Chapter 475 - 100: Prophecy
"Do you think the Balance Keepers are behind this?"
Murphy leaned over and looked at Margaret.
Margaret lay on the soft mattress, her breathing still a little short.
Her cascading black hair fanned out across the pillow, the tips damp with sweat, clinging to the smooth skin of her neck and collarbone.
This puppet body was incredibly realistic, perfectly simulating even subtle physiological reactions like sweating. Right now, her face was flushed, her eyes moist, and her lips exceptionally vibrant.
Hearing Murphy’s question, she blinked slowly. The layer of languid haze quickly receded from her expression, replaced by clarity and contemplation. "Like what happened in the Holy City ten years ago?"
"Back then, you told me nothing had happened." Murphy’s voice was devoid of emotion.
Margaret bit her lower lip gently, an apologetic look on her face. "I’m sorry, Master. I... I really underestimated the situation back then. I never imagined that even the Half-Plane’s Passage—which Noe VII and Saint Cyril worked together to reinforce, even damaging the Sanctuary to seal it completely—could be pried open from the outside."
She paused, her voice growing softer. "That incident made me realize my understanding of the ’terror’ of the Balance Keepers, as recorded in history, was far too shallow."
Indeed. Ten years ago, the Plane Passage within the Half-Plane that housed the Sanctuary had been completely destroyed and sealed with immense power by Noe VII and Saint Cyril.
The goal was crystal clear: to completely imprison the Wizards who had obtained the ancient legacy and begun to walk the Path of Elementalization within the Sanctuary.
Even though the Path of the Wizards was suppressed in the Old Realm—the suppression growing stronger the further one walked it—once a Wizard began Elementalization, even just taking the first steps, their attack power generally reached around 12 points.
This was already enough to pose a massive threat to the Church Court of that era.
What’s more, there was more than one such Wizard.
Margaret turned onto her side, lightly tracing a finger along Murphy’s arm. "Logically speaking, the Balance Keepers themselves aren’t known for their raw power. Their terror has always stemmed from their pervasive and hard-to-counter special methods, from their ability to stir up trouble at precisely the right moment, giving a little push at a critical juncture in history..."
"I just thought that in an era where the Church Court’s rule is so stable, any remaining Balance Keepers shouldn’t possess such astonishing abilities anymore."
She looked up at Murphy. "It was my misjudgment, Master. I apologize."
Murphy was silent for a moment before reaching out to brush the sweat-dampened strands of hair from her cheek. "No need to apologize. Even without that incident, I would have gone to the Holy City. If I hadn’t experienced that upheaval and solidified certain convictions, my progress with Elementalization might not have advanced so easily."
Margaret grabbed the hand that had caressed her cheek and pressed it to her face, her tone turning serious. "But Master, the situation you’re facing now fits the Balance Keepers’ usual methods perfectly. They excel at turning a target’s own strength or weakness against them to achieve their goals. If your degree of Elementalization is being accelerated, or artificially ripened, by them in some way... then, according to the rules of the Old Realm, once your transformation reaches a certain threshold, you may no longer be able to safely remain here."
"Then let them try." A cold sneer touched Murphy’s lips, and a frigid glint flashed in his eyes. "I’d like to see just how they plan to ’ask’ me to leave."
He leaned down. "But whether it’s them or not, sitting around and waiting for the worst isn’t my style. I’ll find a way to solve this myself first."
Margaret nodded. "I will immediately use Prophetic Magic to try and scry for their location. Although any Prophetic Magic will surely be countered, I might be able to catch a few clues."
As she spoke, she unconsciously drew circles on Murphy’s palm. "However, Master, before that..."
She didn’t finish her sentence, because Murphy had already answered with his actions.
...
「The next morning.」
Sunlight streamed through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows of Taymer Palace, spilling onto the white-clothed tables of the small dining room.
Murphy hadn’t left right away.
This wasn’t, of course, because the Prophetic Magic hadn’t been cast yet.
In fact, with his current cruising speed of ten times the speed of sound, he had already taken less than ten minutes to silently return to the stone house on the Holy City Summit before dawn, briefly informing Aurora of the situation and reassuring her.
But today, he planned to stay at Taymer Palace to spend time with Margaret, and also with Eleanor, who was clearly feeling a bit down.
Otherwise, his sensitive daughter might really start to think he only doted on those two little ones, Mo Ling and Mo Weiwei.
Now, Murphy was sitting alone at the dining table, watching an Attendant arrange the exquisite silverware and steaming dishes.
After a moment, the sound of light footsteps approached.
Murphy looked up to see Margaret and Eleanor walk in side-by-side.
Margaret had changed into a simple yet elegant smoke-gray velvet morning robe, with a matching belt tied loosely at her waist. Her long hair was casually pinned up with a plain wooden hairpin, a few lazy strands trailing down her neck.
Eleanor, on the other hand, wore a navy-and-white knee-length dress. The collar and cuffs were adorned with delicate white lace, and the skirt was fluffy.
Her long black hair was done in two exquisite braids that hung over her chest, the ends tied with navy-blue silk ribbons in the shape of bows.
The outfit made her look less quiet and more girlishly pretty, as befitting her appearance. However, her little face was still tense and her lips were pressed into a thin line, clearly still sulking.