— — — — — —
With Ryo's current level of power, remembering his life from childhood to now should be effortless.
And based on that memory, he could clearly confirm one thing: when it came to Strike the Blood, the so-called Deva was always described as "gods."
But the Empire's investigation showed something very different: the Devas were just ancient, hyper-advanced humans, basically vampires with advanced civilization.
"From now on, every world's intel needs a warning label: 'For reference only,'" Ryo muttered.
Blindly trusting the original story had already caused misunderstandings and nearly backfired on him once. That was more than enough.
He should be thankful Strike the Blood was relatively mild and didn't contain anything that could truly destroy him.
Ryo laughed at himself, rubbed his temples, and thought aloud. "The Three Primogenitors can wait. Push down their priority. But let the higher-ups know I'm back. If the Third Primogenitor wants to reach out, give them a way to contact me."
He paused, the corner of his mouth lifting.
"And if possible, drop a hint that I'm gathering intel on The Cleansing and Cain."
Asagi snapped her head around, eyes widening. "You're not planning to make the Three Primogenitors hand over intel on The Cleansing, right?"
It was an unspoken fact that the four major empires were rivals now. Asking a competitor to hand over classified intel was ridiculous. Why would the Three Primogenitors ever agree?
Ryo simply smiled. "I can't guarantee the others, but Giada definitely will."
The Third Primogenitor, Giada Kukulcan, would absolutely "lend a hand." Ryo refused to believe that after he vanished into Little Garden for over a year, Giada wasn't even slightly tense.
And tension meant advantage. Advantage meant leverage.
In other words, Ryo had the Third Primogenitor right where he wanted her.
"Where do you even get that confidence? You think the Chaos Bride is an idiot or something?"
Asagi grumbled, but still typed the instructions into a document to forward later to the Empire's upper ranks.
"In a way, she kind of is," Ryo replied with a grin.
"Try imagining someone who's been bored for several thousand years. The things they'll do for amusement get… extreme."
He was disappointed that the Three Primogenitors weren't born gods, but three beings who ruled Empires for millennia were basically walking history. Even without being true-born divinities, if they entered Little Garden they had a chance to break into the four-digit ranks.
With that possibility in mind, he had no reason to abandon the idea of recruiting them. Just… after some more urgent matters.
Because compared to the Three Primogenitors, two things mattered far more: The Cleansing and Cain, the Primogenitor of Demon Kind.
The former gave him the ritual confirmed by the Dimensional Forum that would allow him to convert a Greek chief god into a Machine God. The latter was Ryo's key to winning over Algol... or tricking her.
With that thought, he asked. "How's the legacy coming along?"
He meant the dragon egg he brought during his last visit to this world. If the original intel was correct, a dragon who knew the coordinates of The Cleansing legacy was sleeping inside.
"You mean the egg on the tenth basement level?"
Asagi raised her brows, then groaned. "Other than detecting its life signals and confirming it'll hatch in one or two months, it's just like that Coffin. Completely indecipherable."
Cain's Coffin was stored under Keystone Gate and was the key to The Cleansing ritual. Itogami Island's leaders knew it well, but even as Cain's priestess, Asagi couldn't open it due to lack of intel.
Having both treasure and key in hand but being unable to open the chest was pure torment.
Asagi's voice was filled with resentment now. "And Mogwai's no help either. He refuses to tell me anything. Says I'm 'not ready.' That damn AI, one day I'm going to burn whatever server it's hiding on."
"Even if you say that, I still wouldn't hand that kind of access to a little girl like you."
A deep blue cat avatar appeared on Asagi's monitor, speaking through a synthetic voice.
Mogwai.
The AI supercomputer that controlled the foundation islands of Itogami. It had assisted generations of Cain priestesses and was believed to be closely tied to Cain himself. In this generation, it recognized only Asagi as its operator.
When Itogami Island was conquered, Mogwai was transferred to Dawn Empire custody and eventually placed under Asagi's authority as a research support program.
After stating its boundary, Mogwai turned to Ryo. Its 2D avatar waved. "Strictly speaking, this is our first proper meeting, Your Majesty."
Ryo arched a brow. "Mogwai? Is that fine to call you?"
"Of course," the AI replied calmly. "Given your relationship with my operator, call me whatever you like."
"What do you mean 'relationship'!" Asagi exploded, her face scarlet.
"Human emotions are very inconvenient," Mogwai observed after a short pause.
"Say that again and I'll cut your power," Asagi hissed through clenched teeth.
Mogwai ignored her entirely and addressed Ryo. "If you seek Cain's legacy, whether The Cleansing or something else, the Three Primogenitors are the correct starting point. Though their intel may be incomplete. The true key lies with someone else."
"Who?" Ryo asked.
"A man who calls himself the True Primogenitor of the End," Mogwai answered. "He is the prototype of the Fourth Primogenitor and witnessed Cain's final moments."
Another name he'd never heard. Ryo frowned. "And where do I find this True Primogenitor of the End?"
"You don't."
Mogwai's avatar smiled. "His mission is tied to the Fourth Primogenitor. As long as you show yourself publicly, he will pursue your trail. Every era, without fail."
"Interesting."
Ryo's smile turned curious. "So I just need a public event to draw him out?"
"That would be the correct interpretation," Mogwai said respectfully.
Drawing out the True Primogenitor of the End… and meeting the Third Primogenitor… no, Giada needed to stew a bit longer. Fishing required patience.
So what else could he do in the meantime?
Ryo thought for a moment, then a word surfaced in his mind.
Faux Angels.
The secret royal ritual of Aldegyr, the process of elevating humans into angels.
Angels…
Ryo couldn't stop the corner of his mouth from curling up.
"What do you think would happen if I made a state visit to the Aldegyr Kingdom?"
"A visit to Aldegyr?" Asagi blinked, stunned. Why suddenly visit that small Northern European nation?
.
.
.