CHAPTER 256: CHAPTER 181: THE FORGOTTEN MATTER

The craftsmen’s emotions were complex.

For them, Ethan’s words confirmed that the secret treasure in each of their hearts truly existed.

It was a suit of power armor personally crafted by the Master of Tides, possibly containing the knowledge left by the greatest craftsman in human history, and whoever possessed this armor would be endowed with endless "inspiration."

Even now, they cannot imagine the changes these losses might bring. According to Ethan’s speculation, the master craftsmen throughout history only obtained one of the countless treasures from that knowledge vault, which was enough to illuminate the future of the Western Continent like a lighthouse.

No craftsman could refuse such temptation.

They could not understand how Ethan, the first to discover this knowledge, seemed completely indifferent to it.

The actions of one craftsman pulled everyone back to reality.

He was the father of Gray-Lid.

This man in his forties managed to suppress the emotions stirring within him and walked towards Gray, who lay lifeless at the entrance of the hall. He bent down to check Gray’s breath and ultimately sank to his knees in despair.

Not long ago, he too heard the Master of Tides’ judgment on Gray.

Cheater.

This was the message conveyed by the Master of Tides to all the craftsmen.

His son not only died but died without honor, equivalent to being expelled from the Artisan Brotherhood. The name of Gray-Lid would not be recorded in the Brotherhood’s Heroic Spirit Hall, instead likely nailed to the pillar of shame in history.

This father decided to leave the noisy place. As he carried Gray’s body away, the craftsmen in the hall did not linger their attention on them. Everyone realized a great piece of news — this amateur from the Empire knew the treasure’s location and had no interest in it.

The craftsmen’s expressions varied, none wanted to speak of this topic openly.

They harbored ulterior motives, unwilling to share the spoils left by the Master of Tides with others.

There was only one suit of power armor, meaning only one person could inherit this treasure.

"What a pity, he was so young."

Leaving the mechanical castle, someone stopped the man carrying Gray-Lid, and the man turned to see a woman with serpent-like pupils and a seductive figure. He immediately recognized her, a woman always by Flor’s side. As she approached, a strong fragrance could be smelled.

A dangerous woman with deep scheming, that was his assessment of her.

"Sorry, Lady Xiangwei, I’m not in the mood now."

The man maintained basic etiquette, his thoughts in chaos, overlapping in his mind, and could only follow instinct to bring his lifeless son home, the only thing he could do now.

Maybe...

He could use some "inspiration," he could modify Gray-Lid’s body.

Although Steam Technology couldn’t bring the dead back to life, it could at least make them appear alive.

"I was just saying, he just set a record, destined to become a master craftsman not inferior to Mr. Gelb. It’s too bad he died just like that."

Xiangwei smiled at him.

Her amber snake eyes locked onto the bewildered man, as if looking at prey about to be caught.

"What exactly do you want to say?"

"If Steam Technology doesn’t work, try some other methods." Xiangwei paused briefly, "I think what you need now is a miracle, a miracle that can resurrect your son... So, how about making a deal with the consortium?"

....................

Meanwhile, an unremarkable white ragdoll cat walked gracefully up the steps of the council, heading straight into the building that symbolized Ophira’s pinnacle of power.

Two guards stationed at the entrance saw the ragdoll cat and bent down to appear as gentle as possible.

Few small animals appeared here.

They had never seen such a beautiful cat, and more interestingly, it didn’t seem afraid of people at all.

"Little kitty, you—"

The gentle voice abruptly halted, and the guards stood dumbfounded.

They clearly saw the white cat turn into a phantom, disappearing from view as they returned to their senses, as if the sight was just an illusion.

"Did you see it?"

"Saw it, there was definitely a little cat here."

The two exchanged glances, confirming each other’s confusion.

This was too strange.

Why did the cat suddenly disappear?

Logically, both of them should not simultaneously hallucinate.

What unfolded before Lindong’s eyes was a different scene; she saw stairs stained with blood, only one guard remained, or more accurately, half.

His upper body was being devoured by a creeping shadow creature while still gripping a weapon, but none of this could change his fate.

The wriggling shadow looked like sludge, continuously emerging from black rifts torn open in the space, she saw someone pass by these broken bodies and the ghastly remains, the figure having the same white hair as hers, not lingering a moment on the corpses and shadows.

Ophira had undergone significant changes.

It submerged beneath the sea, and the sky was enveloped by the ocean, only an extremely faint light filtered through the water onto the city, but it was not the sun casting these rays, rather something frighteningly indescribable.