Chapter 649: Chapter 605: The Omen of the Prophet (3/3)_2
Ian said indifferently, not feeling that such a day would come, "Compared to that, The Empire has already learned of your intention to declare independence. Donât expect Fiery Flame Land to support you, as the fortress group in Farflame Land has also been turned by The Empireâthe war will be delayed, and your concerns have become reality."
"When The Empire and Fiery Flame Land are once again ready to wage full-scale war... Sorin Duchy will face a catastrophic disaster."
"Moreover, you donât really think Fiery Flame Land will keep its promise, do you? With the destruction of the Avak Central Research Laboratory and the loss of the Dead River Armament, they wonât care about your excuses. They are sure to betray you."
He was very clear that the Duke of Solinâs concerns were correctâin the Dao Path of the Swarm, if it werenât for himself, The Empire and Fiery Flame Land would definitely start a full-scale war, and by then, Sorin Duchy turning into a war wasteland would be the best scenario; Iâm afraid it would become a bioweapon wasteland, a smoke-filled wasteland laced with natural disasters aplenty.
South Ridge wonât be able to remain uninvolved either. His big farming plans will be disrupted.
Given these circumstances, it might be better to forewarn The Grand Duchy... Even if the Duke of Solin continues the Deceased Monarch plan, the little power he retains might cause some disturbances in Fiery Flame Land, or at the very least, he might get wind of some news beforehand.
But on second thought... what about the Spirit Wisdom Institute?
Ian suddenly remembered something.
The Dead River Armament of Fiery Flame Land views the souls of others as fuel for the pilots, using this fuel to continuously enhance the pilots. As long as a pilot can withstand this passive âIntegration Completionâ, their soulâs essence will rapidly improve. Paired with the Dead River Armament, reaching the Third Power Level would be no difficult task, and the Fourth Energy Level was also a possibility.
Of course, the potential of the pilot has to be good; otherwise, they will end up like Viscount Avak, who, after being resurrected a few times, was plagued by the fuelâs soul interference, turning into a nearly demonic creature with chaotic thoughtsâa complete descent into chaos.
This is considered a successful research projectâand needless to say about the Deceased Monarch, Ian felt it was very successful from his own personal experience.
Then, the plan of the Spirit Wisdom Institute... that âSavior of the Namelessâ, did it not succeed after all?
It was not surprising to Ian. After all, the research difficulties at the Spirit Wisdom Institute were the greatest, and they themselves didnât expect to succeed. They were merely hoping to reap some Spirit Energy Technique knowledge along the way as they tried to crack this impossible challenge.
Compared to this âSaviorâ, the plan of the âNightmare Demon Kingâ, which could summon Void Spawn, might have a destructive power even greater than the combined force of the Dead River and the Deceased Monarchâif successful, it would probably require a Fifth Energy Level powerhouse to come to the rescue.
But something didnât quite feel right to Ian.
He suddenly felt that something was abnormal.
Based on what Ian had observed in the Imperial Capital, he was well aware that the Spirit Wisdom Institute was the department most loyal to the emperor... which is why so many of their misdeeds had gone unpunished.
Emperor Axel seemingly gave tacit approval, allowing the Spirit Wisdom Institute to âstealâ precious books from the Imperial Capital Grand Library to Adalbert and the Avak laboratories, enabling them to perfect their respective technologies... just like Fiery Flame Land agreed to share their own technology for collaboration, all three parties needed each otherâs technological capabilities.
The needs of the Duke of Solin have now become apparent, while Fiery Flame Land has gained the experience of creating a supremely âbio-system Aether Armamentâ with the Dead River Armament.
So what about the Spirit Wisdom Institute?
The plan of the Spirit Wisdom Institute involved Spirit Energy Induction, resurrection, artificial human bodies, and the exploration of the limits of Spirit Energy with the âSavior of the Namelessâ...
"Wait a minute," Ian suddenly understood, "Isnât this still the Echo?"
Without a doubt, all of this pertained to Spirit Energy, resurrection, and even âEchoâ related technology!
Yes. This wasnât Ian speaking rashly; in fact, when he saw the essence of the Deceased Monarch, which involved inscribing the âsoulâ onto oneself, to eventually recreate and âresurrectâ it later, his first thought was âIsnât this the Echo?â
If Soul Transfer were added, it would be almost like âMirroringâ!
"I see..." Ian had a sudden realization: "The true purpose of the Spirit Wisdom Institute must have already been achieved! All the research theyâre conducting now is of the kind where success is welcome but failure doesnât matter!"
"No wonder... no wonder!"
The ambitions of the Duke of Solin might have been seen through by Guardian Axel right from the start.
Of course, they had not seen through one point yet.
That was, the Duke of Solin was so bold as to use an "accident in the laboratory," that is, the event of "Adalbert releasing the lost souls and killing everyone in the Avak Domain," to destroy and conceal the ultimate goal of his research!
As long as Adalbert was intact, and the Blood River Armament in Viscount Awakâs hands could still be used, and the "souls of all the residents in the Avak Domain" were still there... then, for the Duke of Solin, it essentially meant "no one died, all plans were completed, Fiery Flame Landâs attempt to stealthily take advantage backfired, losing their armament and people, and The Empire would think his plan had failed and thus lower their guard," a winning outcome.
Ian believed that within the Dao Path of the Swarm, The Empire had not anticipated that the Duke of Solin would act independently, precisely because of the apparent "failure" of the Avak Domainâthey had no idea that the Duke of Solin, whose theoretical research results should have all been destroyed, could indeed carry out the Deceased Monarch Project and lead the majority of the citizens to Earthâs Core!
[Hmm?]
Upon hearing Ianâs warning, the Duke of Solin immediately became seriousâmost of his energy and thoughts were concentrated on the plan in the Avak Domain, and he was not very familiar with the matters on the other end in Fiery Flame Land.
After all, it was top secret, and Ian himself only knew it thanks to his role as the Prophet, even Fiery Flame Land itself was clueless.
[Thank you for the information] He nodded earnestly, then glanced at Adalbert: [Knight, the Dead River Armament will be left to you]
[The souls in the armament, I will take them all. They are still my subjects, but the lost souls that reside in the two of you... have become your subjects already]
[Do not let them down. I will not say sorry.]
With those words, accompanied by flickers of silver light, the silver moon right above the miniature garden disappeared, and the Dead River Armament, shining with brilliance in its eyes, fell from midair at an angle, like it was without its controller, and crashed onto the ground.
It fell right in front of Ian.
"...Heâs gone."
Ian looked around, as if he was speaking to Adalbert and to himself.
He sighed and walked forward with a somewhat complex expression. He raised his hand and pressed upon the Dead River Armament in front of him, which was no longer blood-red but pitch-black: "Leaving it to me... Hmph, not heartbroken over the giveaway of an experiment not entirely successful, are you? But it doesnât matter, since Iâm just using it as a reference after all."
"Just in time, I should start preparing my Aether Armament as well... Hmm?"
At the instant he touched the Dead River Armament, Ianâs expression suddenly changed.
He felt on the Dead River Armament an overwhelming âemotionâ that surged endlessly like a mountain cry and a tsunami!
Bad newsâforgot about it, although the souls had been taken away, this armament was still imbued with the hatred and despair of a million souls!
Adalbert, on the other hand, was also in an extremely complicated state of mind; his final battle with Viscount Awak and the appearance of the Duke of Solin were both beyond his expectations.
Although the outcome was not the worst possible, it was still impossible for him to accept and understand it so simply.
He turned his head, originally intending to strike up an awkward conversation with Ian to try and understand this fellow Deceased Monarch, who might indeed become a colleague in the future.
However, Adalbert was startled to notice that in the eyes of the Ghost Valley Knight, a bright and unparalleled radiance glowed, like an aqua sun.
Time flowed like water, with waves upon waves. In the whirlpool-like eyes reflected a golden brilliance.
âFor knowing too many truths... Foresight View had undergone another evolution!
Before the foresight began, Ian saw, saw a golden path shining amidst the endless black hatred and despair...
That was the Path of the Dao.
It was also a prophecy.
A prophecy no more classic, no clearer... a premonition of the Prophet.