Chapter 25: Party
'These parties are not for me.' William sighed as he sat in a corner of the incredibly large room. There were a lot of people wearing expensive-looking suits and talking business or paying insincere compliments to each other. 'After two weeks I still have no clue about the member of the Theosophy Order.'
He adjusted his hat, which had fallen a little to one side. His social skills weren't bad, but the pomposity wore him down. Also, his disheveled appearance and the fact that he didn't seem to have slept in a couple of days didn't help, the other guests ignored him.
He had been acting discreet all these days, but he was beginning to wonder if he should use his Knight aura to draw attention, he wasn't sure how far he could go without being noticed by the infiltrated Beyonder.
"Would it be alright to assume that you are Mr. Hastur?" A voice distracted him from his thoughts. The speaker was a middle-aged man, with blond hair and blue eyes. "My name is John Maynard."
He didn't wait for William to confirm it, that meant the question had already been answered before, and it was a mere formality. William stood up, and they shook hands.
"That would be my name, it's a pleasure to meet you in person, Mr. Maynard." William ran through everything he knew about the man in his mind. 'John Maynard, Member of Parliament for Tingen. He is a big shot in this town.'
"I've seen you before at a few parties, but I haven't had a chance to talk to you before." He gave a professional smile, worthy of a politician. "I've heard you have some important dealings with the Church of the Goddess. It's always a pleasure to meet a fellow believer."
William touched his chest four times in a clockwise direction.
"Praise the Lady." He replied in a calm tone. Tranquility was something that represented the Goddess, so those close to the Church used to act patiently and with a certain asceticism.
William had actually started to really believe in Evernight Goddess. The Church had reasonable values, which he didn't mind following, plus he was convinced 'She' existed.
Of course, if he put his life on the line it wouldn't be because of his faith, but because he believed that kind of mindset was necessary to be a Nighthawk. After listening to the words that Dunn Smith had said to him, William understood the world a little more. If a Beyonder lost control, the best outcome that awaited him was death, and that included himself and his colleagues.
Maynard repeated William's actions, and they began to discuss the news of Parliament. The deputies were beginning to question whether the smog affected his health enough to try to carry out some measures in this regard. It was a complicated issue because a good part of society was based on steam, and they needed coal for it, other forms of energy had not yet been discovered.
William's cover worked perfectly. His backstory was that he worked as a merchant and that he was quite successful due to some connections he had with the Church of the Evernight Goddess. With the help of the Church, it would be very difficult for someone to discover the truth.
"Has no one ever tried to find another form of fuel?" William continued the conversation with a genuine interest in the subject. He wasn't too involved in the pollution issue, but he wondered if there was a possibility of bringing this world to the same level as his previous world in the future. He had the knowledge for it, he just needed the materials.
"Actually, I've heard that Emperor Roselle tried, but he didn't manage to find what he was looking for." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps it is a way forward to solve this problem."
Williams nodded. "Of course, you can't completely eliminate the pollution that coal generates, but you also can't give up the energy you gain from it, so you need something to replace it."
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The politician looked at him with interest.
"You know a lot for a merchant, did you study anything?" He was surprised that he was so knowledgeable about these issues.
"I studied physics, so I'm pretty familiar with it." He confessed smoothly. He didn't mind talking about it because he wasn't known as a Beyonder.
"Oh? It's surprising to meet a scientist who is not a believer in the God of Steam and Machinery. Is it because of your family?" The politician was finding it very easy to have a conversation with William. It was a bit of a breath of fresh air from all the others who only spoke with ulterior motives.
"Certainly, my grandmother was a staunch believer in the Goddess. She passed down her beliefs to me." This was a half lie, as he had only been slightly influenced by her. "Also, the fact that he works away from science may be another reason."
Maynard nodded, understanding her point.
"Hey, this party is about to end already. I had a good time talking to you." As he spoke, he took out an invitation card. "Soon, I will organize another one in my house, I would be glad if you could come."
William took the card with a slight smile.
"I've also enjoyed this talk. You can count on me to come." He touched his chest again four times in a clockwise direction, forming the crimson moon, and they said goodbye to each other.
The party ended a couple of minutes later, and William prepared to leave for his house.
Right at that moment, he felt as if something inside him snapped and completely disappeared.
"This is...!" He was shocked for a second, sensing what had just happened.
Confirmation came from Debris.
"Congratulations, Darling. The potion has finally been digested!"
This changed his plans.
"Alright, I guess now I have no choice but to go see the Captain." He started the journey with a big smile plastered on his face.