The past was built upon collecting unique characteristics.

"...What nonsense is this all about..." Morian thought to himself, realizing that this was not the information he wanted.

He was about to turn away, not wanting to listen to two drunkards bragging in the middle of the night, when the next words he heard made him stop.

The man named Braun suddenly laughed:

"Wait a little longer. Once His Highness Raymond completes his plan and successfully inherits the throne, the gold pounds he will bestow upon you will be enough to buy the entire casino."

Morian instantly became alert and began to listen intently to the conversation.

To inherit the throne?

Putting aside the fact that Eric, who possesses the "Princess" Ether, is the first heir, even if the inheritance were to proceed normally according to the order of succession, wouldn't the eldest prince have priority?

These drunkards just mentioned the word "plan"... Does Raymond really have some plans regarding the "ritual"?

Just as Morian was pondering this, he suddenly saw Ashford stand up and slam his fist on the table, as if venting his dissatisfaction.

"I feel frustrated when I talk about this. Coming to this small town of Bet City, there isn't even a decent bar, and the air quality is terrible. At least the air in St. Christine is fresh."

"Can't you keep it down a bit, you son of a bitch?!" Braun complained irritably. "In three or four days, that dying fourth prince will have completed his 'sacrifice,' and then you can go back wherever you want."

In the brief silence, only the heavy breathing of the two remained.

Ashford, who had been speaking at length, fell silent and suddenly lowered his voice to ask:

"Honestly... do you think the fourth prince would willingly undergo the ceremony?"

"Ha, whether he's willing or not is irrelevant; what matters is that his body can't hold on much longer," Braun sneered.

"Given his deteriorating health, do you think he would rather sacrifice himself to save the entire kingdom?"

Ashford nodded as if he understood, crossed his arms, and sat back down in his seat.

"But speaking of which, while His Highness the Fourth Prince has always been frail and sickly, surely it shouldn't have deteriorated to this extent?" he pressed. "Is the consequence of that royal succession really this severe?!"

"It has nothing to do with that. All I can tell you is that this is actually part of His Highness Raymond's plan."

Braun shook his head, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.

These words naturally reached Morian's ears, making him feel even heavier.

If he was unsure about some of his suspicions before, he can now be fairly certain that someone with ulterior motives is indeed plotting against that "dedication ceremony."

Even judging from the conversation just now, Eric's weak physical condition cannot rule out the possibility of human intervention.

Morian controlled his breathing and continued to eavesdrop on the rest of the conversation.

"Honestly, Braun," Ashford suddenly spoke, his voice even lower, "don't you think this plan is a bit too cruel? His Highness the Fourth Prince is, after all, a kind prince, and quite caring towards ordinary people..."

"Damn it!" Braun suddenly raised his head and stared fiercely at the blond man opposite him.

"Ashford, have you forgotten who we swore allegiance to? Not that indecisive fourth prince, but the powerful and decisive Prince Raymond!"

At this point, he leaned forward excitedly, his face casting a large shadow in the lamplight:

"And that fourth prince can never become that kind of monarch, nor can he give you what I truly want."

Braun paused, his tone softening again:

"My dear Ashford, you must understand that some sacrifices are necessary, especially when it comes to important matters concerning the future of the kingdom."

Seeing that the other party had gone this far, the man named Ashford could not say anything more and could only nod slightly in agreement.

So, does Prince Raymond intend to "sacrifice" Eric? Does he really believe that the "sacrifice ceremony" can restore the throne and allow him to inherit it perfectly?

But what is the basis for this... There are clearly three other princes, so why would he assume that "Princess" Ether wouldn't choose one of the other two princes?

Morian forced himself to think calmly, diverting some of his consciousness from the gray rat's body.

Unless... Raymond is confident that he can transfer that power to himself during the ritual.

The gray mouse's small eyes widened slightly; he felt increasingly certain that this conjecture was quite plausible.

Just then, heavy footsteps suddenly came from the corridor outside the door, and the wooden door was pushed open abruptly.

Using the potted plants as cover, Morian turned his gaze to the tall figure that entered the room.

The newcomer was none other than Levi Cons, the commander of the Imperial Guard Division whom they had met during the day.

He was a key figure around the second prince... Morian was secretly surprised, but also felt fortunate, because perhaps tonight he could learn more secrets from this important person.

He could sense that the aura emanating from this commander was even stronger than that of Diana in his inner world.

Levim's sharp gaze swept across the room, startling the two into silence. He simply stood there motionless, creating an invisible sense of oppression.

"Who gave you permission to drink and talk at this time?" His icy voice was squeezed out from between his teeth, making the atmosphere deathly silent.

Neither of them dared to answer first, for fear of being the first to speak out.

Suddenly, Levim turned his head toward the shadows of the potted plant, and a deep purple light burst forth from his eyes without warning.

The light seemed harmless, yet it appeared to penetrate the very soul of the heart.

To be honest, Morian thought he had reacted very quickly, immediately cutting off the connection with the gray rat when he realized something was wrong, but it was still too late.

The moment he witnessed that deep purple light, his spiritual connection with the gray rat was instantly severed, but even so, some of the influence was still transmitted through some kind of link.

"……Um!"

Morian groaned in the room, a tearing sensation coming from the depths of his mind, as if something had been forcibly ripped away, or as if his brain had been stabbed hard with a needle.

He instantly lost control of the gray rat; more accurately, he was deprived of the ability to "herd" the gray rat and could no longer summon it.

Not only that, he could also sense that the gray rat was "dead"—not in a physical sense, but in a mystical sense, truly dead, and could never be resurrected.

Now, only five of the original six gray mice remain.

After recovering slightly, Morian couldn't help but rub his temples, only then did he feel the pain gradually subside, but his forehead was already covered in sweat.

That leader is more dangerous than I imagined.

I was caught the first time I tried to gather information using a gray rat. It seems I need to be more cautious when dealing with high-level Ascendants.