Chapter 733: Lanchi's Shadow World Plan
Chapter 733: Lanchi's Shadow World Plan
Four days later, on Saturday.
"Today is your eighth day in the capital, Brielda," Meowth said.
"After a busy and fulfilling week, you finally have your first day off."
Lanchi sat in the dining room of the mansion, reading the newspaper and no longer stopping Yungchun Meowth from reporting.
"Starting Wednesday, your research in the Empire has gained more attention. Every day, many military experts visit you, and the number of people watching you near your mansion increases. Even on your way home from Elliot Tower, there are military vehicles following you."
"On Thursday, you contacted the intelligence personnel of the Kingdom of Bosen through the Krexe Central Daily. After two days, you received Nigel's reply this morning. He will help Tata prepare the identity of a woman from the Nicksath Border Territory in the northwest. Rest assured."
"At the same time, because you sent a message to Nigel in advance, the Bosen intelligence agents also began to spread information about the flaws in the identity of the 62-year-old publisher, Loviya, under Nigel's instructions. The Empire's Action Department soon obtained evidence that Loviya was a spy."
"You've made another great contribution and received praise from Duke Dex, even making it into the newspapers. Red Falcon Nicholas still suspects you, but he is obviously more restrained and sent you the banner as promised."
Meowth paused here, finding it a bit difficult to continue as he glanced at the wall—
Loyalty and Courage, Iron Blood Guards the Country
"Lanchi, do you know what the students' expressions were when they saw Red Hawk Nicholas sending you this banner?" Meowth asked, turning to Lanchi.
Meowth then flipped through Lanchi's newspaper, urging him to look at him.
"I don't know," Lanchi replied, setting down the newspaper and looking at the little black cat on the table.
Now that he had gotten used to the school, he often let Meowth out of his Poke Ball.
Many people were now convinced that Professor Landre had a Fifth-stage Familiar like Meowth.
"To receive this banner from Red Hawk Nicholas, the chief of the special service, is like an official endorsement. There's even a saying going around the school that we should learn from Professor Landre's patriotism, pioneering spirit, talent, and virtue," Meowth said.
"Oh?" Talia said, looking up from the open kitchen on the other side of the dining room, giving Lanchi and Meowth a look.
Professor Landre had become an authority on Magic Nuclear Fission in the Krexe Empire, and he was coming into contact with more and more important figures in the Empire. He would have to attend quite a few academic conferences and talks in the Empire next week.
She was glad that Lanchi was currently disguised as Landre; otherwise, if he had been using his original identity, and if Hubert had seen this newspaper, he might not have been able to handle it.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
It was probably the delivery of the ingredients they had ordered.
"Lanchi, go get that," Talia called out as she tended to the pot on the stove.
"Okay," Lanchi replied, getting up to put down the newspaper and open the door. He let the school worker place several large boxes of ingredients in the entryway, thanked him, and closed the door.
By now, Talia had personally set up soundproof and scrying-proof barriers throughout the house, ensuring their safety.
"Why did you buy so much?" Talia asked, joining Lanchi in the entryway a while later. She looked at the boxes of ingredients on the floor, hands on her hips.
"You've been saying that the ingredients from St. Krexe Abbey are great, so I bought a lot. I think we should be able to finish them," Lanchi replied sincerely.
"..." Talia thought about it and agreed.
After they returned to Icelyte, they wouldn't be able to enjoy the specialty ingredients from St. Krexe Abbey anymore.
She took some of the ingredients to the kitchen counter and put on her apron again to continue making breakfast.
Soon, a delicious meal was served on the table.
"Tata, your cooking skills are getting better and better. What's your secret?" Meowth asked, sitting on the table and marveling at the delicious food in front of him.
"I don't know," Talia shook her head as she sat down across from Lanchi.
"You can eat now. We'll read the newspaper later," she said to Lanchi.
Lanchi was a typical workaholic. Sometimes, when he was immersed in his work, he would forget to eat, and if no one was there to take care of him, his meal times would become irregular.
Meowth would only call Lanchi once when he had finished cooking, and he would patiently wait by the side, often letting the food get cold before Lanchi started eating. This wasn't good for his stomach.
"Okay," Lanchi replied obediently, putting down the newspaper and picking up his fork to dig into the overly abundant meal, just like the previous days.
"I guess there's no work today?" Lanchi asked.
"It's a rare day off. They don't seem to want to bother me on a Saturday, but that might change next week. I might even end up working through the weekends," he added.
"Then let's go to the river near the abbey this afternoon to soak up some sun," Talia suggested.
"Why?" Lanchi asked.
"People aren't machines. Only machines don't need rest. People need to rest, even if you're busy. You need to pay attention to getting enough rest," Talia explained.
The two of them and Meowth enjoyed their breakfast in the dining room, occasionally chatting about their future life at St. Krexe Abbey. Before they knew it, their plates were empty.
During these days, they had also been keeping an eye on the mysterious organization's meetings through the Ultra Long-Range Communication Program-7.
Gaining an understanding of the Empire's secrets, and even glimpsing information related to the Blood Clan...
"How much longer do you plan to stay undercover?" Talia asked, having kept up with Lanchi's investigations.
Most of their intelligence came from Source 3, who either traded other information or put it on credit. There was also intelligence related to the Blood Clan, and it seemed that the existence of the Blood Clan within the Krexe Empire was no secret to this organization. They, too, had members investigating the Blood Clan.
Talia felt more and more that Lanchi's decision to join this organization was the right one.
"I'll see if I can help when the time comes," Lanchi replied, focusing on his meal.
...
After the meal, Talia did a quick cleanup in the kitchen and returned to the dining room to find Lanchi back at work.
"The biggest challenge right now is finding the coordinates of Blood Moon City. There's a high probability that Duke Migaya is within it."
Lanchi had a huge map of Brielda spread out on the table, marked with red annotations indicating the likelihood of spatial interfaces in various locations based on his investigations over the past few days.
"Meow, is Blood Moon City dangerous?" Meowth asked anxiously as he sat nearby.
He only played high-end games, but he knew he wasn't very skilled.
"Blood Moon City is probably the most dangerous place besides the northern magical realm of the Protoss Empire," Lanchi replied, taking a sip from his cup as he stared intently at the map.
If one were to use the level conversion formula...
The northern magical realm of the Protoss Empire is a dual-lord mode, with an 88th-level Askassan in the first stage and an 88th-level Duke Morotian in the second stage.
The Blood Moon City assault features four lords: the 88th-level Seventh Progenitor, Heretier Marquis; the 88th-level Eighth Progenitor, Somerset Marquis; the 88th-level Ninth Progenitor, Bernhard Marquis; and the 90th-level Third Progenitor, Lacharl Duke, along with several count-level blood clan members above level 70.
"And our current manpower shortage is also a problem. If we can't gather enough reinforcements by the right day, we'll have to try to sneak in and kidnap Duke Migaya, then figure out our next move against the blood clan from there."
Lanchi added.
"What if we can gather enough teammates?" Talia asked.
She hadn't inquired much about Blood Moon City before.
Within Blood Moon City, Lanchi's [Glorious Virtue] might be somewhat weakened due to the inherent blood clan environmental barrier. She wasn't sure how the light-dark determination would turn out, and they couldn't rely solely on Little Sun. In team battles, it was vulnerable to unknown area-of-effect damage.
Blood Moon City was akin to an ancient, fortified strategic location dominated by the blood clan, giving them a significant home-field advantage.
The biggest weakness of [Glorious Virtue] as a summon was that it could be attacked.
Fortunately, with the black primordial stone slab-seal's divine light enhancement, its multiplier had been strengthened, providing a more reassuring performance.
"Then there's a possibility of forcing our way through and ending the blood clan's cause and effect once and for all."
Ever since the incident in the Bosen Kingdom, Lanchi no longer made the best plans but instead prepared for the worst-case scenarios.
"How much firepower would we need to have a chance of forcibly breaking through Blood Moon City?"
Talia understood that breaching a fortified city was no easy task, and the difficulty of assaulting Blood Moon City might not be any less than a direct breakthrough of the imperial capital, Brielda. However, all hope rested on Lanchi having sufficiently thorough intelligence about Blood Moon City.
The dream bestowed by the Goddess of Fate had given Lanchi an incredibly detailed understanding of Blood Moon City's layout and mechanics.
Of course, it was also possible that Black Sun Lanclos had attempted a breakthrough at Blood Moon City tens of thousands of years ago, and this knowledge had been kept by the Goddess of Fate, only to be bestowed upon Lanchi in a different form alongside his mission.
"The mechanism of Blood Moon City is that the three Marquises serve as the dominant protectors of the defensive barrier. They cannot be killed, but each time they are defeated, the energy supply of Blood Moon City will be slightly weakened for a certain period, during which the core protective barrier in the Blood King's Palace will temporarily lose its immune state."
Lanchi paused for a moment, deep in thought, before explaining to Talia and Meowth, "The core of Blood Moon City is located in the Blood King's Palace and can be energized by the Third Progenitor, Lacharl. If the core is damaged, it will also recover over time, usually maintaining 100% power. However, in an extremely critical situation, Lacharl Duke will spare no effort to charge it to 120%, triggering annihilation mode. If we can reduce the core energy to 0%, then we win and can seal the blood clan away. But if the core reaches 120%, we're all finished."
"So, at the start, we need someone to enter the Blood King's Palace and hold off the Third Progenitor, Lacharl, to prevent him from charging the core. If no one can hold him off, it'll be an instant party wipe."
"Then the rest of us need to split into four teams. Three stronger teams will clear the path, dealing with the elite blood clan Counts along the way, and take on the three Marquis-level blood clan members. The fourth team, a fast-moving squad, will need to block the entrance of Blood Moon City to prevent mind-controlled Imperial Army troops from breaking in to support the blood clan."
With that, Lanchi concluded his explanation of what he believed to be the optimal strategy for the Blood Moon City assault.
"What if we can gather enough people for an assault on Blood Moon City?" Talia asked, her eyes fixed on the map as she stroked its surface.
She was eager for a fight, especially against the blood clan, who had nearly destroyed Hubert's family. Talia wanted to teach them a lesson and make them pay for what they had done.
"That's just a prerequisite. Even if we can, we also need to act on the day of the National Day celebration at the end of next month, when all the War Gods return to Brielda. That will be our best chance."
Lanchi shook his head in response.
"Why... do we have to pick a day when the War Gods are all present? Won't we be facing more eighth-stage enemies then? Shouldn't that be the most dangerous day?" Talia asked, looking up at Lanchi in confusion.
Some of the War Gods had already been mind-controlled by Lacharl, the Third Progenitor, and she couldn't predict how difficult it would be if they had to face even more War Gods.
"Precisely because the War Gods will be receiving their blessings during the ceremony, they won't be able to act freely. We can ensure that no War Gods will interfere in the battle at Blood Moon City, and we'll have about two hours to launch our assault." Lanchi explained.
It was a risky move, but it was also an opportunity when they were guaranteed not to be disturbed by the War Gods.
On other days, he couldn't be sure if any War Gods would suddenly return or if those already in the capital would join the fight.
"Are you worried that the First War God, Haxintos, is on Lacharl's side, and if he shows up, we'll be wiped out?" Talia asked.
"Yes," Lanchi replied. He found Loren's strength to be incredibly formidable, a true anomaly in his understanding of power. However, he suspected that Loren might not be as strong as Gyatte, the holder of the Third War God's seat, the Cinnabar Seat.
He couldn't even begin to imagine the strength of the Second War God, the Obsidian Seat, who was rumored to be a tier-breaking existence, let alone the might of the ultimate War God, the Diamond Seat.
"We need to find more teammates. Just the two of us won't be enough to take on Blood Moon City." Lanchi admitted.
Even with their demon-type advantage, their battle against the 84th-level Perlman had been a close call.
Without that advantage, fighting a human opponent of similar strength would be even more challenging.
While they did have an advantage against the blood clan, it wasn't consistent, and they needed to ensure that Lanchi's [Glorious Virtue] could remain on the battlefield.
"It seems that you must face the Third Progenitor, Lacharl, alone. Aside from you, even if we find other eighth-stage allies, no one else can deal with someone who can control minds." Talia said, her arms crossed as she frowned in thought.
"So, we need a large number of powerful allies if we want to have a chance at Blood Moon City. If we can't take the city, we'll have to rely on luck to try and rescue Duke Migaya." Lanchi said, glancing at the [Ultra Long-Range Communication Program-7] in his hand.
He had been working hard to climb the ranks within the Empire, but it would take time for his efforts to bear fruit. He was waiting for an opportunity to seize power.
There might be someone in this organization who would be willing to help them deal with the blood clan threat.
Based on the previous owner of the pink sacred series [Ultra Long-Range Communication Program], Lanche believed that if they were a researcher or a high-ranking figure in the Empire, their tier might only be sixth-stage, but they could still be incredibly powerful in combat.
And the mysterious 1, who had developed the [Ultra Long-Range Communication Program], was even more unfathomable. They were at least involved in the program's development, if not the sole creator.
"Anyway, let's get through the Shadow World first." Talia patted Lanchi's shoulder reassuringly.
Lanchi needed to reach the seventh stage and enter the truly extraordinary realm, undergoing a qualitative change in both body and mind, to have any chance of withstanding Lacharl.
Otherwise, even if Lanchi could immune himself to Lacharl's mental magic, Lacharl's regular magic attacks would still be deadly.
"Hmm, in about a week, mid-October, it will be the agreed-upon time. I've already asked Secretary Nayla to apply for challenger rights to the Shadow World for me." Lanchi said, his confidence returning as he sat in his chair.
As a professor at St. Krexe Abbey, it was normal for him to challenge the Shadow World, and he would also be granted a holiday for it.
As long as the time spent in the Shadow World wasn't too long, he would be able to make it back in time for Duke Dex's November plan for the Empire.
"Will we be able to see Hubert again in a week when we enter the Shadow World?" Talia asked softly, her expression softening at the thought.
The mere mention of Hubert filled her with excitement, and she had missed her dearly these past two months. Talia wondered how Hubert had been doing, if she had been eating well, staying warm, and finding happiness.
"She's definitely still in your room, listening to music, feeding the fox, and reading the newspaper in the armchair." Lanchi said with a smile, his hand raised as if to emphasize his point.
Just thinking about Hubert made Lanchi smile. He could easily imagine Hubert's transformed appearance as she lounged in Talia's room.
The very thought of Hubert's assimilated form made Lanchi chuckle.
Talia thought Lanchi was a bit annoying, but she didn't feel like arguing with him over such a minor matter.
"It's a shame that we'll only get to be with Hubert for one Shadow World and then have to part ways again. I miss her." Talia said, her golden eyes downcast as she expressed her regret.
Even though she knew that her soul-bound state with Lanchi made it inconvenient for them to live together, she couldn't help but yearn for it.
(End of Chapter)
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