OR1-EP3: The Bloody Coat of Arms (11)

The car left the busy area of the Pendragon city center and drove towards the outskirts. Unlike the center city, the suburbs were not strictly divided according to status and rank, with most of the real estate owned by the nobles, and a small portion of them being residential areas for commoners attached to the nobles - as dense and crowded as an anthill. Both farms and factories required a large amount of labor, and the Britannian Empire had no shortage of commoners; they might have had to import natives from the African colonies of the EU to serve as workers, but now they had dispensed with that formality. The limousine crossed the sooty and dusty avenue, the dust smudging the clean and tidy glass windows and causing the driver in the front to hastily explain to the passengers in the back the reason why.

Michael McNeil sat as limp as a dead man in the back, his eyes staring listlessly at the gray sky. He'd had a nightmare last night and hadn't regained his senses until now. Beside him, Duke Bradow von Breisgau was holding a cell phone to call his fellow officers. McNeil wanted a cell phone too, but he couldn't afford the cost, and his entire savings were now sitting in the hands of Old Jack, who was in South Africa. Being a poor man on the ground, McNeil began to miss the multi-functional and inexpensive smartphones of the future world.

"That was an interesting idea you mentioned yesterday." Bradow hung up the phone and started discussing with McNeil on topics related to cell phones, "You said that cell phones are currently just a communication tool, so it can also take on all tasks related to communication ... What's wrong with you?"

McNeil blinked lazily.

"I didn't sleep well. I had nightmares last night, probably because I was in shock from what happened during the day."

"That's not good." Bradow sighed, "In fact, not only you, all of us are tightening our nerves for fear of any recent mistakes ... By the way, if you don't mind, let's continue to talk about what we just talked about."

"In addition to its function of replacing the traditional landline phone, since it can send electromagnetic waves to other devices, we can utilize this to achieve long-distance control." McNeil yawned, remembering his house in New Adana, which GDI had built especially for heroes like him, "It would require cooperation between various industries. If we put similar receiving devices in all electrical equipment, you can directly control your home television, air-conditioner, or your car from a million miles away so that there is no chance of a thief taking anything from your house or stealing your car. Taking it a step further, we can install the whole device in the human brain-"

"Human brain?" Duke of Breisgau was appalled, "This is simply sensational, I've never heard of such technology ... No, such anti-human technology shouldn't be born."

"Your Excellency, the development of technology is not changed by the will of an individual." McNeil sighed, "If the day when the water comes to the surface does come, everyone will cheer and celebrate it, and your opposition is insignificant."

However, McNeil didn't really understand the technical principles of these devices. He came from the distant future of another world, where there were countless human technologies, and McNeil simply used them; he wasn't, after all, a scientific researcher specializing in technological development. However, that didn't stop him from bragging about these new concepts to Duke of Breisgau or others, this was supposed to be thinking beyond the horizons of the current era, and perhaps those parties who originally proposed these ideas couldn't really understand the wonders of them when they did.

The Empire of Britannia was full of nobles with large estates who did not always manage their inheritance properly, some could not make ends meet, others simply went bankrupt and their estates were divided amongst other nobles. The address stated by Duke Bradow von Breisgau was an old building on the outskirts of Pendragon, an old mansion in which the owner liked to pile up all sorts of treasures or valuable collections. When his descendants remembered that there was such a treasure trove, they flocked to it as if they were crazy for money, but the result was a disaster - they didn't find any value in the collection at all, and decided to sell the mansion, and the collection was given away as a gift of rags.

"The lords would have been so angry they would have lived to see their unworthy grandchildren forced to sell their ancestral property." McNeil teased, "They left their children and grandchildren a huge fortune without giving a corresponding mind. So, what kind of people are planning to buy this old house?"

"The Lamperouge family." The Duke looked at the document, "They don't have a high status, and although they have been valued by the great nobles several times in history, they always lose their titles and fall to commoners every time for various reasons. This is probably fate."

"I remember you saying that the current Knight of Six is the representative of the Lamperouge family at the court."

"That's right, and you'll meet her soon."

"She? "McNeil didn't react for a moment, "That's amazing, when did the Britannian nobles talk about gender equality?"

"Nobles and commoners live in two completely different worlds, after all."

After bypassing yet another factory area, McNeil and Bradow finally arrived near that old house. At first glance, the mansion was in such disrepair that it could collapse at any time. The surrounding yard was overgrown with weeds, and the buildings were crawling with moss and vines, so if someone was willing to live here, he would be fit to play the role of a villain in some clichéd adventure story. McNeil remembered that those guys from the NOD Brotherhood were also fond of plotting their sinister schemes in old castles or similar places, so it seemed that the world's dark sides are the same.

Duke Bradow von Breisgau stepped out of the car, shading his right hand in front of his eye and looking at the mansion that still looked dead in the distant sunlight.

"Since the Lamperouge family is very down and out, how did they have the money to buy this house?"

"Being down and out doesn't mean being poor, what they lost was only their title, it's not like they have connections or money. Besides, they have dealings with some nobles who are good at business." Bradow told McNeil what happened, "I'm curious as to who they hitched a ride with, knowing that even I had to deliberate for a long time when I wanted to offer money to buy this place."

"Maybe the Emperor." McNeil uttered a bold conclusion.

A pale young man stood in the doorway, and when he saw Bradow, he immediately stepped forward, assisted by the attendant at his side, and greeted the Duke. McNeil also pretended to be friendly and shook hands with this nobleman, he actually didn't want to pretend to be polite in front of the eyes of these people at all and then drink a glass of wine. Unable to do so, his mission was to improvise here, and McNeil didn't want to mess up the mission entrusted to him by Governor-general Herzog so soon.

"Mr. McNeil, go up there and help them inventory the collection. If something really doesn't have any value, it's fine if you just take it away." The Duke called out to McNeil, "However, some of the ones that have already been picked out by others are not yours to just take."

McNeil walked straight to the front door, politely motioning for a couple of workers carrying a painting to go out first before sidling in. The halls of the old house also appeared to be in a state of disrepair, the floor was covered in dust, and the unidentified objects floating in the air could be faintly seen through the sunlight pouring in through the windows. McNeil covered his nose and walked up the old wooden staircase, he put his left hand on the handrail and soon retracted as if he had been electrocuted, it turned out that he had grabbed a hand full of dust.

"Bad luck!" McNeil inwardly grumbled to himself, he wasn't afraid to get dirty, but this leather jacket he was wearing was the only connection he had left to his original world. He sighed and slowly moved forward down the stairs to the second level. There were a few workers in overalls pointing at a painting hanging on the wall, and McNeil was ho curious to see it and came forward. The main character in this painting was a noble man in his prime, his body, which was not known whether it was robust or obese, occupied most of the picture. McNeil carefully scrutinized the clothing on the nobleman's body and accidentally discovered a Knight of the Rounds symbol.

"Is this guy a Knight of the Rounds too?" McNeil muttered to himself, "Then, his name should be present in the archives."

If the Knights of the Round Table would draw their serial numbers directly on their cloaks, then McNeil would have saved himself a lot of trouble. Unfortunately, the Britannian Empire did not have this strange tradition, and thus McNeil had no way to judge the true identity of the Knights of the Round Table in it based on a painting. He gave up on the painting and walked into the room next to it, in which there were many miscellaneous items piled up, most of which were old-fashioned armor or swords. These weapons and equipment completely withdrew from the stage of history before the First World War, perhaps the owner of the mansion liked to collect old antiques, otherwise why would he be interested in armor that was neither practical nor old enough?

Michael McNeil labeled the pile of rags worthless and went to the third floor. Stacked in the doorway were many pieces of porcelain with a note in English: During Tianzi Yongchang's regime. These artifacts from the East were once so popular that even a local museum in South Africa had porcelain donated by citizens. He remembered that Wang Shuang had said that the Southern Court Protectorate also used the year of the Chinese Federation, and that despite the mutual hostility between the two sides, their king had always considered them to be subjects of the imperial court rather than foreigners since the beginning.

McNeil took his eyes off the porcelain just as he saw a young girl, not yet twenty years old, emerge from a side room. She had long black hair with curly curves, and her demeanor was graceful and luxurious, as if she came from some noble family with an ancient history. McNeil had never seen an aristocrat with such an aura since he came to Britannia-except for Bradow, whose aura could change at any time as needed. This must be the Knight of Six, Marianne Lamperouge, that Bradow von Breisgau had spoken of.

"Pleased to meet you." McNeil curtsied as the gentlemen did, then walked around Marianne, who was dressed in the white robes of a Knight of the Rounds, and headed for the inner room. The floorboards creaked in a way that was distracting to listen to, and could even give the illusion that this floor was going to cave in at some point. The young ex-commander stepped into the room only to see a large number of strange and unusual stones piled up on the floor, which puzzled McNeil to no end. He had envisioned what the nobleman, who loved to collect all sorts of things, would put on the top floor, and what he, McNeil, had waited for was a pile of rocks. However, once McNeil drew closer, he couldn't remain calm. This wasn't just any stone, but sakuradites, which used to be called the Sage's Stone in the western world. Nowadays, it had become the foundation of modern civilization, and no electrical device could be powered without it.

"The Duke shouldn't blame me." McNeil thought to himself, "Sakuradites are everywhere, and these sakuradites can't even be sold for more money than that painting."

So, McNeil called a few workers and asked them to transport these sakuradites away. Sakura stone itself is a dangerous product, before also has the nickname explosive stone, the slightest carelessness will cause an explosion. McNeil didn't dare to joke about such a matter of life and death, and he obediently exited the room, allowing the workers to carry away the other stones first. Only after the large sakuradites had been carried down did McNeil boldly re-enter the room and scan the remainder of the collection. Suddenly, he spotted a black orb on the floor that looked like a glass bead. McNeil picked the small ball up, examined it for a few seconds, and placed it on a doorframe aside and knocked it a few times before casually placing it in his jacket pocket.

"Where do we send these sakuradites, milord?" A worker ran up from downstairs and asked McNeil.

"I will write the address to you, and you will deliver it to the designated location ... No, it is better to finish the work at hand first, and I don't want to trouble you to run twice." McNeil thought for a moment and added, "Don't call me lord, call me sir."

McNeil was about to descend the stairs when he noticed Marianne Lamperouge running up in a hurry, nearly colliding with him. McNeil looked at the young girl as she disappeared at the end of the stairs, shook his head, and headed down with the other workers carrying the sakuradites. The cherrystones could probably be made into bombs, and detonating so many in a downtown area would be enough to create an attack with heavy casualties, or perhaps wipe a facility off the face of the earth all at once.

Bradow Von Breisgau stood by the limousine and looked at McNeil, who was walking out of the gate with the workers carrying the sakuradites. He quickly motioned for McNeil to leave the group and called for the other workers to take McNeil's place.

"I hope you guys don't mind if I take these things ... I'm actually interested in the sakuradites, I just haven't had the chance to get my hands on the real thing." McNeil explained, "The only items I'd like to take are these stones, everything else can stay ... However, some of the collectibles are of little value, I suggest that you or that relative of yours recommend them to collectors who are also interested in them, or else they'll just be scraps. "

"Good thing too, we'll find new players." Bradow picked up his cell phone and began dialing another number, "By the way, you've met Dame Marianne, haven't you? She'll be a great soldier or wife."

McNeil remembered Umagon and said, "I'm interested in soldiers indeed, and not interested in the future married woman. Certainly, she wouldn't choose someone like us."

"How so?" Bradow came on, "I'd like to hear your insight."

"That's the look of someone who aspires to greatness, she'd only choose the Emperor or a similar figure ..." McNeil laughed, "His Imperial Majesty is only in his forties, perhaps our Dame Marianne would like to be the next Imperial Consort right."

TBC

Chapter Notes:

Please don't mind why the nobles of the Britannian Empire speak modernized colloquial English, never mind.

Since we don't know what Marianne's original surname was, the surname Lamperouge was used instead. After all, both the name and the surname suggest that her ancestors may have been French.