fantasy novels Chapter 185 Bernadette's Three Favors
Chapter 185 Bernadette's Three Favors
Chapter 185 Bernadette's Three Favors
Seeing Evan's fierce accusations against her, Bernadette finally realized that she had been tricked by Evan.
He told himself in advance that he knew several extraordinary events that could help her complete the ritual, and then told himself about a very difficult one.
Knowing that there were other options, I naturally asked him for more information when I felt it was difficult.
This is a very clever negotiation tactic, leading oneself into his trap.
"You should be a 'spectator' or a 'lawyer,' not a 'hunter.'"
Having figured out Evan's scheme, Bernadette couldn't help but speak sarcastically.
Bernadette wasn't actually very angry when she realized she'd been outmaneuvered by Evan. After all, they were complete strangers with no prior relationship, and any transaction between them was inherently a game of strategy.
Moreover, although Evan was somewhat cunning and opportunistic, he did not violate the principle of equivalent exchange. The information he provided was truthful and he did not deceive her. It can only be said that she was not thorough in her consideration, and Evan was more skillful.
Evan tilted his head and thought for a moment. "The spectator?" It could be said to be the top-tier option. If he hadn't known that Adam was on top, he might have chosen "spectator" back then. At least he might have struggled a bit when drinking the Assassin's Potion.
"Lawyer"? The relevant abilities are very useful, mainly because I knew about the ascension ritual in advance, which seemed too difficult and troublesome. Otherwise, it would also be a good choice.
Of course, this was just Evan's inner rant. He actually knew he had no choice. If he hadn't drunk the "Assassin" potion, he wouldn't have gotten past Mrs. Sharon.
Anyway, Evan quite liked the "audience" and "lawyer" avenues, so he took it as Bernadette praising him and said with a forced smile:
"Thank you for your compliment!"
Bernadette was stunned. She hadn't seen such a shameless person in a long time; the last time she had seen one was a hundred years ago.
When she was young and naive, she saw her father with a pretty aunt. Her father lied to her that he was going to visit the Fusak Empire and that he was learning a foreign language. He even seriously asked the pretty aunt to teach him a few sentences. That was the first time she learned Fusak.
The past is like smoke, and more than a hundred years have passed without us realizing it.
However, Bernadette quickly suppressed her memories of the past. For her, becoming an angel was the most important thing right now, so she decisively said to Evan:
"Alright, we've just completed the transaction, so I owe you a favor."
But I still want to continue our deal, to exchange a favor for your intelligence, how about it? But it has to be the intelligence you know that's easiest to execute!
Bernadette was worried that Evan would give her another difficult intelligence task, so she added a restriction.
"Hmm—" Evan pretended to frown in thought, "The easiest one to complete? Both are easy to complete, what should we do?"
Bernadette felt her blood pressure rise again. She wondered if she had been too lenient with Evan's little schemes! He actually tried to play tricks on her!
Just as Bernadette was considering whether to lose her temper, Evan noticed that something was wrong with her mood.
He then quickly added:
"I'll give you a hint, and you can choose, okay?"
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2
Bernadette was taken aback, suppressing her anger. She felt a little uncomfortable with Evan's generosity, wondering if there was another trap involved.
But after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't figure out what was wrong, so he said:
"What hint?"
"One is about the 'Black Emperor,' and the other is about the 'True Creator.'"
Evan thought that since Bernadette's only advantage was because Triss had the protection of the royal angel of Augustus,
He hesitated and asked himself for other information.
This shows that the angels of the Order side are indeed difficult to deal with in Backlund, so it's speculated that Bernadette would choose information related to the 'True Creator,' which is also the result Evan wanted.
But to Evan's surprise, Bernadette's eyes briefly lost focus after hearing this, and then she said urgently:
"Information about the Black Emperor!"
Evan hadn't expected Bernadette's choice to be completely different from his, but if Bernadette really got involved, it would fit Evan's plan to cause trouble for George III, so without much thought, he said directly:
"In the Kingdom of Rune, there are people who want to become the 'Black Emperor' and have even cooperated with the Witch Cult for this purpose."
For some reason, they need a lot of manpower, which has led to a large number of missing persons in the eastern part of Backlund.
They may be able to cover it up for a short time, but they will eventually be exposed.
Therefore, in order to cover up the truth, they planned to conduct a write-off in Backlund. The exact time is unknown, but it should not exceed six months.
In the original story, the intrusion of "Black Emperor" Klein led to insufficient preparation by the Witch Cult, forcing them to activate the Backlund Smog ahead of schedule.
It's August now, while the heavy smog in the original story occurred in December, so it's reasonable to guess that the Witch Cult's original plan was to last no more than six months.
Furthermore, Evan felt that the planning for this massive smog event was not something that happened a long time ago, but rather something that had only recently begun.
"Black Emperor? Account cancellation? Population? War? Tingen scam? Ritual!"
Upon hearing Evan's account, Bernadette's deep blue eyes lost focus once more, and she murmured to herself.
Just two or three seconds later, she suddenly closed her eyes, as if Evan had suddenly seen a bright light in the distance while driving in his previous life. Blood even flowed from the corner of her eye, making her face look even paler.
Evan anticipated that Bernadette would spy and investigate after hearing his information, but he did not expect that Bernadette's prophecy would somehow veer into Tingen's deception.
Evan orchestrated this whole thing, but what does it have to do with the Black Emperor?
Bernadette took out a handkerchief, wiped the blood from the corner of her eye, and then said:
"Your information is accurate, but it is also incorrect. The problem is that the plan is still in the planning stage and has not yet been implemented. So even if I knew this information, I would not be able to start arranging the ceremony."
Sir, your information is a bit ahead of its time!
Evan was shocked, because this was beyond his expectations. He had anticipated that the Backlund Great Smog project would not be planned too early, but he never expected that the project was still in the planning stage and had not been implemented at all.
Recalling his actions after time travel and Bernadette's prophecy, Evan felt inexplicably guilty.
Could it be that this plan was conceived because his successful scam in Tingen helped the military cover up their mistakes?
Could it be that the plan hasn't been implemented yet because Mr. A assassinated Duke Negan, causing the Witch Cult to temporarily withdraw from Backlund? Is this a manifestation of the butterfly effect?
This puts Evan in a moral dilemma: should he try to nip the disaster in the bud and clean up his mess?
But Evan immediately dismissed the idea, because the mysterious disappearance of a large number of people in the East End was an objective fact. Tingen's hoax was just a way for them to think ahead. Whether or not Tingen's hoax was there, George III would have planned a disaster, as can be seen from the original work.
Moreover, even if Ivan prevented the occurrence of the smog through various means, there would still be major fires and snow disasters without the smog. This disaster is already unavoidable due to the objective facts.
Moreover, after learning that he might have contributed to the outbreak of the smog event, Evan even felt a little bit of anticipation.
Tingen's deception has greatly benefited Evan, who now only needs to worry about collecting potion ingredients instead of digesting them. So, could the Backlund smog also allow him to digest the "Despair" potion ahead of time?
No matter how much Evan's thoughts swirled, business still needed to be discussed, so Evan said expressionlessly and inscrutable:
"It is indeed a bit ahead of its time, but it's accurate intelligence, isn't it? This short wait shouldn't be a problem for you, and it should be easy for you to stop it, right?"
Now that Evan has discovered that the smog is related to him, he doesn't want Bernadette to be involved anymore. However, he can't take back what he said, and he has to keep pretending even with tears in his eyes.
The Great Fog of Backlund is terrible, but if a high-sequence powerhouse knew about it in advance, it would be easy to stop it. After all, the person standing in front is just a Sequence 4 'Desperate Nightingale' Panatia. Even George III had to prevent accidents from happening and make a preemptive cut.
After all, the three major churches are not dead. If George III dared to obstruct such a large-scale commotion, he would be immediately attacked by the three major churches and exposed in the open.
If things have come to this point, for George III, the smog might as well not have been planned at all, since it would have been exposed sooner or later anyway.
Bernadette remained silent. No matter how deep the background of this smog was, as long as someone intervened at the crucial moment, it was not as dangerous as it seemed. In fact, it seemed very safe and easy to carry out.
But this presents a major challenge for Bernadette, as prematurely extinguishing the smog would invite a joint attack from the royal family and the witch cult, and without the protection of the three major churches, the risks would rise sharply.
But if she tries to put out the smog now, the disaster will not even be implemented yet, and the ritual requirements will not be met. After all, every day countless people shout that they want to destroy the world, but in the end it's all just talk.
However, she had already made up her mind to interfere in Backlund's affairs, not because of the ceremony, nor for the people of Backlund, but because of her father, who may have plotted to become the "Black Emperor" before his death, and that's why she wanted to stop him.
However, this would prevent her from holding a ceremony based on this matter, and facing an archangel with the strength of Sequence 3 would still be too risky.
Therefore, she must stop this after becoming a 'sage' and an angel, even though she also knows this.
You can stop it once or twice, but you can't stop it a third or fourth time.
Therefore, in order to be promoted to angel as soon as possible, she had no choice but to speak to Evan again:
"What is that message related to the true Creator? Tell me, and I can owe you another favor!"
Upon hearing this, Evan was startled, then overjoyed. He believed that Bernadette had kept the information as a backup because things were too difficult for her. This made Evan, who had just been feeling somewhat disappointed, very excited, and he quickly agreed to her request.
However, remembering that the true creator had planted a seed in him this afternoon, Evan glanced at his surroundings and said:
"Please add another layer of protection. I know Ms. Amanda has already provided protection, but just in case, or rather, to put my mind at ease, please use the strongest means to create a mystical level of isolation once again."
Bernadette was somewhat surprised by Evan's caution, but considering that the so-called "Black Emperor" was not a true god after all, and the "Primordial Witch" had been in decline since being severely injured in the Fourth Age, while the true creator was exceptionally active and frequently manifested his divine power, Evan's caution became understandable.
Bernadette waved her right fingers in the air, outlining words with starlight-like brilliance. These words quickly intertwined, forming a strange symbol that opened the door to an equally mysterious spiritual realm.
Immediately afterwards, the 'secret door' opened, and a breeze blew by. The breeze manifested in mid-air as a blue man with the upper body of a human, the lower body of air currents, and a white cloth wrapped around his head.
Looking at this strangely familiar scene, Evan silently recited in his mind: "One Thousand and One Nights, the core ability of the mystic: 'Mystical Reappearance'!"
"The Sage's forehead ornament!" Bernadette said to the blue-clad man in a calm but authoritative tone.
The man responded respectfully, then took out an ornament from the cloth wrapped around his head.
The centerpiece of this piece is a vertical eye set with diamonds, shimmering with a pure light and giving it an exceptionally sacred feel.
The feeling of wisdom, however, seems cold and devoid of warmth.
The moment the ornament was taken out, Evan lowered his head, reminded by his spirit, and dared not look at it.
After Bernadette took the ornament, she immediately "embedded" it on her forehead. Then, she pointed around and three little pigs appeared in the enclosed space, quickly building a wall while sweating profusely.
Almost in the blink of an eye, Evan felt as if he were inside a brick house, and even felt his body getting warmer (referencing the book Paradox).
The Three Little Pigs mysteriously reappear.
After casting the spell, Bernadette quickly removed the headdress from her head and handed it to her 'treasure guardian' to prevent it from being affected by the sealed artifact. Then she said to Evan:
"This is a spell cast by a '0' level seal created using the extraordinary properties of the 'Sage.' As long as the True Creator isn't monitoring you in real time, they won't notice anything happening here!"
Evan nodded. Bearing the power of the "City of Calamity," he could clearly sense that the true creator was not watching them. He then said:
"Since you've come to Backlund, you must have heard about the recent corruption scandal in the Ministry of Defense, right?"
"It's not a secret, of course I know!" Bernadette patiently went along with Evan's words.
"There's a key figure in this corruption case who has still not been apprehended!"
"You mean that infamous conman 'Lanius'?" Bernadette frowned, wondering what connection a conman could possibly have with the true creator!
Meanwhile, Evan was talking to himself, seemingly oblivious to everything else:
"There's a reason why Lanius, despite his low rank, hasn't been apprehended despite the joint manhunt by MI9 and the three major churches."
That was because Lanius performed the ritual provided by the Aurora Society in Tingen, which imbued him with the divinity of the true creator, and the true creator is now using this divinity to gradually replace his will!
After listening to Evan's explanation, Bernadette took a deep breath, suppressing her shock.
This time, there's no need for investigation; we know this news must be true, because it's so much like the style of a true creator.
At the same time, she also felt that Backlund was really too uninhabitable, it could be said to be the eye of the storm of the whole world.
Not only do some people want to become the "Black Emperor" and treat their people like dirt, but two evil gods also want to descend here. Even she, a big shot in this extraordinary world, feels that the people of Backlund are "too miserable".
Bernadette was very glad that she had accepted Ms. Amanda's invitation to attend the party.
Despite paying the price of three favors, every piece of information she received was worthwhile, especially the news about the "Black Emperor," which was of great significance to her.
At the same time, she began to have a strong curiosity about Evan's identity, because none of these three pieces of information were something a Sequence 7 could know. Even ordinary demigods were not qualified to know them, let alone a Sequence 7.
But as a demigod who was a seeker of secrets, Bernadette knew how to suppress her curiosity. She knew that anyone who knew such information was definitely not simple. If the seeker discovered that she wanted to find out his identity, she would likely end up with nothing.
Moreover, this is a gathering of Ms. Amanda, a remarkable woman who has lived for hundreds of years. Bernadette even suspects that she is an angel and has a vague sense of danger emanating from her.
That's why Bernadette chose to be so tolerant, constantly rewarding people with expensive favors.
As long as the man in front of her needs her to repay a favor, they are destined to have a connection.
Where is Lanius now?
"Dock District Union! This message is from three days ago. If you still can't find it, I'll help you look again!"
By the way, please give me your contact information so I can easily reach you!
Evan received news about Lannus three days ago and suppressed Ian Wright's request not to report it, waiting for this moment to sell him.
The only difference was the added element of the True Creator watching him, which gave the message a purpose of testing the True Creator.
"good!"
As expected, the man in front of her asked for her contact information. Bernadette was delighted and lightly tapped the table.
Suddenly, the pen that had been on the coffee table jumped up and started writing something merrily on the paper, as if it were being held by an invisible hand.
"This is my messenger's contact information. You can contact me anytime if you need anything."
If anything changes in Lanius's situation, how should I contact you?
In fact, once Bernadette's messenger received a letter from Evan, he could contact him through occult means and deliver it to Evan again.
Bernadette wouldn't allow the messenger to do that, because it could easily lead to misunderstandings and undermine trust between the two parties.
The papers on the coffee table flew up on their own. Evan caught them and glanced at them. He saw that they read:
"An invisible creature that roams the upper realms, a strange spirit friendly to humans, a messenger exclusively belonging to Bernadette Gustav."
After reading the messenger summoning spell in his hand, Evan immediately lit a fire in his hand and burned it in front of Bernadette, then said with a smile:
"I am a hunter, but I don't have the same skills as you mystics. All my abilities are in fighting and killing, so I don't have a messenger. I can only trouble you to write to me through the post office."
The mailing address is 9 Bellotto Street, West Backlund, addressed to: Carl Woodward.
"MI9?!"
Bernadette dismissed Evan's claim that he had no means to find a messenger because he was a hunter, but she really didn't expect that Evan would actually be an official of MI9.
But thinking about it, it makes perfect sense, since those three major pieces of news were all essentially connected to MI9.
However, most of the MI9 personnel were still loyal to the King. Even if they didn't participate in George III's affairs, they should have turned a blind eye. They didn't know what was going on with this "Carl Woodward".
After completing all the communication and exchanging contact information, Evan's vision went black, and he was back in the solemn, majestic, and mysterious hall.
Compared to the bright environment of the previous secret room, Evan was not quite used to the dim atmosphere here.
When Bernadette and Evan reappeared in the hall, no one dared to look directly at the mysterious queen seated on the stage. Instead, they all turned their gaze to Evan, who was sitting below with them. Even Sharon couldn't help but cast a probing look at Evan.
Evan glanced around, a smile playing on his lips. He slightly raised his chin, leaned back in his chair, and looked smug and arrogant, like a petty person who had achieved his goal.
This fueled the already suspicious and jealous people's anger, causing them to turn away from Evan and vow that if they ever had anything from him, they would pay at least 50% more to sell it to him.
Just then, Amanda, sitting gracefully in a chair with her legs crossed, spoke:
"Does anyone else have something to trade, or information they want to exchange?"
No one spoke in the entire hall. Seeing this, Amanda gently raised her hand and said:
"In that case, this gathering will end here."
As she spoke, she waved her hand, and most of the people in the hall disappeared, leaving only two demigods and a few extraordinary individuals below the stage.
Bernadette and another demigod who had remained silent nodded slightly to Ms. Amanda, then stepped out of the hall.
Amanda then spoke to the remaining people, giving each of them a ring before letting them leave.
In the end, only Ms. Amanda and Evan remained in the dark and dimly lit hall.
Just as Evan stepped forward to greet her, Ms. Amanda suddenly spoke up:
"The Horn family has a hunter again, and at this particular time. I wonder if this is a blessing or a curse for you."