Chapter 98

Yes.

The librarian's power comes from the Island Council, and the Island Council's power comes from Lord of Blankog.

The Lord of Blankog is Imhotep, whose authority comes from the decree of King Arthur. Power is called power because, in addition to authority, it also includes the element of strength.

The latter's power comes from the Egyptian lands thousands of years ago.

The dual investiture from Albion and the Egyptian lands granted the Lord of Blankog supreme power.

The librarian's power comes from the granting of authority by the Lord of Blankog!

In other words, the librarian is nothing more than a knight of Lord of Blankog.

Agravain quickly grasped everything using his Authority Path thought process.

"I see. As expected of Master Merlin."

Agravain was once again amazed by Hebe's methods.

He certainly wouldn't associate Merlin with Imhotep. In his view, Merlin must have used some ingenious means to seize power as Lord of Blankog.

Ah, although the Court Mage still seems to be sulking with His Majesty, he still cares about him...

Feeling pleased that he had guessed his teacher's thoughts, Agravain remembered another of his original intentions.

He asked Hebe about the August Archon and the wrecked wolf.

"This is precisely why I came to see you in person." Hebe frowned slightly. "The flames of the August Archon are reigniting, but they are currently suppressed by the Celestial Flint..."

If the wolves are truly going to make a comeback, they will most likely not resort to hot war again, but other forms of warfare are not war, are they?

Economic war, trade war, cyber war, narrative war... and these are not just simple wars.

Thought—chaotic yet "free" thought—was the trigger.

This is the realm of Eris.

Eris will be behind all of this, rising higher by using the firepower of the wolves.

Once Eris has clearly identified her as her greatest enemy, Hebe will no longer harbor any illusions.

This is why she had to step forward, even at the cost of revealing part of her true identity—if she wanted to crush Eris, she couldn't afford to be hesitant; she had to use all available resources!

Albion, with its pristine history unaffected by Eris, is undoubtedly the most trustworthy foundation.

Arthur and Morgan are among the few remaining twilight years of our lives.

The twelve Knights of the Round Table are one of the ways in which Arthur's achievements are presented.

Although Egyptian lands had been influenced by Eris, with the ascension of the December Archon, the Duke of Sighs, everything from the past became irrelevant, leaving only the history established by Hebe for the Duke of Sighs to remember.

The Atlas Institute was far away, Hebe didn't expect them to go through fire and water for her, but providing some help within her power was naturally no problem.

"Lady Elegy," or Nitocris, for example. In the wasteland, she was her own best helper.

Meanwhile, at Blanckug's Silent Bookstore, Hebe also began to cultivate her own organization—she couldn't always show her face in the hidden world, and the Island Council would be a good shield.

The puppet that stepped onto the stage was the newly appointed librarian Toyokawa Shoko.

Hebe will do everything she can to ensure that she grows up enough before the real war arrives; and then, when necessary, she will take the most critical shot for herself.

Love is a priceless and precious thing, something Hebe had personally verified many times.

In addition, there was assistance from the distant Higashi – they had experience fighting against Eris.

Although Hebe could foresee that, whether in the simulation or in the real world, the main battlefield would be located in Europe, the role that the Higashi could play would be limited.

But don't forget that the Higashi is within the Cathay cultural sphere.

The might of the Celestial Flint overwhelms the mortal world.

Hebe carefully told Agravain part of the truth.

"I don't understand..." Agravain murmured.

Hebe subtly pursed her lips. "It doesn't matter if you don't understand. Arthur will understand."

These words should have been offensive to those who were elevating the Authority Path, but Agravain was agitated by them.

"Do you wish to meet His Majesty?"

"Quite the opposite." Hebe raised her hand, revealing her true purpose, "I want you to keep this a secret and not tell Arthur that I'm here."

"But I want you to tell Arthur everything else completely."

Hebe raised his voice slightly. "Agravain, I said before that among the Round Table, you and Bedivere are the most reliable, but that is Arthur's opinion; as far as I am concerned, you are more reliable than Lord Bedivere."

"So—please don't let me down."

Hebe knew Arthur's intelligence and could probably guess who was saying those words.

But she also believes that Arthur has loved this country more than anything over the years.

'Don't disappoint me, Artoria,' Hebe thought to herself.

She turned her head to look at Ziyuan, who was hesitant on the other side, and spoke softly.

"So, Miss Shion, who came from Atlas Institute, what is your purpose?"

Hebe was prepared for Shion and Agravain to be just as troublesome.

"Sister, do you know Imhotep?" Ziyuan asked.

Hebe looked at her, seemingly somewhat surprised.

"Of course. Imhotep, the last King of Ibis, the Scribe of the Heavens ..."

Hebe countered with a question to Shion: "How do the students of the Atlas Institute view Imhotep today?"

"She is our savior. All the people of Egyptian lands are grateful to Imhotep. Without the vision and sacrifice of the King of Ibis, there would be no fertile and rich Egyptian lands today, nor would there be the Kemet, which has continued for three thousand years."

True Egypt always refer to their country as "Kemet".

Even the Rosetta Stone, which was famous in Hebe's previous life, is called the "Kemet Stone" here.

Hebe was slightly taken aback.

She could tell, of course, that Ziyuan's gratitude was genuine and without any pretense.

"So, sister, what's your opinion of Imhotep?" Shion asked again.

"Am I being asked to evaluate myself?" Hebe thought with a touch of self-mockery.

She thought for a moment and then answered, "Imhotep... she is a priestess."

Priests were not only those who worshipped the gods, but also a bridge between humans and gods... but this was different from the Authority Path.

The essence of the priesthood lies in the silent struggle of mortals against the gods.

Knowing those rituals and understanding the secrets, even a true mortal can cause a god to fall from his throne in heaven.

Ozymandias, the Red King, must have a lot to say about this.

"I'm all set." Ziyuan waved happily.

Just as Hebe saw gratitude for the King of Ibis on her face, Shion saw recognition and understanding for the King of Ibis in Hebe's eyes.

As the saying goes, admiration and worship are the furthest distances from idols in the world.

Shion didn't see much admiration for the King of Ibis's achievements in Hebe's eyes, but rather a sense of natural recognition and understanding.

"It seems she can completely understand the King of Ibis's heart," Ziyuan thought happily. "I never expected that the leader of the Silent Bookstore would be a devout follower of the King of Ibis."

Even within the Atlas Institute, true believers were few and far between.

Believers are divided into several types, one of which is the most common shallow believer—who believes in this today and then turns to that tomorrow when their enthusiasm fades.

The vast majority of scholars at the Atlas Institute were novice believers.

This is quite normal, after all, the epic saga of the King of Ibis is already quite distant for the apprentices of the Atlas Institute.

They did indeed yearn for and worship the King of Ibis, but they were still only superficial believers—ultimately, their faith was in the King of Ibis as they imagined it in their own minds.

Another type is the fanatic, who uses all sorts of outrageous and shocking acts to demonstrate that their devout service is unwavering, thereby receiving blessings and divine favor.

This proves the difference between a shallow believer and a fanatical believer: the latter possesses genuine blessings.

—You couldn't even get a blessing, which only shows that your faith in God is not enough. Be ashamed! You should be ashamed!

Most of the apprentices were novice believers, while many of the nuns and pastors in the Orthodox Church were true fanatics.

What differs from the previous two is the "true believer".

Their relationship with God was less that of believers and more that of students and mentors.

True believers, through verification, experience, and understanding, ultimately find their own path in the achievements of their mentors.

Each ascension of Crimson Dawn broadens the corresponding principles and path of governance.

For example, the ascension of Nitocris, the "Lady Elegy," further increased the power of the Duke of Sighs.

This is what is known as the Path of Ascension.

This is the greatest and first great achievement in the world.

It was made by Celestial Flint.

150 Communications Director

A thin mist gradually rose from the sea breeze in Blanckug.

The conversation between Hebe and Ziyuan was relatively simple—after confirming their consensus, the latter immediately drafted an extremely generous agreement.

The accumulated resources from the Atlas Institute over thousands of years began to be opened to Hebe.

From this day forward, the Silent Bookstore will no longer lack all the raw materials needed for experiments and rituals.

As the connection between Egyptian lands and Albion grows stronger, the terms of the agreement will be further improved.

As for Agravain, he left the foyer in hesitation and confusion.

Hebe asked him to hide her existence from Arthur, but also wanted him to relay her words verbatim.

In Agravain's view, this was nothing more than a thin veil trying to cover up the truth.

Your Majesty is not a monarch of pristine virtue; how could you not see that this level of guidance came from the great sage Merlin?

Agravain in the past, but now that Merlin has been "resurrected," Agravain prefers not to think about them anymore.

He knew that Hebe must have seen further than he did, so there must be a reason for his actions.

Agravain made up his mind, and his face regained its steely, stern expression.

He stepped out from behind the door of the Silent Bookstore and waved to the puzzled Mostima: "It's your turn."

Mostima never expected that this would involve her, but since her boss had spoken, she had no choice but to accept it.

"Ah."

"Ah?"

"Ah..."

After three exclamations of different meanings, Mostima pursed his lips.

"So Hebe— " Mostima clicked her tongue involuntarily, "You are Merlin?"

"You can call me whatever you used to call me." Hebe shrugged. "I'm happy to make things easier for you... Of course, if you insist on using a more honorific title, I won't stand on ceremony."

"Then I'll call you Miss Hebe," Mostima chuckled. "What brings you here?"

For some reason, she always felt inferior to Hebe, as if she were facing a teacher or her boss's superior...

Hebe took a sip of the still-warm black tea.

Those deep green eyes stared directly at Mostima.

"You were summoned by Arthur?"

Mostima was already a follower of Hebe, so Hebe could speak more directly.

"Yes." Mostima frowned. "But I don't remember exactly what happened."

Hebe nodded, then suddenly raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Mostima was caught off guard, and his gaze froze for a moment.