Chapter 195: The Excuse Arrives
Even though Eivass said this, Isabel, her face flushed, did not take back her diary. She generously gifted her diary directly to Eivass— This made Eivass realize that he might have underestimated Isabel. She might not have wanted to show her heart to Eivass; she also understood the meaning of such a “will diary.” Therefore, the essence of the diary was perhaps a letter. She wrote what she wanted to say in the diary, presenting the cause and effect along with it to Eivass.
“I will treasure it.” Eivass smiled and carefully placed the diary close to his body. But what truly delighted Eivass was that Isabel gave her diary to Eivass… This meant she felt she no longer needed it. Perhaps the change wasn’t significant yet, but it was a precious start. She had decided to abandon her past self, cast aside her former fears—and step forward.
After exchanging secrets, a faint smile played on both their lips. When Eivass returned to his wheelchair, he called back the people who had left earlier. Lily and Yulia were also somewhat blushing, but David was full of confusion. Janis, however, was smiling smugly, as if she had just eaten candy. —Looking at them, Eivass could roughly guess who had heard and who hadn’t.
To distract David, Eivass asked him, “Has Minister Dross finished his negotiations?”
“I just went to see Father,” David explained. “There were quite a few people there… I saw him talking with Grandma Meg and the others.” His single-track mind had indeed forgotten about Eivass and Isabel. And as he said this, David still appeared somewhat worried. “They seemed to be arguing… at least, their voices were loud.”
“Loud voices don’t necessarily mean arguing; it could just be emotional.” Eivass comforted him gently. But in his heart, he understood—yes, this should be Meg proposing the Ascension Ritual to her ‘Great’ generation colleagues. Her end was near, and she had to take a gamble. If she got any older, by the time time wore down her spirituality and she became senile, it would be completely impossible.
But in this era, apart from the Eternal Pope, there was no Sixth Tier. The Sixth Tier was a myth; only heroes of ancient times who had Sublimated into Apostles could reach this level. Moreover, back then, the connections between countries were not as close. If Meg tried to ascend now, others would surely stop her—even during the Full Moon Ritual, which emphasized cooperation and non-aggression. Either no one would participate in her Ascension, making it impossible for her to gather enough people; or they would participate but intentionally go easy, causing her mission to fail. If six out of nine people formed an alliance, the remaining three would essentially have no chance of completing the mission. Even if those six couldn’t clear it, they could at least complete a basic mission and survive by working together. Being able to safely kill three powerhouses of the same level in one night without fear of retaliation was certainly profitable.
At this point, the disadvantage of a single Path became apparent. Apart from Janis, who had no intention of reaching the Sixth Tier, all the Fifth Tiers in Avalon were of the Path of Authority. At most, they could borrow a teammate from the Church following the Path of Devotion; otherwise, the entire country couldn’t find a single teammate. How pitiful.
Let’s look at Star Antimony again. Star Antimony’s Fifth Tier could at least find three paths: Transcendence, Balance, and Twilight. Entering the ritual meant three people were already together, occupying one-third of the spots—advancing from Fifth to Sixth Tier was already a crowded game, and these three were together. The ritual would definitely revolve around them, and none of them could be replaced. The scenario of three people playing against six strangers was different from Meg going solo against eight—or seven actors. This was also why Eivass had been diligently cultivating teammates. Isabel, Sherlock, David, Lily… and even Yulia. Perhaps Edward or Haina could also be included… but since both of them were on the Path of Authority, only one was needed.
The higher the Tier of the Ascension Ritual, the higher the difficulty of its plot. At that point, it wouldn’t just be about solving the plot; one would also have to guard against sudden betrayals. At the very least, one needed reliable teammates to focus on completing missions and earning points. However, the New Moon Ritual didn’t allow too many teammates; two were sufficient. The Full Moon Ritual could accommodate up to five teammates, forming a group of six. If enough points were accumulated in the Full Moon Ritual, even if the mission wasn’t completed, they could at least survive the failed Ascension. But the New Moon Ritual required eliminating six people, and in high-point games, failure meant death… Eivass didn’t want to use his friends’ lives to ascend. Lily could cooperate with the Shadow Demon, securing one slot for the New Moon Ritual. The remaining slot could be filled by Yulia or David. So, his Full Moon Ritual teammates would be Isabel, Sherlock, and one other person from Yulia and David. If Edward or Haina were included… He was still one short. Eivass thought. He wondered where to find the last teammate.
He understood why Meg was arguing with them—because Meg’s plan conflicted with the Queen’s plan. According to the Queen’s plan, they didn’t need to do anything else. After the ritual was completed, the Ancestor would be resurrected. Based on this mission, Meg couldn’t take risks—she had to survive until the ritual was fully completed. However, according to Meg’s plan, the sooner she started the Ascension, the better. Ascension rituals of this level were hard to find; it might take months or even a year to get a slot, and once they got one, at least three people would die, making it even harder to get a slot the following month. Therefore, she had to start preparing as soon as possible, but she herself didn’t know when she could begin. Although both plans were unreliable, they had subtly reached a balance… This gave Eivass a headache. Which one should he stop first? After much thought, Eivass made up his mind. —In conclusion, let’s find an excuse to get rid of Minister Dross.
Meanwhile. Because of the Prince’s death, the elite forces of the entire Glass Island were concentrated in the Silver and Tin Hall. Minister Dross, lying on the ground asleep wrapped in a sheet, suddenly heard a rustling sound. He woke up instantly—because there shouldn’t be any sound in this room. This was a specially constructed building by the Inspection Bureau, designed to instill fear. He soon heard the sound coming from the ventilation duct. The old minister, with a tense heart, stared intently at the ventilation duct. After a moment, a mouse scurried out. Minister Dross didn’t sigh in disappointment but gazed at the mouse. Amidst a flash of blood, the mouse’s flesh and blood shattered and reformed, turning into a naked red-haired woman.
“Are you here to save me?” the old man asked in a deep voice. Although he didn’t recognize her, he had likely guessed her identity. Noble Red—or rather, the superior of the Noble Red Society. —The “Rose Cross” Society of Star Antimony.
“Her Majesty said… you cannot be captured alive,” the woman said softly, her voice seductive. “But whether I save you… depends on your value.”
“I have extremely important information to report to Her Majesty,” Minister Dross said very seriously. “It can directly resolve the current chaotic situation within Star Antimony.”
“Oh?” The woman raised an eyebrow. “Tell me?”
“I won’t tell you. I want to tell Her Majesty personally,” Old Dross insisted stubbornly. “I am a noble personally appointed by Her Majesty—I have my own territory! You cannot kill me, you must save me!” He was afraid that if he revealed the secret, they would kill him on the spot and steal his information, reporting it as their own achievement.
“Fine~” The woman sighed in annoyance. “You Avalon people are so troublesome.” As she spoke, she ran her finger across her skin, unzipping her torso from her chest to her lower abdomen. Her flesh bulged and twisted, transforming into a face in an instant.
“What is it, speak?” a familiar, cold voice emanated from the woman’s abdomen. “I’m listening… It had better not be a lie.” That was the voice of His Majesty, the current King of Star Antimony, which Dross had heard when communicating with him through a ritual! He was instantly horrified—what kind of Path and ability was this?!
However, Minister Dross was, after all, experienced. After a moment of shock, he quickly calmed down and revealed the information he cherished: “Meg’s end is near,” he replied. “She will prepare to ascend to the Sixth Tier to extend her life.”
“Her end is near?” The other party repeated the words. Soon, a cold laugh escaped. “I can’t tell at all. Didn’t she say she eats fried chicken and drinks beer every day and has no illnesses? Is she trying to say her condition is starting to decline… That’s reasonable, given her age. —It’s useful information. Blood Diamond, rescue him and send him back to his territory, as an example to others… Tell them that working for us Star Antimony people is not like being used and discarded by the Iris people.”
“—Yes, Your Majesty.” The woman responded, “Your will.” With that, she zipped up her abdomen again like a zipper. The flesh fused instantly, leaving only snow-white, smooth skin, as if it had never been opened.
“…How do you plan to save me? Will I crawl out like a mouse, just like you?” Realizing he was about to be saved and was valuable enough to Star Antimony, Minister Dross’s mind became active again. “Can I go home first? I still have some valuable collections… and some evidence to destroy.”
“Are you trying to die?” the woman retorted unceremoniously. “If you want to live, shut up—once you step out of here, you can never live in Avalon again. Evidence or anything else doesn’t matter. As for collections… let someone from Noble Red take care of them.”
“…Then how do I get out?” Minister Dross thought about it and agreed, though still somewhat unwilling. “At least give me some clothes…”
“What shame does a grown man have?” The woman, also naked, crossed her arms openly and sneered. “Getting out is also very simple—
I’ll have someone from Noble Red break in and rescue you. I’ll be waiting outside to meet you; the boat is ready. Anyway, the Grand Guardian isn’t here, so it should be fine… probably.” She clearly didn’t want the old man staring at her any longer.
The woman, known as “Blood Diamond,” shattered her body again, turned back into a mouse, and burrowed back the way she came.
Update complete!
Recommending a friend’s new book, “The Time Lord is Great”~
