Fool's Library

Rast didn't know much about those powerful figures within the empire who had been active decades or even over a hundred years ago and had risen to the legendary rank, so he didn't know where to start if he wanted to catch the traitor.

But this was not originally his task.

Thanks to Rast's intervention, Ophelia's mechanical doll was able to successfully infiltrate the secret gathering organized by the gravediggers.

Ophelia meticulously recorded the speech of the man suspected of being a traitor within the Empire.

Given Last's understanding of Hiltina's sister, the Second Princess, he was not worried at all that Ophelia would be unable to handle this internal traitor after gaining an intelligence advantage.

While Ophelia may be some distance from being a legendary figure in terms of rank, in terms of manipulating people's hearts and minds, Rust doesn't think she's at a disadvantage.

"and--"

Last took another small sip of tea.

In his mind, the meeting with Hiltina and Ophelia's father, the current Emperor Aaron, at the Hailan Mansion resurfaced.

"Such a huge one, and a legendary-level traitor..."

"Could it be that my cheap father-in-law actually discovered it a long time ago, but deliberately left it unattended, intending to use it as bait in the future?"

Although he had only met His Majesty Aaron once two years ago at the Hailan Mansion.

But based on that one-time impression, if His Majesty Aaron were to actually make such a long-term, manipulative move, Rust wouldn't be surprised at all.

To some extent, Rust felt that he and his cheap father-in-law were quite compatible... Rather than being completely unknown and passively waiting for the enemy to come to them, the two of them actually preferred to keep their opponent's whereabouts under their control, find ways to lure them into a trap, and then wipe them out in one fell swoop.

For example, when the Patriarch of the Iron Cross volunteered to be the first to charge into battle and be the vanguard of divine intervention, it was because Rast himself forged the oracle of the evil god of Deep Blue Harbor and then gave the order.

Just kidding, I'm not afraid of those people coming, I'm actually afraid they won't come.

Those tomb keepers hidden behind the curtain of history, and those cultists who can contact the gods on the Throne of the Blazing Sky, if they are truly determined to hide themselves, they will not show themselves no matter how great the floods are outside, and will always be cowards...

Even if it were the current Rast or Hiltina who had been promoted to angel, it would be impossible to completely wipe them out. Many would inevitably escape and become potential threats in the future.

However, the situation is completely different if the other party is willing to show themselves.

Not only the tomb keepers and cultists, but also others are plotting to completely kill Hiltina during the coronation ceremony...

Although they had never communicated directly, Rust knew that Hiltina, like himself, wanted to eliminate all the hidden dangers lurking in the shadows in this battle.

After this battle, many things will be rewritten.

Just like the Battle of the Broken Coast between the Coast Guardians and the Tomb Keepers in the Sixth Era, which determined the future of civilization.

With that thought in mind, Last drank the last drop of tea in his ceramic cup in one gulp.

Outside the window of the wooden cabin, the night was already deep.

The entire town of Canaan was shrouded in the tranquil night, with the pale moonlight pouring down like mercury, creating a serene and gentle atmosphere.

Just as he had experienced countless times when Rast returned to Canaan, as long as he returned to this town, to this familiar wooden house, he was able to heal his wounds and let his heart find peace again.

However, at that moment, Last felt his mental energy stir slightly again.

Using that divine essence as a medium, a faint call once again came from the Western Continent.

Clearly, this was the legendary traitor lurking in the capital, inquiring with Rust about the exact requirements of the descent ritual.

……

Western Continent, Granville Empire, outer city of the capital.

In an abandoned house in a civilian neighborhood.

A tall, gaunt figure, shrouded entirely in a black robe, moved through the abandoned rooms of a residential house, setting up props for a ritual.

Bottles and jars of liquid, the remains of unknown creatures, shimmering magical gems...

There was also a strange array pattern.

"Supreme, great Lord of Twilight, Serpent of Dawn and Dusk—"

"In accordance with the covenant with you, I pray that you would grant us divine grace, bestow upon us the sacred objects to be used in our descent, and inform us of the preparations required for the descent ceremony."

An illusory prayer sounded.

The next moment, a faint white light suddenly shone on the engraved rune array.

In the dim white light, a bronze sculpture slowly materialized, its surface engraved with iron-colored cross patterns, exuding a powerful yet eerie aura.

Without a doubt, this is a sacred object bestowed by the gods.

Immediately afterwards, lines of pale gold text appeared in the void before the black-robed figure.

The man in black robes slowly raised his eyes to look—

"1. Finely chop 1,000 catties of lean pork into minced meat, making sure there is not a single bit of fat on it."

2. Finely chop 1,000 jin of fatty meat into a topping, making sure there isn't a single trace of lean meat on it.

3. Finely chop 1,000 catties of cartilage into a topping, making sure there isn't a single piece of meat on it.

4. Finely chop 1,000 catties of ripe watermelon into a sauce, making sure there is not a trace of raw watermelon.

5. Take one thousand catties of raw melons and eggs...

Chapter 264 Akshia: What is a woman's sixth sense?

The capital city, the inner city.

Inside the luxurious palace complex, in a secluded and deserted room.

A tall, elderly man stood by the window, seemingly waiting for something.

Suddenly, he turned his head slightly and looked at a dim shadow in the corner of the room.

A faint halo of light spread slowly along the ring on his finger, scanning directly across the corner covered by shadow.

After a moment, the old man spoke indifferently: "Have you retrieved the tokens and ritual procedures of the Lord of Twilight?"

As a legend within the empire and having held a high position for a long time, he was well aware of the immense risks involved in his actions.

Colluding with the tomb keeper and the cult to orchestrate a divine descent ritual of an evil god within the capital... this is a true act of treason, an attempt to overthrow the entire empire.

Once the truth is revealed, neither Aaron nor the soon-to-be Holy Sword Wielder Hiltina will spare no effort to hunt him down to the ends of the earth.

Therefore, he was extremely cautious when contacting the gravedigger and the cult.

Not only did he work behind the scenes, but he also brought out assassins who had taken alchemical potions and would die within days without taking the antidote, thus putting their lives and fortunes completely in his hands.

Afterwards, multiple layers of verification were conducted... to ensure that the assassins' tracks would never be detected by divination or prophetic abilities.

"Reporting to the Lord, the tokens and the specific requirements for the birth ceremony have been obtained."

A respectful reply came from the shadows.

Immediately afterwards, a sculpture, seemingly cast in bronze and with iron-colored rust patterns on its surface, quietly emerged from the shadows and was respectfully presented to the old man.

"It is indeed the contaminant from the Lord of Twilight."

"If my perception is not mistaken, this evil god sculpture harbors an extremely powerful spiritual force... It should be a wisp of divine thought left behind by the Lord of Twilight."

The old man examined the sculpture of the evil god and nodded slightly.

As a veteran legend, he has weathered hundreds of years, and his spiritual strength has become incredibly powerful.

However, the spiritual imprint residing on that evil god sculpture, though incredibly thin in quantity, was frighteningly high in quality, so much so that even with his legendary status, he could not see through it.

Even just releasing a little mental energy to probe caused the old man to feel a strange sense of dread.

It was as if it were a black hole that had swallowed up all the light; if one were to probe any further, one's own soul would be completely assimilated and devoured by it.

In his understanding, only a wisp of spiritual power could possess such a terrifying status... naturally, it could only be an evil god who, as a mythical being, had truly entered the realm of gods.

As expected of the true evil god who once descended to earth in Deep Blue Harbor during the Sixth Epoch and unleashed the catastrophe known as the "Iron Cross Plague".

He turned his gaze back to the assassin standing in the shadows: "What are the specific procedures for the descent ritual?"

"My lord, there seems to be something wrong here..."

For some reason, there was a strange hesitation in the assassin's words.

"Hmm?" The old man was somewhat dissatisfied with his assassin's confused and uncertain attitude, and urged, "Speak quickly, what kind of behavior is this, hesitating like this?"

The assassin hesitated for a moment, then moved with shadowy movements, arriving beside the old man and whispering a few words.

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the old man's stern gaze.

"Ridiculous! You've been with me for so long, and you can't even handle such a small matter?"

The confidant hesitated before defending himself: "But the oracle of the Lord of Twilight did indeed give such instructions."

"Absurd!" the black-robed elder sneered. "I ask you, whose sacred object is this?"

"It is the Lord of Twilight..."

Because he needed to explain the prayer, this assassin naturally also knew the name and identity of the person he was praying to.

"Yes, you know this is the catastrophe that once swept across the Western Continent with the Iron Cross Plague..."

"The Deep Blue Harbor evil god, known for its tyranny, bloodlust, cruelty, and inhumanity, created the Iron Cross, a creature that corrupts life."

The old man laughed in anger; he had completely lost trust in his assassin.

Even at the risk of leaving some traces and not being able to clean up the mess, he decided to go and check it again himself.

With a wave of his hand, he quickly retrieved the catalyst and materials needed for the prayer ritual from the storage subspace and swiftly set up a new ritual site.

Then, the old man spoke respectfully.

"Supreme, great Lord of Twilight, Serpent of Dawn and Dusk—"

"In accordance with the covenant with you, I pray that you would grant us divine grace, bestow upon us the sacred objects to be used in our descent, and inform us of the preparations required for the descent ceremony."

But then, the old man's gaze froze in mid-air.

Because the pale gold characters that were quietly appearing in mid-air were exactly the same as the description given to him by the assassin.

"1. Finely chop 1,000 jin of lean pork into minced meat, making sure there isn't a single bit of fat on it..."

2. Take one thousand catties of fatty meat...

……

The old man's gaze froze completely.

As a true legend, although he had never had much contact with the Lord of Twilight, the Deep Blue Harbor evil god who created the Iron Cross Plague in the Sixth Era, but had only heard some news about him.

However, he still possesses the most basic common sense.

What exactly is the Iron Cross?

According to intelligence gathered from the Night World, it transforms all the beautiful and sincere emotions in the hearts of ordinary people into the purest destructive desires and sadistic tendencies, turning them into intelligent beasts.

As the master of the Iron Cross, the evil god who could create such a thing—even though He has learned His lesson and is no longer as unscrupulous as He was in the Sixth Age, has allowed His followers to retain the most basic rationality.

But as the saying goes, "It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature."

Since it's supposed to be a divine descent ritual, then at least a few hundred or a thousand humans should be used as sacrifices to make sense and to fit the tone of the so-called "evil god".

It's possible that the lives of an entire neighborhood, or even half a city, might be lost in the process.

He had even made preparations in advance, secretly mobilizing his trusted henchmen to gather a group of prisoners and slaves from black markets and secret bazaars across the country, in preparation for the needs of the divine initiation ritual.

But at this moment, the pale gold characters that appeared in mid-air were so clear and distinct that there was no room for misinterpretation.

hum-

The sound of the crystal vibrating echoed in the empty room.

On the old man's finger, another ring emitted a clear, magical glow that spread throughout the room.

This is a top-grade alchemical artifact, inscribed with runes used to dispel hypnosis and illusions.

However, even after ten seconds had passed and the magical light that dispelled the illusion had completely dissipated, the text that appeared in mid-air remained unchanged in the slightest.

"Actually, it's not entirely incomprehensible."

He let out a long breath and forced himself to calm down.

"After all, it's such an important matter as a divine descent—"

"This directly relates to the fate of the entire empire, and even the redistribution of faith among the people of the entire Western Continent after the great upheaval."

"Back in the Sixth Epoch, the Iron Cross Plague was quickly discovered and suppressed by human civilization because it was too rampant and unrestrained."