Volume 6 Chapter 316: The Sinister Plan Hidden Within Matilda Cosmetics
Translator: The Light
Edits by Kenny
Olsylvia Academy, West Block Euphemia Imperial Academy, Venus Naga Business District, Matilda Cosmetics. Bella, President Isaman, and a.s.sa.s.sin Noreya teamed up for an infiltration investigation. Their grouping for this investigation team was strange; they had a knight, a priest, and an a.s.sa.s.sin, but no mage.
Since this was an infiltration investigation, naturally, they wouldn’t go through the front door. Bella and the girls moved to the back of Matilda Cosmetics and began their infiltration operation. Matilda Cosmetics was a store directly run by the royal family of the Manasvir Empire. Even though it was listed as a cosmetic store, they ran quite a few side businesses. The entire Matilda Cosmetics building was a three-story store on par with a medium-sized shopping mall back in Bella’s previous world.
“Do you guys know how to climb walls? If yes, I’ll begin.”
“Of course! Noreya, we’ve climbed... Uh, yeah, let’s quickly begin. President Isaman should be fine.”
a.s.sa.s.sin Noreya’s question was mainly aimed at President Isaman. She didn’t have to worry about the “repeated offender” Bella, but she wasn’t sure about the priest, President Isaman. However, President Isaman did not say anything and just nodded to express that she would be fine. She still wasn’t used to working with the problem student Bella, so this could be considered her first time breaking the rules.
Noreya took a grappling hook out from her storage ring and flung it at the back of the Matilda Cosmetics building. The iron hook was accurately attached to the balcony of the third floor. The area behind the back of this cosmetics store was a dead end, so rarely anyone came here. This area was originally meant to be developed and leased out to someone else, but in the end, Matilda Cosmetics financed the plan to keep the entire area to themselves. However, they never used it after obtaining it.
“Be careful, this cosmetics store is a little unusual... Anyway, just be careful.”
After Noreya’s warning, she pulled out a second grappling hook. She threw it to the second-floor balcony this time and was just as successful as hooking it on the handrail as last time. This was one of her habits. Opening up two lines for intrusion at the same time; an obvious and more covert one. The hook on the third floor clearly made much more noise than the one on the second floor. If their opponents were not prepared, then they would definitely check the third-floor balcony first.
Both President Isaman and Bella put on a black mask, just as a symbolic representation that they were thieves. They followed Noreya up to the second floor. There was n.o.body on the second-floor balcony to check on the situation, allowing all three to get up very quickly.
According to President Isaman’s plans from earlier, this Matilda Cosmetics store had no bas.e.m.e.nt. If any major problem were to happen, it would happen upstairs. Noreya began prying open the balcony door with her tools. The lock on the balcony wasn’t too complicated, so it took less than a minute for her to crack the lock.
As soon as the door was opened, a strange fragrance hit Noreya, and she quickly moved aside to avoid it. Her professional instincts as an a.s.sa.s.sin allowed her to evade the strange fragrance in time. The fragrance was a bit over the top. Even if it were a cosmetics store, they wouldn’t have that much perfume.
“This fragrance has psychedelic effects... Do not inhale it. It will interfere with your mind. Did you prepare beforehand, Bella? If not, I suggest retreating and stop our infiltration for now...”
“I did. This is a new thing I created with Andrea. You two... Oh, you already know how to put it on! That... That’s good.”
Bella took out the gas masks she made with the Mechanical Creator Andrea and was just about to introduce these masks that were no different from those on Earth. However, both a.s.sa.s.sin Noreya and President Isaman had already put it on as soon as Bella revealed the masks. They had also gone through life on Earth, so they knew how to put on a gas mask.
After putting on their gas masks, the three of them carefully moved inside. As soon as they opened the door, Bella was walloped by a stench that she almost yelped. Even though Noreya and President Isaman were clearly “hit”, the two of them reacted fast and covered their mouths as soon as possible to prevent themselves from making a sound from being unable to bear the stench.
It was a poison gas, which had already been filtered out by the gas mask on Bella’s face, the rest that was left was just the original smell. The original smell was extremely foul, but it was covered up by the hallucinogenic fragrance from before.
Bella had smelled something similar before in the nest of some demonic being. Could it be? There was a demonic being nest here too? If it really were, then this would be hard to deal with. At the very least, it was not very noticeable, but clearing out a nest required the partic.i.p.ation of a large number of troops.
The first floor of Matilda Cosmetics was the public sales area, with the second floor onwards for private cosmetic services. Basically, it was a store for individuals. If a guest came up here, they would generally come up alone, so it would be easy to “catch” them if they had set up a trap here.
This Matilda Cosmetics store was unusual from the second floor onwards. When Bella and the others invaded the balcony, the first things they saw were otherworldly demonic beings moving on the second floor. They looked like very predatory demonic beings and they had the general shape of black mud man. They didn’t look like slime-type demonic beings, but they probably had the same abilities as them.
The black mud men stood around two meters tall as they had distorted looking humanoid faces. Bella never liked demonic beings like these with questionable genders. She couldn’t feel the aura an Abyss Demonic Being should have on the black mud men, so they were not something created from the abyss.
There were many female customers on the second floor, but they all looked bewitched, and they seemed to be talking to the black mud men. Under the effects of the psychedelic fragrance, the demonic black mud beings probably looked just like normal service staff in front of them.
Matilda Cosmetics had a special ladies’ section on the second floor and above. Besides waiting outside of the shop, the men who came with their female companions would only be able to accompany them up to the first floor. There were fragrances on the first floor too. Under the effects of this psychedelic fragrance, the customers who come to shop at Matilda Cosmetics would go on a crazy shopping spree as if they had been hit by a stimulant, spending all the gold coins that they brought with them.
The psychedelic fragrance didn’t only work on women, they were effective on men too. Looking at the crazy shoppers on the floor below, Bella felt a little envious. With this fragrance, it would be hard for this store to go bankrupt even if they wanted it. The store clerks downstairs also consisted of black mud men masquerading as staff, but the same as the second floor, n.o.body noticed it.
Matilda Cosmetics belonged to the royal family of the Manasvir Empire, so the Radiant Church and Olsylvia City’s guards generally would not come to inspect them. It was very easy for a bunch of demonic beings to plan something big in secret. The aura of these demonic black mud beings could not be detected without getting close to them. It was for this reason that they managed to lurk around Olsylvia Academy for so long.
Bella and the others continued sneaking around carefully to scout for information. They had no idea what was up with these demonic black mud beings, but they didn’t seem to be able to see Bella and the girls. Their eyes were indeed just for show, and they could only see the humans who originally belonged to this dimension and locate them with their souls.
Bella, President Isaman, and a.s.sa.s.sin Noreya were all transmigrated “outsiders,” with their original hosts’ souls having disappeared a long time ago. In the eyes of the demonic black mud beings, the three of them were no different from invisible men. The only ones who could actually detect them were the female guests, but they were already controlled by the psychedelic fragrances. They were too preoccupied with the fake service staff to even notice Bella and her two friends.
The names of these demonic black mud beings should be “Black Mud Men.” Bella recalled one piece of information. These “Black Mud Men” were supposed to be wild demonic beings living in the swamp area, and they were formed from the resentment of the dead. They specialize in preying on pa.s.sing beasts and humans and were inherently less intelligent, so they were easily manipulated or modified by more powerful beings and were turned into their tools.
Most of the female customers who were lured to the second floor were girls from Filomena n.o.bility Academy and Euphemia Imperial Academy, with a small number of them being from Olivia Wizard Academy. As if they were led by spirits, they were guided by the demonic black mud beings to the second-floor trading area where they were brought to the modified dressing rooms.
The four walls of these dressing rooms were just transparent gla.s.s, so everyone outside had a clear view of what was going on inside. The girls who were controlled by the psychedelic fragrance removed all their clothes in the dressing rooms before being taken to the third floor. Bella thought to herself that this black shop was like the “industry models” of the black industry. They really did “liberate” the guests of their possessions, a.k.a. scammed them, even though the technique was a little erotic.
“President Isaman, I advise you not to go to the third floor. Just wait for us at the stairs. I’m afraid you’ll... learn bad things. That’s the reason.”
“What? Why can you two go, but I can’t? Isn’t Noreya going as well?! It’s fine for her but not me? Stop this, Bella. I have to go up there and see what’s going on!”
President Isaman wasn’t moved by Bella’s attempts to dissuade her, so she could only give up. Based on her “experience,” the images they’d see on the third floor could very likely be adult-oriented CG images. Bella was a little reluctant to lead President Isaman astray. As for a.s.sa.s.sin Noreya, she didn’t have to worry. After “committing crimes” with Bella so often, she definitely had seen many of such scenes.
After President Isaman’s repeated insistence, the three of them headed for Matilda Cosmetics’ third floor while n.o.body was looking. None of the girls here was anyone whom Bella was close with, which was the only thing that granted Bella a temporary sense of comfort. No one from the Rose Society had fallen into the trap, proving that she still had good judgment.
At Olsylvia Academy Princ.i.p.al’s Office, the academy’s princ.i.p.als were currently in a meeting while Bella and the others were engaged in Matilda Cosmetics. One of them was a middle-aged man dressed in the clerical officer garb of the Manasvir Empire who came to pay his respects. He held a thick stack of memorials in his hands and handed them to Olsylvia Academy’s current rotating princ.i.p.al, Imperial Duke Felix.
“Brother McAdam! Thank you for your hard work. I will arrange for someone to hold a banquet for you later to welcome your arrival!”
“No, no, it is the Imperial Duke Felix who has been working hard. Please, if I may receive an answer, our Emperor is anxious to receive your response.”
Imperial Duke Felix was one of the imperial dukes of the Manasvir Empire, and he was casually appointed as princ.i.p.al at Olsylvia Academy’s West Block, Euphemia Imperial Academy. To the Emperor’s order requesting his presence at this year’s Olsylvia Academy intra-academy qualifying compet.i.tion to take place at Manasvir Empire’s capital, Macnadix City, this request had put him in quite a dilemma.
Imperial Duke Felix was a warlord himself with a modest reputation. He spent most of his time running Olsylvia City while having a personal army of a hundred and fifty to two hundred thousand. If he went to the imperial city and was put under house arrest by the Emperor, then his decades of hard work would be all for naught.
Imperial Duke Felix was also aware that he would be close to death from the darkness of imperial politics without his troops. Even though he did not have the heart to rebel, the Emperor had to be wary. The fact that this intra-academy qualifying compet.i.tion was designated to start at a different location really made him a little wary.
“You need not worry about the change of venue for the compet.i.tion, Imperial Duke Felix. The Emperor has specifically instructed that you do not need to lead them, and everyone seated here needs not to follow either. The Emperor himself will preside over this intra-academy qualifying compet.i.tion.”
“Since His Majesty, the Emperor has said this, I have no comments to make. Only regarding the safety of our students...”
“Do not fret, for the imperial capital city of Macnadix is located in the continent’s central region. It is much safer than the capitals of other empires. As for the safety, the Radiant Church’s cleric students will also be present, so nothing will happen with them around.”
Imperial First Cla.s.s Clerical Officer McAdam’s words dispelled Imperial Duke Felix’s concerns, and the rest of the princ.i.p.als had no objections either. The annual Olsylvia Academy’s intra-academy qualifying compet.i.tion was self-financed by the academy, and that was a lot of money that they would not be reimbursed for. The switch to the Manasvir Empire’s capital this time was entirely sponsored by the empire, so it would be putting on airs if they did not agree to such good conditions.
After a round of negotiations between the princ.i.p.als, they elected one of the princ.i.p.als to be sent to the Radiant Church, Bishop Stanley, as the college’s representative to co-lead the team with Imperial First Cla.s.s Clerical Officer McAdam, who was solely responsible for the management of this intra-academy qualifying compet.i.tion.
At Venus Naga Business District, Matilda Cosmetics, Third Floor, Bella and the others had finally entered the third floor, their final checkpoint of investigation. As soon as they entered, they heard strange whimpers coming out from all around them. Both Bella and a.s.sa.s.sin Noreya had seen many of such scenes, so they did not react too sensitively.
But President Isaman could not do the same. Even though Bella couldn’t see her face through the gas mask, she could see the changes in her eyes. President Isaman looked like a “newcomer” who had just clicked on a “strange website” for the first time, and she seemed a bit at a loss for words.
The third floor was the transformation center of the black mud men, where all the abducted girls were imprisoned. They were all locked naked in separate rectangular cages with their hands held in place by rings above the cage that hung over their heads. The cramped cages forced them to stand in humiliating poses with their bodies leaning down.
Rings forced the prisoners’ mouths open, and a strange tube was attached to their small mouths. On the other end of the tube were cylindrical gla.s.s incubation boxes as tall as the cages, and there were people who looked exactly like the prisoners inside those cylindrical tubes. This is a strange laboratory that only appeared in adult animations.
The eyes of the imprisoned girls have already lost their l.u.s.ter. Their souls and bodies have been imprisoned here, and their memories were copied onto those “clones” with secret methods. By the time the “clones” would wake up, they’d be able to take the places of the originals, and since the souls of the originals were not judged as dead, even the G.o.d of this dimension would not be able to tell the difference.
Some of the girls who had already been copied were transferred to a large magical array at the center of the third floor and were tied to the different magical pillars, acting as batteries to the array. Bella was glad that they didn’t abduct any men here. Otherwise, she would have admitted defeat and left the third floor immediately. That image was too shocking to think about, as such, Bella didn’t even dare to think about it.
“Isn’t that... from the Student Union...”
“Hold on, don’t be rash, President Isaman. We haven’t seen the big boss behind the scenes yet!”
President Isaman saw some of the Student Union’s officers, who were sent to investigate this place earlier, trapped at the magical pillar, which meant that the ones currently at the Student Union Office were all fake “clones.” She almost thought of going to save them, but Bella stopped her in time.
Bella had also seen the girls President Isaman had secretly used as bait, and they were in the same position as the Student Union’s officers. They were all tied to the pillars. Not a single black mud man could be seen on the third floor, but Bella didn’t dare to underestimate them. Logically speaking, a demonic being must be lying in wait in a place like this.
The captive girls were basically in a semi-conscious state, but they were so disoriented that they would not be able to offer Bella any information. Bella could only be sure that the other party had taken many girls from important positions in the academy, such as the princesses from imperial families, and n.o.ble young ladies, replacing them with the “clones.”
This was similar to how Bella built her harem in some ways, but the difference was, one controlled the actual person, while the other replaced them with clones. Only a World Creator-like existence would be proficient at such “human craftsmans.h.i.+p.” The other camps wouldn’t know how to, much less the Demon G.o.ds. As for the true ident.i.ty of the mastermind behind the curtains, Bella already had an idea without much speculation.