"...Curse energy?"
Annan frowned, realizing the problem was becoming serious.
His expression turned grave.
"Which curse energy are you speaking of?"
Just in case, Annan inquired further.
He still harbored a sliver of hope.
If it truly was that curse energy, then this was not a matter as simple as a local noble rebellion...
But Vasily’s answer completely shattered Annan’s hope, "It’s the one you’re thinking of. The legendary ’Holy Grail,’ ’Fountain of Youth,’ ’Fountain of Immortality,’—the forbidden elven technique that pumps the ’Blood of the World’ from the Curse Cellar. A world-altering power that can almost fulfill any desire one imagines..."
Upon hearing the word ’Curse Cellar,’ Annan could finally confirm it.
"But how dare they..."
"Why wouldn’t they dare?"
Vasily Rasputin scoffed, cutting off Annan’s words, "Short-sighted and selfish. For them, protecting their wealth and power is the highest purpose, the fundantal motive behind all actions...
"Not to ntion, using the Blood of the World could further strengthen the Mist... They would prefer the grand magical barrier be further suppressed, as far away from them as possible. That way, if they can independently support a grand magical barrier, they qualify to beco an existence on par with the Winter Principality.
"If they could extract enough curse energy, even contending with a True God wouldn’t be impossible... They couldn’t care less if the world beca riddled with holes and fell apart centuries later."
As he said this, Vasily’s gaze grew dark, "Speaking of which, I even suspect that the recent abnormal increase in Mist density is probably..."
"You an, soone has started using curse energy again?"
"It’s not impossible. Normally, the contraction speed of the grand magical barrier doesn’t exceed five ters per year. But since last year, this number has suddenly increased significantly."
The cat girl with strikingly asymtrical brown hair nodded gravely, "I believe, the most likely culprit is the United Kingdom. The aging King of Dennisiowa and those ’old royal families’ of the Feld Archipelago have the motive."
Indeed.
The warnings of their ancestors were too distant for modern people. Compared to the many miraculous feats that curse energy could achieve, its side effects were practically negligible to an individual.
And for those with short lifespans, the cost was even less significant than for elves.
Before the arrival of the elves and horsepeople to Aesirland, the technology of Aesirland roughly equated to that of the early dieval period on Earth. They had no gods to protect them, the survival rate of Transcendents without vessel-bearing technology was extrely low, and they had a complete lack of understanding of spells... Only a few ancient Ritualists used fragnted, savage, and highly inefficient ritualistic powers.
At that ti, for the people of Aesirland, the Mist was rely a light curse, which could be dispelled with the simplest of rituals like ’lighting a lamp or clapping hands’.
It was the abuse of curse energy by the elves that caused the Mist density to increase rapidly. Only when it started causing obvious harm to their bodies did they base the grand magical barrier on the twenty-four Wizard’s Towers.
The banning of curse energy ca about at the very end of the third era.
From the end of the second era to the end of the third... Less than a millennium had passed, directly resulting in a world full of Mist that Transcendents absolutely couldn’t traverse.
"If it’s a curse that can propel the contraction of the Winter’s grand magical barrier... the scale of curse energy extraction must be huge."
Annan imdiately responded.
This decided that, even if soone was using curse energy secretly, it definitely couldn’t be an individual’s doing.
And considering that in the past few months, no one had suddenly introduced any curse energy differencing machine or curse energy spacecraft, it appeared it wasn’t being used by any nation for covert technological developnt.
...Sothing was off.
Annan quickly realized there was an issue.
"You’re suggesting the efficiency is abnormal... right?"
Just by seeing the flash in Annan’s eyes, Vasily guessed what he was about to say.
"Correct," Annan nodded slightly, "If the Curse Cellar was really restarted, in a few months’ ti... they should have already extracted enough curse energy for whatever they intend to do."
The most basic use of curse energy could support the consumption of a prosperous city.
Instantly harvesting crops, rapidly breeding animals, greatly extending lifespan... all such miracles akin to suddenly spending a fortune could be easily achieved with curse energy.
And curse energy could only be stored in the Curse Cellar.
—Because curse energy is the Blood of the World.
If the Curse Cellar leaked and didn’t cause a violent explosion, then curse energy would imdiately return to the world itself upon contact with air.
Because "air" is also a part of this world.
Only in an environnt akin to the Otherworld, such as the Curse Cellar, could curse energy be stored stably.
But in reality, no one had unleashed any era-transcending blockbuster.
It was as if only the Curse Cellar was idling.
Why would this be...
Annan pondered for a mont.
He turned his head and inquired, "Those fellows from the North Lands Union... from where did they acquire the curse energy technology?"
"Strictly speaking, they haven’t obtained it yet. That’s why we are able to chat here."
Vasily corrected.
"But you said before..."
"They haven’t co to a consensus internally just yet. But sooner or later, soone will beco impatient. In Flannel Province, there is a [Specin Archive]."
"Although in principle, the Elves should have destroyed all curse energy technology... just like these shortsighted nobles, among the Elves there are also fools."
Vasily frowned deeply, "Inside that [Specin Archive] in Flannel Province, lies the technology to create Curse Cellars. And it was taken out by a Frostspeaker."
"I even suspect that so of them have already begun to secretly produce Curse Cellars in their own territories."
This was indeed sothing they could pull off.
Annan nodded.
He also realized the gravity of the situation.
"Our eting today must co to an end here, I’m afraid."
Annan turned to glance at the three people on the ground floor, then looked at Vasily, "I need to contact the Hand of Winter to take them away for interrogation."
Interrogation, this kind of tough, dirty, and tiring job, naturally was not for Annan to do.
Likewise, he didn’t need to worry about how to remove these people – that was for the Hand of Winter to consider.
If it weren’t for the fact that the players lacked experience in this field, and considering that so of the players were minors, whose influences needed to be taken into account, Annan would have actually liked to get a few players to co and practice...
But Annan still rembered Ivan’s reminder.
Although he didn’t know why... Ivan had warned him to try and maintain absolute initiative when talking to the Rasputin family.
Based on Annan’s speculation, this seed to be related to the Great Calamity Curio that the Duke of Winter held.
Because Vasily had not attempted to intimidate Annan or harbor any ill intentions, Ivan’s warning was not yet necessary.
But it seed that he could, conversely, make a bit of use of it...
Vasily did not know what Annan was thinking.
She just glanced at the three people: "I will keep an eye on them for you. Although I doubt you will be able to interrogate much out of them... but alright."
"—Moreover, Lady Vasily."
Annan suddenly interjected.
"No need to be so distant with , Your Majesty. Just speak frankly if you have sothing to say."
The cat woman just chuckled lightly, "Once you ascend to the throne, I will be Your court Ritualist."
"I do have a favor to ask of you."
Annan looked at Vasily with a smile, "I have a group of very loyal and trustworthy... I an, individuals who are absolutely devoted to personally.
"They are subject to special Curse Bindings, so they won’t die even if they fail in rituals, and they are all very smart."
"You an to say..."
Vasily asked tentatively.
"Would it be convenient for the Rasputin family to let them co... for a little further study? We can discuss the specific compensation later."
Smiling, Annan looked like a cunning white fox cub.
For so reason, Vasily’s lips slightly curved upward.
"Okay. I don’t need any compensation, and I can even give you a gift," she responded easily to Annan’s request. "The only requirent is that those who learn our family’s rituals must include the word [Rasputin] in their nas.
"Of course, they might only be able to co next month. Because I am about to turn into a cat... and you won’t understand what I say."
Turn into a cat?
Annan thought of soone... no, so cat.
"As long as there is a translator who can communicate with cats, there naturally won’t be a problem," Annan replied.
On the other side, the players adventuring deep underground in the "Ship in Stone Expedition" were still unaware of the great benefits Annan had stirred up for them.
However, their search for Captain Selicia of the Ship in Stone had already yielded so new results.
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