madnovel Chapter 427 A Trap Within a Trap
Chapter 427 A Trap Within a Trap
Chapter 427 A Trap Within a Trap
"Triss is the vessel for the primordial witch's divine descent!"
Mr. Z, Evan, left Maxim wide-eyed and stunned with just one sentence!
"That witch was actually the vessel for the primordial witch's divine descent!"
No wonder the Witch Cult and the Augustus family have been looking for her. No wonder the Gnostic Witches' Society and the witches of the Witch Cult fought fiercely at the Red Rose Manor, and then tried to silence Mr. A openly and secretly. So that's how it is!
If I can find Triss and hand her over to the master intact, not only will it easily erase his previous disappointment in me, but it might even pave the way for my continued advancement and allow me to truly step into the limelight!
The golden contract in Evan's hand shone brightly, demonstrating that Evan had kept his promise and dispelling all of Maxim's concerns.
Although Maxim became a demigod as Ahomatova Einhorn's dirty glove, the dirty glove cannot be seen in public. To the outside world, he still operates under the sequence "Sequence 5 Reaper," and is completely unable to enjoy the glory and benefits that come with being a demigod.
Therefore, his long-cherished wish was to perform great deeds, become a publicly recognized demigod, and live in the sunlight.
He originally saw turning the Horn brothers against him as an opportunity to make a great contribution, but in the end, he made a mistake instead of making a great contribution.
I originally thought that even if we found Triss, it would only be enough to atone for our mistakes, and we could forget about making any great contributions.
But unexpectedly, the opportunity to make a great contribution came again!
Maxim immediately assessed Triss's value and was extremely excited. His gaze towards Mr. Z became fervent, and he eagerly asked, "Where is Triss now?"
Upon hearing this, Maxim shook his head self-deprecatingly, then solemnly promised, "Since Mr. Z has honored the contract, the Fussac Empire will naturally not break its promise either."
Please wait a moment, I need to leave here for a moment to report this to Lord Akhmatova Einhorn. It won't take long!
I just don't know what price you'd like to sell Triss for?
A sealed artifact? Or something else entirely?
As he spoke, Maxim glanced discreetly at the enormous statue of the true Creator, reminding Mr. Z that he could not pray to other angels in the prayer hall where the true Creator was, as it would be a great disrespect to the divine.
As Maxim had expected, Mr. Z readily agreed to his request to leave temporarily, saying that he would wait for him there for half an hour, and added, "I would like to exchange Triss for a 0-level sealed artifact, but can you afford it?"
Compared to you, the Witch Cult or the Gnostic Society would probably be more willing to pay this high price.
Therefore, my requirements are worldly and I will not accept bargaining!
Upon hearing Mr. Z. Evan's words, Maxim felt not at all relieved, but rather even more nervous.
The claim that Triss is worth a 0-level sealed artifact is obviously nonsense, but she is at least worth a mysterious item crafted with Sequence 3 extraordinary characteristics without major side effects. It's even possible that she could be exchanged for two 1-level sealed artifacts with significant side effects. This would greatly assist the Aurora Society's operations in the Southern Continent.
However, Mr. Z directly ruled out this option and instead demanded something on a so-called worldly level, which made him wonder what it was and whether it would cause too much of a commotion.
But the current situation didn't allow him to think any further, so he could only grit his teeth and raise his hand, gesturing, "Please speak plainly!"
"With less than ten days until the new year, the situation in the Northern Continent is still a bit lackluster at this time of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new. Therefore, we, the Aurora Society, hope that the Eternal Night Legion will make a bigger splash at the border of Winter County's manufacturing base at the beginning of the new year, preferably with a scale of more than 10,000 people, to give the Kingdom of Rune a proper New Year's gift!"
Evan coldly stated his demands, completely disregarding the potential consequences.
"That's impossible! It's one thing if it's a thousand people, but if it's a mobilization of tens of thousands, it could really trigger a war."
Furthermore, you should be aware of the special nature of Wintershire; it is the location of the Church of the Night's sanctuary, making it far too sensitive. Failure to secure it could trigger a full-scale war between the two nations.
This is not even something that Lord Akhmatova Einhorn can decide on his own!
"Even if we agree to your request, it would be very difficult to do so in such a short time. Just mobilizing troops would take more than that; there are too many things involved!"
Although he had anticipated that the conditions for the Aurora Conference would not be simple, Maxim really did not expect the Aurora Conference to be this big, so he couldn't help but exclaim as soon as Evan finished speaking.
"That's your business. I'm only responsible for stating my terms. Other matters are not within my consideration!"
We're willing to sell Triss to you, but we never said the terms would be easy to meet.
Alright, I think I've made myself clear. You can now leave and contact Akhmatova Einhorn to report the situation!
After saying that, Evan turned around and knelt on the cushion in front of the huge statue of the True Creator, praying devoutly. He turned his back to Maxim without any worry, a complete change from his previous friendly banter, now looking like he was issuing an ultimatum!
Mr. Z's contemptuous words enraged Maxim, because Evan's words treated him as a mere messenger, not as a proper negotiator.
To leave one's back to this "Iron-Blooded Knight" would be even more humiliating. Which extraordinary being in the world doesn't know the attack power of "Hunters" and "Assassins" that can kill someone of the same rank with a single blow?
Mr. Z's actions clearly show that he doesn't respect him at all and lacks respect for him as a demigod!
Maxim grew angrier the more he thought about it, clenching and unclenching his fists repeatedly, wishing he could just fight Mr. Z first.
Tonight, he was first humiliated by being tricked by the two Horn brothers, and then he was treated so disrespectfully by Mr. Z of the Aurora Society. If it were an ordinary person, they would have been unable to bear it long ago.
But he could only repeat to himself that this was the other party's strategy of applying maximum pressure, and that he could not lose his composure.
"Hmph, Mr. Z, please wait here for a moment, I'll be right back!"
Maxim took a few deep breaths, left with only this one sentence, and then turned and left.
After he left the underground hall, Evan opened his eyes and glanced in the direction of the exit, a slight smile appearing on his lips.
Just as Evan smiled, a white mist, seemingly mixed with other colors, appeared in the entire underground hall, then vanished immediately, as if it had never existed.
Fog of War: It can significantly reduce the visibility of all living beings within the fog, affect their hearing and sense of smell, and also shroud the corresponding spirit world. By suppressing the interaction between astral spirits and the spirit world, it dulls spiritual warnings and spiritual intuition. Within the "Fog of War," only oneself is unaffected.
Evan has been influencing Maxim with the fog of war.
After leaving the villa where the Aurora Club was located in a huff, Maxim used the streetlights in the nearby streets to reach a small estate about a kilometer away.
This manor is located in Queens and belongs to a viscount.
When Maxim appeared at the villa in the manor, no one in the entire manor, from the Viscount and his wife down to the night watchmen, noticed him at all.
Maxim extended his right hand, conjuring a huge fireball. The intense heat instantly heated the surrounding air, creating a gust of wind that sent various utensils, ceiling lights, and dining table and chairs in the villa flying and crashing to the ground.
Before the people in the villa could react, the huge fireball in Maxim's hand suddenly split into hundreds of smaller fireballs, which scattered and flew away as if they had eyes, finding everyone in the manor and then, under their terrified gazes, entering their mouths.
The flames that shot out from the facial features and orifices of these people were quickly extinguished, and they fell straight down on the spot, motionless, without even letting out a scream.
Although the people in the manor did not have many external scars, their insides had been burned away, leaving only empty shells.
Maxim came to this manor not just to find a safe place to pray or to kill someone to relieve his depression, but more so to cause some trouble for Mr. Z.
The massacre of an entire noble family living in Queens will undoubtedly be the biggest news in Backlund tomorrow. Both the Church of the Storm God, to which the viscount worshipped, and the Augustus family will surely mobilize their entire forces to handle this case with the highest standards.
With this level of investigation, the Aurora Society's stronghold not far away is very likely to be found. Even if Mr. Z is not harmed, the official forces can be mobilized to cause great trouble for the Aurora Society!
After killing everyone in the entire manor, Maxim felt a little relieved.
Then he found a place to pray to Ahomatova Einhorn.
"The master of the fog of war, the symbol of weather changes, the totem of storms and lightning, the great Prince Akhmatova Einhorn."
Your subordinate has found the whereabouts of the witch named Triss.
Before Maxim could finish speaking, he felt Akhmatova Einhorn's gaze and heard his question.
"How did you end up looking for that witch? Did you fall into someone's trap again?"
Ahomatowa Einhorn's tone was full of doubt, even a hint of anger, which made Maxim lower his head even further, his shoulders trembling slightly.
This also proves that Maxim's previous feelings were not unfounded; Ahomatova Einhorn was indeed very unhappy about being set up by the Horn brothers.
Maxim's fear was amplified to the extreme, and he hurriedly blurted out everything related to the matter, fearing that if he spoke too slowly, he would be killed.
"—When I was investigating the Red Rose Manor incident, I found that Aurora played a very strange role in it."
So they wanted to make a deal with the Aurora Club to learn its secrets.
After signing the contract, my subordinate learned from Mr. Z that Triss was a vessel for the Primordial Witch sent to Backlund by the Witch Cult to be cultivated.
—The Aurora Society is now demanding that you launch a military clash involving tens of thousands of troops on the border of Wintershire during the New Year!
Without pausing for a moment, Maxim recounted his entire experience of meeting Mr. Z that evening.
Ahomatova Einhorn did not interrupt him, including when he said that Triss was the vessel for the primordial demon goddess.
After Maxim finished speaking, he waited anxiously, but received no response for a long time.
Just as he was starting to have doubts, Akhmatova Einhorn's authoritative voice finally rang out.
"You've been tricked again without even realizing it, but it's not entirely your fault. There must have been a demigod there who could influence your mind, preventing you from recognizing the crucial issues on the spot."
Maybe it's Tony Dunn of the Ironblood Cross using the fog of war to influence you and make you overlook the most crucial issues.
That's the witch named Triss, who has actually joined the Aurora Society.
They're probably gambling that I'll spot the problem and thus understand their sincerity in cooperating!
With the blessing of Akhmatova Einhorn, Maxim recalled everything and found that many of his emotions had been amplified.
He's either too eager to reach a cooperation agreement or he ignores problems that he should have discovered, which is completely unlike his usual self.
Thinking of this, Maxim broke out in a cold sweat.
"What sincerity do they have in mind?" Maxim wondered to himself.
Ahomatowa Einhorn felt that his subordinate was just unlucky to have encountered someone beyond his level to deal with, and was not truly hopeless, so he patiently explained: "Of course, it is a sincere desire for full cooperation. The Aurora Society must have seen through the Empire's strategy and knows about my influence on the Southern Continent colonies, so they want to cooperate fully with the Empire or me."
Triss's whereabouts and the demigod who has influenced your mind are their bargaining chips.
Moreover, their suggestion that I create a large-scale border conflict is not so simple; I just don't understand it yet.
Ahomatova Einhorn felt that as an "angelic schemer," he was already quite cunning, but he never expected that the Aurora Society would be even more intricate than him, which he found quite novel!
"So what was your answer?"
Maxim felt like he'd played the clown again, so he asked somewhat cautiously.
"Of course we agree. On the one hand, we will join forces with the Aurora Society to target the Kingdom of Rune in the Southern Continent, which is part of the Empire's decision."
On the other hand, the Aurora Club can also serve as my external support.
Ahomatova Einhorn exclaimed with a hint of disappointment.
Maxim then realized that in this cooperation, the empire was paying the price, while his own people were reaping the benefits.
With such a bargain, Akhmatova Einhorn had absolutely no reason to refuse.