fantasy novels Chapter 208 The Collaboration Between Backlund and Tingen
Chapter 208 The Collaboration Between Backlund and Tingen
Chapter 208 The Collaboration Between Backlund and Tingen
Backlund, Docklands Union: "Have you found all the materials I'm looking for?"
With black hair and brown eyes, wearing round glasses, but looking much more handsome than before, Lanius asked Mr. A, who was standing opposite him, in a solemn tone.
Upon hearing this, Mr. A, who couldn't distinguish whether the person before him was "my lord" or the real Lanius, paused for a moment, but immediately spoke respectfully:
"The materials you requested have been found. The ship will dock in a couple of days. Please wait patiently!"
Upon hearing this, Lanius simply nodded sternly and then closed his eyes again.
Mr. A didn't take this situation seriously. After waiting a while and seeing that there were no further instructions, he made an inverted cross on his chest and left the room.
"Keep a close eye on him and don't allow him to leave the room! Report any unusual activity to me immediately," Mr. A coldly instructed after leaving the room.
The shadows in the corner wriggled and quickly formed a dark human-shaped shadow, nodded to Mr. A and said "yes," before disappearing back into the shadows.
Mr. A walked into a nearby room, plopped down on the sofa, and rubbed his head wearily.
As the divinity of the "True Creator" within Lanius is restored, Lanius himself becomes increasingly closer to the True Creator.
This should have been good news for Mr. A, because bringing the Lord into the world is the mission of the Aurora Society and the ultimate goal of all their activities.
However, the ensuing problems became increasingly difficult for Mr. A, as he could no longer distinguish whether Lanluus's instructions were the command of the "Lord" or the will of Lanluus himself.
Just like the materials that Lannus had instructed him to collect a few days ago, Mr. A consulted the Dark Saint and learned that it was the Sequence 6 of the Ascension Thief Path, "Fire Thief". He suspected that Lannus had asked him to collect it in the name of the Lord in order to ascend to the Lord himself.
Mr. A wasn't sure if this wasn't the Lord's true intention, so he could only keep a watchful eye on Lanius while Wen immediately helped him collect various materials.
Mr. A has been engaging in a lot of these contradictory and neurotic behaviors lately, which has left him feeling physically and mentally exhausted.
But he quickly rallied, for the matter was nearing its end. He had learned from the Dark Saint that the lingering spirit, the true Creator's servant, the great Angel of Fate, Ulrich, who gazes upon destiny, was about to descend upon Backlund. He would take Lanius away, as long as nothing unexpected happened in the next two days.
Thinking that the Lord could descend to earth in the near future through the body of Lanius to save mankind, and that the Aurora Society's greatest goal in hundreds of years would be achieved in his hands, Mr. A couldn't help but feel tears welling up in his eyes, his whole body trembling, and he couldn't help but repeatedly make the sign of the cross on his chest, silently reciting the doctrine to calm the waves in his heart.
After Mr. A left, Lanluus opened his eyes, glanced at the beautiful young women dressed in revealing clothes standing by, ready to give orders, and couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth slightly, his face full of mockery, and a wave of disgust washed over him.
Despite his inner resistance, Lanius still reached out and beckoned, and the standing maidens removed their veils and approached him with devout expressions, offering their bodies to him.
Before the girl could approach, Lanius reached out and pulled her close; the water and the lotus blossomed together.
It wasn't that Lanius was lustful, but rather that he knew this was Mr. A's way of leading him astray, and he was doing it for Mr. A's benefit.
During this period, Mr. A used every means to entice him, indulging him in all sorts of vices, including eating, drinking, gambling, and prostitution. If it weren't for his strong will, he might have already "fallen" by now.
Once he becomes a follower of desire and willingly falls into depravity, the true Creator will revive within him at an even faster pace.
During this time, the followers of the Aurora Society used all sorts of methods to constantly corrupt him. Lanluus even believed that if he showed any interest in him, Mr. A might dedicate himself to him at all costs, just to drag him down.
This wasn't just something Lanluus imagined out of thin air; it was something that Mr. A had done a few days ago, using his "herding" pain witch traits to reveal his feminine side.
If Mr. A hadn't harbored some reservations about the true creator, Lanluus would have even suspected that he might have used the power of the Witch of Pleasure to force him into submission.
Even though Lanius was determined, he could clearly feel himself becoming unlike himself, and this was taking longer and longer.
In particular, he felt that the "offspring" he left behind in Tingen was growing stronger and stronger, and correspondingly, his father, Lanius, was becoming more and more like the "true creator".
Only a god can be the father of a divine descendant!
But Lanius did not give up. The "resurrection" of the true creator in him had both advantages and disadvantages, needless to say. It would bring him closer and closer to the true creator. The advantage was that he could personally feel the true creator's knowledge and feelings, his joys and sorrows, and even see his vision in his dreams. Through the vision of the gods, he could see the "truth" of the world.
Mr. A thought that the arrival of the Archangel Ulrich Ashe in Backlund was a secret, but in fact Ulrich Ashe had been lingering on the outskirts of Backlund for several days.
Having successfully located the target, and with great anticipation, Ouroboros might be able to force his way into Backlund in less than two days.
The battle of angels will take place in Backlund, and that will be the only time when Lanruus has a real chance to escape.
Therefore, Lanius has been using the divinity of the true creator to secretly influence those around him who are monitoring him. He believes that the three major churches have also noticed Urolius's whereabouts and are actively preparing. They must be on high alert now, and will be very sensitive to any movement related to the Aurora Society.
If Lanius manages to create even a small opening, the three major churches will surely come searching for him like hunting dogs that have caught a whiff of something.
Lanius's thoughts might have escaped Mr. A's notice, but they couldn't hide them from Bernadette, who had been silently observing him.
To avoid the true creator divinity within Lanius noticing her spying, Bernadette always used a '0' level seal to conceal it.
Behind Bernadette, a nearly transparent, almost ethereal half-body spirit appeared.
The figure was dressed the same as Bernadette at this moment, except that she wore a pale mask that shimmered with metallic luster.
The mask only had holes for the eyes, with no gaps anywhere else, which made Bernadette's half-spirit appear extremely cold and noble, but lacking any sense of life.
This is a powerful '0' level sealed artifact she obtained from her father—Pale Death. It is an artifact with extraordinary properties that Roselle stole from the Southern Continent in his later years and made by hand.
This extraordinary trait is the last Sequence 1 'Pale Emperor' extraordinary trait of the Aiger family, the royal family of the Byron Empire in the Southern Continent. Its loss has rendered the Aiger family powerless to resist the colonial frenzy of the Northern Continent's plundering of the Southern Continent, which was launched by Roselle.
The side effect of this sealed artifact is that it will cause the wearer to die little by little, becoming its slave.
Compared to its status and function, the side effects are terrifyingly minor, fully demonstrating the prowess of the "greatest craftsman in the world a hundred years ago".
At this moment, Bernadette, through the side effects and status of "Pale Death," transformed herself into a "dead person," clearly seeing Lannüs's current state and his still lucid mind.
At the same time, she turned her gaze to the Sodrak Palace in Queen Backlund. With the help of the mask, she saw the vigorous 'order' that the Sodrak Palace represented, and could even sense a dangerous aura.
This aura was not concealed; it was also a warning from the Augustus family to "Tail Eater" Urolius, warning him not to set foot in Backlund.
The St. Wind Cathedral of the Storm God in the Joewood District, the St. Samuel Cathedral of the Night Goddess in the North District, and the St. Hillland Cathedral of the Steam and Machine God in the South District of the Bridge are all on high alert.
But will this gesture make Ulorus give up his pursuit of the Life Council Chairman?
At least Bernadette, as a "prophet" through the esoteric path, did not sense any change in "fate".
When Ouroboros stormed into Backlund, that was the moment Bernadette would make her move.
Even though Urelius was the angel king of the Fate Path, Bernadette did not believe she could escape Backlund unscathed.
But Bernadette also didn't believe he hadn't come to Backlund prepared; at the very least, the true Creator had to pay attention to this matter.
Otherwise, it cannot be ruled out that the God of Storms might directly descend and kill his most loyal follower.
Under these circumstances, she has the highest probability of eliminating Lanius and completing the ascension ceremony.
Moreover, her actions against Lanius at that time could minimize the potential attacks from the three major churches and the royal family.
Bernadette quickly withdrew the half-spirit behind her into her body, only needing to borrow the space of this sealed artifact for a short time, as wearing it for too long would have irreversible consequences.
Bernadette, having reassembled "Pale Death," stood at the window, her eyes as blue as the sea, gazing at the bustling docks, lost in thought.
"Backlund's theater troupe truly lives up to its reputation as a world-renowned theater troupe. They perfectly recreated the novel by Emperor Roselle. The returning count was so handsome, and his revenge was truly heart-wrenching. The mechanic supporting character was also exactly as I imagined."
Even after leaving the Grand Theatre, Melissa was still excitedly telling her two brothers about her feelings, her emotions running high and she couldn't calm down for a long time.
Benson and Klein simply looked tenderly at Melissa, who was usually very well-behaved, and echoed her, as her excited appearance was quite rare.
"I didn't expect you to like drama so much. I thought that someone like you who aspires to be a mechanic wouldn't like anything too artistic."
"That's prejudice. Our school has relevant interest groups that often put on related programs, it's just that the conditions are a bit poor."
Melissa immediately refuted Benson's prejudice against science students, while Klein smiled, then hailed a carriage by the roadside and left the chaotic theater.
Back home, Benson and Melissa were both exhausted. They quickly washed their faces, said goodnight to each other, and went to their respective bedrooms.
Klein returned to his bedroom, reflecting on the events of the past few days.
These past few days, whatever he wanted to do went exceptionally smoothly; it was as if he was blessed by Lady Luck.
But Klein knew it wasn't because he was lucky, but because all his good fortune was actually a pre-arranged accident.
Klein's goal has never changed: to save Tingen and minimize casualties. Tomorrow is the day he is going to take action. Tonight, he plans to open Evan's letter to learn about the relevant plans and find out the true face of the mastermind behind it all.
After taking four steps backward, Klein reappeared above the gray fog, sitting in a bronze high-backed chair. With a wave of his hand, the letter he had hidden in the envelope appeared in his hand.
Klein took a deep breath, no longer hesitating, and opened the envelope in his hand. The more he looked, the more shocked he became. He never expected that the first wanted poster he saw at Blackthorn Security Company was the mastermind behind everything in Tingen.
Ince Zangwell, the traitorous archbishop of the Church of the Night!
In the letter, Evan frankly stated that Ince Zangwell himself was not a threat, as he was a Sequence 5 Gatekeeper of the Death Path.
After failing to advance, he turned his attention to the adjacent Sleepless Path, which is Sequence 4 of the Night Path.
"The Night Watchman".
The extraordinary characteristics of the path to becoming a "Night Watchman" are rarely found outside the city, and Tingen City happens to possess a set of Saint Selena's ashes.
The extraordinary properties left behind by extraordinary individuals who died of natural causes, when combined, are roughly equivalent to a potion without any auxiliary materials.
Because he transitioned from the Death Path to the Night Path, his ascension ceremony required the participation of the remains of a descendant of the Death God.
Although Ince Zangwell was a high-ranking member of the Church of the Night, a Sequence 5 powerhouse, and possessed a unique title in the Extraordinary World, he was not capable of arranging the fate of the entire Tingen. What enabled him to do all this was the '0' level sealed artifact, 008, which he stole when he defected from the Church of the Night.
Although Evan did not provide specific details about 008 in the letter.
But Klein remembered from the church's internal wanted poster that 008 was an ordinary-looking quill pen.
Its purpose is to make what is written down destined to come true?
No, it can't be that simple. Otherwise, he could just write that Saint Selena's ashes would automatically fly to his hands.
There must be some restrictions!
008 likely lacks the ability to launch an attack proactively; otherwise, Ince Zangwill would have already stormed the Charnis Gate in Tingen.
This being, which sits at the very top of all sealed artifacts in the world, can make people act according to its descriptions without them even realizing it. Is this the reason for the coincidences that keep happening?
"Could 008 be a sealed artifact of the 'Monster' pathway, which is also the 'Fate' pathway? Could it be capable of controlling the fate of all things?"
Although Evan didn't elaborate on the specifics of 008 in the letter, he did mention that 008's side effect was that it constantly wanted to kill off its owner, which is why Ince Zangwill was now being driven crazy by it. This also shows that their previous actions were not entirely in vain.
All of 008's plans during this period were for two purposes: one was to make Megas pregnant with the child of the true creator, thus creating the Tingen catastrophe.
Another strategy is to create various coincidences to keep the Night Watch team busy solving incidents, corrupt Dunn Smith, and cause him to make the wrong decision at a crucial moment, taking Saint Selena's ashes out of Charnes Gate so that he can easily obtain them.
Dunn Smith's corruption was resolved after Klein and Leonard publicly played the role, so Ince Zangwill recently turned his attention to Schumer, the esper from the Sanctuary.
During this time, Ince Zangwell was also very anxious because the chaos in Tingen greatly accelerated the development of the divine child in Megos's womb.
If he hadn't completed his preparations within the Night Watch, and if Dunn Smith had made the right decision at the crucial moment to bring Megas into Charness Gate, his plan could have completely failed, resulting in utter ruin. This is why he readily agreed to cooperate with Klein.
Having understood the full picture of Ince Zangwell and Project 008, Klein also understood why Evan expanded on Laneus's deception and why Laneus played such an important role.
At the same time, Klein understood why Evan suggested starting the plan tomorrow, and why time was of the essence.
On one hand, in order to make up for the shortcomings in his plan, Ince Zangwill and 008 will cause a lot of trouble in the future.
On the other hand, the child in Megas's womb is already very mature and is about to be born. If the true creator's offspring is successfully delivered naturally, then "Admitor" of the "Dragon Bar" will come true about the bloodshed in Tingen. At the same time, Ince Zangwill's plan will completely fail because he is not confident that he can directly control the true creator's offspring born naturally through 008.
So, in a sense, the collaboration between Klein and Ince Zangwell can be considered a mutually beneficial partnership.
After reading Evan's plan, Klein pondered for a while, wrote a letter, and then took out an exquisite little box from which he took out a ring—Golden Gaze.
This letter was given to Klein by Evan through "The Fool" so that Klein could temporarily forget the contents of the letter about Ince Zangwill and 008 after reading it.
Logically, the psychological suggestion exerted by the golden gaze should have been impossible to miss by 008. However, Evan's entire plan was aimed at Ince Zangwill, not 008 himself. This perfectly aligns with 008's intention to kill the holder.
Therefore, it will ignore it.
After completing his self-suggestion, Klein sent down the items hidden in the gray fog along with the method for the credit sacrifice he had just written, and then entered a deep sleep through meditation.
The next day, Klein woke up and had breakfast with Benson and Melissa as usual. He then dressed in his neat formal attire and took a public carriage to work at the Blackthorn Company on Zotland Street.
It's Monday, and the night watch team will have their regular meeting this morning. Leonard was on duty at the Chanis Gate last night, but he still looked great.
"Good morning, Klein! I heard you went to see the Backlund Theatre Company's performance yesterday. How was it?" Leonard asked, noticing Klein's eyes light up.
He was actually quite interested in theater, but unfortunately, he hadn't managed to snag a ticket in time because he was busy secretly investigating possible clues about Lanius these past few days.
"Fortunately, it is a profound adaptation of Roselle's novel, without losing its inherent meaning."
"Unfortunately, I didn't manage to snag tickets for the opening show!"
Leonard was a little disappointed that he didn't get to see the first performance, but thankfully it wasn't just one show, but three shows over three days.
"Any progress in your investigation of Lanius?" Klein changed the subject, deliberately asking a question.
"There's not much progress. Every time we seem to find a clue, it's like we're going off track!" Leonard said meaningfully to Klein when he heard Klein mention Lanius.
Klein naturally understood the implication in Leonard's words. He wanted some explanation from Klein, and at the same time, he revealed that he still didn't know the truth about Ince Zangwill and 008, which temporarily relieved Klein. Then he said to him:
"I have never let up on my investigation of Lannus. Since I couldn't find out through official channels, I investigated from the perspective of the Aurora Society. I found that Sirius Arepis, who was affected by the explosion, had a close relationship with Lannus, and at the same time, he frequently interacted with many people in the Halls district."
So I hired a detective to investigate the situation of people who had close ties with him. Sure enough, they found out that a tenant had complete documents and claimed to be doing business in the Southern Continent, but had not returned for a long time. After the landlord identified him, it was Lanuus who was not wearing glasses.
I just completed a reconnaissance mission and know that room has a hidden compartment or secret room. Let's go find the captain and report together!
"Then what are we waiting for! Let's find the captain together!"
After investigating for so long, Leonard finally got a clue about Lanius. He was very excited, but at the same time, he was very confused and began to doubt his own investigative abilities. Even the detective that Klein hired was more professional than him.
After Klein and Leonard reported to Captain Dunn Smith, the captain asked:
"What is the address of the house that Lanius is renting?"
"62 Halls Street!"
"Leonard, go to the police station as fast as you can and have them block off Halls Street. Klein and I will be there shortly!"
Lanius was so famous in Tingen, and an extraordinary one at that, that Dunn Smith couldn't help but take him seriously.
"Yes!" Leonard accepted the order without hesitation and left.
And right after Leonard left Blackthorn Corporation, it was as if a switch had been flipped, and Klein recalled everything he had forgotten the previous night in the gray fog using "psychological suggestion".
Evan's advice to him was to drag Leonard into this mess, but Klein couldn't bring himself to do it. He and Leonard had worked together for so long, and they had a strong trust and deep friendship. At the same time, he also understood that his primary target was actually the child in Megao's womb, and his secondary target was Ince Zangwell.
But that doesn't mean he's willing to let Ince Zangwell go unpunished. He wants to keep the Avengers targeting Ince Zangwell, so he needs to get Leonard out of there first.