Should We Plant a Seed First? (Part 2)

Nighttime, in Rovey and Aoko's room.

It was already late at night, and the train was still on its way to Iceland. Just as Rovey and Aoko had predicted, the Rail Zeppelin was indeed traveling directly across the sea to reach Iceland.

Moreover, Rovey had a rough idea of why the other party chose Iceland as their third destination.

Because, compared to traveling on ice fields, mountains, or cities, the endless sea is undoubtedly much safer.

After all, they are all Magus, each with their own unique skills, and their fighting spirit and patience are astonishing... Even when faced with a moving train, they have ways to escape by jumping off the train midway.

But what if the route is set over the ocean?

Unless you are Magus can maintain long-term flight until you reach a nearby island, landing on the ocean will be no different from being an ordinary person, and you can only struggle desperately in the face of the endless sea.

Without a boat, even if you want to go far, it's impossible. At that point, there would be countless ways to track or retrieve the items.

Therefore, landing at sea was undoubtedly the safest route, as it would cut off all their escape routes, demonstrating extremely thorough planning.

The time is approaching the three o'clock that Lita told him, and dawn is about to break.

At this moment, the dark sky at the far end of the window has gradually turned a bright, fish-belly white.

In the room, Rovey completely ignored Lita's whispered words and stayed in his room without any other thoughts.

Anyway, that whisper was just Lita passing the message one-way to him; he didn't say whether he agreed or not. Right now, not going would be perfectly reasonable. Besides, given the strangeness of that woman's behavior, and considering he'd almost completely exposed her secrets, if the little head controlled the big head and went, the scene would be quite amusing.

While the claim that the person behind the train is related is somewhat accurate, it's not entirely true; the other party's identity is far more exaggerated than imagined.

If things go as expected, the time during today's auction will be when the other party prepares to take direct action.

It's just unknown what method she will use to carry out her plan.

After all, given the other party's status and experience, it's impossible that they didn't know Aozaki Touko's unparalleled skill of using Puppet Magecraft and the Soul Origin to recreate themselves. If they only wanted to kill Aoko's body, they wouldn't have waited until now, and that would have been pointless.

Therefore, the fact that the other party didn't react much despite being provoked by Aoko Touko, and even deliberately waited until the auction was underway before making their move, suggests they were likely preparing something—perhaps... a method to truly kill or capture Aozaki Touko?

"Hiss..."

Thinking of this, Rovey couldn't help but gasp, feeling slightly surprised.

While this speculation is indeed surprising, it's probably the only explanation—the other side must have prepared some special trump card specifically for Aozaki Touko.

When this possibility came to mind, not only was Rovey somewhat surprised, but Aozaki Touko was also taken aback.

Although she wanted to laugh out loud at the other person's stupidity, did they really think that some kind of Magecraft ritual could stop her carefully arranged plan? If she were so easily dealt with, she would hardly be called Grand Puppet Master.

But when she thought about where she was, the other party's identity, and their strange and unpredictable methods, Aozaki Touko couldn't help but think of what Rovey had said to her last night, and realized that the situation was definitely not as simple as she had imagined.

After all, as the owner of this Dragon, the other party couldn't possibly be a fool. The fact that she made such an arrangement meant she must have considerable confidence. Although Aoko didn't believe the other party could stop her, the mere thought of that possibility sent chills down her spine.

She hadn't felt this kind of direct threat to her life for a long time since the theory of Puppet Magecraft was fully developed. This feeling of the unknown made her very uncomfortable.

Especially after realizing the possibility that she might have fallen into a trap if she had come alone, she felt her hands and feet turn cold.

Although Aoko really wanted to ignore the auction and run away halfway through, seeing Rovey's calm face, she couldn't help but feel a strange sense of security.

"Leave...?"

Hearing Aozaki Touko's suggestion, Rovey raised an eyebrow and then asked, "Why should we leave? We've gone through so much trouble to come out here, and we've even spent so much time on this. Are you really willing to leave empty-handed? Besides, I went through so much trouble to trick them into giving me something really good. It would be such a waste to leave without even seeing it."

"But..."

Aozaki Touko watched as Rovey remained calm, seemingly unconcerned about his schemes and plans. This made her somewhat anxious, thinking that Rovey was being rather arrogant and might easily suffer a great loss.

The next moment, Rovey directly handed the list of Mystic Eyes that the crew had recently distributed to each room to Aozaki Touko.

"Look for yourself, it's full of good stuff, and the thing you wanted is right there in there. Clearly, she's gone to great lengths to keep you here."

"Hmm, these things are..."

Aozaki Touko took the list from Rovey, glanced through it casually, and then looked at it seriously.

Sure enough, he saw the pair of eyes that were his target this time.

[The Magic Eyes of Recording]

Number: M—E10086

Total weight: 0.3 ounces

Magic Circuits (Quality): A

Magic Circuits (quantity): A

Magic Circuits (programming): Normal

Overall Mystic Eyes rating: Excellent

Possesses Magecraft abilities: [Record] Everything the Mystic Eyes observes is automatically recorded. This recording is not simply image retention, but a comprehensive sensory recording, including sound, smell, touch, emotion, and atmosphere. When reviewing the recording, the scene and feelings experienced at the time can be completely recreated.

Playback Function: The owner of the Mystic Eyes can control the recordings to be projected in front of them using their mind. The size and clarity of the Projection be adjusted at will. Recordings can also be shared with others; as long as a mental connection is established, the other person can view the recordings together.

Memory Index: The Mystic Eyes has a powerful memory index system. The owner only needs to flash relevant keywords or images in their mind to quickly locate the corresponding recorded content, making it easy to find and review historical fragments.

Type: Basic Perception Type Mystic Eyes

Mystic Eyes Rank: [--Magic Eyes of Golden Level] (Gold-Grade Mystic Eyes)

Starting bid: £10 million

Note: This Mystic Eyes is extremely powerful, belonging to the superior quality among Gold-Grade Mystic Eyes in terms of functionality. However, Mystic Eyes places extremely high demands on the user. The user must have top-level control over both magic power and mental strength to perfectly master it. Furthermore, it requires strong soul power to support it. Once the user loses control of their magic power and mental strength, the Mystic Eyes will overload their mind due to the excessive intake and recording of knowledge and information, leading to a gradual collapse.

Train evaluation: It is a pair of extremely dangerous, yet equally powerful, Mystic Eyes.

"This should be what you wanted. It's the most suitable Mystic Eyes to complement your Magecraft. It's a high-level Gold-rank Mystic Eyes, which is indeed quite good."

Rovey pointed to the description of the Mystic Eyes on this page, then took a sip of the boiled water on the table and gave his evaluation.

"Yes... I did come here for these Mystic Eyes."

Aozaki Touko didn't hide anything and readily admitted it.

These strange, Mystic Eyes, which would be considered a terrifying flaw by other Magus, are actually the most suitable for her.

After all, her reputation as a genius wasn't given lightly.

Whether it's Puppet Magecraft or Rune, these are both long-lost foundations of Magecraft, yet she has managed to revive them. While not as extravagant as Rovey's mythological foundation or the reconstruction of Alchemy and Western systems, it is still an unimaginable miracle in the world of Magecraft.

As for how she did it?

Is it talent? Or luck?

The other Magus were baffled by this, but for geniuses like Rovey and Aoko, they were perfectly clear that doing something like this couldn't be achieved solely through talent and luck, two somewhat ethereal things.

Ultimately, it still relies on skill as a strong foundation, and replicating the Magecraft base is an extremely demanding task for Magus, requiring a level of precision in Magecraft operations that is unimaginable for ordinary Magus.

In terms of precision operation, Rovey also admits that he is not as good as Aoko.

He has a special soul condition, which means that if he wants to learn something, he can master it very quickly. I think I can do it, so he can master it quickly and in large quantities. This can definitely be considered cheating.

As for Aoko, everything she does is based on the precise operation of this project, so her skill level in this area is naturally unimaginable.

Every Magus's Magic Circuits differ, with the biggest difference undoubtedly being their quality and quantity. In terms of talent alone, Aozaki Touko's overall magical proficiency is definitely not top-tier, and the number of her Magic Circuits is actually among the smaller ones. However, the quality is exceptionally high, to an astonishing degree, overwhelmingly superior to the quality of circuits possessed by other Magus.

Therefore, given the limited quantity, Aozaki Touko naturally needed to exercise long-term and precise control in order to use Magecraft, to the point that her skill in this area reached an immeasurable level.

The powerful mental strength and magical control required for the Magic Eyes of Recording —simple conditions that would be demanding for others—are at most a bit troublesome for Aoko. As for the requirements regarding soul level...

Talking about soul power with a Grand Puppet Master has mastered the Soul Origin and has some research on the Third Magic is truly laughable. If this Mystic Eyes falls into Aoko's hands, then with her increasing experience, it's very likely that a Type-Moon version of a 'walking encyclopedia of the Magecraft World's or a 'Forbidden Book Index' will be born in the future.

Then, he was hunted down by the Mage's Association all over the world, brought back and imprisoned, and the imprisonment was irrevocable...

What Index?

For a moment, Rovey felt that Aozaki Touko's thoughts were somewhat dangerous.

However, having a lot of records does not necessarily mean having a lot of knowledge.

After all, a person's energy is limited. Even if you memorize it, it doesn't mean you can actually use it.

Of course, Aozaki Touko had anticipated this.

"Don't worry, even if I get it, I won't use it to replace my Mystic Eyes directly. At most, I'll use it as one of the most important main axes of my multiple Mystic Eyes, retaining its original functions to assist me. I don't need all of its performance; just retaining some of the records for my use is enough. This will greatly increase my speed of researching magic and also improve the functionality of my Mystic Eyes."

Noticing Rovey's doubts, Aozaki Touko spoke up in response.

Clearly, these Mystic Eyes were merely high-level material for her to enhance herself; she was not content to be a humanoid tool like an encyclopedia.

"The idea is good, but it's a bit of a waste of those demonic Mystic Eyes..."

Rovey shook his head and gave his own evaluation.

Aozaki Touko could not deny this, as her method of using the Mystic Eyes, regardless of their quality, would diminish Mystic Eyes function and mystery, making it a complete waste of their potential.

Moreover, according to her estimate, these Mystic Eyes should be worth over 200 million pounds.

Not only could she see the value of those Mystic Eyes, but others could as well, though these others were not the people on the train.

For such a grand auction, the invitations to the Rail Zeppelin could not possibly be limited to just a few.

Aozaki Touko only received an invitation to become a free agent. In addition, there were special invitations that would be sent to the main branch of the Clock Tower.

For example, the El-Melloi Faction, the Barthomeloi school, and other top schools and families.

Without exception, they were all wealthy and powerful people.

After all, this is an auction, and money is the most important thing.

However, unlike the traveling Magus, Rovey and Aoko, those important figures were extremely busy and therefore unable to arrive here immediately. So, some even used Magecraft tricks to participate in the auction from different locations.

After all, this method of purchasing is not only discreet and low in ingredients, but also safe.

Even if you buy a powerful Mystic Eyes, it won't be easily known by others. Sometimes it can be used as a hidden powerful trump card, which can play an unexpected role at crucial moments.

When he arrived here, Rovey had anticipated that he would probably run into acquaintances. If Professor Kenneth saw him when the auction started, he would definitely find out that his previous act of looting was actually to participate in the auction, and he would be subjected to a barrage of questions when he got back.

And also...

If a fight really breaks out, it might actually be broadcast live, and it would be aimed at important figures. In addition, since Father Hansa is also here, and may even be fighting alongside him in the future, it's not convenient for him to use some of his spells.

However, the problem isn't that big. After all, the title of the big shot behind the Mystic Eye Train sounds impressive, but compared to the ancient King of Heroes and the Witch of the Age of Gods that Rovey faced before, they are simply weak.

As for the rumors circulating that the owner of the Rail Zeppelin possesses Rainbow-level Mystic Eyes, Rovey had no reason to believe it. Leaving aside the question of where he would obtain such Mystic Eyes, which only beings at the God level could possess, his physical limitations alone made it impossible for him to use them.

Since we've come all this way, we certainly can't leave empty-handed.

If the other party doesn't want to talk things out properly, then it's better not to do it at all.

Rovey took the auction catalog from Aoko's hand again, and then flipped to the last two items.

Those were two completely different from the previous ones, belonging to the next tier of legendary items, also known as 'Jewel-Grade Mystic Eyes Magic Eyes'.

[Magic Eyes of Soul Erosion]

[The Mystic Eyes of Insight]

One is the Mystic Eyes, which has an extremely strong special attack on souls; the other is a super low-end version of the Clairvoyance, which can simultaneously have a brief insight into the future and past of oneself and others.

When he saw something of this caliber appear, and even two of them were brought out at the same time, even Rovey was surprised by this grand gesture.

He hadn't expected Lita to be so cooperative.

I just casually provoked her, and she actually brought out all the good stuff; she's really straightforward in her work.

Could it be that she believes she has victory in her grasp? So, even if she brings it out to give them a glimpse before they die, and then mocks them on the way, is it alright?

'Hmm, Ms. Lita, your idea is very dangerous...'

Moreover, being overconfident is not always a good thing.

'However, since you're being so cooperative, then I won't hold back.'

Thinking of this, a meaningful smile appeared on Rovey's face.

Similarly, seeing what appeared at the back of the list, Aoko's heart had been itching for a while. If she hadn't known it was a trap, she would have genuinely wanted to pull off another big heist for them. However... the bigger the storm, the more valuable the fish; danger and opportunity always go hand in hand. So even knowing that they were definitely prepared, with Rovey leading the way, she still wanted to pull off another big heist.

Given the current situation, even if he wanted to leave, the guy next to him, whose smile was practically reaching his ears and who was probably counting his spoils in his mind, would definitely not obediently leave with him.

Aozaki Touko knew Rovey too well, so she asked, "... How confident are you about this matter?"

"Ten percent."

When Aoko asked him a question, Rovey answered without even looking up.

"Huh?"

For a moment, Aozaki Touko wondered if there was something wrong with her ears. Her expression was one of disbelief.

Are you serious?