275 Eighth Holy Spirit’s Treasure

Floral’s question made the other party fall silent for a moment before replying, “A woman with saliva dripping from her mouth, baring her fangs and brandishing her claws can’t be considered innocent, right? I was just defending myself.”

“Saliva dripping from her mouth, baring her fangs?” Floral repeated in confusion.

“Yes, I came out here to hunt and have a good time, but I ended up facing a rabid woman who seemed to be possessed. What did I do to deserve that? I could only get my guards to take action in such a situation,” the other party said.

“Then these mob allegations against you aren’t baseless,” Floral concluded calmly.

“Allegations?” Elaire spread his arms, agitated.

“Where’s the court here? Isn’t the so-called judgment just hanging me from the World Tree for three days and three nights before letting that fellow who calls himself the Matriarch Listener go on a hallucinatory trip from drinking a potion and deciding my fate? Give me a break. If they carry out this farce, they can forget about any subsequent judgments. Three days hanging me upside down would kill me multiple times.”

“What I mean is that you had a choice. Even if a Forest Elf was crazed and ran at you, you shouldn’t have killed her.”

“What was I supposed to do? High-five her and invite her to afternoon tea for a romantic relationship? Oh, her husband was there too.”

“I would have tried to control her and figure out the situation,” Floral replied patiently as if she was teaching a child.

“You would, but they can’t. They only understand orders like ‘come,’ ‘go,’ ‘protect,’ and ‘kill.’ Therefore, I could only snap her neck before she rushed over and bit my neck off.”

Elaire pointed at the silent black-robed guards behind him.

Floral pondered for a moment before asking, “At the end of the day, what do you want? For us to provide protection? To arrange for you to leave? Or something else?”

“I want you to use your authority as Ravenwood’s dictator and get your subordinates to hand that girl over to me. In return, I’ll leave this place and return to Platinum City politics. I’ll never give you trouble in this scenic place with fresh air and simple people again. You can announce that you banished me or make up another reason to appease the citizens…”

As he spoke, he made a V gesture towards Floral on the throne.

“Win-win.”

However, Floral shook her head.

“I’ve already struck a deal with Empress Erin. I want to keep the Blind Sisters leader here for three months for observation and analysis of her eyes.”

The Emulated Eyes of God spell in Floral’s Mage King Nation’s magical circle was still in its early stages of development because it lacked a physical sample.

“Three months? That’s a long time. Your citizens will tear down the embassy if I stay here that long,” Elaire exclaimed with a dramatic expression.

“I can arrange for you to return safely,” she replied coolly.

“You don’t understand. Speaker York is in charge of the Blind Sisters investigation and that’s my reason for being here. If I don’t bring the girl back to him, he’ll send me to the Damon Continent as an ambassador at the next Senate meeting.”

“It’s your choice then. Wait here for three months or be sent to the Damon Continent,” Floral said.

William couldn’t help but laugh at the situation.

The other party glared at him, as if he was making a mental note to seek revenge in the future. Then, he said to Floral with a serious expression, “Let me remind you, it’s impossible for you to keep that girl in Holy Tree City for three months.”

“It shouldn’t take more than three months to analyze her eyes. You’ll only need to hide in the embassy for a month or two. Do your best to stay alive till then.”

William felt as though Floral might pat him on the shoulder if they were closer.

“What I mean is that you won’t even have a week.”

Floral’s mockery didn’t anger the other party at all.

“Oh? Why do you say that?”

Regarding this, Elaire sighed softly and said, “Do you know why the Platinum Palace is suppressing the Blind Sisters at an unprecedented level this year? And why Speaker York is personally in charge of it?”

“You’re here to give me your ‘insider news,’ right?” Floral sneered.

“Yes and no. Do you remember the Eighth Holy Spirit’s divinity manifestation that caused chaos a few months ago?”

“Of course, I remember. The military rations being shipped to Swan Port and Greenwater Port every day serve as a constant reminder.”

Elaire ignored the other party’s complaints and took two steps forward. He lowered his voice and said, “You need to understand that the Eighth Holy Spirit’s supposed anger towards the Ava State is just political propaganda. But have you considered the reason behind this sudden large-scale divinity manifestation?”

Having not paid much attention to the conversation, William’s interest was suddenly piqued.

Could it be that the empire’s brass have leaked news of my return to such a small fry?

“There’s no point in thinking about such a question, right… Wait, you mean…”

Floral initially seemed half-interested, until she suddenly sat up straight, having seemingly realized something.

“Do you know the history of the Blind Sisters? Who founded it and what was its purpose?”

William’s curiosity was piqued. Was this organization somehow connected to him?

And then he heard a familiar name.

“Sibylla Silence. Legend has it that if one possesses her eyes, they can open a path to World’s End through a ritual known as Crown-Wearing. At World’s End lies the infinite treasure of the Eighth Holy Spirit. Sibylla dug out her divine eyes to establish the Blind Sisters as protectors of the eyes, ensuring that the Eighth Holy Spirit’s eternal slumber would not be disturbed.”

“But the legends of World’s End and the Eighth Holy Spirit’s treasure are just drunken bard tales,” Floral said dismissively though it lacked confidence.

“Even the Adventurer Guild wouldn’t believe such nonsense,” she added as if she was emphasizing.

“But what if someone is fanning the flames, making the legend sound even more ridiculous to conceal the truth? The more absurd it sounds, the further the rumors spread. And don’t you find it coincidental that after the divinity manifestation, Speaker York announced the encirclement and suppression of the Blind Sisters at a Senate meeting?” Elaire replied.

Elaire was smart, but he lacked the ability to control himself. He was too weak to protect himself, and Floral wouldn’t be surprised that he would one day be digging his own grave.

Floral thought as she looked at Elaire’s smug expression. Then, she said, “Well, it’s just a pipe dream, but I’ll write a letter to the empress and see what she thinks. If what you say is true, you can escort the girl with Sibylla’s Eyes of God back to Platinum City early.”

Elaire finally showed his noble upbringing, bowing perfectly in gratitude.

“I’m relieved to hear that,” he said gratefully.

William, who had been silent, spoke up.

“I have a few questions about this girl.”