As the three stepped into the Telegraph Office, everything around them abruptly changed. In a momentary daze, they found themselves on a barren island. A flight of steps led straight to its highest point, where a black iron chair stood. Inverted candleholders lined both sides of the steps: 41 on the left and 40 on the right.
Where the Wooden House had stood was a massive altar, covered in blood and bones. Who knew how many people had died here!
A woman knelt in the middle of the altar. Her face was pale and her breathing erratic, as though she had been severely injured. Deadly, mist-like pathogens surged around her.
Had Klein been here, he would certainly have recognized her as one of the women in the Ladies' Group. However, she had never interacted with them from beginning to end, remaining the most inconspicuous of the inconspicuous.
"You certainly know how to hide, Panatiya."
Medici sneered with his arms folded across his chest.
Lady Despair Panatiya looked over calmly. "But didn't you find me in the end?"
Not long after the Great Smog Incident ended, Medici discovered that the Loen Royal Family had actually handed over the Conqueror Beyonder Characteristic promised to the Demoness Sect to the Demoness in Loen ahead of schedule.
According to Medici's estimates, this should only have happened when George III held his ritual to advance to Sequence 0. However, the assassination incident among Loen's upper echelons had clearly exceeded his expectations. Before he was ready, he had been forced to face the approach of war.
At a time like this, George III had to win over a powerful ally to weather the crisis together. The Demoness Sect was clearly one such ally-and naturally, the only thing that could move them was the Conqueror Beyonder Characteristic