One-Eyed Monster

Bern’s emotions had already reached a peak, seemingly his narrative also reaching an endpoint.

From his narration, Igor could discern that everything Bern did was to achieve immortality, and his purpose for immortality was to guard his wealth...

This made Igor feel amused, because this reason couldn’t possibly align with the motives of the Soul Devourers.

It was as if two very different things were forcibly combined.

"Immortality can allow me to always guard what belongs to me, and can also slowly make old decayed scholars like disappear!"

"What a pity, pity indeed, just a little bit more, as long as I can obtain the Spirit Core of the Craftsman Spirit, everything will be solved, the immortal power I’ve long awaited will arrive, and I won’t be like this now!" Bern’s breathing began to hasten, clearly he had reached a limit.

This sentence made Igor hesitate a bit, because he gleaned an important piece of information from it, which was that Bern had collected many Spirit Cores, seemingly lacking only the Craftsman Spirit’s core.

The purpose of collecting these Spirit Cores, exactly how many types of Spirit Cores there are, these questions began to whirl in Igor’s mind.

Coming to Bern, this could be considered the only temporary gain.

For Bern’s ordeal, Igor felt deep sympathy, a person who abandoned everything for the sake of protecting his wealth, and went to extremes, to the end.

Igor felt Bern was pitiful, and like Kadi, felt he was quite pathetic, after all, Bern was also a victim.

"So, all this time, your worry was just about your wealth! Who would’ve thought Lord Bern, as wealthy as a nation, is a miser at heart!" Kadi jeered aside.

Yet these jeers Bern could no longer hear, his withered body gradually powerless, though his gaze was still fixed on Igor and Kadi, but clearly not as spirited as before.

"My wealth, you cannot take, cannot take it!"

Bern kept repeating this sentence, clearly having arrived at the end of his life.

"Immortality, my immortal power, you wait, you wait..." Bern’s eyes gradually lost their luster, but his corpse still struggled incessantly.

Lord Popovich picked up a blanket from beside Bern’s recliner, one corner of which was tightly gripped by Bern, as if unwilling to let go.

"No one will take your wealth away!" Popovich draped half of the blanket over Bern but could not pull the other half free.

"Your immortality will surely come."

Popovich quietly spoke, as beside him Bern no longer rambled, his entire body also calmed down.

"Rest quietly in the Eternal Tranquility Realm, don’t think too much anymore." After Popovich finished speaking, he went aside.

The attic lighting remained bright, the night did not seep into this loft, Bern lay on the rocking chair, his breath steadily calming.

His pupils were dispersing, that slender arm that had persistently pointed at Igor and Kadi finally drooped down.

Bern’s head tilted to one side, withered complexion, void of vitality, his whole body showing a decay and frailty.

The elder as wealthy as a nation thus departed, carrying nothing away.

"Did he, leave?" Kadi seemed yet unsatisfied, as if his argument with Bern hadn’t truly begun.

"Yes, left, pitiful and pathetic he went to the Eternal Tranquility Realm, ultimately couldn’t guard anything."

"He didn’t seem like some miser though. Wasn’t he generous to the Circus?" Kadi was still a bit puzzled, not understanding why Bern’s words didn’t align with his actions.

"What he wanted to guard was his means of making money, which he wished to keep and own forever." Popovich explained.

"Unfortunately, he was used by those Soul Devourers too, we ended up gaining nothing here after all." Igor sighed.

"This unseen enemy truly is a troublesome existence, luckily people like you exist so we’re not entirely kept in the dark."

"We still know too little..." Igor scratched his head, feeling he had just a clue, now broken again.

Bern was ultimately a puppet, the real adversary still hadn’t shown themselves.

Even that voice, didn’t appear this time.

"The Circus, seems to be over, but the Alchemy Workshop remains troublesome." Lord Popovich also lamented.

"Alchemy Workshop?" Igor looked at Popovich puzzled.

"Yes, today’s Alchemy Workshop is no longer as it was, the changes within reminiscent of those Soul Devourers. Besides, isn’t the Circus an organization under the Alchemy Workshop?"

Popovich’s words made Igor begin connecting everything he’d heard so far.

Spirit Core, Circus, Craftsman Spirit, Alchemy Workshop...

"Oh no!" Igor cried out, then suddenly bolted outside.

"Hey, what are you doing!" Kadi loudly questioned.

"Kadi, you protect Lord Popovich, I’m going to find Kruz, he might be in danger!"

Igor suddenly recalled Bern’s words just now, they were only missing one Craftsman Spirit’s core...

It wasn’t all for naught, before he had experienced it, why did he forget just now, his memory was really failing!

Igor chastised himself as he ran, he needed to reach Kruz as quickly as possible, though this Bistal street was completely unfamiliar...

Darn, how could he forget this!

This street was unfamiliar to him, where to find Kruz and his entourage.

Thinking this, Igor paused.

Since this was an unknown city, he didn’t know which direction to go. He realized finally, doing anything requires calmness, not impulsiveness!

Just as Igor was at a loss, a cart creaked approached not far away.

Whew—

From the cart, Lord Popovich pulled the reins, tilting his head at Igor: "Get on the cart!"

Igor scratched his head, grinning foolishly as he leapt onto the cart.

Kadi watched beside the cart, wearing a smirk at Igor, as if saying so you’re not running now, because you don’t know the way!

"In an unfamiliar city, how could you not have a guide, random wandering would lead to getting lost!" Lord Popovich drove the cart again, clearly having come specifically with Kadi to fetch Igor.

"Knew you’d get lost, good thing we caught up."

"Ah!" Igor sighed embarrassedly.

"We’re going to find the Circus?" Popovich asked.

"Yes, as fast as possible!"