Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

Chapter 123 I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!

【Soul +500000】

Edward Enix

[The extraordinary characteristics of ancient alchemists]

"Snapped!"

The remnants of the incubator melted the golem and the alchemist inside. The molten fragments fell to the ground, melting the earth and creating a massive, scorching crater.

Meanwhile, the steel golem, having lost the alchemist's control and the life-giving power, also ceased to move.

As the battle ended, the raging lightning in the sky gradually dissipated. "The Singer of God," Ace Snake, glanced warily at the remnants of the warm bed, then deliberately circled around to reach Ember and Archbishop Anthony, before slowly descending from mid-air.

"It's over."

Archbishop Anthony looked up at the Singer of Gaze and spoke slowly.

Ice Snake frowned and asked in a magnetic voice, "Just him?"

Anthony glanced around and said in a deep voice, "At least I didn't see anyone else."

He didn't think the ancient alchemist was alone, but he also didn't find any signs of accomplices. For an individual with enough money, becoming a Sequence 5 Extraordinary was difficult, but not impossible.

However, to become a demigod, one must have the support of a powerful force behind them.

Ace Snake sighed, somewhat regretfully, "It's a pity he's already dead, otherwise we might have been able to get some information out of him."

They had originally intended to capture him alive, but unfortunately, he was already dead at the hands of Ember. Ace Snake had just scanned the area; the man hadn't even been able to leave a trace of his spirit, having been completely burned away by the remnants of the warm bed. Of course, although Ace Snake didn't know Ember's identity, he could tell he had close ties with the Church of the Night, so he wisely refrained from pursuing the matter.

Moreover, they are not entirely without a trace.

This demigod had been hiding in Backlund for an unknown period of time. Although he is now dead, he must have left behind many clues. Just as Emperor Roselle said: "Everything that has been done leaves a trace."

Based on these clues, even if we don't follow the trail to find the person behind it, we should at least figure out which force is behind him.

Seeing the regretful look on the God Singer's face, Ember suddenly asked:

"Even though a person is dead, their soul can still ask questions, right?"

"Um?"

Ace Snake was stunned for a moment, then he saw Ember pull out a ball of light and hand it to Anthony.

Anthony's eyes lit up, and he skillfully caught the ball of light. A moment later, a male figure appeared from it. Although his form was rather ethereal, judging from his appearance, it was none other than the unknown demigod of the Earth Path!

Ace Snake realized what was happening, his expression somewhat strange, but he didn't intend to demand ownership of the soul from the Church of the Night. After all, they were the ones who killed the person, and they were the ones who preserved the soul. On the contrary, it was his side that had handled things poorly, almost letting the person escape.

"Thank you for your help, Lord Ash."

The Singer of God clenched his fist, lightly struck his chest, and solemnly said.

"Compared to this."

Ember stroked his chin, turned his head to look at the Singer of God beside him, "I'm more curious about another question."

"What?"

The Singer of Gods paused slightly, then heard Ember ask meaningfully:

"The commotion you just had was extraordinary; I could see it all over Hillston. Where are the royals?"

The Singer of God's expression shifted slightly.

This operation was a joint effort between the royal family and the three major churches, with the archbishops of all three churches present. But where were the royal family members? They had met many extraordinary individuals within the royal family, and they were indeed working diligently to cooperate with the three major churches. But the key issue was the demigods! Where were the royal family's demigods?

Anthony's expression shifted slightly, and he quietly removed the "dark veil" covering the dock. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the battlefield, the elites and extraordinary individuals from various churches, seeing the veil fall, tacitly came forward to greet them.

Wearing a black soft cap, "The Singer of God," Ace Snake, swept his silver eyes across the assembled elite Punishers and gave them a stern command:

"Investigate thoroughly and find out what the royal family is doing!"

Among the extraordinary individuals present were quite a few belonging to Military Intelligence Bureau Nine, and their expressions changed slightly upon hearing this. However, the Singer of God didn't even bother to glance at them, clearly not caring at all; otherwise, he wouldn't have said these things in front of them.

……

Meanwhile, somewhere in Backlund, another battle is quietly taking place.

The commotion caused by the battle here was in no way inferior to that of the fighting in the dock area. However, this place seemed to be in a separate space, empowered by some kind of force.

Although it is also Backlund, it does not intersect with the real Backlund. Everything that happens in this way will not affect reality, and naturally, it will not be observed by reality.

Meanwhile, in this isolated space, three demigods of Sequence 4 or higher are engaged in an unprecedented battle!

One of them was Prince Sonia, Grove Augustus, with his rectangular face. At this moment, he was joining forces with two other demigods who also belonged to the royal family to launch a siege against another demigod.

"Teleportation is prohibited here!"

"Floating is prohibited here!"

"Hiding is prohibited here!"

"..."

Grove Augustus, while ruthlessly cooperating with the other demigods to impose a series of restrictive rules, said in a deep voice:

"Zatwin, you know what I'm talking about! Hand over the goods, and I might let you go!"

At the same time, a faint figure appeared in mid-air, staggering and falling to the ground, barely managing to maintain his balance.

The figure wore a black clerical robe, with a black glove on his left hand. He had a thin face, brownish skin, and sunken eyes that resembled those of a dried-up corpse. His beard had black roots and white ends, extending from the sides of his mouth to his ears, but it was not thick and was quite short, appearing as scattered specks.

He is a demigod of the Rose School, the mentor of the leader of the Celestial Cult, and the Sequence 3 'Silent Disciple', Zartwin.

At this moment, this once high and mighty demigod appeared exceptionally disheveled. He couldn't even bother to clean the dust off his clothes or tend to his bleeding wounds. His light brown eyes, almost the same color as his skin, were fixed coldly on the people behind him as he spoke in a deep voice:

What do you want?

"Stop playing dumb!"

Grove Augustus said coldly, "We know that dog is a ghost kept by your Rose School. The Kingdom of Rune has no intention of being enemies with the Rose School. As long as you hand over the method to cure the curse and those things, we can let you go!"

Zlatvin coughed twice, his face pale and bluish, and gritted his teeth, saying, "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

What kind of dog? What kind of curse?

He couldn't understand it at all!

"Looks like you still don't want to talk about it. It's okay, you'll talk about it when you're dead."

Grove Augustus's gaze turned cold, and he gave a sneer, too lazy to offer any further persuasion. While the Kingdom of Rune certainly didn't want to easily offend the secret organizations, and even had a cooperative relationship with one of their witch cults, this didn't mean the Rune royal family was afraid of antagonizing them!

They may not speak while alive, but their souls will eventually speak after they die.

Grove Augustus no longer held back, and together with the other two demigods, launched a final all-out attack.

"Damn it!"

Zhatwin cursed and waved his hand, summoning a large number of vengeful spirits and undead that had been prepared beforehand, which surged toward the group.

For ordinary people, just seeing this sight would be enough to terrify them. But for demigods, these things were hardly a threat.

One of the demigods stopped in his tracks and immediately spoke solemnly:

"Ghosts and vengeful spirits are forbidden here!"

"The dead are forbidden to rise from the dead here!"

Taking advantage of this brief moment, Zhatwin's figure vanished abruptly. That was a strange ability belonging to the Silent Disciples; they could possess other objects for extended periods. As long as they possessed enough objects and escaped far enough, even fellow demigods would find it difficult to detect their presence!

As Grove watched Zhatwin disappear, he immediately spoke solemnly:

"No items may be attached here!"

The next instant, Zatwin's figure, which had just disappeared, reappeared out of thin air.

"Damn it!"

……

In the Backlund Bridge district, two disheveled figures are running frantically down a street shrouded in night.

They crossed the gas-lit streets and slipped into the stench-filled alleyways beside the road, desperately trying to conceal their presence under the cover of darkness. They knew that if passersby saw them, they would be so frightened that they would immediately call the police.

After all, one of them was deathly pale, with rotting wounds still visible on his face. His flesh was rotten, and white maggots were wriggling out in droves; you could even smell the putrid stench of the corpse if you got close. The other was even more outrageous—he was a werewolf covered in stiff, black, sharp hairs!

Even just from their appearance, it's easy to tell that they are Sequence 6 'zombies' and Sequence 7 'werewolfs' from the 'Prisoner' category; their characteristics couldn't be more obvious.

These two were clearly members of the Rose School.

"Damn it, what's gotten into these official extraordinary individuals?! They're chasing me like mad dogs!"

Having finally shaken off his pursuers, the werewolf Tyr leaned against the wall of the alley to rest, muttering curses under his breath.

"Say less."

Jason, the undead standing nearby, said coldly, "Lord Zartwin is holding off those demigods to buy us a chance to escape. If you waste time because of him... don't blame me for not warning you!"

The werewolf Tyr had a cold look in his eyes, but he didn't say anything in rebuttal.

Being besieged by three demigods at the same time, everyone knew that Lord Zatwin was likely in grave danger. Their escape in the chaos was entirely due to the fact that those royal demigods disdained them, these little rats.

Moreover, the royal family didn't just let them off the hook; those MI9 royal lackeys were still relentlessly pursuing them! Although they had prepared a few safe houses, these safe houses were obviously unreliable given that their headquarters had been attacked.

Backlund was vast, but there was nowhere left for them to hide. All they could do now was escape Backlund under the cover of night as quickly as possible.

"Jason, Tyrell."

Inside a house not far away, Sharon, dressed in a black court dress and wearing a small soft hat, suddenly whispered, "They are the ones who are hunting us."

"Isn't this just a coincidence?"

Klein stared at the two figures cautiously peeking out of the alley with a strange expression. They were already prepared to give up on tonight's operation, but these two actually delivered themselves to their doorstep. What kind of situation is this?

"Shall we take action?"

"The Living Corpse," Marich licked his lips, a hint of eagerness in his voice, and asked, "If you miss this opportunity, you might not have another chance like this!"

Sharon didn't reply, but instead glanced at Klein.

Klein immediately understood that Sharon was definitely inclined to take action, but she still needed to consult him, her outsider. After all, the reason tonight's operation was canceled, and why they were able to survive the "Great Purge," was largely due to his intelligence.

He personally preferred to play it safe, but Miss Sharon had helped him after all. And now was indeed the perfect time to make a move, so he couldn't afford to miss this opportunity.

Klein hesitated for a long time before finally making a difficult decision, gritting his teeth and saying:

"Let me do a divination first."

In front of the others, Klein took out his pendulum.

A moment later, he got the answer—

Good luck!

"Let's do it!"

Klein thought viciously to himself.

……

In the East End, Iconsel Bernard, with his tousled, messy, and stubborn brown hair, holds an old silver mirror with strange patterns, its sides decorated with black gemstones that form "eyes".

He was a little nervous because the archbishops of the three major churches in the diocese of Backlund were all around him.

"Let's begin."

An elderly man dressed in a white priest's robe and wearing a clergyman's hat gave an order to Ikonser. He was none other than Horamik Hayden, the archbishop of the Steam Church in the diocese of Backlund.

"call!"

Ikonser took a deep breath, picked up the silver mirror, and gently stroked its surface three times with his right hand.

After a slight pause, he spoke in a deep voice:

"Your Excellency Arodes, my question is, where is Prince Sonia now?"

Although this mirror is only a level two sealed artifact, its abilities are extremely useful. However, in order to ensure that the problem can be accurately described and an answer obtained, Ikonser chose to directly locate the royal person in charge of organizing this cooperation, Prince Grove Augustus of Sonia.

The surrounding light suddenly deepened, seemingly imbued with the mist of rain, while strange shimmering light appeared on the surface of the silver mirror, converging to create a scene:

In a separate space that seemed to be cut and surrounded by light, Grove Augustus, with a rectangular face and dressed in clothes from hundreds of years ago, was leading two other demigods in a siege of a gaunt old man in black robes.

Right now, the old man was clearly struggling to withstand the combined attack of three demigods. He had already been stripped of several extraordinary abilities in a short period of time, and severely injured, he couldn't even escape.

While the others were still pondering the old man's identity, "The Singer of God" Ace Snake spoke up directly:

"That's a demigod of the Rose School, Zatwin, a Sequence 3 saint."

Horamick Hayden's furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and he smiled, saying, "It seems that the royal family is indeed still taking action, but they are tied up with demigods from other forces and therefore unable to come to our aid in time."

"Lord Ash, what's your opinion?"

Anthony offered no comment, instead turning his gaze to Ember beside him. Upon seeing this, the other two archbishops also turned their attention to Ember, offering somewhat friendly inquiries.

"Perhaps."

Yu Jin gazed at the image in the mirror and said calmly.

Perhaps because he learned that the Black Emperor was George III, he lacked even the most basic trust in the Loen royal family.

He instinctively felt that the royal family was plotting something, and he still believed it even now. Although they were also currently dealing with demigods from a secret organization and seemed to be doing their best, perhaps this was also part of the royal family's plan?

Yu Jin glanced at the battle nearing its end in the silver mirror and said slowly, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

"certainly."

Archbishop Anthony smiled and nodded. "Leave the rest to us."

Iconsel didn't notice when the embers left; he was listening intently to the opinions of several archbishops regarding the royal family.

But at that moment, the scene in the silver mirror ended with the old man lying in a pool of blood. When the mirror went black, several lines of Old Fussac words suddenly appeared on it:

"Based on the principle of reciprocity, it's my turn to ask a question."

"If you answer incorrectly, or lie, you will be punished."

The word "punishment" is as red as blood, as if it were still dripping liquid!

Ikonser's expression first contorted, then became unusually serious.

Immediately afterwards, the silver mirror shimmered with water, and a new line of words appeared:

What is your sexual orientation?

Ikonser was stunned. Even the three archbishops, forgetting to suspect whether the royal family had ulterior motives, immediately turned their gazes to Ikonser.

……

Throughout the latter half of the night, the extraordinary figures of the three major churches were exceptionally busy.

First, the captured wild extraordinary beings need to be dealt with by the various churches as soon as possible. Because so many people have been captured, even the cages originally used to imprison extraordinary beings are not enough.

As Night Watchers who can summon people to night at Sequence 7, they are the busiest among the three major churches. This is because they also need to put the residents who witnessed the battle at the border of the East District and the Dock District into dreams and erase their memories through dreams.

Fortunately, most of the night shift workers are more energetic as the night goes on. They only need to sleep a few hours a day, and even if they work all night, they are still full of energy the next day.

Ember naturally wouldn't get involved in these matters, since Anthony had already said he didn't need to handle the cleanup. He went straight back to Hillston District to meet up with Al Hassen and the others who were escorting the wild extraordinary beings to the Church of Stars.

After confirming that there was no other work that required his help, he went back home.

Standing at the door of 117 Burningham, Ember glanced at the dark building. There were no lights inside, suggesting that Fors and Hugh were already asleep. However, when Ember passed through the door into the living room, Fors and Hugh were sitting side by side on the sofa, looking at him.

As if he had expected this, Yu Jin asked with a calm expression, "Why aren't you asleep so late?"

"I can't sleep."

Hugh shook his head and asked softly, "Is the Church of the Night up to something? Why are you back so late?"

"A small matter: capturing two extraordinary individuals from clandestine organizations."

Yu Jin gave a brief explanation and turned on the gas lamp switch.

Tap tap tap, slap

A flame ignited and quickly grew larger, its bright light first filling the inside of the wall lamp, then passing through the transparent glass, casting a warm glow over the room.

The darkness suddenly receded, and Crimson retreated from the window.

"ember."

After hesitating for two seconds, and under the expectant gaze of his friend, Hugh slowly spoke, "Fors has something very important to tell you!"

"Huh? Eh?!"

Fors stared wide-eyed at Hugh in disbelief. "Didn't we agree on this?"

Xiu rolled her eyes at her and said irritably, "Who told you to make that promise without permission? Since you made the promise, you should be the one to tell Yu Jin those things yourself."

"What is it?"

Ember looked at Fors with some confusion.

"It's nothing major, I just promised to help an old man deliver something."

Fors shrank back and weakly told Ember about her experiences at the cemetery during the day, adding in a low voice at the end, "He said the Abraham family would give us a generous reward."

"The Abrahamic family?"

After pondering for a moment, Yu Jin nodded slightly. "Then let's make a trip tomorrow. I happen to be quite interested in this family."

"Are you sure everything's okay?"

Fors asked in a low voice, a mixture of surprise and nervousness.

Yu Jin smiled and said, "Anyway, Pritzker Port isn't too far away; it only takes half a day to go there and back."

"really."

Hugh nodded and said seriously, "If we take the first steam train in the morning, we should be able to get back before three o'clock in the afternoon."

After a pause, Hugh added, "That is, Fors, you have to be able to get up that early."

"stop!"

……

The enemy is in the open, while we are in the shadows.

Furthermore, Klein and his two companions had been well-rested and prepared, so the outcome of the battle against three half-crippled Extraordinary Beings was naturally without any suspense.

Following Klein's advice to "make a quick and decisive move, and pick the weakest one," Miss Sharon took the initiative to infiltrate the werewolf's body from the shadows, controlling his body and forcing him to tear off his own neck.

"Sharon, you deserve to die!"

With the death of the werewolf, although the remaining "zombie" Jason was stronger than the "werewolf" Tyr, and although Steve, a Sequence 5, was still possessing him, he could only let out a resentful roar and die on the spot under the premeditated attack of the three.

Klein looked at Miss Sharon, who was wearing a small black soft hat, and reminded her, "Official extraordinary beings could arrive at any moment, so we need to hurry."

Sharon nodded, then turned her head and asked:

"Okay, Marich?"

"rest assured."

Maric's hoarse voice came from behind, his deathly pale face emerging from the shadows. "I've already used my undead to draw the attention of those extraordinary beings; they won't be here anytime soon."

Despite saying that, to guard against any potential extraordinary individuals, the three of them tacitly and quickly cleaned up the battlefield. Afterward, they swiftly returned to Casper's home, which was not far away.

……

Soderlake Palace, Queens Backlund.

Having just fooled the archbishops of the three major churches under the pretext of dealing with the Rose School, Grove Augustus returned to the palace and immediately conducted a psychic reading of the soul of Zatwin that they had obtained.

However, when he finally succeeded in communicating with the spirits, he still had a livid expression.

Because he found neither the method to break the curse in Zatwin's soul, nor the lost letters and intelligence.

With a heavy heart, he met with King George III, who was wearing a crown, late at night.

After he finished describing the clues he had psychic access to, George III's face visibly darkened, and he said in a deep voice:

"Are you trying to tell me that we spent a huge sum of money uniting the three major churches, even abandoning years of planning and sacrificing our loyal allies, only to end up with nothing? Is that it?! Didn't you swear to me before that those things were definitely done with the Rose School?!"

"His Majesty!"

Grove Augustus broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly explained, "This was definitely the work of the Rose School, I assure you! Whether it's wandering spirits or curses, these are common tactics used by the Rose School! This operation may simply be because we arrested the wrong person."

If it was just a case of arresting the wrong person, then at most it would be due to the intelligence personnel below not having received accurate information. But if even the direction of suspicion was wrong, then it would be his fault. So even if he himself doubted whether it was the Rose School or not, he could only insist that it was the Rose School that did it!

King George III leaned back in his chair, expressionless, and said coldly, "Then tell me, what useful information did you glean from his soul?"

Grove breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly explained, "Zatwin is in Backlund because he has been hunting down the Temperance faction of the Rose School, and coincidentally, the Temperance faction has been hiding in Backlund. At the same time, he was also assigned by the god Niesh'a to track down a 'blasphemer' designated by a false oracle."

King George III's expression shifted slightly, and he frowned as he asked, "A blasphemer?"

"Yes."

Grove nodded and quickly explained, "A month ago, Saint Jax of the Rose School in the Rose Islands received an oracle, instructing a divine messenger wearing ten rings to collect twenty-two blasphemous cards."

"But it was later discovered that this oracle was actually a forgery by a demigod. The man wearing ten rings was not a divine messenger, but a blasphemer. And recently, the Bound God has issued another oracle, declaring that the blasphemer is in Backlund."

"Demigod?"

King George III said coldly, "Do you really think any demigod could deceive another demigod by falsely conveying divine pronouncements?"

Grove's face stiffened, and he smiled wryly, not daring to refute.

What could he do? That was what Zatwin's spirit had said, and of course he had to relay it verbatim to George III. It was better to be mocked now than to be held accountable later.

After all, although George III was theoretically his junior, his power and status far surpassed his. He dared not adopt any airs of seniority in front of George III, for he knew the consequences—

Those who relied on their seniority in the royal family had long been secretly purged by George III with an iron fist!

King George III glanced at Grove, but didn't press him too hard. Instead, he asked casually, "Could this have been the work of the Temperance Faction?"

"Unlikely."

Grove thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "The Temperance faction has been nearly wiped out by the Indulgence faction. Even their Sequence 2 angels were killed by the Indulgence faction. What's left are just minor characters who aren't even demigods. And to possess a curse powerful enough to kill a demigod, one must at least be a Sequence 3 or higher Silent Disciple."

King George III tapped the table lightly with his fingers and said softly:

"The Rose School doesn't have many saints in total. If they aren't saints of the Rose School, then they are probably just divine abominations."

Grove's heart sank. If it were just a Sequence 3 demigod targeting them, the Loen royal family could easily handle it. But if it was the Sequence 1 angel, God-Sergea, personally intervening, the consequences would be unimaginable! Unlike demigods, Sequence 1 angels were a real threat to their plans!

After all, even His Majesty is only...

King George III was clearly aware of this as well, and said in a deep voice:

"Go ask him for advice. He provided the potion recipe and devised the plan. Now that we've encountered a problem, it's only right that we let him help us solve it."

Grove looked up at George III with some confusion, wondering who he was referring to, but then the image of him flashed into his mind. His pupils contracted sharply, and he suppressed his shock, immediately bowing his head respectfully.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

He didn't ask why George III didn't ask the other person himself, because they were both Sequence 1 angels, the most powerful extraordinary beings in the world besides the true gods. Therefore, they both had to do their best to avoid causing panic to each other.

Although Grove didn't think the gentleman would be alarmed, especially since he was, in some ways, George III's "teacher," for the Sequence 1 angels, avoiding each other was the best way for them to get along, no matter what.

……

In a hidden space filled with light, a cross over a hundred meters tall stands directly in front. In front of the cross, a blurry, enormous human figure stands there, bearing everything, gazing upon all spirits with pity.

In front of the giant were rows of black chairs with backrests, but there was only one person praying.

The praying man sat in the center of the first row with his eyes closed, wearing a rather simple white robe, with a light gold beard that covered the lower half of his face, his hands clasped in front of a silver cross pendant on his chest, his expression gentle and peaceful.

At this moment, he raised his head, revealing eyes as clear as a child's.

Before him stood Grove Augustus, who had appeared there for reasons unknown and at some point.

He slowly stood up, looked at Grove in front of him, and said calmly:

"Tell George III that everything is going according to plan and that the Rose School will not be an obstacle for us."

Grove Augustus kept his head down, not daring to lift it even once.

The demigods who are high and mighty in the real world dare not even move in front of this one.

He didn't even glance at Grove, because the next second Grove's figure rapidly faded and disappeared. He was left alone in the entire radiant space.

But he did not sit down again, nor did he continue to pray.

He simply gazed at a certain spot, his gaze seemingly piercing through countless spaces, finally settling on a particular person, and murmured softly:

"The First Flame, perhaps, is another path leading to the past. And..."

He looked up, and seeing something, his expression became melancholy.

Although the future is unknown and it is a path he has never explored before, at least the initial fire will not be subject to the initial constraints and threats.

……

October 10, Wednesday.

Ember and Fors arrived at Pulitzer Port early in the morning by steam train, a journey that took less than two hours, given the short distance. To ensure they were home before evening to enjoy dinner prepared by Hugh and Clarice, they had also booked their return riverboat tickets in advance.

Compared to Backlund, the "Foggy City," the air quality in Prydz Harbor was better. However, no matter where they were, they could still smell the pervasive sea scent in the air. But compared to Backlund, the streets here were also considerably dirtier.

Without much trouble, they easily found the fishermen's association in an old building and met Dorian Gray there.

This gentleman was of medium build, but had exaggeratedly large arms, and his hair was neatly combed, quite unlike the bird's nest hairstyles of most people in the association.

Dorian sat at his desk and greeted him with a smile:

"Good afternoon, Mr. Blake, Ms. Wall. How can I help you?"

Fors glanced at Ember instinctively, and after receiving a nod of approval from him, she mustered her courage, stepped forward, and whispered:

"Mr. Lawrence sent me to find you."

She briefly explained her purpose and handed over Lawrence's suicide note, notebook, and diamond-like extraordinary qualities to the other party.

A flicker of astonishment and surprise crossed Dorian's eyes, as if he hadn't expected Lawrence, whom he had met not long ago, to pass away so suddenly. With a complex expression, he took the items from the girl's hands and opened the suicide note first.

After reading it carefully, he raised his head and looked earnestly at Fors with his blue eyes:

"I commend you for your kindness and trustworthiness, Ms. Wall. I will always remember your help to Anlisa and Lawrence!"

"Would you mind accepting my thanks? I'd like to invite you and Mr. Blake to lunch."

"No problem."

Fors blinked at the embers, and then agreed without hesitation. She was worried about how to pass the time before the ship set sail.

"Please wait a moment."

Dorian politely asked Ember and Fors to wait in the adjacent lounge, and offered them tea and snacks, newspapers and magazines.

Upon returning to his office, the man opened a hidden cabinet with some hesitation and took out an item.

It was a crystal ball that shimmered with brilliant light in its purity.

Although the family had long since declined under the torment of the curse, and although they had experienced a betrayal that caused Abrahams great losses, they still possessed a considerable number of extraordinary items.

Dorian drew the curtains, making the office dimly lit, and then sat down.

He held the crystal ball in his left hand, his right palm lightly touching the top, stroking it back and forth, while he kept whispering, as if murmuring.

Gradually, the sparkles inside the crystal ball grew brighter and brighter, becoming more and more distinct, as if the stars in the night sky were casting their reflections.

The stars that are often used to determine the course of fate and the trajectory of life appear one after another, forming a three-dimensional horoscope, mixed with many spiritual revelations that seem to be symbolic.

Dorian Grey finally stopped what he was doing and buried his head in his work.

"There was some concealment, but no lying."

Dorian breathed a sigh of relief; at least this confirmed that Ms. Fors was trustworthy.

He rushed to put the crystal ball back in the cupboard, but after a slight hesitation, he couldn't help but wonder about the identity of Mr. Black, who was beside Ms. Fors. After a moment's hesitation, he reached out his right hand again and began to stroke the crystal ball.

Gradually, the crystal ball lit up again, and the twinkling starlight became increasingly dazzling.

But in an instant, a faint glimmer of light suddenly rose from the starlight. In the blink of an eye, all the starlight was swallowed by the flames, and all that remained in Dorian's vision was a blinding expanse of fire!

"Ahhh—!"

Dorian let out a scream, clutching his eyes and curling up on the ground in agony. The crystal ball, which had been supported, lost its footing and rolled several times on the ground before finally coming to a stop after hitting the corner of a table.

But throughout the process, the flames inside the crystal ball grew stronger and brighter, until…

"Snapped!"

The crystal ball seemed to have reached some kind of limit, and suddenly it exploded with a crack, like a glass ball falling to the ground.

"Fire, it's fire..."

Dorian forced his eyes open, enduring the pain. He saw the shattered crystal ball, the destroyed magical artifact, yet there was no regret in his eyes. Instead, amidst the agonizing spasms, his eyes seemed to hold a hint of wild joy, as if he had survived a catastrophe.

"The prophecy has come true!"

He struggled to his feet, using his hands to support himself on the ground, and staggered towards the door, trying to find the two guests waiting in the lounge.

But when he reached the door and his hand gripped the doorknob, he hesitated.

In the end, he did not open the door.

He tidied himself up, changed his clothes, and made sure he looked presentable. Finally, he eagerly awaited lunchtime. He immediately went out, ordered the restaurant to prepare a meal, and personally went to the lounge to invite Yu Jin and the other man to lunch together—

The reason he endured the torment in his heart until now was that he wanted to discuss matters at the dinner table, as it was said that this would increase the success rate.

"Ms. Wall."

Inside a private room at the restaurant, Dorian Gray asked with a smile:

"What do you think of the food here?"

"very nice."

Fors replied reservedly.

Before her sat a deep-fried fish, cut into pieces and sprinkled with rosemary. Its skin was crispy, its flesh tender and juicy, and it had no small bones—quite delicious. The only thing worth complaining about was the chef's bizarre aesthetic sense; he had left the two bulging eyes intact and, through plating techniques, made them both look upwards, as if expressing their resentment at death.

This forced her to push the fish head down, cut off the tail, and cover the upward-facing eye.

Dorian Gray glanced subtly at Ember beside him, and while picking up his knife and fork, said in a seemingly casual tone:

"Anlisa was very fond of the occult and had some knowledge of it. When you were sorting through her belongings, did you see any related books, notes, or items?"

"There are some notes and books."

Fors' expression shifted slightly, but he didn't reveal anything unusual. He answered frankly, "That's why I became a fan of the occult, but unfortunately, there are some things I just can't understand at all."

"If that's the case..."

Seeing that everything was developing as expected, Dorian quickly asked, "Does Ms. Wall know about the Extraordinary beings mentioned in the book?"

Fors hesitated for a moment, but still didn't hide anything, saying, "I know some things, but they're all just legends..."

"No!"

Dorian said in a deep voice, "The Extraordinary are real. Anlisa, Lawrence, and I are all Extraordinary. We all belong to a once-great family, Abraham!"

"Ms. Wall."

Dorian said with utmost seriousness, "Do you want to become an Extraordinary? Consider this my way of thanking you on behalf of Anlisa and Lawrence!"

Dorian's expression was incredibly sincere, as if he truly only wanted to thank Fors, this selfless young lady. But a closer look would reveal that although he never mentioned Ember, his gaze was constantly and subtly fixed on Ember.

Even Fors could see that!

(End of this chapter)