novellhall Chapter 65: Before Arrival, a Frenzied Theft of Curses!
Chapter 65: Before Arrival, a Frenzied Theft of Curses!
After a brief celebration, Leto had his wife straighten his bow tie before turning and walking toward Ivan, who was leaning against the railing.
"gentlemen."
His tone was sincere and solemn.
"I thank you for your kindness."
"I will abide by the five percent share."
He paused for a moment, a glint of survival wisdom unique to ghouls flashing in his eyes.
In the ghoul community, there's an ironclad rule for surviving in the cracks of human society.
Never mess with a Witcher.
Especially those hot-headed, impetuous young people who have just started out.
"This is my address."
Leto pulled out an even more exquisite business card from his inner pocket and handed it over.
"You are welcome to visit our company anytime you have time."
"Anything related to corpses."
His voice dropped by half an octave.
"We have the door open for you."
There were no major setbacks afterward.
The train traveled south and eventually slowly pulled into the Second Union Station in New Haven.
The steam locomotive spewed out one last huge cloud of white mist, and the pistons hissed heavily.
The entire carriage shook slightly before coming to a stop.
The carriage immediately became restless.
Passengers got up to straighten their coats and take their suitcases off the overhead racks.
The corridor was crowded with people waiting to get off the bus. The mingled scents of men's cigars and women's perfumes filled the narrow passageway.
Inside Hearst's carriage, however, was a completely different scene.
The ladies were each in their own private rooms, with their personal maids and tutors helping them tidy up their appearance.
Rouge was carefully applied above the cheekbones.
The hair ornaments were re-secured. The female teacher scrutinized even the angle of each pearl button.
The entire process was as rigorous as some kind of religious ritual.
The family's servants began carrying out piles of luggage, box by box, from the luggage room.
Suitcases, jewelry boxes, hat boxes, makeup cases, and evening gown covers—one after another, like precisely stacked building blocks.
Karp's side also got busy.
He needed to re-inspect and seal each private room before the girls got off the bus.
The seal is a wax seal bearing the Hearst family crest, and the next occupant must have it resealed by someone trusted by the family.
Ivan's eyes lit up, and he immediately moved closer.
"Mr. Karp. Let me help you."
His voice carried a suitable degree of attentiveness.
"I have good eyesight and I'm quick with my hands. I've never made a mistake when doing chemistry experiments at school."
Garp hesitated for a second, then nodded.
"Yes. You're a chemistry major."
He handed over half of the seal he was holding.
"I'll take care of this one. You go to the one next door. Time is tight."
Ivan took the stack of off-white seals and quickly walked towards the next private room.
The moment he stepped across the threshold, he confirmed that there was no one else in the corridor and immediately activated his demon hunter form.
In that instant, the golden vertical pupils locked onto the brass incense burner high on the wall.
"hiss!"
It was still that dazzling golden light.
It was still that sharp pain that pierced through the optic nerve.
[The Copper Plague has devoured the Copper Curse! Progress +0.1%.]
[The Copper Plague has devoured the Copper Curse! Progress +0.1%.]
……
It seems that the previous experience has left muscle memory.
Or perhaps it's due to the rapid increase in the efficiency of copper plague's absorption.
This time, Ivan regained his vision in just two seconds.
There weren't even many tears streaming from the corners of her eyes.
His 5.7 physique allows him to achieve a level of physical coordination that is almost mechanically precise.
The head precisely controls the direction of the eyes' gaze, while the arms rhythmically seal various parts of the room.
The seams of cabinet doors, the backs of chairs, the drawers of dressing tables, under coffee tables, and the edges of dressing mirrors.
Any place where someone might take the opportunity to hide items was firmly sealed by that small, off-white seal.
In less than a minute, the entire room was completely finished.
Ivan strode out the door and then entered the third private room.
The first thing I do upon entering is still that one-second scan.
[The Copper Plague has devoured the Copper Curse! Progress +0.2%.]
[The Copper Plague has devoured the Copper Curse! Progress +0.2%.]
……
"Cool!"
He roared inwardly.
He quickly affixed the seal and then turned around and went into the fourth room.
[The Copper Plague has devoured the Copper Curse! Progress +0.3%.]
[The Copper Plague has devoured the Copper Curse! Progress +0.3%.]
……
Three layers of curses stacked together.
Three times the growth efficiency.
The progress bar seemed to be activated by the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, climbing upwards at a visible speed every second.
Just as Evan was about to turn around and go to the fifth room.
Garp had already walked over from the other end, his face showing genuine amazement.
"Young people are so efficient. You finished three rooms in less than five minutes?"
Ivan grinned.
"If you give me more money, I can go even faster."
Garp laughed and patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't be too eager for quick success."
He glanced at the front of the carriage.
"Miss is getting off. Go get your luggage. Leave the rest to Jack."
Ivan nodded and was about to turn and leave when Karp added another sentence behind him.
"Be self-aware. Keep your distance from the lady."
Evan hummed in agreement and walked towards the front of the carriage.
At the end of the corridor, Ertin was standing with several other young ladies.
They were each carrying a delicate handbag, teasing each other about their hairstyles and predictions for the competition.
When the name of a certain captain of the Aletheia University rugby team was mentioned, the ladies covered their mouths and burst into laughter.
Erdin sensed Ivan approaching and instinctively wanted to turn around.
But the governess next to her, who wore pince-nez glasses, reacted quickly once again by blocking her view with her shoulder.
"I heard you're very strong?"
The middle-aged female teacher turned half her face away, her tone cold and hard.
"These luggage are yours."
She pointed to the pile of boxes stacked next to her.
Ivan smiled and nodded, showing no dissatisfaction.
After all, a daily wage of $5 is quite generous these days.
He easily carried the two 60-pound suitcases in each hand.
With a slight tremor of his arms, he moved with the ease of weighing two milk jugs.
Then he pulled his arms inward and firmly held a small 30-pound suitcase between his arms.
After the four boxes, he gestured with his chin toward the middle-aged female teacher.
Hey, auntie.
His voice was loud and clear.
"Could you please hang the last two bags around my neck for me?"
The money was given by Hearst, not by you.
In the corridor.
The middle-aged female teacher froze on the spot.
Her usually serious face instantly flushed with alternating shades of red and blue.
Behind the glasses, a pair of sharp eyes glared at Evan, filled with extreme anger at being offended.
"What did you say?"
Her voice was squeezed out through clenched teeth.
At this moment, taking advantage of the fact that the female teacher was no longer blocking their view, Ertin and the other young ladies all turned their heads to look over.
The next second, the ladies covered their mouths at the same time and let out a suppressed, almost silent laugh.
The laughter carried a sense of satisfaction, as if someone had finally said those words for me.
It's clear that this middle-aged female teacher's strict and rigid style is indeed unpopular.
Didn't you hear me?
Evan blinked, then raised his voice a few decibels, enunciating each word so clearly it was as if he was afraid the other person wouldn't hear him.
"Hey! Auntie! Could you please hang the last two bags around my neck for me?"
The middle-aged female teacher's lips trembled slightly.
She opened her mouth several times, but because the row of young ladies behind her were watching her reaction, she swallowed back the words of her curse.
As an etiquette teacher, she couldn't afford to be rude in public.
She took a deep breath, bent down, and picked up the two leather bags with what she thought was a "heavy enough" force...
In fact, it felt as light as cotton against Ivan's 5.7 physique, hanging around his neck.
"after!!!"
She straightened up and adjusted her beige cashmere coat.
"Call me Mrs. Victor."
Her voice was so cold it could freeze.
Ivan nodded very cooperatively.
"Yes, Madam Victor."