Upon hearing Ebner's question, the evil spirit fell silent for two seconds before speaking in a low tone:
"So… you really do know quite a lot…"
Ebner played with "Lilith's Tears" in his hand, smiling as he replied,"Didn't you tell me yourself? 'You're an innocent victim of Alista Tudor's ambition'… And to be personally harmed by the Blood Emperor, to remain in the form of an evil spirit inside the palace from the era of the Dual Consuls, enduring for two thousand years without being wiped out…
"The only ones I know who match that description are the three Sequence 1 Conquerors."
The evil spirit thought for a moment, then suddenly chuckled and said,"Heh… but all of your guesses are wrong."
Ebner examined him for a few moments, then put on a look of realization and nodded:
"I see."
Mr. Tower, what do you "see"? Mind explaining it to the rest of us? Klein, listening attentively on the side, couldn't help but mentally grumble.
From their exchange and the related knowledge on the "Black Emperor" tarot card in his possession, Klein had more or less guessed that this evil spirit might have been one of the materials used when the Blood Emperor advanced to Red Priest.
And back then, the three Sequence 1 materials—as Mr. Tower had just mentioned—were Sauron, Einhorn, and Medici.
Sauron was a former royal of Intis, and Einhorn belonged to the royal family of the Feysac Empire. Both walked the Hunter pathway, which checked out… But Medici?Was that from a long-gone angelic family?
At this point, the evil spirit stared intently at Ebner with bloodshot eyes. After a long pause, he finally changed the subject and said:
"If you help me escape my predicament, I will offer corresponding compensation… No—more precisely, a reward generous enough that you'll consider it worthwhile."
"Now that's the right attitude when asking for help…" Ebner nodded, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. "So let's hear it—what's your offer?"
The evil spirit first pointed at Miss Sharon and said:"She should be a Wraith from the Prisoner pathway, about to reach the critical threshold for becoming a demigod. I don't know if you possess the formula for 'Puppet,' but I can help you acquire it—or even become part of the ritual myself. That is one of the rewards I offer."
"Puppet," huh? So Sequence 4 on the Prisoner pathway is called Puppet? Weird name… Klein mumbled internally.
Sharon ignored the evil spirit's words completely, as if the reward he mentioned had nothing to do with her.
The Chained God is right inside Madam Fasin's belly. We don't actually lack Prisoner pathway formulas… and if the original plot hasn't changed much, Klein should be encountering Miss Messenger soon anyway.
With those thoughts in mind, Ebner put on a mildly disinterested expression and gestured for the evil spirit to continue.
Seeing that none of the three were moved by the demigod formula, the evil spirit glanced at the "Magic Mirror" resting near Ebner's hand and let out a raspy laugh:
"Were you planning to use the 'demon' kept in that mirror to help her ascend? That works too, I suppose. After all, repressed desires and wild malice have always complemented each other well!"
From what he's implying, the Demon and Prisoner pathways are interchangeable at higher levels? They belong to the same 'category'? Also… that mirror Mr. Tower has can 'pasture' a demigod? No wonder the evil spirit is so cautious!
While Klein was deep in thought, Ebner simply shook his head and replied:
"There's no need to deliberately mention 'demigod traits' or play these little schemes… Your Beyonder powers in that domain can hardly affect the three of us at this point.
"Besides, as you know, I've got a mind dragon at the demigod level maintaining a constant purge of psychic interference in this area. In your current state, you've got no chance of success.
"Why don't you tell us what you really have to offer?"
Having activated his "Pure White Eye" all along, Ebner had already detected the little tricks this three-in-one evil spirit was playing. But with various protective items on him and the "Unknown Land" behind his eye serving as a filter, he was almost entirely unaffected.
Klein had experienced so many events by now that he had plenty of practice resisting such influences—and afterward, he could always go above the gray fog to "purify" himself, so there wasn't much concern.
As for Miss Sharon, being an Aberrant, she constantly needed to restrain all kinds of urges. A bit of greed stirred up by trickery wouldn't cause any ripples at all.
By pointing all this out, Ebner was building a psychological advantage for their future negotiations.
Upon hearing this, the evil spirit's smile froze on his face. After about half a minute, he finally opened his palm, letting the crimson moonlight condense into an image.
Within the image was a normally sized Tarot card. But unlike the usual designs, this one featured not a king sitting in the chariot, but a male priest clad in deep crimson robes.
And the priest's appearance was unmistakably that of Roselle Gustav!
This… a Blasphemy Card! Klein's gaze immediately shifted, catching the starlight in the upper-left corner forming a line of text:
"Sequence 0: Red Priest!"
Ebner showed no surprise—he had long known that the other party possessed this card.
As for Sharon, her face, pale to the point of near-transparency, showed no trace of emotion. It was as though the evil spirit was merely presenting a completely ordinary Tarot card.
She wasn't particularly shocked either—Klein had already explained Sequence 0-related knowledge to her.
Seeing the three remain silent, the evil spirit smiled again and said:"Perhaps you don't understand what Sequence 0 represents, nor do you realize its value. In truth, this is an item that could rightly be called miraculous and priceless…"
"No need to explain—we understand. That means a true god! The true god of the 'Hunter' pathway! That 'Blasphemy Card' must've come into your possession through a convergence effect."
Ebner paused here, then revealed the mirror beside him and continued,"The creator of that card and the creator of this mirror are the same person… Maybe our meeting here today is also part of such a convergence."
The evil spirit gave Ebner a deep look, then slowly dispelled the projection of the "Blasphemy Card" in his hand. In a low voice, he asked:
"So… is this item enough to show my sincerity?"
"It is indeed a treasure…" Ebner glanced at Klein and Sharon, exchanging looks. The latter two subtly signaled for him to continue handling things. He then shook his head slowly and said calmly,"But it's of no use to me."
"What do you want?" The evil spirit's tone subtly shifted—his choice of words and demeanor had clearly changed.
Ebner gave him a thoughtful look, then replied with an apparently unrelated comment:"I can obtain the blood of a Sauron descendant at any time. Einhorn's blood wouldn't be difficult either…"
His maid's contract hadn't expired yet, and the student of that female count from Feysac was a direct descendant of Einhorn.
"You… know how to unseal it?" The evil spirit's bloodshot eyes locked onto him, unable to hide his surprise and urgency.
"A seal of this level can't escape my eyes. After all… I am a Mysticism Magister."
Ebner responded with a smile.
"Mysticism Magister? Even an 'Observer' might not be able to parse the details of this seal!" The evil spirit sneered, clearly not believing him.
Well, I'm cheating, aren't I… Ebner mocked himself internally, narrowing his eyes slightly as he thought:
From that earlier probing exchange, I can tell that my predecessor—the transmigrator before me, at least Giuseppe Castiya—didn't have the "decipher" ability granted by the "Pure White Eye"…
Do the abilities granted by the "Pure White Eye" vary based on the pathway?
Or maybe… the ability to "decipher" was added to the "Unknown Land" only after Giuseppe—or rather, Felipe—died?
Could that be linked to the fact that I transmigrated into Ebner, whose body had been contaminated by the Reader trait?
Roselle, the "Calamity Seal," even that Master Daniel… they were all convinced I was a "Reader." Could that also be connected?
Hmm… Master Daniel once taught at Lenburg, and Leon the Lion once said the "Calamity Seal" might be linked to the God of Knowledge…
And on my very first day after transmigrating, I might've been discovered by the God of Knowledge—far earlier than Lilith…
That "decipher" ability might just be inseparable from the Dragon of Wisdom!
(End of Chapter)