nownovels Chapter 202 Bernadette's Suspicion
Chapter 202 Bernadette's Suspicion
Chapter 202 Bernadette's Suspicion
Although Azk admired Evan, he did not tell Evan that he learned about Zilingus from Klein.
It was obvious that Klein also had secrets, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to detect the mastermind behind Tingen. Mr. Azik was very ethical in helping Klein keep his secrets.
Although he suspected that Klein's secret channel was Evan, it was all just speculation, and Axenzik had no intention of pursuing it further or revealing it.
"If Duncan Augustus is still alive, then he is definitely not a simple demigod, and it is even possible that he has become an angel. Continuing to investigate would be too dangerous."
"You should stop exploring matters related to this. I also need to continue searching for my past memories to see if I can regain more of my strength."
Clearly, the news that Duncan Augustus might still be alive has shaken Mr. Azik, who then believes that with his current strength, he cannot continue to investigate this matter. He can only focus on pursuing his memories and finding the murderer who stole his child's skull, and the matter of Duncan Augustus can only be put aside for the time being.
"I understand. I will be careful, Mr. Azik, and you too! Now MI9 and the three major churches all suspect that you are a member of the Spiritual Order and that you killed Zilingus to silence him."
In short, they will not allow a demigod they do not know and cannot control to wander in Backlund; it is simply too unpredictable. Therefore, they will spare no effort to find you!
Demigods may not be able to withstand powerful ships and cannons, but they have too many strange abilities that are difficult to defend against. A pirate general is already a major threat to the official forces, let alone a demigod they have never seen before.
Azik picked up the translucent gloves from the coffee table again, put them on, and the gloves suddenly changed, revealing many twisted lines.
Immediately afterwards, Evan saw a hazy glow appear on Mr. Azik's face, and at the same time, all his muscles, bones, and skin seemed to... worms wriggle within them. In just a few seconds, Mr. Azik transformed into someone Evan had never seen before, with an unprecedented change in appearance, height, and demeanor.
"This is what an old friend from hundreds of years ago looks like in my memory. Doesn't that make things much safer?" Mr. Azik, now a middle-aged gentleman, said to Evan with a smile.
As Evan watched the scene unfold before him, he couldn't help but feel envious. Changing one's appearance was a divine skill for transmigrators to kill and rob, and he couldn't help but feel envious.
"I'll be in Backlund for a while, so feel free to contact me anytime if you need any help!"
After saying that, Azik disappeared into the apartment right under Evan's nose.
"Finally, I've won over a big shot, and one who's getting stronger and stronger: the son of the Grim Reaper, the Death Consul of the Byron Empire."
With his help, I will have more confidence in my future actions.
Having personally participated in the uproar caused by George III in preparation for the "Black Emperor" ceremony, and joined the tide of the times driven by Adam, Evan felt increasingly powerless due to his lack of strength.
The ever-flowing tide of the times is propelling the world situation to undergo a major transformation. Only by improving our position as much as possible before this transformation occurs can we seize more benefits during this period of upheaval.
Not long after Mr. Azik left, Evan picked up his pen again to write a letter. This time, he wanted to write to the mysterious Queen Bernadette and request a meeting.
After writing the letter, Evan casually picked out a burnt candle and began the summoning ritual.
After completing the preliminary steps, Evan placed the letter on the altar, stepped back two paces, and solemnly chanted in ancient Hermes:
"I summon in my own name!"
"An invisible creature that roams the upper realms, a strange spirit friendly to humans, a messenger exclusively belonging to Bernadette Gustav."
As soon as he finished speaking, Evan's inspiration was triggered, and he instinctively activated his spiritual vision through his consciousness, but he saw nothing.
Then Evan discovered that the letter he had placed on the altar was missing, without realizing how it had disappeared.
"The Queen's messenger is quite special—" Evan muttered to himself. Before he could finish speaking, he noticed a dazzling galaxy of countless points of light suddenly appear in the apartment, like a bridge.
Upon closer inspection, the glittering points of light appear to be living birds, their bodies forming this illusory bridge. However, one end of the bridge is in the apartment, while the other end seems to connect to nowhere.
"The Magpie Bridge on the Double Seventh Festival?" Evan looked at the illusory bridge with a strange expression, watching Bernadette walk along the bridge from a distance.
With each step Bernadette took, a section of the illusory bridge behind her disappeared. When she reached Evan, the bridge of light disintegrated into scattered points of light and vanished from sight.
"What's wrong? Is something the problem?"
Bernadette wore an Intis-style white women's shirt, her chestnut hair was naturally draped down, and her symmetrical, straight eyebrows were perfectly styled, making her look somewhat like the career woman Evan had seen in TV dramas in his previous life.
She arrived at Evan's apartment, only to find Evan's expression quite strange. She couldn't help but ask him a question, while wondering to herself if her father had spread the story of "the Magpie Bridge meeting on the Double Seventh Festival".
"It's nothing, I just marvel at how quickly your messenger delivered the message. I didn't expect you to arrive so soon, you have the air of a legendary 'traveler'."
Bernadette's deep blue eyes flickered slightly, and she surprisingly offered an explanation:
"This actually comes from my father's legacy. The most core ability of the Seeker Sequence 4 'Mystic' is 'Mystic Reappearance,' which allows one to draw power from mystical knowledge to create all sorts of magic and witchcraft, along with the corresponding mystical knowledge."
The fewer people who know about it, the greater its power and effect.
Conversely, the wider the dissemination of a certain piece of knowledge, the more people know it, and the less "mysterious" it becomes. Consequently, the corresponding magic and witchcraft become weaker and almost ineffective.
The knowledge behind this magic I created is extremely mysterious, making its effects incredibly powerful and allowing me to teleport freely within a continent.
As she spoke, Bernadette stared intently at Evan, carefully observing his expression, trying to discern whether he knew the story of "The Magpie Bridge Meeting on the Seventh Night of the Seventh Lunar Month".
A sense of unease rose in Evan's heart. This ability was extremely useful, allowing for both offense and defense. It was probably one of Bernadette's most core secrets. Why would she so easily tell someone she had only met twice?
"It's truly amazing and incredible. If I had had the 'Secret Seeker' option when I embarked on the path of the extraordinary,..."
I will definitely choose this path.
Evan pretended not to notice Bernadette's scrutiny and sighed with regret.
Bernadette felt a little disappointed that she hadn't noticed anything amiss with Evan. During this time, she had felt that the magic she created based on the stories her father told her had been slightly weakened, so slightly that it would have been difficult to detect if she hadn't been the creator of the corresponding magic.
She initially thought that someone from the Dawn of Elements had betrayed her and spread the magic she had taught, but after her own investigation, including using a level 0 seal in the shape of a forehead ornament to investigate, she still couldn't find the source of the leak and could only rule out this possibility.
The occult knowledge that Rosell wrote to her was all specially provided and never published or disseminated. It was originally still in her possession, so she had been wondering if someone had deciphered Rosell's diary and thus learned about this occult knowledge.
Unfortunately, no matter what method Bernadette used, she couldn't find a single clue. Until today, when she noticed Evan looking at her with a strange expression, she remembered the meaning of the Magpie Bridge meeting and couldn't help but wonder if Evan knew the connotation. So she couldn't help but test him.
But the results of her test were not what she expected; it seemed that Evan really didn't know the meaning of "the Magpie Bridge Meeting".
"Is there something you need from me this time?" After clearing her mind, Bernadette scrutinized Evan, whom she was actually meeting face-to-face for the first time.
Bernadette last met Evan at Ms. Amanda's gathering of extraordinary individuals. Evan's physical features were concealed by Ms. Amanda, so this was the first time Bernadette had met the mysterious Evan who could provide information at the level of three angels.
This is why Bernadette rushed over immediately upon receiving Evan's letter.
Inspired by the "prophet's" wisdom, she believed she would gain a great deal from Evan in the future.
"Just now, Duke Negan was assassinated again, and Backlund has once again entered a state of emergency, so I wanted to inform you."
"I've been giving you the information for several days now, but there's still no response. So I was wondering if something has happened, or if the information I gave you last time was incorrect and caused you any delay."
Evan behaved like a reputable businessman, not forgetting after-sales service after selling something.
Bernadette couldn't immediately figure out what Evan wanted to do, but after thinking for a moment, she said:
"I have already noticed that MI9 and the three major churches are secretly investigating the entire Backlund, but I still want to thank you for informing me."
As for why I haven't acted yet, it's because the fate of Backlund, and even the entire world, has suddenly become extremely chaotic these past few days. Even with the help of a ?-level sealed artifact, I can't fully see through the reasons behind it. And my spiritual intuition tells me that if I attack Lanluus now, I'm very likely to suffer severe damage.
Evan understood immediately; it was indeed a great battle between Ouroius and the Speaker of the School of Life that had stirred up the world.
The Speaker should have already infiltrated Backlund, and Ulorus should also have his sights set on this place, searching for every trace.
At this point, anyone who does anything detrimental to Lanius will immediately come under the watchful eye of Urolius, the King of Angels.
They were subjected to His most direct attack.
However, Evan believed that this situation would not last long. Neither the Storm God, who was on the same path as the true creator, nor Adam, who looked down on the whole world and stirred up trouble behind the scenes, could tolerate Ouroles collecting all the necessary potion ingredients. They would soon divert Ouroles' attention.
"You should know that the speaker of the Life School has gone missing, right?"
Since Bernadette readily provided the latest information, confirming his suspicions,
He can't be stingy; he has to show some of what's appropriate.
"I know, their chairman is a Sequence 1 archangel. Are you implying that the chaos in the River of Fate is related to this?"
Bernadette immediately realized what Evan wanted to say, but she wasn't quite sure.
"The School of Life controls the 'Monster' pathway, which is the 'Destiny' pathway. Moreover, the archangel of the Destiny pathway has suddenly disappeared. This seems incredible no matter how you look at it. In addition, you mentioned that the River of Destiny has become chaotic. It's normal for me to have this guess."
Furthermore, if this conjecture is correct, it aligns with your premonition that attacking Lanius would be extremely dangerous.
Bernadette frowned, looking at Evan with some confusion, and then asked:
"What does this have to do with my premonition of danger?"
Evan looked at Bernadette, unsure whether she genuinely didn't know or was feigning ignorance, and could only say:
"The disappearance of the Fate Council Chairman of the Life School can only be attributed to the intervention of a true god, or, in my opinion, to a powerful enemy who has come knocking on his door."
After the Fifth Age, apart from the God of Craftsmen issuing a divine decree and changing his name to the God of Steam and Machinery, no other miracles occurred, so it is very unlikely that the true God would intervene against Him.
The Fate Path is the most unique among the 22 Divine Paths, as there are no adjacent paths. Therefore, that archangel was likely targeted by a powerful being from the same path.
Coincidentally, as far as I know, the evil god to which the Aurora Society serves—the true creator—has an archangel of destiny. I've heard that this archangel is the "King of Angels" who has followed the true creator since ancient times.
If I'm not mistaken, the battlefield between these two angels of fate should be in Backlund right now, otherwise you wouldn't have this premonition of danger.
Bernadette's bright blue pupils contracted; without resorting to mystical methods, she was fairly certain that Evan's guess was correct.
This made Evan even more mysterious in her eyes.
She already knew the information Evan mentioned, and she even knew the name and origin of the angel of destiny beside the true creator, but she hadn't connected the dots. Now, thanks to Evan's explanation, she had a clear understanding of the current situation.
With that in mind, Bernadette no longer hesitated and summoned the custodian once more—a creature with a white headband, entirely blue fur, and its lower body made of wind.
He took out the Sage's forehead ornament that he had once shown to Evan, put it on his head, and his eyes became empty as he looked once again at the chaotic River of Fate.
"Um"
With a muffled groan, Bernadette's face turned pale, tears welled in her eyes, and she almost lost her balance, but she didn't have time to worry about that. Instead, she immediately took off the "Sage's Forehead Ornament" and had the custodian keep it safe again.
After the custodian, who had vanished like the wind, Bernadette took out a white handkerchief and wiped away the tears from her face, saying as she did so:
"Thank you for helping me connect these clues, which gave me the accurate perspective to perceive the danger I had sensed earlier."
Everything is as you guessed. The two archangels of destiny have arrived in Backlund, and their struggle continues.
Despite Bernadette's gratitude, Evan was not arrogant, since the process of deducing the conclusion from the beginning was far less difficult than the process of deducing the conclusion.
"You're just blinded by your own involvement, while I'm a clear-headed bystander. Besides, this is what we do all day. I'm either collecting or analyzing intelligence, so it's easy for me to connect these things."
Evan's email address to Bernadette was MI9, so he didn't need to hide his identity from her. Moreover, his status as a senior intelligence officer in MI9 was the least he needed to hide.
"Did the battle between the two angels delay your promotion plans?"
"By the way! You've been keeping an eye on Lanius all this time, I wonder how he's doing?"
Lanluus orchestrated a far greater deception than the original story, causing immense suffering to the people of Tingen. The overwhelming resentment greatly accelerated the development of Megao's unborn child, and Evan believed that Lanluus must have benefited greatly as well.
"The fraudster was sometimes lucid and sometimes confused. When he was lucid, he tried his best to break free from the control of the Aurora Society and always wanted to do something big to attract the attention of the official forces. When he was confused, he resolutely obeyed the arrangements of the Aurora Society. In short, Qi was lucid for less and less time."
As for my promotion plan, although it has been forced to be postponed, it won't be postponed for too long. After all, Backlund is the stronghold of the Augustus family.
An important protected area for the three major churches.
According to my investigation, the conflict will be forced to stop in a few days. It is possible that one side in the struggle wants to use the official power of Rune. Bernadette, due to her sense of danger, did not dare to make a move against Lanluus, but she has been closely monitoring Lanluus's movements.
Evan chuckled inwardly, thinking that Bernadette's guess was almost entirely correct, just phrased in a more palatable way.
The 'young angel' under the future command of that Fool was clearly no match for them and had no choice but to seek refuge in Backlund.
Bernadette's words also confirmed Evan's earlier guess: neither the Storm Church, Adam, nor the Augustus family would sit idly by while Ulorus finds and kills "Will Onsetin" and collects all the materials needed to advance to Sequence 0. They would only take the initiative to force Ulorus to retreat in the next few days.
"Lanius is a 'deciphering scholar' of the thief's path, and he is very cunning. It cannot be ruled out that his current state is deliberately an act."
Evan was deeply impressed by Lanluus's plan in the original work to lure the Church of the Night to discover Qi, and then to undo the Blood Creator's corruption of Qi.
If it weren't for Klein's interference, Lanius's plan could be considered half successful. Evan believed that given Qi's personality, he would never give up until the very last moment, so he reminded Bernadette again.
Bernadette agreed with Evan's assessment, nodded to indicate that she would pay attention to the matter, and then said:
"Your analysis this time has been very helpful in grasping the situation. I am a person who advocates fair trade, so you can always make any requests you may have."
Evan's help in connecting information with Bernadette was also partly intended to get her to corroborate Qi's suspicions. It wasn't really a matter of who owed whom, but since Bernadette believed Evan's help was greater, Qi didn't mince words:
"The 'shepherd' currently guarding Lanluus is Mr. A of the Aurora Society. He has a non-overbearing characteristic of the 'Pain Witch'."
If it's convenient for you to deal with Lanius, could you please help me get it?
Of course, if you feel the price is not right, I'm willing to pay for it.
"Of course, I'm also very interested in the communication ring on Lanius's hand."
Bernadette couldn't believe her ears for a moment. A hunter was actually seeking the non-overhead characteristic of the Well Maiden path. Did he want to switch paths?
She had only heard of the Well Maiden who suffered eternal regret for a single misstep, but she had never heard of a man who voluntarily became a Well Maiden. If Aiven's bloodline were to be transferred to become a Well Maiden, with Qi's appearance, he would probably be very handsome!
This was the first time Bernadette had encountered such a situation, and her thoughts unconsciously drifted off course.
When Evan saw Bernadette's strange look, he immediately realized she had misunderstood, but Evan still couldn't explain.
Because Qi is unsure whether he can obtain this non-overhead trait, or whether he will use it for promotion in the future.
Although Qi still has the option of "Disease Lieutenant General" Tracy, both of Qi's subordinates, Helen and Natasha, will also seek promotion. (Pain) The non-subordinate characteristics of the well woman will only be more than enough.
"Okay, if the situation allows and there's enough time, I'll take action while I'm at it!"
Besides that, I owe you three favors. Have you thought about how you're going to use them?
Anyone with a shred of self-respect would find it impossible to renege on a debt, but at the same time, they feel uncomfortable owing favors and are eager to repay them.
"I've already decided what I want to ask you for a favor, but just to be on the safe side, let's wait until you're successfully promoted before we talk about it!"
Evan dared not be negligent in the slightest regarding the "Three-in-One Hot Pot Angel," since it was only a few days away and Evan could afford to wait.
Furthermore, as long as Ouroboros stays a little away from Backlund, Evan, still bleeding, dares not touch the "Hot Pot Angel," despite her having three consciousnesses.
It is difficult for them to reach a consensus. If they were to face a life-or-death crisis, they might unanimously chant the name of the Creator of Blood and summon the Great Serpent.
At that time, not only will Evan's underhanded sabotage of the Blood Creator be exposed, but he will also have to lose the Blasphemy Card that he was about to obtain.
Bernadette gave Evan a deep look, wondering what could have made Qi believe that only the intervention of angels could guarantee a solution.
Without asking any further questions, he turned and got into the approaching carriage, leaving Evan's apartment.
Evan tidied up the candles in the apartment, then black flames erupted from his body, setting the entire room ablaze without damaging any furniture; it was merely a form of mystical interference.
Although Evan believed that neither Mr. Azik nor Bernadette would leave any noticeable traces, it was always good to have an extra layer of protection.
Just after Evan finished cleaning the entire apartment, Qi suddenly turned towards the Queens, or more precisely, towards the Sodrak Palace. He sensed someone standing in front of the Level 1 sealed artifact, "Bonaparte's Guardian," calling out to him.
Evan recognized this person; he was Prince Grozon of the Augustus family.