Chapter 408
Lafayette came on behalf of the Pharos Medical Society, seeking to provide practical solutions for the technology of the Otherworld in the hands of the Church of the God of Order.
The Church of the God of Order, with its somewhat obsessive "Artificial Divinity" project, aimed to create an absolute "justice" and "order"—perhaps driven by some high-ranking individual who sought to control the church or even "ascend to divinity" through such extreme measures.
The war-monger, Qiangyin, likely tasted the sweetness of this technology early on and, in a bid to steal its fruits, allowed the Church of the God of Order to continue its plans.
At the same time, the Joyous Society faced fierce resistance from the Church of the Savior Goddess due to certain rituals in the north, prompting Qiangyin to consider using the Joyous Society to eliminate the Savior Goddess Church—this could very well be the reason Qiangyin gained the trust of the Church of the God of Order, as some sort of deal must have been struck between them.
The Church of the Savior Goddess sought to stop the famine and save its largest diocese and followers, while the Redemption Society simply aimed to save lives out of principle. Both inevitably found themselves at odds with the royal family, the Pharos Medical Society, and the Church of the God of Order.
However, due to Charles's interference, Qiangyin's focus might have completely shifted to capturing the Key Person.
The Joyous Society's potion rituals in North Ansu; the Church of the God of Order's "Artificial Divinity" project; the Pharos Medical Society conducting unknown research; and Qiangyin, who sought to profit from the "uniqueness" of the royal symphony...
These four represent the main conflicts, while other derived events—such as attempts to weaken the Savior Goddess Church or assassinate Ashford—are merely secondary conflicts.
In the chaotic city of Ansu, after multiple simulations and synthesizing information from various sources, Charles managed to untangle the web of contradictions.
No organization likely possessed a more comprehensive understanding of the situation than he did.
It felt like everyone had their own tasks to attend to... Were they not exhausted?
Charles raised his hand, gently massaging his temples with his index and middle fingers.
The desire to lie down and slip into eternal sleep had never felt so strong.
"Ah... one last question..."
Charles's tone was somewhat weary, and this weariness gradually calmed Mond's heart.
The Key Person likely understood the current situation and was ready to compromise and cooperate.
Buzz—
Charles slowly raised his hand, a flash of silver light revealing a dark green frontal lobe, slightly chipped at the edges, appearing in his palm.
In the simulation, he had extracted the frontal lobe from the subsystem warehouse, but it did not affect Charles's own system warehouse; he could still retrieve the frontal lobe he had exchanged for long ago.
"How do you use this? You should know, right?" Charles asked casually.
Upon seeing the dark green frontal lobe, Mond's eyes widened in disbelief, her face shadowed by incredulity.
"Impossible! This thing..." Mond instinctively blurted out.
But she quickly closed her mouth.
Mond knew very well that this was something she had personally taken from the Redemption Society; it couldn't possibly still be in the Key Person's hands.
The Key Person was a "Subverter"; she could produce whatever she wanted!
"The real one isn't in your hands, so I can't help you get it," Mond shook her head.
"This is the real one." Charles shook the frontal lobe in his hand, the soft brain jiggling like green jelly.
"Ha... I personally extracted the real one from Ashford's lab and handed it to Professor Lafayette. How could it possibly be in your hands?" Mond scoffed.
"Oh..." Charles nodded, smiling, "What was Lafayette's reaction when she saw this? Did she take off her sunglasses? Did she laugh?"
As Charles spoke, the smile on Mond's face gradually faded.
The information they had received was that Ashford had obtained a symbiotic brain, but they were unclear about which one it was.
However, when Lafayette saw the brain Mond had given her, her eyes indeed showed shock; she lost her smile and carefully examined the brain through her lenses... Mond had been feeling quite pleased with herself for bringing back something extraordinary, only to be dismissed by Lafayette.
Seeing the sudden disappearance of Mond's smile, Charles's grin widened: "Do you know why she was so shocked?"
Before Mond could respond, Charles continued, "This is the piece from Windsor's brain... oh, the one with Qiangyin's memories."
"Lafayette must have been astonished, even wanting to cut open Windsor's brain to see if that frontal lobe was still there, since Windsor is clearly alive..."
"She'll probably soon realize that it's a fake... including the piece from Windsor's brain, and then Qiangyin will go mad looking for me after hearing this..."
"By the way, do you know why Qiangyin has those ablation marks on his face? The stitching on his facial flesh was probably done by Lafayette, right?"
"Who does that Key symbol refer to?"
At this point, Charles chuckled softly.
"Hard to guess..."
Halfway through, Mond already felt a chill creeping into her limbs.
The Key Person before her, smiling yet speaking weakly, instilled a profound fear in Mond... The Key Person's nonchalant demeanor suggested she was in control of everything, which made her seem utterly fearless.
The Key Person... knew more than Mond had imagined.
This time, Mond truly set aside all her previous biases against the Key Person, even completely disregarding the mockery she had faced before.
If the Key Person truly knew everything... then she indeed had the right to mock her.
Compared to the joy the Key Person derived from stirring the pot in these matters, Mond's actions felt like child's play, and she had been blissfully unaware of it until now.
What was going on with the Key Person... it was as if she had suddenly become a different person...
Now, Mond was at the mercy of the Key Person; she could only trust what she said.
Mond swallowed hard, and after a moment of silence, she spoke, "I... can help you decode the information in that brain, Your Excellency..."
By saying "Your Excellency," Mond, as a colleague and fellow overseer of their actions, had completely submitted to the Key Person.
"Go ahead."
Charles nodded slightly, sitting on a crate, looking down at Mond, who was kneeling on the ground.
...
About two hours later, inside the factory.
Several wooden crates were pieced together to form a simple makeshift workbench, covered with a layer of gray waterproof cloth.
A few figures in black robes stood beside Charles, each holding tools, waiting for him to make use of them.
On the table lay a man stripped of his shirt, his eyes tightly shut, seemingly in a coma.
The man's skull had been completely opened; at this moment, Charles was more experienced than before, managing to avoid shattering the skull. With the ability of the "Coroner," he could even ensure that the incision left no visible trace.
The man's frontal lobe had been entirely removed, and in its place was a slightly pulsating dark green frontal lobe.
Then, Charles carefully reattached the skull, which was sticky with fluids, and stitched the scalp back together.
Perhaps due to his frequent handling of corpses, Charles's technique was somewhat rough; he didn't focus on aesthetics, prioritizing speed instead.
"Is this how it should be?" Charles set down the scalpel and turned to Mond.
"Yes, Your Excellency," Mond nodded slightly, though a flicker of doubt crossed her mind.
Why could the Key Person use the ability of the "Coroner"...?
Even a "Subverter" couldn't reach this level...
Mond didn't have time to ponder; she noticed Charles's increasingly impatient gaze and quickly added:
"After replacing this brain, an ordinary person would be contaminated by the Otherworld. Only those with a certain resistance to the Otherworld can fully adapt... Generally, only the original owner of this brain can adapt perfectly, so the choice of the recipient is crucial..."
"This frontal lobe was originally cut from Windsor, so Windsor can withstand its side effects without being completely driven mad or assimilated by this brain."
Listening to Mond's words, Charles nodded.
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