Isabella’s words sounded thoroughly unreliable, but she was the professional here, and Wayne had no standing to refute her.
Besides, she hadn’t assigned him a life-or-death mission; it was easy and risk-free. Wayne liked the arrangement very much. Slipping the dossier into his coat, he took his leave immediately.
Floating in the air was pollen undetectable to the naked eye, befuddling the cultists of the Earth's Core and dragging their intellect down to the bare minimum, which allowed Wayne to stroll out of the factory building with total ease.
Issuing orders through Bishop Sean, Isabella had the cultists drag the dozen or so prisoners to the chicken farm's garage and toss them onto a truck. When handing the keys to Wayne, they had even thoughtfully filled the gas tank.
The sheer might of magic left Wayne both relieved and disheartened. Watching these sleepwalking cultists made it clear that magic was brutally unfair to ordinary people; whether it was the Archbishop or Isabella, either could manipulate their minds with ease.
Wayne was glad he had embarked on this path, that he wasn't an ordinary mortal, yet disheartened that he wasn't particularly powerful himself. If given the chance, wouldn't he, Wayne, love to become a lofty mage, presiding over all living beings with a flick of his hand...
Wait, wrong line.
Wouldn't he, Wayne, love to become a hero, silently flicking his sleeve, saving all life, and keeping his deeds and fame hidden from the world?
For who knew how many times now, Wayne yearned for power like never before.
The eyeball-shaped sunburn mark on his chest slowly began to glow, flesh squirming as if it might split open at any second. The Book of Greed responded to Wayne's yearning.
Do not suppress your desires!
At the same time, the golden idol standing in the center of the underground plaza shed a faint wisp of radiance.
This was a textbook example of someone who had failed to suppress his desires and driven himself mad. He pulled his gaze away from Isabella and turned it toward Wayne.
On the truck’s passenger seat, a palm-sized, contorted idol slowly took shape.
...
Back at the chicken farm, the explosive driver still hadn't returned, leaving an entire truckload of eggs stranded. The cultists were practically driven mad with anxiety, wondering if the driver had drowned in the toilet.
If you did, you'd better stay drowned in there.
Wayne drove the truck out of the chicken farm, paying no mind to the vehicle loaded with eggs. Halfway out, he gave a wave, and the white dove flew through the window, his hat clasped in its beak.
He drove onto the highway outside the town and gestured out the window. A black sedan slowly pulled up alongside.
Butler Fra and four maids armed to the teeth sat inside.
Wayne passed over the dossier envelope and instructed Fra to drive to Londan. This was the fruit of Isabella’s painstaking efforts and had to be delivered to Xifei in Londan without fail.
At the same time, he placed another phone call to his gorgeous teacher. It was still picked up by her assistant, who said she would contact the High Priestess as soon as possible.
Busy, everyone's busy—good thing being busy, right!
Wayne rolled his eyes and could only head back to the manor house. Isabella had surely spoken with Xifei already. Looking on the bright side, with the Church of the Earth's Core making such a massive move, there was no way Londan would sit idly by. Perhaps a legion of mages had already entered Enrold Town.
As long as they weren't still on the train on their way here, anything was fine.
"Young Master Wayne, are you not leaving?" Fra asked with a frown, personally favoring Wayne departing with the dossier.
I want to, but Teacher won't let me.
Wayne shook his head. "I can't leave Isabella to fight alone. That would be quite ungentlemanly. Even though the chances are slim, staying behind might allow me to be of some help to her."
"You are a fine gentleman whose noble virtue is beyond reproach. To serve a master such as yourself brings Fra Elihor the greatest honor."
After praising him, Fra handed the dossier to one of the maids and instructed her to drive to Londan immediately.
Outsourcing tasks layer upon layer—an old Landau family tradition.
Fra insisted on remaining. As a professional butler, he would never abandon his master in a moment of crisis to flee on his own.
He laid out his value to Wayne, giving reasons why he simply had to stay.
Fra knew the terrain of Enrold Town like the back of his hand—from the streets and alleys down to the sewers, fully mastering the art of taking turns through drainage ditches. He confidently guaranteed that even if an entire army corps laid an inescapable dragnet, he could guide Wayne through the sewers and run them in circles until they were utterly dizzy.
"The sewers..."
Wayne was dubious. "How extensive could the sewers of a town like Enrold possibly be? If it were Londan, maybe. How about this: when we get back to Londan, I'll consult you on this fine technique. I promise, next time for sure."
Fra offered a faint smile. "The drainage system of Enrold Town was constructed by the Landau family. Two sets of blueprints were used during construction. I am aware of several secret tunnels, one of which lies directly beneath the manor."
"..."
My father-in-law is filthy rich—he even prepared for tunnel warfare in advance. Did he already know a war was coming?
Or do capitalists of his caliber simply yearn for war?
***
One maid departed with the dossier, while Butler Fra stayed behind.
The truck rolled away from the bustling town and pulled into the manor estate.
The manor house lay outside the town proper, with an open lawn in front. If mounted with two heavy machine guns and combined with elevated vantage points, it was practically an impregnable fortress.
All kinds of supplies were fully stocked; while holding out for fifty-eight days might be a stretch, lasting through a single night would be more than manageable.
Though the chances of being besieged were slim, and the chances of being overrun slimmer still, Fra nonetheless made thorough preparations. He had the maids activate the mechanism in the manor's basement and verify that the tunnels were completely unobstructed, ensuring Wayne could evacuate at any moment.
The tunnel beneath the manor connected to Enrold Town and was also the focal point of the restriction spell, making it convenient for Wayne to make a strategic advance in any direction. Wayne mulled it over: an impregnable fortress combined with routes leading everywhere meant that even if Isabella took a fall, he could safely wait until his gorgeous teacher arrived.
There's nothing left to fear!
"By the way, Butler, the eggs the maid brought back... they haven't been eaten yet, have they?" Wayne recalled the potential hazard and intended to nip it in the bud at once.
"Young Master Wayne, that basket of eggs has already been disposed of."
"Disposed of? Why?!"
Wayne was thoroughly surprised. The butler handled affairs so seamlessly it was as though he had the gift of foresight. Was he truly that professional?
"The Landau family has dedicated procurement channels that are exclusive and strictly controlled. Take your favorite potatoes, for example: every single one is meticulously hand-picked before being transported here from Londan."
Fra wore an expression that said it was only natural. "Ingredients meant for commoners are not permitted on our dining table, much less free eggs. They are unworthy of your esteemed status."
Wayne: (는_는)
Well said, now don't ever say it again. Commoners can't bear hearing that sort of thing.
They'll get the urge to look for a lamppost!
The three maids unloaded the prisoners from the truck. To prevent these poor wretches from having had eggs shoved into them and going berserk in the dead of night, Wayne followed suit and had the maids drive wooden stakes into the open lawn, binding them tight.
This is even worse than a prison—at least a prison keeps out the wind and rain!
Unlike this, which looks like a full-on barbecue setup.
Hood and Wesley remained delirious, as did the other prisoners, slumping their heads to one side and muttering ceaselessly.
Wayne couldn't help them, so he delivered a chop to the back of each one's neck, grinding experience points for his sleep magic while sparing his ears the relentless mumbling—a textbook win-win.
"Young Master Wayne, is this your pendant? I found it on the passenger seat." Fra handed the shrunken idol over to Wayne.
Wayne had just been grinding chop experience, proving diligence makes up for deficiency and reaping bountiful rewards. Hearing Fra, he casually took it.
Boom!
In an instant, an explosion roared in his mind, and a familiar whisper sounded beside his ear.
"Lost soul, I have heard your petition..."
"You abhor your own weakness; you yearn for power, yearn to be strong!"
"Accept it, this is the power you crave..."
Wayne's vision flared white. His consciousness felt as if dragged into an alien dimension. The idol in his hand burned like hot charcoal, and the four elements surged out in an endless stream, churning the balance within his body at a near-frenzied rate.
Not good, the Lord of the Void has tracked me down!
Wayne's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to toss the shrunken idol away, the Book of Greed snapped open its voracious maw.
Drip!
Like a single droplet falling into a parched riverbed, it merely dampened the dried silt with a faint trace of moisture, and then was gone.
Wayne: "..."
What is this? Is this power a little too weak?
Wayne was baffled, and the entity on the other end seemed equally stunned. After a pause, it dialed up the intensity, delivering a far more staggering quantity of the four elements.
Upon the parched riverbed, the patch of moisture expanded—a full tenfold.
It was about the size of a fingernail. Definitely not a speck more.
"Young Master Wayne?"
"I'm fine. Keep an eye on these people. If anyone wakes up, let me know immediately. I'm going to lie down in the gazebo for a bit." Wayne swallowed hard and scurried into the gazebo to lie down.
The idol in his palm flared with heat time and again, repeatedly delivering the four elements free of charge. Though it fell far short of saturating his life essence, it was faster than his own laborious meditation, faster even than the Book of Greed's frantic plundering.
Wayne knew this wasn't right. Pies didn't just fall from the sky; if they did, they were traps. The Lord of the Void was by no means benevolent, and doling out benefits meant he had an ulterior motive.
But what he's giving is just way too stingy!
Who are you looking down on? You think a pittance like this can tempt anyone to fall? Give me more, or I won't be able to do your bidding!
Clutching the shrunken idol, Wayne used it as a conduit. Through his palm, he connected to an elemental space and obtained the very power he had dreamed of.
The will lurking within the idol evaluated Wayne's potential. Seeing him produce miracles again and again, continually exceeding expectations, it grew exceedingly excited.
In its excitement, the channel connecting to the elemental space immediately shrank by a ring.
The Book of Greed was thoroughly dissatisfied and whined in complaint to Wayne. Wayne was equally disgruntled, proactively merging with the book.
Wayne: Fifty-fifty today. Five parts for me, five for you.
The Book of Greed: Deal!
Invisible tentacles reached right through the idol, plunging directly into the elemental space. Swarming forward, they violently breached the threshold, prying the channel open to its absolute limit. Bypassing the idol middleman entirely, they commenced a mad plunder of the four elements.
Led by the fire element, which howled as it threw itself into the embrace of the giant eyeball.
At that moment, the idol discovered to its horror that it had lost control of the spatial gateway.
Chapter 47