madnovel Chapter 112 The Mechanical Workshop in the Cave
Chapter 112 The Mechanical Workshop in the Cave
Chapter 112 The Mechanical Workshop in the Cave
After leaving the party, Evan found a horse-drawn carriage that was still picking up passengers at night and took it back to his apartment in the Joewood district, wanting to see what had happened that day.
First, he witnessed the first meeting between Edsac Augustus and Triss at the officers' club, which was definitely a result of Natasha's deliberate efforts. In other words, the Great Smog of Backlund had begun to brew, and George III had decided to make his third son the scapegoat.
What exactly were George III and the Witch Cult plotting that made him sacrifice his own son without hesitation? Did the angels and demigods of the Augustan royal family know what George III was doing?
Based on the suppression and control of lower sequences by higher sequences in the same pathway shown in Lord of Mysteries, Evan is basically certain that they are not completely unaware of what George III is going to do.
"Is it because half of 'Lord of Mysteries' was blocked? If I knew what George III was trying to do, I wouldn't be like the blind men and the elephant now. What did Klein see above the gray fog? Why is 'Lord of Mysteries' blocked in my mind?"
Evan was racking his brains trying to figure out what secrets George III might have, and he couldn't help but scratch his head, messing up his hair.
If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't think about it anymore. Evan was always easygoing about these kinds of things. As long as it didn't affect him, he was too lazy to delve into the reasons. At worst, he would let Klein clean up the mess in the end. Anyway, he was the protagonist, and the matter of raising three generations was obviously one of the main plots of the story. He didn't need to worry about it. He just needed to see if he could find a way to profit from the information he had.
Evan's current scheme regarding the Great Smog of Backlund mainly revolves around Triss. He hopes she can attract Mr. A's attention and the attention of the True Creator, causing the Primal Witch and the True Creator to fight. This would be the best news for Evan; everything else is secondary.
He plans to meet with Mr. A in the next few days to confirm whether Mr. A has made contact with Triss, and at the same time convey the Witch Cult's next action plan to the Aurora Society and the Gnostic Society, so that they will pay more attention to Triss.
Furthermore, after Evan relayed the message to the Gnostic Society, he planned to discuss the matter of the Black Abyss Demon Fish's blood with them.
Because he had successfully "instigated" Klein to temporarily refrain from dealing with Lanluus for a few days despite the obvious harm Lanluus had caused, Evan felt that he would be able to fully digest his "Instigator" potion soon. In addition, he had also obtained the Agate Peacock Egg, so Evan needed to prepare in advance for Pu's promotion to "Witch".
I brought important information about Triss to the Gnostic Society, and they should reward me for it, otherwise who will work for them in the future?
Besides that, Evan also had a very fruitful day, one of which was unexpectedly discovering Miss Sharon in the bar's private room.
And through this, they made contact with him.
From the already declassified "Lord of Mysteries," Evan knows that the Rose School's backer—the Mother Tree of Desire—is a major villain hated by both righteous gods like the Seven Gods and evil gods like the True Creator.
Since they are the main villains, Evan has no reason to hold back against them; they might just be his biggest experience booster.
Therefore, being able to connect with the "Temperance" faction within the Rose School would be entirely beneficial for the future.
"The Prisoner's Path Sequence 5 'Wraith' is indeed difficult to spot. If I hadn't just been promoted a couple of days ago, and if my cheat allows me to pre-use the 'Witch's' mirror magic, I really wouldn't have noticed Miss Sharon appearing in the mirror. The Wraith is probably quite adept at assassination."
If connecting with the Temperance faction of the Rose School tonight was just a small surprise, then learning that the craftsman I've been longing to recruit is a demigod is an enormous surprise.
This not only means that Evan can obtain extraordinary items with fewer side effects in the future, but also that Evan has the ability to mobilize high-sequence power.
This demigod craftsman should have been well aware that it would be very difficult for Backlund to collect the formulas and materials for the arbitrator and lawyer pathways, and even if he did, he would certainly be tracked down.
When Evan was recruiting them, he made it clear that the interests of MI9 and himself were not equal. He was recruiting them personally, not on behalf of MI9. This shows that Evan is very flexible and can negotiate terms.
Therefore, the demigod craftsman should be very happy that "lawyer" Catherine Grey was able to get in touch with Evan, as evidenced by his active efforts to facilitate their cooperation.
Furthermore, Evan could see that the demigod craftsman valued Catherine Grey highly but did not reveal her true identity.
Because of Catherine Grey, the demigod craftsman has a request of Evan, which gives Evan the possibility of negotiating with this demigod craftsman.
"Although I only have the Lawyer Path Sequence 7 potion recipe, and I've already given it to that lady, Klein will get the full sequence recipes in the future, and his will be mine, so there's still room for negotiation with this demigod."
Furthermore, I can obtain the materials for Catherine Grey's future promotion from MI9, which further strengthens their dependence on me.
If all else fails, I can consider using my good looks; that way, if I ever need anything, he'll definitely come to my aid.
Um—maybe I should just forget it. Those who become demigods are all incredibly shrewd; I shouldn't flaunt my little schemes.
Be careful, it might backfire.
Evan shook his head, putting his wildly imaginative "handsome man" plan out of his mind, thinking that it was better to be honest in front of a demigod.
However, Evan quickly shifted his attention back to the identity of the demigod craftsman.
In this world, the connections between the strong in each sequence and the major organizations are very strong. In particular, the formulas and materials needed to become a demigod are mostly controlled by specific organizations. It is hard to imagine that one can become a demigod without the help of an organization.
Even Klein, the protagonist, obtained the "Trickster" recipe from Zarathustra, received direct help from the Goddess of Night, and collected the relevant materials through the "Forsaken Land".
Therefore, this demigod craftsman is unlikely to be a lone wolf; he must have broken away from the organization.
Evan first ruled out the possibility that the craftsman had defected from the Church of Steam and Mechanics, because the Church of Steam and Mechanics was a legitimate organization, and if a demigod defected, they would have an obligation to inform other legitimate churches, just like Ince Zangwell.
Otherwise, if the defector does something and you don't report it in advance, other orthodox churches will definitely cause trouble for him.
Despite the alliance formed by the gods, Evan absolutely did not believe they were a united front. Needless to say, one of the pieces of information Klein gleaned from spying on the Eternal Sun was that the Eternal Sun harbored extreme hatred for the God of Storms and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, while the Goddess of Night and the God of War were also enemies of similar ranks.
Evan believed that if given the chance to take advantage of the situation, they would not hesitate to act decisively. Therefore, he first ruled out the possibility that the Church of Steam and Machines had a demigod who had defected, since Evan had not seen any relevant information or wanted posters.
Judging from the fact that the Church of Orthodox God cultivates extraordinary individuals through adjacent pathways, organizations that master the "Secret Seeker" pathway are very likely to cultivate extraordinary individuals through the "General Knowledge" pathway.
And Evan knows of two secret organizations capable of cultivating demigods through the "Generalist" pathway.
One is the infamous and world-renowned "Morse Ascetic Order," a perfectly good righteous organization that has somehow managed to create a living father for itself, turning itself into a secret organization. That's just unbelievable.
Another one is "Elements Dawn," created by Bernadette, who was nicknamed "Huang Beibei" by many readers in her previous life.
In his diary, Emperor Roselle explicitly stated that he intended to leave the "blasphemous card" he created to his children as a trump card.
Both the eldest and youngest sons are extraordinary individuals of the "Generalist" pathway. Given that the birth of the youngest son was tampered with by the God of Steam and Machinery, it can be reasonably inferred that the blasphemous card of the "Generalist" pathway should have been given to the eldest son.
According to historical records, Charles Gustave, the eldest son of Emperor Rosell, fled to Backlund for refuge after Rosell's assassination, and eventually died of fear and anxiety.
Evan found the cause of death absurd, and historical records also indicate that Rosell's eldest daughter, Bernadette, visited Backlund before Charles Gustav's death.
Therefore, it is reasonable for Evan to speculate that the "Generalist" blasphemous card may have ended up in Bernadette's hands, or even if it wasn't, it's quite possible that she copied down all the recipes.
But considering all aspects, Evan felt that the demigod craftsman behind the lawyer was more likely to have defected from the Moss Ascetic Society. So what benefit would this guess bring him?
Evan sat in the swaying carriage, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, Catherine Grey, dressed in a black robe, arrived at the outskirts of Backlund. After declining the coachman's offer of help, she went to a seemingly dark and secluded valley.
Catherine Grey walked to a steep mountainside, pressed her hand against a protruding rock, circled it three times to the left and three times to the right, and then smashed it hard. There was a scraping sound, and a large rock next to her moved aside on its own, revealing an opening.
Catherine Grey rushed inside and then twisted a stone on the mountain wall, sealing the cave entrance from the inside.
The scene inside the cave was completely different from the desolation outside. Mechanical parts were scattered everywhere, and gears and long tubes were placed all around. Further inside, various weapons that were not found outside were displayed at will. Large-caliber heavy artillery was just a piece of cake. If an outsider were to wander into this place, he might think he had entered a secret military factory.
"Woof woof woof!"
Catherine Grey heard a dog barking and turned around to look at her feet. As expected, she saw a mechanical puppy wagging its tail happily at her.
Catherine Grey smiled, crouched down, and patted the mechanical dog's head. Then she called out to the mechanical workshop in front of her:
"I'm back."