Kim Klest had never imagined that, in just a single morning, the great figures who came to see him—especially these great ones from foreign lands—would outnumber all the gentlemen with noble titles or seats in Parliament, and the noblewomen, he had seen in the first twenty-some years of his life put together.
Particularly noteworthy were the comforting words from Duke Tüli the Seventh, along with a Victory Day invitation bearing a touch of solemn atmosphere and a natural floral fragrance, which was delivered to his hand along with the reassurances carried by the Royal Steward.
Once the Royal Steward arrived, all those gentlemen who had wanted to extend an invitation to Kim Klest—first of the Hellfire Sect’s several elders—lost any standing to further remove him from this heavily guarded building.
Whether they were the Preparatory Committee for the Scientific Legacy, powerful dignitaries of a family that held sway over an entire region, or an ambassador from a fallen nation, backed by some foreign merchant guild—it made no difference now.
“It’s truly somewhat unbelievable. “
In the cozy room with a mild atmosphere, the three elders of the Hellfire Sect sat somewhat stiffly on chairs cushioned by rugs interwoven with hues of orange and verdant green.
“We hear that Little Edgar is a big man who’s been to that place the General visited last night! “
“Oh, not at all, hahaha. ” Edgar, seated on the other side of the table, responded with a smile, his hands resting lightly on his knees.
“I have no idea where the General has been either. Prelates, please don’t take that as truth. Everything we might know is no more than words gleaned from gossip. So even I don’t truly know which room it was the stories claim I visited—that’s the honest truth. “
The three gentlemen and the elderly lady across from him nodded blankly like little children who were suddenly obedient.
They looked up at the high, wide single door at the entrance of the long, ornately decorated main room as it was pushed open.
A guard followed closely behind, alongside a man dressed as a cook, both pushing a cart laden with fresh vegetables and culinary utensils into the room.
The three elders rose, the lone elderly woman among them swiftly gesturing to Kleist that he should stand too. Smiling, Kim Kleist promptly stood up, directing his glance at the newcomer.
Passing from behind them came an imposing yet courteous elderly gentleman.
With his black leather boots hungrily clicking on the floor, the gentleman quickly overtook them and hastened forward. “Esteemed Prelates… and Mr. Edgar. “
Having already greeted everyone, he now turned mostly to Smile at Kleister, who had changed into a new, thin, long red robe, and said:
“There’s a tremendous piece of good news. For decades, a conspiracy had been brewing in our world, and since last night, enemies plotting to overthrow our doomsday trust fortress have been exposed—they were captured just over half an hour ago! “
He gestured with slightly stirring tone, grabbing his right hand into a loose fist and shaking it a little in front of his chest.
This surprised the few people in the room a bit.
The elder continued, “Our envoy has already sent this news to the World Ark. So. “
He fixed his gaze on the young man. “Mr. Christ, the most precious hero of the Kingdom of Heivenzike, General Ross stated a few hours ago that the Chairman of the World Ark has promised to provide an absolute shelter guarantee capable of surviving the end of the world for those present at last night’s meeting. “
“Absolute? ” Several incredulous voices rang out.
However, several members of the Hellfire Sect immediately felt a surge of elation, believing that although the Chairman had not been present, perhaps… they, who had contributed crucial information for dealing with the apocalypse, indeed deserved this qualification, right?
“This is truly unbelievable… “
“Could there really be such a way? “
“I suspect it’s a location. ” The elderly gentleman, with a standard physique and an elegant demeanor, replied with a composed smile.
He then withdrew his gaze from the three Hellfire Sect elders beside him, and with kind attention, fixed his eyes on Kim Christe, saying:
“Respected and heroic Mr. Edgar. I, Prince Sharlis Hazel, sincerely wish to entrust you, along with several brave travelers of the Hellfire Sect, with a matter. “
“Entrust us? ” The three older men from the Hellfire Sect, barely suppressing their hushed exclamations, became even more astonished.
Though they did not understand what was happening, a strange sense of honor—as if they had been fulfilling a lifelong mission—now welled up in their hearts.
The man before them was actually a prince, and this prince was instructing them on a task.
“Well… sir, what is it you wish to say? ” Jin Christ, managing a slight grin, felt an inexplicable urge for his feet to sneak away on their own, yet his legs dared not take a step.
The gentleman spoke, his demeanor as warm as a spring breeze:
“Our two Princes each wish to send a gift to President Buchen. Of course, that is merely a side note, ” he finally managed to utter the latter half of his sentence fluently, his heart steadying.
“Mr. Christ, ” the soft-skinned older man continued in a gentle tone, “I would like to ask you to deliver a treasure to the President on my behalf. “
With that, he shifted his footsteps, turned sideways to face the door, and lightly clapped his hands twice.
From outside the door entered two dignified men, each holding a tray in their hands. They approached Jin Christ. On one man’s tray rested a box half an arm’s length long. On the other man’s heavy solid wood tray lay a square box crafted from translucent crystal gemstone.
Kim Christe and the Hellfire Sect elders carefully examined the contents of the crystal box, which was a small piece of dark orange cut rock.
“What are these?” Kim Christe looked at Prince Salis beside him with some doubt.
“These are things of great value to the Mistfolk. ” Salisbury stared at the contents of the two trays and said, “Do not discuss this matter outside of this room. “
After he spoke, King Christer only then felt that, indeed, the room here seemed overly still and quiet.
“Inside this box are three pieces of tainted sealants corrupted by demonic blood. As for this gem box, it contains… “
He touched the crystal, his tone slow, carrying a thread of reminiscence lost in the past, and said: “It is called a ‘Mechanical Stele.’ “
A few of them murmured in puzzlement, glancing at the dark red rock.
Prince Salisbury turned his head, and amidst the sounds of the chef and the protector beside the back table focusing only on chopping vegetables and watching the blade’s motion, he said to King Christer:
“Within this ‘Mechanical Stele’ is preserved the remains of a very powerful gentleman from over four hundred years ago, the last era of our Hazel family lineage, who came to this continent from Lu’mo. “
Several members of the Hellfire Sect instinctively took a step back.
“What does that mean? It’s just a rock. “
“It means exactly what it says. ” Salisbury smiled. “He will understand. “
Suddenly, footsteps sounded. They looked up towards the doorway, pushed open by the guards, where stood a few young men from the World Ark.
“Dear friends! ” A man outside waved to those inside. “Hey hey, Mr. Kim Christer, and everyone else. Oh, you’re making lunch. “
The man walked in. “But you might not be able to eat it. We need to hurry to the hotel. “
“Eh, so soon? ” Kim Christer and the others in the room looked over with mixed emotions.
……
He Yishu and the others, inside the guarded room, were seated on chairs, combining the materials in their hands to recount to Colonel Ang Pailisi the plot points they had seen in the stage play, along with some speculations.
“Report. There’s a delivery from Tranasi. The courier is a member of the Kingdom of Telanaxi’s cabinet. ” The man said. “He says the materials he’s delivering are related to the background of the story ‘The Mist Maiden and the Colored Glaze Cup’. “
“Oh? Let them come over. ” Sword Thirteen, standing guard there, said.
The soldier turned and ran out. Within a few minutes, a well-dressed, wealthy-looking man carrying a leather briefcase full of documents walked in with a smile on his face, leading the way. Behind him were three attendants carrying large boxes.
“Whoa, so many books? “
“Hello, what’s your name? “
“Ah, good day, gentlemen. I am Casper Bindo, entrusted by His Majesty the King with managing the national treasury. “
“Someone from the Ministry of Finance? “
The people present looked somewhat astonished at the appearance of the man before them, who seemed not to be very old.
Then, those somewhat slovenly fellows at the door slightly furrowed their brows and turned their heads a little, glancing at this ordinary room standing amid the ruins.
“Ahem. Mr. Casper. These books… “
Suddenly, the crowd shuffled their feet in some disorder, and the questioner, clearing his throat with a few “hmm “s, stopped his query. Under Sword Thirteen’s gaze, tinged with a hint of mockery, the man chuckled, turned around, and looked at the tall, slender figure approaching from the ruins.
“President Buchen. What’s the situation? No hidden ambushes left behind, I hope? “
“The experts say it’s all clear. I just took a lap around to be extra safe, ” Yang Zicang replied. Then, he looked at the few newcomers in the crowd who were holding wooden crates and staring at him.
“And who might you all be? ” Yang Zicang inquired.
In the slightly lazy shade of the tree, Casper Bindo glanced at the time on his wristwatch, noting that the minute hand was about to align with the upright hour hand.
“I am Casper, the special envoy from Telanaxi. I’ve made a special trip to bring you a small gift, Mr. Buchen. “
The man turned sideways and patted the edge of a nearby wooden crate that had already been pried open and inspected by those waiting outside.
“From that far away? Quite a journey. “
“Yes, Mr. Yang. Many of our people participated in the investigation and the frantic preservation effort to compile these materials. “
Yang Zicang approached and glanced at the attendant carrying the wooden crate. The girl in the thick, plain uniform also stared back at him.
Her ethnicity seemed different from the natives he usually saw. But as he picked up a book, Yang Zicang immediately thought that he had seen some natives with similar bone structures on Wuche Island.
The colonel walked over, took a look at them, turned to Yang Zicang, and said:
“This is related information about ‘Mist Maiden and the Colored Glaze Cup.’ Mm, these are all very important. “
“Mm-hmm, ” Yang Zicang nodded.
Seeing that the man before him seemed to be in a rather low spirits, but his overall demeanor was relatively relaxed, the colonel thought for a moment, nodded apologetically to the person who had just arrived, and then pulled Yang Zicang by the arm toward a tree nearby.
“I feel like something’s off with you, ” the colonel said seriously. “If it were just an ordinary plan, I wouldn’t deliberately ask. But if it’s something of great importance and I’m completely in the dark, it’s likely that some unexpected mistakes will occur later on. “
“Ah, I… ” Yang Zicang stood hesitantly.
The colonel looked at him silently.
“I… I actually do have a plan. It’s… related to the Holy Ring. “
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