"Observer's Castle"… One of Rhine Carendia's titles seemed to be 'Count of the Observer's Silver Eye,' didn't it…
Heh, the 'me' from back then really had no shame at all—copying everything wholesale!
So this so-called 'Observer's Castle' couldn't possibly be that castle ruin in the Antars Mountains where 'Gluttony' found the Sealed Artifact 'Heavenly Feast,' could it?
It really does appear during the full moon… And I even made an appointment with the two ladies 'Greed' and 'Sloth' to explore it together next month…
Isn't this a little too coincidental? A convergence effect?
Still, it's not impossible…
Although all signs indicate that the experiment eleven years ago was jointly pushed forward by Roselle, the Fallen Mother Goddess, and many hidden forces behind the scenes, it absolutely wouldn't have been lacking the involvement of the 'Seal of Catastrophe.'
As a Sequence 1 Sealed Artifact, the 'Seal of Catastrophe' must carry Rhine's memories, and would certainly be very familiar with the so-called 'Observer's Castle.'
Perhaps there are other secrets hidden there that I don't yet know about?
Moreover, that experiment from eleven years ago was very likely completed inside the 'Observer's Castle' itself!
So no matter what, I still need to go take a look during the next full moon… As for whether to carry out that ritual I deduced from the five survivors, I'll decide after exploring the 'Observer's Castle.'
In addition, through my 'research' on 'Pale Admiral' Maria and the others, the only thing that can currently be confirmed is that by re-laying out the ritual using the five of them, it should be possible to retrieve the lid of the 'God's Coffer'… Or rather, condense it once again!
And once the 'God's Coffer' is complete, it can be used to determine the locations of the soul stones of those special souls that originally emerged from it.
One of Lilith's purposes in assigning me this task back then was very likely this.
For a moment, countless thoughts flashed through Ebner's mind. Fortunately, he promptly used the secret art of "anti–social-death," preventing them from being broadcast by the Hall of Honesty.
As for Klein—having already suffered here once—he had long since restrained his thoughts.
And as for "Pale Admiral" Maria? As a "Wraith" who carried a "Devil" within her and had never once studied the concept of "Temperance," she somehow managed to maintain a mind completely free of stray thoughts. How she accomplished that was anyone's guess.
Only after quite some time did Ebner come back to his senses. Without lingering, he directly brought Klein and Maria out of the City of Miracles, returning to the inn room at Lars Harbor.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Maria," Ebner first expressed his gratitude to the "Pale Admiral." Then, after careful consideration, he mentioned the matter of the "ritual" to her and finally said, "There will most likely be a need to trouble you once more in the future."
"Pale Admiral" Maria gave a slight nod and replied without much expression, "I understand."
She paused, then looked at Ebner and emphasized her words: "Don't forget your promise."
Back when Klein had been sent to make the request to "research" her, the exchange condition Maria offered was that Ebner would provide assistance during her ritual to advance to demigodhood.
Naturally, Ebner hadn't forgotten. He nodded and asked curiously, "When? And what exactly will you need me to do?"
Unexpectedly, Maria answered with a question of her own: "What do you think of this dress?"
Ebner was momentarily stunned. He subconsciously looked her over a few times and replied offhandedly, "It's very beautiful…"
It's just not suitable for you!
Of course, with his emotional intelligence, there was no way he'd say that part out loud.
Maria nodded solemnly, then sidestepped the main point as she answered the earlier question: "I still need some time to prepare… Probably one or two months… As for the specifics, I'll tell you before we begin.
"If you feel it's difficult, or that it violates your moral principles, you can give up at any time. I won't force you."
Maria is probably planning a cross-pathway advancement to 'Devil'… And the ritual for 'Devil' will, in all likelihood, not be very 'bright'—it might even be quite evil!
For example, that Inspector Russell from Intis…
Mm, if I really can't accept it when the time comes… I'll compensate her in some other way… Of course, if she harms innocents for the sake of the ritual, I'll stop her and apply 'brainwashing' corrections.
As his thoughts turned, Ebner and Maria reached a tacit understanding.
Seeing that she was no longer needed here, Maria didn't linger. After bowing in farewell, she directly transformed into a "Wraith" and entered the dressing mirror.
Klein used a pendulum to divine for a moment. Only after confirming that she had truly left did he mutter, "Why do I feel like she dressed like that just to let you see?"
Ebner had the same feeling, but since he didn't really have much of a relationship with the "Pale Admiral," he quickly dismissed the thought and instead asked, "Do you have any plans lately?"
Klein thought for a moment and replied, "Aside from working hard to save and make money, I also want to find the exact location of the ruins established by the Augustus family that you mentioned, then report it to the Church of Evernight to stop George III's plot."
In reality, that ruin was built by the 'Blood Emperor' together with Mr. 'Door' before he became a god. The Evernight Goddess probably knows its location perfectly well…
She's only leaving it alone because the Loen royal family is still useful.
Ebner muttered a few complaints inwardly, while outwardly "reminding" him, "Be careful of Zaratul. He has already allied with the Loen royal family."
"I know… If possible, I plan to lure one of Amon's avatars over to him…" Klein said gravely.
Then I really have to thank you! Ebner complained internally, but on the surface he approved of Klein's plan and stated that he could provide assistance if necessary.
Aside from tempering Klein, one of the greatest benefits of not revealing that Zaratul—and even "Pride"—were also his own affairs was that he could use Klein to "deceive" Amon.
Little crow, our third round has begun!
...
Joewood District, 28 Kingster Street. Fors was receiving her visiting teacher, Dorian, in the living room.
Because the angel Alvin had returned, Dorian Gray Abraham no longer needed to meet his student as cautiously as before, and thus chose to come directly to Ebner's villa.
Looking at Fors as she brought him tea, the gentleman sighed with mixed emotions:
"I really didn't expect you to become a 'Recorder' so quickly…"
By the standards of this era, he was already considered middle-aged to elderly, yet he was still stuck at Sequence 7, "Astrologer." Meanwhile, his student Fors Wall had gone from Sequence 9 to Sequence 6 in just about a year.
The contrast made it impossible for Dorian not to sigh inwardly.
Fortunately, the return of the ancestor has temporarily resolved my full-moon ravings problem. It's not impossible for me to advance in sequence.
"That's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Teacher," Fors replied. Though she didn't like going out and preferred staying at home, as a bestselling novelist she was very good with words.
She sized up her teacher for a moment, then directly changed the subject. "You seem to have become much younger."
This wasn't flattery, but fact.
After drinking the "Fountain of Youth" water provided by Alvin, Dorian felt as though he had returned to his younger days.
However, there was no need to mention such things to his student. After praising Fors a few times, he brought up the real matter at hand:
"Is Viscount Ebner Bryan not here?"
"He really isn't… If you have something to say, you can tell me directly. I can pass it on for you…" Fors hadn't expected her teacher to be looking for Ebner, so after a brief pause she added, "If it's urgent, I can call him back right now."
"That won't be necessary…" Dorian waved his hand and then organized his thoughts as he continued, "Our recent activity has drawn the attention of an enemy of the family…
"Although he's intimidated by the ancestor's might and doesn't dare appear directly, he's been constantly probing us through his subordinates, causing us a great deal of trouble.
"We reported this matter to the ancestor… But the ancestor instructed us to come and commission Viscount Bryan…"
Fors thought for a moment and asked, "Who is that enemy?"
"His name is Boutis. He is the 'Saint of Secrets' of the Aurora Order, and like Louis, he is a traitor of our Abraham family!"
(End of the chapter)