Chapter 568
She followed Adele upstairs, while Tara and Peirce trailed behind Charles, their curiosity piqued about the potion that Charles was so eager for Adele to create.
Charles was led by Adele to the fourth floor, passing through boxes of unopened instruments and documents, until they reached a central iron table where the potion was sealed in a bottle.
Inside the bottle floated a shimmering, diamond-shaped piece of metal.
As she gently picked up the bottle, she felt the surface of the metal shift slightly, vibrating like mercury.
What kind of potion is this...
Peirce, standing behind Charles, looked at the bottle in her hand, her face a mask of confusion—she had never seen a potion with such characteristics.
Taking a deep breath, Charles uncorked the bottle and downed the potion in one gulp.
As the potion touched her mouth, it seeped into her flesh and blood, a searing pain penetrating her skin and marrow, as if a thousand needles were darting through her body.
She could feel her heart gradually cooling, as if it were freezing—an experience she had only felt when on the brink of death.
But soon, her heart began to pump violently again, hot blood surging through her veins, the heat turning her once pale skin a deep crimson, so much so that even those around her could feel the warmth radiating off her.
Steam poured from her breath, and as she slowly raised her right hand, the skin on her knuckles split open, crimson blood gushing out like molten iron. It quickly congealed, forming a metallic gauntlet that enveloped her hands.
Crack—
As she slightly clenched her fist, the black metal gauntlet emitted a resonant clang, and four sharp claws burst forth from the armor on her knuckles.
Her body continued to ooze blood, the scorching liquid burning through her stockings and skirt, creating a delicate black lace exoskeleton that protected her limbs.
Charles raised her hand, opening her palm, feeling the power that the metallic exoskeleton granted her.
Her strength had increased significantly...
Why can’t I create armor that covers my entire body like the other "Crown Knights"? Instead, I have this exoskeleton with so many gaps in its defense...
Is it because the first-tier "Knight" can only manipulate a limited amount of metal? Or perhaps the sealed memories that come with me, or the system itself, crafted the most cost-effective "armor" with the least amount of metal?
Generally speaking, this amount of metal would only be enough for Charles to arm one arm, forming a complete arm armor.
But this all-around enhancement isn’t bad... and the exposed gears of the metallic exoskeleton don’t look particularly sci-fi; they resemble more of a steam-punk style.
“What on earth is this...” Peirce stared at Charles, dumbfounded.
This is an entirely new path... and why does this aura feel so much like a "Crown Knight"?
“This is the first tier of the ‘Crown Knight,’ the ‘Knight’,” Charles calmly explained, and then the armor began to melt into scorching molten iron, seeping back into her body.
However, Charles’s clothes, legs, and shoulders had already been burned through by the molten iron... especially her stockings, which were completely ruined. It seemed that the "Knight" ability was quite taxing on clothing.
What surprised Charles the most was that the "Knight" potion didn’t bring her any negative effects... even the potion’s whispers were extremely faint, almost drowned out by the sounds of the other world. If she didn’t pay close attention, she wouldn’t have heard them at all.
This was the best potion she had digested aside from the "Instigator," and it hadn’t even affected her emotions.
Was it because the replication ritual was executed so well? Or was the potion formula particularly perfect?
Perhaps she would need to ask that Pure White Knight to find out.
“The first tier of the ‘Crown Knight’? Isn’t its first tier...” Peirce murmured, wanting to say something, but the reality before her silenced her.
Lady Charles’s "Knight" potion clearly resembled the first tier of the "Crown Knight" more than the "Detective."
So... is the "Knight" the true first tier of the "Crown Knight"?
If the "Crown Knights" found out about this, who knows how many would go mad over it.
Currently, the "Detective" path and the "Crown Knights" were essentially just trying to fill in the gaps, doing everything they could to compensate for their weak mental power, as evidenced by the mad "Artificial Divine Persona" project of Pope Erigema.
“Let’s go to the Order of the God of Order,” Charles said without wasting any time. “It’s time to talk.”
Charles planned to use the "Spiritual Summoning" array to summon the Pure White Knight, exchanging it for a chance to view ancient texts. For her, it was an easy trade; she could even hand over the first-tier "Knight" potion, as it was merely a simulation.
She intended to use the remaining time to learn more about the relationships between the Holy War Era, the Ancient Ansu, and the Chaos Era...
To prepare for the possible awakening of the Old Ones upon her return.
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**Chapter 293: The Awakening of the Old Ones, May the Saints Return (8411 words)**
In the private prayer room of the Order of the God of Order, Erigema stared at the potion formula and the handwritten manuscript of the replication ritual before her, along with the strange summoning ritual set aside, sitting in silence for a long time, unable to collect her thoughts.
Archbishop Henry had already taken the red-haired girl to the church's sacred library, leaving Erigema alone in the private prayer room.
Just moments ago, Erigema had experienced an unprecedented mental shock.
A mysterious girl had told her that all the extraordinary beings on the "Detective" path were on the wrong track... and presented a seemingly flawless promotion plan, handing it directly to her...
As if it were just a newspaper or some common information, the girl showed no concern for this top-secret material, to the point where Erigema began to doubt its authenticity.
But reason told her that what the girl said was true...
Especially after the girl briefly demonstrated the abilities of the first-tier "Knight," all her doubts about this path vanished—so much so that when the summoning array from the other world was revealed, Erigema felt little emotional upheaval.
The girl had told Erigema that this path was given to her by the being within the otherworldly node...
No wonder Erigema's emotions were so turbulent.
The path that she and other sages had pursued their entire lives, exhausting their efforts, was completely wrong... and almost impossible to continue... that she hadn’t gone mad was a testament to her mental stability.
She might need some time to calm her mind, and once her emotions settled, she would seek out the girl named Charles.
Meanwhile, Charles, under Archbishop Henry's guidance, had arrived at the sacred library.
This was not the priest's library; it contained theological works and rare texts from the Holy War era that only extraordinary beings were qualified to read, some of which were even written in languages other than Ancient Ansu.
After handing Charles the key to the collection and explaining the precautions, Henry left the sacred library, leaving Charles, Tara, and Peirce to browse freely—this was a privilege usually reserved for archbishops and higher clergy, while ordinary church extraordinary beings could only borrow books for a limited time.
Charles wasted no time, starting from the first bookshelf, scanning the entire catalog of books on each shelf.
Before long, she had a solid impression of all the books stored here in her mind, and she began to mentally search through the catalog she had noted down.
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