Feysac, Indor Port.
After meeting with the "Mr. Gluttony" from the Psychological Alchemy Society, Ince Zangwill returned to his rented inn room. He immediately used his spirituality to seal the room and began muttering to himself:
"Can that man truly help you retrieve your sword?
You do realize that sword is being kept in the Ormir Palace in Saint Millon… That's far harder than the helmet in Stern or the armor in Conston.
Ormir Palace is the royal residence of the Einhorn family!"
The Einhorns—an angelic bloodline.
Ince didn't speak that last part aloud. No matter how arrogant he was, he still held awe for angels.
"That's precisely why we need Mr. Gluttony's help, isn't it?
Besides, the sword only matters to me. To others, it's merely a finely crafted ceremonial longsword—an antique.
No way the Einhorn family would value it that much."
The evil spirit inside him chuckled indifferently.
"You're too arrogant! Maybe this same attitude was why you underestimated Roselle, hmm?" Ince couldn't help but snap back.
The laughter cut off abruptly. A cold voice replied:
"Are you thinking of breaking our deal?"
"Of course not… I just think we shouldn't rely solely on this Mr. Gluttony. We should make other preparations as well.
Besides, his request isn't a simple one. When you helped purge the pollution from his mind, you should've sensed it too—his enemy's backing must come from a truly great being.
Finding out who that opponent really is could be very dangerous!" Ince said, his expression solemn.
The evil spirit was silent for a few seconds before replying,
"Do whatever backup plans you like. I won't interfere. But I'll still follow my own plan. You'd better have faith in a top-class schemer."
You mean the top-class schemer who ruined an empire? Ince sneered inwardly but only nodded and said casually,
"Let's first see if that man fulfills his promise. He said he'd have preliminary results by Friday night—that's not long to wait.
"If he fails, then we wait for the Dusk Day. On that day, Ormir Palace will be open to nobles and officials. That'll be the best chance to steal your sword."
The evil spirit didn't respond again, sinking back into silence. Deep inside, however, it murmured to itself:
"That contamination earlier… Liu Bo… That name sounds so familiar…
But I can't remember where I heard it…"
Meanwhile, leaving aside how Ebner in his true body returned Fors' clothes inside Alvin's Puzzle Labyrinth, his Owen avatar had already been released. Using the newly crafted Book of Endless Teleportation, he made several "jumps" and arrived aboard a river passenger ship sailing along the Rhine toward Trier.
The ship would reach Trier's dock early the next morning, where Owen Deleon would formally return to his family.
Because the "Bloody Duke" of the Nors family still hadn't responded, the Chancellor's mental state was deteriorating fast. The man was on the brink of madness, issuing a string of irrational decrees that had angered all factions.
The only reason he hadn't been impeached yet was, first, that the national election was only a few months away—most were biding their time, hoping for a peaceful transfer of power; and second, his reckless decisions mainly harmed ordinary citizens, not the extraordinary class.
Even so, Trier's political situation was like a pile of dry tinder—one spark away from a roaring blaze.
With a few nudges from Ebner's subtle schemes, noble houses like the Soren, Fless, and Surry families were already restless, entertaining thoughts of restoring the monarchy. Even within the Church of Steam, a reformist faction was stirring, eager to design a new system of governance.
The Deleon family still had wise minds who could see the crisis clearly. But their reclusive patriarch hadn't appeared in years, their half-god members from the Church of the Eternal Sun were either apathetic or conveniently reassigned, and those in the Iron Cross Society couldn't act publicly…
So, even though many within the family were deeply anxious about the nation's direction, they could do nothing—just watch as the Chancellor dragged them toward the abyss.
Now, Owen's return came at a pivotal time. Most of the family would rally behind him.
If he raised his arm and called for action, then with a little force, he could depose the deranged Chancellor and take control of the Deleon family himself.
But Ebner had no such intention. His goal had always been the opposite—to push the Deleon family into a dead end, forcing Roselle's old flame to expose the secret within the family that even gods coveted.
"So when I return, I'll have to be even more outrageous than the Chancellor himself—perhaps even provoke the Church.
Of course, I'll have to play it subtly at first…"
After mapping out his plan, Ebner instructed the Magic Mirror to release the Apostle of Enchantment, Chessia. Under her attentive service, he took a long, refreshing bath in the first-class suite's private washroom and changed into a spotless new outfit.
— His Owen body had been "idling" for a month beneath the ruins of that small island, then stored in Alvin's Puzzle Labyrinth's cheapest room. He was covered in dust and reeked faintly of mildew.
On Thursday morning, after freeloading a fine breakfast aboard the ship, Ebner carried an illusionary suitcase and strolled leisurely down the gangway.
Just as he stepped off the pier and was about to hail a carriage back to the Deleon estate—
Ding-ling-ling!
A crisp ringing sound cut through the morning air.
Instinctively, Ebner turned his head. Along the roadside, a strange two-wheeled machine sped by, heading toward the far end of the street. Its frame was mostly black, but certain parts gleamed silver-gray, the sunlight glinting off its metallic surface.
A bicycle? They've already spread to Intis? he thought, half amused. I'll bet Trier hasn't paid Klein a single sol in patent royalties.
What he didn't know was that bicycles had become popular in Intis largely thanks to a film produced by his own movie company—the product had been featured as "merchandise" in the film's promotions. The largest manufacturer was, ironically, owned by Ebner himself.
He just hadn't realized it yet, since Elaine handled that side of business.
Drawing back his gaze, Ebner's eyes swept along the street, seemingly idle but subtly probing.
A moment later, the corner of his mouth curved faintly. Pretending not to notice anything amiss, he stepped into an unremarkable-looking hired carriage.
Half a minute later, the carriage began moving—but instead of heading toward the Deleon estate, it turned several corners and rolled into a narrow, deserted alley.
"Special Envoy," a calm voice came from the front, "we meet again."
(End of Chapter)