bookandnovel Chapter 265 Hunter, Prey, Audrey's Worries
Chapter 265 Hunter, Prey, Audrey's Worries
Chapter 265 Hunter, Prey, Audrey's Worries
Seeing Evan looking at him, curious about how he had won over Master Collins, Robert didn't pretend to be profound. He took a bite of beef and said with a smile:
"Although we don't know exactly what the angelic ascension ritual through the 'General Knowledge' pathway is, based on some secret information, it can be basically determined that it is inseparable from technological innovation and social development."
This can be roughly guessed from the past of the angels within the Steam and Mechanical Church.
From this perspective, the "generalist" path is a path closely related to the real world, just as the "hunter" path is inseparable from the military and war, and the "arbitrator" and "lawyer" paths are inseparable from state power.
If Master Collins wants to advance his career, he needs the help of a state entity. However, he is advancing through a different route and is currently being hunted down by the Morse Order. He lacks the relevant connections and foundation.
So no matter how Master Collins made his deal with the mysterious queen, his ultimate goal is to ascend to become an angel, which means he can't possibly leave our help.
Evan thought about it and realized it was indeed true; the demigods and angels of the Church of Steam and Machinery, compared to the higher-ups of other churches,
They are all relatively active and approachable, renowned masters in their respective scientific fields, some even teaching at the school every day, and are famous all over the world.
Even their internal monasteries are called "Academies of Sciences," and the ascetics there are either "professors" or "academicians," which basically represents the characteristics of the "generalist" path.
These people are all academic luminaries with disciples all over the world; it would be incredibly easy for them to promote any technology they want.
The "Secret Seeker" path represents the "mysterious side" of the extraordinary world, emphasizing that the more mysterious the better, and the more mysterious the better, as it increases the likelihood of universal ascension.
The extraordinary beings of this path crave a world that is as stagnant as possible, and all intelligent beings crave a world that is as foolish as possible.
In this context, if the path of the extraordinary through the generalist route is "worldly," then the extraordinary through the "secret seeker" route is to transcend the world.
Collins was a demigod in the "Ascetic Order of Morse," so he must have taken the path of "transcendence."
Taking the path of "worldly engagement" now will definitely be extremely difficult. Collins doesn't have the world-renowned fame and influence of the demigods of the Steam and Mechanical Church, except for some great figures from extraordinary worlds.
Who else would recognize him?
This single point alone makes it difficult for Master Collins to make world-changing technological innovations and transform the world. Even if he had world-changing technology, it would be difficult to promote it.
"According to you, he is now the 'Master of Prophecy' of the 'Secret Seeker' pathway, Sequence 3."
So he must have made some kind of prediction about his future. His arrangement for that "lawyer" to have in-depth conversations and establish a connection with you might be for her benefit, but it's also possible he saw that you could help his future promotion and was deliberately making the connection!
Seeing Evan's thoughtful expression, Robert casually mentioned something that Evan had overlooked, but which he, as an observer, could see clearly at a glance.
That is, Evan deliberately and actively approached Collins through Catherine Grey, possibly as a result of Collins's deliberate manipulation, which is not difficult for a "master of prophecy".
Evan involuntarily opened his mouth wide, his mind flashing back to his interactions with Catherine Grey, and in the end he could only manage a wry smile.
He always believed that the most skilled hunters often appeared in the form of prey, and so he had always roamed in front of the Witch Cult, the Gnostic Society, and the Augustus family in the form of prey.
But unexpectedly, he would one day treat the "hunter" as "prey," acting like a fool.
However, Evan had a good attitude, after all, the one who turned him into a "fool" was a ruthless Sequence 3 demigod, not just any random person.
On the contrary, the presence of a world-renowned demigod who was plotting against him made Evan feel that he already had some weight. After all, if he didn't have enough value to be used, Collins probably wouldn't even glance at him, let alone plot against him.
"So, you're saying we're not completely at a disadvantage against Master Collins, and that he actually needs us?"
Evan brought his attention back to reality and asked in a summarizing manner, "That's how it is. I will handle the matter of Mr. Azik and Master Collins carefully from now on."
"You've done a great job this time, bringing in an angel and a quasi-angel. The mysterious queen might even be able to join this gathering because of you. You've practically brought in three angels! I should reward you with something. Tell me what you want now!"
Robert took stock of what Evan had accomplished during this time, and was once again filled with confidence for what he wanted to do in the future. His tone was full of praise and endless sighs.
Evan simply shook his head and said:
"I'm actively recruiting people for our common goal, so you don't need to reward me, brother. We're brothers."
If I have any needs, I'll just tell you directly. I won't be shy; you know, I'm actually quite thick-skinned.
Robert chuckled upon hearing this, feeling quite pleased. He raised his glass and clinked it against Evan's, then asked:
"Do you remember what else I told you after I assigned you the task of taking out Beckron?"
Evan recalled his meeting with Robert a week ago, his eyes narrowing as he said:
"I remember you mentioned that the Fussac Empire would likely send people to the Kingdom of Rune to spy on us!"
"Yes, that's it. Since they clearly know that I have become the 'Law Master,' they must have sent a demigod."
I'm planning to find an opportunity to lure out this demigod of the "Hunter" path, then kill him to pave the way for your future. I imagine your "Conspirator" potion is being digested quite quickly by now, isn't it?
Robert swirled the wine in his glass and asked with a half-smile.
Robert's last sentence sounded like a question, but to Evan, it sounded like a statement.
Because it sounded like a statement, Evan felt a sense of innuendo, as if the "scheming manipulator's" quick digestion of the potion was something shameful.
So Evan puffed out his chest, spoke with righteous indignation and pride:
"That's right. I estimate it won't take more than half a month for the 'Schemer' to completely digest the potion."
Evan's words made Robert, who had just been teasing him, pause in his tracks, because from the moment Evan embarked on the path of the extraordinary until now...
It's only been three months.
To become a Sequence 6 'Conspirator' who has fully digested potions in just three months—what an astonishing speed of digestion!
Moreover, two weeks ago, Robert had already given Evan the "Reaper" extraordinary trait, which means that Evan is very likely to prepare for the ritual to become a Sequence 5 extraordinary before the end of this year.
Considering that it took him seven or eight years to become a "Punishment Knight," Robert felt like he had wasted his life.
At the same time, he increasingly suspected that the prophecy the old count received from the "prophet" might come true for Evan, rather than for him.
Even with these doubts, Robert felt no jealousy whatsoever; instead, he looked forward to Evan's future with even greater anticipation.
"Although the Beckeron case is not over yet, and there may even be other twists and turns, I think we should start preparing for it."
Robert's plan was entirely for Evan's benefit, and Evan was very grateful, saying:
"Thank you, Robert!"
"Like you said, we're brothers, no need to be so polite!"
Robert repeated what Evan had just said, and the two brothers smiled at each other and clinked their glasses again.
Just then, there was a knock on the door of the private room, and a young man in a suit entered. He bowed and greeted Robert and Evan, then whispered a few words in Robert's ear, while Evan took the opportunity to cut the beef on his plate.
He'd been talking the whole time and hadn't even had time to eat a few bites.
After listening to the young man's words, Robert waved his hand to indicate that he understood, and then said to Evan:
"This is my new secretary, Simon. If you need any help with anything, you can ask him!"
Evan nodded to Simon, who was smiling at him, and made a note of Robert's new assistant.
After exchanging nods with Evan, Simon didn't linger and took his leave, closing the door behind him.
"We've just received word that His Majesty George III's birthday celebration will proceed as scheduled tomorrow, and will even be expanded!"
Robert didn't waste any words and directly told him the news he had just received.
"It seems that King George III has reached an agreement with Intis face-to-face to suppress this matter. I wonder what price he paid. After all, King George III doesn't know, but we all know that Intis also lost the director of the Eighth Bureau!"
"Unless an angel dies, Intis will accept the conditions of the Kingdom of Rune, given the current global turmoil and before Intis changes its fundamental national policy."
However, a deep rift must have appeared in the relationship between Intis and the Kingdom of Rune, a rift that occurred without George III's knowledge.
Evan nodded in agreement with Robert's view, because from Intis's perspective, it was indeed possible that the witch was the one who instigated Beckeron to massacre the embassy.
However, this witch is more likely just a scapegoat who was pushed out, and it's hard to say who the mastermind behind her is.
Having dealt with the Witch Cult and the Gnostic for a long time, Intis easily determined that this was not their doing after understanding what had happened.
Adding to this the death of Gabriel, a demigod from his own clan and a key member of the Secret Order, it's hard for Intis not to suspect that the Kingdom of Rune is crying wolf.
As for the reason why the Kingdom of Rune did this, it's easy to guess: Intis has always been the country most actively plotting to steal the blueprints for ironclad warships from the Kingdom of Rune.
On the one hand, Intis, as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and the initiator of overseas colonization, was outmaneuvered by the Kingdom of Rune in building an epoch-making ironclad warship, which made them feel extremely embarrassed. During this period, the newspapers of the Kingdom of Rune did not hold back in criticizing Intis.
The situation in Intis is also in uproar, and the government is facing the risk of stepping down.
On the other hand, the industrial system left by Roselle was large enough, and Intis was, after all, the headquarters of the Church of Steam and Machinery. Once they obtained the relevant blueprints, Intis was the most likely country to replicate them.
Therefore, Intis has always been the country most eager and daring in stealing ironclad warship blueprints.
Therefore, seeing the successive mishaps of the two ambassadors and the intelligence chief, it's hard for Intis not to suspect that this was a ploy by the Kingdom of Rune to kill Intis and a warning to him.
After all, the Intis executives had heard Gabriel's report about the imminent successful theft of the ironclad warship blueprints, and the people in charge of this work were Beckeron and Rosago.
Now that both ambassadors have run into trouble, and Intis has not received any clear information about Rosago, he naturally suspects that this series of events is related to the ironclad warship blueprints.
Because they hadn't left any clues beforehand, Robert and Irwin weren't interested in what would happen next, and instead started talking about George III's birthday banquet the next day.
"The military reforms involve George III's deification ceremony. One major reason he's so eager to expand his birthday celebration is for tomorrow's air race. This race can only succeed; failure is not an option. Are you confident?"
George III's purpose was easy to guess, so Robert couldn't help but ask another question.
"No problem. Ever since George III took a liking to the development of aircraft, he has used the power of the royal family to invite several extraordinary individuals from the Church of Steam and Machinery to participate in the project."
Although the project is nominally still under the name of Professor Murphy's team, the actual research and development has been taken over by the Extraordinary Ones, so the research and development progress is faster than expected. The prototype has already been produced, and now it has even entered the stage of considering mass production and cost reduction.
I visited Backlund University a few days ago and saw their finished product; it's very close to the requirements of real-world application.
Since receiving the strong support of the royal family, the research and development progress has indeed been rapid, which has allowed Evan to witness the scientific research power of this world.
Sometimes, technological progress is hampered by that one flash of inspiration, which highlights the importance of the drawings left behind by Russell.
According to Evan's observation, Professor Murphy has also entered the world of extraordinary individuals with the help of relevant people.
"That's good. This matter is not only about George III, but also about us, so we can only succeed, not fail." Evan nodded solemnly, indicating that he understood.
Backlund, Queens, Earl Hall.
"Has the perpetrator of the embassy massacre been caught?"
Audrey breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the latest news from Susie.
In fact, when Earl Hall was summoned to a meeting by His Majesty the King last night, Audrey already knew about the massacre at the Intis Embassy and immediately thought of the princess of the Fussac Empire, Alice, whom she had only met once.
Because his brother did not see "Alice" at the subsequent banquet, he made a special search for her, only to learn that the Rune government had never known that a member of the Fussac royal family had come to Backlund.