Seal

Seeing Ebner arrive at the stairwell, the security guard was just about to step forward to interrogate him when a meticulously dressed middle-aged gentleman happened to walk down from the second floor… He was Prince Edessak's butler, Mr. Funkel.

"This Mr. Bryan is a guest of His Highness's. You may ask him to come here." Funkel stood at the top of the stairs and glanced at Ebner before instructing the security guard.

Hearing that, the security guard made way for Ebner to enter the stairwell.

Ebner stole a glance at the butler and saw that he was wearing a snow-white shirt with a thick grayish-blue vest on the outside. His long tailcoat was well-defined and flawless.

He looked like a professional butler, but Ebner had no intention of underestimating him.

Back then, although there was no description of this butler taking action, Trissy, who held a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact and was at least a Demoness of Pleasure, was extremely afraid of him before the Great Smog happened. She even described him as "terrifying."

After the old butler forced Prince Edessak to commit suicide, he was personally wiped off by the Evernight Goddess's God's Descent Vessel. From this, it could be seen that his strength was extraordinary.

And in the aftermath of the Church of Steam's investigation, he was listed alongside the name of 'Desperate Nightingale' Panatiya!

This was very likely a demigod! Even if he wasn't, he was at least a very powerful Sequence 5… It was unknown which pathway he was from.

Ebner pondered as he followed the butler to a living room on the second floor.

After another body search, Ebner finally saw the prince in a white gown.

Prince Edessak had a round face and a pair of narrow eyes, but he wasn't solemn at all. Instead, he wore a smile the entire time. He looked at Ebner, who was led in by the butler, and said with a smile,

"Finally seeing you, Detective Bryan."

"Hello, Your Highness. I didn't know that you were the one who asked Talim to look for me." Ebner bowed.

"I also didn't expect you to become a 'hero' of Backlund… Heh heh, speaking of which, the sales of the Daily Observer exploded last week because of your interview." Prince Edessak teased with a smile before he restrained his expression and continued, "Of course, what I didn't expect was that Detective Bryan was actually related to the Church of Earth Mother."

As soon as he said that, a middle-aged man wearing a modified captain's hat standing behind the prince suddenly looked serious and scrutinized Ebner. He had originally thought that the prince had only wanted to summon a "famous detective" at the last minute, but he did not expect the other party to have such a background.

Ebner naturally felt this gaze as well… To be precise, he had noticed this man who did not look like he was here for the ball.

From his clothes, he should be a Mandated Punisher… Thankfully, I'm representing the Church of Earth Mother to make a report. If I were still wearing the identity of the Church of Knowledge, I might've been taken down on the spot.

Despite feeling relieved, Ebner didn't look at the man on the surface. Instead, he said to Prince Edessak with a serious expression, "Your Highness, I came to see you because I discovered a terrifying matter at the ball… If it isn't handled properly, it might result in major casualties!"

Prince Edessak raised his eyebrows. Before he could ask what was going on, the middle-aged man behind him asked, "What did you discover?"

Ebner did not answer directly. He turned his attention to the prince.

Prince Edessak frowned and felt a little displeased, but he quickly adjusted his expression and smiled. "This is the Mandated Punisher of the Lord, Captain Kuhn. Detective Bryan, you don't have to worry."

Yes, of course, I won't have any concerns. It's better to tell the Mandated Punishers than to tell you. After all, once you understand the severity of the problem, you might just run away with your people, but the Mandated Punishers won't… because they are guardians.

"I discovered that Member of Parliament Macht's daughter, Miss Hazel, has a very strong Primordial Moon aura… If we don't handle it quickly, there might be an unforeseen event at the ball." Ebner briefly described the matter. He believed that with the Mandated Punishers' expertise, they wouldn't be unaware of the seriousness of the Primordial Moon.

"Primordial Moon… Are you sure?" Captain Kuhn's expression changed as he hurriedly asked.

"I'm very sure that it's the Primordial Moon! Besides, Miss Hazel should've been used. There must be another mastermind behind this matter…" Following that, Ebner didn't hide anything and revealed all the information he could, including the possibility that Hazel was a Beyonder of the Marauder pathway.

Captain Kuhn nodded and said, "I believe that the Church of Earth Mother is very professional in dealing with the Primordial Moon…"

With that said, he turned his head to look at Prince Edessak, who still had a blank look on his face. He pleaded, "The Primordial Moon is a dangerous evil god. Since 'He' brought 'His' aura to this ball, 'He' must have some ulterior motive… Your Highness, although the Sealed Artifact we brought can split space, its effects are unable to completely isolate the influence of an evil god… I implore you to get Mr. Finkel to take action and protect most of the ordinary people below."

Although Prince Edessak didn't know what the Primordial Moon was, seeing how serious the captain of the Mandated Punishers was, he knew the seriousness of the matter. He first said, "I understand." Then, he asked his butler, "Finkle, many of the people below are my friends and partners. I don't wish for anything to happen to them."

"My first task is to protect you, Your Highness," the old butler replied clearly, but when he saw that the prince was also looking at him with a determined expression, he hesitated for a moment and continued, "If I still have time, I'll take care of the guests."

Only then did Prince Edessak smile. He first whispered a few words to Kuhn before looking at Ebner and saying sincerely,

"Mr. Bryan, while the news you bring is not pleasant, it is timely. Perhaps tonight you will be a 'hero' again."

"I'd rather not be a 'hero'. I'll just treat it as attending an ordinary ball…" Ebner said with a wry smile.

…

In the ballroom, Hazel was stunned for a moment by Ebner's sudden escape. Then she angrily threw down her food plate and returned to her parents.

At that moment, a gentleman who had been courting her for quite some time came over to invite her to dance. However, Hazel, who was in a bad mood, rejected him flatly. Her words were so direct that they hurt him, making him lose face.

This made Mrs. Macht, who had always valued family upbringing, very angry. She called her daughter to the side and reprimanded her in a low voice.

Hazel, who was already upset, became even angrier at the reprimand. She decided that she would definitely find out the identity of the man who fled the moment she saw him. Then she would teach him a lesson.

But at that moment, Hazel suddenly felt her heart palpitate before she became clear-headed and rational. All her frustration vanished.

At this moment, she clearly knew that she was no longer in the real world!

She looked around in a daze and realized that the gentleman in the tuxedo on the left was still inviting an impatient lady to dance. He had two daughters, and a declining noble lady in a light blue dress was doing her best to introduce her daughter to a rich businessman. Beside her, someone was holding a tray and eating the ice cream provided by the ball… Everything was no different from before.

However, Hazel was even more afraid of this scene. She secretly activated her Spirit Vision and realized that none of the passengers emitted the corresponding aura colors or emotions!

They did not have Ether Bodies!

They were clearly talking, inviting dancers, and eating ice cream, but there was no sign of them being alive!

Is this an illusion, or have they suddenly died? The more Hazel thought about it, the more horrified she became. She hurriedly turned her head to look at her parents, only to discover that they were identical to the others she had seen. They didn't look like living people at all!

Hazel was at a loss as she ran around the ball, hoping to discover something. However, she was still too inexperienced and didn't understand what had happened to her.

At that moment, her heart stirred and she took out the emerald green seed from her pocket.