stjorthotic Chapter 180 The Whereabouts of Lanius
Chapter 180 The Whereabouts of Lanius
Chapter 180 The Whereabouts of Lanius
The man wearing the golden mask remained silent, but he actually knew why Mr. A had done what he did.
Because before he met Catherine Pelle, he had received a private message from George III and learned that Lannüs possessed the divinity of a true creator.
Mr. A was under great pressure because he was responsible for protecting the vessel from which the true creator descended. It was only natural that he would take risky actions to divert attention and drag the witch cult into the mess.
The reason George III confided in him was so that he could discuss with Katerina Pelle whether Triss could be transferred away from Backlund.
Now that two evil gods' vessels exist simultaneously in Backlund, even George III feels a bit bewildered.
George III's original intention in concealing the matter from Lannister was to make the Aurora Society a scapegoat. This would allow the Aurora Society to take the blame for the smog, maximize the destructive power of the smog, and attract the attention of the three major churches by taking advantage of the arrival of the true creator—a win-win situation.
However, the incident at Red Rose Manor exposed Triss's affair, leading George III to discover that the Witch Cult had suddenly pulled a fast one on him, cultivating the primordial witch's divine vessel right under his nose. George III was devastated when he learned of this.
Although he viewed the people as consumables and the country as his private property, he did not want to see Backlund destroyed, because it was the foundation upon which he rose to become the "Black Emperor".
"The scapegoat in that century-long corruption scandal in the Ministry of Defense, Lanius, is actually a vessel for the true Creator's arrival, possessing the Creator's divinity!"
Hearing the man's words, Katrina Pelle's eyes gleamed, and she understood why Aurora was not taking the blame this time, but instead trying to shift the blame and frame others.
"Now that Duke Negan has been assassinated, all official forces will be targeting you specifically. We can no longer provide assistance to you in secret. So, you should withdraw from Backlund first, and take Triss with you while you're at it!"
"Come back when the Government Employees Recruiting Act begins to be implemented and everyone's attention has shifted," the man in the gold mask suggested.
Katerina Pelle understood that King George III dared not place both vessels for divine intervention in Backlund. She nodded at first, but then shook her head and said:
"We cannot take Triss away. Don't forget our original intention in arranging for him to be by Edsack's side. Taking him away now would only make things worse. Moreover, once the container cultivation project begins, it cannot be stopped, otherwise, there will be unforeseen consequences."
The Gnostic now knows of Triss's existence. Although they are not as strong as us, they possess high-ranking experts through the 'Apprentice' pathway, making them difficult to guard against. It's safer for Triss to remain in Backlund.
"Then what do you suggest we do! Now everyone knows that Red Rose Manor is the center of the incident, and they are trying every means to find out what happened. If Triss's existence is discovered, then everything will be exposed."
Don't forget, if we hadn't opened the door, Triss would never have been able to infiltrate Edsack's inner circle.
This point is unclear, and our cooperation with you will be completely exposed!
The masked man spoke in a very stern tone, which could be seen as expressing George III's dissatisfaction with the witch cult's unauthorized actions.
Katarina Pelle pondered for a moment, then flipped her hand and took out a crystal, saying:
"Then we can only let Triss ascend ahead of schedule. When he ascends to become the Witch of Pleasure, his connection with the 'Original' will be even closer. Unless an angel personally conducts a special examination on him, no one will be able to find anything wrong with him!"
And if you're really worried, you can find Lanius and get rid of him first!
Backlund is your stronghold, I refuse to believe you don't have any tricks up your sleeve!
The man wearing the golden mask accepted the extraordinary property tossed to him by Katarina Pelle, paused for a moment, and could only helplessly put it away. He then solemnly said:
"This is the last time. If this happens again, we'll have to reconsider our cooperation!"
Katerina Pelle understood that the man before her was issuing a warning on behalf of King George III, and could only nod solemnly to indicate that she understood.
Watching the man with the golden mask leave, Katarina Pelle was still filled with doubt. How could Mr. A have been able to find Triss's location so accurately? Triss was wearing the ring that symbolized the 'Primordial' Witch, making her impossible to locate using mystical methods.
Thinking about Triss's previous actions, Katarina Pelle gradually pinpointed a location.
"Tinggen? The Aurora Society has been targeting Triss since Tinggen? How is that possible?"
Evan, disguised once again, arrived at the Brave Ones Bar, sat at the bar, casually ordered a drink, and sat there drinking.
A short while later, Ian Wright, with his red eyes, came to his side. After luring away the drunkard next to Evan with a glass of wine, he sat down next to Evan and, amidst the noise of the crowd, reported on the mission he had been carrying out recently.
"Thanks to your guidance, we have indeed made a major discovery at the dockworkers' union. One of my men saw with his own eyes that Lanius was not disguised. He had many powerful and dangerous henchmen around him. To prevent being discovered, I have now evacuated all the people around him."
After listening to Ian Wright's explanation, Evan nodded approvingly. Many people rush in recklessly as soon as they spot a target, unaware that it might be a huge trap, leaving them with nothing.
Instead, you'll get yourself into trouble.
Ian Wright already had the official MI9 identity given to him by Evan, and knew the amount of the bounty MI9 had on Lanius. His ability to resist such a great temptation and stop the investigation in time showed his strong will.
But what pleased Evan even more was Ian Wright's report to him instead of keeping the news to himself, which made Evan think even more highly of him.
Many people emphasize not to "forget one's roots" when faced with huge profits, but when it comes to making a choice, how many people can resist the urge to do so?
Evan will leave MI9 sooner or later, and the position he leaves behind will be nominally controlled by Hugh Deercha and Forthwall, but in reality, Ian Wright is Evan's true chosen successor and shadow.
As a "shadow," loyalty is the most important element, which is why Evan chose to personally subdue Ian Wright after Zeril's death.
In the original story, even after confirming that Zeril was dead, he still continued to complete the mission according to Zeril's previous instructions, which alone made Evan remember him very well.
"Let's leave it at that. Tell your little brother who discovered Lanluus to keep his mouth shut and forget everything about Lanluus, including what you know, okay?"
Ian Wright was somewhat disapproving, but he knew his boss was a man of his word and was also very clear about his own position, so he didn't raise any questions and simply nodded in obedience.
Seeing that Ian Wright obeyed his orders without hesitation, Evan knew it was time to offer a reward, so he softened his tone and said:
"You did a good job this time. I will increase your funding by 200 gold coins next month, and you can now choose to become an extraordinary person on that path."
Ian Wright is nominally an MI9 agent, but his children's intelligence network is not reported to MI9 at all. It is maintained by Evan at his own expense, receiving 300 gold pounds per month through direct account transfers. Therefore, this intelligence network is actually Evan's private intelligence network.
With just 300 gold pounds a month for operating expenses, Ian Wright's intelligence network and influence have expanded rapidly, and homeless children and pickpockets throughout the East End and Docklands have become part of his network.
The fact that homeless children on the streets suddenly became organized and started clashing with pickpockets gradually affected the gang's profits. Eventually, more conflicts were bound to occur, at which point a certain amount of force would be needed to protect them.
Ian Wright was equally excited. He had vaguely known about the existence of Extraordinary before joining MI9, and he had long yearned to become one himself. This was the biggest reason why he had been willing to work for Evan all this time.
"I want to become a 'warrior,' please grant my request!" Ian Wright excitedly stated his plea.
Evan couldn't help but glance at Ian Wright, surprised that he had chosen "Warrior," but considering his past experiences, it made perfect sense.
Ian Wright grew up in poverty, suffering humiliation and witnessing too much darkness. The money he earned from begging every day was mostly taken by gangsters as "protection money," which gave him an extraordinary desire for power.
Evan respected Ian Wright's choice, so he didn't say anything more. Instead, he took out a small notebook from his pocket, tore off a page, wrote something down, and handed it to Ian Wright, saying:
"Take this warrant to the exchange point at MI9. There are specialists there who will teach you how to take potions. I hope that after you become an Extraordinary, you will be able to better build your intelligence network, ensuring that nothing that happens in Backlund can escape your notice!"
"Thank you for your guidance; I will certainly live up to your expectations!"
Ian Wright excitedly accepted the note written by Evan, thanked Evan, and then left.
After Ian Wright left, Evan downed the beer in his glass and headed toward a row of rooms on the east side of the bar.
Without knocking or greeting anyone, Evan walked straight into the second private room and, sure enough, saw Kasperas Kanlinen sweating profusely, playing cards with a group of people, including "Marich".
When Evan entered without knocking, everyone at the card table stopped and looked towards the door. A stench of decay wafted out, sending chills down their spines.
An ordinary person would probably have been scared out of their wits by now, but Evan is no ordinary person. He calmly pushed aside the "live card" blocking his way, walked up to take a look at Kaspersky Kanlinen's cards, and almost burst out laughing - they were absolutely terrible.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. Apart from Kasperas Kanlinen, everyone else in the room was Maric's "own man," so it would be strange if he could win.
Kasperas Kanlinen seemed relieved when he saw Evan arrive. He slammed his cards on the table and hurriedly left the private room, clearly not wanting to play with Maric any longer and indulge his perverse tastes.
After Caspas left the box, Evan looked at these people who had already started to find places to sit around the walls.
The "living corpse" casually asked:
"Now that the Rose School has failed in its pursuit of you and suffered heavy losses, will they send demigods to hunt you down?"
Sitting across the gambling table, Maric, wearing a white shirt and sporting a black horse, hesitated, unsure whether he should tell the truth.
Just as she was struggling with her decision, a clear, cold voice came from beside him:
"That's for sure. We could even be considered the last rebels within the Rose School. Moreover, they suffered heavy losses this time, with many strongholds destroyed. They also need to rebuild Backlund's intelligence system, which requires sending people!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a woman dressed in a black court dress appeared beside Marich.
The woman had light blonde hair, and her eyes were azure like the sky on a sunny day. Her features were exquisite.
Her face was unusually pale, and she looked so weak and pitiful that it was Miss Sharon.
Miss Sharon floated in mid-air, holding up her long court dress, and curtsied to Evan, who also politely returned the curtsy.
"If a demigod really comes after you, we still have a chance to cooperate."
"Alright, we can discuss these things later. What do you two think of my suggestion from last time?"
After bowing, Evan didn't say much and went straight to the point.
His words made Sharon and Marich look at him with newfound respect. They hadn't expected Evan to dare to interfere in matters concerning demigods, which showed that he was capable of manipulating the power of demigods, which was quite astonishing.
"We agree to the cooperation you proposed last time, as it would benefit us as well!"
This time, it was 'Marich' who spoke. He didn't have as much body hair as when Evan first met him, and his physique wasn't as robust as before. Instead, he exuded a melancholic and deathly aura.
If he were to portray himself as a fallen poet, his demeanor would certainly attract lonely young women and artsy girls in high society; this must be the effect of his successful promotion.
After their previous successful collaboration established basic trust, Evan proposed that he provide the funding and background protection, while Sharon and Maric would handle the integration of the gang and take over territory in the East and Dock districts.
Even if it's not about unifying the Backlund mafia, it's about establishing one of the largest mafias in Backlund and having corresponding influence in the underworld.
The biggest risk in this matter was that Sharon and Marich's identities couldn't be revealed, but the prospects proposed by Evan were too tempting, so they finally decided to take the risk.