if she had made a wish to the goddess before, and it had been granted.
“Are you a follower of the Goddess of Abundance?”
Watching her gesture, Shaya was somewhat puzzled.
Logically, the two largest religious organizations in the royal capital were the Mage Tower and the Vatican, while the beliefs in other deities, though not prohibited, could hardly compete with the followers of these two forces.
It was said that the Church of Abundance had weakened to the point where there was only one church left in the entire royal capital, established outside the lower city.
Although Shaya did not believe in deities, he still pretended to be a follower of the Light when needed.
“Yes, my mother and I both worship the Goddess of Abundance, hoping to return to the embrace of Mother Earth after death,” Lady Violet nodded.
No wonder.
Her devotion to this belief was evident in her demeanor.
Truly a follower of abundance.
Shaya took a deep breath.
“Mr. Cain, I really like you and your books. Ever since the release of *Jane Eyre* a few years ago, I’ve been your fan!”
Lady Violet’s gaze never left Shaya as she shyly spoke.
After saying this, she turned around, hurriedly running to the bookshelf, straining to lift a pile of books, and then returned.
Under Shaya’s watchful eyes, she adjusted her long skirt slightly and then knelt on the ground.
“*Jane Eyre*, *Gone with the Wind*, *The Three Musketeers* second revised edition, *The Count of Monte Cristo* volumes one and two…”
Watching Lady Violet, who knelt on the carpet like a little girl showing off her jewelry box, Shaya felt a sense of emotion.
This familiarity indicated she must have read his books quite a lot.
So Shaya thought for a moment and decided to tempt her with incentives to gather information: “Would you like an autograph?”
Just then, she was looking down, searching for something. Upon hearing Shaya’s words, she looked up with joy: “C-can I?”
From this angle, Shaya’s gaze inadvertently fell on her chest.
Then, his expression tightened!
It wasn’t that he saw something inappropriate, but just above her chest, near her neck, was a light-colored mark the size of a bottle cap.
In the faint light from the window, it resembled the shape of a large tree.
Wasn’t this the mark of the Church of Abundance?
Could it be that Lady Violet was also a rebellious girl who showcased her faith with a tattoo?
Seeing Shaya’s gaze, Lady Violet’s face turned red, and she raised a hand to gently cover her chest, while her other hand brushed her long hair back behind her ear.
“D-don’t look there…”
Her eyes seemed to evade his.
“……” Shaya dismissed his doubts, slightly crouched down and extended his hand, saying, “Of course, please give me a pen, and I’ll sign on the cover.”
“Ah, okay!”
Lady Violet hurriedly stood up.
It was just a simple action of getting up.
Logically, any other woman with a normal figure would not encounter any issues.
But she was different.
She was a honeydew, a follower of the Goddess of Abundance.
So, under Shaya’s astonished gaze, that abundance bounced right up into his face!
Accompanied by a fresh and delightful fragrance, as well as an indescribably soft touch, Shaya felt as though he had ascended to heaven.
“……”
With a blushing face, Lady Violet apologized softly and walked to the desk to fetch him a pen.
After receiving the pen, Shaya left Cain’s signature on the title page of the book.
As he signed, he casually inquired, “Can’t you move freely in this house, my lady?”
“I…” Lady Violet’s gaze dimmed.
Not knowing if it touched on her sorrow, after a long time, she continued, “Since being diagnosed with an illness two years ago, my husband has required me to stay here and I haven’t been out since.”
“I… I might be dying soon.”
Lady Violet hugged her knees, gradually crouching beside Shaya like him.
Despite her seemingly childish demeanor, at this moment, Shaya could clearly see a touch of melancholy in her eyes.
However, she soon adjusted herself.
“I am already very happy to meet you before returning to the embrace of the goddess,” Lady Violet said with a small smile, “During my time in the mansion, the most books I have read are your works.”
“What illness do you have?”
Shaya’s hand paused in signing before continuing.
Lady Violet gently shook her head: “I don’t know.”
“Since two years ago, I have suffered from a strange illness that occasionally causes me to faint, or I hear murmurs that others cannot hear. Most of the time, I feel weak all over, unable to even walk.”
“The most famous doctors in the royal capital couldn’t diagnose anything, and the high priest of the Temple of Light also tried to invoke blessings on me, but the symptoms remain unchanged…”
“They said this incurable disease is gradually eroding my vitality, and perhaps the next time I faint, I might never wake up.”
Yes, what disease could be scarier than “I don’t know”?
Shaya sighed.
Though he felt some pity for her, it didn’t mean he forgot his purpose for being here today.
So, he temporarily set aside the topic: “Earlier outside, I saw someone wearing a black mask…”
Before he could finish, he felt a soft, cool hand cover his mouth.
“Shh.” Lady Violet’s expression turned a bit tense, “That guy is very scary; he’s not a good person.”
A bad guy?
Could he finally hear useful news?
Lady Violet seemed to hear some movement outside the door and signaled for him to be quiet for a moment. Once the footsteps faded, she released her hand from covering Shaya’s mouth.
After a moment, she lowered her voice and said, “That black mask has carved out a space beneath the mansion; I accidentally stumbled in there once and got caught.”
“Where is it located?”
Shaya’s eyes lit up.
……
Damn Shaya!
As the ball was about to begin, Selly, the most spotlighted female in the room, had already rejected no less than fifteen men’s invitations.
If Shaya really disappeared today, with her personality, she might very well wait for the ball to end without dancing a single dance.
“Why don’t you dance with His Highness?”
Watching the noble figure navigating the dance floor, Count Violet stood beside his daughter, holding a wine glass and asking.
“I’m tired today; I don’t want to dance.”
Selly said mildly, without looking up.
“Oh.”
The Count took a sip of wine.
After a while, as if he suddenly remembered something, he said, “Don’t return to the mansion for the next few days; Novella’s condition has become serious and needs treatment.”
Selly did not respond.
……
After leaving Lady Violet’s room, Shaya did not linger and headed straight toward the place she described.
According to her description, the underground altar should be located directly beneath the wine cellar.
This coincided with Shaya’s previous suspicion.
As for other details, Lady Violet was completely unaware.
Under her guidance, Shaya appeared as a shadow, traversing through the night’s unique darkness, quickly locating the wine cellar of Violet Manor.
Sure enough, Shaya saw more tightly guarded security at the entrance than in other areas.
“……”
Shaya, lurking in the shadows, frowned.
It wouldn’t be too difficult to sneak in without being noticed, but as a hidden location constructed by Count Violet and the man in the black mask, it clearly wouldn’t stop at just this layer of defenses.
There would definitely be stronger guards later.
If only he could infiltrate with an appropriate identity.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Shaya suddenly noticed the door to the wine cellar being pushed open.
Then, a person in a white mask swaggered out and left the area.
Upon seeing the white mask, the guards collectively bowed toward him, seemingly respectful of his much higher status.
Shaya’s eyes brightened.
Previously, when he learned that the assassin came from the Night Shadow Association, he committed the organization to memory. Before disposing of the body, he had also taken the white mask, which now lay in his dimensional ring.
So he examined the style of that person’s robe, controlled *Ember* to transform into the same style, and then took out the mask belonging to that Night Shadow assassin to wear.
After the person walked far enough away, he then pretended to swagger out.
“……”
The guards looked at Shaya with some confusion.
So a leading captain walked over and saluted: “My lord, why are you changing shifts so early today?”
Shaya silently sweated inside.
He certainly couldn’t speak; his voice wouldn’t change, and it would be easy to spot the flaw.
After thinking for a moment, Shaya kept walking, leisurely passing through the guards toward the wine cellar door.
“Hmph!”
After letting out a low grunt to express his displeasure, Shaya said nothing, turned his back, and pushed the door open, walking in slowly.
Turning his back on the guards’ gaze, Shaya shut the wine cellar door firmly behind him.
“Today’s lord doesn’t seem to be in a bad mood?”
After closing the door, Shaya vaguely heard someone outside comment quietly.
He let out a sigh of relief.
The first hurdle was passed, but judging by the tone of the guard captain, someone would likely come to change shifts soon.
Once that time came, Shaya could only run.
Thus, he had little time left.
Shaya looked up and noticed rows of wooden racks filled with various expensive wines. Bathed in dim light, the bottles shimmered with a dreamy purple liquid, and the entire cellar was filled with the fragrance of grapes.
Just the value of these wines could match a luxurious apartment in the center of the royal capital.
But Shaya’s attention wasn’t on the wines.
According to Lady Violet, the altar was dug out directly beneath the wine cellar, so there must be a passage leading down there.
However, as he scanned the area, walls surrounded him on all sides, and the floor was tidy, showing no signs of being excavated.
Could it possibly be a secret door?
Shaya meticulously searched around, even turning every wine bottle, trying to use luck to open some hidden passage like he used to in his past life, but after more than ten minutes, he still hadn’t made any progress.
Just as he was beginning to feel slightly anxious, a female voice suddenly emerged from his heart.
“Over there, in the corner, there’s a hiding illusion.”
The voice sounded somewhat fatigued, as if it had just regained energy after some intense activity.
Shaya smiled gently.
That night, after subduing the Invisible Demon, it had been forced to sign a series of unequal treaties, one of which was to actively assist when Shaya encountered difficulties, especially if it had a solution.
If discovered by Shaya, it could expect a fair amount of torment.
Having tasted suffering, the Invisible Demon chose to compromise and cooperate.
After all, it was merely a small consciousness now and could not affect Shaya at all, so it had to survive precariously.
With the Invisible Demon’s hint, Shaya quickly found the place concealed by illusion.
With a rippling shimmer like waves, the scenery ahead instantly transformed, replaced by a bottomless dark passage.
Without further hesitation, wearing a white mask, he boldly walked down.
Soon, the view opened up.
At the bottom of the passage was a spacious area, roughly the size of the apartment Shaya lived in, surrounded by unrefined earth and supportive wooden frames, resembling a mine.
Scanning the space, he observed another mine entrance leading deeper underground.
At this moment, a figure in another white mask sat at a shabby wooden table, quietly reading through a stack of papers.
Seemingly hearing someone coming down, he raised his head to glance at Shaya.
Then he spoke in a low voice, “What seat are you? What’s your code?”
Shaya was caught off guard.
He hesitated and countered with a question: “And you?”
Seeing that Shaya wouldn’t answer, the person seemed a bit vigilant, but still introduced himself: “Seat seventy-six, code ‘Poisonous Grass.’ If you don’t say something soon, I’ll…”
Before he could finish, under the astonished gaze of “Poisonous Grass,” Shaya leaped up like a beast, appearing as a blur right in front of him!
In the moment he raised his hand, a jet-black liquid swiftly enveloped Shaya’s right hand, coalescing into a menacing gauntlet that gleamed with metallic luster, resembling a beast’s claw with sharp, digit-like points!
“Help—”
The cry hadn’t even left his lips before the member named “Poisonous Grass” felt an irresistible force crush his throat!
With a crack of shattering bones, his incredulous eyes gradually dimmed.
Shaya had nearly instantaneously silenced him.
Roughly estimating, this person likely had strength comparable to a mid-level Grand Knight, yet before Shaya’s explosive move to kill, he had not even had time to react.
Looking at the slightly twitching body, Shaya stepped forward and picked up his mask to wear it.
Every mask seemed to have slight differences; that was something Shaya had just discovered.
“This code now belongs to me.”
Leaving that phrase behind, Shaya swiftly continued deeper into the mine.
Having killed one person, he had to speed up his actions.
……
Five minutes later.
“Who are you?”
On his way, Shaya encountered two more individuals in white masks.
This time, he calmly replied, “Seat seventy-six, code ‘Poisonous Grass.’”
This should be fine, right?
With that thought, Shaya glanced over at them.
To his surprise, the two Night Shadow members exchanged glances.
“No! I know that guy; your voice is completely different!”
Seeing the two members instantly enter battle mode, Shaya frowned.
Trouble.
The battle ended in an instant.
Wiping the blood off the mask, Shaya continued downward.
The entire mine path was a slope, and so far, Shaya had ventured quite a distance, estimating it to extend downward by over a hundred meters.
……
Ten minutes later.
Shaya finally saw the end of the mine.
Looking at the slightly ajar door in the distance and the two guards standing by, he felt remarkably calm.
On the way here, he had taken down three more who insisted on coming to find trouble.
However, as he delved deeper, their strength had increased.
But regrettably, these individuals were no exception; they were all no match for Shaya.
Yet it no longer felt like a stealthy adventure for Shaya tonight; he had initially aimed to be a ghostly assassin, only to end up killing everyone he encountered during the infiltration.
He needed to end this quickly.
With that thought, Shaya slowly approached the guards.
At the same time, he vaguely heard the two conversing.
“Wow, Lady Violet is definitely the most seductive woman I’ve ever seen; those boobs, that butt—if I could sleep with a woman like that, it’d totally be worth it.”
“Who wouldn’t think so? Too bad, during the upcoming ‘ritual,’ she’s going to…”
“Who are you?”
Just as crucial information was about to be revealed, one of the guards abruptly drew his sword, taking a defensive stance against Shaya.
“Seat twenty-three, ‘Siren.’”
Shaya answered nonchalantly.
This was the third code he had changed.
So far, it seemed that the codes for the lowest ranks were named after various herbs, while those in higher positions were named after supernatural creatures like “Lich” and “Water Ghost.”
Naturally, the higher-ranked ones had stronger abilities.
“State the passphrase.”
The guarding white mask said.
Shaya paused for a moment, then sighed helplessly.
Under the surprised gaze of the guard, he gently took off the mask covering his face.
“I just wanted to act like a real assassin in stealth mode…” he lamented, “Why do you guys have to push me to do this?”
With two screams, Shaya wielding a black longsword emerged through the blood light, pushing open the wooden door.
Before him lay a vast underground cavern, far from cramped, with evident signs of being artificially dug out. At the far end stood a small altar, about the size of a single-story house.
However, he hadn’t had the chance to observe it closely before he was interrupted by several voices shouting, “Who goes there?!”
Seeing over twenty white masks surrounding him, Shaya shook his head.
The black liquid swiftly enveloped his entire body, a suit of knight armor gleaming black gradually manifested over his form, the strange patterns like dragon scales perfectly interlocked!
Lowering his gaze at the claw-like sharp fingers, Shaya slightly crouched, signaling a sprinting move.
Simultaneously, he muttered a spell softly.
“Knight… Force Field.”
……
What was originally a festive ball filled with joy turned has somehow left the host, Count Violet, feeling somewhat uneasy.
Remembering some details, he smiled at the noble lady beside him, saying, “I apologize; I need to excuse myself for a moment.”
Saying that, he set down his wine glass and walked toward a room on the third floor.
Upon opening the door, a mysterious figure in a black mask sat at a desk.
He approached and said to the man in the black mask, “Everything at the altar is fine, right?”
“Hehe, I just had a look, nothing unusual.”
“That’s good,” Count Violet nodded, “The ‘ritual’ is about to begin; the deity has passed, and as followers, we must maintain His last majesty.”
“But to ensure everything is perfect, check again later.”
“Hehe, there are no issues on my end,” the black mask smiled, “But what about your wife? As the vessel for the ‘ritual,’ is she prepared to sacrifice her life for the faith?”
“That’s not your concern,” Count Violet sneered.
……
Slowly wiping the blood off his face, Shaya retracted his weapon; the black liquid seeped back into his body.
Perhaps because his style seemed a bit unusual, the stealth operation transformed into a massacre.
He slowly walked to the altar, discovering complex and intricate magical arrays painted on the platform. Giving it a cursory glance, it seemed to be some sort of summoning ritual.
However, Shaya wasn’t trained in this field and couldn’t understand it.
The problem was that he recognized the materials laid at various nodes of the magical array!
“Crimson Stone, Mist Droplet Crystal, Void Demon’s bones, branches of the World Tree, and…”
Shaya’s eyes gradually brightened.
When he saw one of the materials at the core of the array, he couldn’t help but gasp for air.
A whole piece of Void Stone!
At least the size of half a fist!
My goodness, converting into the amount to enter the Abyss Palace, how many levels could that let him rise?
With this thought, Shaya laughed heartily.
Then, like a thief passing through, he gathered up all the rare materials within sight and stuffed them into his ring.
Completing this, he raised his head, feeling quite satisfied.
But upon examining the stone wall in front of the altar, he suddenly froze.
The wall was engraved with dense inscriptions, resembling a damaged stone tablet embedded in the soil.
At the center of the stone tablet, there was an ancient pattern imprinted.
It was the emblem of a lifelike tree.
The Church of Abundance?
Shaya instantly recalled the mark he had inadvertently seen on Lady Violet’s chest during their conversation.
Initially, he thought it was merely her way of showcasing her faith.
But now it seemed a bit off.
Why was such an altar and stone tablet hidden beneath the Violet Manor?
Why was the emblem of the Goddess of Abundance carved onto the stone tablet?
Moreover, the conversation he overheard before he killed those two guards was also revelatory.
According to that dialogue, Lady Violet would be the key to this ritual magic.
Combining her own words, it appeared that her so-called terminal illness was likely connected to this ritual.
Shaya immediately fell into deep thought.
Although he wasn’t very keen on meddling in other people’s family affairs, involving the plan and conspiracy of the “Sun” excited him.
It seemed that the organization known as “the Sun” was about to conduct some mysterious ritual directly beneath the Violet Count’s manor, aimed at summoning a certain existence into reality.
Unfortunately, up till now, he hadn’t encountered a single high-ranking individual.
That black mask might have had opportunities to know some insider information, Count Violet was also in the loop, but it was tricky to make a move.
However…
Shaya seemed to suddenly recall something, his eyes brightening, and he quickly left the area.
Of course, before leaving, he left a little surprise behind.
……
Lady Violet sat somewhat dejectedly by the bedside.
Although she had met her favorite author, his swift departure undoubtedly left her feeling a bit saddened.
This might very well be their first and last meeting.
Caressing the signature that had been left on the cover, Lady Violet let out a gentle sigh.
Suddenly, she remembered how carefree she used to be when she was a girl.
It had been many years since she had seen the outside world.
It felt as if she were imprisoned here, only able to move within the manor. Her husband’s attitude was cold, and her daughter refused to acknowledge her.
Other than reading, it seemed there were no other forms of entertainment.
Shaya didn’t even know how important he, or rather his books, were to Lady Violet.
So after meeting Shaya, her heart was filled with extra happiness.
“I really want to go outside and see the world…”
Lady Violet said softly.
“Then my lady, how about a spontaneous trip?”
A somewhat flirtatious voice suddenly drifted from the bedside.
She instinctively stood up, covering her heaving chest, and glanced toward the source of the voice.
The bedroom window had been opened without her noticing.
“Mr. Cain…?”
A young man wearing a black mask and dressed flamboyantly extended a hand toward her, smiling as if he intended to pull her out of the abyss.
“Forget your family, forget the illness, forget the manor that has imprisoned you for years… forget everything.”
“Come away with me!”
Indeed.
As the key core of the ritual magic, Shaya planned to completely abduct Lady Violet!
This was the final strategy he devised to sabotage the plans of “the Sun”!
