NOVEL NEXT Chapter 321 Overload
"Of course, that question and all our doubts will disappear if Seraphine asks directly. Everything will be resolved significantly, and we will consider it all as just a grand coincidence—your actions and movements, that simple... right?" Emperor Gabriel said excitedly, casually taking another sip of wine.
I nodded calmly... It was true. Everything he said was true; there was no need to get nervous. After all, I'm not a traitor.
"But there's no need to ask. I'm certain you're not a traitor; I can see it. Well... all of us in this room can see it. When someone is a traitor, they have a corrupt essence in their soul and mind. Although I see darkness in your soul, I haven't found any such evidence. Besides, all the opinions of the three chosen ones are good and positive. In fact, young Estefany even cried with emotion." Seraphine's sweet smile was practically glowing.
"Well, setting that topic aside, we have a few matters to discuss with Lady Dorothy. Normally, it would be a delicate topic between us and Lady Glaces... but seeing as both of us curiously trust you, it won't be a big problem."
Glancing at Dorothy's state... I felt very embarrassed. With difficulty, I stood up and approached her. Feeling my presence, she looked at me, frowning... her slightly flushed cheeks glowed a bit, and she stared at me as if asking what the hell I was doing. Struggling not to lose control, I leaned closer: "They want to talk to you... so stop drinking already!" I murmured softly in her ear. She looked at me for a moment, then closed her eyes... her cheeks returning to their normal state. I watched her for a moment... such brutal control over her body...
Dorothy opened her eyes and nodded, "Alright." She straightened up in her chair and nodded toward the three sacred beings of the empire.
Returning to my seat, I mentally thanked Dorothy for taking this seriously; for some reason, I thought she might throw a tantrum again...
"It's a pleasure to have you in the empire, Lady Dorothy. I am Emperor Gabriel."
"My name is Dorothy! I am the Queen of the Magic Forest." The young woman emanated the posture of a ruler.
The other sacred beings also made their respective introductions... Dorothy was about to reach for another glass of wine, but I quickly snatched it from her hands... she stayed silent, staring at me intently.
"If you'll allow my imprudence, I have a few questions for you, Lady Dorothy," the Emperor said kindly.
"Oh... That's fine, no problem," she agreed.
"I'd like to know if you have any information that could be of use to me, if you'd be so kind," said the Emperor.
"That's too vague, but yes, I do. I suppose the first thing you want to know is where I got that corrupt human artifact associated with the Sin of Sloth... am I right?" Dorothy, unlike before, had a serious expression on her face. You could even see hatred in her eyes.
"Indeed. As you know, it's a very serious issue, especially considering that the 'human artifact' was actually one of my men... Can you tell me about it?" The Emperor's expression also grew somber.
The room itself seemed to feel heavier than before. After all, we were talking about a cardinal sin. We must remember that very little information is available about these beings; they are mysterious, and above all, very powerful. And the worst part is, there are seven of them...
"I retrieved that artifact from the City of Adventurers. There are seven of them, all placed in strategic locations..." Dorothy said.
"The reason?" the Emperor asked.
"A ritual, a sacrifice, an offering... You three would know better than anyone else. There are unusual movements in Zones 7 and 8. In Zone 7, they are easier to see and feel, as you can freely roam around without any issues. The ones in motion are the so-called Seven Biblical Plagues along with their followers. What is noticeable is that creatures from the lower zones have disappeared... On the other hand, Zone 8 is much more difficult to enter, because when you do, the Seven Sins can sense your presence."
"What's happening in that city is actually a summoning sacrifice. For a clear reason—they want to kill us, and we want to kill them. Since they can't leave Zone 8, the only thing they can do is manifest a presence, a vague image of themselves that contains all their power, but their real bodies remain in Zone 8. As I mentioned earlier, there are seven of those human artifacts, but I took one. With this, the ritual will fail, and with all the people evacuated from the city, the problem is solved to some extent."
"But, they won't remain idle. Somehow, whether inside or outside the empire, they will keep trying. You've dealt with the hidden rats within the empire, but I have to tell you there are actually many more of them posing as students. And as I said earlier..."
"They plan to perform a sacrifice with the students," Draven spoke for the first time. "And at the same time, they plan to kill the chosen ones... I suppose they also want to steal the artifacts in the same way. Are you afraid of them?"
"Yes, they are artifacts from beyond this world, so they have many uses. In addition to granting true names to their chosen ones, they could be a weapon of mass destruction. You also have some information about them. If something goes wrong during the assimilation process, the artifact could explode. According to my calculations, one of them is enough to destroy the entire empire, but that's not the worst part. The overload... the artifacts tend to react with their bearers. Whenever they are close to them, they glow, but when they move away, they dim... The overload occurs when the artifacts become furious because they can't be with their bearers. They're like children..." Dorothy explained.
Glancing at her from the corner of my eye... she also looked at me superficially... her eyes saying: "Hehehe, I know much more than you think." Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire
What she just said about the overload... I had no idea what that was...
The Emperor fell silent... and looked at Athena, who sighed and retrieved something from her ring...
It was a small mirror... the size of a baby's hand. The mirror itself was shattered, with thousands of cracks running through it... but around it, there was a glow of stars that were violently agitating as if they wanted to escape from this place...
"That artifact is suffering from overload. If it continues like this, it could explode at any moment. I'd recommend you start thinking about how to handle the assimilation process now," Dorothy commented.