When the plot-skips players into the game world

But even though Aiwass said so, Isabel, whose cheeks had flushed red, did not take her diary back.

She generously gave her diary directly to Aiwass—

This made Aiwass realize that he might have underestimated Isabel slightly.

Perhaps she did not intend to show Aiwass her heart... She also understood the meaning of a "last will and testament" diary, so the essence of the diary was perhaps a letter. She had written what she wanted to say in the diary, and altogether, along with the causes and consequences, presented it to Aiwass.

"I will treasure it," Aiwass said with a smile, carefully stowing the diary close to himself.

What really pleased Aiwass was that Isabel giving her diary to him... meant that she no longer deemed it necessary for herself.

The change might be small for now, but it was a valuable beginning. She had decided to cast aside her past self and to discard the fears of old—stepping forward.

After exchanging secrets, both of them wore faint smiles on their faces. Once Aiwass sat back in his wheelchair, he went to the door and called back the people who had left earlier.

Lily and Yulia also had a bit of a blush, but David looked utterly confused. Yanis, however, was all smiles, as if she'd gotten some candy.

—Watching them like this, Aiwass roughly guessed who had been listening and who hadn't.

To divert David's attention, Aiwass asked him, "Has the esteemed Guardian not finished his discussion yet?"

"I just went to see my father," David explained, "there were quite a few people there... I saw him talking with Granny Meg and the others."

His single-thread brain had indeed forgotten about Aiwass and Isabel's matter.

At this point, David showed some concern: "They seemed to be arguing... at least they were very loud."

"A loud voice does not necessarily mean an argument, it could just be a sign of excitement," Aiwass comforted him gently.

But he was well aware in his heart—ah, that must be Meg pushing her promotion plan to the other "big-character" colleagues.

Her time was running out, it was indeed time to make a move. If she got any older, when time wore down her spirit and made her senile, then her chance would be completely lost.

In this era, apart from the Eternal Pope, there was no sixth Energy Level. It was considered a mythological legend... only those ancient heroes who ascended to become Angel Envoys could reach that degree.

And in that time, the connections between nations weren't as tight. Now, if Meg tried to promote, others would undoubtedly stop her—even the full moon ritual, which emphasized cooperation and forbade attacking each other, would be the same.

Either no one would participate in the promotion, leaving her unable to muster a group; or they would join but intentionally let her down, causing her to fail the task. Out of nine, if six banded together, the remaining three would have practically no chance of completing the mission. And those six, even if they couldn't clear it, could at least combine efforts to achieve the minimum task, at least saving their own lives.

Killing three same-level powerhouses in one night without worry of their counterattack was, of course, a profitable deal.

At such times, the disadvantage of being on a single Path became apparent.

Apart from Yanis, who had no interest in ascending to the sixth Energy Level, all of Avalon's fifth-level were of the Path of Authority.

At most, they could borrow a teammate from the Path of Devotion from the Holy Nation; other than that, one couldn't find a single teammate in the entire nation.

That's just too pitiable.

Looking back at Star Antimony.

Among Star Antimony's fifth Energy Level, at least Transcendence, Balance, and Dusk could be found as Paths. Right from the start, they sat together, occupying one third of the seats—making it a situation impossible to join for the leap from fifth to sixth. With these three teammates together, the ritual would revolve around them; it was impossible to replace any of them.

Three teamed up against six random players; the odds of winning for Meg facing seven actors—or rather eight, would certainly be different.

This was precisely why Aiwass had been so focused on nurturing teammates.

Isabel, Sherlock, David, Lily... and perhaps even Yulia. Maybe Edward or Hayna could be included... however, both being of the Path of Authority, only one of them was necessary.

The higher the level of the promotion ritual, the more difficult the scenario becomes. By then, it's not only about resolving the scenario; one must also be wary of a last-minute backstab.

At least reliable teammates are needed to focus on the task, accumulating points.

However, for the New Moon Ritual, too many teammates wouldn't do—two were enough. The full moon ritual could include up to five teammates, making a party of six.

If you have enough points in the full moon ritual, even if you don't complete the task, you can survive a failed promotion; but in the New Moon Ritual, six must be eliminated regardless, and in a high score game, failure means death... Aiwass wasn't willing to ascend on the lives of his friends.

Lily could work with the Shadow Demon, securing one spot in the New Moon Ritual. The remaining spot could go to either Yulia or David.

So for his own full moon ritual teammates, that would be Isabel, Sherlock, and another one from between Yulia and David. Adding either Edward or Hayna to that...

He was still one short. Aiwass thought.

He just didn't know where to find this extra teammate.

He understood now why Meg had an argument with them—it was because Meg's plan clashed with the Queen's plan.

According to the Queen's plan, they wouldn't need to do anything next. Once the ritual was complete, the ancestors would be resurrected by their hands. And because of this task, Meg could not be allowed to take risks—she had to survive until the ritual was fully complete.

According to Meg's plan, the sooner she started her promotion, the better. Such a high-level promotion ritual was hard to come by, and it might take months or even a year or two to join in one. After going through one round and at least three die, it becomes even harder to join the next month. Therefore, she must begin preparing as early as possible, even though she did not know when she could start.

Although both plans were unreliable, they had reached a delicate balance...

This gave Aiwass a slight headache.

Which one should he stop first?

After lengthy consideration, Aiwass made up his mind.

—At any rate, he'd find an excuse to take out Minister Drost first.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

With the Prince's death, all the pinnacle forces of Glass Island had converged in the Hall of Silver and Tin.

And while dragging Minister Drost, who was still sprawled on the ground asleep, a rustling sound was suddenly heard.

He was jolted awake—an impossibility in this room. It was a structure specially built by the Supervisory Bureau, designed to instill fear in him.

He quickly realized the sound came from the ventilation duct.

With a heart full of tension, the old minister stared intently at the vent.

Soon, a rat crawled out.

Minister Drost didn't sigh in disappointment; instead, he watched the rat closely.

In a flash of blood-red light, the rat's flesh burst and reconfigured, transforming into a naked red-haired woman.

"Are you here to rescue me?"

The old man asked in a deep voice.

Though he didn't recognize her, he had a guess about her identity.

The Noble Red—or rather, the informant from the Noble Red Society.

—The "Rose Cross" Society of Star Antimony.

"His Majesty said... you cannot be taken alive."

The woman didn't answer directly, murmuring in a sultry voice, "But whether to rescue you... will depend on your value."

"I have very important intelligence to report to His Majesty."

Minister Drost spoke very earnestly, "It can directly reverse the chaotic situation inside Star Antimony."

"Oh?"

The woman raised an eyebrow, "Do tell?"

"I won't tell you. I must speak to His Majesty in person."

Old Drost insisted stubbornly, "I am a noble personally appointed by His Majesty—with my own territory! You cannot kill me, you must rescue me!"

He feared that if he revealed the secret, she would kill him right there and claim his intelligence as her own merit when reporting.

"Fine~"

The woman sighed wearily, "You Avalonians are always so troublesome."

As she spoke, she ran her finger across her skin, unzipping her chest to her lower abdomen.

The flesh inside her swelled and twisted. In the blink of an eye, it took the shape of a face.

"What is it, speak,"

A familiar, indifferent voice came from the woman's abdomen, "I'm listening... it had better not be a lie."

It was the very voice of the King of Star Antimony that Drost had heard during a ritualistic direct conversation!

He was instantly horrified—what kind of ability from which Path was this?!

But Drost, after all, was worldly-wise.

After a moment of shock, he collected himself and disclosed the cherished intelligence:

"Granny Meg's time is running out," he replied, "She plans to ascend to the sixth Energy Level to prolong her life."

"Her time is running out?"

The other repeated the phrase.

Quickly, with a snort of laughter, "Doesn't seem like it at all. Isn't it said she eats fried chicken and drinks beer daily without a single ailment? She must be suggesting her health is starting to decline... which is plausible, given her age.

Continue your adventure with empire

"It's useful intelligence—Blood Diamond, rescue him and take him back to his territory, set an example for others... inform them that serving our people of Star Antimony doesn't end up like the Irisflower People, used and then discarded."

"—Yes, Your Majesty."

The woman responded, "Your will."

Having spoken, she zipped her abdomen back up as if it were a zipper.

The flesh merged instantly, leaving only her smooth, tight skin, as if it had never been opened.

"...How do you plan to get me out, become a rat like you and crawl out?"

Realizing his rescue was near and that he was valuable enough to Star Antimony, Drost's thoughts became agile, "Can I go home first? I have some valuable collections... and some evidence to destroy."

"Do you want to live or not?"

The woman bluntly said, "If you want to live, then shut up—once you step out of here, you'll never live in Avalon again, so evidence won't matter. As for the collection... just let the people from the Noble Red take care of it."

"...Then how am I to get out?"

Drost thought about it and realized she was right, but he still felt reluctant, "At least give me some clothes..."

"What's a big man like you ashamed of?"

The equally bare woman brazenly crossed her arms over her chest and sneered, "Getting out is simple—n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I'll have the Noble Red's men break in and rescue you. I'll cover you from the outside, the boat is ready. Anyway, the Guardian isn't here, so there shouldn't be a problem... probably."

She clearly didn't want this old man to continue staring at her.

The woman, known as "Blood Diamond," shattered again into a rat and scurried back the way she came.