"No..." Qonas Kilgor stood rooted to the spot, a strong sense of despair welling up inside him.
As a military Demigod has experienced many dangers, he has a clear understanding of his current situation and can hear the footsteps of death getting closer and closer.
He wanted to fight to the death, to reveal his Mythical Creature Form, but the command, issued in a slow, deliberate manner, had no effect whatsoever.
His body has been " Parasitism " and is no longer under his control!
At that moment, Qonas Kilgor couldn't even shed a single tear.
Under the glow of the enormous red moon, time ticked by, and suddenly, Qonas Kilgor raised his left hand and touched his short hair.
He had become Klein's Marionette.
In fact, in the end, he still had a chance, because the " Parasitism " could not be maintained for as long as the complete Marionettization required. For two or three seconds, he could try to reveal the Mythical Creature Form.
The problem is that he still has the effect of misleading and Deceit, and his thoughts become increasingly sluggish and slow over time, making it impossible for him to seize that fleeting opportunity.
Klein looked at the new Marionette, silently exhaled, raised his head, and gazed at the clear, crimson the Moon, saying:
"Alright."
Within that enormous red moon, a black dot suddenly appeared, descending from the sky. It was none other than Arianna, the Archbishop of the Church of Evernight, dressed in a simple robe and wearing a bark belt, known as the " Servant of Concealment."
In this Concealment world, the Ascetic, without using any extraordinary abilities, simply hovered in mid-air, casting his gaze upon the " Earl of the Fallen " below.
With a slight lift of his right hand, the somewhat blurry spirit of Qonas Kilgor appeared above the head of the military Demigod, causing Klein to lose control of the Marionette.
He wasn't too surprised by this, after all, he hadn't yet separated a " Worm of Spirit " to pass through the " Spirit Body Threads," and his control over that Marionette was essentially still at Sequence 5, not yet at the Demigod level.
"Where did you go just now?" Arianna asked calmly, looking at the spirit of Qonas Kilgor.
Qonas Kilgor's expression Distortion slightly before he replied:
" Number 1 Ruins."
... Is this a contractual promise or a psychological Psychological Suggestion? Klein, observing the " Spirit Channeling " activity, sensed something from the " Earl of the Fallen's" reaction.
However, this won't affect anything, because this is a Concealment world, a world no one knows, a world no one can sense.
"Where is that ruin located? Who did it belong to? What is it used for now?" As the Archbishop of the " Evernight Goddess " and Angel of the corresponding lineage, Arianna could share certain Concealment authority, so she didn't start with simple questions and went straight to the point, without worrying about any unexpected events.
Qonas Kilgor's spirit trembled slightly, giving the impression that it might explode on its own, but in the end nothing happened.
He hesitated before answering:
"The ruins are located deep underground in the Sterling section of the Tussock River, and there are arrangements that interfere with Divination and prophecy."
Sterling section... This is quite a distance from the mountain where Mr. A was before, and the place where you just disappeared. It seems you are still very cautious. And the effect of that point-to-point " Teleportation " is much better than I expected... Klein quickly formed a map of the northwestern suburbs of Backlund in his mind.
Qonas Kilgor then continued in his reply:
"That ruin once belonged to the ' Blood Emperor ' Alista Tudor. I don't know what it's being used for now. I can't go deep into the ruin; I'm only responsible for sending in the people and materials gathered through various methods."
The name " Blood Emperor " Alista Tudor silenced Arianna, who spoke after a couple of seconds:
What materials have you collected?
This time, Qonas Kilgor didn't resist much and listed everything, including large quantities of mercury, iron ore, and ritual materials from different fields. Klein couldn't extract any useful information from it because it was so comprehensive that anything was possible.
They were indeed very cautious, using a lot of clutter to cover up what they really wanted to collect. Even the Demigod in charge of this matter didn't know why... This was very much in the style of Beyonder with the " Spectator " pathway. Was this the design of the Psychology Alchemists? Klein nodded almost imperceptibly, as if guessing.
Arianna seemed to have noticed nothing either, and instead asked:
Do you have any guesses about what they're doing? What are they?
"Yes, I suspect they're digging for something and trying to perform a ritual," Qonas Kilgor said, stating his opinion.
Arianna gazed down at him silently for a moment, then said:
"Who gave you permission to get involved in the underground ruins?"
"Who is allowed to enter the depths of the ruins?"
Qonas Kilgor struggled again, but still no change occurred.
He hesitated before saying:
"I was acting on the orders of His Majesty the King. I was able to become Demigod because he provided the recipe, the materials, and the opportunity. He also bestowed upon me the ' Concerto of Light and Shadow,' allowing me to Acting of Sequence 5 Beyonder without holding back my power."
"Besides His Majesty the King, who can enter the depths of the ruins, currently only two Demigod from the royal family can: Prince Grove and Duchess Georgina."
They're both named Augustus... but the royal family certainly has more than just these two Demigod... Miss " Justice " doesn't know much about them either, only that they rarely participate in social activities, and even gave their seats as senators to their children... Hmm, at the Demigod level, even without Beyonder Characteristic like "immortality" or " Unaging," living to be over a hundred years old is not a problem, so they are indeed not suitable for holding public office and frequently appearing in public... Klein tried hard to recall, but to no avail.
Arianna was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly asked:
"Have you seen Corenz inside the underground ruins?"
"Who is he?" Qonas Kilgor asked, bewildered.
Arianna did not answer, but continued to ask:
"Besides them, who else have you seen in the underground ruins?"
Qonas Kilgor, still in that slightly dazed state as if he had been " Spirit Channeling," said:
"There are also people from the Demoness Sect and the Psychology Alchemists. The former was originally represented by ' Despair Nightingale ' Panatiya, but after the Great Smog, it was replaced by ' Saintess of White ' Katarina. The latter is Herabergen Rambis."
"Have they ventured deep into the underground ruins?" Arianna asked meticulously.
"I don't know, I wasn't with them all the time," Qonas Kilgor shook his head. "At least when I encountered them there, they were all in the outer region."
Arianna asked about other things, trying to piece together the whole picture from different angles and perspectives, but it was clear that King George III's arrangements were almost flawless. Even a Demigod like Qonas Kilgor could only know what his assigned task was and could only move within a certain area, unable to learn more.
After a moment's thought, Arianna flipped her right hand over and gently pressed down, forcing Qonas Kilgor. Klein's control over the Marionette was then restored.
This made Klein sigh inwardly:
Concealment authority is truly powerful! Even if Lady Arianna were to secretly interrogate my Marionette one day, I would have no way of knowing...
At this moment, Arianna turned to the side and said to him on the balcony:
"It can be basically confirmed that George III had problems, and where that underground ruin is located."
"I will immediately meet with the Archbishop of the Church of Storms and the Church of Steam in Backlund and persuade them to take action tonight to open the ruins."
"Before I inform you, you control Qonas Kilgor, pretend he's perfectly fine, and then make him disappear."
Is this a concern that during negotiations with the Church of Storms and the Church of Steam, they might discover that Qonas Kilgor has run into trouble, leading to the premature sealing of the underground ruins or the activation of other contingency plans? Klein roughly understood and nodded:
"No problem."
Arianna, with her hair simply draped over her shoulders, didn't say anything more about it. She casually beckoned to the " Iron Sheet " pocket watch.
"This Sealed Artifact was a gift from George III, and perhaps we can find some clues about its earlier origins."
So you mean you want to take it? Klein responded without the slightest resistance:
"It's now in your hands."
He had no complaints about this, and even thought it should be this way. After all, half the credit for this battle went to Arianna's Concealment World and the Misfortune "Blessing". Since that was the case, even if the other party didn't get the " Concerto of Light and Shadow ", Klein would have taken the initiative to offer it. He was always fair in this regard.
Of all the spoils, the " Concerto of Light and Shadow " was the one he least wanted, because it was incompatible with the fighting style of the " Bizarro Sorcerer." Its random mutations would inevitably affect his own performance, weakening him far more than the enemy.
Klein had just considered that if his share of the spoils was this pocket watch, then he would have to trick, no, sell it to Will Auceptin. Only Demigod member of the School of Life who survives by luck could master the " Concerto of Light and Shadow Snake of Fate." And at that time, such a large Concealment organization, such a Sequence 1, would definitely have other Sealed Artifact to exchange for it.
Upon receiving his response, Arianna nodded slightly and tossed the " Iron Sheet " pocket watch back into Qonas Kilgor's arms, making the " Earl of the Fallen " look no different from before.
His figure vanished instantly, as if erased by an eraser, along with the world of the huge red moon hanging high and the black spires and chimneys, which was also quickly wiped away.
In an instant, everything returned to normal: Klein was in the master bedroom, Qonas Kilgor was in the guest room, several dozen meters away, clutching " Riveir's Desperate Scream " tightly in his hand.
Then, taking advantage of the "chaos," the Military Intelligence Section 9 general put his pistol back into his arm holster, picked up the glass of the Megro Manor wine he had just poured, and took a small sip.
P. S.: Requesting monthly votes and recommendation votes on Monday!