Black Sail
Chapter 201: CCI. Undercurrent

Chapter 201: CCI. Undercurrent

Aran Imperial City.

A large underground research facility in a certain mansion.

It seemed to have transcended the limitations of time, with cylindrical glass vessels on metal bases, filled with a ghostly green liquid, soaking various Magic Beasts.

Or rather, humanoid monsters stitched together from Magic Beasts, and many wrinkled pipes inserted into these life forms.

A person dressed in luxurious silk robes furrowed his brows while looking at four extinguished lanterns.

This person was none other than the Warlock Apprentice who had published an article with William.

"They seem to have encountered an accident, now... it all depends on you, the planning of the New City Industrial District."

The apprentice spoke to a mysterious figure standing in the shadows.

"How pitiful, they were all in the prime of their youth."

The man’s voice was young, yet it bore a steadiness unfitting of his age, rather that of an elderly man.

The apprentice chuckled lightly in ambiguity; his teacher was not from this era, using Magic to extend his lifespan was not out of the question.

He scoffed at Mu Ran and his group,

but he had to show nothing but utmost respect for this man, who could converse with his own teacher, at least on an intellectual level.

Within the influence of that Warlock, this man’s status was second to none, even on equal footing.

Because this man was not in a subordinate relationship with his teacher, but a partnership.

They left the trivial matters to the students to research.

And the ultimate, most refined realms containing the truth,

were entrusted to this man.

On the day of the incident at the Dark Matter Research Institute.

Not just the students from Ivy University of California but also the security staff here, maintenance personnel, former researchers, and the overall head.

Even though there was a new Dark Matter Research Institute, the head always believed that his previous ideas were correct, and the new path had some fundamental logical flaws.

This reopening of the institute also aimed to see if this new blood had any extraordinary ideas to break the shackles of research, though he didn’t have much hope, mainly to ignite their passion so they could throw themselves into this research.

In some way, it could be said,

that he had single-handedly created this chaos.

He was no longer merely a student’s level, having been through the Cold War and representative in the space race, he was a decision-maker in the North American Science Academy, a leading figure within the entire realm of physics, a thoroughly... all-rounded warrior.

"So, did that train encounter bandits?"

The former head of the Dark Matter Research Institute asked, resting in the shadows.

"Who knows? They will probably block the news; otherwise, to keep the public calm, they’d have to spend an exorbitant amount of funds on security, something the Military Master in the Royal Court would not agree to. They could keep it quiet on a large scale, but on a small scale, the news would still spread."

The apprentice walked to a cylindrical glass vessel, inside which a person stitched together with a sea beast octopus awakened in the liquid, extremely agitated.

He merely pulled a lever; within three seconds, the lifeform inside the vessel was dissolved into blood by strong acid, diluted into the ghostly green liquid, and then discarded through the pipes like waste.

"You seem uninterested in power, New Year is approaching, and the teacher asked me to buy some gifts for you, though I’m not sure what would be suitable."

"Gifts... you are mistaken, everyone is interested in power, just in different forms. The New City Industrial District, perhaps I should step in as the Court Astrologer, it’s only reasonable for the Emperor to send someone to monitor; however, I still hope... to have a cabinet of one, letting no other interfere."

The head spoke indifferently.

Power, only works on those of the same scale.

What he wanted was,

to bring all... scales... under one.

"Of course."

The apprentice thought little of it, for his teacher, this was just a matter of a word.

Many days had passed since Pioneer was hijacked.

Inside the cathedral district of Aran Imperial City.

Sharon had already learned the news from the Priest above her.

There were so many nobles on the train, a secret so large couldn’t be contained. Though there were already some rumors among the public, they were just unverifiable gossip on a small scale.

The official stance was to deny these rumors.

But in reality, there were negative effects too. The adventurer’s guild’s identity cards underwent a round of updates, and the location of a few military strategic points was adjusted.

By the second month of next year, it would be officially open to all ordinary citizens of Aran, a truly epoch-making event.

There was no doubt about it.

Liszt and his group had succeeded; it was insane. Those who had gone to Wushan during those days were the most ferocious criminals and bandits in the world.

Inside the Church Court apartment, Sharon’s physical state completely contradicted the teachings of the Eternal Sect, and thinking about the excitement, her lower body was already nervously trembling with immorality.

It wasn’t just physically. Sharon also found out that five people who came from the same place as her, who were operators of the train, four had already died violently, and one was missing.

For Liszt, this was just a minor effort.

But for Sharon, it wasn’t like that.

From her perspective, Liszt had crossed the ocean for her, slayed enemies with his own hands to ensure her safety.

And then he left quietly.

Sharon believed she would never meet such a man again in her lifetime.

Her conquest was already at 99.99 percent.

Her gaze turned towards the window of the apartment, viewing the distant silhouette of the Eternal Bell Tower of the Imperial City Cathedral—the height of that magnificent building could be called a miracle.

In the border town of Yunxi City, Liszt promised her that once he returned to the island, dominated Heaven Port, and swept through the East Sea, he would then bring her over.

Sharon didn’t want to wait even a second longer; she just wanted to see the place where Liszt had lived these past years.

She had a promise to keep too.

That was to fiercely make love at the top of the Eternal Bell Tower of the Imperial City Cathedral, where theoretically, the Dragon Lord’s presence was strongest according to the doctrines.

Sharon’s pale golden hair and deep blue eyes sparkled under the sunlight outside the window, like an oil painting. She lay lazily on the table, truly looking forward to it.

At that moment, something unexpected happened.

There was a knock on the door, and someone outside shouted that they were a Holy Professor and had a letter for Sharon.

Sharon became alert. The apartment had a complete set of facilities, including a mailbox on the first floor; why would someone need to deliver it upstairs?

Skeptical, she put on her nun’s hat and opened the door, but used a chain to allow only a small gap.

The visitor was indeed from the Sect.

But he was dressed in heavy armor, revealing only his head, and his expressionless face was as cold as a machine.

"This is your letter, please open it in front of me and respond," said the cold, madman in armor.

Sharon felt as if facing a great enemy, recognizing the engraving on the person’s armor as belonging to a high-level priest. Why would such a person address her with respect?

She cautiously took the letter through the gap in the door.

Immediately her beautiful eyes widened in shock, and she unchained the door, swinging it open.

"Is the content of this letter true?"

Sharon felt as if she were in a dream, not the anticipated bad news about her past as a prison escapee and bandit from the Green Oasis Country Wadina.

Instead, it was surprisingly good news.

A high-ranking member of the Eternal Sect had recommended her to become a Priest, ignoring her lack of qualifications.

While it wasn’t unheard of for there to be young Priests in the Sect, those in their twenties were extremely rare.

"Of course it’s true; this is a recommendation by the Chief Priest," the madman in armor said coldly.

In the Sect, the roles of a Priest and a Chief Priest were different. Priests were mainly involved in evangelism and expanding influence, while Chief Priests focused on deep study of the doctrines, conducting meticulously crafted rituals, and handling internal regulations.

"Who."

"It’s the newly appointed Chief Priest, Lord Marcus."