Medici's expression flickered slightly on his face, then quickly subsided, but the lips of Sauron and Einhorn on his left and right cheeks began to smile, saying mockingly:
"Medici, your secret has been discovered."
"Perhaps he was never Medici."
"Two fools." Medici snorted coldly, his tone full of disdain: "Being forced to be bound with you two is the biggest stain on my life."
Before Sauron and Einhorn could retort, he looked at the Sauron Family descendant who had been corrupted by Leyton and spoke again:
"What's the difference between this trait being magnified and being corrupted?"
"This utilizes the abilities of the 'Black Emperor' Pathway. Essentially, the corruption on you hasn't gotten any worse."
"If you've made up your mind, you can find me at the Execution Ground in the Red Hat District."
As the dream-like voice faded, the starlight filling the room quickly dissipated, and the "Eyes of Mystery Prying" attached to the Sauron Family descendant detached itself, transforming into an invisible stream of information that drilled into the Spirit World.
Losing the influence of the "Eyes of Mystery Prying..." the Sauron Family descendant soaking in the hot spring collapsed directly, slowly sinking into the water.
Medici glanced at the Sauron Family descendant who was about to sink to the bottom. The mouth on his right cheek opened slightly, exhaling a cold, hoarfrost-like breath, instantly freezing the hot spring in the hotel room.
Medici looked at the figure encased in ice and sighed softly:
"What a pity. Just when I finally found a suitable vessel, he was corrupted by that guy."
On the left cheek, Einhorn's consciousness spoke:
"He did it on purpose. We are not 'Parasites' like Amon. Such suitable vessels are hard to find. If she's ruined, then for us to enter the underground ruins of Trier in a short time, we'll have to rely on his help."
Sauron's consciousness snorted coldly, complaining with great dissatisfaction:
"Stupid Medici, if it weren't for your honorific name automatically responding to the prayer, he would never have discovered us, let alone found us so quickly."
Medici scoffed, completely unconcerned by Sauron and Einhorn's complaints:
"Heh, why couldn't it be that I deliberately attracted him here and made him offer help?"
Einhorn snorted disdainfully:
"You only know how to bluff? Just like when you were hunted by Amon and Adam, no, by your Lord, Them, you barely had the strength to speak, but you still stayed there to bluff."
The smile that Medici had maintained on his face gradually disappeared. His eyes suddenly turned gloomy. He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. After recomposing himself, he spoke again:
"You don't really think our previous plan was flawless, do you? Do I need to remind you of the dangers of Fourth Epoch Trier?"
"Far more individuals were involved in the 'Pale Disaster' than we previously understood. The lingering effects of that ruin are complex and dangerous."
After a moment of silence, Sauron, who was accustomed to arguing, still mocked:
"Don't talk as if you were involved. At that time, you were still going crazy with us, locked in the underground ruins beneath Backlund!"
Medici smiled disdainfully:
"As the God of War, my control over war is something you two ordinary angels cannot compare to."
"Bah!"
Sauron and Einhorn spat in unison.
After a brief silence, Sauron's consciousness spoke:
"Let her go back. She's no longer helpful to us, and keeping her around might make her a pawn for that guy."
Medici and Einhorn both remained silent. The room suddenly became quiet, with only the sound of flames flickering.
The purplish-red flames were like long, swimming snakes, moving freely in the hot spring that had been frozen into ice.
In just a moment, a thick layer of steam filled the room. The woman lying in the hot spring slowly opened her eyes, looking around in a daze, then at her naked body, her face flushing red then turning pale.
Having retrieved the "Eyes of Mystery Prying" from the Sauron Family descendant, Leyton returned to the hotel in the Square District.
After a simple lunch, Leyton and Leonard went to the opera house near Boulevard to enjoy Intis's art and performances until the appointed time, when they returned to the Square District.
In an Intis-style restaurant by the Srenzo River, Leonard sat by the window, holding a glass of the region's most famous wine, as leisurely as if he were on vacation.
Looking out at the Srenzo River, Leonard suddenly sighed: "Intis women are truly passionate."
Leyton asked without looking up: "Have you had an in-depth conversation with a certain lady?"
Leonard froze for a moment, then shook his head repeatedly:
"Of course not. I was just sighing. Such things do not conform to the Goddess's teachings. The Goddess teaches us to be loyal to our wives, to be loyal to our families."
After stating his views on marriage, Leonard immediately changed the subject:
"When do you plan to act? If this continues, I'll almost forget our objective."
"You can completely treat it as a vacation, except there will be some unexpected events at the end of the journey." Leyton replied with a light chuckle.
Leonard's expression stiffened, and for a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
After a brief silence, Leyton suddenly looked up at the opposite bank of the Srenzo River and sighed:
"Medici's decision was a bit faster than I expected. I thought he would at least struggle for two or three days."
"What decision?" Leonard casually asked, only to find that Leyton's figure across the table had already disappeared.
"Didn't you say you were treating? Why am I the only one left in the end?"
Leonard muttered softly, then called the restaurant waiter to pay the bill.
Ruwa Comprehensive Execution Ground, although it was an execution ground, it was not dirty or gloomy. Instead, it was very clean, and one couldn't even feel a hint of death or chill, appearing to be thoroughly Purified.
Vast and pure knowledge surged from the Spirit World, quickly converging and reorganizing at the edge of the street, revealing Leyton's figure.
Medici, wearing a black trench coat and a semi-tall top hat, leaned against a gas lamp post across the street. He looked ahead calmly and said in an even tone:
"I'm a little curious, what is your plan?"
Leyton said frankly:
"My plan? It's very simple: magnify your movements underground to attract the attention of the Eternal Blazing Sun Church and the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery on the surface. Then I'll go to the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery to get something."
"That truly is very simple."
Medici sighed, neither saying he believed nor disbelieved it.
Leyton mused with a sigh:
"Sometimes, the simpler the plan, the more efficient it is."
"I'm not one of those Pathways that enjoy performing, deceiving, and fooling others. There's no need to make things so complicated and grand; just achieving the goal is enough."
Medici nodded noncommittally, skipping this topic:
"How do you plan to magnify my traits so I can resist the underground corruption?"
Leyton smiled, not answering directly. He reached out and fumbled in the void for a moment, pulling out a proportionally scaled golden teapot from who-knew-where. At the spout, there was an extended wick.
Under Medici's gaze, Leyton raised his hand and rubbed the wall of the wishing lamp twice. A stream of golden liquid overflowed from the spout, coalescing in mid-air into a distorted golden figure.
The Genie floated in mid-air, looking down at Leyton and Medici standing on the ground, and spoke with an indescribable majesty and gravitas in his voice:
"State your wish."
"This wishing lamp is actually in your hands." Medici curiously eyed the golden teapot-shaped lamp in Leyton's hand.
Leyton met the Genie's gaze, raised his hand, and pointed in Medici's direction:
"Magnify the traits belonging to the 'City of Calamity' on him, to the extent that he can resist the underground corruption of Trier."
"Understood, but it can only last for three days."
The Genie's golden figure nodded slightly, then reached out and grasped in Medici's direction. Invisible Force surged from his body, twisting the surrounding air.
Suddenly, figures appeared one after another around the execution ground. They wandered aimlessly, their clothing styles sometimes very ancient, sometimes conforming to current trends, as if they were phantoms from different times in the past.
Some were headless, some were charred black all over, and some had completely distorted limbs, as if proclaiming the tortures they endured before death.
Medici was slightly stunned. He hadn't noticed how these things appeared at all. He looked at Leyton with a suspicious gaze, and just as he was about to speak, a string of sparks flew from his mouth.
Crimson sparks and rust unconsciously emerged from his body, contaminating the surroundings. The air seemed to be mixed with the smell of gunpowder.
"...War!"
"...War!"
The aimlessly wandering figures around them made hoarse sounds, like roars, shouts, or perhaps worship.
At the center of it all was Medici, who was almost submerged by rust and sparks. On both sides of his face, the lips extending from the consciousness of Sauron and Einhorn also began to shout along with the surrounding figures, with extreme fanaticism and extreme distortion.
"Control yourself, don't make too much of a commotion, or you'll be discovered and Purified by the patron angel here before you even enter the underground."
Leyton calmly reminded him. His voice made the struggling Medici finally regain some rationality. He forcefully suppressed the consciousness of Sauron and Einhorn, and purplish-red flames rose from his body, then transformed into a flaming long spear that soared into the sky.
As Medici departed, the aimlessly moving figures around them disappeared one by one, and the scent of gunpowder in the air dissipated with the evening breeze.
The Genie's golden figure floated beside Leyton and said in a calm tone:
"You successfully deceived a 'Conspirer'."