Inside her bedroom, after bathing and changing into her nightgown, Emma threw herself face-first onto her soft bed and muttered to herself,
"I really can't get used to this kind of social event. Compared to a 'ball,' I much prefer sneaking out at night to attend Beyonder gatherings—and quietly stealing the items other Beyonders went through so much effort to trade for."
"And then sneakily returning them later? I must say, you're truly a failure of a 'Fire Thief.'" Florella Jacob—the "parasite" residing within her—mocked coldly.
Because of their "contract," she couldn't harm Emma, but she never showed weakness when it came to words.
Emma, long used to her provocations, merely smiled and replied, "Stealing 'fire' means taking away what someone treasures most. In my experience, an item is most precious to its owner right after they've risked everything to obtain it. Taking it at that moment achieves the best 'acting' effect.
"And according to my teacher, returning it is also part of the Fire Thief's role."
Florella was left speechless for a second before retorting disdainfully, "You really trust that teacher of yours? Aren't you afraid he has ulterior motives—just like me?"
That very "teacher" had established the contract that bound her, and for that reason Florella hated him bitterly, always looking for opportunities to sow discord.
"If my teacher wanted to deal with me, he could do so effortlessly—he wouldn't need such trouble. As for whether he's using me, isn't that normal? Why else would a powerful demigod 'invest' in me unless he had his own purpose?
"At least, the advance payment he gave me already included two Beyonder characteristics—Sequence 6 and Sequence 5—along with the corresponding mysticism knowledge, and even you, a demigod-level 'bodyguard.' Isn't that enough sincerity?
"You know how many Beyonders would risk their lives for that much. I'm no exception."
Emma's thoughts about her mysterious teacher were clear-headed. After answering casually, she shifted the topic, cupping her cheeks in her palms with a mischievous smile.
"Anyway, Ebner's really becoming more and more charming… If I weren't destined to become a great figure in the mystic world and thus above worldly affection, I'd honestly want to compete with my dear friend Fanny for him."
"He's indeed an attractive man," Florella sneered again, "but he's far beyond your reach—let alone your friend's. So stop dreaming."
"Oh?" Emma's curiosity was piqued instead of offended. She had always known Ebner was powerful but never quite understood to what degree. Florella's tone suggested she had sensed something up close.
"I'm certain that man is already a demigod! No matter how well he hides it, he can't conceal it from a 'Parasite' like me!" Florella gave Emma a disdainful look. "So yes, he's already one of the major figures of the Beyonder world. You, a mid-sequence little thief, shouldn't be daydreaming."
"Ebner's already a demigod?" Surprise flashed across Emma's face before she burst into laughter. "As expected of the man Fanny and I both admired! He's pushed open the door between man and god and gained divinity in less than a year!"
After laughing, she rolled onto her back, gazing at the lavish ceiling. "Ebner's identity, status, strength, looks, and the stories surrounding him… everything about him is mesmerizing. He must be the dream lover—the precious desire—of countless girls in Backlund.
"If I were to steal his heart, then return it… or perhaps abandon him afterward… would that fully digest the Fire Thief potion?
"That way, I wouldn't even be betraying Fanny."
"I think in the end, you'll lose yourself instead," Florella scoffed.
"Hmph, I won't argue with an old woman who's never been in love!" Emma snorted.
"You talk like you've had experience! And for the record, I'm only twenty-nine—not old!"
After bickering for a while with the Jacob family demigod possessing her, Emma soon drifted into deep sleep.
In her dreams, she achieved everything—becoming a figure of great influence in the Beyonder world, so powerful that even the pontiffs of the Seven Churches treated her with deference.
Just as she basked in her success and began enjoying the devoted service of the brilliant Ebner Bryan, an elderly man—around fifty or sixty, half-gray hair, his face obscured—appeared in the dream.
Without even glancing at Emma, he walked straight into her island of mind. To him, such "dreams" were commonplace—mere delusions of ordinary people.
Yet he failed to notice that the dream-Ebner suddenly turned his head, casting a meaningful look at his back before stiffly returning to motion, like a puppet on strings, toasting and laughing beside Emma.
Within Emma's spiritual world, the old man soon found the mind of the parasitic Florella Jacob.
The two mental islands were linked—distinct yet subtly merging.
"Tell me, what happened at today's party?" the old man commanded. Using a mental breach he had prepared long ago, he employed Deception to trick Florella's mind into mistaking him for her master.
But Florella Jacob's mystic knowledge had long been corrupted by Amon's tampering at the top of the Sequence. She had no idea how dangerous her parasitic state truly was. Though she hadn't spent much time inhabiting rodents, the influence remained—her intellect had regressed to that of an eleven- or twelve-year-old.
That was why, despite being a demigod, she couldn't help squabbling with Emma like a child.
Under such conditions, she had no resistance against a "Mentor of Deceit's" ability. Her mental island quickly shifted under his control.
But suddenly, a drastic change occurred. Florella's mental island abruptly sealed itself, and dozens of rope-like tendrils burst forth, winding tightly around the old man.
This was supposed to be the Rhine–Solomon Raven Noose he had implanted within Florella's mind—yet now it had ensnared him instead.
At that moment, Ebner, who had been waiting within Emma's psyche, curved his lips into a grin. With wicked amusement, he placed a monocle over one eye and stepped into Florella's mind.
"Amon! So you really came! But unfortunately, you're only at Sequence 4—not your true body!" the old man snarled through gritted teeth upon seeing the monocled Ebner.
A flash of pure white shimmered in Ebner's eyes. He instantly confirmed that this old man was the same individual he'd encountered at the "Man in Black" organization's Kaspersky base when rescuing Admiral Edwina—the one called "Hearts No. 1."
Or rather, both this old man and that young man were avatars of the same entity: "Hearts No. 1" of the Black-Clothed Ones.
So, it's Roselle's "Men in Black" pulling the strings behind Emma… His goals must include not only Amon but also keeping an eye on me.
After all, when I went to save Edwina, this man didn't seem surprised at all—clearly, he already had intelligence about me.
He probably even knows about Old Huang's plan to reincarnate as Fanny's son.
Still… this "Hearts No. 1" has avatars at Sequence 3? How extravagant. Seems Old Huang wasn't the only one he trapped with his "Raven Noose."
As Ebner mused privately, the bound old man gave a strange smile.
"I know this mystical art can't restrain you after a thousand years… That's why this is a trap within a trap. And I'll tell you plainly—the key to it all is me!"
He showed no fear of having his thoughts stolen, instead openly exposing them.
But Ebner wasn't really Amon. He wouldn't recklessly attempt theft knowing it was bait. He simply stood back to observe—curious to see what ultimate weapon this Black-Clothed One had prepared against Amon.
"You think that by not stealing my thoughts you can escape? Too late! I've already unlocked the Emperor's 'incantation'! It may not work as well without you decoding it yourself—but it's enough!"
The moment he finished speaking, the old man's body exploded.
Instantly, torrents of knowledge flooded into Florella's psyche—all pointing toward a single name:
"Liu Bo!"
Ebner's lips twitched. I waited all this time for… this?
You're trying to pollute me with my own name?
You truly are a genius, Man in black.
Meanwhile, his Pure White Eye activated instinctively. He could clearly sense that, before the illusory "sun" and the "brass eye," two new spots had appeared—one dark, one faint.
The darker one, of course, represented Florella—her mind now saturated with the name "Liu Bo." To Ebner, it was even more obvious than the deep crimson star Klein had once seen when he "recharged" Miss Justice through purification rituals.
The lighter one represented "Hearts No. 1," whose avatar had perished.
Even though only the avatar had uttered the name "Liu Bo," the true body had already been marked by the "Unknown Land."
It seems that the space around the illusory sun beyond the Pure White Eye… might be of the same nature and authority as the ancient hall above the gray fog.
(End of Chapter)