As expected… this matches what I saw in "Valentine's" memories—the one hosting this gathering is just a projection. No wonder Mr. Gluttony isn't particularly concerned about security…
That means this "lazy bait" can finally do its job.
Just as that thought crossed Ebner's mind, the man standing in the center of the warehouse retracted his gaze from Fors and began conducting the meeting as usual.
The first step—Mr. Gluttony's projection began giving a "free lecture" on mysticism.
This surprised Ebner. The Spectator pathway wasn't like the Reader one—there weren't sequences that required teaching others. Why would a demigod deliberately spread knowledge? Out of kindness?
But soon, he realized something was wrong. The content being taught wasn't pure—it carried subtle "additives," imperceptibly influencing the listeners' spirits, reinforcing a dormant imprint buried deep within their hearts.
Of course, this didn't work on Ebner. He simulated the demigod-level ability of Fraudulence and easily deceived the projection, keeping his true state hidden.
After all, this projection wasn't particularly powerful—it had only about Sequence 5 strength, relying on the main body's authority to appear more mysterious.
Before long, the lecture ended. Then came the trading and commission phases, followed by the final part—each member reporting their mission progress.
"Report, sir. I successfully convinced the warehouse supervisor at the Second Steelworks and Conston Armament Factory to accept that batch of inferior coal."
"Report, sir. The quartermaster of the Second Army is wavering. He'll likely sell off surplus ammunition and firearms privately next week…"
"Report, sir. I still have no leads on the hidden naval base of the Jianhai Fleet. Requesting a one-month extension…"
Listening to the diverse mission reports, Ebner couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Looks like Conston's practically been turned into a sieve by the Psychological Alchemy Society!
When war breaks out and mass production of steel and weapons is needed, they'll discover the coal's unusable; when frontline soldiers need ammo replenished, warehouses will mysteriously catch fire; and when the navy hides for a surprise attack, the enemy will already know their coordinates…
No wonder in the original events, Feysac achieved nothing in the north or at sea—only in the western front, Conston saw a "breakthrough."
Heh… the Society's boldness must be thanks to George III's tacit cooperation!
While he was mulling that over, the projection's eyes turned toward him.
Ebner immediately mimicked Valentine's tone and reported, "Report, sir. I've arranged for the factory owner's daughter to witness her fiancé's infidelity. The trade volume between their families has dropped by nearly seventy percent."
At this point, Ebner understood why the Society had assigned Valentine such a task.
That international merchant monopolized light industries like toys and crafts in Jianhai, while the factory owner was his main supplier.
Once the two fell out, the monopoly would crumble—forcing Feysac's retail prices upward.
Normally, that wouldn't matter—but in just over a month, Feysac would celebrate the Twilight Festival.
During such a festival, when prices skyrocket and people can't afford gifts, resentment builds—especially among the middle class, who, guided by public opinion, would direct their anger toward Loen.
Of course, Valentine's mission was just one small gear in this massive scheme… but even a small glimpse made it clear—war was inevitable.
After all, both nations' leaders—and even the gods behind them—wanted the war.
While Ebner's thoughts drifted, Mr. Gluttony's projection showed little reaction to his report. Its attention remained fixed on Fors.
Seeing this, Ebner calmly added in a low voice, "This is the candidate you requested… She seems to come from a Fourth Epoch family—the 'Abrahams.'"
"Abraham family?" The projection's eyes lit up. It seemed to activate a mystical artifact to examine her, then nodded in satisfaction. "Indeed… the aura of ancient blood."
Hearing that, Ebner quietly exhaled. Good… fooled him. All that effort last night wasn't for nothing.
"When the gathering ends," the projection continued, "take her to the warehouse's back entrance. Place her on the third manhole cover to the left."
With that, it turned away and resumed listening to other reports.
Half an hour later, the meeting ended—and the projection vanished.
When Ebner led "Fors" back and approached the third manhole, he suddenly sensed a familiar aura.
This is… Silica? No… similar, but not quite… still, unmistakably related to her power.
That manhole… it's a Spirit World transit point constructed using Silica's essence?!
…
In the basement of a villa in Conston's elevated South District, a middle-aged man in formalwear stood before an altar, waiting.
Moments later, the colors around him deepened—layer upon layer folding together—and a beautiful, vacant-eyed woman appeared before him.
"An Abraham bloodline?" The man examined her like a picky gourmand inspecting a rare delicacy.
But before he could act, twin bolts of lightning flashed in the woman's eyes.
A searing pain stabbed into his skull, like daggers twisting inside his brain. His body went rigid; he collapsed to the floor with a thud, overwhelmed by agony.
It was a demigod-level Mind Pierce—secretly infused with Cognitive Stripping. The result was devastating.
The attacker, of course, was Ebner—disguised as Fors, delivered straight to the target.
He would never risk Fors's safety. Before approaching the manhole, he'd quietly stored her in Alvin's Puzzle Labyrinth and taken her form himself. Then, with one strike, he heavily injured the mastermind.
Just as he was about to finish him off, Mr. Gluttony's body began to swell—his pupils narrowing, their color shifting from pale blue to molten gold.
Gray-white scales sprouted across his face, hands, and every inch of exposed skin.
With a tearing sound, his white shirt, black vest, and tailored trousers shredded apart—revealing the scales of a dragon beneath.
In an instant, the demigod of the Psychological Alchemy Society was transforming into a massive gray-white dragon.
As someone who had lived for centuries, Mr. Gluttony would never sit and wait for death—he immediately invoked the hallmark ability of a Spectator-path demigod: Dragonization.
But Ebner didn't panic. He had expected this.
Calmly, he drew a card and unsealed the Antimancer characteristic Bernadette had gifted him. Using it as a medium, he cast the secret technique—Dark Domain.
At once, all of Mr. Gluttony's draconic traits began to fade—wings, scales, slitted pupils—all vanished within seconds.
Now, before Ebner stood nothing but a naked, powerless man.
Dark Domain: Within its range, all Beyonder abilities below Sequence 2 are nullified—except for physical attacks.
Normally, a "Reader"-path demigod couldn't beat a "Spectator"-path saint in close combat…
"But sorry," Ebner said lightly, bowing slightly, "I'm about to cheat."
Then, with a faint smile, he activated his Pure White Eye.
(End of Chapter)