"Bornova Gustav!"
Daphne beside him also spoke the name aloud. As a long-term vice-president of the "Secret Order" hiding in Trier, how could she not recognize an angel of the "Church of Steam and Machinery"?
All the more because the man was none other than Emperor Roselle's son — a figure whose very birth carried the weight of legend, one of the most renowned angels beneath the "God of Steam and Machinery."
Bornova's calm blue eyes swept briefly over Daphne before withdrawing. In his view, this woman was hardly even "human."
Daphne felt a chill under that gaze, but she still forced herself forward a step, intending to block him and buy time for her divine messenger.
However, her motion was stopped by Ebner.
"You step back," Ebner said quietly.
He could already tell that Bornova had no intention of attacking. Even if a fight broke out, escaping alone would be far easier — Daphne's presence would only slow him down.
After all, Daphne was still "young." Apart from Zaratul, she knew no other angels; and even with him, she wasn't familiar enough to successfully pull his "historical projection." The chance was close to zero.
"Having her Spirit Worms is enough — no need for the woman herself to stay," Ebner muttered inwardly as he secretly unsealed the Spirit Worms he had "plucked" from Daphne earlier that day.
"My lord?" Daphne looked at him, startled.
"Do as I say — go. Don't worry about me," Ebner ordered firmly.
"Yes…" Daphne bit her lip, and the next second, her body turned ethereal and vanished.
Clearly, as a Scholar of Yore, what had been here all along was merely an image pulled from the gaps of history — her true body was never present.
Seeing this, Ebner froze for a second. He hadn't even realized it before.
"So she could escape more easily than I could… truly worthy of one of the 'Three Cautious Families.'" He smirked to himself, then opened his Pure White Eye and focused once more on Bornova, examining him carefully.
That was when he noticed three small, palm-sized mechanical dolls floating around the angel — each assembled from gleaming metal parts.
They wore maid outfits, had golden wigs tied with ribbons, and faint light wove behind their backs like wings.
"Though mechanical… why do these dolls give off such a girlish feeling? Did Bornova use them himself, or—
"Wait, could it be that Old Roselle, wanting to preserve his son's humanity, deliberately crafted these 'cute' weapons for him? And Bornova, being an angel, simply didn't care about appearances and kept using them?
"But no — if he truly didn't care, he wouldn't have kept them hidden until now."
While Ebner was still speculating, Bornova, having watched Daphne disappear, finally spoke:
"Ebner Brian."
Though Ebner was wearing his "Professor" disguise, the angel's tone carried absolute certainty.
Ebner didn't bother denying it. Adjusting his top hat slightly, he smiled politely.
"Yes, that's me. You are Bornova Gustav, aren't you?"
The young man nodded faintly. "I am."
Then, noticing part of Ebner's attention lingering on his three floating dolls, he explained evenly:
"They are weapons granted to me by the Seal of Calamity. Their names are Penglai and Shanghai…"
Bornova paused, then added meaningfully,
"You shouldn't find them unfamiliar."
"So it wasn't Old Roselle's doing after all — that's on me?" Ebner thought wryly.
Still, since the dolls were named Shanghai and Penglai, perhaps Bornova should be called Megatron instead…
Suppressing his inner sarcasm, Ebner didn't respond. Though he indeed had a close connection to the Seal of Calamity, the truth about what arrangements it had once made was still hazy — like trying to see through fog.
He only knew one thing: the Seal of Calamity had once proposed that this very angel should devote his faith to him… only for Old Roselle to refuse.
Gathering his thoughts, Ebner asked calmly,
"So, Your Highness, what brings you to me?"
Bornova's face remained expressionless — colder, even, than his mechanical dolls.
"You are the favored one of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, the Evernight Goddess, and the Earth Mother, are you not?"
He spoke as if confirming.
"…You could say that," Ebner replied awkwardly with a small smile.
Bornova nodded slightly.
"I've come on behalf of my Lord — to make a trade with you."
"The God of Steam and Machinery wants to trade with me?" Ebner was genuinely surprised, his mind working quickly:
"So, the Steam God doesn't know about the secret of 'Liu Bo,' nor my repeated crossings between worlds. Otherwise, Bornova wouldn't need to ask if I served those three deities — anyone truly aware of my nature would already know.
"That means He learned only fragments — perhaps from Roselle? But no… judging from Roselle's diary, after becoming a demigod he was already cautious of his 'Steam Mother.' He'd never reveal something so critical.
"Then again, if Roselle warned his daughter not to approach anyone tied to the Seal of Calamity, could he really have stayed silent with his son?
"And yet, here Bornova stands, clearly having dealt with the Seal of Calamity — even received three mechanical familiars from it…
"Could it be that after parting from Roselle, the Seal of Calamity secretly struck a bargain with the God of Steam?"
With these thoughts swirling, Ebner asked aloud,
"What kind of trade?"
Bornova answered plainly,
"Whatever you wish to accomplish in Intis — as long as it doesn't directly harm the Church — my Lord will support you.
"Even if you wish that Surrey family girl to contend for the position of Prime Minister, I will, as an Angel of the Earth, lend her my power.
"Your wealth in Intis will be safeguarded, your enterprises in Trier aided by the Church, and if you face enemies beyond your reach, I will intervene personally."
His tone was calm, almost flat — yet it carried an unshakable credibility.
"…And what does your Lord want in return?" Ebner asked after a moment's thought.
Bornova replied, just as evenly:
"My Lord has two requests.
"First — you owe Him a promise, to be repaid in the future.
"Second — when the Floating City returns to reality, you must declare that the Mechanical Emperor is His subordinate god."
(End of Chapter)