What did she mean by "joined in"? Joined what exactly?
Even though Bernadette, while prying into the Pale Death, had already been deeply and subtly "contaminated" by Liu Bo without noticing it, because the Unknown was still slumbering, I could still intervene in how Its "believers" were handled. That interference was enough to prevent her from losing her sense of self entirely.
After all, she was an Angel to begin with, and unlike Flora Jacob—who had allowed the "contamination" to erupt directly in her mind—Bernadette's condition was fundamentally different…
But strictly speaking, Bernadette, who still carried the Pale Death, indeed found herself in a state not too different from Yaloran, Cohinem, and even Lilith.
Meanwhile, Vera's condition resembled that of Magic Mirror Richelieu—someone who believed in a fictional White Angel—a kind of contamination that occurred "indirectly," through layers of belief and projection rather than through raw essence.
As for the Goddess… he truly had no idea what situation She was in.
As his thoughts drifted, Ebner kept his expression neutral. He certainly did not deny the matter of Bernadette's supposed "joining," lest Vera actually go and pick a fight with her. After thinking briefly, he said:
"You should be aware that for the Magic Wishing Lamp, the holder and the owner aren't the same. Before Bernadette dies, even if someone else comes into possession of the Lamp, they're only a user. Any wish they make will still be counted under her… So she is very unlikely to hand the Lamp over. That would be equivalent to giving her life away."
"You truly care about her!" Vera pretended to pout, her tone carrying a hint of mock displeasure, but she quickly shook her head and continued, "But you also know that the Lamp Spirit is the mental body of a Son of Chaos—or in simpler terms, an 'evil spirit', right?
"He is far from mindless. Even though he became somewhat unstable after being 'fooled' by that one, he remains extremely sharp and exceedingly cunning.
"The 'rules' he clings to can also be bent through negotiation.
"And I, fortunately, am rather adept at communicating with him."
So that's how it is… Ebner used Insight to observe several strands of possible future developments branching out from this topic. After a brief pause, he nodded slightly. "I can help you ask Bernadette… but I can't guarantee she'll agree to exchange anything."
"Mm. Then please tell her this: if she's willing to make a deal with me, I can protect her long enough to meet Roselle once." Vera smiled as she spoke, the expression delicate and knowing.
Ebner froze for a breath, for he knew Bernadette would never refuse such a condition—could not refuse it.
Yet since she is already contaminated by Liu Bo, theoretically, I should also be capable of protecting her…
Thinking that, he blinked and asked with genuine surprise: "You know where Roselle is?"
"I don't know…" Vera first shook her head lightly, then looked into Ebner's eyes with a teasing, confident curl of her lips. "But I am certain that you must know."
Why would you assume that everything I know must be shared with you?
Ebner had only just muttered this inwardly when he met Princess Vera's soft, inviting gaze—eyes half-lidded, expression almost as if she were offering herself up to be devoured—and he could only sigh helplessly:
"Fine, fine… With your reminder, I suddenly feel that getting the Magic Wishing Lamp from Bernadette might not be that difficult after all… But it will definitely take quite a while."
In truth, Ebner deeply preferred that Bernadette and Vera not meet too soon. The latter's temperament could be impulsive when it came to matters of divinity or mysticism; she might do something reckless that would hurt Old Huang's daughter. So it was better for him to negotiate with the Queen of Mystic first, take the Lamp himself, and then hand it over to Vera afterward.
I really don't know what Old Huang will think when he sees that it's me bringing his daughter to see him…
He should still be able to recognise "me," right?
While Ebner drifted into his own thoughts, Vera seemed to perceive all of them. She hid a smile at the corner of her lips and, after murmuring something faintly suggestive—an "ambiguous" promise that she would give him a "reward he'd be satisfied with"—she smoothly shifted the conversation to the third matter.
"'Ghost Empire' is about to draw close to reality again… Although I don't know the exact time or place where it will appear, just from the signs, I can deduce it should be sometime around mid-June…"
As she spoke, she produced a ring from her sleeve and placed it in Ebner's palm. Then she continued, her voice becoming more solemn:
"I hope that once you enter it, you will wear this ring at all times."
Her demeanor had changed entirely. All the earlier teasing, warmth, and coyness vanished. Instead, she had become the calm, stern princess that Xio often spoke of—one who rarely smiled and never treated important matters lightly.
Ebner accepted the ring and examined it with the Pure White Eye, but he obtained absolutely nothing from it—not even a ripple. That made it clear: either the ring's true nature or its origin was so far above even the Omniscient Eye of the Land of the Unknown that all information was immediately blocked.
He hesitated briefly. Even though he had not yet recovered memories related to Vera—or Leticia Tamara—Ebner, he had long formed a friendship with her. Their relationship was close enough that he had even ordered her to ambush the Black Saintess before. So, instead of skirting around the matter, he asked directly:
"You're after the Hand of Order that might be inside the 'Ghost Empire,' aren't you?"
"There truly is a Hand of Order in the 'Ghost Empire'; it is even the very trait that Trenzestor once took from me… But as I have already told you, I am no longer a Beyonder of the potion-sequence system. Before I thoroughly control the Uncertain Mist, characteristics, Uniquenesses, and even the Sefirah under the Kingdom of Disorder are burdens to me." Vera smiled and shook her head, then added with pointed clarity, "This ring has no side effects, and it is concealed enough that it won't trigger any changes…
"I simply want to use it to see where the 'Ghost Empire' is ultimately heading."
Ultimately heading?
In Danittz's memory, wasn't the Ghost Empire always sailing within the Mirror World—or drifting endlessly between one Door and the next?
Could it actually… have a destination?
Ebner voiced this exact question.
But Vera did not elaborate. She only replied in a quiet, almost prophetic tone:
"It is a ship. Naturally, it has a route. And, of course… it has an 'endpoint.'"
…
Aboard Future, the Admiral of Stars Cattleya accepted the reply from the Queen's messenger and read it carefully from beginning to end.
Several minutes later, she exhaled slowly. Then she ignited the letter with spirituality, watching the flames curl the pages into ash before she began reflecting:
The Queen truly has advanced to Sage… And She actually collaborated with Mr. Tower to save Trier…
They prevented the descent of the Abyss! Could that also have been the intention of Mr. Fool? That great existence seems to stand against many evil gods and devils…
And the reason Mr. Fool reprimanded me might be because the Queen revealed, right in front of Mr. Tower, that she had figured out the connection between the Blood Clan and Mr. Fool.
But that deduction was clearly made by the Queen herself…
For a moment, Cattleya felt deeply wronged. But then, recalling that the Queen now felt indebted to her because of this incident, her mood brightened unexpectedly. She remembered the final part of the letter: Frank could be allowed to advance to Druid, but every effort should be made to stop him from proceeding further toward godhood.
"Did the Queen 'foresee' Frank's future?" Cattleya wondered aloud, standing quietly behind the window of the captain's cabin. After thinking for a moment, she pushed open the door and headed toward Frank Lee's quarters.
—Recently, the entire crew had voted to "exile" the first mate to the lowest deck, in case his experimental products suddenly multiplied again.
Frank himself was very pleased with this. The new cabin was much more spacious and, more importantly, naturally dark—perfect for his experimental conditions.
Just as Cattleya raised her hand to knock on the door of the lowest-deck cabin, a piercing alarm suddenly shrieked across the ship.
As captain, she instantly abandoned her plan to speak with Frank. She used the abilities of the Stars to appear directly on deck, where she immediately saw, on the nearby sea, a colossal sailing ship—one even larger than the Future.
Nearly two hundred metres long, with its bow and stern raised high, its silhouette resembled a massive crescent moon carved into the sea.
Its hull was coated in dark paint; three rows of cannons lined its sides in precise formation; and the towering superstructure, aside from the masts, rose to the height of a five-storey building.
The strangest detail, however, was its single sail, upon which a black tombstone was painted.
"The Death Announcer…" a grave voice sounded beside her. Frank Lee had already abandoned his experiment and rushed up to the deck.
"The Death Announcer…" Cattleya muttered, her brows tightening. "Isn't this far too coincidental?"
Mr. Tower had just asked me to watch for the Death Knell, and not even a single day has passed…
Well, Mr. Tower is probably a Prophet… but can a Prophet have foresight this precise? Even the Queen, before becoming an Angel, couldn't achieve this level…
While thinking, she did not forget her duties. She gave commands for battle preparations while reciting Mr. Fool's honorific name and reporting the situation.
Once that was done, her expression froze. She suddenly remembered something crucial, grabbed Frank by the collar, and demanded:
"Why did you get up here so quickly?
"Did you properly deal with your experimental creations?"
Frank at first looked confused—then his expression abruptly twisted into horror.
…
On Tuesday morning, before Ebner could even catch up on sleep after leaving Princess Vera's mansion, Mr. Fool transmitted the scene to him. Ebner immediately cast the secret technique Shield of Glory on himself to conceal all malice, ensuring that the Death Announcer would not sense him. Then he opened a Door and stepped into the Spirit World.
Countless layers of vibrant colours streamed backward as he raced along the Spirit World's currents. Soon, he located the position of the Future.
But the moment the shifting colours faded, and a still-dizzy Ebner pulled open a Door back into reality, a thick, choking fishy stench surged toward his face—followed immediately by a splash of milk mixed with fish flesh spraying across him.
(End of chapter)