Chapter 148: The Point in Time

Chapter 148: The Point in Time

The leader of the Naturist Sect was named Flett Ken. He was a man in his thirties, with a narrow face, brown sideburns and beard, and an eerie blue tattoo on his neck.

When Luan brought him before Klein, the man looked extremely dispirited, as though he had already suffered severe mental torment.

“Your Excellency, during the arrest, he repeatedly exchanged reason for strength. His mind is close to collapse…” Regardless of whether Admiral Amyrius could see the details himself, the blond secretary Luan gave a full account of what had happened.

That’s perfect… Klein had previously worried that Flett Ken might transform into a Lunatic, withstand spiritual pressure, and refuse to answer his questions. If so, Klein would have had to risk being suspected by dismissing his subordinates and attempting spirit channeling.

Looking at Flett Ken with cold, gloomy eyes, Klein quietly dyed his left hand a golden color with the desk concealing it.

Creeping Hunger had switched to the Interrogator soul!

And Interrogator was Sequence 7 of the Arbiter pathway to which Admiral Amyrius belonged.

Deep within Klein’s eyes, two lightning-like points of light appeared indistinctly, perfectly overlapping with the reflected image of Flett Ken.

Psychic Piercing was ready to be unleashed.

However, Klein did not use the Beyonder power directly, because it was only at Sequence 7 level. If he displayed it in front of Luan, the blond secretary would immediately see through his identity.

Borrowing the pressure on the spirit-body level brought by Psychic Piercing, Klein sat there as though he truly were Admiral Amyrius and spoke in a low voice.

“Do you know Cynthia?”

As he spoke, he raised his right hand, allowing the black pendant shaped like a miniature rhinoceros horn to slip from his palm and sway in midair.

“What is its function?”

The dispirited Flett Ken shuddered. He felt as though his spirit had been pressed against by a sharp dagger that might pierce through it at any moment.

He could not help lowering his head, stammering, “I know her.

“Cynthia—Miss Cynthia wanted to have a child with Your Excellency, with you, a child who possessed Beyonder powers. Her parents introduced her to me.

“That is the Necklace of Reproduction, created from an aura bestowed by the god. As long as she consumed its powder and wore it for a long time, it would make Your Excellency unable to resist…”

Klein listened in silence, half believing and half doubting Flett Ken’s explanation.

What he believed was Cynthia’s goal. This beautiful young lady, whether out of her own thoughts or because she had been urged and pressured by others, truly wanted to have a child with Admiral Amyrius. That could be seen from the obsession she had displayed after her mutation.

Although the nobles of the Loen Kingdom disliked, and even rejected, illegitimate children, circumstances mattered. A child who had inherited many of their father’s Beyonder characteristics and was successfully born would likewise receive sufficient attention. Ancient families that knew many secrets valued such matters even more, and the Leavitt family was among them.

Moreover, Admiral Amyrius was a man whose exterior was stern and old-fashioned, but whose heart was heavy with emotion. Even if the child were illegitimate, he would certainly love and value them… Perhaps this was the real reason Cynthia was so eager to have a child… Klein sighed inwardly.

His doubts about Flett Ken’s answer centered on the true function of the Necklace of Reproduction, and whether the Naturist Sect had deliberately misled Cynthia in this matter.

Little by little, Klein strengthened the pressure brought by Psychic Piercing and silently watched Flett Ken’s eyes until the man could no longer bear it and lowered his head again.

“What other functions does this necklace have?” Klein shook the cracked pendant in his hand once more.

His tone was calm, as if he already knew all the secrets, and his question was merely a final confirmation.

An indescribable pressure descended. Flett Ken, whose mind was already close to collapse, could no longer endure it. With a thud, he slumped to the floor and shouted in near madness, “It—it can also corrupt you!

“As long as Cynthia consumed powder ground from it and devoutly recited the honorific name of the Mother Tree of Desire, then the man who had relations with her and successfully impregnated her would be corrupted!

“You would become a believer of the Mother Tree of Desire! You would become Her blessed!”

So that’s how it is… Klein instantly understood the whole story. There were no more doubts about the events of that night.

The Naturist Sect’s aim was to use Cynthia, through the Necklace of Reproduction in its ordinary-object state, to corrupt Admiral Amyrius. That would turn this major figure in the Loen military into a devout believer of the Mother Tree of Desire, allowing him to care for the sect’s development and even provide them protection.

The key to the success of this method was that it was sufficiently hidden and sufficiently normal. It had no direct connection with words like force, assault, or horror.

“So Cynthia, after being rejected by me three times, reached a point where the corruptive power of the Necklace of Reproduction powder within her body could no longer be discharged. It gradually exceeded the limit, ultimately forming a connection with the Mother Tree of Desire and producing what seemed like a sudden mutation…

“So after she mutated, the monster she became actually couldn’t pose enough of a threat to the real Admiral Amyrius. Even I could use the Ninth Law charm to resolve it rather easily. That was because this wasn’t the result the Naturist Sect wanted at all. They only hoped to covertly corrupt Admiral Amyrius, not to clash directly with a demigod…” Klein silently glanced at the blond secretary, Luan.

Luan had also roughly figured out the entire matter. He immediately lowered his head and said in a deep voice, “Your Excellency, this was our mistake.

“We only monitored Miss Cynthia and the servants here. We did not extend surveillance to their families, relatives, and friends.

“I am willing to accept any punishment for this, even if you send me before a military court.”

How would the real admiral respond? Klein once again immersed himself in the role of Amyrius, experiencing the pain, helplessness, sorrow, and anger the admiral had recently endured.

Keeping his posture upright and unchanged, he said with a stern expression, “We will discuss this matter later.”

The hidden meaning of those words was: “It depends on your subsequent performance.”

Luan was stunned for a second, as though he could not believe that His Excellency’s punishment was so light.

Klein half-closed his eyes and said in a low voice, “My father, the late Old Earl Leavitt, once taught me something.

“He said: forgive the first mistake committed by those under you.

“Luan, you and those guards should be grateful for his mercy.”

Luan’s eyes flickered. He silently inhaled, no longer as calm as before, and said with great sincerity, “Your magnanimity commands my admiration.

“Apart from principles, the gods, and the king, you will be the only person I swear loyalty to.”

The arrogance inside your heart is extremely exaggerated… Klein did not particularly believe him. He said in a seemingly calm tone, “That sentence has a second half: severely punish them for their second mistake.”

Luan nodded, unsurprised by this.

Klein turned his gaze back to Flett Ken, who lay collapsed on the floor, and, without changing expression, asked, “Who instructed you to do this?”

In his view, Flett Ken’s answer should have been that they had planned it themselves. After coming into contact with Cynthia, understanding her needs, and learning who her lover was, the Naturist Sect boldly conceived the idea of corrupting Admiral Amyrius.

Flett looked about nervously and timidly before opening his mouth.

“It—it was the Mother Tree of Desire. She—She instructed us to do this in a dream. At the beginning, I only wanted to lend the Necklace of Reproduction to Cynthia, to Miss Cynthia, for her to wear. I didn’t intend for her to consume its powder.”

The Mother Tree of Desire instructed them? That’s equivalent to a divine revelation to some extent… Klein nearly frowned.

Although Admiral Amyrius was a major figure in the Loen military, the highest ruler of the Central Sonia Sea in practice, and held considerable status and power, that still shouldn’t be enough to attract the direct attention of an evil god… However, I’m not an evil god, so I can’t understand Their way of thinking. Perhaps there were even more plans after corrupting Amyrius… Mm, Flett Ken could also be lying. I’ll confirm it later… Klein thought for a moment, then asked solemnly, “When did you have that dream?”

Flett forced out a smile full of fear.

“It—it was February 4th. Last Friday night. I remember it very clearly. I had just liberated the spirituality of a madam.”

February 4th… Klein chewed over the date, not immediately recalling anything special about it.

After two seconds of silence, he changed the subject and asked, “What is your relationship with the Rose School of Thought?

“What is the relationship between the Mother Tree of Desire and the Chained God?”

He was not worried that Admiral Amyrius actually knew about these matters, nor that the blond secretary Luan had some understanding of them. This could be perfectly interpreted as a confirmation-style question.

Flett Ken revealed an expression of fanaticism he was desperately trying to suppress.

“We—we are a branch of the Rose School of Thought. My mentor is the Rose School of Thought’s Saint, Zatwin.

“The Chained God is an incarnation of the Mother Tree of Desire.

“The Mother Tree of Desire is the true and only god, surpassing the Seven Gods and the True Creator!

“Your Excellency, you were chosen to become Her blessed!”

Anyone can boast… Can I understand it this way? The Mother Tree of Desire is an alias of the Chained God? According to the evil spirit in the underground ruin, who was suspected to be Red Angel Medici, the Prisoner pathway and the Devil pathway can be exchanged. Therefore, it’s normal for the Rose School of Thought’s Chained God to magnify the various desires of living beings. They also have temperance and indulgence factions internally… This matches the situation at the scene… Klein thought for a moment, then turned his head toward Luan.

“Leave us.”

He intended to ask Flett Ken about the evil deeds he had committed and see whether the man could be used as food for Creeping Hunger.

“Yes, Your Excellency.” Luan did not ask why. He strode out of the study and casually closed the door behind him.

As the soft click echoed, the entire study suddenly grew quiet, as if it had been isolated from the outside world.

The Beyonder ability of a Corrupt Baron? Distorting the meaning of “closing the door” to seal off the study? How considerate… Klein pondered for a few seconds, recalled an earlier association, and suddenly asked, “On the evening of Sunday, February 6th, what did you do?”

Flett Ken stared blankly for a moment before saying, “We—we followed the revelation given by the Mother Tree of Desire. Using the Necklace of Reproduction and the hair of a vagrant provided by one of our believers, we held a ritual that magnified his appetite.”

So the vagrant substitute Admiral Amyrius originally prepared really was killed by them! Their purpose was to prevent the admiral from leaving, forcing him into the trap so that he would have relations with Cynthia and suffer corruption? Klein instantly linked everything together.

And my appearance offered another possibility, coincidentally ruining this plan… Coincidence… No! The instant the words related to “coincidence” flashed through his mind, Klein suddenly remembered what was special about February 4th, the day the Mother Tree of Desire had given Flett Ken the dream revelation.

It was the first day he arrived on Olavi Island!