Chapter 264-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
The decisiveness of that strike caught Roy off guard. He realized Percy was no longer the hesitant student who needed affirmation and confidence from his companions. Thinking back to when they first met, Roy found the memories had grown strangely blurry.
The lightning-fast sword shadow swept toward the Dragon Bone with tremendous force, carving deep fissures into the metal floor.
Under everyone's tense gazes, the sword light dissipated. The white Wing Bone lying on the ground seemed to have shifted back slightly.
An awkward silence fell over the scene. Caleb scratched his head. "As—as expected of the legendary Dragon Bone. Even the God of Hope couldn't destroy it back in the day."
Percy pressed his lips together and sheathed the sword. He wasn't surprised by the result, but he still felt a twinge of frustration.
He hadn't used his full strength just now. He knew that even at full power, the most he could manage was to leave a scratch on the Dragon Bone.
Percy wasn't discouraged. He and the Divine Sword were rapidly merging—his Metal Transmutation ability seemed tailor-made for wielding it.
Someday, he would be able to do it.
"It seems we'll have to go with the other plan for now."
Percy turned to Bai Yi. "Sorry for the trouble."
Bai Yi waved it off. "You've all done well enough. Leave the rest to me."
Though the Bai Family had fallen far from its former glory, centuries of accumulated resources wouldn't evaporate overnight. Ordinary citizens trusted Ye Zheng, but among the nobles—large and small—who bowed and scraped before her in public, which one didn't secretly resent her?
Especially the regional administrators far from the central Sei Curia. Ye Zheng didn't yet have the power to bring them to heel and make them obey her every command.
Hiding Dragon Bone from Ye Zheng wouldn't be difficult for them at all.
Ye Zheng was still too young. Her ascension to the papal throne had been controversial enough. In these turbulent times, instead of first securing the loyalty of the Sei Curia's allied noble factions and taking a gradual approach, she was mercilessly shaking the very foundations of the upper district.
Bai Yi led the three of them out of the underground space. They emerged from the dim Bell Tower into blinding sunlight.
Percy glanced back at the clock on the tower and realized the flow of time inside the Demonic Domain had been different from outside.
He made some inquiries and learned that an entire day had passed since they entered the underground.
The time spent exceeded their planned schedule. Percy felt an unease he couldn't quite articulate. He shook his head and told himself not to overthink it—there was no way everything could be under Ye Zheng's control, was there?
Bai Yi disappeared for a while. The three waited in a deserted alley. When he finally returned, the middle-aged man wore a deeply troubled expression. "I've made the arrangements. That bell tower will be demolished soon, and the Dragon Bone will be loaded onto a freight train and sent where it needs to go."
Hearing this, Percy exhaled in relief.
Roy narrowed his eyes slightly. He noticed an unspoken understanding between Percy and Bai Yi—Percy showed not a hint of curiosity or doubt about where the Dragon Bone was being taken.
The two of them had discussed it behind their other two teammates' backs.
Was it because they didn't think it necessary to tell them? Or... was Percy wary of him?
Even though Percy claimed to trust him, his actions showed no trust whatsoever.
Roy stood in the shadow of a building, silent. He recalled what Heath had said to him the night before.
That night, after confessing to Percy, he had returned to his room only to receive another telepathic message from Heath.
Heath was his biological sister, with an extremely low profile within the Royal Family—so low that even he had only ever known her by name. He'd heard her ability rank was also quite low, which was why the Royal Family had never publicly disclosed her power.
Roy was one of the few who knew what her ability was.
[Mind Imprint]—according to Heath's own description, it was a C-rank ability. By touching someone's forehead with her palm, she could establish a telepathic link with that person for a period of time.
Calling it telepathy was generous; it was really just a mental communication ability, and only Heath could initiate contact. He couldn't reach out to her—he could only passively receive her communications.
Every so often, he had to find a way to secretly visit Heath and renew the link. If it lapsed for too long without him reporting to Heath, it would arouse the Emperor's suspicion.
This was a major reason he despised these assignments. He never knew when the next order would pop into his head—as if his life were nothing but a puppet on someone else's strings.
Yet Heath's voice, absent for so long, had suddenly surfaced that day, making his scalp prickle.
"Roy, Father has known about your movements all along. You're heading out to find Dragon Bone tomorrow, aren't you?"
"Don't worry, Father won't stop you. But... Roy, you haven't been fulfilling your duties."
"I'll cover for you this time. Going forward, just report your—no, Percy's actions as usual."
At the time, Roy had been both furious and on guard. He'd challenged her:
"What exactly are you people trying to do? I don't believe he'd let Percy dig up Dragon Bone. Heath, don't think you can use me to hurt others again."
"If by 'others' you mean Percy, then don't worry. Think about what Father did to Prince Sykes. Think about all those orders he gave you... If not for Ye Zheng, Percy would already be a rising young hero by now, wouldn't he?"
"If Percy goes on to resolve the Dragon Bone threat as Father wishes, I wouldn't be surprised if he were made an exception and named heir to the throne."
Heath's words stirred a confusion Roy had long buried deep in his heart. He had been deliberately avoiding the question of why that man treated Percy so specially. But now he had to wonder—why would the Emperor use his own biological son as a stepping stone for Percy? Simply because Roy was born as an experiment?
The Emperor had allowed Sykes to become infamous on one hand, while secretly and painstakingly paving the way for Percy on the other. In the Emperor's plan, Percy would become the God-chosen hero adored by all, while Roy bore every unspeakable, shadowy burden...
Roy silently clenched his jaw. The other three were oblivious. Percy noticed Bai Yi's troubled expression and pressed, "Mr. Bai, did something else happen?"
"Ye Zheng has announced a plan to redraw the Dioceses. We need to pick up the pace."
Seeing the three young men's baffled expressions, he explained gravely, "It may not be long before Ye Zheng has the entire Sei Curia under her complete control, inside and out. When that happens, our operations will become increasingly difficult."
Percy clenched his fists, resolve firm. "Then let's head for the North District immediately."
They were about to set off when Bai Yi suddenly spoke up. "You three go ahead."
"I need to personally confirm the Dragon Bone reaches that place."
*
"Come to think of it, it's a bit odd that Percy and the others went to the South District first for Dragon Bone, when there are closer options."
Inside the Papal Palace, Ye Zheng received Heath's message. Percy and the others had found Dragon Bone, and it had been safely transported to an undisclosed location, personally escorted by Bai Yi.
Bai Yi's abilities were formidable and his senses sharp. Ye Zheng couldn't send anyone capable of tailing the Dragon Bone—Wu Shu would have been suitable, but she currently had another assignment.
Ye Zheng wasn't worried about locating the Dragon Bone. Bai Yi's influence was a far cry from what it once was; there weren't many places he could choose to stash it.
More than the news of Bai Yi personally escorting the Dragon Bone, what interested Ye Zheng was the method used to bury it.
A sealed Heterogeneous Stone chamber containing a trapped Demonic Domain, using the Demonic Domain as a natural defense to eliminate any possibility of anyone unearthing the Dragon Bone.
The Demonic Domains used to imprison Dragon Bone must all be extremely dangerous ones. Percy and his group would face serious challenges going forward.
Ye Zheng couldn't help but marvel at how far the Emperor had gone. He must truly have feared Margaret.
As she mulled it over, the corners of Ye Zheng's lips curled upward, though her lashes hung low, casting a small shadow.
She thought of the Blood Flower—and the demon dragon skull hidden within it.
...It seemed the Blood Flower hadn't appeared out of nowhere. It was most likely a Demonic Domain that had been buried underground to contain Dragon Bone. Five hundred years later, it accidentally broke through to the surface, causing massive casualties. Once sated, it retreated underground again.
Years later, perhaps driven by hunger once more, it surfaced again—and Sierra finally had her chance to return to the normal world.
Ye Zheng leaned back in the deep crimson chair. Sunlight streaming through the stained-glass window gently traced her hair and silhouette, yet couldn't illuminate her expression.
"Vincent Aston..."
The name was enunciated clearly through her lips. The sheer breadth of sins he had committed was truly staggering.
Ye Zheng casually picked up her teacup and took a sip. Once her mood had settled slightly, she turned her thoughts further to the matter of Dragon Bone.
The Blood Flower had appeared in the East District. The demon dragon skull that had been buried within it was now stored at the Holy Journey Knights Order Base. Yet she could still sense the faint presence of Dragon Bone elsewhere in the East District—she just couldn't pinpoint the exact location.
Ye Zheng decided she needed to visit the East District in person.
She couldn't travel freely anymore. Proper security measures were essential; otherwise, the train she boarded might suddenly explode.
There was no shortage of people who bore grudges against her, openly or in secret. Especially after the New Diocese plan was established, Ye Zheng had already sent people to bolster the Papal Palace's guard force.
With her current strength, she didn't need to worry about assassination attempts. But she didn't want anyone around her to come to harm.
After clearing the paperwork on her desk, Ye Zheng strolled alone to the empty training grounds. Gazing at the blue sky and white clouds lifted her spirits considerably, and then she wandered back.
The man-made training grounds were no longer suitable for her to practice her abilities. Ye Zheng sighed in resignation—if she ever got serious with her power, the entire Papal Palace would probably be crippled.
She thought she was beginning to understand how Bai Muqing had felt growing up.
She'd heard Bai Muqing had settled in the East District. Perhaps she could ask her for help locating the possibly remaining Dragon Bone...
Ye Zheng's expression cooled slightly. She recalled the last time she had seen Bai Muqing.
She knew Bai Muqing's personality—she wouldn't blame Ye Zheng for destroying the Bai Family. And Ye Zheng didn't feel her actions had been improper in any way.
Perhaps precisely because Bai Muqing harbored no resentment, Ye Zheng didn't know how to face her.
After a long while, Ye Zheng returned to her office. A new letter sat on the desk—another message from Heath.
She could calmly direct Heath and Wu Shu because she knew what they wanted—and she knew she could give it to them.
What did Bai Muqing want?
The question surfaced suddenly, but Ye Zheng quickly found her answer. Her stiff expression softened into a relieved smile.
Someday she would be able to give Bai Muqing the world she wanted. And Bai Muqing believed in exactly that.
With a smile, Ye Zheng opened Heath's letter.
Heath's ability, [Mind Imprint], could—once the conditions were met—continuously influence a person's psyche for a period of time, including telepathic communication and psychological suggestion.
Being able to communicate remotely at any time was tremendously convenient, especially in the current circumstances.
Yet Ye Zheng had never once considered letting Heath use [Mind Imprint] on her, and Heath had never brought it up either—not in the complex present, nor during the simpler days at the academy.
"The Emperor is already this desperate?"
After reading Heath's message, Ye Zheng raised an eyebrow.
—The Emperor was planning to switch to a new body.
*
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