Super Righteous Player
Chapter 263 - 261: Stay Right Here, Don’t Move_1

Chapter 263: Chapter 261: Stay Right Here, Don’t Move_1

Looking at how his hands had regained freedom, Vasily, who was hunched over Annan’s desk writing a letter to Maria, heard Annan emphasize once more, "Remember to show me after you finish."

"I understand, Your Highness."

Old Vasily did not lift his head, merely responding obediently to him.

Annan nodded, indicating that he had heard.

He leaned back slightly in his chair, contemplating.

Annan had just learned of the order Maria Rime had given Vasily:

"Prepare to return to your homeland, Vasily. In ten days, a cargo ship with blue sails will arrive at Frostwater Harbor. You may leave by ship."

Afterward, Vasily asked Annan at the first opportunity—could he reveal his situation here to Maria?

Annan’s reply was affirmative, but he needed to know what Vasily would write.

Vasily Manning agreed to this requirement with ease.

As he waited for him to reply to the letter, Annan pondered in silence.

... Vasily Manning.

Indeed, Annan recognized that surname.

He had also indeed met his brother—Merlin Manning.

But that was because Annan had seen him in Nightmare: White Tower.

Merlin had participated in the first half of the ritual held by Michelangelo. Being invited by Michelangelo meant that even if he wasn’t the most outstanding wizard of the Disabling School, he was more or less on par.

Before his retirement, Merlin had been a core member of Winter’s Hand—even trusted by Maria herself.

Annan remembered him... a tall, gaunt, silent old man.

Merlin’s curse-bearing artifact was a silver tongue ring, with the curse pattern located inside the mouth. When conflicts arose among the wizards at that time, his first reaction was to shield Maria.

... But Annan was also very clear in his heart.

Among those who had survived the White Tower ritual that year... surely there was no Merlin.

In other words, old Merlin must have died five years ago.

Thinking back a bit more... essentially, Vasily was dispatched by Maria to enter the Kingdom of Noah right after the White Tower ritual ended. His primary duty was to observe Michelangelo’s resurrection...

... Yes.

Vasily’s initial task was merely to "observe."

While he accepted employment from the Church of the Rotting Husband, in the end, he was the person who released a large number of summons that disrupted the ritual. Such a level of involvement obviously surpassed mere "observation."

It could even be said that his actions contradicted Maria’s order.

Maria had only sent him alone and did not provide him with any assistance. Therefore, her goal was definitely not to "disrupt the ritual," but merely to observe.

The purpose of dispatching Vasily was because he possessed ample forbidden knowledge. He was able to understand the rituals.

At first, Annan did not fully grasp the contradictions involved.

But upon learning that Merlin was indeed Vasily’s own brother... Annan had already understood everything.

... That explained it.

Had he blamed his brother’s death on Michelangelo?

Vasily, though he had accepted Maria’s mission and knew this was a ritual of divine ascension, still wanted to try and see if he could destroy the ceremony.

That’s why Vasily, at the beginning, intended to die alongside "Tan Juan Geraint." If the direct heir of the Geraint family died here, it would surely cause turmoil within the Royal Capital of Noah.

This would be his final ripple.

And after meeting Annan and Kafney, he obviously realized something immediately. That’s why he gave up on the idea of a "Vasily using a great explosion."

No wonder...

From the very start, Annan felt that something was off.

You should know, the power of a Ritualist comes wholly from forbidden knowledge.

What determined the strength of Ritualists were their analytical reasoning, adaptability, memory, experience, rationality, courage... and, most importantly, to have money.

The crux of the matter lay here.

Forbidden knowledge did not come cheap.

Some ritual knowledge could directly lead to a Ritualist’s creation, and thus, in most countries, these are classified as prohibited books; while that knowledge concerning the gods are taboos that cannot be spread—those insights have weight and cannot be memorized by the minds of mortals.

Even if they heard or saw it, they would at most use it only once.

The codices that recorded mysterious knowledge weren’t something a moneyless person could easily obtain.

The reason Annan had previously thought this might be the direct cult of the rotting husband... was because there were too many summons. It didn’t seem like knowledge that one person could master.

But it indeed was.

This could only mean one thing.

Vasily’s idiot apprentices hadn’t realized... that their teacher was definitely not some wild, impoverished ritualist, but an official from some country.

The "Codex" that had documented the forbidden knowledge about deities didn’t disappear after being read; it only needed to be read again to be replenished after being used up. And those pieces of knowledge about rituals were even collected in the library of banned books.

Whether it was King Noah or Duke Winter, as long as they weren’t fools, they would certainly try to create ritualists.

Why could Vasily know so much forbidden knowledge?

Why could he be trusted by Maria to go undercover alone to another country on a mission related to the gods, and remain undercover for as long as five years?

The answer was simple.

He and his brother were simply of the same profession!

His brother Merlin was a high-ranking member of the Hand of Winter, mainly responsible for domestic covert operations to eliminate dissent; and Vasily himself, being personally ordered by Maria to perform cross-border missions for several years... could only mean that Vasily was also an elite in espionage affairs.

After all, Transcendents entering and exiting through underground passages had to verify their documents and strictly confirm their identity. This made it impossible for them to engage in espionage... but ordinary people were too weak to confront Transcendents. Clergy with stable Transcendent powers couldn’t possibly be directly mobilized by royal families.

The only ones who could pass through the Mist... were ritualists.

So Annan finally understood another matter:

Why capture ritualists whenever they were seen?

Because every ritualist, regardless of their strength... could be a spy from another country.

"It’s done."

Vasily said softly.

He then placed the pen on the table and pushed the letter to Annan.

It read:

"To the Lady of the Storm and the Wolf:

"New intelligence: I have met with the long-missing Lord Annan. He is now in Noah, under the alias Tan Juan Geraint. He has realized the conjecture of the past, obtained the Reversed Inscription, and regained his emotions. But the lord has become a Transcendent and cannot return to Winter via ship through the Mist.

"Additionally, Lord Annan is currently in good standing with ’Shadow Fiend’ Lady Kafney and has the advancement of a Silver Knight. His identity may have been exposed;

"Asking if I should return to Winter as originally planned in ten days?"

Watching Annan carefully read the reply, Vasily took the initiative to ask in a low voice, "Your Highness, the second-to-last paragraph... do you want to remove it?"

"...No need."

Annan decisively refused, "Send it like that."

He believed that Maria needed to receive more accurate intelligence for her actions to be without deviation. Intelligence had to be conveyed accurately.

And there was nothing worth deleting...

Soon, Annan watched Vasily conduct a simple sacrificial ritual and "burn" the intelligence to Maria.

It wasn’t long before Vasily looked up.

"I have received a reply, Your Highness."

Vasily said respectfully, "Return plan is canceled.

"’Lady of the Storm’ orders me to stay in Noah to assist you. She will find a way to bring you back, and asked me to give you a message. You are not to try to cross the underground border on your own, to wait quietly in Noah, and not to run around or make contact with strangers anymore."

...But I can’t help running around.

Annan sighed deeply.

In three more months, I have to go to the Royal Capital... it’s a mission personally given by the Silver Baron.

Annan helplessly repeated the task to Vasily to pass on to Maria.

...I always feel like Maria is treating me like a child?

Telling me to stay put and not to talk to strangers... just like what you say on the phone to a lost child.

No, the age of Annan’s body, it seems, is really just a child...

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