The Secret Cult Chronicles of the Decaying Lake Manor

Chapter 117 The Situation in the New World and Its Plans

"The Confederation is about to decide whether to continue accepting the Empire's supply of 'servant bones'—a matter that could stir up trouble across the entire continent."

Arthur's voice and speaking speed revealed his inner excitement.

"With the support of the Free Stonemasons' Guild, the factory owners in the North have taken a hard line, while the farmers in the South are certainly not going to concede to the Empire's 'special supplies.'"

"The differences between the two sides are huge, and the possibility of compromise is almost non-existent in my opinion."

He raised his eyes and looked at the Viscount with an annoyed gaze.

"If negotiations break down, a major war will inevitably break out across the New World within two years. And this war will not stop in the New World; the Imperial Federation will be completely affected."

"At that time, all the Old World nations will want to get involved, especially that revolutionary emperor of Gallia," they will certainly not let go of this opportunity to overthrow the existing order.

In the end, Uncle waved his hands, making it almost seem as if he was about to give the Viscount sitting opposite him a good beating.

"And you, I came back to ask you to exonerate myself, but you still want me to get involved—to sit on a lit powder keg!"

The viscount remained expressionless, even leaning slightly forward, his gaze even more oppressive.

"That's why, Arthur, you have an inescapable responsibility. This is the only window through which the Delapor family can break free from the royal family and even from this empire."

He paused, his voice turning cold: "And if things go wrong, if something irreparable goes wrong on this island, or on my side—"

He stared at Arthur. "You must take Frederick and Sybil away immediately, especially Frederick."

At this point, the viscount's face showed no trace of fatherly warmth, only a cold-blooded calculation.

"If we take them to the New World now, away from the eye of the storm... the bloodline of the White Rose might just rise up."

"You're insane, Edward!" Arthur stood up abruptly and slammed the letter on the table.

His voice rose with anger and shock: "You're gambling with the entire family! Don't you care about our lives? Don't you care about your two children's lives?!"

"sit down!"

The viscount's voice suddenly turned chilling, and the extraordinary pressure it contained made Arthur instinctively stiffen for a moment before he slumped back into his chair.

The third Viscount of the Lake of Decay stood up and looked down at his distant cousin.

"It is precisely because we have experienced this darkness that we need complete security even more. I know what I am doing, Arthur. I have weighed the risks of every option. Now you just need to execute."

The room was deathly silent, save for the occasional crackling of the firewood in the fireplace.

Arthur's expression shifted between light and shadow. Finally, he closed his eyes in despair and took a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, the anger was now hidden deep within them.

He grabbed the letter and gripped it tightly in his hand, cracking the sealing wax slightly from his frenzied passion.

"You're really insane, you've been insane for five years, no, even longer—" he murmured, then looked up, his sharp gaze piercing the Viscount.

"But you are the head of the family, and you are right—maybe the children would rather be through the war than stay by your side."

He stood up, his movements distorted by extreme resentment.

"I'll get on with it. But you'd better pray that whatever your 'plan' is goes through."

Arthur Tunberg turned and strode toward the door, his leather shoes slamming heavily on the carpet.

"Good luck, Your Excellency!"

The viscount stood there, watching his cousin, a man from the New World, disappear through the door.

His face remained expressionless, except for a very slight pursing of his pale lips.

Meanwhile, George's alchemy ceremony was also at a crucial juncture.

[May this holy light shine upon our ceremony, gladly accept our praise and prayers, and nurture all things in their nascent stages.]

This time, as the prayer ended, the molten gold poured into the clay mold emitted a rich amber luster from the withered branches in the center of the mold.

Then, the gold disappeared into the mold like water seeping into the sand, while the withered mistletoe branches seemed to be given a second life, turning green again.

It's not entirely successful yet, but the direction is right.

George suppressed his joy, then recited the next incantation and transferred the branch to the lead box that had been prepared beforehand.

Why didn't he realize earlier that the "withered golden branch" his mother left him contained a high-ranking power?

George continued chanting as he tossed silver dust into the fire and added frankincense and myrrh to the brazier used to burn spices to please the gods.

[Selene, Diana, Luna, and Sin are all your faces, just as the moon has many faces, illuminating the vast sky—]

The wait became incredibly long.

George's forehead was beaded with sweat, but his chanting never stopped; the spiritual exhaustion made him feel slightly dizzy.

Just when he was about to give up, an unusually bright bolt of lightning tore through his vision!

The lightning that surged from the void was the manifestation of the power he had long awaited.

A blinding white light instantly illuminated the entire room, followed by a deafening roar.

A thunderclap went off in the room, and George only had time to instinctively close his eyes, raise his arms, and protect his face.

"Kara!"

An immense, distorted pressure and heat wave, accompanied by lightning and preceding the sound, swept over George, sending him flying.

Once he steadied himself against the wall, he opened his eyes, seeing stars. He saw that the lead box and its contents were completely enveloped in a ball of blue and white, violently pulsating plasma-like flames.

Far removed from ordinary flames, it was likely the turbulence and transformation of higher-dimensional energy in the material world.

The flame lasted for about ten seconds, then suddenly subsided with a clear, resonant sound and disappeared into the center of the lead box.

The surroundings returned to darkness, accompanied by a noisy wind.

Ignoring the tinnitus and slight burning pain, George rushed forward.

The edges of the lead box were melted and deformed, but the core item was intact.

Among a pile of remains of materials such as sulfur and silver powder that had been instantly crystallized by high temperatures, lay quietly a "twig" about the length of an adult's forearm, displaying a perfect, translucent golden luster.

It has become less like matter and more like a solid formed from condensed light.

The branches have no leaves on their surface, but they have countless delicate, hair-thin branches that grow naturally.

Each branch ends in a needle-like point, with a slow and steady flow of light flowing inside.

A warm, bright power, imbued with both vitality and destruction, radiates from it, making its presence impossible to ignore once one gets close.

【Heavenly Golden Branch】

[Sexual characteristics: candle, string, star, tool]

"Lightning precedes thunder, destruction follows fear." Born amidst thunder and flames, this branch carries a fleeting lightning bolt and a prayer from the spirit world. It can only be used once, but its power is enough to terrify anyone who faces its tip.

Just as George picked up the treasure, a voice came from behind him.

"Congratulations, George, you're now on par with me back in the day."