Mogel Estate stands along the Tassok River in the northwest outskirts of Queens, a region accessible by horse carriage in over an hour. Surrounded by scenic landscapes and lush woodlands, the estate is notable for its beauty. It's quite curious that while Queens City experiences frequent overcast days and limited sunshine throughout the year, its outskirts consistently enjoy clear skies and abundant sunlight—despite being only a short distance away. This contrast is most pronounced in the northwest, where it has become one of the northern continent's renowned wine-growing regions. However, about 50 kilometers further northwest along the Tassok River, the weather gradually begins to resemble that of the city itself. Similar situations have long puzzled meteorologists, who have yet to develop a suitable theory to explain them. Klein has a faint intuition: during the Quaternary period, this area served as the capital of the united empire of Tord and Trenssost, and here, the "Blood Emperor" Alistara completely abandoned human qualities, transforming into a mad deity. Thus, the localized, permanent alterations in weather and topography are entirely normal—Leonard Mitchell mentioned this in a few instances during his exchanges at the Tarot Circle. Moreover, as one of the oldest and earliest human settlement regions, this "Land of Hope" is likely to harbor countless ancient ruins, each of which may exert an invisible influence on the climate. The carriage entered the Mogue estate, passed through the ornamental water fountain and small garden enclosed by the main house, and came to a stop at the main entrance. As soon as Caine had just stepped down from the carriage with his butler, Walter, he spotted the estate steward, Richardson, leading two rows of male servants and maids standing at the door, awaiting their employer. Compared to the 160 Berkland Street residence, there were more servants here, though all were of second-tier or lower rank. Looking at Richardson, neatly dressed and fresh-faced, Caine smiled and nodded. "Well done." Without waiting for Richardson's response, Caine removed his hat and cane, handing both to his personal male servant, Enyuni, and immediately asked, "Have the lounges for the ladies—where they can chat and play cards—been prepared?" "They've been fully set up with poker, tarot, and various board games, and the usual instruments—piano, violin—have also been brought in," Richardson replied smoothly. Caine passed through the main door and gave a gentle nod. "And the men's smoking rooms?" "Just like the ladies', they're on the second floor of the main building, separated by five rooms." Richardson provided the answer without needing his servants to remind him or even to recall it—having meticulously attended to every detail to ensure the employer's first hunting event ran smoothly, though physically weary, he was mentally charged with energy. Kline then asked a few more questions about the dinner and guest accommodations, confirming everything was in order. Not long after, he welcomed the first guests of the Château de Mores after its name change to Thénardier: the Mahert family! "This place is much larger than my deer estate," Mahert said, smiling as he removed his coat and handed it to a servant, praising it. "I've always heard wonderful things about Mores' own wines, but never had the chance to taste them. Today, at last, I can satisfy my curiosity." "I hope I won't disappoint you," Kline said modestly. As a renowned wine-growing region on the northern continent, the area northwest of Bekland produces high-quality sparkling, red, and white wines. However, most of the estates here belong to noble families, and their house wines are typically not sold to the public. Consequently, outside the upper echelons of society or those closely connected to this circle, the region remains largely unknown. Miroge is one of the most representative estates in the region, and its wines have received widespread acclaim within the local circle, with some exceptional vintages even fetching prices of over one hundred pounds per bottle from collectors. Nevertheless, Klein's ability to purchase the estate for twenty thousand gold pounds naturally came with certain conditions—specifically, that all exceptional vintages of wine be taken by representatives appointed by the Duke of Nigan. Mehrt knew this well and had no expectation of being served a top-tier, renowned wine. He smiled upon hearing this: "You could open several bottles and serve me a small glass of each, so I can carefully evaluate which vintage stands out the most." As a member of the upper society, he had never tasted wine from Château Margaux, simply because he was a new party member, while the Duke of Nigan—his political patron—was a leading backer of the conservative party. "Certainly," Klein agreed immediately, his gaze drifting naturally to the face of the woman beside him. Compared to July and August, the young lady had clearly become much more outgoing—no longer hesitant around strangers, nor reluctant to attend dinner parties or ball events, which had led those familiar with her to believe she was unwell. This transformation was all due to "Justice" Audrey, who had mentioned the young Miss Hayour Mahert on two separate occasions during her meetings with Dauin Tangtases at the "Rune Charitable Education Fund." This kind of conversation at first seemed perfectly natural, since Héryl was someone both Audrey and Dantès were familiar with—someone who belonged to the intersection of their circles—and it was entirely typical to draw conversation topics from someone akin to a friend. However, Cline understood the subtle implication of Madame Justice, realizing she had met Héryl twice at the ball and at banquets, each time following up with subsequent treatments. After securing rooms for the Machet family, Cline welcomed the second group of guests arriving for the weekend hunting event: Colonel Quinás Colg and his friend, whom he had previously introduced. Cline knew this friend well, though the friend did not know Dantès. He was the steam-powered carriage magnate, Franmée Kitch, the principal investor in the bicycle project, who had acquired an additional 10% stake from Sherlock Moriarty—at a discounted price—through a lawyer he believed to be a lawyer, though in fact was merely a suspected lawyer. Since it has something to do with "lawyers," it makes sense that one would understand the connection with the "Duke of Decline"... Klein smiled and approached, giving warm hugs to both Admiral Qunnas and Franchim Ketch: "Welcome." He then stepped back, turning to Franchim, who had a quarter of Fascan blood, was tall and somewhat stout, and had very pale blue eyes. "I've heard your steam-powered vehicle is quite renowned—why haven't you brought it over?" Franchim had barely had time to respond when the sturdy Admiral Qunnas Colg smiled and interjected: "No, you don't understand him—he never misses an opportunity to showcase his steam-powered vehicle. However, the vehicle is quite heavy, and during its journey, it became stuck in the mud and couldn't be pulled free. Fortunately, I've never believed in his claims and decided to ride in my carriage behind him. Otherwise, he'd have had to walk the rest of the way on foot. "The main issue is that our roads are in such poor condition—they need renovation, need reconstruction, just like a steam train needs new tracks!" Franmi countered, shaking his hands at Cline. "I was actually hoping to secure some investment from you. Hah, we can talk about that another time." It used to be you invested in us—now it's you who's coming to me for investment. Cline only then fully realized that, in the upper echelons of the kingdom, he was well known as a wealthy man! With donations of shares worth over ten thousand pounds, purchases of expensive manors, and strong ties to the military—such clear signs of affluence! Yet in reality, his current total assets amount to only about fifty to sixty thousand gold pounds, perhaps just one-tenth of the wealth of Miss Justice. When would he ever become a truly wealthy man with a fortune of one hundred thousand pounds? Cline chuckled to himself, then paused thoughtfully. "No matter. I'm quite interested in the integration of machinery and steam. I'd be happy to take a look at your steam-powered vehicles at your convenience." "Very good," Franmire smiled. "If I hadn't known you'd made substantial donations to the Church of Night, I'd have thought you were a devoted follower of steam." After all, you'd drawn the triangular saint's mark on your chest...克莱恩 didn't wish to continue on the previous topic, lest丘纳斯notice his intentions. He pointed toward the staircase. "How about trying one of the cigars stored here in the smoking room? "I only discovered that there's a dedicated room for cigars—maintained at a constant temperature and humidity—after I purchased this estate. As you know, I can smoke, but I don't particularly enjoy it." "Excellent—do you have a 'Chief'?"丘纳斯.科尔格's face brightened. "Certainly,"克莱恩 replied with confidence. His primary motivation for actively organizing hunting events was to pursue the deputy director of Military Intelligence, so he had carefully considered the preferences of his counterpart. Yet, Caine didn't feel compelled to act immediately in this hunt, as he still lacked a deep enough understanding of Lord Qunnas Colg, a man who concealed half-divine prowess. He needed to observe his habits, his level of vigilance, and his personal belongings through one gathering after another, one hunt after another. As a "magician," Caine never performed without preparation! "Vale first asked a question, then immediately offered his own answer, 'The death of Viscount Stedford is connected to your father, but you've never had the opportunity—or the strength—to confront him directly, fearing that would expose you and impact your mother and brother. Now, however, with that unknown woman possibly facing an unexpected incident, Viscount Stedford is in a more manageable position. That's your chance. So, you've hesitated, haven't you?' Hugh paused and replied, 'Yes.' Vale closed her book, gazed steadily into her friend's eyes, and said seriously, 'Since you've hesitated, it means you already have a clear inclination.' Hugh slowly nodded, 'Yes.' Vale smoothed her slightly wavy hair, stood up, and extended her right hand, 'I already know your decision. By the way, do you need any assistance?' Seeing Hugh hesitate and not respond, she smiled and said, 'I'm a Tier 6 Exceptional, after all!' "Before she even opened her mouth, she glanced around again: 'If you'd like, we can seek additional assistance.' She implied that she would ask the Tarot Circle members for help. After thinking it over, Hugh exhaled and said, 'For now, we don't need that—we'll try on our own. How about we head out right away and keep monitoring Viscount Steward?' 'Now?' Furse was taken aback. 'Very well, but before we go, I'd like to perform a celestial reading with the crystal ball to assess the level of risk.' After a busy period, she held the pure crystal ball in one hand. 'There is a certain level of risk.'