Melissa hesitated for a long time, but in the end, her thirst for Beyonder power and her love for machinery compelled her to accept Mr. Bryan's proposal.
However, she had just moved to Backlund with her brother and hadn't yet been admitted to Backlund Industrial and Technological University, so she couldn't borrow the school's materials and laboratories to work on her own projects.
Ebner, however, had already considered this. He wrote a letter for Melissa to deliver to Bishop Linton of the Lever Church, who would arrange a suitable experimental environment for her.
—Bishop Linton was one of Detective Isengard's friends, and before leaving Backlund, her teacher had instructed her to look after Ebner. Earlier, before visiting Dunn, Ebner had also taken the initiative to stop by the Leverage Church to meet the bishop.
After Melissa took the letter and the blueprints for the "projector," she bid farewell to Detective Bryan with her brother and left his villa. Only then did Benson carefully choose his words and tactfully say to his sister:
"Mr. Bryan is handsome, knowledgeable, has an excellent personality, and is quite well-off financially… but he's better suited as just a friend."
Benson emphasized the word "just."
Melissa knew what her brother was thinking, but since this involved the Beyonder, she didn't plan to discuss it further with Benson until she had a clearer understanding of the risks. So she only replied vaguely, "I know… don't worry."
But sensing his sister's evasiveness, Benson grew even more concerned…
...
At eight o'clock in the evening, in the Babur Valley along the Tussock River, more than a dozen people—each holding a badge and disguised to varying degrees—stood in different positions, seemingly waiting for something.
Among them, only one young man with black hair, green eyes, and a poet's demeanor made no attempt to conceal himself, openly displaying his appearance.
Yet none of those present believed this was his real face, assuming instead that he was using a Beyonder item to alter his appearance.
Soon, the group, wary of one another, was enveloped in a faint glow, their figures blurring or fading as they vanished from the spot, entering a world shrouded in "concealment."
"The Hermits of Fate gather here once more… What an embarrassing chant…" The young man with the poet's air—Leonard—internally mocked the incantation required to enter the "Hidden Gate." He glanced around and saw that the space was quite large, equivalent to four or five small city parks, completely isolated from reality and distinctly separated from the spirit world.
"This is a 'treasury' created by a high-sequence Beyonder of the 'Apprentice' pathway… After a certain Saint of the Jacob family 'deciphered' it, they then 'deceived' the space's 'rules,' which is why you can enter with that 'embarrassing' chant." Pallez's aged voice echoed in Leonard's ear.
"So, we didn't actually use the real 'door' to this space?" Leonard realized.
While Leonard was quietly conversing with the old man inside him, the "Hermits of Fate" gathering—a coalition of the Fourth Epoch's "Marauder" families, independent "Marauders," and other anti-Amon factions—officially began.
Since large-scale meetings like this were rare, many members had accumulated items and intelligence to trade, leading to a high rate of transactions in the early stages.
Leonard mostly observed, only occasionally making a move to purchase one or two materials.
However, one member's request soon caught his attention:
"Keep an eye out for anyone selling the 'Cryptologist' Beyonder characteristic at any Backlund Beyonder gatherings… A confirmed lead will earn you 100 pounds. If you can identify the seller and their location, I'll pay 500 pounds."
The speaker was a man who deliberately spoke in a hoarse voice, his face hidden beneath a hood and mask, revealing only a pair of blue eyes.
"'Cryptologist'? Didn't a 'Cryptologist' just die today at that Attaché's residence in Intis? And the killer took his characteristic… Old man, do you think this heavily wrapped guy might be from the Intis embassy?" Leonard muttered under his breath.
"Don't get involved in this… I've said before, this might be connected to a Wraith from the 'Sun Chaser' pathway. That's not something someone at your current level can afford to provoke," Pallez warned in a stern tone.
"I got it…" Leonard gave a barely perceptible nod, but he couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked, "Old man, I remember you once said that 'Sun Chaser' was someone you knew? Can you tell me who they are?"
Pallez was silent for half a minute before replying, "It was Richelieu, the third Pope of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun."
"Pope? But I remember that out of the seven major Churches, only the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun never established a papal seat?" Leonard asked curiously.
"That's because three consecutive Popes all died mysteriously. So after His fall, the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun abolished the papacy and replaced it with the Round Table Council… Outwardly, they claimed it was to better reflect the deity's image and principles..."
…
At the same time, in the dining room of the villa at 28 Kingster Street, Ebner sat at the head of the table, watching Xio, Hazel, Helene, and Fanny discussing the details of the film company from both sides of the table. He couldn't help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu.
Why does this feel like a Fool's perspective from the Tarot Club?
What is this supposed to be? Ebner's Close Friends Gathering?
Hmm… In terms of quality, this group is a lot stronger than the early Tarot Club… but it still doesn't hold a candle to the mystique of that space above the gray fog…
Ebner inwardly mocked a little, then joined the discussion himself, steering the topic back to the Intis Embassy and the matter with Mr. Sarri. After all, compared to the film company, Mr. Sarri's safety was of greater importance.
"All the military officers close to my grandfather have been assigned out of town on various duties by the confidential secretary, Johansen. They won't be back for at least three or four days. I haven't been able to contact them yet… But from this alone, it's clear that Johansen's actions were premeditated!" Fanny said this while biting her lip, then added, "Also, I've found out that this confidential secretary Johansen is a direct descendant of the Fless family—one of the top three noble houses in Intis. And lately, the Fless family has been working in Parliament to suppress our Sarri family."
The Fless family? I recall the Emperor's diary mentioned a Count Fless, whose wife was intimately close with the Emperor…
And if I remember right, the wife of one of the ancestors of Special Envoy Owen's Delian family also had a negative-distance relationship with the Emperor… And these two families later became the "main force" in overthrowing the Gustav Dynasty…
Could this be some kind of backlash from the "green light"?
Of course, that's just idle mockery—but Ebner knew full well that couldn't possibly be the real reason. Given the moral climate of Intis, the Emperor's behavior wasn't even out of the ordinary.
Most likely, as aristocrats of the Sauron Dynasty, those two families were heavily suppressed after Roselle took power, which is why their backlash was so intense.
At this point, Xio also spoke up, having organized her thoughts: "The investigation into the Sarri family's Beyonder case has already been transferred by the Nighthawks to the Machinery Hivemind… As for the Embassy's response, they claimed Mr. Sarri didn't report to 'work' today… he's missing.
"In addition, a stronghold of the Spirit Cult in the docks was exposed, and the resulting Beyonder incident has consumed most of the Church of Steam's attention. So the Machinery Hivemind hasn't allocated many resources to this case, and they frankly have no desire to intervene in Intis' internal affairs."
As for the intelligence suggesting that Special Envoy Owen may be the embodiment of Lust from the Psychology Alchemy Union, Xio had already discussed it privately with Ebner and did not bring it up here.
The Spirit Cult incident just happened to divert the Church of Steam's attention? That seems a little too coincidental…
If they only wanted to force Mr. Sarri to take the fall for conspiring with Prince Edessak, would they really need to go so far as to block the Church of Steam's investigation? There must be a deeper plot at play here…
With a vague sense of unease rising in his chest, Ebner glanced at the clock. Confirming that 24 hours had passed since his last "prophecy," he no longer hesitated. He directly activated the "Pure White Eye" and performed today's divination:
"Mr. Sarri's location."
Several seconds passed, but he received no revelation—his prophecy had failed!
This result made Ebner's heart sink as well.
(End of Chapter)