And he refused to believe that the world-savvy Arilyn was unaware of the stakes.

"Join the Rose Hunting Group." Seeing Baron’s hands were busy, Arilyn didn’t mince words. "I’ll make you my deputy. That way, the Iron Thorn Gang won’t dare to touch you."

"Is that a threat?" Baron asked coolly.

A silence fell, filled only by the rumbling of the carriage wheels. Soon, they arrived at the hotel Lewis had mentioned, located in the center of the square.

As they stepped out of the carriage, Arilyn suddenly said, "When you went on stage, Ferdinand had already recognized you. Faraday, the man beside him, told him everything."

Baron instantly understood the meaning behind her words.

’If she hadn’t revealed my identity as L, Ferdinand would have found the first chance to retaliate against me after the competition.’

’But by calling me out in public, she put him in a bind. If he had kept quiet, fine. But the moment he acknowledged it and tried to make a move, he would have walked right into her trap.’

’All the attendees were influential figures. How could they let Ferdinand just apprehend me on the spot? Wouldn’t that be a huge embarrassment for all the VIPs present?’

’Ferdinand only realized he’d been played after Stephen stopped him. Now, if any "accident" were to befall me, everyone there would immediately suspect him and the Iron Thorn Gang.’

’A blatant scheme!’

Just as Baron, having understood the full extent of her scheme, was about to sigh in admiration of her cunning, Arilyn spoke again.

"That wasn’t a threat, either. It’s simply a better choice for you. Even if you don’t join me, I’ll have my people protect you... hero who saved the countless maidens of Mundra."

’The hero who saved countless maidens... That whole phrase just sounded so bizarre.’

Baron felt a little awkward, but Arilyn had already descended from the carriage and was striding into the Fude City Grand Hotel.

He got out as well, taking a long look at the magnificent, imposing statue of the First Emperor and the mosaic of indistinct figures before it. He waited for Zod and Maguire’s carriage to arrive.

The three of them went upstairs, arms slung over each other’s shoulders.

—

The hotel restaurant was opulently decorated. Gorgeous, intricate murals adorned the marble walls, painted with the finest pigments that gave off a faint, pine-like fragrance.

The tables and chairs were crafted from expensive sandalwood, each engraved with the emblem of a white deer.

Zod explained that many years ago, the white deer was the National Guardian Beast of Gillian, much like the Holy Dragon of Prole. In a way, it was a symbol of Gillian itself.

The banquet was being held on the second floor. One had to hand it to them—the Fude City government and the hotel staff were incredibly efficient.

By the time Baron, Zod, Maguire, and a group of Demon Hunter Knights went upstairs, the second floor was completely ready. Not only were the tables set with food and silverware, but there was even a band with female singers ready to perform.

The eyes of the rough, boorish Demon Hunters nearly popped out of their heads at the sight of the beautiful singers.

The Amel Knights simply sneered.

’Such uncouth Demon Hunters.’

Baron and his friends had barely taken their seats, and the band had just finished their welcoming song, when Lewis waved a hand, declaring this wasn’t nearly entertaining enough. He sent several attendants scurrying off to fetch something.

Five or six attendants scurried downstairs and returned a moment later, together carrying a huge, square iron box that glinted with a cold, metallic sheen.

After the attendants set the box down in the center of the hall, Stephen asked what it was.

Lewis chuckled and said, "This is the latest masterpiece from the Mechanical School—a phonograph that can be used without being powered by a Magic Card."

"It contains a recording of the Rose Performance from Steel City’s premiere opera house. We can listen to it right here in this restaurant." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Seeing the doubtful looks on the faces of Stephen and Arilyn, Lewis clapped his hands. An attendant opened the metal box, revealing an intricate and exquisite device inside, then located a button and pressed it.

A beautiful, solemn, and captivating melody drifted through the hall.

This took both the brutish Demon Hunters and the band of Amel Knights by surprise.

’How could such a small iron box contain such a beautiful, moving melody?’

They all craned their necks curiously to get a better look, especially the Amel Knights.

The Demon Hunters grumbled inwardly.

’These Amel Knights are acting like they’ve never seen the world. So ignorant!’

Baron, however, found the crowd’s clamor over the phonograph to be nothing but noise.

’Thanks to my middle school physics teacher from my past life, who had a habit of going off on tangents, I still remember the basic principle of an old-fashioned phonograph.’

’During recording, sound waves were collected by a horn, driving a metal needle to etch grooves of varying depths onto the surface of a rotating wax cylinder. The amplitude of the sound waves was thus converted into the depth of the engraving.’‌‌

’For playback, a stylus would trace the grooves, and the resulting vibrations would be amplified by the horn, recreating the original sound waves.’‌‌

’The only difference, however, was that according to my physics teacher, those primitive phonographs produced sound of inconsistent quality, along with a fair bit of static, due to the roughness of the grooved surface.’

’Yet the melody from this phonograph is crystal clear and pleasant. It seems the Mechanical School of Prole is far more advanced than the technology of the corresponding period in my old world.’

’Then again, that’s to be expected. This is a fantasy world, after all.’

’The photographs in the newspapers here can move, so what’s a high-quality phonograph? In a way, the fantasy elements have developed so rapidly that they make scientific advancements look stagnant by comparison!’

Just then, one of the Knights asked Lewis about the phonograph’s working principle. Baron paid it no mind, his thoughts consumed with how to counter any potential moves from the Iron Thorn Gang.

He knew Arilyn’s move today was only a temporary solution. One of his revolvers was broken, and he still bore the heavy burden of finding the Dream Master’s remains.

Beyond Prole, across both the Outer and Inner Sides, large factions of the Law Enforcement Organization were waiting to claim his head to settle their accounts. In other words, the only way for him to break the current deadlock was to grow stronger.