Miss Witch's Forbidden Book Secret

“One part is here. The other part is here.” Vera pointed to her chest, made the sign of the cross, and said:

"Fifty-five days ago, a small-scale spiritual uprising occurred on the Great Ice Plain. On the same day, the prophets of the Wisdom Palace completely withdrew from the Great Ice Plain. At the same time, the Mangulu and Mimir tribes of the Great Ice Plain barbarian clans discovered that the cold zone of the Great Ice Plain was retreating, and the prophets told them that the blood and bones of the Seven Gods were flowing out."

"This suggests that the spirit riots are highly likely related to the prophets, but they are not the only parties involved. On the day of the spirit riots, when the moon phases were revealed, the barbarians, alerted by the prophets, discovered an unknown human, X, while exploring the frigid zone. After this being disappeared, the spirit riots suddenly ended. Seven days later, the spirit riots suddenly reappeared, and their scope expanded dramatically. By this time, the prophets of the Wisdom Palace had completely withdrawn and were stationed at the Eternal Night Fortress in the northern border of the Empire."

"And that unknown human X, uh, looks a bit like you, Tia. So most of the merchants who went to the Empire to gather intelligence have records of it. The Empire believes that it is the remnants of the Pureblood Council who are behind this, and that this is an unprecedented rebellion against them."

Chapter 491 The Sorcerer Supreme, Merlin Windsorstone

"However, many people believe that the Empire is too sensitive."

Vera was serious for only a few minutes before continuing to devour the unfinished fish fillet and filling, mumbling, "How much power does the Pureblood Council really have!"

"Those traditional, pure-blooded retro types have never been popular. It's hard to say if you can even find ten young people in the whole organization. Rather than saying they're the ones who did it, it's more accurate to say they're throwing mud at you, Tia!"

But Vera was surprised to find that Tia was actually stuffing sausages or bread into her mouth, and didn't even grab her face with a smile or do anything sinister, or even tickle her waist. She immediately lost interest.

Tia just kept nodding and sat there quietly. Because she didn't speak, she had a distinctly Eastern beauty.

Vera felt even more bored.

Anne understood Vera. Seeing Vera's disappointed expression, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and complain, "Vera, what are you disappointed about?!"

Vera replied matter-of-factly, "Because I didn't get the response I wanted."

"What you're thinking about is probably very unhealthy..."

"Grumble, you actually doubt me."

Anne and Vera were playfully bickering.

Tia seemed to be deep in thought.

This mudslinging should indeed be thrown at her, or rather, at Avina.

—Because it's highly likely that Avina was behind this.

The only questions are what parts Avina did and for how long. Did she trigger a spiritual upheaval, create wounds in the Seven Gods' Bloodline, or cause the cold zone to contract?

Or is it that she did all of this?

These cannot be determined at present.

Vera stopped her banter with Annie and said, "There are some other bits and pieces, but there's a more important message that I received urgently when I went to the Southern Continent for supplies."

Tia and Annie both looked over with curiosity.

Vera paused, took a sip of black tea, and said, "The Great Prophet of the Palace of Wisdom arrived at the Empire's Eternal Night Fortress two days ago. His purpose is to delve into the Great Ice Plains to investigate the location of the Seven Gods' Bloodline. Because they are going to the extreme cold zone at the center of the Great Ice Plains, they will need to prepare for three full days before setting off."

"The Grand Speaker, the Glass Palace's lawyer, the Sorcerer Supreme, and Merlin the Sorcerer of Winderston have also arrived at Evernight Keep, but they are injured."

Tia asked in confusion, "You fought with Ms. Bernice?"

"Ah? No, it was Princess Caroline of the Glass Palace who went to inspect Evernight Castle on behalf of King Pinnock XIII. Archmage Merlin escorted her on the way, but when they were almost at Evernight Castle, a group of rioting spirits suddenly appeared."

"Then, in order to protect the princess, Archmage Merlin lost his voice while fighting those spirits. He suffered an acute attack of pharyngitis and temporarily lost his fighting ability. Due to the curse, his tonsils were abnormally swollen, and he had to undergo surgery."

Annie sensed something was off about what Vera was saying and asked, puzzled, "Why would a hoarse voice mean you lose your fighting ability? And acute pharyngitis is such a minor ailment, it can be cured with a quick treatment!"

Vera, unsurprised, replied, "Because he's a mage."

This monk is not that monk.

Anne and Eleanor may not know the details, but Tia had heard some of it from Roman and Albert:

The Holy Solomon Empire is an even more rigid or "classical" country than Ansu. Its control over supernatural powers is even more stringent than Ansu's. The "Court of Inquiry" of the church under the control of the Glass Palace is specifically responsible for dealing with heretical budding forces for the emperor and the empire, except through the royal path.

Naturally, as a Supreme Mage recognized by the royal family, one also follows the King's Path and belongs to the "Lawgier" branch.

Moreover, there is no magic in the extraordinary world. If we really have to say who fits the temperament of a magician, it should be a prophet or an alchemist, which is somewhat incompatible with the Empire.

Therefore, the "fa" in the word "fashi" actually represents "law" more.

Meanwhile, Grand Chancellor Merlin Windsorstone, the Glass Palace's chief lawyer and the Sorcerer Supreme, had been promoted to Sequence Two several years ago in cooperation with Pinnock's new policies, which included the promulgation of the Civil Code and the Criminal Code throughout the Empire and the implementation of political reforms.

However, unexpectedly, the opposition instigated the pro-war faction to launch a war against Iris, almost reaching the city of Mistmoon. Ulrich then paid the price of his death to end the war.

This war also completely destroyed Merlin's reform achievements. The legislators drew power from the king's laws and rules, which later directly led to his downfall and he almost died on the spot.

Pinnock then resorted to desperate measures, using Bernice's Trojan Horse to prolong Merlin's life, which resulted in three months of nationwide traffic paralysis, further damaging the economy, and fueling a growing opposition.

Without the Trojan horse, Archmage Merlin could have slowly recovered from his injuries; it would have just taken a few years or even decades.

However, after using the Trojan horse, the opposition surged, most of the reform achievements were overturned, and his soul strength was directly weakened by more than half. His soul was so weak that it could not withstand the pollution of the deep sea and was forced to bear a lot of curses.

This refers to what Vera called acute pharyngitis and tonsillar hypertrophy.

Including but not limited to:

No legislation or rituals may be enacted or used except through words; if this is violated, one will be poisoned by drowsiness.

Whenever one uses supernatural powers, one must drink water. If one does not, one will experience dry mouth and throat, and after three such instances, one will be unable to speak, and the tonsils will become blocked in the throat and cannot be cured on their own.

Do not talk while drinking water; if you do, an acute inflammation will break out immediately.

When there is inflammation in the body, one suffers from extreme pain that is beyond comprehension, and the pain directly affects the soul. During this time, all non-ritualistic supernatural abilities, talents, and powers are weakened.

In short, it's a long list of debuffs and curses.

Because of these things, Merlin and Bernice developed an irreconcilable feud.

It was because of these reasons that Albert made a special trip to Tia, hoping that she could capture the spirit harassing the Imperials and ease the long-standing grudges between the two sides.

But looking at it this way, it's still uncertain whether Tia can catch the spirit.

Vera said that even the Archmage Merlin was knocked to the ground by this monstrous spirit. Even if the Sorcerer Supreme is weak, he's still only a Sequence Two!

This spirit will probably be difficult to capture.

Tia could only wish Ms. Bernice good luck.

The four of them finished their meal at the seaside restaurant in no time, because they were going to the Great Icefield in a few days and didn't have much time, so they didn't stay long.

Tia first went to the police station in the Great Harbour District and had Vanessa seal up all the secret manuscripts and boxes of intelligence documents that had been delivered by the two steamships, and send them to the carriage that had been prepared in advance.

At noon, she called Anne and Vera, and like picking up a cat, she lifted Eleanor, who was taking a nap, and put her in the car, heading to 16 Crown Street, Silver Castle.

Chapter 492 Eleanor on the List

After Tia returned to 16 Crown Street, she didn't start studying the secret manual Vera brought back. Instead, she went to the Iris Flower Cult to contact Master White Oak of the Blind Sect.

These secret manuals were delivered, but she couldn't understand them!

We still need to find a professional to analyze this.

The first thing that came to mind was the Book of Creation, which Tia urgently needed. Therefore, Master Bai Hu translated this book first. Fortunately, the Book of Creation is not very long, only 45 pages longer than the shortest Book of Transformation, for a total of 275 pages.

With Master White Oak advancing to Sequence Five this year and several monks from the former blind monastery being brought in from the Empire, the translation of the text is progressing rapidly.

Tia went there at noon and finished translating the next day.

So Tia got up early in the morning to go and see some irises, but seeing that Annie was still sleeping, she woke Vera up instead.

Vera was sleeping soundly on the soft, large bed when Tia woke her up and dragged her to the ceremony room.

Tia said, "Help me set up a few calming, cleansing, and meditation rituals. I'm going to the Iris Garden. Vera, are you coming?"

Vera complained, "Why am I forced to do all the hard work as soon as I get home?!"

Tia chuckled and said, "You signed the slave contract yourself, you brat."

"How was I supposed to know it was this kind of slave!"

"What kind of slave do you think you are?"

"Exactly... Oh dear! How can I, a pope, say such a thing!"

Miss Red Dumpling recently became Pope and has some baggage, but she is still very efficient in her work. She quickly set up the holy candles and prepared to cleanse the evil spirits.

Tia was busy carving a chain pattern on a maze in front of the operating table and said, "We'll talk about it later. Pope Vera, please help me set up the ritual first. I had a new idea last night, and I need to dissect a spirit to verify it later. I don't have time."

Vera was startled: "What do you mean by dissecting a spirit?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Also, you should call me Master. Your Holiness Pope Vera."

"Wait a minute, you've already called me Pope, haven't you? Wouldn't it be beneath me to call you Master?"

“Let’s each talk our own thing. I’ll call you Pope, and you call me Master.”

"That's blasphemous! If this happened in ancient times, we'd both be burned at the stake..."

"Then hurry up and get to work! My maze is almost finished, but what about the deep-sea ritual?"

"Almost there, Master..."

Vera was currently indulging in the sense of transgression caused by the contrast between Tia's constant use of "Your Holiness the Pope" and "Master."

In the master bedroom, not far from the ceremonial room.

Through the hazy curtains, Eleanor was fast asleep, hugging a large shark-shaped pillow that she had chewed all over with teeth marks.

However, the princess's soul is not here at this moment, but on the other side of the ocean, in a capital city shrouded in the morning light and a light mist.

Mornings in Fogmoon City are later than in Ansu. The morning rush hour is usually between 6 and 7 a.m., while it is 5 a.m. in Ansu.

Not only is it due to the time difference, but also because after Scarlett O'Hara took office, the Iris Party passed the ten-hour workday law last month. Although enforcement is not as strict as in Ansu, violations still exist in some counties and many factories.

As for Ansu, that's hard to say. The lawmakers are currently clamoring to abolish child labor protection laws...

Clearly, a well-intentioned law that is poorly enforced is better than a bad law that is strictly enforced.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Scarlett took a carriage to the city hall on Tower Street, greeted a few passing officials, and went upstairs to her office.

The secretaries in the secretariat had already begun their work, and one personal clerk was tidying up the documents that hadn't been completed yesterday and the mountain of envelopes in the office.

Scarlett had barely sat down when she said with a headache, "I was so exhausted yesterday, how far did we get?"

The clerk respectfully said, "It's a subway project connecting the north and south districts of Fogmoon City."

"Yes, the subway!"

Scarlett said, "Don't reply yet. Send this project to the finance and audit office later and have them calculate the construction costs."

The clerk couldn't help but ask, "If you send the project proposal over there, wouldn't that be tantamount to a rejection?"

"It's a rejection. Fogmoon City has absolutely no need for such a project right now. The Grand Council's decision to set up this bidding process is purely an attempt to outdo Ansu."

"But the winning bidder, Waltz Engineering Company..."

“If they are willing to send money, I would be happy to accept it and donate a portion to the city hall. But the subway project still needs to be submitted to the finance department for review.”

The clerk smiled wryly and said, "Lady Scarlett, to be honest, you really don't have the airs of a great person at all. In all the time you've been in power, I've never seen you enjoy yourself properly."

"The newspaper reporters reported that you are the conscience of the iris. If they were talking about someone else, I would definitely complain in my heart, but when it comes to you, even a harsh person like me has nothing to say."

This comment reminded Scarlett of her time working in Port New London, where Charles, a journalist in Port New London, had reported that she was "the conscience of the Port New London Police Department."

She always felt that she was unworthy of such praise; such lavish compliments should have belonged to Commander Sulph!

She has always regarded Tia as her idol.

Therefore, Scarlett asked in surprise, "I'm enjoying myself too. I have days off every week, no busy commute, and free food and milk. Isn't that great?"

The scribe said in awe, “That’s why I’ve always believed that you will become a saint of the church a thousand years from now—or at least have a similar glory.”

"Speaking of which... Oh, right, the Grand Council passed an emergency proposal at yesterday's extraordinary meeting. Please take a look."

The clerk quickly pulled a sheet from a stack of papers and handed it to Scarlett.

Scarlett quickly flipped through a few pages and exclaimed in surprise, "We're going to send more superhumans to the Great Ice Plains? This was our suggestion?"

The clerk immediately replied, "Of course not! It was proposed by our despicable ally, His Highness Prince Albert of Ansu."

"Because their fiefdom of Westerburg in the Great Icefield was blockaded by the Empire. So Ansu wants to take advantage of our good relations with the clans of the Great Icefield and ask us to send some forces to the Great Icefield to establish some outposts for them to use."

“There are only a few dozen people in total, not many people are needed. Mistmoon City will pay the majority, and the rest will be shared by the various counties…” Scarlett looked at the document carefully, and after flipping through a few more pages, she suddenly saw a familiar name on the list of planned personnel.

—Furina Bonaparte.

If she remembered correctly, the currently active Fernina Bonaparte is backed by Princess Eleanor of the Morne royal family!

Moreover, this little princess recently caused trouble by stealing a copy of Rexar's journal from the archives.

Fortunately, the journal contained nothing of importance, and given Eleanor's high status, the matter was dropped.