"Hmm, true. If those two really ran into Qilingus, they'd be in danger instead."
After deciding on tomorrow's itinerary, Edward took Audrey home first, then Apparated back to his own house, thinking over his next steps as he washed up.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
Someone knocked on the front door downstairs.
"Who could it be at this hour?"
With his toothbrush between his teeth, he went to the bedroom's bay window and peered outside. He could just make out someone standing at the door, knocking again and again with stiff movements.
"Those movements... why do they look so strange?"
Suddenly, the person raised her head and looked straight at Edward.
Under the crimson moonlight, a face that made Edward's hair stand on end came into view-
Megose!
Chapter 26: Blasphemer-Edward
Megose.
She was the first boss Klein encountered in the original story, the vessel for the descent of the True Creator's offspring, and the direct cause of the near destruction of Tingen's Nighthawks team. Of course, all of that had been orchestrated by Ince Zangwill.
Wasn't she supposed to follow that third-rate writer's script, waiting for an opportunity to attack the Blackthorn Security Company and help him obtain Saint Selena's Ashes?
Why had she suddenly come to Backlund and knocked on my door in the middle of the night?
Did that chance encounter at the Divination Club put me on Ince Zangwill's radar? But his goal is to obtain the ashes and advance to demigodhood. Why target me? Besides, the Quill can't interfere with another city.
Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock.
Megose began knocking relentlessly again. She grew increasingly agitated, her knocks louder and louder, until she even began clawing at the door with her nails, producing shrill scraping sounds.
Edward had now figured out his situation. He definitely couldn't beat her, but could he escape?
Since she could follow him from Tingen to Backlund, that probably meant she possessed some sort of tracking Beyonder ability. Would he have to wander aimlessly around the world with nowhere to settle?
But while she was "polite" enough to knock first today, would she simply attack next time?
Suddenly, he paused.
"Wait, that's not right. Megose only caused such a huge disaster in Tingen because the official forces there were too weak. But this is Backlund! If I report her directly to a church, a few demigods could pop up and deal with her in no time."
"And that would indirectly avert the crisis facing Tingen's Nighthawks and repay Klein for saving my life. Several birds with one stone!"
He acted immediately!
With an Apparition, Edward appeared several hundred meters away from Saint Samuel Church.
The church remained brightly lit at midnight. Under the crimson moonlight, it looked even more mysterious, yet somehow reassuring-probably because the Goddess's symbols were the moon and the night.
"As an undocumented outsider and an unaffiliated Beyonder, I should be avoiding the churches at all costs. Yet here I am, delivering myself to their doorstep. I wonder whether my fellow transmigrator, the Evernight Goddess, has noticed me, and what she thinks of my existence."
Edward took out a pen and paper, wrote, "An evil god is descending in Empress Borough," and was about to toss it over. Then, remembering that the church must have Beyonders capable of divination, he took out his original flask of Polyjuice Potion and drank a mouthful.
Once he had transformed into an ordinary-looking stranger, he rewrote the note, placed it at the church entrance, and pounded heavily on the door a few times.
On second thought, the church's people might already be asleep at this hour. Steeling himself, he grabbed a stone and hurled it at a window.
Crash!
The shattering glass rang out with particular clarity in the quiet night. A second later, Edward appeared outside the Church of Storms' Holy Wind Church in Cherwood Borough.
Unlike the brightly lit Saint Samuel Church, this place was completely dark.
As before, Edward left a report and threw in another stone for good measure.
Next came the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery in Saint George District.
"Hit and run. What a thrill!"
After pulling off three jobs in a row, Edward hid in the part of South Bridge District closest to Empress Borough and secretly watched.
This time, the Storm hotheads were actually the first to arrive. Of course, it was also possible that the people from the Church of Evernight and the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery were simply more discreet, unlike the Storm hotheads, who brought gale winds and lightning all the way.
Empress Borough was quite lively that night. The next day's Backlund Daily called it "Empress Borough's Sleepless Night," but Edward had no idea what had actually happened or whether Megose and the evil god's son in her belly had been dealt with.
Edward only returned to the villa at noon the following day. Susie was rolling around beneath a tree in the yard, basking in the sun.
Seeing Edward return, Susie quickly got up and shook the grass clippings off herself. Vibrating the air, she said, "Audrey said that because of what happened last night, Earl Hall won't let her go out. You'll have to handle today's plans yourself."
"What happened last night?" Edward asked, playing dumb. "Did something happen?"
Susie sat on the ground and thought for a moment. "It seems someone provoked the Three Great Churches at the same time. I didn't catch exactly what happened."
He was stunned. I went to report something as serious as an evil god descending! How did that turn into provoking the churches? All three of them at once, no less?
Yes, I smashed their windows, but wasn't that to get their attention as quickly as possible?
These people have their priorities completely backward!
Edward seethed inwardly, but wore a faint smile. "All right. Thanks for your help, Susie."
Susie wagged her tail happily and looked at Edward expectantly.
"Oh, this is for you."
He hurriedly took out a piece of dried chicken and handed it over. Susie grabbed it in her mouth and dashed away.
Good grief. Giving her chicken every time has become a habit.
After staying up all night, he was utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally. The Three Great Churches must all be watching Empress Borough now, which actually made it safe for the time being.
"Ugh, what a mess!"
That evening.
In the Backlund Bridge area, at the house Fors and Xio rented.
As soon as Xio entered, she saw Fors lying on the sofa with her novel manuscript draped over her face, looking utterly indolent.
She couldn't help asking, "Don't tell me you spent the whole day lying around again?"
Fors removed the manuscript from her face and muttered, "Nonsense. I wrote a whole..." She glanced at the manuscript, then declared with unwarranted confidence, "A whole half page!"
Xio poured herself a glass of water, drained it in one go, and let out a long breath. "Whew, I was dying of thirst!"
"What happened?"
"Someone smashed the windows of all three churches last night. Apparently, there was a commotion all night, but nothing came of it. Then someone put up a bounty-three thousand pounds for that 'Blasphemer'!"
Fors flexed her waist and sat up. "Three thousand pounds?! I've never seen that much money in my life."
A few seconds later, she lay back down, looking like a dead fish again. "If even the churches have to offer a bounty, that 'Blasphemer' definitely won't be easy to catch."
"That's what I thought too." Xio laughed. "So while everyone else was busy looking for the 'Blasphemer,' I completed several neglected bounties in one go."
"Impressive."
Fors gave her a thumbs-up.
"Knock, knock, knock."
A knock came from outside. Xio immediately approached the door warily. "Who is it?"
"Me, Edward."
Xio paused. "Who's Edward?"
"..."
Outside the door, Edward was speechless. Am I really that forgettable? I'm a "Blasphemer" now, sharing a title with Amon!
He had been utterly dumbfounded when he heard that title.
Me? A Blasphemer? Does Amon approve?
"I'm... Edward, the one who could help you win twice."
"Oh, it's you."
Xio remembered this time. She opened the door, her expression carrying a hint of anticipation. "Have you thought it over? Are you going to help me find the person who put a bounty on you?"
"Not really." He seriously wondered whether Xio would march him straight to a church if she learned he was that "Blasphemer."
Edward entered the house and got straight to the point. "I have a commission for you. I'd like you to help me collect some ingredients. As for payment, I can sell you a potion formula."
Xio raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, you mean we work for you, and our reward is that you sell us something else? A double win for you, huh? You learn fast."
"What I'm selling is... the formula for Trickmaster, Sequence 8 of the Apprentice Pathway."
Fors abruptly sat up, staring at him with wide eyes. Hesitantly, she asked:
"But how do we know whether your formula is genuine?"
"Uh." Edward froze. Indeed, he hadn't considered that question at all. When he bought a formula at Mr. A's gathering, he hadn't even considered whether it was genuine because he suspected he had the Silver Serpent's luck on his side. The formula he had obtained this time had also been "verified" in the original story, but nobody else knew that.
His relationship with Fors and Xio was still far from one of trust.
After thinking for a moment, Edward said, "You can find someone to authenticate it. I'm sure that won't be difficult for people like you, who regularly mingle in Beyonder circles."
Fors frowned. "But authentication costs money."
At that moment, Xio said seriously, "We'll take the commission."
Edward handed over the note he had prepared beforehand. "These are the ingredients I need."
He gave them a mischievous smile. "Of course, you could also treat this as the Trickmaster formula, but I can't guarantee whether drinking the resulting potion would make you lose control."
"..."
"Also, if you come across any notes written by Emperor Roselle, please buy them for me. I'd like to study them."
Everything felt rather unreal to Fors. The Trickmaster formula she had spent so long searching for had simply been "delivered" to her door? Once she advanced to Sequence 8, would she be able to make out the ravings of the Crimson Full Moon? Would she be able to escape that pain and return to normal?
But a Sequence 8 formula cost at least 450 pounds, and something like Trickmaster would probably command a premium. With the ingredients included, the total could reach a thousand pounds!
Yet everything she owned currently amounted to less than two hundred pounds.
"No! I can't go on like this. I need to start making money right away."
Fors repeatedly gave herself pep talks, then marched to her desk as though heading to the execution grounds. She laid out her manuscript paper, picked up her pen, and began writing furiously, completely forgetting that Edward was still in the room.
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