"Tell me everything that happened in there"
"You're him!" Cabrera blurted.
Nathan's eyes shone as he caught on.
Silence reigned for a few seconds.
"Yes I am. Now, what happened there?"
Cabrera felt a chill as he made eye contact with Nathan, who nodded.
"We were attacked by Fire Scar and-"
"Not that"
"Not that?"
Cabrera's eyes widened as he connected the dots.
"You're the one who sent that letter!"
"Will you get on with it?!"
Cabrera's heart skipped a beat.
"The royal advisor…"
—------------------------------
"Haah…"
Ezra exhaled, wiping sweat off his forehead as he picked out another scroll.
The past few days have been hectic.
Copying the contents of mana techniques wasn't easy.
The techniques were written with Berse ink to prevent it from fading.
Berse ink could store mana, so each word had mana in it.
Ezra had to count the specific number of words to copy, because the mana in each word varied, and the copper scrolls had a limit to how much mana it could contain.
Too much, and the scroll would be torn apart.
His head was aching after measuring the mana levels of so many words, but his grin remained intact.
Ezra felt his ability to measure and detect mana grow exponentially in the past few days as many more copper scrolls were wasted.
He had found other things, high grade combat manuals for scythes, swords, daggers, staffs, dual wielding and many more.
Trying to master all of them was a bad idea, so Ezra picked out key manuals, those that taught the foundational movements.
With it, he would build a foundation with multiple weapons, but master few.
Of course, he didn't forget to take combat manuals for his mother and also stash thousands of coins in his space ring.
Now, even if the plan didn't work out, he'd have something to fall back to.
Days ago, he inspected the contents of the space ring.
The amount of mana stones he saw almost threw him into insanity, not to mention the mana crystals, the eggs, the trees and their fruits, the snake's carcass, and then, the transparent cube of mana particles.
Ezra didn't know what to make of it. That day, he had to deceive himself into believing he hadn't seen it so he could calm himself.
After that, gold coins didn't seem so precious anymore. Nothing did, except his mom and his weapon.
He was equally surprised at how misinformed he was about the future.
He wondered just how many things he didn't know but thought he knew.
That didn't derail his plan though. Instead, it affirmed that he had made the right choice by acting as early as possible.
With two days left, he made sure every book he copied was worthwhile, picking quality over quantity.
Each book was high ranked, catered to common, sometimes rare, elements, and they allowed for diverse fighting styles.
He could almost see his future army, each one a monster in their own right after being nourished by multiple treasures.
'All in due time' he said to himself.
'All in due time'
Also, the three witches still hadn't made any statements on the head maid change.
Ezra suspected something was up, or they were occupied with their own matters for once.
—-----------------------------
Bolton and the old man were having a conversation.
"What do you think?" the old man asked.
"They won't dare lie to us, but they're definitely hiding something"
The old man nodded.
"No matter. As they've joined the faction, they'll be plenty of opportunities to find out…though, I doubt it'll take that long"
"Hmm?" the old man raised a brow.
"Don't concern yourself, just wait them to come begging and pleading"
The old man was more confused as Bolton turned to face him.
"That aside. The de-aging potion, when will it be?"
"Three weeks at most"
Bolton nodded.
"Good. You may leave"
The old man left and the place became silent.
*Tap*Tap*
A tapping sound echoed every few seconds.
It was Bolton's finger tapping his armrest as he contemplated.
'Defeating Fire Scar without any backers…there's more to that story, and I want to find out what it is'
He snapped his fingers and a guard came in.
"Find out everything about Black Jaws"
"Yes sir" with that, he left.
—------------------------------------
"…and that's what happened" Cabrera ended his narration.
"Hmm…" a sound of contemplation.
Nathan hastily added.
"We'll buy the slums and transfer the ownership to you"
"Are you the one who negotiated?"
"Y-Yes"
"It seems I underestimated you…in any case, you did well. Hold onto the slums for now, and…just continue as you are"
Cabrera felt the person was about to leave.
"What about my memories?"
After a few seconds, a reply came.
"Soon, you'll have it soon. Till then, no other soul must know, else it'll be end of all of us"
Cabrera gulped.
—---------------------------
-Elsewhere-
"What?!"
The Emperor was outraged.
He was being examined by Hamilton Winc, the royal healer.
"I've never seen something like this before. The poison is growing as it sucks mana"
"How do I get rid of it?"
"Cease mana usage for a few years"
"Impossible. Anything else?"
"Forcefully push it out, but you might suffer severe mana deficiency"
"Might?"
"That's the least that'll happen"
The Emperor grit his teeth in anger. The enemy got him good this time.
The poison was something specifically designed for Grandmasters, or more specifically, for him.
Each time he used mana, the poison grew in lethality, and would eventually kill him from within.
The Emperor's mind was a mess.
Two days ago, he was informed of the possible involvement of Demon Worshippers in the destruction of Windless Peaks.
It didn't seem too much of an issue, but the Emperor knew something most did not.
'What if Demon Worshippers took the mana stones?!'
A disaster would occur if Demon Worshippers birthed a Grandmaster!
It could not be allowed to happen.
Then, what if they birthed multiple Grandmasters?
It was something the Emperor didn't even want to imagine.
In the midst of it all, he became disabled because he couldn't use mana freely.
'Should I inform the other kingdoms?'
He shook his head. Those fools would be more concerned that the mountain initially contained mana stones, and that it was in Niton, rather than the threat of Demon Worshippers.
What was he saying? They wouldn't even believe him.
Then a thought popped up in his head.
'Right! Mana stones. If I can absorb all three, I should be able to get rid of this poison!'
A ray of light pierced the darkness. The Emperor smiled, his top priority was decided.
Then he calmed, realizing that the information he was given was but an assumption.
He couldn't work with assumptions.
'I'll have Bolton begin searching for it. Whoever took it couldn't have gone far'
Also, absorbing mana stones took years due to its quality, so he had at least five years to understand what happened.
Simultaneously, the Emperor set a timer.
'I have to get rid of this poison in five years'
He began setting his plan.
'Five years…I wonder how long this war will take. At the end of it, Niton would've been cleansed'
He gave orders to Hamilton.
"Have the academies ceased admissions?"
"They have"
"Have them reopen for the next two years"
"Yes Sire, and then?"
"Cease till the war ends"
Hamilton nodded.
"You may leave"
"By your majesty" Hamilton said and exited.
The Emperor pressed his finger against each other.
'Everdust was it? His son was the late Admiral. That aside, he's hiding something-'
The Emperor glinted dangerously.
'-I'll have him investigated as well'
With that concluded, the Emperor isolated himself in a chamber and began cultivating.
He tested the feasibility of his plan.
With both schemer and the schemed moving, the sun set and, in no time, two days passed.
