"The Book of Virtue and the Ghost Empire are connected?"
If that were true, then the "Night Emperor" must have had other motives for creating the Ghost Empire beyond merely sheltering his people...
Otherwise, there would be no reason for such elaborate arrangements.
What exactly was His goal?
While thinking this, Ebner looked at Daphne opposite him and directly ordered, "Show me that Book of Virtue."
"Yes, Divine Envoy!" Daphne did not hesitate in the least. She immediately produced a beautifully bound tome resembling a Codex and respectfully handed it to Ebner.
Part of this obedience came from her being a devout believer who could not defy the orders of her Lord's messenger; another part came from her being an Ancient Scholar—anything she had once possessed could be "plucked" back from history at any time, so giving it away wouldn't affect her use of it.
Ebner activated his Pure White Eye and carefully examined the book. He confirmed that its functions were exactly as Daphne had described, but beyond that, he couldn't immediately discern anything more.
Noticing the faint crease of thought between the Divine Envoy's brows, Daphne, ever perceptive, said softly, "The Book of Virtue may indeed have many abilities I have yet to uncover. I was hoping to ask for your guidance, my Lord's messenger—but there's no rush. Whenever you make progress in your research, please enlighten me."
Hearing this, Ebner gave her a satisfied look. That phrasing was smooth and pleasant to the ear.
After pretending to ponder for a moment, he nodded. "Very well. I'll borrow it for now. When I uncover its secrets, I'll let you know."
He wasn't coveting the artifact—rather, if the Book of Virtue was truly connected to the Ghost Empire, and he would soon be exploring that very place, then it was far safer to keep it on his person. For all he knew, it might prove to be a key item.
After safely stowing away the Book of Virtue, Ebner gave Daphne another measured look and smiled. "Now then, tell me about yourself in detail."
"Myself…" Daphne reflexively glanced back over her long life before beginning, "My experiences are not that complicated…
"I was born in the Year 846 of the Fifth Epoch. My father was a demigod, so I was born a Marionettist."
No wonder, Ebner mused, that her first move within the Book of Virtue's trial space had been to turn Rena into the image of the Saintess of White, Katarina, to intimidate him. It was clearly because her greatest skill lay in the Trickmaster's role.
As Ebner thought to himself, Daphne continued narrating her life's events:
Because her father's lifespan was waning, she was given the utmost training. Before the age of twenty, she had already lured a demigod into the Book of Virtue and slain him, completing the ritual of the Trickmaster and obtaining divinity.
Within a decade, she not only fully embodied the role of Trickmaster but also rendered a great service to the Secret Order, uncovering the whereabouts of the Antigonus Family Notebook. In reward, Zaratul himself bestowed upon her a Ancient Scholar potion.
Afterward, she secluded herself for three hundred years on a mist-shrouded island in the Fog Sea, isolated from the world since before the Solomon Empire's founding. It wasn't until Roselle discovered that island that she finally completed her ritual and advanced to Sequence 3…
When Daphne finished recounting her life, Ebner nodded with satisfaction. He could tell that, although this vice president of the Secret Order had killed her share of people, she was not a truly wicked person—and that was enough for him.
In fact, compared with other members of the "Cautious Three Families," she was surprisingly straightforward—likely a result of her noble upbringing, centuries of isolation, and long exposure to the Book of Virtue's moral constraints.
If anything, even Klein would seem more shrewd and jaded by comparison.
After a silent chuckle, Ebner found nothing more of value to extract from her past, so after lunch, he prepared to take his leave.
Just before stepping out, however, something occurred to him. Turning back, he smiled at the "Ancient Scholar" and said, "Could you give me a few of your Spirit Worms?"
"Eh?"
...
Back in Backlund, in the Cherwood Borough at No. 26 Kingsstreet—
Melissa sat absorbed in a mechanical treatise by Roselle, her pen constantly jotting equations and diagrams as she cross-checked the author's theories.
Just then, her little maid knocked and entered. "Miss, there's a package for you."
"A package?" Melissa set down the book and curiously accepted the box from the maid's hands.
"To Miss Melissa Moriarty—A Birthday Gift from Sherlock Moriarty."
Reading the note, Melissa's eyes filled with confusion. She didn't know anyone named Sherlock, so why would he send her a birthday present?
Puzzled, she opened the box. Inside lay a badge that exuded an aura of tranquility the moment she saw it.
"This… this is a Beyonder item?!" Melissa shot to her feet, staring warily at the badge.
As a Savant, her intuition told her she was not mistaken.
"Did you see who delivered this?" she asked the maid, careful not to touch the badge.
"I—I'm not sure, Miss… I just heard the doorbell and went to check. It was already lying outside…" The girl's voice trembled, panic rising at her mistress's uncharacteristically serious expression.
"Don't be afraid. You've done nothing wrong." Sensing that her maid was about to cry, Melissa softened her tone. After a brief thought, she added, "Go now—take this letter to the Harvest Church in the South Bridge area and ask my teacher, Miss Harold, to come immediately."
As she spoke, she quickly wrote a short letter describing the situation.
Only after watching the maid board the public carriage did Melissa breathe out. Then she suddenly realized—her Savant potion had completely digested.
The Savant pathway demanded knowledge across all disciplines. Her last shortcoming—her understanding of Beyonder items—had been perfectly filled the moment she saw the "Badge of Nightmare" and the detailed manual beside it.
...
In Intis, Trier—
Ebner had just left Daphne's residence when he received feedback from his acting. The progress of his potion digestion had surged once more.
Originally, he had estimated that he'd only fully digest the Seer potion by early next month, but at this rate, it might happen before the end of this month.
"Just by letting Melissa encounter Sherlock a bit earlier and diverting her fate, I gained this much feedback?"
He chuckled softly.
Wrote and rewrote this scene all night… finally got two thousand words out. State's not great, sorry everyone…
(End of Chapter)