" O Ouroboros Secret Covenant" (Third Update)

"I actually suspect that this so-called ' Alai ' is the same ' Aleister ' from Avalon. The guy who made His Majesty so furious not long ago."

General Karl, standing by the window, suddenly said, "It's that woman who pulled out the spies we planted in Avalon —that's what my gut feeling tells me."

You mean that fat guy Drost?

The Earl Leipzig chuckled, his gentle smile unwavering, "That fellow doesn't care. His Majesty's lavish treatment of him is merely to set an example for the Avalon who have abandoned darkness for light. His preferential treatment won't last long."

"You have inside information?"

General Karl turned around.

"It's not exactly inside information. Or rather, it's something many people already know."

The elegant, red-eyed man smiled and flattered General Karl: "You simply disdain associating with those ' Banquet Table Nobles,' which is why you haven't heard these gossips. But I imagine it won't be long before it reaches Karl Manor. Your grandson is quite active."

"Hmph, that guy..."

Old Karl snorted, his face full of disdain, but his words carried a hint of smugness. "Just because he reached the Fourth Level at such a young age, he acts like an adult and starts making friends with big shots. Doesn't he even realize that he's worthy of such attention? Those people have no value whatsoever; they're nothing but a bunch of leeches sucking blood from the kingdom, sources of trouble and chaos, and useless trash who only make the loudest noises."

"If you ask me, we should send him to the army. The battlefield is the most Blood Energy, cruel, and desperate place; only there can he draw enough strength. In this world, only strength is real—"

As he spoke, his eyes, burning with golden light, fixed on Albert, causing Albert to tremble slightly.

The old man lectured, "You're the same, Lieutenant Lore."

"Don't work in isolation—you were lucky to make the Armored Gargoyle. Your invention just happened to meet a need. But are other flesh-and-blood creations useful? You have to go to the battlefield and see for yourself. You have to encounter problems yourself before you can have questions and then find answers—listen carefully, this is all life experience."

Upon hearing that he was to be sent to the battlefield, Albert's face immediately fell.

—I don't want to go!

If I didn't have to graduate before I could accept sponsorship in my own name, I'd rather stay in the Spirit Tower and continue studying...

I'd also like to get a PhD in biology...

"There's no rush," the Earl Leipzig advised. "Albert is a genius. Geniuses always get preferential treatment—rather than sending him to a dangerous battlefield before his potential is exhausted, it's better to let him rise in the rear until he can't rise any further and then look for inspiration."

Ignoring the old man's mutterings about "there's no danger on the battlefield of Star Antimony" and "if you can't survive at the Fourth Level, you won't survive at the Fifth Level either," he directly shared his insider information to distract the two. "Drost won't be able to keep up for long."

"Once we completely take down Avalon, his death will be imminent."

"Avalon, that little island, is of no value to us. What we need are people, talent, and resources—the descendants of knights favored by the Silver Crowned Dragon, and the technology and qualifications to tame griffins. Star Antimony doesn't have enough people to settle in Avalon; ultimately, the people of Avalon will rule Avalon."

"And at that time, Drost will be the sacrifice to quell the anger of the Avalon —one faction of Star Antimony prefers to use underhanded methods, while the other is quite righteous. The righteous side will attract the righteous Avalon, and then settle accounts with the evil faction along with the traitors who betrayed them... This is a script that those knights will love."

"... You mean, an alchemist?"

The old general realized what was happening.

The core crisis facing Star Antimony right now is the power struggle between Demon Scholar and alchemists.

And without a doubt, His Majesty is on the side of the Demon Scholar.

However, the alchemists are currently very powerful, so the royal family cannot directly take sides. They can only remain silent for now, allowing the increasingly arrogant and complacent alchemists to incite public discontent.

Their initial goal was to learn from the Iris to complete the constitutional monarchy reform.

Because there's no doubt that the war is now essentially over... the status of the Demon Scholar, who symbolize war, has naturally begun to decline. They certainly can't defeat the Parthian Ancient Kingdom, and the Stibnite Person have little interest in the desert; the trolls of the south are nothing to fear, and the dwarves of the northern mountains are a rabble.

That leaves only Avalon and Iris.

Alchemists and necromancers have gradually replaced Demon Scholar on the battlefield. In other words, alchemy, now at its most advanced stage, has gained absolute dominance in various fields, including military and civilian applications.

Xingti can no longer live without them.

In this scenario, alchemists only need to prove that they "do not need to rely on Demon Scholar on the battlefield" to gain decisive influence.

And in the past three hundred years... including the expedition that annexed the Black Eagle Principality and the Narcissus Principality, it was all accomplished by Demon Scholar. This has resulted in a large number of military nobles within the Star Antimony Kingdom.

Take General Karl, for example.

In this situation, Demon Scholar would certainly be completely hostile to alchemists. However, within the increasingly radicalized alchemist community, there are moderates who sympathize with Demon Scholar and are loyal to the royal family.

And they are undoubtedly the side that can be won over.

"So His Majesty intends to let those alchemists do as they please—let them wage war and unify Avalon on their own. Then let them stage a coup, and then stop them. Kill them in a war of suppression, severing ties with them. Then send these criminals to Avalon, giving Avalon a little relief."

"If the plan goes smoothly, we can not only safely obtain Avalon, but also eliminate the extremists in the country in one fell swoop. This is Your Majesty's plan."

The Earl Leipzig explained softly.

The old general frowned deeply. "Why go through all this trouble? And what if things go wrong? Those alchemists are developing too fast... Maybe if they continue to develop, we really won't be able to defeat them?"

The vampire count shook his head. "Because no one knows the Silver Crowned Dragon's attitude towards Avalon, we can only use this indirect method to annex Avalon."

At this point, he smiled smugly, "That's why... I said Miss Alai would definitely come. Because I mentioned the "Rosy Cross" Society... her Shadow Demon would definitely tell her what the "Rosy Cross" Society is. She would definitely come; it's a high-level lineage of Demon Scholar from all over the world, just like the lineage of priests in the Theocracy. And as long as she comes and sits down to talk to me, I have a way to persuade her to surrender to us."

"Are you that confident?"

The old general chuckled, "I think she's definitely a member of the Avalon royal family now. I heard she has a lover there, a descendant of the Founding Family. I also heard Her Majesty the Queen is planning to give him a ministerial position... Such a great man is more than worthy of her."

"Not good enough for me."

The vampire count calmly shook his head. "For those Transcender, the desire to rise is something that can never be erased. And the instinct to betray cannot be eradicated either. She is a genius, and genius means it is easier to reach the limits. The "Rosy Cross" Society has a special secret technique... under certain conditions, it can elevate Fifth Level Demon Avatar to the Sixth Level."

"... Sixth Level?"

Albert's eyes widened. "That's not... the one that only exists in legends..."

"The Eternal Pope, is that right?"

The vampire count smiled elegantly and said calmly, "But do you know what? — The Sixth Level isn't actually the limit of this world."

Upon hearing this secret, both Albert and General Karl held their breath.

But Karl suddenly became wary.

He recalled how corrupt and evil the Child of the Moon he had seen in his dream was... Although he had been friends with Leipzig, who was the Child of the Moon, for many years, he now sensed something was wrong.

The Earl Leipzig held his hand to his lips and whispered seductively, "It's a secret. [Please don't reveal it.]"

That was some kind of power, similar to the Word of Power. It was also one of the reasons he named himself "Prohibition".

"—The Ouroboros Secret Covenant. This is an ancient stone tablet that the "Rosy Cross" Society recently discovered through excavation... It records a ritual that allows a powerhouse at the limit of the Fifth Level to forcibly advance to the Sixth Level without going through Promotion Ritual. Just like the Eternal Pope."

"To activate the power of this stone tablet, a special ritual needs to be completed, thereby stealing the power of the Fallen Angel. This ritual can only be performed once... Therefore, we need to absorb as many of the Demon Avatar of the Fifth Level as possible and use this ritual to elevate everyone together."

"Theocracy can remain permanently neutral if it has only one Pope. But if Star Antimony has five, six... or even a dozen Pope, can't we easily rule the world? That's why His Majesty stands on our side without hesitation."

The vampire count calmly stated, "The prerequisites for the ritual have been prepared, and it can be initiated at any time. The reason it hasn't been initiated yet is simply because the guild master wants to maximize profits and minimize problems. So no matter how much those alchemists try to cause trouble, it's useless; they are destined to fail. As for us, we will surely win—the only thing that could potentially cause the ritual to fail is probably the hostility of the Pillar God."

"Therefore, we must gain the approval of the Silver Crowned Dragon for our actions, and we must also make Avalon a part of us before the ceremony begins. Otherwise, if we give birth to more than a dozen Sixth Level at once, it is very likely that the Avalon royal family will use its trump cards, summon apostles to descend to the lower realm on a large scale, or cause other unknown difficulties. This is also a factor that must be considered."

"But if Avalon had already become part of us by then, none of this would have happened. All of the kingdom's current plans are merely preliminary preparations to 'maximize the success rate of the ritual'."

"And if this ritual succeeds... we might even have the opportunity to come into contact with the [Seventh Level] that shouldn't exist."

"If the Sixth Level is the Eternal Pope, then tell me, what is the Seventh Level?" Without a doubt, we will become gods. This is the essence of [Star Antimony]—"The Triumph Chariot of Stibium" elucidates the refinement and sublimation of animal nature, reminding us that with the right methods, mortals can become gods.

The vampire count's words were highly persuasive. "Don't you understand? That will represent eternity and glory."

Albert trembled as he listened to this vast and magnificent plan.

The old general beside him frowned more and more deeply. He felt that something was wrong, but perhaps because he hadn't read enough books, he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

However, they were all acutely aware that the Stibnite Person were standing with one foot on the threshold of a new era.

Crossing this step marks the beginning of an unprecedented new era.

"... What is the name of this ceremony? Or rather, does this plan have a name?"

Albert asked, trembling.

"Certainly."

His Your Highness Prince smiled, his eyes gleaming with a hopeful light that seemed to encompass the entire universe. "The president has named this ceremony..."

"—The Ouroboros Ring"

Today is legendary!

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