bookandnovel Chapter 183 Taking Control of the Lower Levels: The Summoning Master
Chapter 183 Taking Control of the Lower Levels: The Summoning Master
Chapter 183 Taking Control of the Lower Levels: The Summoning Master
In fact, Evan's method is the same one that America used in her previous life: stirring up class and ethnic conflicts within the Rune and making empty promises.
At the same time, by relying on the belief in the true Creator at the grassroots level, a strong and effective core organization is established to leverage the power inherent in the grassroots population.
Admittedly, the common people are powerless in the face of the extraordinary, but the connection between the people and the divine brought about by faith makes the organized people not so helpless. The key lies in whether the people have been organized.
Evan's method combines the tactics of two different ideological countries from his previous life. He refuses to believe that this approach cannot disrupt the Kingdom of Rune and exacerbate conflicts between the various parties.
Evan even had a vague other idea: what if this model really succeeded?
The Aurora Society has gained control over grassroots governance that the current governance system of the Kingdom of Rune cannot reach. Does this count as a reform? Will George III really turn a blind eye to such a significant change?
Judging from the unexpectedly rapid passage of Robert's Grain Act and Irwin's Government Employees Recruiting Act, George III was actively promoting reforms that would change the country and society, even at the cost of damaging his power as "Emperor".
An outsider might think that George III was a true reformer, with a selfless heart and a broad mind.
But Evan knew the inside story. He was doing this to reap the benefits and for his own godhood ceremony, which is why he gave the green light to various reforms and actively promoted them.
Is it possible to leverage George III's influence to his advantage? Could he become a protector for the Aurora Society's expansion at the grassroots level, ultimately allowing the Aurora Society to contribute to his own deification ceremony?
Evan held high expectations for this, and it was easy to find a barometer to gauge George III's attitude.
The human trafficker Cappin, who was later rounded up by Klein, was George III's mouthpiece for dirty work and controlled several gangs.
You can tell Carpin's attitude by looking at the attitude of those gangsters, and you can tell George III's attitude by knowing Carpin's attitude.
Even from George III's perspective, he might have been pleased to see the Aurora Society emerge, helping him balance the influence of the Church of Storms.
After explaining some important points, Evan took out a checkbook from his pocket and wrote a check for 20,000 gold pounds as operating funds for the Aurora Society during this period.
After signing the check, Evan sighed to himself. In his previous life, he thought it was outrageous to think that people paid to work, but he never expected that he would actually do such an outrageous thing after he transmigrated.
However, Evan still had to pay this money. Ostensibly, it was to contribute to the development of the Aurora Society, but in reality, as long as the true creator didn't expel him, it would be considered part of his power.
O'Sullivan accepted the huge check, but remained calm. In his heart, true believers would give everything for the Lord, including their lives. What was working while being paid? It was just standard practice.
Having determined the future development direction of the Aurora Society's Backlund branch and provided guidance, Evan was ready to relinquish his responsibilities.
He has several roles, so it's impossible for him to confine himself to specific tasks. If he, as the boss, were to manage everything, what would be the point of having his subordinates?
He also wanted to take this opportunity to assess O'Sullivan's competence and see if he would have a temporary breakdown.
If you go crazy and can't control yourself, get away from it as soon as possible to avoid dragging yourself down with you.
After giving all the instructions, Evan left the secret meeting place in the East District, went to his apartment in the Joewood District, changed his clothes, hailed a carriage, and hurried to the North District.
The headquarters of the Church of the Night in Backlund, St. Samuel's Church, is located on Pesfield Street in the western part of the North District of Backlund, which is where Evan's target is.
Upon entering the church, Evan did not seek out Archbishop Anthony to discuss matters as usual. Instead, he went directly to the prayer hall, found a seat, clenched his fists, and began to pray to the goddess of night, while also reporting on the events of the day.
After a while, Evan didn't notice anything unusual. He only felt that the goddess's blessing was still there, and the seed planted by the true creator was still lingering around him without any change.
Evan knew that even the Goddess of Night couldn't counter the methods used by the true creator himself, and he also understood that this black 'seed' was merely a location marker, just like the Tarot Club members who were connected to the gray fog had hidden red symbols on the back of their hands.
Its main purpose is to make it easy for the real Creator to find Him at any time; it has no other functions.
Even so, Evan felt very uncomfortable and insecure, and even regretted his initial plan to participate in the aurora festival.
He couldn't help but laugh at himself. Although he usually seemed cowardly, he had always carried the arrogance of a transmigrator, believing that he could be invincible with his cheat code. He dared to infiltrate the Aurora Society without much thought.
But remembering that his initial purpose in infiltrating the Aurora Society was to learn about the Iron-Blooded Cross Society, he felt relieved. This was an issue he would have to face sooner or later; it was not something he could avoid.
Since the Goddess of Night could not resolve the "seed" of the true creator, Evan could only console himself with the thought that he might as well make the best of it, but he would still have to put up with the necessary tests.
For example, he wanted to test whether the true creator could truly interfere with him by bypassing the "City of Calamity".
Back in Tingen, Evan had used a series of actions to test Adam, the King of Angels, who was acting as an observer, and found that Adam could not directly interfere with his actions or know his inner thoughts.
Now Evan is going to test whether the true god can control him, and the way to do that is at the high-level extraordinary gathering that he will be attending with Miss Sharon tonight.
This test is necessary to establish Evan's future behavioral guidelines.
At the same time, we should also inquire whether anyone knows anything about the "City of Calamity". Evan just asked the Goddess of Night about this in his prayer, but he did not receive a response.
As night fell, Evan and Miss Sharon rode together in a carriage, heading towards the suburbs along the Tasok River, which runs through Backlund.
It was still August, the height of summer, and listening to the croaking of frogs outside the carriage, Evan felt a sense of peace.
"The organizer of that party was a beautiful woman, and I received the invitation inexplicably when I first arrived in Backlund."
As you know, we were in a state of constant hiding and living in fear, when someone actually found my hiding place, specifically asked me to participate, and quietly slipped the invitation to my place. This really surprised and puzzled me.
I participated with a skeptical but ultimately hopeless attitude.
Only after attending did I realize that this gathering was of a very high standard. Several demigods attended intermittently, and the other extraordinary individuals who attended were mostly Sequence 5 or Sequence 6.
I estimate you might be the first to participate in Sequence 7.
Because the place she was taking Evan to was so important, Miss Sharon, quite out of character, told Evan a lot of things.
Moreover, perhaps because of their past collaboration and the goodwill she had gained from Evan's actions three days prior, she even made a joke about Evan's sequence.
Although Sharon teased Evan about his sequence, she dared not underestimate him in the slightest. As a 'vengeful spirit,' she was born with the ability to receive information from the spirit world and was naturally good at 'divination,' able to sense the danger emanating from Evan.
When the carriage arrived at a luxurious manor in the suburbs, Evan dismissed the coachman and habitually opened "Gray Vision," only to suddenly discover that the manor in front of him was not a manor at all, but a huge tiger-shaped monster lying there with its blood-red mouth wide open, its imposing presence inspiring awe.
The well-dressed servants around the manor were all ghosts, and the manor gate was the gaping maw of the monster. When Evan saw Sharon about to lead him into the tiger's mouth, he was terrified and quickly pulled Miss Sharon back.
Miss Sharon, who had never been directly held in the hand by a man before, reacted instinctively and transformed into a "vengeful spirit." She seemed startled by Evan's action, her pale face flushed slightly, and she glared at Evan, as if blaming him for his rudeness. However, Evan was completely oblivious to this and focused his attention on what was in front of him.
Since Evan formed a connection with the "Level 1" sealed artifact, "Bonaparte's Steadfastness," he has gained almost the status of a demigod through the special authority of the Hunter Path. Correspondingly, Evan's "Gray Vision" has evolved.
Previously, Evan's "Gray Vision" could only create "3D models" of real-world buildings and terrains, and could only detect the traces of extraordinary individuals who were "hunters" and "assassins".
The evolved "Gray Vision" can see and perceive all things related to "mystery," and can directly "see" the surrounding "spirit world" and "mirror world," seeing through some illusions and disguises.
In Evan's eyes, the manor in front of him did not exist at all; there was only a huge monster, more than ten meters tall and over a hundred meters long, lying there, waiting for passersby to crawl into its mouth.
Those well-dressed and polite waiters were actually puppets directly controlled by the monster, guiding people into its mouth.
This inevitably triggered rumors about mythical monsters from Evan's past life memories, making him feel like the atmosphere today had changed.
At the same time, my heart began to pound. Could it be that my past life and this world really had a connection, and that I could return to my previous life?
The crouching monster seemed to realize that someone had seen through its true form. It tilted its head and looked at Evan with its large, water-jar-sized eyes, as if it had become curious about Evan as well. It even stretched its head forward, wanting to see him more clearly.
Just as Miss Sharon was wondering why Evan was suddenly sweating profusely, a silvery laugh rang out.
"Lily, don't be rude, you're scaring the guests!"
What a perceptive young man! Generally, extraordinary beings below the level of demigod cannot see through Lily's true form, but you were able to. That's truly remarkable!
It seems Sharon was right to recommend you to the party. Come on in, Lily won't hurt you!
Miss Sharon found this strange. Considering Evan's unusual behavior, she guessed that Evan could see things that she couldn't. She looked around in confusion, then curtsied in the direction of the manor and took Evan's hand, leading him towards the manor.
Evan naturally heard the woman's voice and knew it was directed at him, so he let Miss Sharon pull him toward the tiger's mouth.
As he walked toward the "tiger's mouth," Evan forced himself to shut down his "gray vision," banishing the image of the gaping maw he had just witnessed from his mind. He then observed the people entering the manor and realized that they seemed unable to see him and Miss Sharon.
Moreover, their appearance and clothing were somewhat distorted, like watching a movie with very low resolution. Evan guessed that this might be similar to when he attended the Tarot meeting, where the organizers had taken some protective measures, and he and Miss Sharon were probably also somewhat distorted in their eyes.
As Evan endured the chill on his neck and the fear in his heart, he and Miss Sharon passed through the gate into Tiger's Mouth. Suddenly, everything went dark, and he found himself in a quiet and mysterious hall. The hall was lit only by a candle as thick as an adult's arm placed in the center, with no other light.
There were some tables and chairs around the candles, and some people were already sitting on them. In front of them was a platform half a meter high, on which were placed luxurious seats, making it look exceptionally high-class.
The surrounding walls were adorned with floral and plant ornaments made of copper and iron, and there were also many dark red or dark black curtains hanging nearby. Below stood servants in formal attire, creating an overall atmosphere of mystery and solemnity.
Just then, Miss Sharon shook off Evan's hand, which was still holding onto her, and whispered, "Come with me!" Then she walked towards the seats on the edge of the room as if she were fleeing.
Only then did Evan realize that he had been holding Miss Sharon's hand the whole time, and he immediately felt regretful.
He cursed himself for not concentrating.
After following Sharon to a table and chairs on the edge of the room, Evan looked around and found that more than twenty people were already sitting in twos and threes.
If, as Sharon said before, everyone here is at least Sequence 6, then this gathering is quite remarkable.
Leaving aside the angels, the power here is almost equivalent to half the power of the orthodox church, which would be astonishing anywhere.
Furthermore, Evan was also speculating that this hall might be inside the belly of the "big tiger" he had seen, which was practically a separate space.
At the same time, he combined the information he had learned after joining MI9 and becoming a senior intelligence officer to guess which path the demigod who could command such a powerful monster must have taken.
"The seats on the platform belong to the demigods. I've attended a few gatherings and met several demigods."
But they don't always come; seeing a few depends mostly on luck.
While Evan was looking around, Miss Sharon was secretly giving him some introductions.
When Evan saw that there were a total of 6 seats on the stage, he was even more surprised. He wondered how many of them he would be able to meet this time, and whether any of them were his targets.
At the same time, Sharon also explained the rules of the party transaction to Evan. After comparison, Evan found that it was actually no different from the party hosted by Mr. A. The party organizer was just to make an assessment and maintain fairness.
Those who can attend this gathering are all extraordinary people, and it's unlikely that anyone would lie or cheat in front of a demigod. If someone dared to do so, they would be incredibly stupid, either mentally ill or betrayed.
Just as Evan was lost in thought, when the number of people attending the event in the dimly lit hall exceeded thirty, three figures suddenly appeared on the throne on the platform: two women and one man.
The male demigod was shrouded in a black mist, making it impossible to discern his height, weight, or build. The other two women, on the other hand, openly revealed their true forms.
One of them was Bernadette, the king of pirates whom Evan had seen on the wanted poster, the founder of the Dawn of Elements, the eldest daughter of Emperor Roselle, and the "Mysterious Queen".
She was wearing a pair of beige trousers that were easy to move in, and black boots, but her upper body was covered in a tight-fitting outfit with lace trim.
Her outfit gave Evan the feeling of facing a career woman from his past life, and he even felt a little disoriented, as if he had returned to Earth in a dream.
The only flaw was that she wore an old-fashioned yellow soft hat, which seemed out of place with her overall outfit.
However, her outstanding looks and innate air of authority made people overlook the flaws in her attire.
"Wow!!!"
When Bernadette appeared in the hall, someone couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, clearly seeing her for the first time and recognizing her as the mysterious queen who was famous throughout the extraordinary world.
"This is the first time I've met this lady. If I include those I've met before, then I've seen at least five demigods at this gathering."
Miss Sharon whispered something in Evan's ear.
Evan nodded silently, wondering if Bernadette was also attending such a party for the first time.
If that's the case, then I can honestly say I'm quite lucky.
Compared to Bernadette, whom he had anticipated, Evan focused more of his attention on the beautiful woman sitting in the middle.
She was young and beautiful, with bright eyes and a delicate nose, and a swan-like long neck. Every gesture she made exuded elegance, making people feel an instant attraction to her.
Even though he had met several witches, including one demigod-level witch, Evan still had to admit that this was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life; she was as if she were the very embodiment of beauty.
What's even more captivating is that her eyes, which can mesmerize you at first glance, are red!
This almost directly reveals her identity: she is a demigod of the apothecary pathway, in other words, she is a demigod vampire.
Evan immediately thought of the information about the Moon Path, and Sequence 3 was called "Summoning Master".
The Moon Path involves the realms of life and spirituality; Sequence 8 is "Beast Tamer," while Sequence 3 is "Summoning Master." No wonder she was able to tame such a powerful and extraordinary creature.
Just as Evan was lost in thought, the elegant lady sitting in the middle spoke in her pleasant voice:
"We seem to be very lucky today. Not only are there a lot of people here, but we've also welcomed several new members, including the lady to my left. I don't need to introduce her; I'm sure you all know who she is."
Now that the gathering is over and no one else is coming, let's begin the transaction!
Just as the elegant lady who organized the gathering announced the start of the party, Aiwen, through the special influence of the "City of Calamity," felt that he was no longer in the outskirts of Backlund, and that his connection with "Bonaparte's Steadfastness" had become so thin and weak that he could hardly borrow any power from the sealed artifact!
Evan felt a chill run down his spine. He finally understood why this lady would choose to hold a mysterious party inside the monster's belly. Was there a safer place than a party location that was constantly moving?
In this situation, even those with ulterior motives can only hide their thoughts!
Those present were all seasoned veterans who had attended several gatherings. After the elegant and beautiful lady announced the start of the trading, some people began to ask if the trading partners they had arranged at the last gathering had arrived.
Miss Sharon also announced her request to everyone again through the waiter—to purchase the potion recipe for "Puppet".
Even at gatherings of this caliber, it's rare to see demigod-level potion recipes being traded, let alone those from the "Prisoner" pathway, so unsurprisingly, no one responded.
Miss Sharon wasn't particularly surprised; she had been disappointed so many times that she was almost numb to it.
But at that moment, Evan, who was standing to the side, asked a question that he already knew the answer to:
"Is this 'puppet' sequence 4 of the Prisoner Path?"
"Yes! Do you know where I can get it?"
"I don't know, that's why you always have such a blank expression. Turns out you've been playing the role of a 'puppet' all along!"
That's such a pity. You actually have a very pretty smile.
Miss Sharon stared blankly at Evan, who had now dared to openly flirt with her, without saying a word.
Seeing Miss Sharon's gaze, Evan awkwardly touched his nose and said in a low voice:
"I'll keep an eye out for you in the future!"
Sharon's mood inexplicably improved after Evan's interruption, and she ignored the numbness of her failed attempt to purchase the "Puppet" potion recipe.
Just then, another waiter announced items for sale, including the complete spinal fluid of the Evil-Patterned Black Panther. This was a key material for the Sequence 7 'Magician' of the next path, and it was very rare. Evan quickly bought it.
As the plot unfolds, Klein learns more and more, and related characters begin to appear one after another. Tingen's story is nearing its end.
Evan already knew of Klein's choice and promised to make preparations for him as much as possible. After all, Tingen was not Backlund, and collecting materials for Sequence 7 was not easy. Since he had come across it, Evan naturally had to buy it.
At the same time, in order to increase his influence, Evan also sold off the things he had prepared in advance, such as potion recipes and extraordinary properties, which attracted the attention of others.
Evan did this mainly to demonstrate his value and pave the way for his upcoming deal with Bernadette.