"Lust" Owen Delian had noticed some subtle movements from the "White Saintess" Katarina several days ago.
At first, he didn't think much of it, but after a session of "reinforced desire," she still hadn't revealed who she had met with previously. This made Owen grow wary.
After a round of interrogation, he discovered that it wasn't Katarina resisting him—she genuinely couldn't say the name of the person she had met.
In response, Owen spent a few days plotting, then sought help from the President. He used up his accumulated merits to request a moment of attention from an angel. Only then did he cautiously arrive outside the abandoned church on Williams Street.
He conducted a variety of tests and, only after confirming there was no danger, did he enter the church to search.
In the end, aside from a metal box left wide open that caught his attention, he found nothing else.
"What is this? It feels dangerous, yet possesses no actual power…" Owen hesitated for a moment, but still used a sealed artifact to seal the box away, deciding to bring it with him for identification by other council members at the next "Psychic Alchemy Council" meeting in the "Eden" Garden.
After packing up the box, he searched the abandoned church several more times. Once he confirmed that the mysterious individual who had contacted Katarina was no longer here, he left Williams Street directly through the dream and returned to the embassy.
After performing a ritual to thank the angel, Owen sensed the gaze that had been watching him fade away. He then summoned Katarina and interrogated her at length, only to confirm that she hadn't revealed any information about him.
"It must have been an angel from some secret organization who noticed the anomaly in Katarina… yet didn't intend to help her break free from control…
"This serves as a warning to me. Once I 'secure' that Princess Vera, I need to return to Intis as soon as possible. Otherwise, if those old geezers from the Augustus family notice anything, it'll be a major problem!
"But before that, I still need to punish this disobedient witch… and reinforce her control.
"I remember she once confessed to me that she has a husband who also became a 'witch,' and a daughter she holds in high regard?"
Thinking this, Owen revealed a wicked smile. At the same time, that expression gradually overlapped with the illusory "Lust" mask on his face.
…
West Borough, Mr. Surry's villa.
Although this property had already been temporarily sealed off by the Machinery Hivemind, the team stationed here was just an ordinary squad. The highest-ranked member among them was only a Sequence 7 "Warlock," so Ebner, with his "Pure White Eye," easily obscured their senses and slipped into the workshop.
As for Xio, she hadn't followed him. She had returned to the MI9 headquarters to report back to Her Highness Vera.
Ebner wasn't in a rush to start crafting items. Instead, following the directions Fanny had given him before setting out tonight, he located Mr. Surry's hidden storage and retrieved a considerable number of precious mystical materials sealed within.
After all, this villa had already been pledged as collateral—Fanny had invested it into Ebner's film company. Theoretically, everything inside already belonged to him. So Ebner didn't stand on ceremony and began inspecting the contents one by one.
"A mutated werewolf skeleton? Is this the leftover material from the 'Wolf Armor' Fanny gave me?
"Shadowstone… the main material used in that 'Assassin-type' mechanical puppet Mr. Surry made—there's still some left?"
"A dried sub-dragon corpse… Its scales and some of its organs are excellent materials for bearing abilities of the 'Omniscience and Omnipotence' pathway! At the very least, they should be enough to carry the 'Dreamwalker' ability I pray for from the 'Unknown Lands'...
"This white feather stained with pale yellow grease… A mutated feather from a winged being? Mr. Surry dares to store just about anything… But with this, I might be able to realize a concept I had previously envisioned.
"This chunk of tree trunk feels strangely familiar… Elder Tree? Tsk tsk, after the 'Fruit,' 'Root Crystal,' 'Heartwood,' and 'Golden Leaf,' even the remaining trunk didn't escape being harvested? Though it's not the main material… its capacity to bear abilities from the 'Omniscience and Omnipotence' pathway might be even better than the sub-dragon's…"
After thoroughly inspecting the materials, Ebner did a quick mental calculation and found that although there were no Beyonder characteristics or primary potion ingredients here, the total value of the materials was at least equal to that of the villa itself.
"I'll need to compensate Fanny later… Can't let her take too much of a loss," Ebner thought to himself. At the same time, he pulled out a few blank cards and sealed the materials he wouldn't be using into them. Only then did he activate the workshop's power core, take out Fors's "Rose Bishop" characteristic, and begin crafting the magical item.
And thanks to "Ivins's Hidden Barrier," the Machinery Hivemind stationed outside remained completely unaware.
…
In Silver City, inside the round tower, in the room belonging to the Chief.
The entire "Six-Person Council" was present, including the "Shepherd" Lovia in her deep-purple robe.
"Demon Hunter" Colin Iliad picked up a piece of Dixie pie, split it in half, and then separated each bit of filling inside, every fragment and crumb. His eyes glowed with two intricate dark-green symbols as his gaze swept over the greasy, sweet fillings.
After a moment, Colin returned to normal. He nodded and said:
"Very clean. Neither the unknown pastry outside nor the sticky substances inside have the slightest trace of pollution or corruption. They're cleaner than even Black-faced Grass.
"Also, though I didn't analyze each one in detail, those fragments contain roots, stems, leaves, and fruits from at least ten different clean plants. There are also two types of clean meat."
He paused, then added:
"This definitely isn't a species that could exist near Silver City."
After saying this, he looked toward Lovia, since she was the expert on flesh and blood.
Lovia slowly shook her head and said, "No problem."
"The sticky fragments called 'filling,' and together they're called a 'pie'… The ingredients used are pork, apples, and various spices…" Derick began to recite the introduction given by Mr. 'Tower' to Mr. 'Fool' about the 'Holy Communion.'
But in reality, Ebner had never provided an instruction manual for the Dixi pie…
"That's not two kinds of meat, but rather different parts of the same meat, divided into lean and fat." Derick responsibly added based on his understanding.
Lean and fat… Monster meat outside Silver City didn't have the concept of 'fat,' but the Six-Person Council could understand the idea—after all, humans themselves develop fat if they lack exercise.
Such people were rare in Silver City but not nonexistent.
"You think this is one of the sincerity offerings from 'Amon'?" Colin asked after a moment of silence.
"It's not Amon… it's Mr. 'Fool'… And I suspect this pie… is Mr. 'Fool's' Holy Communion," Derick corrected him.
"Holy Communion…" Hearing this ancient term, the members of the Six-Person Council grew somewhat dazed. After all, in Silver City's records, the Holy Communion was the Lord's blessing, and everyone who received it felt happiness… it was food that brought happiness!
Only Colin's expression remained unchanged. He glanced at Derick and said, "Although I don't see any problem…
"Can you try eating it and report the effects?"
Derick stepped forward without hesitation, "Very well, Chief."
As the bridge for "contact," he had to personally confirm the safety of the 'sincerity.'
Colin lightly nodded, then turned his head and said to Lovia, "You prepare for any accidents."
As a Beyonder controlling flesh and blood, Lovia could handle most bodily mutations.
Of course, whether the mutant survived was another matter.
Lovia said nothing, only nodded, then gazed at Derick with a strange look.
Derick no longer hesitated, took the pie that the chief had broken apart, and stuffed it entirely into his mouth, chewing.
Even though he had already eaten one and it was cold, the Dixi pie's rich but not greasy taste still left Derick's mouth glistening with oil.
Colin carefully observed Derick for several seconds, then turned his head again to look at "Shepherd" Lovia.
She shook her head, indicating no problem.
Colin's expression gradually relaxed. He reached for a piece of pie but did not eat it—instead, he brought it close to his nose to smell it.
Then he swallowed, drawn by the meat aroma he had never smelled before.
At that moment, even without eating the pie, he understood why the "Holy Communion" was called the food that brings happiness.
It was happiness brought by the taste buds.
After a long moment, Colin opened his eyes and said to Derick, "That 'manual' still needs further evaluation to confirm it's safe before use.
"Until then, you must stay in this room and not leave."
.....
Name: "Flesh Trigger."
Appearance: Resembles a hand bone, but only the index, middle, and ring fingers.
The index finger extends straight forward, while the middle and ring fingers curl, resembling a gun trigger.
Ability: Pulling the finger-bone trigger fires a "bullet" that expands and explodes upon hitting the target, turning into swirling blood and flesh storms that sweep the surrounding area.
Additionally, while holding the "Flesh Trigger," the user can temporarily boost inspiration, hide in shadows, and heal non-lethal internal and external injuries.
Negative effect: This item requires at least 50 kilograms of fresh blood and flesh to be consumed daily. If used in battle, extra "bullet" flesh must be provided—half a pound per shot.
If not satisfied in time, it will consume the holder.
Caution: Although the "Flesh Trigger" has a "gentle" temperament, it is a living sealed artifact. Do not try to fool it with plant-based substances that taste like meat, and do not shortchange the amount.
Looking at the finger-bone-shaped "gun" crafted with the "Rose Bishop" trait, Ebner imagined Fors's likely "adorable" expression upon receiving it. His lips curled into a smile as he thought to himself:
Maybe Fors is naturally connected to these terrifying things! Like in the original story, Kline gave her a pre-assembled head…
So, this is definitely not me making excuses for some mistakes!
(End of Chapter)