Chapter 474 262: Constantine's Diary 2

"These Dragon Devourer Cultists are most likely an ambush set by the Dragon Witch. She somehow found out about our trap in advance and is using it against us."

"But how could Elder Pence possibly know who hasn't been searched yet?" Isabella said. "This is simply unworkable. Besides, we haven't even confirmed if the Dragon Witch is in this room. We have no way of knowing whether the one who stole the Red Dragon Reverse Scale is the Dragon Witch or that notorious Bismarck from Westminster Cathedral."

Elder Pence just smiled. "You needn't worry about this, Miss Isabella. I already have someone in mind."

"In that case, I'll leave this matter to you, Elder Pence."

Isabella then gathered her people and began to issue commands.

Meanwhile, the Law Enforcers watched Isabella devise her plan with clean efficiency. They couldn't help but marvel that the legendary eldest daughter truly lived up to her reputation.

Wizard K smiled. "As expected of Miss Eldest. Decisive and efficient, just as the rumors say. Truly a beautiful and powerful woman."

Jiang Ge, the one with red hair, nodded. "After the Dragon Spear Baptism, her total Spiritual Power is already approaching the Silver rank. With her talent, breaking through to Silver is only a matter of the next year or two."

Saint Elvin added, "And don't forget she gained the recognition of the Dragon Spear in Dragon Spear Plaza. If all goes well, she's certain to inherit the position of Patriarch of the Beowulf Family."

He sighed. "If I weren't ten years older than her, I'd definitely be trying to win her over."

"But it's not like she'd give you the time of day," Nun Camilla said, her voice dripping with sweet charm. "If you ask me, someone like Miss Eldest would never fall for a guy like you who walks around with a Bible all day, putting on a cultured facade to trick young maidens and married women."

"Isn't that right, Lian?"

Sister Lian, the nun with long, straight black hair, hesitated a moment before nodding. She then went back to wiping the great tachi in her hands.

Meanwhile, Elder Pence gave Isabella a deep look, then subtly shot a meaningful glance at the High Priest. The High Priest understood at once and said:

"I'll go get Knight Commander Sad."

Knight Commander Sad returned. After the High Priest explained the situation to him, the Knight Commander had a moment of realization.

"I remember the last people I checked were the auction's hostess and..."

He glanced at Freya. "...Miss Freya's attendant."

Elder Pence said gently, "Then start your investigation with those two. Go find them."

Knight Commander Sad nodded. He glanced at the expressionless Isabella, gave a brief acknowledgment, and left with his men.

The High Priest then raised his arm and shouted to the crowd, ordering the guests to cooperate fully with the Griffin Knights' inspection. This was to prevent any Dragon Devourer Cultists sent by the Dragon Witch—or perhaps a Taboo Item Thief from some neutral organization—from hiding among them.

At this point, the auction had devolved into a complete farce.

The guests cursed and complained, but they had no choice but to cooperate.

Pound slapped away the outstretched hand of a Griffin Knight in a red breastplate. "Get away from my sister, you bastard!" he roared.

The Red-armored Knight said coldly, "I am merely following orders, Mr. Pound. If you have any complaints, you can take them to the Prole Court and file a lawsuit against the Griffin Knight Order."

He then turned to Windsor. "Miss, please display all the contents of your Storage Stone as required."

Pound raged, "You actually suspect *us* of stealing the Red Dragon Reverse Scale!"

The Red-armored Knight said indifferently, "It's possible. That renegade Dragon Knight might also have a need for this Dragon Scale. And according to our intelligence, you had contact with him in the Dracul Mountain Range."

'That was a goddamn robbery!'

'So many people were robbed, why single us out?! Is it just because we're technically cousins with that bastard Baron Constantin?'

Pound wanted to scream, but his sister Windsor held him back. She was holding a Magic Card.

"Sir Knight, I am willing to cooperate. However, I will be using this Magic Card to record this... enforcement action. If necessary, I will appeal to the Prole Court."

She looked at the Griffin Knight silently. Her eyes were round, making her look exceptionally gentle, yet there was a hint of stubbornness in them.

She sent a message to her brother Pound using her Spiritual Power. "He's from the Hestia Family. They're trying to put the Constantine Family in its place. Brother, we can't fall for their trap."

Pound snapped back to reality. He clenched his fists, then relaxed them. Once again, he began to hate his own weakness and incompetence. 'I can't even protect my own sister.'

'If that bastard Baron Constantin saw this, he'd probably just laugh at me... If Cousin Soron were still alive, things wouldn't be like this.'

He could only watch in silence as the Griffin Knight snatched the Storage Stone from Windsor's hand, crudely searched it by injecting his Spiritual Power, and then tossed it back.

But the toss was so careless that Windsor couldn't catch the Storage Stone. It fell to the floor, the sound like a snapping string.

Pound stepped forward. Staring at the knight, he said coldly, "Pick it up."

The Red-armored Knight met Pound's icy glare with a cold snort. "Who do you think you are, Baron Constantin? You can glare all you want, but you'll never have a Golden Eye."

The last thread of Pound's reason snapped. He whipped out his Magic Staff, Magic gathering at its tip as he aimed it at the Knight.

"I said, pick up the Storage Stone!"

"Pound Constantin, are you trying to defy an order from the Holy Hall!?" The Red-armored Knight sneered at Pound's drawn Magic Staff. "The Constantine Clan might not have the power to protect a mere Black Iron Mage like you these days."

Seeing that the Red-armored Knight and Pound were about to come to blows, the situation growing tense, the surrounding guests and knights all turned to watch.

"Why is it this Pound guy again? First, he was fighting with Hilde and his crew over some woman, and now he's picking a fight with a knight from the Griffin Knight Order. He's such a troublemaker."

"In terms of being trouble, he's a lot like that Dragon Knight."

Hearing the surrounding chatter, Pound was about to explode with rage.

He said in a frigid voice, "Pick. Up. The. Storage Stone."

"And what if I don't?" The Red-armored Knight narrowed his eyes, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

He looked ready to engage Pound in close combat. Windsor's face paled. It was common knowledge that while Wizards could provide cover with long-range firepower, in close quarters, an ordinary Olympic champion from the Outer Side could probably take one down.

Just then, an attendant hurried over in a panic. He picked up the Storage Stone from the floor, handed it to Windsor, and then said to the Red-armored Knight, "Sir Knight, the Knight Commander has found something! He needs your support!"

The Red-armored Griffin Knight heard this, shot Pound a glance, and snorted. "I'll let you off this time."

With that, he left without a backward glance.

Pound lowered his Magic Staff. He looked at his sister, Windsor, expecting her to scold him. But this time, Windsor just smiled at him. "Thank you, brother."

Pound actually felt a little embarrassed.

But it wasn't long before the Red-armored Knight returned with several other knights. He looked around and demanded, "Where is that attendant from before?"

But he was nowhere to be found.

——————————————————

[Secret Notes of Baron Constantin (Original Body):

January 1, 1976 / Plains / Overcast

I studied Alchemy Ceremonies with Master Zophie. He told me that the Alchemy Realm has classified a total of nine types of ceremonies, but only three are currently considered mainstream.

Two of them are "Bestow" and "Barrier."

I asked Master Zophie what the third mainstream ceremony was, and he adopted a deeply secretive expression.

He then told me it was "Summoning."

Later, however, he rephrased it, calling it "Exchange."

"Using an Alchemy Ceremony as a medium to exchange something important for something you need." That's how Master Zophie put it.

But I couldn't figure out how this so-called "Exchange" was connected to "Summoning."

So I went and asked my father.

Father told me that, in essence, both "Exchange" and "Summoning" come down to one thing: what you receive is determined by what you are willing to give.

I suddenly understood.

Does this mean... I can use this ceremony to resurrect Mother?]