Chapter 878: Ebner’s Speculation
Backlund, East Borough, in a room with heavy curtains where only faint candlelight illuminated a corner.
Sitting at the head of the bed, Tracy tidied her jet-black curls, her eyes fixed on the clock hanging on the wall without blinking.
When the hour hand pointed to ten, she quickly stood up. Under the candlelight, her slender and graceful figure swayed as she walked enchantingly to the full-body mirror. Then she stretched out her right palm and brushed it over the surface of the glass.
A layer of black fla ignited, quietly burning the air before quickly extinguishing without a trace, leaving the mirror dark and profound.
Within the mirror, shadows and light rippled and soon revealed a vast hall, its floor paved with deep-black stone slabs, and eight columns of the sa color rising high.
This was a scene within an underground ruin, the place where Tracy and her mother tacitly exchanged items.
Before long, a figure in a simple and pure white robe appeared in the ruins. It was the Saintess of White Katarina. She tilted her head toward Tracy’s direction, her gaze eting her daughter’s for two seconds, before smiling faintly like a living masterpiece.
Suddenly seeing her mother appear, Tracy was startled. After all, in previous communications, she had never seen anyone show up.
But Tracy quickly reacted, a trace of joy flashing in her eyes. She parted her lips impatiently and asked:
"Mother, did you successfully break free of the control?"
In her view, her mother did not seize her and even chose to appear in person for contact—this already explained everything.
Katarina, however, gently shook her head and spoke in a teasing tone: "No, I lost... I ca to find you because my master ordered
to."
At these words, Tracy’s heart skipped a beat, nearly breaking contact and fleeing. Yet, as a pirate admiral with much experience, she forced herself to remain calm, recalled her mother’s temperant, and tentatively said, "Mother, don’t make this kind of joke..."
"I’m not joking... I’m still under my master’s control!" As she spoke, she displayed the red gemstone that had already lost its luster. She continued, "Although the stone you found is indeed useful... my master also had helpers. My struggle failed."
Seeing that Katarina’s words didn’t seem like a lie, Tracy’s face turned grim. With so despair, she said, "So, you’re going to capture ? And make , together with you and Mother, serve that so-called master?"
She no longer tried to escape. In the sa Backlund, her mother, who was directly related to her by blood, could easily find her. Escape was impossible.
"You should feel fortunate. My master has recently found a new ’plaything’ and has lost interest in you... Moreover, he has already left Backlund." Katarina’s lips curved into a faint smile. "But you must pay the price to redeem yourself, otherwise I’ll send you to my master’s bed right now."
Hearing this, Tracy was shocked by the shalessness of her mother and that master, her hands trembling with anger. So the aning is—because he doesn’t ’play’ with , I should be grateful? Disgust filled her, yet in this nearly hopeless situation, she had no choice but to bow her head. Enduring the humiliation, she asked in a low voice, "What must I pay?"
"A task." Katarina’s eyes shifted as she glanced at her daughter. With a soft laugh, she said, "In Backlund, find a certain person. A woman in her twenties, whose defining trait is an uncontrollable desire for knowledge and secrets."
Tracy originally wanted to wait for her mother to finish before speaking, but after waiting more than ten seconds without more detail, she asked uncertainly, "That’s it? Nothing else?"
"That’s it!" Katarina nodded firmly. "Only these traits. You must do your best to filter those who match and report once a week."
When will this task ever end? Tracy took a deep breath and secretly decided to complete the mission while also seeking help to escape from that so-called master once and for all.
But who can I ask for help? Not only am I surrounded by enemies, but the Demoness Sect has also branded
a traitor... Hmm... maybe I can find Gehrman. He seems to have a powerful organization backing him... And there’s Ebner... He can easily summon demigods, so his background must not be simple. But he’s the last person I want to beg from!
While Tracy was calculating inwardly, outwardly she accepted the task. She then shifted the subject and asked, "What about Mama? If she continues to hunt
desperately, it will interfere with
completing the task."
"Your mama has already taken command of the Black Death and will soon beco a new pirate admiral under our sect... However, she has decided to keep using your na." Katarina spoke with a voice as beautiful as a song.
At these words, Tracy’s expression darkened, a storm brewing in her eyes. The montum of a pirate admiral emanated from her, but soon she deflated, for she could do nothing about it.
"Alright, don’t be angry... As your mother, I can provide you with an idea to complete the master’s task." Katarina smiled with her lips pressed together.
"What idea?" Tracy asked, her voice slightly hoarse.
"Simple. Reveal the location of the ruin I’m currently in—the one from the Fourth Epoch United Empire. If the target truly cannot resist her thirst for knowledge and secrets, she will surely co!"
...
Deep within Groselle’s Travels, in the central hall of the City of Miracles, Levished.
Just as he had with Bianca earlier, Ebner, after borrowing the Black Emperor card and the Error card from Mr. Fool, bade farewell to Klein and Maria. He then carried the unconscious Abby and "teleported" to the ritual space beneath the Surrey family manor in Tosk.
After that, the two of them entered the imagined world within Groselle’s Travels through the "back door."
By using the Error card’s elevated version of the "Underwear Stealing Technique" several tis to steal protections outside of "secrets," Abby’s hidden condition was finally revealed under the gaze of Ebner’s monocle.
Combined with the earlier "academic" physical examination of Abby, Ebner gained new understanding of the experint eleven years ago:
As I suspected, Abby is like Bianca, also polluted by the power of five different primal essences. But unlike Bianca, her pollution is dominated by the Shadow World.
Her special ability is the Curse of Pain—by enduring her own constant pain, she curses others, forcing them to feel the sa agony!
Because this pain cos from the Source of Curses, it is almost impossible to dispel... Anyone who has had relations with her will be cursed, and one day in the future, that pain will erupt...
And after she curses soone, her own pain will temporarily lessen... though it soon returns. For the sake of that brief respite, she chose to join the Celestial Sect, using her beauty to constantly alleviate her suffering.
That said, the path she chose is actually the "Demoness." She is already Sequence 6, the Demoness of Pleasure...
This is the first ti I’ve seen a Demoness who was originally a woman. The constant "pain" she feels unexpectedly fits the pathway...
But in this case, the aftermath in Bayam involving the Celestial Sect may still hold hidden dangers... Once the curses Abby left behind erupt, my Secret Restoration will be useless...
Because that curse cos from pollution by primal essences, it carries the power of authority itself, which is why it cannot be cleansed. Only authority can counter authority! Hmm, when I return, I’ll pray to Lilith and ask her to send that angel fused with uniqueness to eliminate this hidden threat.
Within the echoes of the Hall of Honesty, Ebner opened the Pure White Eye and observed Abby once more, then began summarizing:
Comparing Bianca and Abby... I can draw so common points...
First, both are won... and this applies to the other three survivors as well... But why did only won survive? Or was it that the experint originally only chose won as subjects?
Second, whether Bianca or Abby, their special abilities manifest only through intimate relations... Is this coincidence, or so inherent attribute? As for the other three survivors, Lady D of the Aurora Order remains unclear, and the one in Backlund hasn’t been found yet, so I won’t consider them for now...
But the Pale Admiral doesn’t seem like soone like Bianca and Abby, right? In the eyes of outsiders, she is as pure and upright as a saint...
Though within her body, she sealed a demon Te-...
At this thought, Ebner’s heart suddenly stirred. He imdiately connected it with Inspector Roselle’s carefully crafted image of "justice," and with the Fountain of Youth lie woven by the Undying King Agaritou. At once, he had a flash of insight:
Perhaps purity and justice are what Maria’s ritual requires?
When those who yearn for her justice and purity ultimately discover her evil and corruption... the ritual would then be complete, wouldn’t it?
Her "justice" is easier to understand—after all, that is her "evil." By using primal essence, she twists extre "justice" into "evil"! But purity... Maria doesn’t seem like that kind of person... Though it’s not impossible—she may have an unknown side to her...
Right, Bianca and Abby’s special abilities are triggered through intimate relations... Maria very likely is the sa! And her sword, Pale Justice, carries an abnormally powerful force that requires periodic release of power... Its thod of judging "sins" is also similar to an authority projection from the Nation of Disorder...
Could it be that her special ability is triggered through... that?! By the way, wasn’t that sword crafted and later modified by Old Huang? What painstaking effort indeed!
Writer’s block... finished only at this hour, ti to sleep.
(End of Chapter)
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