Outside the Sect of Hedon, the Head and a few others were standing at a spot where the air looked like it was burning.
Indeed, this was such a strange sight that it would cause anyone to be struck speechless, but occasionally, a transparent dome appeared and disappeared at the spot where this incongruity was visible.
Gazing at it, the Head had a very grave expression on his face, and as for the two behind him, they could also only keep looking at the fire as if they had no means to stop it.
However, a second later, the Head simply flicked his fingers, and the fire was enclosed in shining ice that almost looked like it was made of the same material as diamonds rather than simple water that had been solidified. The strange thing was that this fire did not seem to stop burning even though it was trapped in that icy enclosure, and it looked as if the Head was surprised by this, too, as he raised an eyebrow and then flicked his fingers again to make the entire ice vanish, making it take the fire along with it.
Turning around to address those behind him, he said, "I've taken that thing to my private research area… There are records of this kind of fire from the Empire, but this one seems to be more potent than what was mentioned in them. Well, it would make sense for the Mainland to have progressed while we could only go in the opposite direction, but I want to find out the reason behind this attack. Have you two noticed anything out of the ordinary?"
Among the two, one was the same cloaked man who had been stationed in the room with the Mad Doctor, and it was obvious that this was a clone, as it occasionally shimmered when the light fell on it.
As for the other, it was a woman, and she was actually wearing a cloak exactly like the one that Daneel and the others had seen when they had gone to the Eternal Blossom sect. The only difference was that the flowers on her's were wilting and being reborn at a much faster pace, so much so that just the span of a single blink would result in a full cycle being finished.
This made for a pretty strange sight that would cause anyone to wonder why someone was possibly wasting energy to make this happen just for the purpose of letting others see so that they could attract attention, but it did not look as if the others had any intention of saying anything like this, as they looked at her with extreme seriousness when she spoke.
"None, from my end. I was watching everything idly, and out of the blue, the attack appeared from a spot on the shore. I judged the strength of the attack to be weaker than what is required to break the barrier of any sect, so I went after the source, but they used some sort of one-time advanced obfuscation formation to erase all signs of their passing. A single whiff would have been enough to formulate a spell to pinpoint the location, but it looked like they were prepared for that, as the formation they used is one that requires a very costly resource that is also only listed in the records of the Empire."
The woman looked as if she was speaking calmly, but her fluctuating emotions could actually be seen in the rate of the wilting and rebirth of the flowers on her dress. Initially, they sped up, and in a single blink, three or four cycles would already have passed. Yet, towards the end, it looked as if she had managed to calm herself by putting in some effort, as the rate slowed down to match what Daneel and the others had seen before.
Nodding, the Head said, "You? Anything inside the sect?"
After thinking for a bit, the other man replied, "None. Just to be safe, I went through the memories of all those who were present in that room when the attack struck, and I also checked all the records of the formations throughout the sect. There was nothing out of the ordinary, at all. I even checked our resident patient, and except for signs that his condition might actually be getting better, there is nothing else."
That last part was said casually, but it caught the Head's interest.
"He's getting better? Really? The report just a few days back said that he was stabilized and would not see much improvement anytime soon, right?"
Nodding, the man replied, "Yes, even the healer was perplexed, but she said that this happens occasionally. It is supposed to be completely random, and it was actually out of the ordinary that the initial estimate that he would slowly get better had changed to one that said that he would not have woken up for at least a year."
Indeed, initially, the healer had claimed that it was just a normal recovery coma which would soon abate. Later, though, that condition changed, and it now seemed to have changed back.
Typically, the Head would not have paid much import to this, but something told him that there must be some reason behind this random attack from the Church which had laid low for so long. It could be that it was just a testing attack to see how they would respond, and the Head wondered whether he was reading too much into a situation where there might be nothing. Yet, that feeling of something crawling up his spine wouldn't leave, so he said, "Double the surveillance on all-important locations. I feel that something might be wrong, but I just can't pinpoint what that is."
In response, it was the woman who spoke up with an angry tone, which was also reflected in her cloak again.
"Yes, I was going to suggest is the same. If they even dare to try to the same thing again, I've already found a way to bypass their obfuscation formation in case they use the same one again. The Eternal Blossom… shall see the Church wilt and perish, no matter what it takes."
A stifling atmosphere appeared in the area as soon as the woman said that last part, and faint sweat even appeared on the Head's forehead.
Coughing, he said, "That's right, Madam Elle."
As soon as she heard said this, the woman seemed to have realized what the matter was, but she just nodded and teleported away.
Seeing her leave in this manner, the other man said, "Head, I still don't understand why you act so subservient near those from the Eternal Blossoms sect. I know I'm not supposed to ask about things like these as I'm just a new Hero, but…"
The rest of what the man had been about to say was suddenly cut off as the Head turned to him and locked onto his eyes with a gaze more serious than any he had seen from the man.
Yet, after a moment, it softened and the Head said, "Yes, you're a new Hero, and you haven't witnessed the terror of those who walk the path of Life and Death. Do you know that if she goes all out, she has a 50% chance of killing those even an entire level higher than her? Even though she is just an Amateur Hero, she might very well be able to strike down an Exalted one. That is something even I cannot do without the help of the formations of old."
The man took a step back in the air as he heard this, as he couldn't believe what the Head was saying. A full level? And that too in the Hero realm? This was something completely unheard of even when one was just talking of Champions and Warriors, but being able to do that when one was a hero…was something to be truly admired, and even feared.
Yet, wasn't it a bit too overpowered?
As soon as this question popped into his mind, the Head continued.
"The downside… Is that there is also a 50% probability of her killing herself when she uses such an attack. There is also a 20% chance that she will die when she engages in her next training session, and even though I do not know the exact number, there is also a non-trivial chance that she might have shriveled up and died right in front of our eyes even when she was talking to us. Such is the path of Life and Death. It is so perilous that those who trained in it during the age of the Empire were known to be only the ones who had become completely deranged, and even though that man who pioneered it was said to have found ways to work around the drawbacks, it is still a fact that it is extremely risky, and it is only for those who have no care for death. Such bravery… Deserves to be respected. Do not speak of this to anyone, ever again. Understood?"
Even as the Hero began to profusely nod as he heard this, in the sect that was behind them, Daneel's eyes were completely red as he grabbed the shoulders of the man from the Church, who had a very irritated expression on his face.
"PLEASE TELL ME NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE SAVIOUR! I'LL GO KILL THAT IDIOT WHO FELL ON ME!"
They had just been interrogated by the Hero who had been stationed in the room, and even though he had used a spell to go through their memories, he hadn't found anything due to a one-time use trinket apparently made from Ker Roots that had been given to Daneel right before he had embarked on the mission. He had been told to sneak copies of that trinket which was shaped like a button into the pockets of the others, too, and he had done so, which led to no suspicion arising, as everyone swore that they had only seen the two of them fall. Daneel had had the system scan the trinket and save the formation to analyze it later, but, at the moment, he had to finish his act.
For a moment, the man from the Church held his silence, but after that, he shrugged as if he had made a decision.
"It's all right. It should have been 2 weeks, but it's 8 now. You did well. Here…is your reward."
Saying so, the newcomer tapped Daneel's forehead, following which Daneel took the queue and retreated his consciousness to the back of Vance's mind, whose body he was inhabiting.
While Daneel watched like a spectator, the man from the Church cast a Mind Control spell in a unique method: he simply chose a 'concept' or an 'idea', which was, in this case, their conversations and the trinket and the mission, and he ordered Vance's consciousness to forget all instances of it. It worked beautifully, and soon, the man from the Church left, satisfied.
So the gift was just to spare Vance's life?
Daneel was happy with it, though, as he had been prepared to lose this part and suffer the pain that would result from it. Thankfully, he managed to rejoin it with his main one, and he happily left the sect after Mind Controlling Vance to continue the operations of the Association so that suspicion wouldn't arise.
During all this time, Daneel had already been planning the strategy to tackle the next step.
The next step was that he had to find someone with the Hidden Bloodline of the Shapeshifter so that he could use their blood to take the Bloodline, but the problem…was that Daneel had no idea how to do so.
The best way was to look for that place that Cassandra had discovered in her memories, but sadly, it looked like it was eluding her, as Daneel had already contacted her and heard her vent with frustration.
He couldn't think of a way to help that search, so he had to look for a different method.
The only other clue…was the condition that had to be fulfilled for one to Awaken the Bloodline of the Shapeshifter, just like Cassandra had done with hers.
This condition was weird, but in a way, it made sense.
Shapeshifters were basically those who should be able to don any identity they wished, at any time. Hence…the condition was that one should acquire the ability to do so.
Someone who could change their identity at will…
As Daneel thought about this, a single word appeared in his mind.
'Conman'.
Indeed, a conman was one who would have to be able to use different identities to carry out their cons, and the best in the field were also supposed to be able to change gender if they wished.
Well, this was a start. There was no way to find whether someone had a Hidden Bloodline except by testing their blood, so Daneel decided to use a brute-force method: the objective of that village seemed to be that it wanted to place Hidden Bloodline possessors in situations where they could Awaken their Bloodline, and if that was true, then it was possible that a top conman could be in possession of it.
So…he decided to go after them all.
And for this, after much thought, Daneel had come to a decision.
He, the King of Lanthanor, Leader of the Alliance and Legacy Disciple of the Fortress of Unyielding Might…was going to become a conman, and a thief, who would be targeting the wealthiest institution in the continent: the Bank of Angaria.