Chapter 362
Rose Street, one of the ancestral properties of the Oath Family, Tiffany Co.
Although it is called a street, its area of one million square kilometers not only includes a highly lucrative business district, entertainment industry, the headquarters of the empire's alchemy guild, and expensive properties that nobles vie for, but also houses an ancestral home with a history of over a thousand years.
At this moment, in an ancient manor where Full Bloom and spring-like weather prevails all year round, a middle-aged man with gray hair and a robust physique stands shirtless, revealing clearly defined muscle lines, surrounded by rising white steam.
August Tiffany, with his white hair flowing like a lion, this elegant and aloof Grand Duke in the outside world, was actually like a rough blacksmith. He lowered his azure eyes and looked at the giant blade in his hand, which was burning red, and calmly and indifferently used magic to cool it.
This process is both complex and fast.
The man admired the alchemical patterns that lit up like circuits from every corner of the sword in that instant. He followed up with the technique of manipulating matter, seizing the opportunity after the cold extraction, and performed the alchemical technique a second time.
"Reinforced, indestructible, sharp, lightweight, diamond-like, bloodthirsty..."
August repeated the enchanting techniques he had learned from his daughter until the seventh step. At that point, the greatsword in his hand shattered with a mournful sound, twisting and declaring failure. The magical reaction of the energy collision was canceled, melting it into scrap metal.
"Lucy's alchemy skills have indeed far surpassed mine."
"Even with blades forged under those conditions, it would be enough to create works no less impressive than those of a master craftsman."
The man's cold, hard expression faltered for a moment, and he whispered:
"Your birth must be the Emperor's decree."
"My daughter, no matter the cost, I will make up for your shortcomings."
Alchemy, in a sense, was the science of the empire, a tool for humanity to compensate for the innate advantages of other races, and a practical method for humanity to understand the world.
Alchemy left behind its earliest sparks since the First Divine Age.
Lucy Tiffany is a true alchemical genius. She can learn, memorize, and master knowledge in a year that ordinary people cannot fully comprehend in decades. She can be considered a master, or even a pinnacle, in several disciplines of alchemy.
This genius, whom the Tiffany Family had been waiting for for a thousand years, was not only proficient in potions, runes, artifacts, bionics, materials science, elemental transformation, and the laws of the Golden Sea, but also deconstructed some of the Emperor's alchemy.
Perhaps it is a case of too much intelligence leading to harm, for her magical talent was extremely poor, and she was also born weak and sickly. Even the most basic matter conversion spells were used haltingly, requiring her to rely on other Alchemical Creation to make up for it.
Under such conditions, it was impossible to inherit the Tiffany family's alchemy.
August's handsome face was cold and hard. He could not allow the opportunity to fulfill his family's thousand-year-old wish to be ruined in his own hands. He was willing to pay any price to achieve that goal.
"Have you thought it through, Duke Tiffany?"
A blond, blue-eyed man emerged from the void, dressed in an elegant floral suit and wearing a smiling mask.
Compared to the robust, disheveled August, who exuded a somewhat archaic air, this uninvited guest looked more like a nobleman.
The man exuded a relaxed and joyful atmosphere, as if he were strolling through a dazzling dance floor, casually extending an invitation:
"For the Oath Family, the only way to break free from the constraints of the Divine Sentient Body is through the intervention of outsiders. Theoretically speaking, it is impossible to break the oath."
"But what can you do when theory is just theory? Mr. August, I have proven to you that I am the best partner for the Tiffany Family."
"You see, besides those who can fool history and the past, who else can tamper with and distort that covenant witnessed by the Emperor?"
August frowned as he looked at the other person. A month ago, this mysterious man who called himself Thousand Faces had found him in an unpredictable way, claiming that he needed the other person's help.
He initially thought that the other party was either a wilderness remnant who had not been recorded in the Divine Sentient Body, did not know the Emperor's majesty, and had privately performed rituals to the gods to gain some authority, or a treacherous Alien Race with some special talents.
But regardless of which one it is, theoretically it's impossible to accomplish that.
August put on a shirt and then draped a coat over his shoulders like a trench coat. His tall, imposing figure exuded an aura of quiet authority. He glanced at the gold ring on his hand engraved with a lion and said indifferently:
"How did you do that? To my recollection, the Tiffany Family has never established any influence in Reza, nor have they ever recruited slave-hunting teams to Human Transmutation research in laboratories outside the empire."
If it weren't for the oath ring bestowed by the Emperor, linked to the Giant Thought Tree representing the Divine Sentient Body, which is strong enough to resist any spiritual bewitching and distortion of the soul, he would surely suspect that his memories had been altered, rather than admitting that Thousand Faces had changed the past.
Because it's too absurd.
Even the great empires that have developed magic to a level that transcends all races have never created a time-travel spell that can return to the past.
Alchemy and magic are products of the same origin, and as one of the few beings in the world to have entered the legendary realm, he knows more than ordinary people.
Time Magic also has different levels and degrees of effectiveness.
The most common technique involves manipulating the sense of time to achieve accelerated thinking and amplified neural reflexes. The next level up is localized reversal/acceleration, the time of things and oneself. Those who can reach this level are extremely rare.
As for going further up, it's simply an expansion of the former, capable of interfering with the time of other life forms, even peering into the future and looking back at the past. Within the empire, only the master of the White Chalk Tower can do this.
Moreover, not every one of them can do it. Perhaps only the initial tower master, who was hailed as a sage and built the White Chalk Tower under the guidance of the Emperor before the end of the Second Divine Age, could perfectly control the above time magic.
August understood that once you reached the level of the Lord of the Chalk Tower, the upper limit of Time Magic would no longer be determined by talent, but by the Golden Sea's favor towards you.
If we consider the world as a game within Alchemy Crystal, then the Golden Sea is the administrator, even the creator. Time is within its authority, and to use the other's power, one must naturally consider the other's wishes.
Even if we were to trace the entire history of the world, if there truly were an existence that could travel through time, there would undoubtedly be only one: the Divine Emperor who was doted on by the Golden Sea... no, it should be said that he was revered.
In fact, after the establishment of the empire, many scholars studied the Divine Emperor's information. After reading his ridiculously impressive resume, they all speculated that he was a time traveler who had traveled back from the extremely distant future to save humanity.
This also explains why the Emperor's past is unknown, and... the ultimate mystery of where this great man went.
Therefore, many people believe that as long as the empire continues indefinitely, they will surely see the Divine Emperor who ended the Age of Gods and bestowed fire upon mankind.
Therefore, many people on the Magic Net naturally feel that the position of Emperor should be vacant, and even the regulations concerning the Crown Prince have sparked much debate.
Thousand Faces seemed to have read Augusta's mind, and he replied with a smile:
"Didn't I say? I changed a part of history, and during that time, you did what you always wanted to do ahead of time."
"Speaking of which, Mr. Augusta, I must commend your initiative. What a brilliant idea it is to compensate for Miss Tiffany's deficiencies through Human Transmutation!"
The man clapped his hands in sincere admiration:
"Are you trying to use this to change her magical talent, gain the approval of the Lord of the Chalk Tower, and win the position of Crown Prince?"
"Indeed, given his groundbreaking achievements that have repeatedly shaken up the academic world of the empire, if it weren't for his shortcomings as a mage, he would probably have been designated as the next tower master long ago."
Augusta's expression remained unchanged.
Tower Master? Crown Prince? What a pointless idea.
Even if the sky were to collapse and the earth to crumble, there would only be one Emperor in this world.
Sure enough, is this the only reason a mouse hiding its head and tail can come up with?
A character of this caliber is unworthy of even a fraction of the Emperor's glory, let alone wielding the magic to reverse time.
August was absolutely confident in this, just as he believed that with the Emperor's protection, his consciousness could never be bewitched or altered.
Therefore, the other party did not reverse time, but rather used a more ingenious, precise, and unbelievable trick.
But even this alone is enough to be alarming.
Since he couldn't find any flaws beyond his memory for the time being, from this perspective, the other party was indeed qualified to cooperate with him.
What is your purpose?
Thousand Faces of Smiles:
"It's simple: provide me with intelligence, money, a large number of slaves, and... the Oath Ring in your possession."
The Geltigu City in the Calembert Empire.
Russell transformed into a writhing shadow, slipping beneath the building and hurtling towards a sanatorium built in the heart of the city, one of Tiffany's ancestral properties.
This was the reward he received after making a deal with Thousand Faces. He wanted to offer it as a sacrifice to the Dragon Witch of [Chaos], who was currently located deep within the manor, like Sleeping Beauty in a fairy tale, waiting for the prince to heal her.
Unfortunately, it was this utterly wicked person who arrived first.
"The Lord's Blessing has returned; even if it is but a projection in a dream, the chaos He has bestowed is still so magnificent."
The Archbishop reveled in the deep darkness writhing within his body, a symbol of favor, as he wielded the power of the Supreme Calamity Beast, Erebus, completely breaking free from the pent-up frustration of the past month.
Although after gathering thirteen Archbishop, they reached the outer edge of the Sea of Stars by using the Tower of Babel opened by the Disaster God, and anchored themselves in the ideal state ahead of time.
However, this was ultimately the other side's home turf. The people brought by the Thirteen Sects had no official status and were inherently locked with a hatred buff, cursed by the Golden Sea, making them unable to absorb the surrounding Energy Particle.
This resulted in a lack of disaster relief and an inability to draw on local energy. Even devouring flesh and blood became extremely inefficient. They received no planetary gifts and could not understand the common language of the continent. Initially, many believers perished in unnecessary places.
Fortunately,
Even though this Gap World was only officially activated after Astrid took the initiative to operate it, the fact that they entered a day earlier still gave them an extra month of advantage due to the difference in time.
Until now, through cooperation with a few forces that worshipped the local evil god, they finally managed to slip through the Golden Sea's protection during the gap in the Divine Power's descent and deliver a message to the Disaster God, thus creating the current situation.
Currently, the Disaster God in the Historical Echo has successfully descended with a portion of his authority, granting the Cult of Disaster Gods even greater power than in reality.
It was only now that Russell realized just how much that Miracle High Wall, which protected all living beings, had suppressed the supreme ruler.
It should be understood that the authority projected onto the Fanor Continent from outside the world is less than one millionth of the Disaster God at its peak, yet this is still far greater than the power the Disaster God bestows upon believers in reality.
In other words, even at its weakest, the [Pure White]'s suppression of the Disaster God did not give them any respite.
But it's okay.
"When the glory of that Pure White High Wall fades, this humiliation will be repaid with blood and fire, and now... success is within reach."
The moment he was allowed to converse with the Supreme Lord, the demise of that horde of insects was already sealed.
At present, the endless black tide is surging towards the nations, and the continent protected by the Golden Sea will perish within a few weeks. The training camp organized by the Magic Countermeasures Bureau has been declared a failure.
But that's not enough. Now that the roles of offense and defense have been reversed, the goal of the Cult of Disaster Gods is naturally to hunt down [Witch] in order to achieve a deeper plan!
Therefore, it is necessary to find the reserve members inside as soon as the Magical Girl arrive, while they are off guard.
Russell was not stupid; he could certainly guess that if the Countermeasures Bureau dared to throw a group of reservists into the Ideal State, it must have given everyone a means to save their lives.
But...
What if their goal wasn't to kill Magical Girl, but rather to implant specially designed catastrophic remains that would cause instantaneous mutations?
Since its inception, the Cult of Disaster Gods has been constantly beaten down by Magical Girl. They understand better than anyone how terrifying Magical Girl who has fully grown and reached the [Flower Bloom] stage will be.
These Idealistic Being, who can suddenly unleash their power while chanting about friendship, bonds, the future, and dreams, and who are also immortal, are epic nightmares for villains. Not to mention that Magical Girl also have all sorts of strange Destined Magic, which is no less powerful than the power granted by the Disaster God.
Therefore, many years ago, various sects began to research methods specifically targeting Magical Girl.
The simplest and least thoughtless solution is to bully only Magical Girl who have just "Lighting Up" or "Flower Bloom".
At this stage, Magical Girl haven't yet mastered the immortal technique [Blooming Full Bloom], which grants them [Full Bloom], and can be killed using normal means.
However, it's crucial to remember to act quickly and decisively, and avoid provoking the Magical Girl too much, such as by kidnapping their family members and torturing them in front of them. Such actions will likely only force them to "Flower Bloom" and enter berserk mode.
Of course, this method can also be used to induce Magical Girl to become mindless monsters, but it requires too many followers and the benefits are not significant enough.
Therefore, the method that ultimately survives is to mutate flesh and blood and catastrophize the soul.
This move is a sure-kill for Magical Girl at their [Full Bloom] level.
As the Archbishop, Russell possessed three specially crafted calamity remains, also known as the Seeds of the Fallen, which were created at the cost of countless Calamity Beasts, believers, and human lives.
In theory, if multiple seeds of demonic possession invade one's flesh and blood, even if [Full Bloom] are activated to repeatedly and completely obliterate the body, it will degenerate into a horrifying alien form, lose its mind, and become an existence more terrifying than Calamity Beasts.
As for dealing with Magical Girl who has just "Lighting Up" her magic, an ordinary calamity would be deadly enough.
This is the trump card that the Cult of Disaster Gods has been hiding until now. They've kept it hidden so they could find an opportunity to wipe them all out and take full advantage of the information gap.
"I can't wait to see your expression then, my old friend, Astrid."
The Archbishop whispered, transforming into an even deeper shadow. He seemed to be pure darkness, traversing magical barriers, evading the patrols of Alchemical Puppet, and directly infiltrating the deepest part of the ancestral home. Smelling the alluring fragrance, he found the other party's location.
The authority of the Supreme Calamity Beast was clearly beyond the expectations of those who designed the defenses.
The Archbishop, transformed into darkness, leisurely roamed the courtyard filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers. He walked to a room not far away, where the light was excellent. A gentle breeze lifted the curtains, and a clear, warm glow fell on the white bed.
Russell smiled expectantly.
The girl, as delicate as a doll, was lying on the bed. She was very young, looking only 14 years old, with a cute face that showed her youthful innocence.
Although it was noon, her thick, long eyelashes rested on her eyelids as if she were sleeping peacefully. Only her gray hair, with its slightly wavy curls, swayed occasionally in the wind, bringing a touch of life to her appearance.
--Iris Tiffany.
The second daughter of the Tiffany Family.
Perhaps due to her physical condition, in the identity bestowed upon her by the Historical Echo, she was a person suffering from narcolepsy, who spent almost most of her life in sleep, and who had always been largely invisible to the outside world.
August's attitude towards his daughter was rather ambiguous. If he didn't care about her, the surrounding guards and the heavily fortified defenses couldn't be faked. But if he did care, he didn't bring her back to the safest place, Saint Roland.
On the contrary, Lucy Tiffany doted on her younger sister, even placing a thousand Heavenly Kingdom Sequence battle puppets here, and using alchemy to create many maid dolls to take care of her daily life.
The Archbishop sneered, as if mocking the Dragon Witch for being sent to the idealized Countermeasures Bureau. He slipped into the dimension of shadow, teleported to Iris Tiffany's side, and a calamity resembling a sharp cone appeared in his palm.
Although she really wanted to take the Dragon Witch out to study the composition and secrets of Magical Girl, the Countermeasures Bureau's backup plan in the ideal country clearly wouldn't give her such an opportunity.
Therefore, the safest approach is to directly use the other party as a sacrifice to nourish the remains of the disaster, and then extract the essence of the [Witch] from them after they leave.