CHAPTER 485: CHAPTER 483 EMILY ENTRUSTS YOU WITH A TASK_1

"Colonel, there’s big trouble!"

An anxious, gasping voice yelled from outside the door, accompanied by a POUNDING knock.

In an instant, the knocking hand landed on Toru’s lush, sweaty chest hair. He stood there, clad only in large underpants, his expression utterly cold as he asked, "Another enemy attack?"

His eyes gleamed like torches.

The last surprise attack hadn’t been well-received by the higher-ups, but Toru, on the other hand, actually relished the experience of combat and longed for another large-scale attack to showcase his skills.

The soldier withdrew his hand, stood straight, and reported, "Colonel, the meteorite... it’s been swallowed by the Shadow!"

"What did you say?"

Toru was utterly baffled. He swiftly moved outside the building and glanced sideways—indeed, he did not see the familiar green tarp that had been covering the huge meteorite.

He saw only the clear blue sky. "What’s going on here?"

"Colonel, here’s the video from the scene."

A soldier took out his phone and showed footage of the meteorite sinking. The tarp obscured the surface, so they couldn’t see the Shadow covering it; only the meteorite sinking into the darkness was visible.

The whole process took three and a half minutes.

Seeing the duration, Toru slapped the soldier across the face and bellowed, "Damn it, why notify me only now after so long?"

Feeling wronged, the struck soldier protested, "Colonel, at that time, we were all stunned—how could anyone have reacted in time?"

"But you had time to film a video, right?"

Toru glared. Explaining this ridiculous situation to the higher-ups shouldn’t pose a problem, he thought.

He scratched his head and walked to the command center, deciding to call the Seventh Fleet’s headquarters from there, then have them relay the message to The White House to ask what should be done next.

If the target they were assigned to protect had vanished, was there still a need for the Mount Fuji Military Base to remain?

...

Washington D.C. lay under a heavy night sky. Aboard Air Force One, the Secretary of State munched on pastries in his office, replenishing sugar on his tongue while contemplating various issues.

Before he could come up with answers, a secretary hurried into the tea room. The secretary approached him respectfully and said, "Mr. Secretary of State, we have a report from the Mt. Fuji Military Base in Tokyo. It states that a Shadow swallowed the meteorite from the ground. Here is the video from the scene."

The secretary took out a phone and played the footage.

The Secretary of State watched the meteorite sinking into the Shadow, his brow furrowed deeply.

Unlike the others, I know that this meteorite is actually the altar for Dio’s ascent to Paradise, he thought. Now that the Shadow has taken away the altar for ascension, was this Dio’s doing, or does Dio know nothing of it?

Various thoughts flickered through the Secretary of State’s mind. He considered it unlikely that the two were in cahoots. Dio is a loner by nature and has no reason to enlist the Shadow’s help for such a deed. If he wanted to take the altar, he would have done so himself. With his powers, it’s entirely possible for him to accomplish that. So, now that the altar has been taken, is it unexpected?

The Secretary of State was well aware that Dio wasn’t the only Angel Envoy from the Different World, and that competition and enmity among them were normal. Even within a trio, it’s common for some to have closer relations than others. Not to mention, in such a vast Different World—if one were to claim all nations are harmonious, I wouldn’t believe it for a second.

"What’s happened now?"

At some point, Nett, who had been lost in his thoughts, asked. His eyes were no longer as vacant as before—it seemed his brain had returned to normal after its wanderings.

The Secretary of State quickly stood up, saying, "Mr. President, at Mount Fuji, the..." He trailed off.

Nett’s eyes sharpened.

The Secretary of State immediately realized his blunder and hastily raised his hand. "Everyone, leave."

Such a directive to dismiss them should naturally come from him, not Nett. The President must always appear to trust his subordinates. Suspicion and mistrust must be my burden to bear, he thought.

Once the room was cleared of others, Nett nodded. "Please, continue."

"The altar inside the Fuji Military Base has been taken by the Shadow. It’s unclear whether it’s connected to Dio or to one of his rivals."

The Secretary of State relayed the information he had received and also brought up the kidnapping of Braulio.

After hearing him out, Nett’s brow furrowed slightly, then unexpectedly relaxed as he smiled. "This might not be such a bad thing after all. We’ve already made a copy of the altar’s runes, so losing it is no big deal. If they have conflicts among themselves, then we can mediate and seek benefits when the opportunity arises. From now on, you must pay close attention to CIA intelligence. Tell them they can strategically place more undercover agents near Dio. We can’t just rely on one informer to convey messages."

"Yes, sir." The Secretary of State nodded.

Nett continued, "Since the problem is with the Shadow, the lighting on Air Force One should be changed."

"Mr. President, I’ve already made preparations. I’ve also arranged for flashbangs and other high-intensity light armaments to protect the area around Air Force One."

"Good. Then let’s start discussing matters related to the Middle East."

"Alright." The Secretary of State stood up, planning to take advantage of the President’s lucid moments to hammer out the general framework; the details could be filled in by them.

...

The news of the meteorite’s disappearance from the Mount Fuji Military Base spread rapidly across the internet.

Jack didn’t intend to cover up the news; on the contrary, he wished for that kind of news and videos to be all over the web.

That way, Emily naturally could come across videos of the meteorite’s disappearance with ease.

She leaned lazily on the sofa. Her short legs were stretched out as much as they could be, resting on the coffee table. Her bare feet were whiter than the Haagen-Dazs in her hand.

Emily watched the gradually sinking meteorite and scooped up a spoonful of snow-white ice cream, a thoughtful expression appearing on her delicate little face.

Such significant news wasn’t covered up but rather openly released to the public. It’s clearly a signal. Do they want me to get the news of the meteorite’s disappearance? Emily pondered. The biggest question on their minds right now is probably whether Dio has anything to do with the altar’s disappearance, or if it was the work of one of his rivals. If it’s the former, then it’s no big deal. The altar belonged to Dio in the first place; if he wanted to reclaim it, no one could stop him. The latter, however, would be different. That would create room to maneuver. In human history, the most feared scenario is a single dominant power. If multiple contenders rise, it gives those beneath them more options. Forming alliances, playing one power against another—these concepts run through most of human history.

As Emily mulled over these things, she suddenly felt a breeze brush across her cheeks and neck, lifting a lock of hair backward.

She glanced instinctively in the direction the breeze had departed. Behind the sofa, a tall, blonde-haired man stood silently, expressionless.

His brown eyes were full of coldness, creating an inexplicably heavy atmosphere that enveloped the living room.

Katerina, who was brewing black tea, felt goosebumps rise on her skin, a bone-chilling unease washing over her as if she were being preyed upon by a wild beast.

Emily swallowed the ice cream in her mouth and smiled. "You don’t seem too pleased."

"Something unpleasant happened," Aozawa let out a breath, reining in his murderous intent. When acting, it’s best to be convincing, he thought.

A glint flashed in Emily’s eyes. From that sentence, I can tell the Shadow taking the altar was unexpected for Dio, she deduced.

She quickly sat up and asked, "Does it have to do with the disappearance of the altar at Mt. Fuji?"

"Correct," Aozawa nodded, and continued, "That fellow actually took advantage of my absence to pull off something like that. This is for you."

Emily looked at the blue accessory in his hand. In appearance, it somewhat resembled a jade pendant, yet she had never seen jade of such a color before, and it seemed to have faint streaks of star-white mixed inside. It also somewhat resembled glazed glass.

"What is this?" Emily took the small accessory. It felt cool to the touch, its chill suggesting it didn’t belong to this world.

This was a beautiful, uniquely-materialed accessory Aozawa had created using his Fate Weaving Ability; even he wasn’t sure of its specific composition.

"It’s a pass. With this, creatures from the Shadow World will come to you and lead you to meet the Emperor."

Upon hearing the word ’Emperor,’ Emily’s interest was immediately piqued. It meant she would be making contact with the first nation from the Different World to arrive in this one.

Her previous trip to the Different World had been on her own initiative. She had not met the King then, only learning indirectly through Griffith that the King had allowed the Princess to send them back.

To be honest, I’ve always been curious about the Kings of Different Worlds, Emily thought. In a world where individual fighting strength can trump all, what does a King rely on to make others serve him? Greater power? Or perhaps some unique lineage?

These questions only began to surface for Emily after she had left the Different World. At the time she was there, her mind had been occupied with other matters. Or rather, there were so many mysteries in the Different World that no matter what she might have focused on then, she would always find it lacking in hindsight.

The Shadow Emperor... When I meet him, what should I say? Emily suppressed the joy in her heart and asked cautiously.

With a serious face, Aozawa said, "Ask him his terms. The altar is of no use to him."

Curiously, Emily asked, "Why don’t you see him yourself?"

"Because I’ve been rejected by the Shadow World. Only you can go in my stead. His sudden move on the altar indicates he wants something I possess. Don’t agree to anything immediately. Come back and discuss it with me first."

"Okay, I understand." Emily nodded. She understood her task was to act simply as a human messenger. "Is there any protocol I need to be aware of when meeting the Emperor?" she asked. "I don’t want to end up being called rude and losing my head as soon as I arrive."

Considering the Different World’s leaning towards a medieval atmosphere, Emily still wanted to clarify the specific etiquette.

"You are my envoy; you can walk in there with your head held high," Aozawa said. Then, his body swiftly transformed into a wisp of breeze using Element Replacement. "The rest is up to you."

"Eh?" A look of utter bewilderment was written across Emily’s small face.