Chapter 75: Compensation Received |
The brown-haired diviner noticed the two figures in the shadows and paused momentarily, but she didn't step into the bushes. Miss Louisa's dress was relatively simple, but Miss Anat's long gown was far too delicate to risk being snagged:
"Here's the champagne you wanted."
She smiled at Miss Louisa and then glanced at Shad with a look one might reserve for a rare animal.
"Detective Hamilton, is it? Good evening. The doctor mentioned you in his letter. So he really did find a new talent? Did he overdraw his luck using some rare relic to make that happen?"
It seemed everyone had the same curious view of Dr. Schneider.
After exchanging greetings, Shad briefly recounted the events of the evening. Miss Anat, the diviner, didn't display the same shock as Miss Louisa.
"In that case," she said with remarkable calm, "I have something to share as well."
"And what might that be?" Miss Louisa hesitated.
"Actually, I probably shouldn't mention it—this is confidential information from the Prophets' Association, and regulations prohibit me from disclosing it. But since we're all here, I can't let you walk into danger blindly. So, do you want to know why Madame Lasso attended tonight's banquet? Could it really be because she was so deeply influenced by that relic ring that she's merely accompanying her lover here?"
"Then what's the real reason?"
A sinking feeling settled in Shad's stomach. On a night like this, when everything seemed bound to escalate, any revelation was unlikely to be trivial.
"To synthesize an Angel-level (Grade 1) relic, Blood of Mercury, from a Sage-level (Grade 2) relic, God’s Gift Box, stronger materials are required. Madame Lasso is here because one of those materials is present at the estate. The Blood of Mercury is integral to their plan to summon the Evil God, Master of the Blood Banquet, right here at Lakeside Manor. They seek the power granted by that deity."
"Master of the Blood Banquet?" Miss Louisa asked, astonished.
"Evil God? Summoning?" Shad was at a loss for words.
He had first heard of this Evil God the night the professors visited his home and knew of the collaboration between cultists and the Blood of Mercury. He hadn’t expected them to act so boldly, and tonight of all nights.
Miss Anat retained her composure, seemingly confident that the situation remained under control.
"I only learned this recently. While fetching the champagne, the Association sent me intel, advising me to leave immediately. But don't worry—the summoning ritual can only succeed at 11 p.m. The True God Church likely has the information as well and should send Warlocks of Nine Rings or higher soon."
Shad checked his pocket watch.
"It's currently 10:20 p.m."
"Dorothy," Miss Anat addressed Louisa, "I'll enter the estate with you to get Father August and the doctor out. Detective, you stay here. Leaving abruptly could arouse suspicion, but don’t approach the manor. According to the intel, the cultists are primarily tasked with keeping the True God Church’s Warlocks occupied. Among the Blood of Mercury members leading the ritual, besides the one you mentioned—‘Silverglow’ Rassod—there's another high-ranking Warlock called ‘Heart Collector.’ Be careful."
With that, Miss Anat raised her head, draining her champagne in one swift motion. She then tore the hem and lining of her expensive gown, turning it into a more practical skirt. Miss Louisa followed suit, tying her carefully styled golden hair into a bun and breaking the heels off her shoes.
She turned to Shad.
"Detective, under no circumstances should you approach the manor tonight. If we don’t make it back, you’ll need to inform the Academy."
"Is it that dangerous?" Shad asked, visibly worried.
"One must prepare for every possibility. We cannot abandon the doctor or the priest. Detective Hamilton..."
The brown-haired Miss Anat, Luvia Anat, fixed her light purple eyes on Shad. He was startled—her violet gaze was breathtakingly beautiful and gave an illusion of depth that seemed to pull him in. Natural violet eyes were exceedingly rare.
"I’m a diviner. Fate is revealing its omens to me, and my other self is sending warnings. I see an abnormal trajectory in your destiny. Tonight, something significant will happen—please, be cautious."
With that, Shad watched the two women hurry off. The feeling of sending others into peril while being powerless himself left a bitter taste.
"I'm still too weak to do anything," he thought bitterly as he watched their retreating figures. Just as the voice in his mind was about to comment, he remembered something he hadn’t mentioned earlier: there was an element of Blasphemy near the grape trellis, connected to the Evil God.
"Could it be a ritual node?"
Historically, the Ring Warlock system had only emerged in the late Fifth Epoch. Unlike the modern Mystical Arts and Arcane Arts, rituals were an ancient practice within mysticism, capable of wielding power in both past and present systems.
Though rituals had waned in popularity during the Sixth Epoch due to the convenience of modern arts, their importance hadn’t diminished. Large-scale rituals, in particular, required meticulous preparation and substantial resources but could achieve unparalleled effects, such as summoning an Evil God—something no Mystical Art or Arcane Art could accomplish.
If the Prophets' Association intel was accurate and the Blood of Mercury was truly so reckless, the summoning ritual could encompass not just the manor but part of the garden as well.
"Perhaps I can disrupt the ritual’s layout in the garden."
Relieved at finding a potential contribution without undue risk, Shad returned to the grape trellis. The young poet at the stone table was gone, leaving only a middle-aged man in a wine-red suit, casually reading a small book.
Shad approached, intending to find an excuse to make the man leave so he could inspect the area. However, to his surprise, the man set the book down, smiled, and spoke first:
"I’ve been waiting for you."
The accent wasn’t local to Tobesk.
"Waiting for me? Pardon me, sir, do we know each other?" Shad stopped several steps away from the table.
"A Ring Warlock?" he wondered. The voice in his mind confirmed it:
【Yes, and a high-ranking one at that.】
Shad's heart seemed to skip a beat, but his face betrayed no fear.
"I think you have the wrong person." He began to turn away but was stopped by the man’s voice. The stranger’s smile remained, but Shad felt a chill like a gun aimed at his head.
"No, I haven’t mistaken you. It’s you I’m looking for. I may not know your name, your identity, your profession, or your address, but I know this..."
The man rolled up his sleeve, revealing a charred black left arm.
"Have I exhausted the good fortune I gave you? Fate’s gift must now be repaid."