The White Horse Manor was located in the northern suburbs of Trier. It was one of the ten most famous wineries in Intis, and also served as the residence of the Flais family in Trier.
At this moment, many family members who worked and lived in the capital were summoned there.
The initiator was Mr. John Flais, the current patriarch of the Flais family and the Speaker of the National Assembly.
This Speaker was forty-eight years old. Although he was only a Sequence 6 "Conspirator," due to his superb skills and sharp political instincts, he held great prestige within the family.
Even the two family demigods who were already archbishops of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun respected him greatly, canceling their original schedules to answer his summons.
At this time, Speaker John Flais, seeing that everyone had arrived, did not bother with preamble. He directly instructed his assistant to bring in a corpse.
It was the corpse of a half-giant nearly three meters tall. His figure should have been extremely robust, but at this moment he appeared emaciated, as though his flesh and blood had been devoured by something.
"This is… Bors? Wasn't he Johnson's bodyguard? How did he become like this?" A family member examined it for a while, suddenly recognizing the corpse's identity, and said in shock.
"If Bors ended up like this… then what about Johnson? Has something happened to him?" Other family members reacted, realizing the patriarch's intention in summoning them.
They all looked toward the patriarch, trying to read something from his expression. After all, Johnson was not only the family's cultivated demigod candidate, but also Speaker John's son…
Archbishop Drew Flais of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun examined Bors's wounds and then spoke with certainty: "He was killed by the 'Black Knight.'"
"Black Knight? Did the Aurora Order make a move?"
"Why would they do this?"
"Perhaps Bors accidentally offended them?"
"Not necessarily. As far as I know, several families have secretly cultivated 'Shepherds.'"
Just as the room fell into an uproar, John, who had remained calm, finally spoke: "Bors's body was returned by the Delien family… Their message is clear. They are threatening us!"
With those words, everyone fell silent. After all, the Delien family's power was immense, faintly surpassing the Soren family, showing signs of becoming Intis's foremost family. Moreover, the two families were allies, their interests already deeply intertwined. Thus, no one dared rashly slander them.
After a long silence, an elderly gentleman of high seniority tapped his cane and asked, "What about the boy Johnson? How is he?"
As long as Johnson was safe, reconciliation was still possible.
Speaker John shook his head and said gravely: "We don't know… According to the investigation reported by the Machinery Hivemind, last night Johnson originally went with his friends to teach a lesson to a member of the Delien family who had previously clashed with him.
"He had arranged a ritual in advance to block sound and spirituality… His friends' testimony confirmed this.
"But the strangest thing is that Johnson completely disappeared afterward! Those few friends said that as soon as they entered the house, they lost consciousness and knew nothing of what happened.
"In the end, the three of them were awakened by the very Delien family member they intended to attack, who then reported the matter to the Machinery Hivemind.
"Later, the Machinery Hivemind confirmed that those people had not lied. However… all of them bore traces of being possessed by a 'Devil.'"
The residence of that Delien family member, a church appointee, was within the jurisdiction of the Church of Steam, which was why the Machinery Hivemind had handled the matter.
As for why a believer of the Eternal Blazing Sun lived among the congregation of the Church of Steam, it was because he had been preaching in the area, attempting to "lure" the followers of the God of Steam and Machinery to the side of the Eternal Blazing Sun.
After the patriarch gave a simple account of the incident, the elderly gentleman frowned and muttered to himself:
"I've heard a rumor that the Delien family has a secret connection with the Nos family, one of the three great demon families… I wonder if it's true."
Speaker John and the elderly gentleman exchanged a subtle glance, then John nodded: "It's true. I accidentally learned this intelligence from the patriarch of another demon family, Andrelad. Later, after investigation, it was confirmed."
The family members were once again in an uproar, exclaiming in disbelief:
"What exactly does the Delien family want?"
"Did they kidnap Johnson to force us to stand firmly on their side?"
"This is going too far. Wasn't our previous support enough?"
While everyone was indignant, the elderly gentleman once again tapped his cane on the floor and sternly asked:
"Can it be confirmed that the Delien family did it? And, is Johnson kidnapped or already dead?"
This question struck at the heart of the matter. The others also looked intently at the patriarch, waiting for his answer.
"According to the Machinery Hivemind's report, there were no traces of battle at the scene, and aside from Johnson's disappearance, no one was harmed… He is very likely still alive… because I can't think of any benefit in killing him… But when members of the Machinery Hivemind attempted to use prophecy, divination, and other means to locate Johnson, they failed." Speaker John turned his head to his uncle, the other family demigod of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, and requested,
"I recall you sealed some of your power in an amulet… And since that amulet has no unusual appearance, perhaps those who abducted Johnson did not destroy it… Could you use it to determine his location?"
This saint of the Eternal Blazing Sun was named Gis. Hearing the patriarch's request, he remained silent for a moment, then nodded: "I can try."
He set up a ritual and began his probing.
The others watched without blinking, waiting for the result.
About two minutes later, Saint Gis furrowed his brow and said heavily: "I received no response when seeking Johnson's life or location… But the amulet imbued with my power is in the Delien family's ancestral mansion!
"Johnson is likely confined in their treasury, personally guarded by that member of the Delien family… In all of Trier, apart from some places of the churches, only there has ever given me such a feeling."
Hearing this, Speaker John murmured: "That old monster of the Delien family… a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact… No wonder the Machinery Hivemind couldn't prophesy!"
At this point, the family members also united in indignation, all voicing their desire to pressure the Delien family to return Johnson.
Their unity stemmed from a relatively optimistic view. After all, the Prime Minister's current situation was difficult, and he could not afford to lose the support of the Flais family. He would surely return Johnson obediently… perhaps they could even extract some benefits in the process.
Speaker John had convened the family meeting precisely for this effect. So he immediately gave the order to suspend all cooperation with the Deliens!
"Until Johnson is returned!"
…..
Meanwhile, inside the Delien family's castle, the Prime Minister was also caught off guard by this sudden incident. He muttered in puzzlement:
"Who exactly is framing us, sowing discord between us and our allied families?"
He pondered for a moment, then asked the "shadow" in the corner: "Can you confirm that after Sero killed the 'Guardian' Bors last night, he left immediately without any further action?"
"Confirmed. After killing the half-giant, he dealt with the corpse and never approached Florent Street again," the shadow replied with certainty.
"I see…" The Prime Minister frowned and continued, "And he didn't notice anything unusual nearby after the killing?"
"The ritual Johnson and his companions set up was extremely intricate. Even I sensed nothing… let alone him!" The shadow was clearly confident in its abilities.
"I wonder where Johnson learned a ritual of that level…" The Prime Minister sighed.
The shadow fell silent for a few seconds, as if "listening" to something, before replying: "According to his three companions, it was a 'Professor' who taught them the knowledge."
"Professor? Who is that?" The Prime Minister clearly had never heard the name.
—Bayam was far from Intis, and since the Church of the Storms and the Loen military had not publicized the bounty, the deeds of the so-called Professor had not yet spread to Intis.
The shadow fell silent again, seemingly unsure how to answer.
The Prime Minister did not expect an answer. After a while of contemplation, suspicion grew in his heart:
"In Trier, the only ones who could do this, and have reason to frame us, are the churches and the Soren family!
"But the churches are unlikely to use such means…
"So… is it the Saurons?
"Is this the former angel family's expression of dissatisfaction at our Delien family's rise to become Intis's number one family?"
…..
Outside the Soren family manor, Helene carried a film reel of Roselle Gustav as well as a prepared public opinion guidance plan, and requested an audience with the patriarch from the butler.
Due to Ebner and the film company's growing influence, her request was granted.
An hour later, Helene walked out of the manor's gates full of excitement, then boarded a carriage toward the Assembly, intending to discuss the next steps of cooperation with Fanny.
But when she arrived, she was informed that Miss Fanny had taken the day off.
…..
At Lant Port, a small naval port in southern Intis.
After avenging Fanny, Ebner had hurried here and boarded a large steam warship under complete control of the Delien family, bound for Isaca Island.
On the ship, Ebner flipped through the sea monster information provided by the Prime Minister while fiddling with a monocular telescope.
This telescope was the mystical item the Prime Minister had mentioned for observing sea monsters.
"So that's it… This thing was made from the 'Eye of Secret Peeping' of some unlucky 'Astrologer,' wasn't it?
"No wonder it can observe the state of sea monsters…"
After a few words of wonder, Ebner recalled the "feedback" he had just received and thought:
It seems the 'Barrier' ritual I taught truly played its role of misleading and concealing, perfectly matching Johnson and the others' original intention in learning it…
Of course, only their original intention.
(End of Chapter)