In the Empress's Borough, inside a secluded palace of Sodelak Palace.
Owen's avatar and Alvin—disguised as Zaratul—arrived here once again under Vera's accompaniment.
This time, besides Ebner and Vera's old acquaintance, the "Saintess of Black" Medea, there was another person standing by George III's side.
He had a somewhat square face, black hair, blue eyes, a high nose bridge, thick beard, and a rather solemn expression.
His appearance was not unfamiliar to many Loen citizens, as his likeness was printed on the front of the ten-pound banknote. Of course, even those who had never possessed a ten-pound note in their entire lives could still see his statues or portraits in places like Memorial Square.
He was the founder and protector of Loen, the first king—William Augustus I.
At the same time, he was also a Sequence 1 "Hand of Order."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, both sides went straight to the "main topic," which was the signing of the "alliance agreement."
Ebner picked up the drafted "agreement" and read it carefully. He found that although the content was extensive, the core "transaction" actually consisted of only one clause.
That was an agreement that Zaratul and the Secret Order would support "George III" in advancing to "Black Emperor," and would, when necessary, help the Loen royal family resist enemies attempting to sabotage the ritual.
Correspondingly, the Loen side would support Zaratul in becoming the "Fool" or "Error," and would provide full assistance in matters concerning the confrontation with Amon.
As for the other clauses, they were merely normal rights and obligations between "allies," such as regular intelligence exchanges, and were not particularly noteworthy.
Overall, the Loen side was treating Zaratul and the Secret Order as equals in this alliance, showing genuine sincerity.
"But unfortunately, I'm a double agent… No, that's not right—I'm not Zaratul at all!" Ebner thought to himself, then nodded to George III and said, "No problem. I can sign this agreement."
Upon hearing this, George III turned his head to glance at William I, the ancestor of the Augustus family. The latter gave a slight nod, picked up the "agreement," and signed his name.
As a "Hand of Order," his name itself carried the power of "order," capable of turning the clauses into "rules" and punishing violators.
After signing, William I handed the "agreement" back to Ebner.
As for contracts, Ebner—who possessed a phantom "Pure White Angel"—was actually more professional than "Order." He could even summon two former pontiffs of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun to "notarize" the agreement.
Unfortunately, as vassals of the "Black Emperor," the Zaratul family was unlikely to have close dealings with the pontiffs of the Six Gods. Moreover, George III was still acting covertly. If Ebner summoned an angel from an orthodox church—even a former one—it would likely arouse suspicion.
After a brief pause for thought, Ebner reached into the void and pulled out a man with chestnut-colored, slightly wavy long hair.
It was "Caesar" Roselle Gustav—the historical projection of the mechanical avatar left behind in the "Ghost Empire."
—Because Ebner currently could neither, nor dared to, trace back the memories of the "Seal of Catastrophe," he was unable to fleece Old Huang's true body.
However, although this "mechanical puppet" avatar of Old Huang contained no characteristics, due to the authority of the "Knowledge Emperor," it had once reached a level close to Sequence 1 at its peak, which was not bad at all.
Although not many people knew that Zaratul had once invested in Old Huang, it was certainly not something angels could be fooled about. Being able to summon a projection of one of Roselle's mechanical puppets would not arouse suspicion.
As for how "Knowledge" notarized a contract, Old Huang had already demonstrated that in the "urban legend world." Ebner made slight adjustments and had "Roselle" imbue power into his signature.
At this point, the "contract" was complete, though both sides were well aware of its actual effectiveness.
The authority of a mere "Knowledge Magister" was certainly not enough to destroy the Augustus family—at most, it would make them wary. And William I, who had survived from the time of the "War of the Four Emperors," was well aware of the survival abilities of the "three cowardly families." He did not believe his "Order" could truly take the life of a "Miracle Invoker," let alone a "Servant of Mysteries."
Of course, violating the contract would still incur a considerable price, which was precisely the point of establishing such a "contract."
Moreover, in the eyes of the Augustus family, the "alliance" was beneficial to both sides, making a breach by Zaratul unlikely.
Even more reliable than the Demonesses.
After the "alliance" was concluded, George III smiled and said to Owen, "Owen, you should have already received the first one-million-pound ransom paid by the 'Demoness Sect'… Now that we're allies, why not release the 'Saintess of Red' and the 'Saintess of Yellow'?"
Ebner was prepared for this. He feigned reluctance as he took out a card, then slammed it onto the ground. The figure of Margaret, the "Saintess of Red," appeared before everyone.
Although her clothes were still fairly neat, her eyes were unfocused and her expression haggard, completely lacking the bearing of a demigod.
Ebner's eyelid twitched uncontrollably at the sight. Hey, hey, I only told you to act a bit listless—aren't you overdoing it?
George III, after giving Owen a deep look, then cast a sympathetic glance at Vera standing to the side before coughing lightly and asking, "'What about the Saintess of Yellow?'"
"Naturally, she'll be released after the remaining payment arrives," Ebner said matter-of-factly.
In truth, the "Saintess of Yellow," Natalia, had long since been turned into a "Marionette." This would likely not escape the perception of the "Hand of Order" present. Ebner planned to simply announce afterward that he had already released her—after all, with the cooperation of the "Saintess of Black," releasing her meant she was released.
George III did not say anything further. Since Owen had agreed to release them, sooner or later made no difference.
After the "Saintess of Black" went through the motions of performing a "prayer" and confirmed that the "Saintess of Red" was merely exhausted and no longer under control, this "alliance" meeting came to an end.
They were all angels or demigods—there was no need to hold a celebratory ball.
After Medea and Zaratul each departed with their people, and William I's figure also disappeared, George III sat quietly on the throne, pondering alone for a while before summoning an attendant and ordering:
"Invite Adviser Herwin Lambis to come see me."
After the attendant left, George III muttered to himself:
"I have a rather bad feeling… Perhaps I need to accelerate things and can't wait until next year to act.
"Mm, the rift between the Conservative Party and the New Party isn't wide enough yet. I'll need Herwin to push things further."
However, his plans fell through, as the attendant soon returned to report:
"Sir Herwin has left Backlund and cannot be contacted."
...
The "Saintess of Red," Margaret, pretended to recuperate for a day at the "Saintess of Black's" residence. Then, acting as though she had just "recovered," she used "Mirror Traversal" to head toward Trier.
However, just after she entered a "Mirror World," she suddenly felt that this place was already filled with various "traps," like a spider's nest.
At the same time, a round-faced woman with a rather refined temperament appeared, an eerie smile at the corner of her mouth as she said:
"Margaret Constantine, I've been waiting for you for a long time!"
Unexpectedly, Margaret was not flustered at all. She smiled faintly in return and said:
"I've also been waiting for you for a long time… 'Saintess of Blue,' Veronika…
"I hear you've killed quite a few of my descendants.
"Take a look at who I am."
As she spoke, her appearance changed, and her fiery red hair instantly turned green.
The face of the "Saintess of Blue," Veronika, twisted instantly. Her refined temperament vanished without a trace as she gritted her teeth and said:
"Monica… You're the 'Primordial Succubus,' Monica?!
"How could you still exist?!"
Before her words even fell, Veronika launched an attack first. Countless strands of spider silk wrapped toward Monica, while she herself swiftly took out a small flag, preparing to flee.
Since Margaret had turned into Monica, this meant it was a trap specifically aimed at her. Even the "Saintess of Black" had participated…
Although she was certain that the "Saintess of Black" had already been summoned back to headquarters by the "Saintess of Gray"—otherwise she wouldn't have dared to act.
But who could guarantee that nothing had gone wrong with the "Saintess of Gray"?
Or that no other forces had joined in?!
"The 'Saintess of Black' and the 'Saintess of Red' actually dared to collude with the 'Primordial Succubus'—when I get back, I will definitely report this to the 'Primordial'!"
Just as Veronika thought this, she discovered that the "Star Flag" in her hand had not taken her back to the designated location. Instead, it had brought her into a completely unfamiliar "world."
"Where is this place?" Veronika surveyed her surroundings warily and found herself standing on an arena, with the spectator stands filled with all kinds of people.
"This is a world of combat. The victor gains glory, the defeated lose their dignity and are ruled by others."
At that moment, a familiar, teasing voice rang out. Veronika's heart jolted as she hurriedly turned around, unsurprisingly seeing "Monica" floating in midair, her "succubus" wings unfurled.
(End of Chapter)