No... Qonas Kilgor stood on the spot as a strong feeling of despair emerged in his heart.
As a military demigod who had experienced many dangers, he had a clear understanding of his current situation. He could already hear the footsteps of death approaching him.
He wanted to struggle and risk it by revealing his Mythical Creature form, but his orders didn't do a thing with his sluggish mind.
His body had been "Parasitized" and was no longer under his control!
At that moment, Qonas Kilgor wasn't even capable of shedding a tear.
Under the gigantic crimson moon's illumination, one second after another passed. Suddenly, Qonas Kilgor raised his left hand and touched his crew haircut.
He had already become Klein's marionette.
In fact, he still had a chance at the final moment. As the "Parasite" effect didn't last long enough for him to become a marionette, he had those two or three seconds to reveal his Mythical Creature form.
But the problem was that his body also had the effects of "Misdirection" and "Deceit." As time passed, his thoughts turned more and more sluggish and wasn't able to grasp that short opportunity.
Klein looked at his new marionette and exhaled silently. He looked up at the clear and bright red moon and said, "It's done."
Amidst the gigantic crimson moon, a black dot instantly appeared and descended from the sky. It was none other than the Church of Evemight's archbishop, Servant of Concealment, Arianna, who wore a simple robe with tree bark as a belt.
In this concealed world, this ascetic didn't use any Beyonder powers to float in midair. "She" cast her eyes at the Earl of The Fallen beneath.
"She" gently raised her right hand as Qonas Kilgor's slightly blurry soul emerged from the military demigod's head. Klein lost his control over his marionette as a result of this.
He wasn't too surprised by this because he hadn't sent a Worm of Spirit through the Spirit Body Threads over. His control over the marionette was essentially still at a Sequence 5 state and not at the demigod level.
"Where did you go just now?" Arianna asked calmly as she looked at Qonas Kilgor's soul.
Qonas Kilgor's expression twisted slightly before replying.
"Ruins No. 1."
...Is this a contractual promise or a psychological cue? Klein, who watched the spirit channeling from the side, sensed something from the Earl of The Fallen's reaction.
However, this didn't affect anything because they were in a concealed world, one which no one knew of or could sense.
"Where is that ruin? Who did it once belong to? What is it being used for?" As an archbishop of the Evernight Goddess and an angel of the corresponding pathway, Arianna shared a certain amount of authority in Concealment. Therefore, "She" didn't start with the simplest questions but went straight to the point. "She" wasn't afraid of any accidents.
Qonas Kilgor's soul trembled slightly as he exuded a feeling as if he would automatically blow up, but ultimately, nothing happened.
He hesitantly replied, "That ruin is located deep underground at the Sterlewen segment of the Tussock River. It has a setup that interferes with the powers of divination and prophecy."
Sterlewen segment... This is quite far from the mountain where Mr. A was at and where you disappeared from. From the looks of it, you were very cautious. That point-to-point Teleport's effects are greater than I expected... Klein quickly conjured a picture of the terrain of Backlund's northwestern outskirts.
Qonas Kilgor continued replying, "That ruin used to belong to Blood Emperor Alista Tudor. I'm not sure what it's currently used for. I'm unable to enter the depths of the ruins and am only in charge of sending in people and materials acquired via various means."
The name Blood Emperor Alista Tudor made Arianna fall silent. About three seconds later, she asked, "What materials did you acquire?"
This time, Qonas Kilgor didn't put up much of a resistance. He listed them down, including large amounts of mercury, iron ore, and ritual materials of different domains. Klein was unable to obtain any effective information from that because it was too well-rounded. It was possible to do anything.
They really are very careful. Using large amounts of sundries to hide what they're truly searching for. Even the demigod in charge of these matters isn't aware of the reason... This is very in line with the way a Spectator pathway Beyonder works. It was designed by the Psychology Alchemists? Klein nodded indiscernibly with a guess in mind.
Arianna didn't seem to notice anything as she asked, "Do you have any guesses on what they're doing? If so, what?"
"Yes, I suspect that they're digging up something and attempting to make sacrifices," Qonas Kilgor voiced out his judgment.
Arianna silently looked down at him for a while and said, "Who got you involved in the underground ruins?
"Who are the people who can enter the depths of the ruins?"
Qonas Kilgor struggled once again, but there were no anomalies.
He said hesitantly, "I received His Majesty's orders. I was able to become a demigod because he provided me with the formulas, ingredients, and the opportunity. He even bestowed me with the Concerto of Light and Shadow, allowing me to act as a Sequence 5 Beyonder even in situations where I can't hide my strength.
"Apart from His Majesty entering the depths of the ruins, only two other demigods of the royal family can enter. One of them is Prince Grove, and the other is Duchess Georgina."
They both have Augustus as their last names... But the royal family doesn't only have two demigods... Miss Justice doesn't know much of these two and mentioned that they seldom participate in social events. Even their seats as House of Lords Member of Parliaments are given to their children... Yes, at the demigod level, even if they lack the Beyonder characteristics of not dying and not aging, it wouldn't be a problem living for more than a hundred years. It's really not suitable for them to hold official posts and repeatedly appear in public... Klein tried hard to recall, but he failed to gather anything else.
Arianna was silent for a few seconds before suddenly asking, "Have you met Correns in the underground ruins?"
"Who is he?" Qonas Kilgor asked in confusion.
Arianna didn't answer and continued asking, "Besides them, who else have you met in the underground ruins?"
Qonas Kilgor maintained his sluggish state which was characteristic of spirit channeling.
"People from the Demoness Sect and Psychology Alchemists. The former was originally represented by Despair Nightingale Panatiya, but was changed to Saintess of White Katarina. The latter is Hvin Rambis."
"Did they enter the depths of the underground ruins?" Arianna asked meticulously.
"I don't know. I wasn't following them all the time." Qonas Kilgor shook his head. "At least when I met them, they were all in the periphery."
Arianna asked other questions in an attempt to draw out the general outline of the matter via other angles. However, it was obvious that George Ill's arrangements were flawless. Even a demigod like Qonas Kilgor only knew about the mission that he was responsible for and could only move about in designated regions. He was unable to learn more.
After some thought, Arianna flipped up her right hand and gently pressed down, pushing Qonas Kilgor's soul back into his body. Klein's control over his marionette was restored.
This made Klein sigh inwardly.
The authority of Concealment is really impressive! Even if Ma'am Arianna were to question my marionette one day, I wouldn't even know...
At this moment, Arianna turned her body and spoke to the Gehrman Sparrow on the balcony:
"A problem with George III has basically been confirmed, as well as where the underground ruins are.
"I will immediately meet with the archbishops of the Church of Storms and Church of Steam, convincing them to take action tonight and opening the ruins.
"Before I inform you, control Qonas Kilgor and pretend that everything is fine before making him vanish."
Are you worried that the enemy will notice a problem with Qonas Kilgor while negotiating with the Church of Storms and Church of Steam, making it so that they can seal off the underground ruins or activate other emergency plans? Klein had a general understanding of the matter and nodded.
"No problem."
Arianna, who didn't have adorned hair, didn't speak further. With a casual wave of her hand, the iron-skinned pocket watch flew over.
"This Sealed Artifacts was bestowed by George III. Perhaps we might be able to find some clues from its origins."
Does that mean you're taking it away? Klein replied without any objection, "I'll leave it to you."
He really didn't have any complaints about that, and he even believed that it was only right. After all, half of the battle's success was due to Arianna's contribution with the concealed world and "blessing" him with misfortune. In the event that "She" didn't take the Concerto of Light and Shadow, Klein would mention it. When it came to matters like this, he was always just.
And the Concerto of Light and Shadow was the spoils of war that he didn't want the most. This was because it was at complete odds with his combat style as a Bizarro Sorcerer. The random anomalies would affect him, and the weakening effect was something worse than the enemy.
If Klein's spoils of war from this matter was the pocket watch, then he had considered tricking—no, promoting it to the Snake of Fate Will Auceptin. Only a Life School of Thought demigod who relied on luck to survive could commandeer the Concerto of Light and Shadow. And when that happens, with such a huge secret organization and a Sequence 1, they definitely had powerful Sealed Artifacts that could be used to trade for it.
Upon receiving his reply, Arianna gently nodded. She then threw the iron-skinned pocket watch back at Qonas Kilgor, making the Earl of The Fallen look no different from before.
"Her" figure vanished as though it had been erased by an eraser. Even the pitch-black world with the gigantic crimson moon hanging in the sky, the steeple, and chimneys were quickly wiped away.
In the blink of an eye, everything returned to normal. Klein was inside the master bedroom, and Qonas Kilgor was in a guestroom tens of meters away. Clenched tightly in his hand was Rever's Shout of Despair.
Then, this brigadier general of MI9 used "Disorder" to place the revolver back into his underarm holster and pick up the Maygur wine he had previously poured out and took a sip.
