eurekapd Chapter 203 "Evan" Completely Clears His Name; Backlund Smog Begins
Chapter 203 "Evan" Completely Clears His Name; Backlund Smog Begins
Chapter 203 "Evan" Completely Clears His Name; Backlund Smog Begins
Grove Augustus, the younger brother of the current King George III, was granted the title of Prince of Sunia and was a staunch supporter of King George III.
Evan suspects that the "law magistrate" who fought against Mr. Azik alongside Ince Zangwill during the Backlund smog incident was him.
The fact that he was able to personally oversee the construction of the underground ruins demonstrates the trust George III placed in him.
Evan learned from the living will of Bonaparte, a prisoner confined in the "City of Calamity," that...
It was this prince who, together with Katarina Pelle, negotiated with it to allow it to corrupt Evan and use him for their own purposes.
Their plan was brilliant, but they never anticipated that Evan, burdened by the "City of Calamity," would turn the tables and impersonate the corrupted entity.
Logically speaking, the royal family should avoid contact with "Evan," since Evan also has the identity of a secular representative recognized by the Church of the Night, and the goddess of the night worshipped by the Church of the Night also has the title of "Hidden Mother." If they are not careful, the church may find out, and then it will be a complete disaster.
But now they're risking everything to contact Evan.
Evan's eyes darted around twice, and he had some guesses in his mind. He casually sat on the sofa, put his feet on the coffee table, crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and entered a meditative state.
Once Evan entered meditation, he could project his consciousness onto the sealed artifact through his connection with it, "looking" at the person before him, and speaking in a cynical and impatient tone:
"Didn't we agree to avoid contact as much as possible, and to communicate through the witch if there were any instructions? What do you mean by doing this?"
Prince Grove had a rectangular face, wore a white wig, had a mustache with slightly upturned corners, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, somewhat resembling the figures on the playing cards invented by Emperor Roselle.
He was dressed in a formal suit, draped in a large cloak, and with long-pointed shoes. His attire was out of step with the times, making him look as if he lived in the previous era.
The prince, who had long held a high position and was known for his imperious manner, rarely encountered anyone speaking to him like this. He was slightly taken aback, took a few deep breaths, and told himself not to get angry over a sealed artifact. Then, in a serious tone, he asked:
"I heard about your performance at Duke Negan's mansion today, and I also heard that you traded a compound eye for hunting black spiders for MI9. Are you preparing to upgrade this body? Or have you already successfully upgraded?"
Using flames for movement is an ability that only "schemers" can use. Evan used fireballs to move when he was chasing Zilingus.
Other ordinary people might be ignorant and confused, but those in the know will immediately sense something is wrong. Just as Robert guessed Evan's promotion at once, Prince Grove also sensed something was amiss when he received the relevant information.
"That's right, I used this body to advance. The hunter path demigod can make it easier for the linked 'teammates' to digest potions and advance, especially those of the same sequence. Is there any problem with that?"
Prince Grove was secretly relieved by Evan's candid attitude; things were not completely out of control and there was still room for redemption.
But neither he nor George III had expected that the hunter's path would have this characteristic.
This made him question whether his decision to let "Bonaparte's Perseverance" infect Evan was the right one.
"Why didn't you report this to me? According to the data, the person you're occupying will not have been able to become an Extraordinary for more than six months, and will not have been able to become an 'Arsonist' for more than a month."
This rapid and widespread price increase will attract a lot of attention, which is detrimental to the implementation of the agreement we initially reached.
Prince Grove suspected that he and Katerina Pelle had been deceived by this highly revitalized sealed artifact.
They originally intended to simply allow it to use the hunter's authority to go out and get some fresh air, and to do some things for them along the way.
However, its actions in elevating Evan to the status of a "schemer" made Prince Grove feel that it was slipping out of his control, and he suspected that the sealed object wanted to become "human" completely.
"You were the ones who told me not to contact you easily to avoid being exposed. And the contact person you set for me—Katarina Pelle—is not even in Backlund. Who am I supposed to report to?"
Reporting to that crown on your head that has no wisdom whatsoever, only daily praise of the sun? If I were to do that, I would be truly foolish!
Prince Grove's contact with Evan was not unprepared; he contacted Evan with the 0th-level sealed artifact, the Divine Crown. If he sensed something was wrong, he would condense the Angel Spear and stab Bonaparte's Steadfastness into it, completely purifying it.
"Besides, you set such harsh terms for me, asking me to help you persuade Robert to continue fighting against the conservative forces led by Duke Negan, and to drag the Church of the Night into the dispute over the reform of MI9."
I have accomplished all of these. Robert Horn has not given up his interference in the selection of the Secretary of Defense and is still in a tug-of-war with the Duke of Negan. The influence of the Church of the Night is expanding within MI9, which has aroused their greed. They have sent word to me to continue to fight for related interests.
I've completed all the tasks you assigned me. All I did was help this body advance one level, and you come here to interrogate me? That's utterly unreasonable.
"If you can't even provide this kind of convenience, we might as well tear up the signed agreement, go back to where we came from, and you can clean up the mess yourselves!"
"Evan" spoke with unusual righteousness in front of Prince Grove, shouting that he was wronged and threatening to throw a tantrum, leaving Prince Grove speechless.
To be honest, the terms they set for "Bonaparte's Perseverance" did not prohibit universal promotion.
On the one hand, they genuinely didn't know that the "Hunter" path to demigod status offered such a convenience, reducing the difficulty of their subordinates' advancement.
On the other hand, they did not expect that a sealed artifact would want to "borrow a human body" and no longer be a sealed artifact.
Although 'Evan' cried out that he was wronged, threw a tantrum, and tried to cover it up at every turn, Prince Grove still saw through 'Evan's' desire to grow up, to completely break free from the sealed object's body, and even to break free from their control.
The question now is how he should handle this situation. Should he really tear up the previous agreement and abandon the "Evan" spy?
Putting aside the difficulty and backlash of breaking the angel-level contract, even giving up the current favorable situation is a difficult choice.
Regardless of what ulterior motives "Evan" might have, as he said, he was very serious about the mission, perfectly utilizing his identity to stir up conflicts among various parties and solidly push forward the reform.
Moreover, at this point, Prince Grove also realized that "Evan" was actually a shrew with a hidden agenda. He said he wanted to tear up the treaty and part ways, but in reality, he kept emphasizing his work achievements during this period.
To express the softest meaning with the harshest words: You can turn a blind eye to my complete transformation and "starting anew," I will obediently abide by the signed agreement.
In fact, after Prince Grove learned of Evan's promotion, he did not intend to give up on Evan directly. One reason was that Evan's position was too important, making it difficult for anyone to give him up.
On the other hand, the contract he kept showed no signs of alteration, which also indicates that "Evan" had not broken free of the contract.
He may have exploited a small loophole, but he is still in control.
Having considered this, Prince Grove came to a conclusion regarding the unexpected widespread promotion of "Evan".
This unexpected promotion of "Evan" isn't a big deal, but any attempt to play tricks must be punished.
If you let him get away with it without making him pay any price, then it will be very difficult to control him in the future.
Thinking of this, Prince Grove adjusted the crown on his head, which looked like it was woven from thorns. A rich and intense light emanated from the crown, shining on a blood-stained golden suit of armor.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!"
Evan, far away in the Jowood district, suddenly felt as if he were standing in the sun. The fire resistance brought by the "arsonist" had no effect at all, and he felt as if he was about to be melted.
Moreover, this pain is not merely physical; it directly affects his astral body, spiritual body, and mental body.
On the etheric body.
Just as Evan was about to collapse, his consciousness fading, and he was preparing to retaliate, thinking he was about to be killed, Prince Grove stopped imbuing the seal on his head with spiritual energy. He ceased punishing Evan.
"This is punishment for your clever tricks. Don't treat everyone else like fools. If it happens again, I'll purify you and kill you without hindering the use of this sealed artifact!"
"But if you kill me, this sealed artifact won't be as free of side effects as before; it will severely limit your use of it!"
Although he was completely exhausted, Evan still maintained his persona and forced a sentence.
Prince Grove did not refute this point. "Bonaparte's Steadfastness," which possesses extremely strong living characteristics, is a Rank 1 sealed artifact that can be easily used as long as it is agreed upon, without any worries about side effects. It is very precious.
Without its living nature, this sealed artifact could have very troublesome side effects, and might even become unusable in the future. This is one of the main reasons why Prince Grove decided to let the matter go.
"We've cooperated for many years, and it's been a pleasant experience. You wanted to break free from the seal and become 'human,' so you could have said so back then! There was absolutely no need to hide it!"
Grove, who received a royal education from a young age, knew the principle of giving a slap and then a sweet treat. So after punishing "Evan", he began to comfort Evan and started to "promise him a happy ending".
"Alright, I understand what you want to do. As long as you honestly complete the tasks I assign you from now on and do them well, I can decide in the future to return your original body to you, allowing you to completely turn the tables and become the master."
What would it be like to truly become a human demigod?
Now that Prince Grove knew what "Evan" wanted, he immediately offered "Evan" a very lucrative deal, but "Evan" wasn't buying it and sneered, saying:
"Heh, since I was born a hundred years ago, I've witnessed how Roselle made empty promises and deceived others, and how the Silver Witch tricked men and betrayed her 'sisters.' Do you think you can fool me?"
Prince Grove was somewhat embarrassed. He had also wanted to make empty promises to "Evan" and see if he could take advantage of his inattention to coax him into continuing to work for him, but he forgot the fact that this sealed artifact was older than him.
"A demigod-level 'scheming mastermind' is indeed not so easily fooled."
Prince Grove gave himself a reason, deciding to cut to the chase and say directly:
"We can sign a supplementary contract. If you complete the mission well, we can return your original body to you and even accept you. You should know that extraordinary individuals who want to advance through the 'Hunter' path cannot do without the army or the corresponding power. If you still have the ambition to continue to advance after becoming a demigod..."
Upon hearing this, even though he was facing a suit of armor, not a real person, and couldn't see 'Evan's' expression, Prince Grove still clearly sensed that 'Evan' was moved.
"Just tell me what you want me to do! I don't believe you'll suddenly be so generous!"
Prince Grove smiled slightly; he knew that "Evan" had not resisted the temptation.
"Our collaboration with the witch requires a large number of people, so there's a huge population blacklist in the East District. If you want to cover this up and prevent the three major churches from noticing the problem, what would you do?"
"I'll just burn the entire East District to the ground, leaving it completely clean and white, all done once and for all, with no future troubles!"
At the mention of this, "Evan" was wide awake; he was quite adept at this.
He benefited greatly from the incident with Tingenranus last time, and if he could do it again this time, he might have a chance to advance to become a demigod.
Prince Grove was also taken aback by Evan's decisiveness, and was visibly stunned for a moment before quickly saying:
"The Eastern District isn't just home to the poor; it also contains many factories that support the kingdom. We can't just burn them down!"
"Evan" seemed disappointed, muttered a couple of things, and then said:
"That's easy. Just open an opening and let the witch unleash a plague."
Whenever anything happens to any of the countries in the Northern Continent, don't you always have the witch do it for you?
This has been the case for over a thousand years, allowing the witch cult to grow stronger despite your repeated efforts to suppress it. In an era when the true god is nowhere to be seen, several witch angels have even emerged.
Having his secret exposed by "Evan" in person made Prince Grove lose face again, and he quickly said:
"I'll need your cooperation then, it'll make things much easier. How about it, it's just a small thing, will you agree or not!"
"Okay! Let's sign the contract!" Evan agreed with unusual ease.
Prince Grove was prepared, and took out a golden contract, signing his name on it with his spiritual power. Evan examined the relevant terms, confirmed that there were no hidden traps, and then used his "armor" to emit spiritual power and sign the name "Bonaparte".
Seeing that "Evan" obediently signed the contract without causing any trouble, Prince Grove nodded secretly and put away the contract that was radiating golden light.
"Backlund has been in some turmoil lately, and the Witch Cult will be delayed in returning for a while. After that, the royal family will symbolically investigate your promotion speed. From now on, apart from continuing with Robert Horn, do not take any other unnecessary actions. Just wait for the plan to begin."
"Evan" felt a jolt in his heart, sensing that things were not so simple, but since Prince Grove wouldn't say anything, he didn't ask any more questions, as asking too many questions would only arouse suspicion.
"Understood! The investigation should be quite large-scale, thoroughly clearing away any suspicion surrounding my rapid promotion, and leaving me no future trouble!"
Upon seeing Prince Grove nod in agreement, Evan severed his connection with the armor.
Evan let out a long breath, unbuttoned two buttons on his shirt, letting his body heat radiate out, then stood up and opened the apartment window, letting the cool breeze of late summer dry the sticky sweat on his body.
Thinking about what had just happened, Evan knew that he had passed a major hurdle, successfully gained the trust of the Augustus family, paved the way for his future, and laid the foundation for his pursuit of the extraordinary characteristics of the "Iron-Blooded Knight".
Meanwhile, Evan confirmed with Prince Grove what Bernadette had said at the meeting: that George III's plans for the Great Smog of Backlund were still in the planning stage, all talk and no action.
It's possible that the military spending smuggling operation initiated by Evan and Robert inspired George III, and in some ways, it could even be said that the Great Smog of Backlund originated with Evan.
Furthermore, the suspicions that the sealed object "Evan" wanted to possess a human body paved the way for his later ascension. When Evan ascended to become the "Reaper," they wouldn't be surprised.
It's even possible that because of Evan's dependence on the Augustus family and Evan's own status, they will value Evan even more and provide him with various conveniences.
In short, after this "fraud," Evan basically no longer needs to worry about suspicion from the Rune authorities.
On one hand, Evan is favored by the Goddess of Night, so the Church of Night will not interfere too much in his affairs, nor will the other two major churches.
On the other hand, the rulers of the Kingdom of Rune will turn a blind eye to Evan's problem, and may even subtly encourage it.
From then on, Evan became unrestrained in his acting and actions, forging ahead without hesitation. Regarding Prince Grove's final warning that Backlund was somewhat turbulent, at first glance, Evan thought it referred to the assassination of Duke Negan, but Evan, who knew a lot about the inside story, did not think so.
Even if Duke Negan is important, it is only on a secular level, not on a mysterious and extraordinary level. As a demigod who oversaw the construction of the underground ruins, Prince Grove's focus should be on a higher level.
Based on the information he learned from his meeting with Bernadette tonight, Evan guessed that the Augustus family had also noticed the chaos in the River of Fate of Backlund, and might even have guessed further about the struggle between "Will Onsetin" and Urolius.
Whatever the reason, the Augustus family could no longer tolerate Ouroule's loitering and actions in Backlund.
With the Storm God not intervening, the Basilica of the Holy Wind in Backlund not being the headquarters of the Church of Storms, and the Storm Pope not being able to easily set foot in Backlund, an Angel King is not so easy to deal with.
If the Augustus family did not have the 'arbitrator' pathway to the Angel King, they would need to make extensive preparations to expel or even severely damage Urelius.
Prince Grove's words made Evan seem to see all the official forces of Rune joining forces, under the good fortune bestowed by "Will Onsetin," to wage a great war against the King of Angels.
This might be the largest battle in the Extraordinary World since Roselle's fall, but unfortunately, I'm too weak to even watch, let alone participate.
Evan shook his head in disappointment, but then immediately realized why Zilingus was able to evade various mystical investigations even after all the factions knew he had come to Backlund. After all, the Steam Church was not without masters skilled in "prophecy".
Adam couldn't directly cover up for Zillingus either, otherwise it would be too obvious.
The reason why all parties could not investigate using mystical methods and could only use traditional criminal investigation methods was because the great battle between the two angels of fate had disrupted the river of fate, causing the fate of the whole world, especially Backlund, to be in chaos during this period.
According to Evan's estimation, if Bernadette had not been blessed by the "Secret Seeker" pathway '0' level seal, and had not been given accurate clues from a realistic perspective, she would not have been able to make accurate predictions.
Furthermore, Evan realized that the Augustus family might take action against Ulroth, ending the Angel War, and that they were preparing to officially begin the population erasure of the eastern district of Backlund. These were two very valuable pieces of information, and perhaps they could use them to exchange for more from Bernadette.
With that in mind, Evan couldn’t wait to take out the candles he had just put away, set them up on the altar, and then write a letter to Bernadette in a persuasive tone.
In the letter, Evan told Bernadette that he had just received news that the Augustan royal family had begun planning to cancel the population count and stop the war between the angels along the Fate Path.
Just to be on the safe side, he still advised Bernadette to choose this East End disaster as her promotion ceremony, and not to provoke bad luck at this time, his tone full of concern.
Sure enough, a few minutes after the letter was sent, another letter suddenly appeared on the coffee table. Evan still couldn't see the messenger clearly.
Evan opened the envelope, read the contents of the letter, and smiled.
Bernadette thanked Evan for the information in her letter, but made no mention of his advice, clearly still targeting Lanius. In return, she offered to let Evan ask her a question as payment.
This was exactly what Evan was waiting for, so while the candle was still burning, he wrote a letter directly asking if she knew where the blasphemous tablet of the "Witch" pathway was now.