Ebner flipped through the telegram in his hand, then picked up a photo that had obviously been secretly taken of Gwen and Lydia. He appeared to show interest in "Lady Dragon Might," but in his heart, he couldn't help worrying about her.
After all, judging from the report sent by the manager of the Delien family on Isaca Island, even though Miss Gwen and Tran had disguised themselves, they had been noticed immediately upon disembarking. The information they had obtained was all deliberately leaked by that manager…
If Miss Gwen really acted on such intelligence to intercept the slave ship, she was bound to fall into an ambush!
Fortunately, that manager in Isaca Town, intimidated by the reputation of "Lady Dragon Might," did not act rashly. Instead, he wanted to wait for Vice Admiral Deep Sea's fleet to arrive, or for the navy of the Delien family's military faction to come, before beginning the plan to capture Gwen alive.
Miss Gwen probably didn't know that this batch of slaves was connected to the Delien family and the Sea Monsters' "Deep Sea Sacrament." She thought they were just ordinary slave ships; otherwise, she would not have been so careless…
But this small mistake might very well bring her an extremely tragic fate!
There should still be time! Ebner silently calculated the distance and timing, and made his judgment.
At the same time, he pretended to accept the task "with pleasure," smiling as he said, "You really do know me best."
The Prime Minister smiled "kindly" at these words, then said with some playfulness, "Speaking of which, you've been back in Trier for two days, yet you haven't met with your old 'friends'… Just how charming is that Ruen princess, that you're so infatuated with her?"
So, in your eyes, the strange thing is that I didn't go and 'comfort' those friends? Although, judging from Owen's memories, you're not wrong…
It seems I really do have to leave Trier soon… Otherwise, Owen's change in behavior toward women will eventually arouse suspicion, and I can't possibly 'hypnotize' them every single time!
Besides, as the leader of the Psychological Alchemists in Trier, I had many subordinates across various industries, and almost every pretty woman among them had been involved with Owen…
If I continue to stay in Trier, it's inevitable I'll cross paths with them… What then? Facing a group of psychology experts, even hypnosis at the demigod level could only fool them for a while. The flaws would eventually be exposed!
And I could never bring myself to indulge in 'lust' the way Owen did… Ebner sighed inwardly, but on the surface, he gave no answer to the Prime Minister's indecent question. He only put on a smile that looked meaningful but in truth meant nothing at all.
The Prime Minister had only asked casually, so he didn't press further. He raised his teacup, took a sip of black tea, and signaled the end of their talk, instructing Ebner to call Seyrow in before leaving.
More than ten minutes later, the "Black Knight" Seyrow Delien left the Prime Minister's office. He then went straight to an inconspicuous standalone house, where Ebner was already waiting.
"My Lord!" After sealing off the space with spirituality, Seyrow immediately knelt on one knee and greeted him respectfully.
"There's no need for so much formality…" Ebner waved his hand, then asked, "What did he want with you? Was it about the conflicts with the Flais and the other noble families?"
"Yes, just as you foresaw. Although each clash was small, over the past month, the Prime Minister has clearly sensed those allied families gradually distancing themselves from him. He asked me for details.
"As per your instructions, I shifted the blame to Johnsen of the Flais family… In truth, he deserved it. Of late, he has caused the most trouble, dragging several families under the Flais into constant disputes with Delien." While replying, Seyrow stood up and personally brewed a cup of Duke's Black Tea for Ebner.
—After a period of observation, he had confirmed that Ebner preferred the taste of Duke's Black Tea to Queen's Black Tea.
"So, his order to you has to do with Johnsen?" Ebner took a sip of tea and asked.
"Exactly! He told me to kill the 'Guardian' bodyguard protecting Johnsen, as a warning to that young master and the Flais family behind him." Seyrow nodded as he spoke.
Although Johnsen was a "spiritual contamination compatible vessel" with demigod characteristics of the Flais family, and thus enjoyed certain privileges, there was no way the family would have a demigod personally guard him!
So the Flais had spent considerable resources and favors to hire a powerful Sequence 5 "Guardian" to protect him.
With the Guardian's "shield" present, few below the high sequences could break through that defense, no matter the form of attack.
Currently, Johnsen's house arrest had been lifted, but he was only allowed to move within Trier's city limits. As long as the Guardian blocked one or two attacks, the family's demigods could rush in for support at any time.
It had to be said, the Prime Minister's choice of target was indeed very clever. Killing a hired Guardian would not create a blood feud with the Flais, but it would intimidate their mid- and low-sequence Beyonders and ordinary members… Even Johnsen himself, though resentful, would probably be too afraid to leave home for some time, let alone make trouble for Delien.
Ebner had been in Intis long enough to be well-informed about these matters, so he asked straight to the point, "When and where do you plan to act?"
"Tonight!
"From what I've learned, Johnsen intends to lead a few friends in attacking a Delien family member's residence at No. 112, Florent Street. They plan to steal back the Sun Priest characteristic that was forcibly bought at the last auction, and then present it to his 'Lightprayer' lover." Seyrow had guessed what his master intended and gave a detailed report.
"Tonight… Florent Street, No. 112…" Ebner repeated the address, feeling a strange sense of fate.
Florent Street had been named by Roselle to commemorate the Soren family member who had once wanted to recruit him as a younger brother.
That man had also been "similar" to their ancestors… And now, today, Johnsen—the "compatible vessel" of another ancestor—was destined to fall on this street named after Florent.
…
Meanwhile, in Trier's Soren District, at the mansion on 22 Saint Martin Street.
Ebner's true body was in a meeting with Helene and Fanny, discussing the upcoming weekend premiere of Roselle Gustav.
"Lion" Leon squatted in the corner, listening in. The "Magic Mirror" was controlling "Chesia" to take notes. As for Krosfia, as usual, Ebner had sent her out to keep tabs on the major families.
"Once the film premieres nationwide this weekend, the subtle messages within it will stir up a storm within a week, reaching a climax over the next one or two months… Of course, that requires the cooperation of the newspapers and media!" Ebner paused here to glance at the Lion in the corner, and only when he nodded did Ebner turn to Fanny. "This is also your opportunity. If you seize this wave in advance, you can quickly raise your renown, and in turn, increase your standing in parliament."
As she listened to Ebner speak so eloquently, Fanny found him utterly captivating. Her gaze unconsciously carried admiration. Only when the subject shifted to herself did she come back to her senses and answer seriously, "I will seize this chance."
"You too," Ebner said, turning to Helene, "As the producer of a film under such scrutiny, your pressure will be great… but so will the opportunity."
Helene nodded solemnly, her eyes full of determination.
She suddenly felt that her life had a true goal, and working toward that goal brought her far greater joy than making money through business ever had.
Just as Ebner was about to give a rousing speech and paint a big picture for his employees, he suddenly frowned, then quickly smoothed it over, smiling at Fanny as he said:
"Your chance for revenge has come!"
To be honest, the true culprits behind the death of Fanny's grandfather, Mr. Surrey, were the Saintess of White Katarina and "Lust" Owen. But one of them was now Ebner's own avatar, and the other was not suitable to be killed yet… More importantly, Fanny could never kill a Demoness of Unaging, even if she didn't resist.
Thus, Johnsen Flais became the target Ebner prepared for Fanny's revenge. After all, he was not innocent in Mr. Surrey's death, and Fanny had always believed him to be the true culprit.
Back then, he had indeed been in intense conflict with Mr. Surrey over the Intis ambassador position.
"Really?" Fanny was first stunned, then overjoyed. She rushed over to Ebner.
…
That night, at No. 112 Florent Street.
When Johnsen and his three friends carefully sealed off the area with a ritual to prevent the Delien family member from escaping or calling for help, then kicked open the door—
They were stunned to see six mechanical puppets aiming twelve gun barrels straight at them.
The next instant, twelve steam-powered machine guns spewed out demon-hunting bullets, weaving lines of "flame" across the space.
(The End of the Chapter)