Out of Character

The people from the City of Alchemy arrived even faster than expected. While Anbaixiu was still checking which pieces of gear could still be put to use after a good washing, Gustavo Fring, Sixth Seat of the Council, arrived on the scene. Looking at the ruined street, the legendary alchemist wore an exceedingly grim expression. Gustavo Fring fixed his gaze on Anbaixiu and said, "You sold that tavern to me just so you wouldn't feel any heartache when tearing it down, didn't you?" Anbaixiu said with complete indifference, "As the esteemed Sixth Seat of the Alchemists' Council, a single tavern is hardly worth mentioning to you." "I can overlook the tavern, but look at what you've done! You made your move right inside the city—were you afraid people wouldn't notice? How are we supposed to cooperate now?!" This was the real reason for Gustavo Fring's fury. The City of Alchemy had always maintained that it was neutral, so it had only provided the paladins with some basic intelligence on Anbaixiu—information the paladins could have gathered themselves with a bit of time, even if the city hadn't given it to them. Furthermore, the City of Alchemy had not disclosed any of the paladins' movements within the city to Anbaixiu. This had left Anbaixiu entirely on the back foot, forced into passive defense at the beginning. It was only when Rose of Decay sent him intel later that Anbaixiu painfully spent a large sum of money to orchestrate this ambush. It was also thanks to Gareth's good relations with that wealthy female orc, who possessed numerous connections among the adventurers in the City of Alchemy, that the assassination had gone so smoothly. Even so, thinking about it now still felt like a bit of a loss. In the end, he had still needed to have Gareth take action—something that clearly could have been done for free. Therefore, facing Gustavo Fring's interrogation, Anbaixiu smiled and said, "My dear Fring, do you still not understand? Doing this gives you an excuse to intervene! Think about it: if this group of paladins attacked my castle and I captured them, and you suddenly abandoned your neutrality to step in and save them, what would the Ryan Empire think? "Even if the Ryan Empire didn't suspect anything, what would everyone else think? I am, after all, a lord of the City of Alchemy. When outsiders come to attack me, not only do you not help, but you take their side. In these restless times, are you truly not afraid the lesser lords below will unite in rebellion? "Now that I have taken the initiative to strike and leveled this street, haven't you found the perfect reason to intervene? You can proclaim to the outside world that I violated the laws of the City of Alchemy, caused severe damage, and therefore you lodged a stern protest or issued a harsh condemnation—you can figure out the exact wording yourselves. "Then I can hand the captives over to the City of Alchemy, and our transaction will be complete. No one will be able to find any fault with it." Listening to Anbaixiu's words, Gustavo Fring felt there was some truth to them. However, he was also well aware that Anbaixiu was preemptively shutting down any demands for accountability or compensation. Once he agreed to this narrative, the City of Alchemy would have to foot the bill for the damages out of its own pocket. Yet precisely because he had guessed Anbaixiu's thoughts, Gustavo Fring did not pursue the matter further. This damned lich would do anything for money. If Gustavo Fring continued to press Anbaixiu for compensation, the lich might actually dare to kill a few of these paladins. Gustavo Fring asked bluntly, "When do we make the trade?" Anbaixiu wagged a finger and said, "Don't be in such a hurry. If we're putting on a show, we have to do it properly. You have to at least let me take them back and lock them up for a few days, and then you stage a big commotion before I hand them over. Only then will it look convincing. The Ryan Empire isn't without diviners; we need to be careful with this cooperation." It sounded very reasonable, but Gustavo Fring vaguely felt something was amiss. He wasn't in a hurry to demand his payment—that was rather out of character for him. Moreover, he had mentioned divination. Gustavo Fring inconspicuously rubbed the ring on his hand. As the enchantment activated, Gustavo Fring gained the ability to discern lies. Gustavo Fring asked Anbaixiu, "Do you have other plans? You aren't preparing to breach the agreement, are you?" To his surprise, Anbaixiu merely smiled slightly and didn't answer the question at all. Instead, he conjured dozens of Mage Hands to seize the paladins and carry them away. Gustavo Fring knitted his brows. Had he been noticed? It was supposed to be a stealth cast specifically tailored against undead perception; this bag of bones was far too sharp. Anbaixiu gave him no further chance to probe, stuffing all the paladins into a Dimension Door and teleporting them to his castle. Just before leaving, Anbaixiu turned to Gustavo Fring and said, "By the way, with such a massive disturbance occurring in the City of Alchemy, is the Guildmaster really not planning to show his face?" That Guildmaster had always been a legendary figure; those in the City of Alchemy who had actually seen him were probably limited to the Council members. Anbaixiu had only ever exchanged letters with him in the past and had never met him in person. "Why do you ask?" Gustavo Fring countered warily. "Just curious. I've been pondering a question over the past few days. What kind of trouble could possibly be in the City of Alchemy's sewers that would force a bunch of proud madmen like you to seek outside help? Could it be that even the Guildmaster cannot solve it? He is, after all, the alchemist closest to the gods." Gustavo Fring said coldly, "That is none of your concern." Anbaixiu did not press further and left the ruins alongside Gareth. As soon as they returned to the castle, Anbaixiu said to Gareth, "Those lunatics in the City of Alchemy definitely have another conspiracy. Those bastards might be trying to screw me over." Gareth was still sighing over his helmet. The helm he had hammered by hand had been ruined by Divine Smite, leaving him thoroughly irritated. Hearing Anbaixiu's words, Gareth asked in surprise, "Weren't you two chatting quite pleasantly just now?" "Pleasant my foot! Gustavo Fring was actually using lie detection on me—did he think I wouldn't notice his little trick? Our cooperation was clearly going smoothly, yet he suddenly grew suspicious of me. That means they have a guilty conscience, terrified that I might know something. That old fellow is usually reserved and composed; even if an elf had a bow aimed right at his head, his hand wouldn't shake a fraction of an inch while holding a test tube. But lately, he keeps losing his composure. It's completely out of character. There's definitely something wrong." Anbaixiu stroked his chin, trying to connect Gustavo Fring's behavior with the prophecy he had obtained earlier, but for the moment he couldn't come up with any explanation. After thinking for a bit, Anbaixiu took out the Necrotic Codex and sent a message to Rose of Decay. [Ultraman Tiga: Lady Rose, have you already entered the City of Alchemy?] After waiting for a while, Anbaixiu finally received Rose of Decay's reply. [Rose of Decay: Just entered. Currently strolling around the city under the guise of an academic visit. Why do you ask?] Rose of Decay had appeared near the City of Alchemy leading an army, which the Council had discovered long ago. If the City of Alchemy were attacked by undead right now, it would spell major trouble. Nor had Rose of Decay ever imagined that this modest "honor guard" alone could conquer the City of Alchemy; that would be vastly underestimating these alchemists. With neither side wanting to fight, Rose of Decay simply made up an excuse, and the City of Alchemy "warmly" invited her into the city—a blend of surveillance and investigation. [Ultraman Tiga: A great secret is hidden in the sewers of the City of Alchemy. I'd like to ask you to help investigate it.] Anbaixiu shared what information he could with Rose of Decay, such as the false prophecy about achieving godhood in the sewers and the City of Alchemy's recent bizarre behavior. Rose of Decay soon sent a reply: [Understood, I'll keep an eye out. But I also advise you to watch your back—Little Sister Canggu can barely hold herself back from going to look for Gareth. She is furious right now.] Anbaixiu: ... No way, are we skipping straight to the decapitation plot already?!