stonecrandall Page 626
Page 626
"Deadline Joyful Boat"!
The name was uttered clearly, like a silent bomb dropped into a desolate ruin!
She actually knew he was on that ship!
She even used the word "what she did"—meaning that she knew much more than just the superficial process of boarding and disembarking!
However, this instinctive reaction was forcibly suppressed by Matou Ike's strong willpower almost in the next breath.
His slightly startled expression quickly subsided, and his tense body relaxed again.
"........."
A nearly silent breath.
Let it go.
Yes, I'm at peace with it.
What happened on that "Deadline Joy Ship" was indeed a top-tier secret.
The multiple, overlapping barriers personally set up by Van Fem are strong enough to block out most prying eyes, and even high-ranking magicians would find it difficult to penetrate.
The transactions taken on the ship, the tacit understandings reached, and even the things that happened afterward... should all be kept strictly sealed in the shadows of that otherworld.
but……
The opponent is Barthezmello.
Wang from the Department of Law and Politics.
The marshal of the demonic path.
She controls the Clock Tower's most powerful intelligence network and possesses top-tier tracking and insight techniques for non-human beings, originating from the Holy Church system. The depth and breadth of her "certain channels" likely far exceed Matou Ike's previous estimates.
not to mention……
Matouchi calmly analyzed the situation: there were not only Dead Apostles and non-humans on that ship.
The ship itself had people from the clock tower, although it was just a branch.
But it's perfectly normal for information of this level to be transmitted to headquarters!
but……
A faint glint of light flickered in Matouchi's eyes.
The other party knew he had boarded the ship, and might even know its name and some of its surface activities...
But how much of the real inside information do they know?
These... are the very core of the core!
Does Barthezmello's "actions" refer to his being on the ship itself? Or to some transaction he conducted on board? Or perhaps...?
This remains a huge question!
A key variable that could significantly influence the course of the next round of negotiations!
“I see.” Matou Ike’s voice returned to its previous calm. “So, is there some… special advice you’re giving me by bringing this up? Or perhaps…”
His voice was low, tinged with a dangerous inquiry, "...You've also become interested in the tastes of the afternoon tea I had on the ship?"
“A pointless test.” Her cold pronouncement shattered the relaxed facade that Matouchi had created.
Immediately afterwards, she dropped the bombshell that she had prepared long ago, a bombshell powerful enough to shake up the core strategy of Matouchi:
“I know…” Her voice was clear and cold, as if she were reading a verdict, “…you ultimately sent your servants into other Lostbelts.”
“A pointless test.” Her cold pronouncement shattered the relaxed facade that Matouchi had created.
Immediately afterwards, she dropped the bombshell that she had prepared long ago, a bombshell powerful enough to shake up the core strategy of Matouchi:
“I know…” Her voice was clear and cold, as if she were reading a verdict, “…you ultimately sent your servants into other Lostbelts.”
Matouchi remained silent.
Utter silence.
The air seemed to be crushed by his silent weight. The shadows of the ruins seemed to grow even thicker because of his suddenly restrained aura.
Of course he knew what Barthezmero "wanted to express"!
She's making a declaration!
The real purpose behind the Clock Tower's willingness to tear apart its mystery and trigger a global disaster is not at all to "deal with manpower shortages" or "prematurely trigger a controllable disaster"!
That's just an appearance!
It's a smokescreen to conceal their ultimate ambitions!
The reason the Clock Tower went to such lengths to open a passage into the Inner Sea of the Stars, besides wanting to prematurely detonate the mystery and create chaos—
Their true, core objective is to use the Inner Sea and Paradise as springboards and transit points to forcibly establish a stable passage between this world and... the London Lostbelt!
The Inner Sea of the Star, the legendary "paradise," is the abode of the planet's soul and a bridge to the outside world. It contains laws and characteristics that transcend time and space!
Chapter 654 Attack (4k)
When Matou Ike's gaze pierced through Cerberus's life-and-death stare and briefly touched the cold essence of the underworld, a vague yet weighty guess, like a cold venomous snake, quietly took hold deep within the core of his mind.
The Clock Tower—this vast magical power structure—is driven by its ultimate goal of tearing apart millennia-old ironclad laws and unleashing global catastrophe…
It's not as simple as just dealing with a mysterious resurgence or solving a manpower shortage!
Its core focus must be on that legendary "paradise"—the deepest part of the Star Inner Sea, the ultimate other side of the Fairy Realm!
That realm, dubbed "a secluded and isolated place," is far more than just the abode of a planet's soul.
According to the fragmented knowledge that Matou Ike possessed, which originated from forbidden channels...
That "paradise" shrouded in pure white light has an indescribable yet intricate, almost primordial connection with the Lostbelt Britain, which is eternally isolated from the world by the White Storm (Blank Space) and has already been distorted and fixed.
This is no coincidence!
what does this mean?
This means that once the clock tower successfully establishes a stable passage to "Paradise"...
They essentially found a key at this special, timeless "node" of "Paradise"—
A key that can attempt to pry open, anchor, or even forcibly establish a connection with that specific Lostbelt (the British Lostbelt)!
A theoretically stable passage that can bypass the "White Storm" barrier and cross the Lostbelt!
So……
What is the real intention behind the Clock Tower's crazy and reckless pursuit of this?
This makes it hard not to feel the deepest vigilance and the darkest associations!
First, the remnants and power of the Greek Lostbelt left their mark on this world through some distorted means, causing localized disasters such as the "Second Coming of the Gods".
Now, the Clock Tower has set its sights, so radically and so blatantly, on the British Lostbelt, which is closely linked to "Paradise"!
Two powerful Lostbelts...
In such a short time, we have formed connections with this crumbling world, some deep, some shallow, some passive, some active!
The implications of this are chilling!
What made Matou Ike feel an almost fatal, chilling sense of urgency was—
The timing of all this!
According to his original, relatively conservative script, which was based on various intelligence reports and fragments of future vision...
At least a year later, when the planet's environment becomes more "adapted" to the laws of the Lostbelt due to the mysterious leaks, and when the major powers have accumulated more strength, such attempts at "infiltration" or "connection" to the Lostbelt should gradually unfold.
however……
Reality dealt him a heavy blow!
Everything was planned ahead of schedule!
The fast-forward button was forcibly pressed in an almost violent and reckless manner!
reason?
Matou Ike's thought process was coldly in motion, arriving at the most logical conclusion:
This world, on the verge of collapse, has given rise to countless talented individuals!
Whether it's an ambitious figure like him coveting the Lostbelt throne, a madman like Bartholomew attempting to dominate the world and connect the Lostbelts, or those beings lurking in the deeper shadows with unclear intentions...
No one wants to passively wait for the final deadline (the Lostbelt's complete erosion or the pruning of events) to arrive!
By taking the initiative and planning ahead, seizing the initiative before the doomsday bell tolls, and grabbing the greatest benefits and room for survival...
This is perfectly normal, a game logic based on the instinct for survival!
Matou Pond is no exception.
He had already made numerous contingency plans and simulations for the possible "timeline advancement." His trump cards, his control over the "Principle Blood Ring," and the "seeds" he sent into other Lostbelts were all preparations for dealing with unforeseen circumstances.
only……
He really didn't expect it.
Unexpectedly, the Clock Tower—an institution he considered more conservative and more susceptible to internal strife—under Barthezello's leadership, this time…
They've gone this far!
Tearing apart the mystery, igniting global chaos, forcibly opening a passage to the inner sea of the star, with its target being "Paradise," which is connected to the British Lostbelt...
This is no longer a simple matter of "seizing the initiative".
This is an unprecedented and insane gamble, wagering the entire main world and attempting to forcibly bind its fate to a specific Lostbelt!
Barthezmello, the sovereign of the Department of Law and Politics who descended like a cold moon with a riding whip in hand, instantly elevated the scale and danger of the game she was in charge of to a level that even made Matou Ike feel a chill!
.........
In the end, Matouike's will remained as firm as a cold rock, unwavering.
Faced with Barthelo Loreleia's almost blunt demands, there was only a bottomless, icy pool that refused to compromise.