yasinovel Chapter 118 Preparations for Promotion
Chapter 118 Preparations for Promotion
Chapter 118 Preparations for Promotion
Greene doesn't believe in free lunches, especially when it involves the church, extraordinary individuals, or potentially dangerous people.
Clarice seemed to have anticipated his question.
She leaned back in her chair, picked up her glass, took a small sip of the expensive rum, and let the rich liquid linger on her tongue for a moment before swallowing.
His gaze passed through the rim of the cup to Green, his eyes no longer showing the previous weariness or seriousness, but instead carrying a profound contemplation.
"Actually, it's not entirely to help you."
She said casually, "I think you'll never forget the banquet at Viscount Fairfax's manor. Neither will I."
"I'm worried that things may not be over simply yet. There's also the unusually high level of activity in the Oberhafen area recently—all of which give me a gut feeling, or rather, a sense of foreboding."
She set down her glass. "Oberhafen, this seemingly peaceful port city, may never be as tranquil as it has been for the past few decades. Undercurrents are swirling, and our Night's Watch squad, with its current manpower and resources, is probably insufficient to deal with a potentially larger crisis in the future."
Green listened quietly, his heart filled with dread.
This subtly coincides with the "waves of the times" he sensed from the "Fool" and the sense of conspiracy he detected during his investigation.
"We need to prepare in advance, recruiting and absorbing some 'special' personnel to strengthen our forces, or at least bring some unstable factors under control."
Clarice continued, "I've already reported this to headquarters and received approval in principle. It's not just your cousin Emily; many registered 'wild extraordinary' individuals in the Oberhafen region with relatively clear backgrounds and who haven't shown obvious hostility or harm may receive similar invitations or—recruitment."
She then changed the subject, "Of course, accepting the Church's protection and guidance is not without conditions. All recruits need to undergo additional baptism and vetting by the Goddess to ensure their loyalty, or at least, to ensure they will not use their power to harm the Church and order. This is a necessary—insurance measure."
Green understood.
This is a transaction, and also an integration.
The Church must gather, purify, and utilize the scattered forces as much as possible before the storm arrives. Emily's situation is unique and dangerous, which makes her a perfect entry point for this plan, and I, as her relative and a new member of the Night's Watch, am an ideal bridge and guarantor.
This plan might be a way out for Emily, but it also means that she will lose some of her freedom and be completely under the Church's sight and control.
For him, this was both an opportunity to resolve his family crisis and a chance to become more deeply involved in the church's upper echelons' schemes and future turmoil.
He needs to weigh the pros and cons.
"I agree, but I need time—"
"What's wrong?" Clarice asked.
"She hasn't gotten over that incident yet. She hasn't been seeing anyone lately," Green finally said.
Clarisse nodded in understanding. "The more this is the case, the more you need to seize the time. Being in a negative emotional state for a long time has a huge impact on extraordinary individuals. And you need to understand that time may not be on our side, whether it's your cousin's condition or the potential crisis."
"If your cousin really loses control, you and your family will be the first to be in danger. And we will definitely get rid of her. If she refuses, we can take forceful measures. The Night's Watch is very good at this."
"Yes, if she doesn't cooperate, I agree with you."
Greene understood perfectly well that if Emily lost control, he would be the first to die.
Clarisse raised her glass to Green, gesturing, "Let's enjoy dinner tonight. Outside of work, we can just be—friends who occasionally have meals together."
Green hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "I also need your help with something."
Clarisse smiled slightly. "Go ahead. If it's within my capabilities and doesn't violate my principles, I'll consider it."
"I need some materials."
Clarice raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.
"The stomach of a Soul Eater. 20 ml of deep-sea marlin blood. 5 ml of hornbeam essential oil. 10 g of neem powder. One blooming red chestnut flower."
Green frowned. "I don't know where I can buy these materials. I'd like to know if the church has them."
Clarisse put down her glass, looked at him, and asked languidly, "Potion recipe? From what source?"
Green nodded, making no attempt to hide anything: "Sequence 8 of the Apprentice Path, Master of Tricks."
"Um?
""
Clarisse's languid expression froze instantly. "W-what did you say?"
She thought she must have misheard.
"You've only just joined the Night's Watch, and I don't recall having the complete potion recipe for 'Master of Tricks' in our archives. Even if we did, it would be top-secret information requiring extremely high privileges and contributions to obtain."
Her expression was solemn. "More importantly, Grimm Morris, before you've fully digested the previous apprenticeship's potions and your spirituality is stable, blindly seeking advanced recipes, or even trying to collect materials—you're courting death. Do you want me to personally eliminate a team member who's about to spiral out of control due to greed and stupidity?"
Her tone was clearly angry and disappointed as she picked up her wine glass and took a big gulp.
"I know. But I've already digested the 'Apprentice' of Sequence 9."
"Cough! Cough!!"
Clarice was startled by Green's words, and the drink instantly made her choke.
After she calmed down a bit, she suddenly looked at Green, "You're done digesting? Apprentice? That's impossible. How long has it been? Do you know how long it takes for a normal person to digest? Three years! You haven't even had systematic role-playing instruction—"
"The process was unusual, and—it came at a price."
Green interrupted her, "But I can feel that the spirituality has been perfected, and the control over 'the other side' has reached a new level. Those initial feelings of stagnation and occasional spiritual agitation have all disappeared. According to the scriptures and the information provided by Ms. Eliza, this should be the sign that the initial digestion is complete."
He attributed the completion of digestion to a "special experience" and a "price," which, in Green's view, conformed to the common sense of the extraordinary world. He could not mention the Source Castle and the Fool, at least not now.
Miracles are beyond the comprehension of mortals.
Clarice remained silent for a long time. She picked up a napkin and slowly and deliberately wiped the wine stains from the back of her hands and the table.
Green could feel her scrutinizing gaze sweeping over him, trying to find any flaws or signs of madness.
After a moment, Clarice stared at Green and finally spoke: "Even if you've truly digested it, where did the 'Master of Tricks' recipe come from? The recipe itself might be a trap. A rare path to advancement in knowledge doesn't appear out of thin air."
“Part of it came from my own investigation and some—accidental discoveries. The other part,” Greene raised his glass, his gaze sweeping over Clarice, “is related to my parents’ belongings. They seem to have—left some indicative clues.”
Attributing the source to deceased, mysterious parents is currently the safest and most reasonable explanation.
Clarisse fell into thought, her fingertips lightly tapping her wine glass. "If I'm not mistaken—it's that brooch?"