Chapter 780 Analyzing the Situation
Angel had anticipated this.
After concluding the investigation into Trier's "Man in the Mirror," the "Shadow of the Goddess" seemed to be in a state of near inactivity in the eyes of the Goddess Church. Of course, secretly investigating Ince Zangwill's whereabouts, leveraging Mr. Fool's power to discuss tactics with Klein multiple times in the gray fog, and ultimately successfully resolving the matter of the renegade archbishop were probably beyond the Church's expectations.
This made Angel, who had already reserved the extraordinary characteristic of "immortality", feel a little guilty for "working without putting in any effort". He then believed that the church leaders would make new demands when delivering the reward. However, after hearing Anthony's words, he felt at ease.
"Is it about the witch cult, or the real culprit behind the smog?"
In order to show her enthusiasm, she took the initiative to ask.
"Actually, it's both." A smile appeared on the Archbishop's smooth, beardless face. He then looked at Cesimar, who was sitting beside him. "Next, let Krestel explain the situation we are facing."
"Well, after Ince Zangwill's death, Lady Ilia, the 'Eye of the Goddess,' rushed to the scene and channeled with him, gaining a great deal of important information from his remaining memories."
"Sword of the Goddess" Cecima changed to a more comfortable position, crossed her legs, and placed her hands flat on her knees. Her bright red gloves were a little dazzling in the darkness.
"First, Zangwill stole '0-08' and betrayed the church because the Sealed Artifact exploited his psychological vulnerability after failing to advance. This doesn't mitigate his guilt, but it does serve as a reminder to us. Even for high-ranking deacons and archbishops, regular psychological counseling and review are necessary...
"Secondly, his collaboration with the royal family and the witch cult began after he ascended to demigod status. The smog that hit Backlund at the end of last year was merely the result of a three-way collaboration. 'Desperate Nightingale' Panatia needed to use this despairing disaster to digest her potion, while 'Mr. A' of the Aurora Society wanted to harvest the souls of the dead to fuel his summoning of the 'True Creator.' As for the royal family, they were trying to use this to cover up the truth about the large number of disappearances in the East District..."
As expected, just as Mr. Fool commented after that incident, the root of the problem remains undiscovered... The smog that killed over 100,000 people was actually intended to cover up the truth about human trafficking? The number of missing people is likely beyond imagination...
As if guessing Angel's thoughts, Cecima continued:
"It's estimated that over 20,000 people have disappeared in the East District over the past three years, and there's no way to trace any earlier. Taking advantage of the smog that caused even greater deaths, the royal family successfully created chaos in the East District that has yet to be completely quelled. Counting the current population is even more difficult. If these clues hadn't been discovered in Ince Zangwill's head, the three major churches would probably still be in the dark."
Thanks to the efforts of the Eye of the Goddess, Klein and I were only thinking about leaving the scene as quickly as possible, completely forgetting to do our routine divination and spiritual communication... Angel sighed and asked:
"Which faction of the royal family is collaborating with them? Is it related to the silenced Prince Edessak?"
"This is the crux of the matter," Anthony's expression showed a rare solemnity. "According to normal logic, regardless of whether the royal family members who cooperated with the Witch Cult and Zangwill were disguised, they would have left memories in their remaining spirits. However, these traces seem to have been completely erased by some force. Ilia only found one underground ruin located on the northwest outskirts of Backlund, on the banks of the Tussock River. Crestel's mission in Backlund is to find it."
Ruins... Could it be the underground area where Klein and Mr. Azik accidentally fell into? But the latter had already fallen into a deep sleep, and Klein was only passively traveling through the spirit world at the time, with no way of knowing where he had gone... Angel recalled the events before and after the great smog and sighed helplessly.
She also thought about how she tracked down the human trafficker Barron in the East District and attracted the "Judge" Heras behind him. The extraordinary person who was suspected to be related to the royal family also touched upon some kind of "secret-keeping" power during the process of posthumous spiritual communication, which directly led to the destruction of his spirit. This was very similar to Cecima's description.
"It seems this is some kind of contractual power from the High-Sequence Arbitrator. It's consistent with the potion methods mastered by the royal family, which further suggests they are hiding some unspeakable secret."
After listening to Angel's narration, "Goddess Sword" nodded thoughtfully and continued:
"I will search for the location of the ruins outside Backlund. Investigating the royal family's movements will easily lead to unnecessary confrontation between the church and secular forces. It can only be done in secret, so the Holy Temple has assigned you."
So, in the end, we still have to rely on the plan that Klein and I made. We'll approach the military, starting with the already exposed Qonas Kilger and Viscount Stratford, who Triss is watching... Angel muttered, nodded, and then asked:
"What about the other side? You said it's related to the 'Witch Cult'?"
She did know that Katarina of the "Witch Cult" was still in Backlund, and was likely continuing to cooperate with the royal faction. However, in terms of the success rate of the investigation, searching for a missing "ageless" witch was completely unequal to tracking down military personnel whose identities had been exposed. In the case of the former, only the angels of the Goddess Church could come in person to have a chance of capturing them alive, while Qonas Kilger might only require the intervention of two demigods...
"Yes, this is also the information Ilia obtained from Ince Zangwill's memory fragments." This time it was Archbishop Anthony who spoke. "During the preparations for the Great Smog, the 'Witch Cult' used the power of '0-08' to control a witch, bringing her close to Edessac Augustus and holding her hostage. This ultimately led to Edessac's murder, and the witch disappeared in the chaos."
"Triss Chick."
Angel pronounced the name in the surprised gazes of the two.
"In fact, I've already contacted her. What's touching is that she's giving up everything and igniting the flames of revenge for the dead Prince Edessak, the man she had tried so hard to escape from before."
————
In the sea not far from Harman Harbor, a steam-sail hybrid passenger ship was closely followed by a huge black ship with a pure black three-masted sail, almost reaching the distance for boarding. Crying and screaming continued to be heard from the passenger ship.
But the sailors on the deck of the latter seemed to be blind, ignoring the passenger ship that was so close to them. They kept turning their bodies and necks, looking around, wondering why the target that was approaching just now suddenly disappeared.
In the captain's room at the rear of the huge black ship, Nast, the "King of the Five Seas", was sitting upright on his iron-black chair, staring with his eyes that were flowing with dark red light at the invader in front of him who was wearing a top hat, a long windbreaker, gold-rimmed glasses, but whose body was as thin as a cicada's wing.
"Excellent illusion, it keeps my crew spinning." His deep voice echoed in the captain's cabin, a space completely inconsistent with the outside. "What should I call you, Mr. Trickster, or... Gehrman Sparrow?"
I didn't expect a pirate king to actually recognize me. Of course, this has something to do with me deliberately not disguising myself and simply choosing a lucky seagull to transform into my appearance. But it also means that my reputation as a crazy adventurer has been fully established... Klein smiled slightly, took off his hat, pressed it to his chest, and saluted. He said:
"That's all me."
He originally wanted to create a "weird" atmosphere, letting this secret doll, which was almost as thin as a paper doll after it turned into his appearance due to its size, give the crew of the "Black Emperor" a little shock, but since Nestor recognized him, he could no longer pretend.
"So, what is the reason why this adventurer who has ascended to demigod comes to see me?"
The words of the "King of the Five Seas" carried a kind of oppressive force that made people want to kneel down and obey, but separated by the spiritual line, the effect on Klein was really limited. He smiled and said:
"I want to know some things about Emperor Roselle's later years. After all, everyone knows that both Earls Bai Feng met this legendary figure, and more than once.
"What's your impression of him?"
Impression... "King of the Five Seas" Nast was silent, as if chewing on the meaning of this word. After a moment, he snorted coldly and said:
"I have indeed seen him many times, but what does that have to do with you?"
This is an offer. If I weren't tracking down the identity of the third "traveler" and wanted to learn more about the life of Russell, also known as "Huang Tao", I wouldn't even bother communicating with you... Klein muttered, but his actions were polite. He bowed again, causing the thin upper body of the secret doll to sway continuously, and said:
"I can agree to a condition that is not too excessive."
He threw the difficult question of asking price back to the pirate king.
Ha—he seemed to hear Nast's silent sneer. The latter's red eyes were motionless, staring at Klein's secret doll.
"Then tell 'Golden Queen' Angelica Thatch that she and her ghost ship have been invited to join my fleet's search for the 'Ghost Empire.' She should be on board, along with everything you need, including everything He left behind."
"He?" Emperor Roselle? But what does this have to do with the "Ghost Empire" that disappeared over a thousand years ago? Also, why do you assume that Angelica and I are related...
Klein, hidden behind the spiritual thread, frowned in confusion and asked the marionette:
"What exactly do you mean?"
"I don't know, but when his daughter, Bernadette Gustav, came to me and asked a similar question, she revealed something: that ghost ship hidden in the depths of the ocean might hold Emperor Roselle's last hope..." Nast's answer was tinged with doubt. "I think this might be a treasure he values, or perhaps a legacy he wants to pass on to his descendants."
No, if that were the case, he would have mentioned it in his diary, because it wasn't a crucial secret... Klein, however, had a different opinion. He quickly recalled all of Roselle's diaries, as well as his struggle to ascend to the Black Emperor in his later years. Finally, he recalled the several questions Bernadette posed to The Fool through The Hermit. A possibility emerged in his mind:
Perhaps hidden in that ghost ship is the last resort for the Black Emperor to be resurrected: a mausoleum belonging to Him!
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