Chapter 309: Hunting the Black Goat

Chapter 309: Chapter 257: Hunting the Black Goat

‘Huh? How did I end up following her train of thought to the Hunting Nobles?’

The sudden impulse took Han Su by surprise.

‘Am I being influenced by Ms. Shen’s memories and thoughts? I’m actually interested in this whole Hunting Nobles business.’

But in reality, she was clearly a bit mad. Whether the line of reasoning she provided was even correct remained a big question mark.

Her claim that there was enmity between the Twelve Knights and the Emperor was just her own speculation. Her assertion that all traces of the Emperor’s existence had been erased was only from her perspective. And her belief that only the Emperor’s power could offer an escape from all this was an even more unsubstantiated guess.

After all, when it came to traces of the Emperor, Han Su already possessed things like the Mechanical Fragments, the Fishing Song, and the Emperor’s Book.

And as for the Emperor being the only hope of escaping this predicament?

If Han Su remembered correctly, the old butler in the Ancient Castle had also mentioned the Emperor.

He even said that those children were all gifts from the Emperor to the monsters.

This presented two possibilities: either the Knight Descendants were acting in the Emperor’s name, or the Emperor himself was involved!

One thing was certain: everything in Ms. Shen’s memories was based on her own perspective. Han Su, on the other hand, had entered and exited the Ancient Castle so many times that he had already glimpsed some hidden secrets—perhaps even more than she had…

But then again, when it came to the Mechanical Fragments…

Han Su gently set down the Crystal Skull and looked into his briefcase. The two Mechanical Fragments lay quietly in their compartments, looking utterly unremarkable.

But their effects were truly astonishing.

One was related to Flashing, while the other seemed to have some sort of time-related function.

At the very least, his escape from the Ancient Castle this time had been two days earlier than before. If he had a two-day rewind on the same or a similar life path, wouldn’t the number of things he could accomplish be staggering?

A classic cheat!

However, unlike the first Mechanical Fragment, when Han Su channeled his Spiritual Power into this one, there was no reaction at all.

‘Could it be that it requires a different kind of energy to activate?’

For the moment, Han Su couldn’t figure out how to activate these two Mechanical Fragments, but their importance was beyond doubt.

What was strange, however, was that in Ms. Shen’s memories, there was very little information about them—or rather, none at all.

From her memories as a whole, he could only tell that these Mechanical Fragments were an indispensable part of the Divine Descent Plan.

Logically, Ms. Shen should have stressed their functions to him. But why was there a complete blank in her memories regarding the Mechanical Fragments? Even the mention of noble blood activating the throne was only brought up as circumstantial evidence.

After careful consideration, a thought suddenly struck Han Su. ‘The Mechanical Fragments have a peculiar property: they make people forget, yet also recall them from time to time. Could it be that this is precisely why Ms. Shen couldn’t remember them?’

‘She has the properties of the Crystal Skull, which already provides a mysterious boost to memory, so she can occasionally mention the existence and activation of the Mechanical Fragments.’

‘But she’s still affected to some degree and subconsciously avoids the topic…’

‘…’

That was highly likely!

Extrapolating from this point, it also meant that Ms. Shen’s memories left in the Crystal Skull might not be entirely reliable.

It was impossible to determine whether these memories had been influenced by some Mysterious Power, resulting in deletions or distortions.

Of course, as long as the importance of these two Mechanical Fragments was confirmed, that was what mattered.

‘Since they’re already so miraculous on their own, then, if conditions permit, why not try using the blood of a noble to activate them and see what amazing effects they might have?’

…

…

‘Knight Descendants, World Council?’

Although the Crystal Skull still held many precious details and answers to things he was curious about—such as the ten years spent living with this woman in Qinggang, or the Black Cat Duke, who should have existed during that decade but whom he hadn’t seen—Han Su still had to stop for now, feeling the mental strain.

An echo of that immense pressure flashed through his mind, and he slowly mulled over those two names, without delving any further.

Instead, he first carefully considered his basic situation on this life path:

‘Excellent. Not a single friend.’

Ever since arriving in the Southern Continent by ship, he had struggled to survive, with no friends or family. Even Akbar, who was both his teacher and lover, was just a Queen Bee with a hidden stinger.

That meant he was free on this life path. He could do whatever he wanted without any reservations.

He gave a somewhat satisfied nod, secretly pondering how he should make his first move.

But he didn’t ponder for long. He faintly heard the sound of soft footsteps on the stairs. With a thought, the copper-colored blood that had dispersed around the room flew back, pouring into the glass jar inside the briefcase.

Something active in the shadows of the corner began to whisper, telling Han Su what it saw.

Just now, the innkeeper had sternly warned the child doing his homework to stay downstairs. The man himself then left the inn, off to find someone.

The child had agreed, but after fidgeting impatiently for a long time, he finally couldn’t hold back. He slapped his homework down on the stool, furtively got up, and crept up the stairs, cautiously approaching Han Su’s door.