Chapter 435: Gathering (2400 Plus)

Under the moonlight.

On a path paved with cobblestones.

Two guests are walking through the tree-lined path.

One of them is wearing a dance dress, dressed as a lady of high society, and wearing a feather mask that covers half of her face.

The other gentleman is wearing a tall hat, and his suit is a bit too flashy amidst its magnificence, like a magician in a circus.

"I didn't expect... the location of the high-end gathering to actually be within the Tessago Empire."

The Magician Aaron, wearing a silver mask, spoke slowly.

'That little girl just now, that was Dailisi, right? The location of this manor, originally built deep in the mountains, was already a bit strange, but if it was to escape the pursuit of Invis, it is understandable as a place for a family to live in seclusion...'

"It wasn't completed using an Extraordinary Item, but rather your own ability."

Aaron shrugged his shoulders.

"Mao Nvshi!"

"We are just a loose gathering, and there are no binding constraints."

"Witch... you brought a stranger?"

"Hmm, I drifted off-topic without realizing it... It is precisely because Tessago is vast and sparsely populated, with many abandoned manors and castles, that this place was chosen as the gathering spot. At least... it is sufficiently hidden!" Dailisi's tone was calm, with no emotion detectable.

Outside, it is desolate and lonely.

For example, if the phrasing had just been changed a moment ago to "those who agree to accept the Magician, please raise your hand"... I estimate the number of people would not have exceeded half.

'It's just that, for some unknown reason, it was later abandoned.'

A group of people looked at each other, and only a few raised their hands.

A woman in a golden mask, lying half-reclined on a red sofa as elegantly as a cat, holding a glass of red wine, curled the corners of her mouth and let out a laugh like silver bells: "We all trust you, Witch... It's just that we are always wary of newcomers; this is the key to our survival."

'My intuition... did it divine a scene from the past?'

Dailisi lifted her skirt, nimbly passed through the garden, and walked into the manor hall.

Aaron stretched out his hands: "There is a distance between you and me; this is a Fallacy!"

"If you insist on thinking that way, then there is nothing I can do!"

"So many Offerings... truly the best sacrifice for war." Aaron sighed inexplicably: "Perhaps... this is the requirement for some super-large Ritual?"

Aaron recognized at a glance that this was a certain Ritual; once the conditions were met, the gargoyles that looked like statues would turn into living things and begin a massacre.

The originally heavy atmosphere of the venue suddenly became a little more relaxed.

Because he knew that the opinion of this organizer, or leader, could influence the choices of many people.

The woman smiled and said to Aaron: "Welcome to our gathering, you can call me 'Mao Nvshi'!"

In any case, it was impossible for him and Dailisi to expose their identities just to gain the approval of this group; that was something only a fool would do.

The hall was lit with many Candles, but looking from the broken windows to the outside, it was still pitch black.

Seeing Dailisi enter, many gazes were cast over, and especially upon seeing Aaron, they turned into scrutiny.

In the hall, some people were sitting or standing, all of them having covered their faces.

But Aaron felt a sense of sadness.

"That's not necessarily true... The Sodoma Royal Family are not madmen; they may well have privately cultivated a group of Mysterious people belonging to them who are not of the 'Sun' pathway!"

Another cold voice rang out from the darkness.

An aged voice spoke up.

"There is no longer a Tessago... The Tessago cavalry, once touted as having whipped the entire continent, were wiped out by the Invis army in a single battle, the Empire perished along with them, and even the title of Emperor was stripped away..."

Aaron smiled to express his gratitude.

The woman on the sofa stretched lazily and said.

"Less than half, the motion does not pass."

Dailisi did not know that Aaron had already understood everything, and disguised as a stranger, she arrived at the manor gate with Aaron.

She looked at Aaron, her bright eyes carrying a hint of provocation: "As for you? Newcomer, how will you prove yourself?"

Dailisi spoke of that ancient and bloody history in a voice as calm as a spring: "Because the Tessago people had intense resistance and continued to fight stubbornly after the country was defeated, establishing guerrilla forces everywhere... Invis implemented a hardline suppression policy against this, and the counter-insurgency war lasted for thirty years, with the Tessago population falling to thirty percent of what it was before the war..."

Aaron suddenly felt that the surrounding environment had become extremely dangerous; the tiles on the ground seemed to have softened, and those tattered curtains and broken wood seemed as if they would turn into flying spikes in the next second, piercing into his face.

'Is this the Animate of a "Scarlet Noble"?'

The lazy woman smiled: "The madmen of the Sun God Cult do not allow heretics to exist; I will temporarily believe that you are on our side."

"Alright, we once came from all over the continent, hiding and dodging under the radiance, like rats in a gutter... Everyone has some past that cannot be spoken of, why fuss over it so much? Let's just follow the old rules; those who do not agree to accept this Mr. Magician, please raise your hand."

Inside, however, it was warm and bright, as if it were two different spaces.

He said to himself in his heart, and Dailisi's firm voice reached his ears: "I stake my life that the Magician is not from the Empire!"

He took a step out, directly crossing the distance of the hall, arrived at the side of the red sofa, and sat down slowly: "Is this enough?"

"I don't know, but I know one thing, and that is that the Tessago people never submit!" Dailisi said: "Come to think of it... my ancestors were also nobles in the Tessago Empire."

Unlike other manors, by the gate of this manor stood two ferocious gargoyle statues, one black and one white.

Aaron walked out of the jungle and saw an abandoned manor.

"Alright, let us continue, where were we just now?"

His inspiration spread, and time seemed to flow backward, seeing a scene under golden, brilliant sunlight where the buildings in the manor were brand new, the windows were bright, and a pair of kind-looking parents were playing in the garden with their daughter.

Under the moonlight, the iron railings were covered with all kinds of green vines, appearing very quiet and eerie.

"Fifth Primordial Substance — 'Philosopher'?!"

The appearance of that little girl vaguely resembled Dailisi.

But now, these two gargoyles were like dead objects.

Mao Nvshi sipped her crimson red wine slowly: "Just a bunch of poor wretches huddling together for warmth..."

"So that's how it is."

"As for proof?"

A man wearing a Black Iron mask shouted: "The Evil Domain of the Invis Empire has recently suffered a cruel blow... at least five 'Alchemists' have fallen! Everyone... cheer! This is a great victory!"

The update tomorrow morning might be a little late.

(End of this chapter)