The headquarters of Military Intelligence Section 9 is located on Bellotto Street in the West Borough; it is an unassuming three-story building.
There were no signs identifying it at the entrance, only a simple nameplate:
"9"
The core of this office building is underground, while the upper part is mainly occupied by civilian staff. Of course, most of the Beyonder belonging to Military Intelligence Section 9 don't go underground unless necessary, as the environment there is bad, the atmosphere is oppressive, and accidents could happen at any time due to improper handling of the Sealed Artifact.
Hugh currently serves as the deputy head of the " Domestic Security and Counterintelligence Team," directly managing a sizable team of Beyonder responsible for handling espionage cases related to the Backlund region and Intis.
"Here's a task." Her superior, Lieutenant General Pantek, deputy director of Military Intelligence Section 9 and head of the " Domestic Security and Counterintelligence Team," picked up a document and handed it to the person across the desk.
"Is it urgent?" Hugh reached out and took it, asking cautiously.
Lieutenant General Pantek was a typical old man from the Loen, with a remarkably receding hairline. He picked up his white porcelain coffee cup, took a small sip, and said:
Not urgent, low risk.
"In fact, this task will be assigned to all members, hoping that someone can complete it by luck."
This description was somewhat unexpected for Hugh, but instead of opening the file folder on the spot, she responded directly:
I will pass on the message to my team members.
After leaving Lieutenant General Pantek's office, Hugh returned to his own room.
After she threw herself into her seat, she seemed to disappear completely.
After quickly glancing through the documents in his hand, Hugh roughly understood why the deputy director had said that:
The Utopia that needs to be investigated doesn't seem to be anywhere on the Northern Continent, nor on any of the known islands in the Five Seas.
Over the past two weeks, many people have entered the so-called Utopia, but their methods and locations have varied greatly: some arrived in the Sonia Sea Raging Sea region during a terrifying Storm, some were stopped in the middle of the railway from Desi Bay to Backlund due to torrential rain, and some entered from West Vilas County after getting lost...
So far, no one has been harmed or suffered any lasting psychological effects from entering Utopia... No wonder Deputy Director Pantek said the danger level was low... Besides, the current cases don't reveal any patterns, making it difficult to pinpoint Utopia's true location, so we can't specifically send someone in to investigate. Hmm... We can only inform all members of the details and hope that some of them, after accidentally arriving in Utopia, can cautiously and discreetly gather some intelligence... Hugh put down the documents in his hand, stood up with a slight regret, and prepared to report the matter to his subordinates, the Beyonder.
Her regret stemmed from the extreme difficulty of the mission, with virtually no hope of success, which prevented her from accumulating further merits.
For the past six months, Hugh has been busy every day in preparation for the predicted Apocalypse. He handles the affairs of Military Intelligence Section 9 while completing various tasks given by Mr. The Fool, accumulating contributions on both sides to prepare for exchanging for the " Law Mage " Potion recipe and Beyonder Characteristic, thus realizing his Wishes to become Demigod.
Up to now, Hugh is still lacking in both areas, especially within Military Intelligence Section 9. Without any extraordinary contributions, Hugh has no hope of success.
If it weren't for the generous salary and various benefits he could receive from Military Intelligence Section 9, and the access to a wealth of intelligence that he could use to help him complete the tasks assigned by Mr. The Fool, Hugh would have wanted to resign and return to being a bounty Hunter, where he would have more freedom.
"I can ask about this case at the next Tarot Club. Maybe Mr. 'The World' and the others will have some clues..." Hugh thought to himself as he pushed open the door to the room where his team members were.
After explaining the mission to Utopia, Hugh gave a special instruction:
"If things don't go well, even if there's an opportunity to enter Utopia, we can give up immediately. That town, whether real or not, might not have shown any danger simply because it hasn't been provoked."
After a busy period, Hugh finally finished his day's work and returned home before 7:30 p. m. to have dinner with his mother, brother, and Fors, enjoying a brief moment of relaxation.
In the early hours of the morning, after washing up, she went to the bedroom window, grabbed the curtain, and prepared to close it.
During this process, Hugh naturally turned his gaze outside and noticed that the crimson the Moon high in the sky had somehow become rounder and larger, and its color had clearly deepened, like flowing blood.
" Blood Moon "... Hugh suddenly turned his head and looked at the next room with concern, somewhat worried about his friend's condition.
However, she quickly remembered that Fors was already Sequence 4 Demigod and was no longer afraid of the influence of the " Full Moon Ravings ".
In the next room, Fors was reclining on the bed, admiring the " Blood Moon " outside the window while enduring the pain from the needles pricking her head, listening to Mr. "Door" speak:
"While the transition from Sequence 3 to Sequence 2, from an incomplete Mythical Creature to a true Mythical Creature, is indeed a qualitative leap, I believe that the transition from Sequence 4 to Sequence 3 also involves a certain degree of qualitative change. In fact, one could say that Sequence 3 is the most desirable level in the Beyonder Pathway."
"At this level, one does not need to rely on external forces to combat the tendency to be crazy and out of control, nor does one have to endure torment every moment. One also has extraordinary abilities that completely surpass those of ordinary people, making one more like a god than a human. Furthermore, one can harvest a small amount of anchors to further stabilize one's mental state."
"If it weren't for the fact that most Sequence 3 beings don't have long enough lifespans to exceed 500 years, I think not many Saint would be motivated to ascend to the Angel..."
"Mmm-hmm." Fors nodded repeatedly, indicating that she understood.
At the same time, she yawned rather discreetly, her forehead twitching slightly.
She had become somewhat accustomed to the pain of speaking directly with Mr. "Men".
Mr. "Door" continued:
" Sequence 3 of the ' Apprentice ' pathway is called ' Wanderer,' which means that even the Spirit World can no longer confine you. You can enter the Starry Sky, travel through the Astral World, go to different planets, and witness true desolation, true barrenness, true grandeur, and civilizations completely different from your own."
Only by experiencing these things firsthand can you truly understand how insignificant the world you live in is...
Mr. "Men" briefly recounted his experiences to showcase the grandeur and magnificence of the Starry Sky, as well as the profoundness and charm of different civilizations.
This captivated Fors, and if it weren't for the throbbing pain in her head, she might have forgotten that the speaker was a dangerous Angel King.
"If you help me escape this predicament, I will give you the ' Wanderer ' Potion recipe and Beyonder Characteristic, and help you complete the ritual. Of course, all of this can be paid in advance. At the end of ' Full Moon Ravings,' Mr. 'Door' once again made his promise."
"It's truly enviable," Fors exclaimed sincerely.
As Mr. Door's voice gradually faded and disappeared, Fors abruptly pulled out the lumbar support pillow and lay down.
In less than three minutes, she fell asleep peacefully.
For her, the vast Starry Sky was indeed fascinating, but it also carried the danger of being corrupted simply by understanding it, so she had no motivation to explore it.
"I'll consider it after I've traveled to all the Northern Continent and the five oceans..." Fors murmured almost silently to himself in his sleep.
By this time, the blood-red the Moon outside the window had faded, returning to a lighter crimson, and it no longer appeared complete.
A huge, blood-red Full Moon hung on the edge of the cliff, illuminating the swamp below.
The swamp was dark red, constantly bubbling, and at its bottom, magma seemed to be steaming everything.
At first glance, the swamp seemed to have no end, like a vast ocean.
Snap!
A rock fell from the edge of the cliff and into the swamp.
The next second, a bubble emerged, burst silently, and gave birth to a baby covered in blood.
The baby wobbled and swam closer to the cliff face, trying to climb up.
Snap!
Emlyn White's footing broke, and he fell off the cliff into the swamp.
The Sanguine Count suddenly awoke from his dream, looking around in a mixture of fear and confusion.
Once he was certain this was his room, surrounded by numerous familiar Puppet of all sizes, Emlyn slowly exhaled, muttering to himself with a rather solemn expression:
"That dream I just had was quite something."
As a " Warlock King ", he has a thorough understanding of the dream realm.
Is this what they call "divine revelation"? But I haven't received any revelation... Emlyn thought for several seconds, but couldn't find an answer, so he decided to stop worrying about it and prepare to ask Father Utravsky when he had time.
The crimson the Moon, no longer full, cast a hazy glow over the garden of the Sea Waves Cathedral.
Alger reached out and caught the note "delivered" by the gale, unfolded it and glanced at it:
" Verdue is looking for pirate ships or smuggling vessels heading to Bansy."
Bansy Harbor has not yet been rebuilt, and there are no passenger ships going there from anywhere. Valuable, Verdue, who cherishes the opportunity to " Teleportation ", can only rely on unconventional methods.
Go to Bansy? Alger frowned immediately.
He knew exactly what Bansy meant, but he couldn't understand why Verdue wanted to go to Bansy.
There should be nothing left there!
No, even if the Church razed Bansy, some abnormalities remained. Moreover, the Church hadn't figured out what problems Bansy was hiding... As a cardinal, Alger was qualified to access some confidential documents, including Record the Church of Storms's actions against Bansy.
In addition, he learned more from Mr. The Fool and Gehrman Sparrow, the "World".
After thinking for a moment, Alger quickly made a decision and prepared to have his shadow guards arrange a pirate ship for Verdue.
In this regard, Alger knew many key figures who didn't need to appear in person or in his own name.
Of course, in the Rorsted Archipelago, smuggling ships are often synonymous with pirate ships.
P. S.: I realized there was no update; it turns out the timer was set incorrectly...