The Clock Tower's Offering (Continued)
After receiving permission from the person in the main seat, the recorder in the room continued his report.
"Coudis, the unlucky guy this time. According to my intelligence network, his family is just an unknown family that has been in existence for three generations. However, thanks to his son's pair of Gold-Grade Mystic Eyes, he made a leap in the lineage of Magus and became a Level 1 Investigator in the Department of Law. He has quite a reputation and for a time was even called the rising ace of the Investigation Department. Although I still look down on such mediocre people, I have to admit that his Mystic Eyes of Insight are indeed a good thing—the light of those sapphires is mixed with gold, which is proof of the highest level of Gold-level Mystic Eyes. However, these are not the most important things."
"The original Department of Law must have realized Chaldea's weaknesses and value. Leveraging their special status as Clock Tower maintainers, they obtained reports and logs about Chaldea in advance, which is why they were able to arrange things so quickly, sending an expedition team just the next day to get there first. This time, to ensure everything went smoothly and to accurately assess Chaldea's value, they even dispatched Coudis, their ace. However, they never expected this situation to occur; it's simply unheard of."
In the conference room, the presenter was speaking slowly and deliberately.
"Heh, didn't they succeed?"
Upon hearing this news, some Magus who had grudges against the Department of Law began to mock them.
"Indeed, at least Coudis truly proved the danger and value involved. Although that guy was mediocre and useless, he used his life to uncover the astonishing truth hidden within Chaldea —that Chaldea harbors an existence that may come from a parallel world, whose information and status are completely beyond human comprehension, equivalent to a god. This being may very well be an Outer God possessing a human body, or perhaps a Magus from a parallel world who reached the pinnacle of power, touched upon the Mari, and ascended to become a god of True Magic."
As he spoke, the person in charge of the investigation carefully took out all the investigative materials related to Chaldea's operation from his briefcase.
This includes the scene and the ravings of that guy when he went to see Rovey's spirit.
Just one glance, just a fleeting moment, almost an instant of collapse.
Furthermore, according to the magic recorder's detection, during that process, there was no trace or aura of Rovey using magic or curses; the only one who made any moves from beginning to end was that madman.
Furthermore, according to medical personnel, the Mystic Eyes were completely destroyed, containing an unknown curse that would drive anyone attempting to decipher it insane. They have now been completely sealed away.
"Horrible..."
After this scene was played, everyone gave this evaluation.
At that moment, someone else produced another report, pointed to certain contents, and said in a deep voice.
"Not only that, there are other developments within Chaldea's territory besides this."
"Oh? Tell me about it."
The others immediately became interested as well.
The man nodded, then looked at the record with awe.
"When they entered the Chaldea snow mountain, thanks to Coudis's detection, they detected strange traces of magic within Chaldea's territory. Moreover, that magic was extremely ancient and pure. Therefore, before entering Chaldea, they split into two groups: one to delay Chaldea, and the other to search for the traces of magic."
"And as it turns out, that idiot Coudis has completely disappeared because of his own stupidity, but those he sent out didn't fare any better; without exception, they all vanished."
"All missing?"
After this news broke, some people couldn't help but raise their voices.
"Yes, they're all missing. Not a single one escaped safely from the snow-capped mountains. Seven elite members of the Department of Law's investigation team, along with Coudis, their ace, were lost. So, this time, the Department of Law's losses are nothing short of bloodshed. Four Festival Rank and three Pride, all dead. Someone has to be held responsible for this."
"Was the loss really that great? Then--"
Upon hearing this shocking news, the Magus asked in a deep voice, "Does Barthomeloi know about this?"
"Obviously they don't know, otherwise the Clock Tower wouldn't be so calm."
The man shook his head and replied, "Because we need to investigate the real reason for the Humanity Incineration, Barthomeloi, as the acting dean, has already gone to the Atlas Institute for consultation. You all know very well that place; it's completely isolated from the world, and you can't receive any information there. Nowadays, the Department of Law is handled by the investigative department."
"Heh, the investigation department, now that you mention it, I do remember. You're the one Barthomeloi promoted from the branch family, right? I still remember his arrogant face. I never expected this guy to cause such a mess while Barthomeloi was away, resulting in such huge losses. His fate is sealed. No wonder the other noble factions didn't show up this time, or simply left because it wasn't their business. It turns out that with their master absent, these stray dogs acted on their own, leading to this outcome."
Among the Democratic Faction, some people gloated upon hearing this news.
After all, the Democratic Faction has been disliking Aristocratic Faction for a long time, and their struggles have long since escalated to the point of bloodshed. Now that the once invincible Department of Law has fallen to such a state, how could they not kick it while it's down?
"So... let's all think of a solution first. Forget about those boring things in the Department of Law, the question now is—what should we do? How should we do it?"
Finally, Trambelio, the democratic leader and head of all the Department of General Fundamentals leaders, who was seated in the main seat, spoke.
Although the setbacks suffered by the Department of Law were good news, he wasn't interested in what was going on with Barthomeloi; he was more interested in the opinions of the people present and what the Democratic Faction should do.
Is it about protecting oneself and avoiding troubled waters?
Or should we take a gamble and seize the opportunity to rise to power?
This kind of problem doesn't even require thinking about.
Even if they were genuinely frightened, none of them were inclined to back down.
After all, danger and opportunity go hand in hand. Holding back will only lead to missed opportunities. Throughout history, countless opportunities have vanished in an instant. They have remained unknown for so long, some even into their twilight years, yet they still cannot see any hope of opening the door to Mari. Now that this opportunity has appeared before them, any Magus who seeks the path of magic will not be able to refuse it.
Therefore, the answer is obvious.
"Since you all have this idea, then go ahead and make contact. This is a rare opportunity."
"I propose that Lord El-Melloi II, the modern-day Lord the Department of Modern Magecraft who may have some connection with that being, represent the Clock Tower, carrying gifts to express goodwill, and taking this opportunity to ascertain the true nature of that being."
When Rovey was mentioned, Trambelio couldn't help but become excited.
"If all of this is true, this matter will affect the Clock Tower's development for the next hundred years. We must win the friendship of Chaldea! We must make that deity favor us!"
"The significance of this gift lies not only in the positive value that deity has for us, but also in preventing him from venting his anger and misplaced anger on us because of the Department of Law's stupidity! In any case, we will absolutely not pay the price for someone else's foolishness."
Although their Democratic Faction was poor, they were all part of a large family.
He had looked into Chaldea and done some research beforehand. It was just an observatory, built by the Department of Astromancy at great expense. The funding and environment inside couldn't possibly be very good.
Since that's the case, he decided to play to their liking.
Rather than trying to please a being who might be a god of True Magic with meaningless Magecraft materials or mundane objects, it would be more appropriate to give Chaldea what they need, allowing them to see their efforts and sincerity.
Ultimately, it was the leader, Trambelio, who quickly grasped the key point through analysis of only a few scattered clues.
He then decided to use a quarter of the Democratic Faction's budget for this project first, and if that's true, he would use the other half.
As for the research conducted by each faction this year, it's clear that each family will have to pay for it themselves.
Upon learning of this strategy, they were surprised by Trambelio's decisiveness, but had no objections.
Under normal circumstances, they would fight anyone who dared to cut off their funding and research grants, but in this situation, money is nothing compared to the hope of reaching the Mari.
They even had a backup plan.
If the situation at Chaldea is true, the Democratic Faction wouldn't even need to spend money; they would sell everything they own and spare no expense to do it.
All in order to gain the attention of the gods.
--
Meanwhile, on the other side of the same time.
In Aristocratic Faction conference room.
With Barthomeloi absent and the head of the investigation department also absent, the argument on the Aristocratic Faction side became even more heated due to the lack of a figurehead.
They were also scrambling to prepare gifts for their first meeting and trying to find out the truth.
But no matter which side you're on, there's always one unlucky one in the end.
That was El- El-Melloi II, Weber Velvet.
No matter what choice he makes, he is going to Chaldea today. This is the shared will of both the Aristocratic Faction and Democratic Faction, and he alone cannot refuse it.
Although Weber had known this would happen, he still felt somewhat helpless when he found out.
For him, it was like being forced to go through the gates of hell.
Although he knew in his heart that it was extremely dangerous, he hadn't originally intended to refuse.
After all, he had information about Mr. Kenneth and his classmate, Rovey. This time, he had to go and see for himself. If the other party really was Rovey from a parallel world, then he needed to ask him directly what kind of people Mr. Kenneth and he were in that world.
While this cannot erase his past mistakes, it does give him some peace of mind.
So Weber didn't attend the meeting. Instead, he went back to pack his things and prepare to leave. He didn't know if he would come back alive. So this time, he, who was always looked down upon by various factions, was unusually tough and told these guys to hurry up and finalize things. He was leaving tomorrow and wouldn't wait any longer.
The other Lord remained silent this time, instead busy exchanging information about their dealings with Chaldea.
Other members of the Aristocratic Faction.
The higher-ups, who had just finalized the plan to give gifts, apologize, and distance themselves from that idiot in the Department of Law, are already arguing fiercely about what to give.
So what exactly are we sending?
"Need I say more? It's definitely top-tier Magecraft materials and Mana Reactor. Aren't these the kinds of gifts Magus exchange?"
"Fool! That applies to ordinary Magus. If that being is truly a god, giving him something like that is no different than a beggar trying to bribe a king with copper coins! It might even be considered an insult to that being!"
"That's right, but the Magus of Chaldea don't seem to be traditional Magus. They seem to be using a fusion of technology and Magecraft, a branch of Department of Modern Magecraft. Do you know what kind of things Magus of this style usually like?"
"Department of Modern Magecraft? We wouldn't normally bother with such unorthodox methods. El-Melloi II should know about it, but he doesn't want to see us right now."
"That's perfectly normal, isn't it? After all, we forced him to accept that kind of mission. In that case, let's try a different approach. Also, Your Majesty Lord Gaius Link, I'm warning you, you useless groundhog. Please note that if you continue to slander Chaldea as a heretical sect, I will, on behalf of all the Lord, kick your ass hard with my studded boots!"
"It was my fault, I'm sorry..."
"Just remember that. Don't let your stupidity drag us all down with you. The trouble the Department of Law has caused is already deadly enough."
"So, what should we send? That place is so harsh, let's just send something practical, like manpower, money, and other things, okay?"
"That makes sense! But directly sending people over could easily be seen as having ulterior motives, wouldn't that be suspected of infiltrating Chaldea?"
"Give us money directly? Give us a lot, give us plenty!"
"That won't work either, since the nature of the situation would be completely changed."
"This won't work, that won't work, what else can we send? A beautiful woman?!"
"Hey, what you said makes sense! After all, no one has ever said that gods are celibate. It's perfectly normal for them to like beautiful women, right? After all, even the main gods like Odin, Zeus, and Indra have such preferences. I happen to know a Magus named Koyanskaya in the Clock Tower who would be perfect for this position."
"No, let's stick with Magecraft materials!"
Clearly, this suggestion was not accepted by everyone, and the meeting room soon erupted into another argument.
"Stop arguing! While you're bickering, those Democratic Faction guys have already made their move. We need to hurry and act. I already know what's the best thing to send!"
As they argued, a high-ranking old Magus suddenly spoke up.
"What?"
Everyone turned to look.
"For now, sending supplies is enough. Let's learn from Trambelio's pragmatism and arrange for manpower to help Chaldea expand later. This way, it's both respectable and conspicuous, ensuring Chaldea always remembers our kindness. Moreover, if that god truly resides in Chaldea, our actions can be considered building a temple for him, the highest honor. As for suggestions about beautiful women, we don't necessarily have to completely reject them. After all, it's said that when that god appeared, there were two beautiful women with him."
"That makes sense!"
Many Lord suddenly realized the truth.
"Then let's get started! Quickly gather a year's worth of supplies and have El-Melloi II transport them for us. Building materials also need to be prepared in advance! Remember! They must be covered in Aristocratic Faction symbols, so that he'll remember us!"
"Wait for me! I'll go and transfer Koyanskaya to Chaldea right away!"
--
The next morning.
Weber, the messenger of the Clock Tower, sat alone in the center of the Clock Tower Airport, a cigar dangling from his lips, leisurely exhaling a smoke ring.
He couldn't help but fall into deep thought as he looked at the dozen or so cargo planes parked in front of him, loaded with all sorts of materials and supplies.
Should I send something too?
He reached into his pocket and felt it, but it was empty.
Soon after, the leaders of various factions also arrived here before setting off.
Whether they were from Democratic Faction, Aristocratic Faction, or Neutral Faction, all the big names and figures who were Magus came here, ostensibly to see him off.
These big shots, who usually looked down on him with arrogance, now acted like close friends who were about to part ways, their faces full of reluctance, some even shedding tears. Their acting was so superb that they almost believed it themselves. But before leaving, each of them reminded Weber not to forget them after he arrived, because they were his best friends!
Although Weber didn't know exactly when he became close friends with them, he still had to go through with it outwardly. However, compared to these empty words, he would have preferred them to say something like, "You don't need to pay me back."
After much hesitation and unspoken words, he boarded the plane and prepared to depart.
"Well.
Weber let out a sigh of relief and then sat down on the plane.
Below, there was still a sense of reluctance, and an emphasis on remembering their Lord.
"This is such a hassle."
Weber sighed, then glanced down at the ground and suddenly sensed that something was amiss.
Weber immediately began to think about it seriously.
He began to recall the figure and name of the person who had just arrived.
Aristocratic Faction, Democratic Faction, and Neutral Faction Lord— all who could come—were present, or at the very least, they sent high-ranking officials to see them off. But something seemed to be missing... and it was something quite obvious.
He thought about it carefully for a moment, and then suddenly realized that he hadn't seen anyone from the Department of Law come over.
Suddenly, an extremely ominous premonition arose in Weber's mind.