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What a rip-off! 15 soli for a glass of sonia blood wine, but he didn't plan on paying for it himself.
Tsked, Mobet rubbed his somewhat hungry stomach and said grandly:
"Alright, give me two glasses of sonia blood wine, and a steak."
Then, the corners of his mouth curled up, and he lowered his voice to add:
"Just charge it to someone named 'Sharron'…"
Kaspars's pupils constricted slightly, then he chuckled and had the attendant prepare the food. He patiently waited for Mobet to finish eating, didn't mention the bill, and directly led him to the back room.
Before Mobet could knock, the door opened. The room's furnishings were simple. Maric was playing cards with two Zombies, while Sharron sat quietly on the other side, intently reading the newspaper in her hand.
The newspaper's headline was bold and red:
"The New Pirate Admiral 'Vice Admiral Moon' is Born!"
Looking at the headline, Mobet's expression was a bit strange. He casually closed the door, set up a Wall of Spirituality, and then chuckled softly:
"I remember Louise wasn't calling herself 'Admiral of the Moon'? Why did she get herself demoted?"
Sharron's azure eyes seemed to ripple, a fleeting smile in them, then she responded in a cool tone:
"Even with the Sanguine's backing and a powerful Sealed Artifact, she only recently advanced to Sequence 5. Her combat experience and control over her Beyonder abilities are far inferior to those long-established Pirate admirals."
Seemingly unaccustomed to speaking so much at once, Sharron, wearing a small black soft hat, lightly raised her hand. The newspaper in her grasp, as if alive, stretched its body and floated into Mobet's hand.
"'Vice Admiral Moon' Louise and 'Vice Admiral of Twilight' Bulatov Ivan clashed in the southern waters of Sonia Island, engaging in a fierce battle."
"'Vice Admiral of Twilight''s flagship's second mate, Malik Furlong, was killed in the battle, and another Pirate Admiral displayed her might…"
After a quick glance at the newspaper's content, Mobet tsked and put the newspaper away. Ever since he learned that Siatas had successfully left the book world, he had been quite concerned about matters on the Sea.
If he wasn't worried about attracting Amon, he would have long since gone back to find Siatas.
Looking at Sharron, who was like a vengeful spirit, Mobet clicked his tongue in his heart with some envy. That was a demigod, even before he entered the book world, she was considered a prominent figure. He lightly coughed, reined in his thoughts, and then asked:
"You said last time that the complete heart of the Heart-Devouring Beast I needed had been located. How is it?"
That was one of the supplementary ingredients for his advancement to "Parasite." He had already collected the other auxiliary Ingredient. As for the main ingredient for the potion, he could try to trade with that mysterious Mr. Blessed.
Mobet was now extremely eager to achieve demigod status, primarily due to the pressure from Amon. The "Dream Stealer"'s stealth ability truly couldn't put Mobet at ease.
He only needed to quickly advance to "Parasite" and, through the Zoroast family's inherited secret art of "Parasitism," quietly leave Backlund by parasitizing a host, and head to Tingen.
Sharron's eyes moved, and a black box appeared from the void, then she responded calmly:
"1200 pounds. I've already bought it for you. You can pay in installments. Also, that meal outside, it's on me."
Mobet coughed lightly, a little embarrassed, and chuckled twice. He took the black box and performed an elegant noble bow:
"Generous and beautiful lady, in one month, no, at most one week, I'll be able to repay this money, and I will fully cooperate with the partnership you proposed earlier!"
-----------------
Pritz Harbor, Oak Island, above the Royal Navy Base.
The airship, floating and flying in mid-air, slowly docked. It had extremely sleek and graceful lines and was painted entirely in dark blue.
Aaron stood by the French window, overlooking Pritz Harbor. Upon seeing the majestic battleship shimmering with metallic light in the nearby military port, he slightly narrowed his eyes.
He had "traveled" back to the airship yesterday. For the past few months, Darren Sheroto had been disguising himself with his Faceless Beyonder ability to board the airship.
Necessary concealment still had to be done. At least in the King's faction's eyes, Aaron had stayed safely on the airship for the past month.
This year, the Southern Continent had seen constant changes and continuous warfare, all related to the East Tucker Family. Furthermore, the reforms he implemented in Lloyd City in Paz River Valley had touched upon the interests of some old-fashioned nobles.
Even though he had been in office for less than a year, he had no choice but to return to Backlund to report on his duties, while Bayer Baile remained on the Elf Island, familiarizing himself with the "Morning Star" alongside Siatas and the elf crew members.
The airship landed steadily. Aaron was the first to descend the gangway, and he immediately took a carriage to the steam train station to head to nearby Backlund.
Darren Sheroto, who had reverted to his original appearance, stood opposite Aaron with some unease, his peripheral vision glancing towards Cavendish Lancer Pinto. From the perspective of the Spirit Body threads granted by the Marionettist, Cavendish Lancer Pinto's location was a distorted, indistinguishable mass of things, with Spirit Body threads twisting and merging into it, their source unseen.
The entire carriage was enveloped by a Wall of Spirituality. Considering that many old Monsters from the Fourth Epoch were also in Backlund, and to avoid exposing some secrets, Cavendish Lancer Pinto had also changed his appearance. Feeling Darren Sheroto's scrutiny, the corners of his mouth curled up:
"A very young Marionettist, you've done very well in the Southern Continent. Your loyalty will not be overlooked by the family. During your time in Backlund, you can follow me. How much you learn will depend on your comprehension."
Darren Sheroto was a bit unclear about the other party's identity, so he could only look at Aaron with inquiring eyes. Only after receiving an affirmative nod did he bow and agree.
"This is the family's most secretive powerhouse, and also a Sequence 3 Scholar of Yore from the Seer Pathway. You must seize this rare opportunity."
Smilingly prompting his always loyal subordinate, Aaron looked at Cavendish Lancer Pinto, who was sitting beside him, and his tone turned cold:
"It's rude not to reciprocate. Since those Augustuses like to engage in underhanded dealings, then we'll send them a grand gift as well."
"After the fall of the Nation of the Evernight, among the overt secret organizations, the only one that truly still held high-Sequence potion formulas for the Seer Pathway was Zaratul's Secret Order."
"A Bizzaro Sorcerer suddenly appearing to give those arrogant Augustuses a bit of trouble, what do you think they'll think?"
A hint of concern flashed in Cavendish Lancer Pinto's intrigued eyes, and he muttered softly:
"Zaratul? That Zaratul who pledged allegiance to the Solomon Empire? He is a Sequence 1 Angel."
"His Majesty once said that he obtained another clue about the Attendant of Mysteries characteristic from the True Creator and has already begun searching for it, preparing to use it to advance to King of Angels."
"We are still in hibernation now; there's no need to create a powerful enemy for a momentary pleasure."
Aaron coughed lightly, a little awkwardly, and tapped his fingers on the table, explaining with a smile:
"You're talking about that ancestor of the Zaratul family. He perished directly during the War of the Four Emperors, encountering Antigonus and Bethel Abraham, and his characteristics were taken by Antigonus."
"The current Zaratul is merely a successor. A hundred years ago, he was a Miracle Invoker, but after obtaining the Antigonus family's notebook, although he advanced to Sequence 1, he lost most of his rationality and had to seal himself to resist madness."
"Now, you can even be called one of the strongest among the Seer Pathway who can walk freely outside."
Aaron waved his hand, signaling Darren Sheroto, who stood beside him, his eyes still filled with shock, to leave the carriage. As a Marionettist, understanding some of the Seer Pathway's secrets in advance was not a bad thing, but it was no longer suitable for him to continue listening.
Only after Darren Sheroto left the carriage and the Wall of Spirituality sealed again, Cavendish Lancer Pinto spoke in a low voice, his eyes somewhat terrifying:
"A rampaging Attendant of Mysteries..."
Aaron coughed lightly, interrupting his somewhat insane thoughts:
"An Attendant of Mysteries can already cast 'Mysterious Realm,' which is almost like creating a prototype of a divine kingdom and inherently possesses a certain degree of concealment."
"Even if he falls into madness, his Sequence 1 rank and inherent hidden effects mean that without an effective method to accurately locate him, one might instead fall into certain traps."
Of course, these were all superficial reasons. The deeper reason was the entanglement of interests between the Seven Deities and Adam. Every piece on the chessboard had its own destiny.
The simplest example: after his rationality was isolated by the Evernight Goddess in the Foggy Town, the rampaging Zaratul could still quietly seal himself within a palace for a century. Whose handiwork was behind this?
Even setting all that aside, dealing with a rampaging Sequence 1 who doesn't need to worry about the revival of mental imprints would incur a significant cost and cause a considerable commotion.
Looking at the somewhat disappointed Cavendish Lancer Pinto, Aaron changed the subject and said:
"My intelligence from the Sea previously discovered traces of 'Mad Captain' Connors Viktor in the waters near Pritz Harbor. Your next task is to seize the opportunity to eliminate him."
Connors Viktor?
Cavendish Lancer Pinto expressed his confusion with his expression at the appropriate moment. Just a small fry, did he need to assassinate him himself?
Seeing his dismissiveness, Aaron reined in his smile and spoke in a low voice:
"He's just a notorious slave trader, but his buyers are those Augustuses, and these slaves have been secretly arranged into the ruins where Tudor prepared to advance to Black Emperor."
"Qonas Kilgor, who secretly advanced to Earl of the Fallen in MI9, is fully in charge of this matter, and you are very likely to encounter him."
Upon hearing that someone was secretly attempting to restore the ruins left behind by Tudor's previous preparations to advance to Black Emperor, Cavendish Lancer Pinto, who had personally experienced the War of the Four Emperors in the Fourth Epoch and understood many secrets, his pupils suddenly constricted, and he looked up with some disbelief.
Acknowledging the disbelief in his eyes, Aaron warned him in a solemn tone:
"Do not deal with Connors Viktor near Backlund. The matters involved are too complex. Regardless of the process, the Secret Order must take the blame."
Looking at Cavendish Lancer Pinto, who had lowered his head again, seemingly lost in thought, Aaron seemed to recall something, a shy smile reappeared on his face, and he coughed lightly, saying:
"There's one more thing. I need some 'Worms of Spirit' from a Scholar of Yore to create a certain charm. I wonder..."
Raising his head expressionlessly, Cavendish Lancer Pinto was silent for a moment. After leaving a few "Worms of Spirit" with intricate patterns covering their bodies on the table, his figure disintegrated and disappeared from the carriage.
-----------------
Intis Republic, Capital Trier, inside the underground building of the intelligence agency "General Directorate of External Security."
Blaise somewhat nervously drank the Faceless potion. As a Beyonder who had joined the intelligence organization as a Secret Order member, he finally had the opportunity to advance.
The cold potion felt like lava in his body. All his muscles seemed to be melting and reorganizing. Just as Blaise was enduring the pain, his vision suddenly blurred, and a voice like it came from a distant place echoed in his ears:
"Orvell... Dylan... Tingen..."
The physical pain instantly lessened considerably, and the potion smoothly integrated into his body. Fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, and Blaise gasped for breath.
He had been a Magician for several years, but during every previous advancement, he had only heard the ravings of "Hornacis... Flegrea... Hornacis... Flegrea..." and had almost lost control several times because of it.
Unlike before, the content of the whispers seemed to have changed this time. What was even more terrifying was that he couldn't feel his own body anymore; his consciousness seemed to have fallen into chaos.
In a hazy daze, he saw a deep, dark hall with no natural light source. Inside, there was a huge, wriggling mass of something. It was so blurry, like a pencil drawing erased by an eraser, that no specific details could be seen.
The illusory, layered sounds, like the whispers of a Devil, emanated from that indescribable mass. Space seemed to be distorted and interwoven by some power, chaotic yet bizarre.
His consciousness was sluggish, his thoughts seemed to solidify. Blaise stared blankly as a notebook, its cover made entirely of dark black hard paper, fell from that huge, wriggling mass and floated out of the hall.
For some reason, a term abruptly appeared in his blank mind: "Antigonus family's notebook"...
The notebook exuded an ancient and distant aura, showing no signs of softening or decay. As the book floated, its cover seemed to be turned by an invisible hand, and a line of text appeared:
"Sequence 5 Marionettist...."
In the strictly disciplined Secret Order, every advancement required a large amount of contribution, and from mid-sequence onwards, only complete potions were provided. Looking at those few brief words, Blaise's somewhat blank eyes suddenly shifted, as if he wanted to see the remaining content clearly.
Accompanied by short, hoarse whispers, the scene shattered. The black notebook, which recorded subsequent potion formulas, seemed to float into a phantom of a city.
His consciousness was no longer blocked. Blaise regained control of his body and abruptly opened his eyes, which were mixed with greed and worry:
"What does Orvell represent? I lack enough information to interpret it at all…"
"Dylan, the higher-ups of the Secret Order once mentioned this name. Our mysterious and terrifying leader once hid an ancient castle called Dylan."
"Tingen, Loen's Tingen... Perhaps my chance for further advancement lies there..."
The light in Blaise's eyes grew greedier. What he didn't notice was that a black crow mark had unconsciously appeared on his palm, then vanished.
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