Book 8: Chapter 73: Target (1)
Book 8: Chapter 73: Target (1)
Aritzia dismissed her attendant, falling into deep thought. ‘Hm. Did I make a mistake?’
She had to admit that she acted on emotion. Though, by all rights, her plans were seemingly flawless, oddities kept creeping up. That said, those with Aritzia’s level of intelligence always considered the worst-case scenario before they acted.
What was Aritzia’s worst case scenario? It was that she didn’t learn of Clara’s true identity and Jaws survived. If these two things occurred, it was likely that the Sapientia would no longer have a place among the tower quadrants. This wasn’t because Aritzia believed that Dyon and his Clan could destroy them. No Clan in existence was capable of such a thing. Rather, it was because she believed Dyon when he said that his comprehension of alchemy was far beyond theirs… At least from what they were willing to display, that is.
‘If the worst case comes to be, it’ll be a blow, but it’s worth it to weasel out the strength of a hidden enemy. We had already planned on abandoning this endeavor after the auction was completed. Its value has been squeezed out.’
Still, Aritzia would be lying if she said she wasn’t uncomfortable. Losing… She didn’t like that word, not even the smallest bit.
The goals of the Sapientia weren’t something just anyone could understand. Even the most powerful individuals on this mortal plane were often baffled by their actions. However, Aritzia wouldn’t have taken such a risky action if it truly tested her clan’s bottom line. She had already been given free reign to pull out whatever potential remained in this land.
Aritzia smiled. She could still feel Dyon’s thumb on her lips. The feeling hadn’t dissipated even after so many weeks.
Her hands reached for a new report. Before bowing out awkwardly, the attendant had left these files alone. Among the piles of jades, the crisp white papers truly stuck out.
‘Interesting. So this is True God Titus’ secret, hm?’
**
At this moment, Clara was holed away within her domed treasure. After refining close to 70% of it, she had known that this treasure’s true name was World Domain. For it to have been a treasure of Nightmare Palace, one could obviously see just how valuable it was. Its true purpose was to supplement the pseudo and true domains of its user to greater heights, making the world inside it almost like a world of its own. It was definitely comparable to Dyon’s inner world, the only difference being that it could be used over long periods of times while the last time Dyon used his, he lasted for a few seconds before nearly passing out.
Still, Clara wasn’t in as good of a position as she made it seem. In fact, at the moment, she was gasping for breath, her delicate features matted with sweat. It seemed as though she had lost several dozen pounds in just a few days.
Clara had made a big show of pulling out billions of energy stones, but those who saw this didn’t understand how this treasure worked. Clara couldn’t rely on outside sources to power it, she could only rely on herself. The moment she hid the going-ons from those outside, she swapped those transcendent stones for celestial stones and was frantically supplying her own stamina while sustaining the barrier’s presence.
Still the cold light in Clara’s grey eyes didn’t fade.
All she wanted to be was a passive observer of the world. When Dyon came to her side, she resisted at first due to her mortal world values, but she soon realized that this was no longer the world she once knew. Maybe that came from understanding, or maybe her love for her husband overrode all things. Still, it seemed as time continued on, the things she once knew kept fading away one by one.
Today, it seemed that her last wish had vanished. She wanted to play a silent supporting role, yet she had been thrust into the spotlight by some self-entitled bitch. To say that Clara was pissed off was a vast understatement.
“Even if I die here, I swear I’ll take you with me. Since you want me to play the main character so badly, I hope that you can take on the consequences.”
The very core of the Sapientia Network was hidden by Clara within the Weapon’s Guild. Though the Sapientia believed they had the core, the reality was that Clara would never allow them full control of all things.
If it was up to Clara, she would have hidden it within Soul Rending Quadrant. Unfortunately, she couldn’t. The reason the Sapientia trusted Clara and used her invention was precisely because Clara tied the function of the Sapientia Network to Sapientia Planet itself. As a result, the Sapientia felt comfortable knowing that no one could manipulate the Network without being in their territory.
Clara didn’t doubt that the Sapientia had scoured the whole of Sapientia Planet in search for a place Clara might have hidden a second core, but with the help of the [Dao of Array Alchemy], Aritzia and her Clan had no idea just the number of levels higher both Clara and Dyon were in comparison to them.
Clara blinked away the sweat that stung her eyes, her small hands holding a complex system of golden symbols and gears.
“I hope you enjoy phase three, courtesy of Clara Sachar….”
Clara passed out before she could finish her own words. A flash of light was sent out in a wave, but all of that was shrouded by the abrupt shrinking of the World Domain.
After seven days of no progress, the Guild Guards were shocked to find that Clara’s protection had disappeared. All that was left was the delicate body of an unconscious young woman.