The "Old Man" implanted within Trissy's mind was still merely one of Ebner's "Wisdom Eyes", and there was no essential difference between it and the "Life Turnaround System" he had placed on Cattleya's ship.
The difference, however, was that although this "Wisdom Eye" was likewise not very strong in terms of power, its level was sufficiently high.
That was because it had been overlaid by Ebner with a secret art based on the extraordinary characteristic of the Trojan Horse of Destiny and Pallez's Worm of Time.
In addition, by using the "Collector" core ability of the "Alvin Palace" to "purchase" from Klein the usage time of the Error Card, the "grandfather" Ebner was impersonating would not be much inferior to the real Pallez when it came to Amon's Convergence Effect.
Of course, Ebner would not deliberately display his own "attractiveness". On the contrary, he had to hide it with all his might, so as not to arouse Amon's suspicion.
As for why he chose Trissy as the "host", there were mainly three reasons.
First, Ebner had never had much compassion for Demonesses. Aside from that "Gourmet Blessed" who was being raised by Mr. Fool, they were basically all drenched in blood, so even if she were ultimately "played to ruin" by Amon, he wouldn't feel guilty.
Second, Trissy's speed of Sequence advancement was fast enough, which perfectly matched the condition of bearing an "old grandfather". Before she was caught, Amon would most likely not harbor too many suspicions.
Third, as a Demoness seeking revenge against the Loen royal family, Trissy should be very willing to draw a terrifying enemy like Amon toward the Augustus family. Even if she didn't think of it herself for the moment, as the "old grandfather", he would give such a suggestion.
Of course, these three were only the main reasons. As for other secondary reasons, such as "possessing a pretty young girl is more pleasing to the eye than possessing a rough man", they didn't need to be mentioned. These were all lessons Ebner had learned from that sailor named John on Cattleya's ship.
At this time, Trissy had already recovered from the shock of seeing the Blasphemy Card for the first time. She carefully examined the projected "Demoness Card" that Ebner had produced, frowned, and asked,
"Why isn't there a formula after Sequence 2?"
Ebner laughed in Pallez's voice and said, "Young people shouldn't blindly pursue goals that are too high and too far. You've only just become a Demoness of Affliction."
Naturally, that was something he had deliberately hidden. After all, merely the act of "knowing" the formulas above the angel level of the Demoness pathway could very likely disturb the sleeping Cheek.
"That makes sense…" Trissy nodded. Then she narrowed her slender eyes and spoke again, "I'm preparing to investigate the royal family's captain of the palace guards, Viscount Stratford. Do you have any suggestions?"
"I suggest you stay away from this matter. It's very dangerous," Ebner answered very "honestly".
After all, he was currently playing the role of "Pallez", and on the surface he had to do his best to avoid trouble and not reveal any flaws.
"Old Man, it seems you know something about this matter," Trissy said meaningfully.
"Don't ask any more about it. I won't say anything, because that would carry the risk of exposing me," Ebner said with great seriousness.
Although Trissy was somewhat unwilling to let it go, she ultimately didn't dare to truly anger this "Angel" who was "parasitizing" her.
Don't be fooled by how easygoing he seemed. Who knew whether in the next moment he might directly seize both her body and her mind? After all, according to what she knew, there was nothing good about 'Parasites'.
"I understand…" Trissy eased her tone. "I just wanted to hear your advice."
"Didn't you already cultivate a 'Witch' to get close to that Viscount?" Ebner asked with a smile.
"But that will take at least one or two months before it yields results…" Trissy sighed. "And I'm not even sure whether it'll be useful."
"Actually, you can spend money to commission other people to investigate that Viscount," Ebner casually suggested.
"The only detective with the ability to take on this task is that 'Hero Detective', Ebner Bryan!" As she spoke, Trissy shook her head. "But he's not reliable for me!
"I once hid in the sewers near his villa and personally saw the 'Saintess of Black', the 'Saintess of Yellow', the 'Saintess of Blue', the 'Saintess of Gray', and the 'Saintess of Red' entering and leaving his home…
"I can barely avoid these demigod Demonesses as it is. Why would I voluntarily deliver myself to them?"
You were actually able to notice high-ranking Demonesses entering and leaving my house? Even Angels of the Loen royal family couldn't detect that, right?!
So that's how it is. It was a special ability 'bestowed' upon you by Cheek. No wonder you were always able to evade the pursuit of the 'Saintess of White' in the original story.
Ebner couldn't help but activate his Discernment ability, and only then did he come to a realization. At the same time, he felt fortunate that he had chosen to "possess" Trissy before she leaked these secrets.
After that, seeing that this "old grandfather" could no longer provide any other suggestions, Trissy stopped talking and focused on mastering the new abilities she had obtained after her advancement.
In truth, her seeking advice from him had merely been a test. If this "old man" had given advice that seemed "reasonable" and "feasible", she would instead have suspected his motives.
...
Inside the villa at No. 28 Kingster Street, after receiving the information transmitted back by the "Wisdom Eye", Ebner sighed and thought to himself,
Talking to someone with so many schemes is really exhausting!
Fortunately, the first step of gaining 'trust' has been taken. Overall, it went fairly smoothly…
Thinking of this, he glanced once more in the direction of the North Borough, then shook his head and continued pondering,
Using Flora Jacob's Worm of Time as a base to implant a 'virtual personality' into that black cat really couldn't fool Amon…
But that was also within my expectations. It was originally just an idle piece meant to mislead Amon. From beginning to end, the real arrangement has always been on 'Trissy'.
Heh, Amon's incarnation that entered Backlund this time actually used the identity of an illegitimate daughter of the nobility…
Did He investigate my reputation and think I would show mercy toward a subordinate of His with a female identity?
Or did He simply find it interesting?
Or perhaps He felt that such an identity would be beneficial for His subsequent plans?
As countless thoughts spun through Ebner's mind, boundless gray fog suddenly appeared before his eyes. Immediately afterward, scene after scene emerged in his field of vision.
The core of the images was a gigantic tree that looked as if it had been drenched in petroleum, its outstretched branches resembling arms with one bizarre object bulging out after another.
This was the Abomination, Suah.
However, Suah's condition in the images was clearly not very good. Nearly half of the eyes on His arms had turned blood-red, and the "abdomen" area of the trunk was swollen, as if something were being gestated inside.
The subsequent images showed Suah exerting all His strength to resist this abnormality, even going so far as to rely on the body of the Chained God to delay the corrosion.
The images quickly vanished, but Ebner's brows knitted deeply together.
It wasn't because of Suah's corroded state. That had already been within his expectations.
Rather, it was because Ebner had sensed traces of Lamia's aura at the abdominal region of the Abomination.
(End of Chapter)