Chapter 754 Two Spirits
754 Two Spirits
When the feminine silhouette emerged from the darkness, Angoul?ame and his companions instantly tensed up.
They were still unsure how to make the humanoid Sealed Artifact move towards the bed on its own; they could only hope that the bed, also a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact, would exert its allure to entice beings to lie upon it.
Of course, the Eternal Blazing Sun Church wouldn"t send merely a team of highest-ranking Purifiers for a transaction involving a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact. Undoubtedly, a demiG.o.d was overseeing from the shadows, but in the event of an incident, how many could be saved from the clash of two Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts was an uncertainty.
As soon as the somber yet serene-looking woman appeared, she moved toward the elegant, cla.s.sical bed as if summoned or commanded.
Angoul?ame and the others remained perfectly still, almost like statues, fearing any sudden movement might startle their target and hinder the positive development of the situation.
Finally, the figure in the black nun"s attire lay down on the bed.
She yawned slightly, then closed her eyes, her whole being radiating profound exhaustion, as if she had spent her life"s energy.
She fell asleep.
Several Purifiers stepped forward, placing their differently colored leather cases on the ground.
They then pulled up the red flannel cloth to cover both the humanoid Sealed Artifact and the cla.s.sical bed together.
The iron-gray steam robots also set down another leather case they were carrying.
They lifted the bed and, along with the Purifiers, left the quarry at a measured pace.
Soon, only Angoul?ame and the nine cases on the ground behind him remained.
At the edge of the quarry, enveloped in deep darkness, a figure dressed in a.s.sa.s.sin"s garb emerged.
She did not speak to Angoul?ame but moved past the Purifier deacon to inspect the cases one by one.
Eight of the cases were either filled with shimmering gold bars or packed with numerous gold coins, all quite heavy, making Franca"s gaze seem disrupted by the gleam of gold.
I"ve never seen so much gold in my two lifetimes combined... shame it"s not mine, Franca thought regretfully as she stowed the gold, valued at 1.2 million verl d"or, along with the cases into her Traveler"s Bag.
Another case contained the main and supplementary ingredients for the Pleasure potion and two folded scrolls.
After verifying everything was correct, Franca nodded to Angoul?ame in a cold, businesslike tone befitting their professional relationship.
"You keep your promises well. I will continue to provide you with intel.
"Praise the Sun, you are the G.o.d of Deeds!" Angoul?ame exclaimed, spreading his arms slightly in homage, attributing all glory and success to the deity.
Franca then left the quarry, continuously circling around and using her Demoness powers to erase any traces, countering any potential divination or prophecy.
After about seven or eight minutes, she met with Lumian in a secret tunnel in Underground Trier and was transported away by teleportation.
Inside Apartment 702 at 9 Rue Orosai.
Franca handed over the ingredients related to the Pleasure potion along with the leather case to Jenna, while Lumian was already seated on the armchair, engrossed in a reorganized dossier of the Sealed Artifact which wasn"t written in a fixed format.
"Number: 1-147 "Original Name: Clémence Athana.
"This Sealed Artifact was born in a magistrate"s family in Spahm Village, Zamet region of Upper Hornacis. She was sent to the Zamet Cloister upon reaching adulthood and, two years later, entered Suhit University to study paleobiology. After graduation, she stayed on as a faculty member.
"Her research in paleobiology primarily focused on tracing the remnants of mythical creatures to prove their existence. At the age of twenty-nine, she abruptly resigned from her academic post and returned to her native village, where she secluded herself in her room.
"Over the next two years, her family suffered a series of misfortunes: "Her father, intoxicated, fell into a cesspit at night and drowned; her mother, overcome with grief, hanged herself; her siblings killed each other over inheritance disputes; and her sister, who had gone home to intervene, went missing and was never found...
"The villagers of Spahm blamed her for bringing misfortune and sought to expel her. Not long after, a strange mental plague broke out in the village. By the time the Purifiers realized the issue, it was beyond redemption, and they had to purify all the infected...
"Further research indicated that Clémence Athana harbored two spirits within her, with her soul appearing st.i.tched together.
"It is believed that one spirit orchestrated the tragedies of her family and the village"s infection, while the other, unable to cope, became muddleheaded yet fought back instinctively, eventually going mad...
"Additionally, she carried another kind of corruption, distinct from her abilities to manipulate minds and spirits.
"It remains unclear when this corruption first appeared, whether before her return to her hometown or after the death of her parents...
"Sealed two years and four months ago."
"She was sealed not long ago. Among all Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts, her number must be one of the latest," Franca remarked, having appeared behind Lumian at some point, her elbows resting on the back of the armchair as she finished reading the dossier.
Lumian chuckled softly after a pause. "Perhaps one day, this will be my fate."
He could faintly sense Clémence Athana"s struggle and resistance, but she ultimately failed and became a monster.
Franca opened her mouth, unsure of what to say.
After a few seconds, she patted Lumian on the shoulder and said, "Look on the bright side, in the grand scheme of things, we"re all going to die. What matters is what we do on the path to death."
Lumian folded up the dossier, nodded solemnly, and responded, "Until death!"
At 10 p.m., in the ancient and dilapidated palace of the Nation of the Evernight, members of the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society materialized in various locations.
Franca immediately spotted 007, who was wearing the lion headgear. She adjusted her hood and approached, asking curiously, "We"ve received our reward. What"s yours?"
"007" Angoul?ame replied with mixed emotions, "I can now wield a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact with less severe adverse effects."
"Wow, you"re basically on reserve for demiG.o.d status!" Franca exclaimed enviously.
Her thoughts then turned to Lumian, who also possessed a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact with minor negative effects, essentially putting him in the same reserve category.
Before Lumian embarked on the paths of the divine, 007 had already been a Sequence 5 Beyonder. He was just too busy to serve as vice president of the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society, so he had never shared this with others.
Thinking about it, 007 wasn"t really that enviable after all.
007 glanced at Franca and said, "I used to dream of advancing to Sequence 4 and becoming a demiG.o.d, but as I handled more and more Beyonder events, I started to think that it might not be such a good thing. Sigh, fate has pushed me to this point; I can only keep moving forward."
"Right," Franca replied, feeling a sense of kinship. "I have a very important announcement to make soon."
"What is it?" 007 couldn"t help but ask impulsively.
Why is Hidden Blade involved in an important matter again?
What is it this time?
So far, the news she brought was crazier and more shocking one after the other!
"You"ll find out soon enough." Franca sighed.
She then looked towards Lumian, who was now disguised as Aurore, donning a warlock robe and a black hood, heading towards the Academy group"s gathering place.
Lumian, in disguise, nodded gently at Franca.
Seeing that the members of the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society had nearly all arrived, Franca walked directly to the ma.s.sive stone chair.
Dressed in a plain white robe and resembling a half-giant, Gandalf was nearby. He whispered, "Are you going to warn everyone about the Mirror People?"
"No," Franca looked at Madame Hela standing on the other side and conjured a simple megaphone from the cold air.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement to make," Franca"s voice echoed through the ancient and dilapidated palace.
Members like Isotope, Bear, and Cerberus of the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society turned their attention towards the depth of the palace to see who was speaking.
They suddenly felt uneasy.
The news Hidden Blade had brought before was never good!
Although she helped the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society clean up its internal saboteurs and established more reliable rules, avoiding foreseeable harm, the surging tide still left every partic.i.p.ant unnerved.
As everyone ceased their discussions and looked towards her, Franca cleared her throat and started from the rumors about Resurrection Island, recounting her encounter in the catacombs of Trier with a man bearing Eastern looks in their original world.
So, it"s about this... There"s a continuation of that incident? 007 relaxed slightly.
A humming sound arose in different parts of the old palace, and members of the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society couldn"t help whispering among themselves.
For most of them, they had already accepted reality, adapted to their current lives, and even had different pursuits. But now, someone was telling them that the matter of transmigration still had secrets; maybe they could even go home!
Franca then spoke about Harrison of Resurrection Island, involved with death and dark forces, searching for something across the Northern and Southern Continents, but she didn"t mention Demon Warlock Burman-it was too easy to link that to the great adventurer Louis Berry.
In the sudden silence inside the palace, Franca shared her and Lumian"s speculation, "Resurrection Island might be a nexus where the two worlds converge.
"We must find Harrison and get information about Resurrection Island from him!"
After speaking in one breath, Franca"s gaze slowly moved from the somewhat dazed faces of the audience to Madame Hela nearby.
She noticed an indescribable emotion in the dark pupils visible behind Madame Hela"s black latticed veil.