"Did the Church bribe a Great Witch of the Witch Council to find a more credible source for the magical materials obtained by Saint Byron's students?"
Ignoring the matter of the so-called "reward," Shade summarized the current situation:
"This is at least one-fifth of a ticket to becoming a Chosen One. Does the Council really have no interest in controlling it?"
The Wise Man's Gleaming Stone could only have its ownership transferred once. It could not be forcibly taken, obtained through threats, or acquired by deception.
"At present, only the Five Gods Church knows that the second Glimmerstone is in your hands. I have not told the other Great Witches that you possess one."
Miss Galina was quite pleased to see the expression on Shade's face:
"I will not actively drag you into matters concerning the Chosen Ones, and you likely did not reveal this Glimmerstone because you wanted to trade with us."
She waved a hand and lowered her head to deal with the food on her plate:
"When I went to the meeting just now, the Speaker did mention wanting to purchase their Poem Chapter Fragment from Apna Library."
"Apna Library has sold that material more than once. I know of at least two occasions. If you need it, I can write the information down for you."
Shade had seen those records when helping Old John collect goods. The only useful piece of information was that this Chosen One Ritual needed to be held on water.
"What we want is the vessel itself. After all, it is a relic of the Witch Emperor."
Miss Galina spoke as she signaled for Tifa to refill her wine. With a few movements of her right hand, she made the dinner knife cut the food on her plate by itself, while pressing