West Borough, Backlund.
It was a night when the crimson moon was hidden behind thick layers of cloud. Darkness coated the city like a shroud; only the faint light of the gas lamps flanking both sides of the street offered a fragile glow, illuminating the road ahead as well as the doorways of the nearby houses.
Since Princess Vera was—after all—an Angel, or rather a unique existence who possessed an angelic authority, Ebner did not appear directly inside her bedroom. Instead, he first manifested silently in a stretch of midair untouched by the streetlamps, letting the shadows cloak his figure. Only then did he glide forward with practiced familiarity, stopping outside a third-floor window before lightly tapping the pane with his knuckle.
The very next moment, he sensed the room's sealing power withdraw like a receding tide, so he immediately used Blink and stepped effortlessly into the bedroom.
Vera did not make any visible movement upon seeing him. Even so, thick, rolling mist surged outward as if responding to her unspoken will, flooding the entire room in mere seconds and severing all possible angles for prying eyes or hidden gazes from afar.
Once that was done, she greeted him in a natural, almost casual tone: "You've arrived. Have a seat… What would you like to drink?"
"Black tea will do."
Ebner answered offhandedly and watched as Princess Vera rose gracefully from her seat. She personally prepared a cup of tea for him, placed it gently upon the small table beside his chair, and then sat down on the opposite side of the table with fluid elegance.
Under the warm indoor lighting, Ebner could clearly see that Vera wore only a white silk nightgown.
Its top button remained undone, revealing a large expanse of smooth, snow-pale skin and the faint, alluring line of a delicate cleft that stirred one's imagination.
Although activating Insight at this moment would very likely grant him a glimpse of certain truths, Ebner was not a lecherous man and refrained without hesitation.
He pulled back his gaze, took a sip of the tea, then met Vera's playful, teasing eyes and asked, "Your Highness sent the Black Saintess to summon me—what is it that you wished to discuss?"
Given Vera's level and her intimate connection with a Great Old One, not even direct confrontation allowed a mere Sequence 3 like him to discern anything meaningful—Insight could only scrape up trivial "physical data." Understanding her true intentions was impossible.
Vera stopped teasing him. She reached up and naturally buttoned the top of her nightgown before answering:
"I called you here today because there are three matters.
"The first is this: my elder brother, George III, came to me earlier. He requested that I contact Owen of Lust and arrange a time and place for them to meet.
"Heh. He still firmly believes I'm under Owen's control—that I'm that man's obedient 'slave.'"
"He wants to meet Owen?" Ebner frowned, then quickly understood. "It seems that what happened in Trier could be concealed from ordinary citizens and lower-level Beyonders, but not from the upper echelons of Loen."
"Of course. Let's not even get into how MI9 had over a dozen intelligence teams stationed in Trier—just the Demoness Sect alone has already relayed the information back.
"Fortunately, you never appeared in Trier using your true appearance. Otherwise, you might already have been dragged here in secret for interrogation!" Vera said with a soft laugh.
Ebner answered with a self-mocking smile. "Didn't I end up here anyway?"
After the laughter faded, Vera grew serious again. "So, do you intend to meet my brother?"
Ebner pondered for several seconds, countless Eyes of Wisdom analyzing the matter in perfect unison. Then he nodded. "I have to go.
"You mentioned before that George III is only relaxed about you being 'controlled' because Owen—and the entire Owen branch of the Delien family—are descendants of Loen's Hand of Order. His Highness secretly altered the bloodline long ago so that he could take control of every member of that branch at a critical moment.
"I'm not afraid of him trying to dominate me, but resisting him would expose me immediately, and that would put you under suspicion as well."
Hearing this, Vera's face bloomed with a bright, radiant smile. Her joy was unmistakable as she said softly, "You don't need to worry about me. At worst, I'll simply abandon this princess identity. I still have plenty of backup plans."
Ebner shook his head gently, still smiling. "I don't know why you chose to use the identity of Princess Vera, but I'm sure you have your own deeper plan… Discarding it over such a small matter would be wasteful."
Besides, now that he possessed all of Owen's memories, he was not afraid of meeting George III at all.
"My goal is actually quite simple… You know my current state resembles that of a Beyonder in a 'grant-of-seal' mode—or perhaps the better equivalent here would be a Celestial Master.
"In short, if I want to achieve deeper resonance with the Sefirot and gain greater authority, I need to become the king or emperor of a nation. Only then can I conduct a grand Heaven-Sacrifice atop a mountain in the name of the monarch.
"I chose the identity of Loen's princess because I intend to ascend the throne when George III attempts to advance to Black Emperor, fails, and suffers backlash from the Church.
"But that isn't my only option. Prince Mountbatten, who is currently under the Storm Church's protection and severed from the royal family, is actually one of my backup candidates.
"But if he takes the throne, he will almost certainly be a puppet. Conducting the massive Fengshan-style ritual under those circumstances would be far more difficult."
No wonder she compares it to something akin to the "grant-of-seal" system… Even the ritual name sounds so Eastern—no, in this context, it should be said to be so distinctly Western Continent-style.
And both Fengshan and the Heaven-Sacrifice… that "Heaven" must refer to the Uncertain Mist, right?
Such a ritual would allow the Uncertain Mist to project even more power into this world… Vera's temporary bursts already rival the level of a Sequence 1 Hand of Order. If she completes the ritual, the power she could wield might truly match that of a True God.
Would the gods permit her to conduct such a ritual?
Ebner followed his thoughts and asked the question aloud.
Vera shot him a meaningful look. "That actually depends on you… If you've already become a god by then, the obstruction will be minimal.
"If you haven't… I may not even have time to prepare the ritual before being exiled—just like Mr. Door."
Depend on my strength? Could it be that the Uncertain Mist has already formed the shape of the Unknown? If I successfully become a god and establish a balance with the Unknown, then Vera's Heaven-Sacrifice wouldn't provoke a strong reaction.
But if I fail to ascend, strengthening the connection between the Uncertain Mist and this reality would inevitably stir the Unknown even further—and that would certainly be disastrous for me…
He made countless conjectures, but lacking evidence, they all remained speculation. Seeing that Vera had no intention of explaining further, he temporarily set the matter aside and returned to their main purpose:
"That was only the first matter… What about the other two?"
"The second…" Vera narrowed her eyes in faux annoyance, "Is that through the Trier incident I've learned that the Wish-Granting Lamp is in the hands of the Queen of Mystic!" She shot him a resentful glare, clearly blaming him for knowing but never telling her. "I originally wanted to find Her and snatch the Lamp Spirit back… but unfortunately, She immediately joined the affair… so I cannot make a move anymore."