Miss Witch's Forbidden Book Secret

This Master Ibn was indeed a recluse. He had lived in the city of Mist for nearly five years, but on average, no one who had seen him had seen him more than twice.

The first time I saw it might have been yesterday, and the next time I saw it might be several years later. The time and place of its appearance are like those of a rare Pokémon, something that can only be encountered by chance.

No one knows his whereabouts.

Since Tia couldn't find avenues for wealth, she turned directly to seeking help through the means of power.

In the city hall's administration office, Scarlett quickly opened a hidden compartment under the desk and handed the Supreme Antimony Star to Tia.

Scarlett, confused by Tia's description, asked, "What do you mean by learning everything that President Jeremiah knew in just three or four days? And even making the president feel discouraged, to the point that he doesn't want to mention the Philosopher's Stone anymore?"

Tia said, "It means exactly what it says. He doesn't seem to know as much as I do."

"what?"

Scarlett's mind went blank, and she thought Tia was talking nonsense, but then she thought again, that didn't make sense!

Could it be that the witch's powerful hand has exerted its strength?

That possibility cannot be ruled out.

But how did Commander Sulph manage to win the witch's favor?

Why didn't she receive any help from the witch?

It can't be selling one's body, can it?

Given Commander Sulph's integrity, she seems capable of doing such a thing...

Scarlett looked at Tia but didn't dare to ask, afraid that if she asked about something serious, like why Commander Sulph wanted to keep her history of selling hooks to the witch, she would be silenced.

The mayor quickly shook her head to clear away the jumbled thoughts.

Tia realized she hadn't said something quite right, so she corrected herself, saying, "President Jeremiah is quite experienced, but his theoretical knowledge is terrible. I learned it all in a day."

Scarlett asked, puzzled, "What about the remaining two days?"

Tia said helplessly, "Because he knows so little, I had to help him sort out the detailed preparation plan of the Philosopher's Stone, and use mystical illusions to simulate the four stages of ideal state for him in a real physical environment."

"It turned out that the Philosopher's Stone he had crafted was a defective product. He kept muttering, 'So that's how it is. No wonder I didn't achieve anything like the constant infusion of extraordinary elements into my soul.' As he spoke, he sighed and told me to find another way..."

Unfortunately, Jeremiah knew far too little, and his plan was derived from the Ascended Book, a secret text that had absolutely nothing to do with the Philosopher's Stone, plus some of my own contemplation.

To some extent, Jeremiah was indeed a genius, with creative abilities comparable to the Greenskins, and he was worthy of being a moth that had been in a cycle for hundreds of years.

However, Tia was born standing on the shoulders of giants, something Jeremiah could not match.

Scarlett didn't understand, but she was deeply moved.

The world of gods and humans is indeed beyond imagination.

Scarlett hesitated before asking, "So you've come to take away Star Antimony?"

Tia said, "That's not all. There's something else."

"I would like to know the address of the master sculptor Ibn Musa."

Chapter 354 Things with the Prophets are Always So Bad

"Ibn... ah! The master sculptor?"

Scarlett racked her brains and finally remembered the name, then looked completely bewildered.

She knew very little about the name, except that he had been invited to attend an academic lecture over the weekend; she knew almost nothing about this master.

Tia could understand it to some extent.

After all, given the mysterious nature of this master's appearances and his Sequence 4 strength, it would be a pipe dream to expect the city's poor clerks and the police officers to monitor him.

Tia said, "Master Ibn will also be giving academic lectures on weekends? That's good news."

“Scarlett, do you have any more intelligence information about Master Ibn? Intelligence on the activities of other Temujins would also be helpful.”

"This should exist. But it doesn't seem to be in accordance with the rules... Sir, you're from Ansu!"

Scarlett said weakly.

Scarlett of the King's Way was still too rule-abiding, feeling that when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Although she was from Anzu, now that she was the ruler of Mistmoon City, she still had to follow the rules of the Iris.

Otherwise, if they don't follow the rules, they will not only damage the irises by disrupting the procedures, but also expose themselves, causing Ms. Bernice and her colleagues from the Anti-Corruption Bureau to fail at the last minute.

She is truly sinful!

But Tia puffed out her chest and said, "I've been an Iris Flower person for a long time!"

As she spoke, Tia picked up the silver-plated wooden box on the table, opened it, and grabbed the Supreme Antimony inside.

This was given to her personally by Jeremiah.

This isn't even considered an honorary Iris Flower Person?!

Scarlett suddenly realized what was happening and immediately instructed the secretariat clerk to organize the materials in the archives.

Before long, Scarlett brought all the materials herself. The clerks who followed behind were confused when they saw Tia there and Scarlett being quite polite, but they didn't dare to ask any questions.

Tia picked up the file, sat down in the chair, and began to read it.

The office has poor lighting. Although the space is not cramped, sunlight doesn't get in, and the ventilation is also poor. In the early December mornings in Mistmoon City, there is still a thin mist. Not only is there no wind, but there is also a faint musty smell in the room.

The table was cluttered with all sorts of things, very much in Scarlett O'Hara's style.

This former policewoman has been like this for a long time. Her study materials are the same, covered with notes and bookmarks, but she remembers exactly where everything is.

Scarlett could quickly find any file Tia asked for, whether it was for a specific day or what paper and pens she needed.

The two worked together very well.

Finally, Tia pulled out two documents and narrowed her eyes slightly.

"On December 5, the Montelli family and the Crescent Chamber of Commerce communicated to discuss a friendly cooperation agreement regarding the Grand Canal waterway of the Tianfang Empire. However, the discussions between the two sides subsequently became deadlocked and have been shelved ever since."

"On December 19, two prophets from the Crescent Moon Merchant Guild appeared at the former Wisdom Palace outpost in the Observatory District, and left quickly half an hour later."

Tia set the file aside and asked curiously, "The prophets have already begun their operation!"

She knew that the prophets were colluding with the Montreal family.

However, it's unclear to what extent their affair has progressed.

Scarlett suddenly picked up a document and reminded her, "The Grand Theatre has just taken on an academic lecture project."

"Are the prophets planning to make their move during an academic lecture?"

Tia thought for a moment and immediately ruled out this possibility.

This is different from the prophets helping the Empire sell potions or secretly tampering with Eleanor's nightmares—those can be attributed to smuggling, business cooperation, or at worst, murdering the princess.

Even if it's very serious, it wouldn't be enough to provoke a war.

However, the academic lectures were almost entirely attended by top talents from Ansu and Iris, including many masters from various fields. Many scholars from the Alchemy Society also participated, and they often held positions as members of parliament and in administration.

To launch a brutal attack during an academic lecture would be tantamount to declaring war. The prophets of the Palace of Wisdom revere the way of wisdom, and there is no reason or sentiment for them to do such a thing.

Tia countered, "Scarlett, what do you think?"

Scarlett hesitated, "That's unlikely. Maybe they're also trying to use this academic conference to find...wait?"

"Master Ibn?"

Scarlett's eyes widened immediately.

That makes sense!

Abdullah, a disciple of Master Ibn, had recently been working at the city hall. Due to his outstanding achievements and special status, he was not well received. Scarlett applied for a more suitable position for him in the Cloudy Border District.

It would be impossible for the prophets to assassinate Abdullah in the militarized Cloud Frontier, but what if it were Ibn Musa?

"But aren't they afraid of President Jeremiah? He's still in the city!"

Scarlett couldn't understand who gave them the courage.

"Calm down, Scarlett."

Tia, however, smiled slightly and said easily, "The prophets certainly wouldn't act so impulsively, but you never know. However, I will definitely need Master Ibn's assistance in refining the Philosopher's Stone."

"Could you help me prepare the materials needed for the ceremony?"

Scarlett took a few deep breaths, saluted with her hand on her chest, and said, "Please speak!"

"What I need are materials for the deep-diving rituals corresponding to specific sanctuaries: finely ground white crystal dust, a portion of turmeric essential oil and a portion of sandalwood powder, holy salt that has undergone deep processing to ward off evil spirits, and high-end white wine from the Norl Estate on the Perth Coast. A portable still and a crystal pendulum for hypnosis."

These are typical materials used in deep-sea diving rituals. Turmeric oil and sandalwood powder correspond to positive and negative energy, respectively, while sacred salt is used for harmonization. Wine serves as the base and, like crystal dust, symbolizes dreams, intoxication, and tranquility.

These materials are all very ordinary, but Tia didn't bring any with her when she came, so she's just coming to get them from Scarlett for free.

Miss President, eh.

She felt itchy to take advantage of the situation without doing so.

In addition, there are some essential oils, aromatherapy products, and special drugs that enhance the effects.

For example, if you don't mind, tincture of opium works very well, but Tia is a little reluctant to use it, and feels that it is not as good as Annie's thighs.

Lap pillows are also great for helping you sleep.

However, Scarlett couldn't provide the last one, so she could only find some other medicines and materials for Tia.

While Scarlett was arranging the ceremony materials, an unexpected guest suddenly burst into the city hall and hurriedly found Scarlett's office.

—Rafa Montellima.

"Is Your Excellency in charge here? And who are you...?"

When Rafa saw Tia, he felt that her temperament was somewhat familiar, but her face was completely unfamiliar.

Tia said, "Scarlett is downstairs handling official business. Do you have any questions?"

Rafa mistook the girl in front of him, who appeared to be a pure-blooded descendant of the Empire, for Scarlett's secretary, and pulled out a letter from his pocket: "It's an emergency, Miss Secretary!"

"I've come to you to request that Governor Scarlett forward this letter to the Cloudy Borderlands! For Brigitte's sake, please make sure it's delivered to the Cloudy Borderlands."

After saying that, Rafa turned and left. He looked around after leaving the door and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that no one was following him.

Tia looked at the envelope in her hand, raised an eyebrow when she saw the address was White Deer Castle in the Cloud Mist Border Region, and then looked at the text on it that said to be forwarded to Nogi.

—Wow, this is for Brigitte.

She knew Brigitte had planted a backup plan within the family; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to so easily recover that deadly coal futures deal.

then:

Tia rudely opened the letter without any manners; that's how people from Anzu are.

The main feature is that the little hand isn't very clean.

Upon seeing the words in the letter, Tia sighed helplessly.

She felt relieved after that.

Why are things always so bad for the prophets!

These prophets were really after Ibn Musa.

As for why they dared to act under Jeremiah's watchful eye, their idea was truly audacious.

It was a complex ritual array similar to Avalon, a transcendent technique called "Maze Lock." The prophets, in coordination with the assassins, arranged a ritual in the Grand Theater to seal off space and even time, and then the assassins swiftly assassinated Ibn within this confined space.

Afterwards, the prophets would use psychological suggestion and memory modification on everyone in the space, ultimately allowing them to escape unscathed.

As for why the prophets were so certain they could easily accomplish spatial sealing, psychological suggestion, and memory modification:

On the one hand, it must have stemmed from the pride and arrogance of the prophets, whose abilities were indeed enough to make them so proud.

On the other hand, there were indeed no high-sequence superhumans present. Apart from Ibn, there was only one Sequence 4 superhuman, who was a scholar and did not have much practical experience.

Ibn is a significant threat, but the assassins have a high success rate of striking from the shadows when they are caught off guard. Apart from that, no one can shake the massive array of illusionary rituals set up by the prophets.

Chapter 355 Please make good use of me!

Ibn believed he was far from a qualified teacher, perhaps because he had too many students—hundreds of them—that he simply couldn't manage.

Or perhaps he genuinely lacks certain teaching abilities and the necessary moral character, to the point that he feels powerless in this regard.

He has considered changing this.