Lampades’ “soon” was closer to a mere figure of speech. Visiting the domain where the faceless Ortes lurked was no small matter and required considerable resolve.
Given its connection to Astrape’s future, the visit was planned with even greater thoroughness.
This time, the message sent was akin to a quarterly business report saying, “We are conducting such-and-such research and have achieved these results; please refer to the attached documents for details on the execution of the funding.” It was far from any preliminary work for an official meeting.
However, the situation took a sudden turn.
An elder of the Silver Iron Tower had been murdered. It wasn’t an internal power struggle within the Ten Towers, nor was it due to an incomplete ascension that caused the soul to evaporate.
An elder of the Ten Towers had been killed by Argeyirion.
Everyone thought it was nonsense. No matter how bizarre the power of the Eroders might be, the strength of the Ten Towers, which had accumulated over thousands of years, was even stranger and more unpredictable.
How could an elder at the pinnacle of the Ten Towers’ hierarchy fall to a mere Eroder?
There’s a limit to spreading rumors. Such absurd gossip would only backfire. Most people judged this as a reckless move by Argeyirion aimed at shaking the authority of the Ten Towers.
But the world wasn’t rational.
Photos of a silver giant appeared across the Ethereal Network. Though anonymous, the magicians could sense the shadow of Argeyirion behind the anonymity.
In several Proper Towers closely linked with the Silver Iron Tower, it was testified that the elder Daro had disappeared without a trace.
The eyes of many magicians focused on the Ethereal Network.
If the Ten Towers began aggressively deleting this rumor and suppressing the news, it would amount to acknowledging the elder’s defeat.
The Ten Towers had a simple way to suppress false rumors: showcase Daro directly to demonstrate his continued existence.
But after the rumors of Daro’s d*ath spread, he never reappeared. After several days of ominous silence,
the Ten Towers issued a rare official statement.
It began with a shocking announcement recognizing that the elder of the Silver Iron Tower had been killed in an attack by Argeyirion.
They revealed that Argeyirion had colluded with followers of ancient superstitions and declared that they would no longer treat Argeyirion as just a minor heretical group.
They announced that Argeyirion and all their collaborators would be treated as public enemies of the magical society.
Suppressing the truth would only invite greater suspicion, so the Ten Towers acknowledged Daro’s d*ath. However, they couldn’t let Argeyirion claim sole credit for defeating an elder.
Thus, they accused Argeyirion of collaborating with adherents of ancient superstitions to reduce the weight of the defeat and emphasize the need to eliminate Argeyirion.
At the same time, this served as justification for the large-scale investigation the Ten Towers were about to conduct. Not only the magic towers listed in Argeyirion’s exposé but all groups possessing artifacts would become targets of inspection.
Anything could be turned into suspicion—if they possessed ancient artifacts, questions like “Could these artifacts originate from the followers of superstition?” or “Were these artifacts provided by Argeyirion?” could arise.
The Ten Towers now wielded a powerful tool capable of influencing every magic tower in the magical society.
Upon hearing this news, Lampades’ bl**d pressure skyrocketed.
The Thunder Lord entrusted to him by Ortes under semi-coercive circumstances incorporated Argeyirion’s technology.
Not just incorporated—it was entirely melted down from the monstrous gift of Argeyirion’s patronage. While it looked normal on the outside, if caught during the Ten Towers’ deep audit…
Lampades’ lifelong aspiration of building a magic tower would vanish in an instant.
As Lampades frantically pulled his hair, he muttered helplessly,
“What kind of situation is this…?”
No matter how he thought about it, getting caught with the Thunder Lord by the Ten Towers meant the end of Lampades’ magic tower.
Fortunately, the timing of Panoptes’ personnel deployment for the magic tower inspections could be roughly predicted. The best course of action seemed to temporarily entrust the Thunder Lord to Hydra Corp and retrieve it after the inspection.
However, the one who complicated matters was Astrape, the recipient of the Thunder Lord. Upon hearing that Lampades was visiting Hydra Corp, she enthusiastically expressed her desire to join.
Lampades’ thoughts became tangled.
“Accuracy of the extradimensional radar demonstration will definitely improve with Astrape present. I don’t know what Ortes is trying to detect in the extradimensions, but having Astrape along makes it hard to dismiss her outright.”
Returning only the Thunder Lord might be interpreted by Ortes as a refusal of further cooperation.
The integration process into Museion had been delayed due to the Elysion terrorist incident. Perhaps it would be a good idea to use the excuse of academic exchange to evacuate Astrape and the Thunder Lord together.
After much deliberation, Lampades allowed Astrape to accompany him.
*
Ortes personally greeted Lampades and his subordinate researchers. After assigning accommodations and explaining the schedule once more in writing,
Ortes requested a private meeting with Lampades.
“So, it’s come to this…”
Lampades steadied himself.
Ortes was someone who could say anything without raising eyebrows.
Hadn’t he concealed Hydra Corp’s existence while orchestrating the assassination of a Ten Towers elder through Argeyirion? Even if Ortes were to pull out some ancient relic and declare, “This time, the Ten Towers got it right,” Lampades wouldn’t be surprised.
Ortes was originally known as one of the most dangerous types of eschatologists. There were even rumors that other eschatologists who once worked with him fled in fear.
What story had brought him here today?
“Maybe he wants to discuss something constructive like an educational exchange plan for Kine and Astrape’s academic advancement.”
Lampades involuntarily chuckled. Unlikely.
Rather, it was more probable that Ortes was coercing him to participate in overthrowing the Ten Towers’ regime. Even if Astrape and Ortes shared bl**d ties, Ortes didn’t seem like someone who would easily abandon his plans.
“Ah. Maybe if he builds us a lifeboat to survive after destroying the magical society…”
Suppressing his emotions, Lampades headed toward the reception room where Ortes waited.
“Mr. Lampades, I apologize for the inconvenience.”
What did he want to say? The heavy tension grew.
Ortes poured two cups of coffee, handed one to Lampades, and began.
“Do you happen to have contact information for old friends?”
“What?”
Do you even have friends?
Lampades almost blurted it out but managed to paralyze his nerves electrically, preventing his tongue from moving. Unaware of Lampades’ bewilderment, Ortes continued.
“Haha. Seems like my old solving companions all changed their contact info. But anyway, I need their help.”
Lampades recalled Ortes’ reputation from his problem-solving days.
The word “friend” didn’t suit him. He was someone who threw himself into the most dangerous missions at the forefront of the extraplanar border as if possessed. At best, he was suicidal.
At worst—or objectively speaking—he was an eschatologist.
He knew there were always people following Ortes quietly. They weren’t really “friends” but rather “followers.” Yet even those followers had disappeared at some point.
“Cnemon, remember him?”
Of course. A notorious eschatologist known throughout the problem-solving industry.
The eldest son of a fallen magic tower stripped of its patents by the Proper Tower. A common backstory among those who entered the problem-solving field, but instead of reclaiming the patent or honing his magic, he came to believe the world would be better off destroyed.
Cnemon’s dangerous obsession with the extraplanar realms naturally led him to Ortes, who roamed the extraplanar borders.
Yet Cnemon too had vanished long ago. Had he been recruited or eliminated by Ortes’ secret organization?
“I need to ask him something. He was an expert on the extraplanar realms, wasn’t he?”
‘Cnemon ran away from Ortes…!’
Just as Lampades was about to say he had neither contacted nor knew Cnemon,
Ortes started a phone call.
“Ah. Yes, Chairman. The Panoptes agent has arrived, you say? Ah. Yes. We have nothing suspicious, do we? It’s more convenient to get the purity inspection over with quickly.”
News that Panoptes inspectors had arrived.
The definitive declaration that “our side” had nothing incriminating. The inspectors sent by Panoptes would simply search Hydra Corp and leave.
But what if Ortes reported that the external magicians currently visiting our tower were suspicious?
It was an indirect threat.
Since Ortes himself searching for Cnemon would only make him hide deeper, he was ordering Lampades to find and bring him to him.
