Mr. V, your resume, or rather your past, is not a secret among the department's senior management."
"To be frank, as a native of Ruen and a former university student who lived an ordinary life until last year, it is understandable that you cannot comprehend many of the Empire's decisions at first glance."
"As for your question... well, in your opinion, our empire, which is now yours, is what you think the structure of the empire is like?"
Taylor bombarded him with questions, but he avoided the important ones, giving vague answers to the crucial questions before omitting the key points. This was consistent with Klein's long-held impression that Trench was a breeding ground for riddlers and language masters.
However, this question cannot be described as a perfunctory response. On the contrary, it made Klein feel the same kind of helplessness he had when he first started out in his extraordinary career, completely clueless and having to rely on past experience to judge unfamiliar problems.
The last time he faced a similar situation was on his first day as a "night watchman," when Old Neil asked him to read the newspaper.
"The Empire, the Second Empire of Trensost." Klein carefully chose his words, the reflection from his glasses obscuring the thought-provoking glint in his dark brown eyes. "From what I know of history in the Fourth Epoch, the Empire was actually an alternative plan that the Creator had to use after his disastrous defeat in the later stages of the Pale Catastrophe; it was a temporary compromise."
With the fall of "Death" and the disappearance of "Mysterious God," the true creators had just experienced a great war. The six gods, who were the true rulers of most of the northern continent, did not expend too much power in the war for various reasons and maintained a good condition. Surrounded by wolves, even the more powerful true creators found it difficult to provide independent support in the encirclement after losing their only ally.
Coincidentally, with the successive deaths of the four emperors, the new nation and royal family were still unstable. The colonies in the southern continent that Terensus inherited from Solomon had not yet seen the arrival of their next master. The descendants left by the "Night Emperor" lacked the power to protect themselves and had no backing. If they needed a title, a so-called "legitimate" one, to claim territory for future development, they were indeed a good choice, and at that time, the only choice.
"So that's what you think."
Taylor did not refute Klein's opinion. Even though he was a member of "Red of War," the fact that he did not show anger but only thought after hearing the word "compromise" was already a huge surprise to Klein.
"Don't worry about the wording. In fact, your idea is also the idea of many people in the early days of the Empire, including my ancestors."
He lifted his hands from the desk, folded them in front of him, fingertips touching, and reminiscence appeared on Taylor's face, which was etched with the marks of time and the ravages of life.
"In the past, we initially ruled the entire Northern Continent. Even after Emperor Solomon fell, we only lost half of our territory. To be honest, before the Pale Catastrophe began, no one thought that the faith of the Lord would be confined to the barbaric lands that we once looked down upon for the next thousand years."
"But as you can see now, this is the reality we are facing, which is not what we like."
Should we feel disappointed, dissatisfied, or angry?
"Perhaps so, but we are not qualified. After all, the great Creator himself has never shown a trace of regret for the present situation and the choices made in the past."
Taylor's sharp gaze fell on Klein, as if flames were flickering within it.
"Failure and setbacks are the eternal accompaniment of life. The rebellion at the end of the glorious era reveals to us that even an all-knowing and all-powerful creator cannot avoid them."
"Our Lord, our Father, even after experiencing the most shameful betrayal, still possessed a sincere heart that ordinary mortals could understand, and treated His lambs with the most sincere actions. Even in the most difficult moment when He was unable to control His malice and delirium after going mad, not a single 'mystic' heard a complaint from His disordered teachings. What right do we have to vent our resentment, which is of no use other than amplifying the negative impact?"
Another sneer rang out.
"Ah, Mr. V, I am indeed getting old. In the days after you arrived in the Rothschild Islands, besides the petty thoughts common to ordinary politicians, I did seriously consider the issue of retirement and whether I should hand over the entire islands branch to you."
"As for our initial question, you may feel that the old stories I mentioned cannot help you understand my actions or the Empire's current behavior, but in fact, those are the most important original motivations."
Taylor stood up from behind his desk, leaving his usual seat, and gestured for Klein to follow him.
The bewildered messenger did as instructed. To be honest, aside from following in Colonel Taylor's footsteps, Klein didn't think that continuing to try to find clues from Taylor's old stories would be more effective in helping him understand the reasons for the outbreak of war than his current actions.
"We have been lying low for too long and have accumulated too much resentment. The inability to vent does not mean that there are no corresponding emotions in our hearts. The Lord and the Empire urgently need a war to unload the negative parts that have accumulated on us and relieve the internal pressure. This is the real reason for launching the Star Plateau War."
Along the way, we didn't see many members from other island branches. Most of the intelligence personnel were busy dealing with piles of files and struggling with thorny issues in the work area. The road connecting the lounge and the officers' offices was very quiet.
Taylor led the way, guiding Klein and his puppet around a corner and heading down to a lower level underground.
"Our Emperor is right, choosing Him was a compromise by the Lord."
"However, our Emperor is ultimately superior to those worthless parasites and scoundrels who claim to have noble bloodlines in the Northern Continent. He is the true son of the 'Emperor,' the rightful heir to the 'Judge's' crown, and like his father, he is virtuous, cultured, and knows how to conduct himself properly."
"So most of the time, we respect Him and are willing to show our loyalty to Him, and regard His hatred as our own."
As the surroundings grew colder and the shadows on the walls became more and more real, Klein gradually realized the ultimate destination of this walk.
He increased his control over "Hell General" and, taking advantage of a rare lull, interjected with a question.
"So you deliberately leaked this information to Mr. Azik because the Creator's interests conflicted with His this time?"
Taylor, who was walking in front, glanced back at the latter.
Do you know who belongs to the 'Judge' Sequence One?
He suddenly asked another question that seemed unrelated to the topic, leaving Klein bewildered.
How would I know? Sequence One... This is a top-level secret anywhere, let alone a pathway controlled by the two royal families of the Northern Continent... Klein's eyes twitched almost imperceptibly as he barely managed to answer.
"Augustus and Castile?"
"The last one is in the Empire?"
Taylor wasn't too surprised by Klein's answer and nodded.
"The last one is in the Empire."
"That 'Hand of Order' was originally hidden in the 'Ghost Empire' by the 'Night Emperor' who foresaw his death. He intended to leave it to his son, who is now the Emperor."
"But there are always exceptions, just like how Emperor Solomon was able to fall twice."
When Solomon was mentioned, Taylor's tone inexplicably rose slightly.
"When the Lord chose to protect the Emperor and Princess Ortina, Princess Antigonus and His elder sister, Princess Fran Fregra, ventured deep into the 'Ghost Empire,' bringing back not only the massive ship comparable in size to a city, but also the Sequence One properties hidden within it."
"Did the Creator not give the 'Hand of Order' to the Emperor later?"
As the finish line drew ever closer and the conversation escalated to such a dangerous point, Klein abandoned his feigned caution and deference, openly accepting the invaluable and extraordinary historical knowledge while raising his own doubts.
"How could that be?" Taylor Franz curled his lip, displeased. "The Lord is merciful, a father who sympathizes with all living beings, even the lambs. What father would embezzle what his child deserves?"
That's hard to say... Klein wisely refrained from voicing his complaints and patiently waited for what followed.
"It was His Majesty the Emperor himself who kept using the excuse of not being prepared to avoid promotion, only doing the most basic pre-promotion role-playing and other preparations."
"He may be waiting for another opportunity, or he may be considering that the other 'Hands of Order' are scattered across the Northern Continent and have little chance to go further. In any case, he chose to stay in Sequence Two. Who knows what he was thinking?"
In fact, within the "Red of War" there are other, more precise, speculations regarding the emperor's apparent complacency and lack of progress.
The instinct to keep secrets was almost etched into the very soul of every "Red of War." Without the Supreme Commander's permission, Taylor would not reveal a single word of these things to Klein.
For example... when Roselle suddenly attacked the "Black Emperor," the Emperor stormed the High Council, adopting an unprecedentedly tough stance, half threatening and half pleading with His Holiness the Pope to persuade all parties to send troops to Intis and obtain the "Black Emperor" from Roselle.
The reason is simple: the uniqueness of the "judge" may be questionable.
The specific problems were certainly not secrets that someone of Taylor's caliber could know, but as a member of the "Red of War," especially one involved in the covert operations, he was all too aware of the clandestine relationship between his own empire and the War God-ruled Fussac.
The son of that giant king had an incomprehensible obsession with winning over his father, and given his zeal, it seemed not impossible that he would exchange an artifact for something of equal value.
The lack of activity over the years likely stems from the issue of uniqueness.
A dark door, almost blending into the wall, appeared at the end of the road. Taylor sorted out his thoughts, using the blood and spirituality within him to form a peculiar key, and spoke slowly.
"In short, just as you thought, some of your teacher's ideas about the future made the emperor doubt whether his throne could remain secure. He lost confidence, which is why he easily fell into the trap and hastily followed our wishes to start a war on the Star Plateau."
"This won't help Him gain any substantial benefits that would be advantageous to Him further, but it will greatly help His image as Emperor and will also improve His standing in the Lord's eyes."
"Actually, he doesn't need to be in such a hurry. Aren't there still quite a few angels among the vampires?" Taylor inserted the blood-coated key into the tightly sealed door, causing the shadows on it to surge and revealing a two-person-wide illusory cave. "Even if your teacher inherited the legacy of 'Death,' it's impossible for him to become a great figure like His Holiness the Pope in a short time."
"Besides, He has several angels under His command who are in sync with Him. Will the Eggers family support Him?"
Having received instructions, Taylor muttered to himself, helping Klein dissect the elusive truth and revealing the most naked side to the highly regarded new divine messenger.
The core area of the archipelago branch unfolded before the two, revealing the three first-level sealed artifacts stored in the "Holy Ark".
A shadow without a fixed outline floats in the inverted cross-shaped shrine, with an old and damaged doll on each side below and huge, eerie eyes like blood moons. The three form a stable triangle, which seems to correspond to the image of the "Three-Headed Sanctuary" grazing souls and characteristics.
As for the mysterious runes and ritual patterns, they filled the entire room, omnipresent. The pulsating red light and flowing shadows together formed the "blood vessels" that supplied the operation of the massive base, constantly providing absolute power mixed with divinity.
"In short, what I can share with you, even what I know myself, is only the surface. You will have to discover the other details and motivations yourself."
Taylor patted Klein on the shoulder. His height allowed him to easily look down on Klein when he stood next to him.
"This is the 'Holy Ark'?"
Klein, who was not lacking in emotional intelligence, didn't press the issue further after the other party had gone this far, and thus acquiesced and changed the subject.
Taylor Franz was right. He was a soldier, and obeying orders was his duty. Naturally, he didn't need to consider the decisions of the Creator he believed in; he only needed to carry them out.
But he was different. Putting aside the fact that his faith was no different from a mirage, his relationship with Azik alone made it impossible for him to give up his pursuit of the truth.
The war was driven by a true creator, and perhaps only He, and the "mysterious" entity hidden above the gray fog, know the most important reason...
"This is the 'Holy Ark,' a facility that stores important sealed artifacts."
Taylor gestured to Klein as he introduced them.
"At the very center is the seal corresponding to the 'Three-Headed Sanctuary,' as I believe you have noticed. On either side are the 'Puppet' and 'Trickster' seals. Apart from the 'Three-Headed Sanctuary,' which is the core of the branch protection mechanism and cannot be accessed at will, you can apply to use the other two as you are."
He approached the shrine, first paying homage, and then opened the decorative container holding the other two sealed items.
"The shadow of God's blessing envelops them, preventing the spread of their negative influence, as well as the interference of divinity with those below the demigod level."
"Their names are 'The Redeemer' and 'The Sufferer' respectively. Ha, that big mouth of a Pranson must have told you about their origins. You probably guessed it too. The 'mutant' on my left is the culprit who killed my 'trickster' colleague. The names of the seals they left behind are thus paired."
"The former retains most of the abilities such as the 'puppet' curse and spiritification. If you are a demigod, you can even temporarily control it by manipulating the spirit threads. Its negative effects are manipulating the user's emotions, subtly changing your thoughts, turning you into its puppet, or it may be a hidden curse that makes you die without you even realizing it."
"The latter, our 'Trickster', is the unfortunate one who is cursed, and the source of his curse is very strange. Even angels can't do anything about him. So when you use it, in addition to gaining the 'Trickster''s abilities in controlling the spiritual threads and illusions, you will also gain a rare contamination. If the contamination is short-lived, it can be removed. If it is long-lasting, you will end up like him."
"As for the negative effects, apart from pollution, which means it will try to control your own spiritual threads, there's nothing else."
Taylor pointed to a sealed artifact and asked Klein sincerely.
"If you had to make a choice right now, which one would you choose?"
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