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Page 284
The Moon Clan and the Star Abyss Society's Listeners, who had been locked in a stalemate, temporarily halted their attacks due to the dense fog, and the battle returned to its original stalemate.
"Good day, it is a pleasure to meet you all tonight."
"Although I didn't receive an invitation, I don't think anyone would mind. As for my name... just call me 'The Hermit'."
Fran's voice was clear, calm, and methodical.
As she spoke, she took out the "Ten-Quarter" pocket watch, a token of the distinguished guest of Oak Shadow Nest, which could pinpoint the location of this secret sanctuary.
"I wonder what brings the Hermit Lady here? I am ashamed to say that the Order is currently facing a trouble and I am afraid I cannot provide you with any service."
He asked Fran's purpose in a concise and clear manner.
As he spoke, he glanced casually at the surrounding mist, and a glint of unfathomable light flashed in his pitch-black eyes.
As the Six-Eyed Raven Cult's most important patron recently, the Remnant Eye, though not personally receiving her, still knew her characteristics. Slender figure, dressed in an expensive Ahanta robe, her tone and demeanor were composed and languid…
These contents all come from descriptions and descriptions of gray marks and white necks.
Upon seeing the Hermit Lady in person, the first feeling that Yi Mu had was an overwhelming sense of familiarity. Whether it was the mist surrounding her or the tone of her voice, it reminded the Raven Feather Priest of another "old friend".
That was the apostle who once visited Oak Shadow Nest and took the ancient banyan fruit "Shadow of the Past" in full view of everyone, the one who called herself "Vivian".
Is she friend or foe, and what is her purpose in appearing here?
Just as Yi Mu was pondering, Fran opened QQ UN again: "Dig! Tumor □￡摝《)柶∪∩｜^ear mouth."
"Gentlemen, there is no need to worry. In fact, I have no intention of getting involved in this conflict. After all, my relationship with Six-Eyed Raven is merely that of customer and seller. Apart from the exchange of interests and some unspeakable past matters, there is no alliance in any sense."
Her tone carried her usual faint smile, but the content of her words carried an unsettling coldness.
Then, Fran changed the subject, his amber eyes turning to Child beside him.
"However... my friend has his own ideas, and of course I won't interfere with them."
Upon hearing this, Child was slightly taken aback, and pointed to himself with his index finger, looking somewhat puzzled.
"Um, me?"
Dr. Fran wants to get involved in this clandestine war that concerns the survival of several sects and involves four or five high priests? Isn't that overestimating himself a bit...?
In response to Childe's confusion, Fran simply pursed his lips slightly and recited clearly and quickly a prayer for the white cup written in ancient Philanes.
"We once sought a dazzling radiance that surpassed all things, such as finned creatures, flies, moths, or sunflowers and algae."
"For this reason, we embrace inhumanity, abandon emotion, and relinquish everything we are born with. We enjoy the dissolution of our five senses, and immerse ourselves in the fragmentation of our being. It is as if this is the only way, as if everything should be this way, as if everything will be this way."
"However, the pursuit of knowledge and divination by the lamp is itself an inexplicable, self-contradictory paradox."
"The pure white cup contends with life, death, blood, spine, and radiance. Those who resolve to eliminate falsehoods may perish in the mortal world, but the marks they leave on history will never fade."
The ancient Philanes language was rich in opera, poetry, and chanting, and its language also possessed a perfectly melodious tone. Although this prayer was not short, Fran completed its recitation in just a few breaths.
Prince Gunther was not familiar with the ancient Philanes language and did not sense the spiritual flow driven by the ritual. He simply looked at the woman in the ochre dress beside him with a puzzled expression.
This Moth Master is highly accomplished in linguistics and must have some knowledge of this.
The woman in the ochre dress did understand the obscure and rhythmic words Fran was speaking. But in her experience, it wasn't the standard format of the White Cup Secret Technique; rather, it sounded like a monologue from an old opera.
Coming here just to recite a song? Absolutely not.
"It's the key."
A young python flicked its dark tongue, offering a signal. From its mouth came the hoarse, aged voice of the former Ant-Scale Saint, Victor.
"Victor, why did you desert your post? Are you planning to betray the alliance?"
Upon seeing the small snake, Gunther immediately questioned it with a grim expression.
"Compared to 'allies' with their own ulterior motives, I prefer to trust the 'brothers and sisters' of the Order. Consider my reminder just now my final gift, and I have no intention of retrieving those living corpses made from the Ant-Scale Disciples."
“Gunther, our deal is now closed. Antscale Gate will no longer be involved in Mordway’s conflicts.”
The snake that Victor was commanding responded without hesitation, and after expressing its determination, it immediately turned and disappeared into the shadows of the oak bushes.
"Utterly foolish..."
Gunther let out a low, gloomy shout, his emotions spiraling out of control, teetering on the edge of rage.
Although the reason is unknown, Viktor is determined to leave, and there is clearly no way to stop him. All he can do is manage the current, somewhat unpredictable battle situation. Even though he has lost a high-ranking priest, he still has other trump cards up his sleeve.
"Ah~"
Fran raised her hand to cover her mouth, her gaze lingering as she yawned. Her recent venturing into the Sea of Skeletons had left the doctor somewhat weary, and she didn't intend to linger at Oak Shadow Nest.
After unlocking Child's account using the key given to him by Danfas, the head of the security department at Norlington Central College, the doctor turned and left without looking back, disappearing completely into the fog in an instant.
Meanwhile, Professor Child's clear, somewhat bewildered blue eyes quietly transformed into a deep, somber emerald hue, with a cold, rational light shining within them, accompanied by an undiminished fervor for scientific research.
"So this is what the doll's body feels like. It's really strange."
"The spirit box is in a stable state, and the secret furnace is functioning well. As expected of the highest creation of the Pure White Era, every pump of the furnace even simulates the rhythm of a natural heartbeat, without any discomfort."
While maintaining the Grantham persona, Child raised his hand and gently pushed the bridge of his nose with his ring finger, as if trying to adjust the non-existent round-framed glasses.
"The 'Gravity Interferometer' is intact, the 'Spiritual Particle Expulsion Field' is functioning normally, and the 'Fission Codex' is fully charged. It seems the Order hasn't neglected the maintenance of 'me'."
Seeing the change in Childe's pupil color and eyes, Marquis Jude was momentarily stunned, even briefly forgetting the erosion that was spreading within his body.
“Grantham…how did you get here? And why have you become so young?”
“Hey, now’s not the time to worry about that, Marquis Jude. I don’t know why I was put here either, but since I’m here, I’ll do my best to help you out, according to the oath of the Moon Moon.”
Child's tone still carried the arrogance of Grantham's youth, without a trace of the melancholy and weariness of old age.
For some reason, the fact that he didn't exude much spiritual energy gave Bernhard a strong sense of foreboding, almost chilling him to the bone. The Marquis of the Moon of the Murdoch family flickered and approached Jude in an instant.
Bernhard is currently in the weakest state of his old rival in a thousand years, and he must find a way to take his life as quickly as possible to ensure that he will never be a threat again.
But the next moment, he felt a shift in his body's center of gravity.
An indescribable, invisible force pulled Bernhard down, but instead of falling to the ground, he crashed into the massive trunk of a nearby oak tree. Of course, thanks to the Moon's impeccable physical abilities, he quickly adjusted his posture and stood up.
However, compared to the past, his perspective on the world had changed in a certain way.
Bernhard was now standing completely horizontally on the oak trunk, the ground appearing to him as a wall perfectly perpendicular to himself. Everyone else present stood on this "wall."
Under the manipulation of the "gravity interferometer," the direction of gravity in which he was located was precisely reversed by ninety degrees... to the point that he seemed out of place with the entire world. A bizarre and absurd mechanical cross was achieved.
If Bernhard hadn't happened to be in this oak forest, he wouldn't even have a place to stand.
“Oh, Marquis Bernhard, it’s a pleasure to meet you here.”
Child slowly pushed up the non-existent frame of glasses, then gently rubbed his fingertips, as if he had thought of something.
"Speaking of which, we have an old score to settle in Norlington. Let's settle it here."
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羹!
Chapter 186 Ode to Redundant Knowledge
Even though she didn't know why a young "Grantham" would suddenly appear in Mordway, the ochre-white dress reacted very quickly.
She chanted the "Burning Sacrifice" again, attempting to corrupt and disturb Childe.
From the perspective of this Moth Priest, Grantham is probably using some unknown secret art to tamper with and distort the direction and operation of Bernhard's own gravity.
What she needs to do now is to try to interrupt the opponent's ongoing spell.
"The Fireweed Sacrifice? A classical erosion technique."
"But unfortunately, whether it's interference in terms of flesh and blood or in terms of spirit, it's unlikely to be effective against me right now." / [3)]≡∴
An invisible, distorted force field emanated from Child's figure, and his spiritual flow with the outside world was severed at this moment, as if he had become a pure insulator.
The "spiritual particle expulsion field" is a product created by the ancestors of the Pure White Era in their pursuit of pure external existence. It can isolate external spiritual interference within a certain range, based on the principle of "mutual repulsion".
The only drawback is probably its somewhat excessive energy consumption.
“Grantham, this isn’t Norrington. Are you really not worried that the White Cup Order will be dragged into the conflict? Or do you want those students who don’t yet know what cruelty is to perish with your decision?”
Bernhard, who was in a state of gravitational anomaly, uttered a sharp question.
"Oh? Well..."
Childe narrowed his eyes slightly, then scratched his cheek, seemingly unconcerned.
"Speaking of which, Funeral Home also sent their paranoiacs. I think you're in more trouble now than with any future retaliation. Oh, by the way, Bernhard... how dare you mention 'student' in front of me?"
Clearly, Grantham's personality still harbors resentment over last year's attack in the northern suburbs of Norlington. Fueled by hyperthymesia, this headmaster is far more vengeful than the average person and never hesitates to retaliate with the harshest methods.
"Let's end this pointless chatter here."
After speaking, he removed the leather gloves from both hands, and pure white prayers appeared on the surface of his skin like ants marching in formation, emitting a constantly flowing, clear fluorescence.
This is the third relic assembled by the Baibei ancestors for their dolls: the "Fission Secret Text".
Although he didn't know what the strange appearance on Child's hands meant, Bernhard instinctively sensed danger. It was as if a silver sword was pressed against his heart, or as if he was about to step into the daylight.
Most importantly, he had absolutely no idea how to break through the other party's bizarre gravity manipulation.
This is troublesome... Although I still retain the ability to fly and can be somewhat exempted from the inconvenience caused by the gravity anomaly, fighting Grantham in this state is far too difficult.
"Adjust 90 degrees clockwise."
Lin Child quickly approached Bernhard and then uttered an instruction with his lips moving.
Before he could finish speaking, Bernhard's gravity state underwent its second change.
Marquis San felt once again an irresistible, invisible force surging towards him, its direction leading directly beyond the heavens. He was about to fall, plummeting from the earth into the distant, boundless sky, the entire world seemingly inverted, every step beneath his feet a bottomless abyss.
wu “Peng!”
Liu's blood surged and scattered along his spine, transforming into a pair of fleshy bat wings, which he barely managed to stabilize himself with several flaps.
Jude had already noticed Bernhard's panic, so he immediately raised his hand and summoned a translucent spear made of salt crystals, which he threw at Bernhard while Bernhard was focused on dealing with Grantham.
The gun tip, with a deafening roar as it tore through the air, pierced his chest and pinned him to the massive oak trunk.
Prince Gunther and the Ochre-White Dress both wanted to try to rescue Bernhard, but before they could, Childe had already approached the Marquis of the Moon, and the two were only inches apart.
The dark shadow of death gradually enveloped the young man as he approached, cold and profound.
[Transformation into bats], [Transformation into blood]! No, why can't the spirit in the blood be activated?
Impossible... Do something, Bernhard, do something anyway!
Bernhard experienced one of the few moments of fear since the beginning of the millennium. He disregarded the depletion of his spirit and body and tried to forcefully break free from the shackles of the salt spear.
At this critical moment, his thoughts suddenly cooled. A thought that wasn't his own suddenly surged into his mind, running rampant like a wild beast out of control.
What is truth?
Is it a process, a system, a belief, or an objectively existing concept?
Is it accurate or chaotic? Is it objective or subjective? Is it relative or absolute? Will my eating Modaway cheese sauce with pasta for breakfast today directly affect the existing laws governing particle motion?
Yes, I am not human, and the way I ingest energy does not affect its value—this is a fundamental attribute of the humanities and social sciences. That's good; delicious lemonade doesn't undergo a phase change just by adding ice.
……
Child had fully unleashed the spiritual particle expulsion field to its maximum efficiency, rendering even the innate talent from his bloodline ineffective... At the same time, he infused Bernhard's mind with his own chaotic and mixed "redundant consciousness".
That was incoherent and illogical rambling, containing a vast amount of invalid information, enough to destroy and crush the thinking process of ordinary people.
In the blink of an eye, Child's arm, flowing with fission runes, was pressed against Bernhard's forehead.
He did not target the Marquis of the Moon's heart, because there was no need.
Under the scorching light of the [Fission Codex], Bernhard's body was turning into fragments at a visible speed, and then the neat, square blocks were crushed into ash... and finally burned away little by little into dust-like inorganic matter.
Childe clapped his hands, and the deep black grey matter fell like quicksand, announcing the end of the long life of this Marquis of the Moon.
No one could have imagined that the first high priest to die in this clandestine war would be a member of the Moon Clan, renowned for their tenacity. He was also an ancient marquis who had been born into the mortal world a thousand years ago.
Perhaps Bernhard still had other trump cards to escape or save his life... but the reality is that he no longer has the opportunity to use those methods.
Bernhard's cold, inevitable end has arrived, and there is no going back.
If Grantham himself were here, he would probably be more inclined to defeat Bernhard to the point of near death, then take partial samples for scientific purposes, and leave the remaining residue to Jude.
Child is a crafted doll created by the White Cup ancestors. Although it retains a human soul and thought patterns, it does not hesitate or waver for even a moment when carrying out the annihilation order.
His guiding principle is to pursue the ultimate in "efficiency".