Chapter 88: Speculation

Chapter 88: Speculation

After dealing with the spoils from this operation and bestowing the purified Witch King Beyonder characteristic to Emlyn White, Klein did not rush to leave Sefirah Castle. He briefly reviewed today’s battle.

His focus was on the various displays from Abomination Suah, using them to evaluate just how powerful an angel truly was.

If we met head-on, and He held nothing back, I might not even get the chance to summon one angel projection—unless I succeeded on the first try… Of course, my target, the Dark Demonic Wolf, is a Sequence 2 Miracle Invoker, while Abomination Suah is already Sequence 1. The gap between the two should still be considerable… However, the Dark Demonic Wolf and I both belong to the Seer pathway. As the lower-Sequence one, I would be comprehensively suppressed… I can only be thankful that He has not completed the ritual and advanced to Sequence 1. Otherwise, I would not see even the slightest hope of winning… Sequence 1… As thoughts raced through his mind, Klein’s pupils suddenly contracted, and he abruptly sat up straight.

Inspired, he had thought of a possibility:

Could the Dark Demonic Wolf Kotar have already advanced and become a Sequence 1 Attendant of Mysteries? Could His creation of a marionette city have merely been a misdirection aimed at possible pursuers, such as the Angel of Time, Amon?

That possibility cannot be ruled out… Mm. There is another possibility as well: the Dark Demonic Wolf Kotar may have fully grasped that piece of curtain and gained quasi-Sequence 1 strength… The more Klein thought about it, the more he felt the upcoming operation might be more dangerous than he had originally imagined.

The fact that the Dark Demonic Wolf had survived for so many years in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, and that even Amon, the God of Deceit, had failed to successfully capture Him, proved that whether in terms of power or intelligence, He had reached an extremely high level!

I need to make even more preparations for the hunting plan against Him… Klein frowned faintly and slowly exhaled.

…

Backlund, West Borough, inside the Odora family villa.

Emlyn sat on the leather sofa in the reception room, crossing his right leg over his left thigh as he patiently waited for Baron Casimi to arrive.

Before long, the Sanguine baron who resembled a middle-aged gentleman entered the reception room. He glanced at Emlyn and said, “Viscount White, why visit so late at night?”

Emlyn smiled.

“Isn’t this exactly the beginning of the day? Look—the red moon outside the window is so beautiful.”

Casimi very much wanted to retort to this young Sanguine that, during his time at Harvest Church, Emlyn had always maintained the “healthy schedule” of getting up at seven in the morning and going to bed before eleven at night. But after hesitating, he suppressed the impulse and instead asked, “What exactly is your business?”

Emlyn raised a hand, patted his formalwear, adjusted his bow tie, and slowly stood. Lifting his chin slightly, he said, “Tell Lord Nibbs that he may prepare an Earl investiture ritual.”

“…” Casimi instinctively asked, “What are you talking about?”

No sooner had he spoken than he suddenly came to his senses and connected it to Emlyn’s previous application.

“You—you obtained the Earl, no, the Witch King Beyonder characteristic?”

Emlyn savored the various feelings of this moment. Smiling, he replied, “Did you think I borrowed Pure White Sight as a joke?”

As he spoke, he took out the bronze box inlaid with many rubies and opened it, displaying the eyeball-like glass orb inside to show that he had not lost it and would be returning it.

Casimi’s eyes flickered several times.

“The Rose School of Thought’s temperance faction still has such strength?

“Then why would they cooperate with you?”

The upper ranks of Backlund’s Sanguine—that is, Casimi’s grandfather, Marquis Nibbs Odora—had not been especially optimistic about Emlyn’s previous application. He had intended to wait for Emlyn’s cooperation with the Rose School of Thought temperance faction to fail, forcing him to seek help from their own demigods.

Emlyn glanced at him and answered with a smile, “A secret.”

This was a tone he had learned from Gehrman Sparrow. He felt it was very cool and suited his preferences.

At the same time, it was also a key point The Hanged Man had repeatedly emphasized during free exchanges at Tarot Gatherings:

Only by maintaining mystery could he cause the Sanguine upper ranks to feel a degree of fear, preventing them from finding excuses—or using their status—to take the Witch King characteristic.

Without waiting for Casimi to respond, Emlyn tossed down the bronze box containing Pure White Sight. Buttoning his formalwear, he walked past the baron and toward the reception room door.

Just as he was about to leave, Emlyn paused. Without turning around, his back straight and his gaze fixed ahead, he said, “Next time, remember to address me as Your Excellency Earl.”

With the Ancestor’s favor and The Moon’s importance, he had full confidence in his becoming a Witch King.

Casimi’s facial muscles twitched, but he remained silent throughout. Only after Emlyn left did he fail to control himself, his expression twisting.

As a Sanguine who had existed since Roselle’s era, he was far older than Emlyn by who knew how many years. Yet even now, he was still only a baron, merely a little better off than those without titles. Meanwhile, Emlyn, a younger-generation Sanguine who had already become a joke within Backlund’s Sanguine circle, was now clearly about to cross the boundary between godhood and mortals, becoming a Sequence 4 Witch King and a Sanguine earl.

How could Casimi not lose composure? How could he not be jealous? How could he not be shocked?

After spending several minutes suppressing his emotions, he entered the underground area, passed through several secret doors, and arrived at the gray hall where Nibbs slept.

“Grandfather, Emlyn’s operation succeeded.”

Inside the heavy coffin forged as though from black iron, no voice emerged for a short while. After three or four seconds, Nibbs finally spoke.

“The force behind him exceeds imagination…”

The Sanguine marquis’s voice was deep and aged, carrying a slight hoarseness as it echoed through the hall.

“Grandfather, Emlyn only ultimately succeeded because he relied on Pure White Sight. The items he obtained should, by rights, be shared with the race.” Casimi, still somewhat unwilling, spoke with a trace of expectation.

Nibbs’s voice rose slightly.

“Fool!

“Is killing a Witch King when the Rose School of Thought’s indulgence faction was clearly prepared something any person or force can accomplish?

“After suffering losses for so many years, how much strength could the Rose School of Thought’s temperance faction possibly have left?

“At most, an angel in poor condition—or a Grade 0 sealed artifact—plus two or three demigods. Put together, that would still be unable to restrict one Abomination Suah. Meanwhile, the Rose School of Thought still has other angels, other Grade 0 sealed artifacts, quite a few demigods, the projection of the Chained God, and the favor of the Mother Tree of Desire.

“For Emlyn’s operation to succeed this time, count for yourself how many angels and Grade 0 sealed artifacts must have been mobilized at minimum. This is a force comparable to us!

“In the future, do not deliberately investigate which companions Emlyn still has!”

After roaring those sentences, Nibbs coughed twice, sounding somewhat strained.

Casimi’s face shifted between green and white. It took great effort before he calmed down.

“Then… are we really preparing the ritual for him?”

“What else?” Nibbs asked back, then sighed. “Perhaps after Emlyn began taking risks for the Sanguine’s future, the Ancestor truly did begin favoring him…”

…

The Fog Sea, Lasha Island.

After leaving the Future through a safe sea route, Admiral of Stars Cattleya used fairy-tale magic to arrive on this hidden island. She came before a mountain peak and recited a Jotun incantation toward an empty cliff face:

“Open sesame!”

A path immediately appeared upon the cliff. It seemed both real and illusory, leading to some unknown place.

Using her prophetic specialty, Cattleya briefly assessed whether there was danger, then stepped onto that path and entered the cliff.

As she walked, her vision suddenly opened wide. She saw a sea as clear and translucent as sapphire, and a magnificent castle made entirely of emerald.

This was the Queen of Mysteries Bernadette’s Emerald City.

Cattleya was not unfamiliar with this place. She easily passed the gatekeeper golem’s questions and various tests, arriving at the half-open room inside the castle that offered the best view.

That tall queen stood behind the railing, gazing out at wave after wave rolling in.

For some reason, the excitement, delight, and joy hidden within Cattleya’s heart suddenly calmed at that moment, giving way to a feeling of solidity, comfort, and freedom.

When sailing upon the sea in the past, she would occasionally feel lonely and sorrowful, like a leaf that had left the tree and could only let the wind blow it toward different places. But now, it was as if she had finally landed on the ground, right beside that tree.

She opened her mouth, yet for a moment, she did not know what to say. In the end, she merely pushed the heavy glasses on the bridge of her nose and greeted her simply.

“Good afternoon, Your Majesty.”

Bernadette turned around and nodded gently.

“I summoned you back to the Emerald City because there are some items and matters I must entrust to you.”

Cattleya instinctively asked, “Why entrust them to me?”

The Queen had the secret organization Element Dawn under her, as well as a group of pirates!

Bernadette did not answer Cattleya’s question directly. Instead, she said, “I previously obtained a clue and hastily left Backlund.”

“I remember that,” Cattleya interjected.

Bernadette’s long, straight eyebrows moved slightly.

“Through that clue, I pieced together an incomplete sea chart from the descendants of Edwards, William, Polly, and the others. It records some of the places my father once explored within the Fog Sea.

“With the help of that sea chart and my own prophetic abilities, I can roughly guess that a certain region far from the safe sea routes may hide one of his secrets. I plan to sail there aboard the Dawn and conduct a long search.

“I do not know when I will return. Perhaps I will never return. Therefore, I must entrust some items and matters to you in advance.”

After listening seriously, Cattleya said without hesitation, “I will go with you.”

“That was my father. This is something that belongs to me alone.” The Queen of Mysteries Bernadette slowly shook her head.

Cattleya fell silent for several seconds, then said, “If you do not return, I will do the same thing.”