Royal Crown University, King’s Campus.
The sky was clear, and the afternoon sunlight filtered through the windows, casting a glow on the ancient corridors. Students dressed in various attires strolled in small groups, chatting and laughing as they walked. Among them was Nephthys.
She had no companions. Walking alone through the corridor, weaving between the crowds, her expression remained composed, her steps steady and determined. Though her face bore a solemn look, her graceful figure and ample chest still managed to catch the eyes of passing male students. Some, even while walking with their girlfriends, couldn’t resist turning their heads for a prolonged glance—only to be yanked back by an ear-twist from their annoyed partners.
"Mr. Brandon told me to go to the meeting point today to guide ‘the eyes’ for him... which means, something is secretly following me right now?"
As she walked, Nephthys pondered this thought. And indeed, just as she suspected, something was tailing her.
At that very moment, on the ceiling of the corridor, a small gecko was clinging motionlessly, silently tracking her movements. It was being controlled remotely from the university’s library—by Dorothy herself.
Dorothy needed Nephthys to lead the way and guide her small corpse marionette to the secret meeting point of the Scholarly Society of Mystical Knowledge. There, she would have the opportunity to locate the enigmatic Thorn Velvet.
If she could achieve continuous surveillance on Thorn Velvet, the secrets of the Eight-Spired Nest within the university would be completely exposed to her.
Thus, Dorothy required Nephthys to act as her guide. According to Nephthys, the meeting point was the only place where Thorn Velvet ever appeared.
Nephthys maintained a steady pace as she walked through the campus, taking several turns and passing through multiple corridors. The areas she traversed grew increasingly secluded, the crowds thinning until, eventually, she arrived at a deserted stone tower.Descending a spiral staircase within the tower, she finally stood before a wooden door.
She knocked in a specific pattern, following a set rhythm. A hidden peephole on the door slid open, and a pair of eyes briefly scanned the scene outside. Then, the peephole shut, and the door creaked open.
"Welcome back, comrade. For the cause of Mr. Thorn Velvet," greeted the tall male student who stood guard.
Nephthys respectfully responded, "The will of Mr. Thorn Velvet is the highest goal we follow…"
With that, she stepped inside—at the same time, the small gecko took the opportunity to scurry in unnoticed.
Inside, a vast, dimly lit chamber unfolded before Nephthys’ eyes. The room was upheld by several supporting pillars. Small, high-placed windows with thick glass let in only a limited amount of sunlight, requiring additional gas lamps for illumination.
The space was filled with tables, chairs, and towering bookshelves. Several students were present—some engrossed in reading, others kneeling by the walls in prayer, some muttering incoherently with vacant expressions, and a few huddled in the corners, darting paranoid glances around.
On one of the walls, a large banner was prominently displayed, bearing the words:
"Seek the unknown, remember the boundaries."
However, two students on ladders were in the process of replacing it with another banner:
"Follow Mr. Thorn Velvet, and we shall have no boundaries!"
As Nephthys walked further in, taking in the familiar surroundings, a short-haired girl with chestnut-colored hair ran up to her, playfully patting her shoulder.
"Hey, Neph! You’re here early today!"
"Ah… Daisy, you scared me," Nephthys patted her chest in relief, only for Daisy to scrutinize her with a serious look before teasingly adding, "Why so jumpy? This is the Scholarly Society, the safest place for us. You seemed a little uneasy just now… Could it be that you have something to hide? Maybe…"
Nephthys stiffened, her expression frozen, eyes widening slightly as her heartbeat quickened.
Just as the tension peaked, Daisy suddenly grinned and shifted the topic.
"Maybe you’ve got yourself a boyfriend! Finally, my little Neph is coming around!"
"What?! Nonsense!"
Blushing furiously, Nephthys reached out and pressed Daisy’s head down in embarrassment. Daisy laughed and straightened up, waving off the playful scolding.
"Haha, sorry, sorry! Just kidding! It’s just rare to see you so enthusiastic—usually, you come much later than this."
Nephthys forced a smile and replied, "Oh, that… I was hoping to see Mr. Thorn Velvet today. It’s been so long—over three months, I think—since I last saw him in person. I’ve been yearning to see him again."
"Ah… I get it. That longing for Mr. Thorn Velvet is hard to suppress. That’s why you should study his sacred texts properly. If you read five volumes, like I did, you can enter the Inner Area. The chances of meeting Mr. Thorn Velvet there are much higher!"
"But, lucky you! Mr. Thorn Velvet is actually in the Outer Area today—he’s about to start a new round of fundraising."
Nephthys was momentarily taken aback.
"Fundraising? Didn’t we just donate two weeks ago?"
"That was already half a month ago! It’s been long enough. It’s totally normal to have another round now. This time, I even lied to my family, saying I broke my leg at school so they’d send me 10 pounds—I can finally donate more!"
"And remember that guy Andy who was chasing me last time? I’ve decided to accept his confession and bring him into the society. Once he sees Mr. Thorn Velvet’s sacred texts, he’ll definitely be drawn in. His family is pretty wealthy—if I can recruit him, I’d be making an even greater contribution to Mr. Thorn Velvet!"
As Daisy chattered on, Nephthys forced a smile and played along, but beneath her clenched fists, she tightened her grip.
"Daisy… I will make sure you return to normal…"
…
Meanwhile, Dorothy’s gecko corpse marionette slithered silently along the ceiling and walls of the meeting point, carefully searching for Thorn Velvet’s whereabouts.
Eventually, in one of the corridors, she spotted him.
It was a passage blanketed in spider silk—evidently abandoned for a long time. The ceiling, walls, and even the floor were covered in a fine, translucent web.
Two figures stood within this cobwebbed corridor.
One was a tall man dressed in a well-fitted black suit and polished leather shoes. He had short, tawny hair, wore a low-brimmed bowler hat, and a mask. The mask was black with white, radiating lines forming an intricate pattern.
The other was a middle-aged man with a mustache, dressed in ordinary clothing—likely an outsider, given his appearance. He was conversing in a hushed tone with the masked man.
"Found him."
Dorothy’s thoughts sharpened as she maneuvered her gecko closer, attempting to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"Mr. Thorn Velvet, we’ve searched all over Green Shade Town, but there’s no trace of Baron and Thomas. The people from No. 23 have completely vanished—neither the police nor we can find them. It’s as if they disappeared into thin air!"
The middle-aged man’s voice carried urgency, while the masked Thorn Velvet responded with a thoughtful murmur.
"The so-called Lost and Found was suspicious from the start. Those two are probably dead by now—whether they entered voluntarily or were discovered and eliminated remains unclear…”
"But one thing is certain: Someone else has infiltrated this school. And the first thing they did was use divination against us… Hmph. Is this a declaration of war?"
He glanced at his subordinate before continuing.
"What else did you find about No. 23?"
"Not much… Just that the house was rented under a fake ID. There were gunshots—clearly, a fight broke out. And… someone saw a woman enter the house. They didn’t get a good look, but she had slightly dark skin and a great figure. She might even be a student here!"