A Pawn's Passage

The Baron’s features were similar to Hosea’s, though the former looked far more pampered and well cared for.

When Qi Xuansu altered his appearance, he also relied on certain references—mainly Westerners he had encountered before. Dutch was modeled primarily after Duke Marcheno and the Holy Court’s Metropolitan White, while Hosea was based on Desmond and Arthur, with some adjustments to make him look rougher and more like an outlaw.

The latter two dated back quite some time. When Qi Xuansu had just joined the Tiangang Hall, he traveled to the Western Region with Zhang Yuelu on a mission and met a Holy Court bishop named Arthur Morgan, who was tasked with hunting down the vampire Desmond.

Qi Xuansu had never expected that the face he casually crafted would end up looking so much like this Baron.

“I get it,” Madam Wu said as she swaggered up beside the Baron, since no one else could see her. “This old fox wants to use you as a double. You’d better be careful. If he’s got gold teeth, he might pull out a few of yours and replace them with gold just to match his!”

Qi Xuansu replied indifferently, “Then let him pull them out. It’s not even my real body anyway. Right now, I’m a guest at St. Paul Church.”

“You stinking brat!” Madam Wu suddenly remembered that the body Qi Xuansu was using was actually hers, so she immediately changed her tone. “If that old man tries anything suspicious, we’ll turn him into a human torch!”

Qi Xuansu did not acknowledge her request. Instead, he asked, “Baron, may I ask why you have invited me here?”

“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Matthias.” The Baron said, lightly tapping the railing with his fist. “I won’t beat around the bush. I require a temporary double, and you are a very suitable candidate.”

Qi Xuansu looked at the Baron. “I...”

The Baron continued, “There’s no need to refuse so quickly, Mr. Matthias. Didn’t you come to the Lower District of St. York for those shining Gold Crowns? I can offer you a price you cannot refuse—2,000 Gold Crowns. What do you think?”

Qi Xuansu feigned shock.

In truth, thanks to Madam Qi, Qi Xuansu had never personally possessed that many gold coins in his life. In the past, he had no opportunity. Now, he simply had no need for so much money since everything was provided for.

The Baron added, “Of course, once the job is finished, you will need to remain as a guest in my residence for a while until the matter is completely settled. Only then may you leave. If you are willing to serve as my double long-term, I would be delighted, and I would offer very generous terms.”

With matters having reached this point, Qi Xuansu could hardly refuse without exposing his identity. Thus, he asked, “What do I need to do?”

A smile appeared on the Baron’s face as he descended the stairs from the second floor. “It’s simple. You only need to handle some daily affairs in my place, like meeting various visitors and dealing with those vain mistresses of mine.”

“Mistresses?” Qi Xuansu was genuinely surprised. He knew Westerners tended to be rather open-minded. Some even considered it acceptable if their wives bore children by others, so long as the eldest son was their own. But witnessing it up close was still difficult for him to accept. He was a thoroughly conservative man and not particularly interested in women other than Zhang Yuelu.

Madam Wu sat on the railing of the second floor and said casually, “What’s there to worry about? Just use an illusion spell and let those mistresses wriggle around in bed by themselves. It’ll be like a fine spring dream that leaves no trace.”

The Baron deliberately added, “You may enjoy them as you wish. I do not mind.”

But I mind very much! Qi Xuansu thought to himself.

Qi Xuansu was somewhat fastidious by nature. If he had never met a woman as exceptional as Zhang Yuelu, he would most likely have chosen to live alone for the rest of his life. Even with Madam Qi and Little Yin, what he sought was merely to fill the void of missing familial affection, not anything romantic. As for Li Qingnu, he preferred to regard her as a sister rather than as a woman.

In short, Qi Xuansu lacked family affection but had little need for romantic attachment.

Qi Xuansu shook his head. “I’m already quite old...”

The Baron replied considerately, “Those are trivial details. As long as the women don’t discover you’re not me, that’s enough. How exactly you manage it is none of my concern.”

Qi Xuansu asked again, “Baron, don’t you have any doubts about my background?”

The Baron said, “In truth, I was also surprised by such a coincidence. It’s perfect timing as well. I have great confidence in my intelligence network, and I believe you have no connection to my other three rivals, so that is sufficient.”

Qi Xuansu removed his hat and held it against his chest. “I am happy to be of service.”

The Baron raised a hand, and the butler immediately presented an envelope with both hands.

The Baron took the envelope and handed it to Qi Xuansu. “Here are 20 banknotes of 100 Gold Crowns each. You may count them.”

This gang leader truly lived up to his nickname, adhering to a noble bearing. He was polite and refined rather than crude.

Qi Xuansu accepted the envelope and glanced at it. “I can tell from the thickness alone that none are missing.”

“Very good.” The Baron instructed the butler beside him. “Get him changed into appropriate clothing, correct his accent and manners, and familiarize him with my personal background. We don’t have much time.”

“Yes, my lord.” The butler responded and turned to Qi Xuansu. “Please follow me, sir.”

Qi Xuansu followed the butler into another room.

He had not expected that his trip to St. York would take such an unexpected turn.

This way, he now had three different disguises. On the surface, he appeared to be Baron Ramon. But in reality, he was simultaneously the outlaw Hosea Matthias and the gentleman Dutch Vanderlind. Beneath all that, he was Qi Xuansu, the Chief Deputy Hall Master who held the highest authority of Beichen Hall in the Southern New Continent.

Qi Xuansu began changing clothes, while the butler started explaining the details of the mission on the other side of the screen. “According to the plan, you will not need to face the scrutiny of too many demigods, and I will fully cooperate with you to provide sufficient cover.”

A Demigod was the Western equivalent of an Eastern Heavenly Being.

In the Western framework dominated by the Holy Court and the Arcane Council, Heavenly Beings were referred to as Demigods—half god, half human. The Xiaoyao-stage Heavenly Being was called a Proto-Demigod; the Wuliang stage a True Demigod; the Zaohua stage a Legendary Demigod; and the Pseudo-Immortal stage was called Divine Beings, someone qualified to ascend to godhood. Gods naturally corresponded to Immortals.

The Patriarch of the Steam Evangelical Sect was a God.

Even when facing Demigods, Qi Xuansu’s current cultivation level gave him little reason to fear. The only ones he truly worried about was that Patriarch and the cardinal bishop of St. Paul Church, who might also be a God.

Both East and West had their own classifications for power at this level.

In the East, Immortals were categorized by the number of tribulations. Immortal, First-Tribulation Immortal, Second-Tribulation Immortal, Third-Tribulation Immortal, and Supreme Primordial.

In the West, they were categorized by divine power. Ordinary God, Lesser God, Intermediate God, Greater God, and Ultimate Primeval.

The Immortal stage itself had two tiers. Ordinary Immortals and quasi-First-Tribulation Immortals were the lower tier, while the First to Third Tribulation Immortals were the advanced tier.

Ordinary Gods were also divided into two levels—Small Gods and Minor Gods. A Minor God was equivalent to a quasi-First-Tribulation Immortal who was only one step away from becoming a First-Tribulation Immortal.

A God had some divine power, while a Demigod had none at all.

The ignition of the divine flame was quite similar to the Daoist concept of severing the Three Corpses.

If the cardinal bishop of the Steam Evangelical Sect was also a God, then he would likely be a Small God.

“Small God” might sound unimpressive, yet such beings could destroy cities, overturn nations, and stand far above ordinary mortals.

Qi Xuansu truly would not be a match for a Small God. However, with the Buddha’s sarira, the Shebishi Venom, and the Seven Feather Five Fires Fan, he was fairly confident in his ability to escape.

If he had also reached the Pseudo-Immortal stage and possessed these external aids—assuming his opponent lacked similar artifacts—he could at least exchange a few blows without immediately falling behind.

The butler continued, “You must pay particular attention to Mr. Micah Burr, one of the senior leaders of the gang. He has been a close friend of the Baron for many years. Also, you should be cautious regarding the Baron’s mistresses. Among them, Mrs. Susan Grim is not only the Baron’s mistress but also his assistant. She frequently helps him handle various matters and is very familiar with him.

“In addition, I have prepared detailed information about the Baron, including his accent, vocabulary habits, subtle gestures, attitudes toward various matters, and daily routines. I can help you get familiar with them.

“Also, I will make some adjustments to your appearance so that you resemble the Baron even more. We will announce publicly that the Baron has been unwell for the past few days. This will help us refuse unnecessary visitors and explain any small inconsistencies or differences, allowing the deception to appear completely convincing.”

Qi Xuansu had already changed into a standard nobleman’s attire. Without the pistol, he looked completely out of place in the underground city.

Madam Wu appeared beside the butler and sized Qi Xuansu up. “In the blink of an eye, you’ve taken on yet another identity. You should be careful. If you’re not planning to burn this place to ashes, then we should start thinking about our escape plan. If you sink too deep and get your identity exposed, things won’t be fun anymore.”

Qi Xuansu agreed. “That is indeed something we must consider. At the very least, we can’t involve Strauni. He’s a chess piece that the Beichen Hall has invested heavily in. If he were ruined because of me, I would feel guilty.”