A major family member? Connected to the "Blood Sanctify Sect" and the Nois family... It must be the Delien family, right? The Prime Minister still hasn't given up on dealing with me? But Seyrow doesn't seem to have received any related information...
Ebner continued tapping the edge of the desk with his fingers, deciding to take advantage of the Russell situation to scheme against the Delien family... However, he refrained from planning specific details to avoid being sensed by the "Demon" if a real threat emerged.
"Are there any other noteworthy things in her memories?" Ebner asked again after collecting his thoughts.
"Regarding the origin of her 'misfortune' constitution, she has some speculations herself—it seems to stem from an experiment eleven years ago... However, she doesn't know the specific details of the experiment. It was only after encountering a member of 'Elements Dawn' later that she realized she might have been specifically marked by the 'Hidden Sage.'" Closfia pondered for a moment before adding somewhat uncertainly, "But I could sense a deeply buried secret in her heart... I didn't probe further because that memory felt dangerous!"
At this point, she suddenly glanced at Ebner and added, "It felt very similar to the warning I get whenever I try to peek into your thoughts."
So the reason you've never probed my thoughts is because it's dangerous? Is this protection provided by the 'Pure White Eyes'?
Also, is Bianca's dangerous memory the source of her peculiar luck—the truth behind that so-called experiment? And are these connected to the transmigrator, to the 'Pure White Eyes,' which is why Closfia gets a similar feeling when probing me?
Of course, it's also possible that the memory involves an existence with a status equivalent or similar to my 'Pure White Eyes'...
Lastly, a dangerous memory... eleven years ago... When Closfia probed the mind of the 'Shaman King' Silvia, there was also a mysterious memory from eleven years ago... Is this a coincidence, or are the two somehow connected?
Thoughts racing, Ebner formed a conjecture: That person or experiment from eleven years ago is likely the so-called 'secret of the Delien family' that Lilith tasked me to investigate!
Even if not, it must be related!
After all, many of the people and events he'd encountered since arriving in Intis coincidentally intersected with this matter. If it wasn't deliberately arranged by someone, then some form of underlying "convergence" effect must be at work.
Moreover, Lilith had entrusted him with this mission likely to exploit these connections... Otherwise, it could have simply sent an angel or even a demigod—far more efficient than a mere Sequence 5 like him.
What the Delien family is hiding must be anything but simple!
Come to think of it, the fact that so many organizations tolerate this family's two-faced behavior suggests they possess some inherent value, doesn't it?
Perhaps those organizations are cultivating insiders to uncover that secret...
And something that could interest organizations backed by true gods... There are only a few possibilities...
With this in mind, combined with the intelligence Closfia had intercepted from the "Shaman King" Silvia's mind, Ebner began forming vague conjectures.
...
In the underground prison of the Governor's Mansion in Bayam.
Klein carefully read through the diary of the lady named Rabi. By just the third page, he was shocked to find himself gradually overcome with excruciating pain - the oppressive sensation alone was enough to drive an ordinary person instantly mad.
This... this feels somewhat similar to when I read "The Magician" Miss's submitted "Spirit World Observations"! Though reading "Spirit World Observations" gave me a feeling of "mania", while this is "pain"...
Hmm, the words themselves aren't spiritual, the paper is completely ordinary, it can't be a sealed artifact... So the words she recorded inherently contain some kind of 'power'? And my current spirit has already fused with the "Blasphemy Card", with sufficiently high status! Even so, it can affect me this strongly - one can imagine what would happen to others...
No wonder it's left completely unprotected, as if inviting people to read it. Anyone who peeked at it before must have either gone mad or mutated into monsters on the spot.
With this thought, Klein closed the notebook, planning to leave it here for now. When his summoning ended, he would take it up to the gray fog to read.
However, from the three pages he had just read, he roughly learned that eleven years ago, a certain existence took something out from a box and conducted experiments on a group of people using it.
In the end, only five of these experimental subjects survived, then escaped the laboratory.
Miss Rabi was captured by members of the "Rose School of Thought" shortly after escaping, becoming a believer of the "Mother Tree of Desire"... Although, in her own self-awareness, she never actually worshipped that existence, yet still received its favor, becoming a so-called "Apostle of Proliferation".
The tragedy was, her "proliferation" only brought "pain" to others.
While Klein sympathized with Miss Rabi's plight, he was also determined to grant her release as soon as possible!
After all, her actions over the years had far exceeded the limits of what Klein could tolerate. Compared to her, even "Vice Admiral of Ailment" Tracy seemed as pure as a saint.
Looking through the account books found in her room, Klein felt they were nothing less than ironclad evidence of the blood debts owed by Rabi and the "Celestial Sect".
Having collected the evidence, specific locations of Celestial Sect bases, and a list of key members, Klein felt his reconnaissance mission was now complete. He returned to the previous room, grabbed the diary, ended the summoning, and had his spirit return to the ancient palace above the gray fog.
Next, he first manifested an image of "The World", having it assume a posture of praying to "The Fool" as he passed the collected evidence and name list to "The Hanged Man" and "Judgment", tasking them with reporting it to the authorities.
After completing these actions, he simulated the sensation of falling, returning to his physical body in the real world.
Yet the moment his consciousness returned to his body, a series of indescribably lurid thoughts instantly flooded his mind.
Suddenly, naked images of "Demoness of Pleasure" Sharon Snow, the tearfully smiling Triss, the scholarly Lena, the innocent and lovely Shoko, the academically inclined Tracy, and the exquisitely doll-like Miss Sharon appeared before his eyes one after another, extending to him certain irresistible invitations... followed by disrobing and passionate entanglement...
But at this moment, the "Error Card" in Klein's hand once again emitted a radiant glow. Immediately after, the phantom of a twelve-winged archangel appeared before his eyes, embracing his spiritual body and sweeping away all those "wonderful" scenes.
—This was another ritual Klein had preemptively "stolen" using the "Error Card" - the "Purification" ritual! All to prevent anyone from tampering with his body while his spirit was away.
Is this the Celestial Sect's method? An influence permeating the entire underground space that imperceptibly draws people into carnal desires? So subtle I didn't even notice earlier...
Or is this the so-called "Mother Tree of Desire", having detected my infiltration, secretly influencing me through its believers?
Similar to how I use the "Sea God Scepter" to see through fish eyes and smite "Savant" ships with lightning?
As he speculated, Klein couldn't help but complain internally:
Why is it that in these illusions, apart from Miss Sharon, all the women entangled with me are demonesses?!
(End of Chapter)