Chapter 699
Her abilities... have failed?
Just as Imogen was about to use her powers again, she felt something dripping onto her hand. Instinctively, she looked down and saw the bright red blood pooling on her palm...
In addition, she caught a glimpse of her own face reflected in the smooth surface of the ring on her finger.
At some point, a feather quill had been thrust into her right eye, the white plume swaying up and down with the jolting of the carriage.
After a moment of dazed shock, the delayed pain finally registered in Imogen's mind.
"Ugh!!!"
She arched her back in agony, trembling as she raised her hand, incredulously grasping the quill that was embedded in her right eye.
A seal? When did this happen?!
With a swift motion, she yanked the quill out, pulling her eyeball along with it. Imogen stared at the quill and her own eye in her hand with her remaining left eye.
She quickly extracted the quill from her eyeball, only to be taken aback.
This is just... an ordinary quill?
"What a pity..." The red-haired girl before her, Shaer, let out a slightly regretful sound. "You really shouldn't have used your powers against me..."
"Who the hell are you..." Imogen gritted her teeth, slowly shoving the damaged eyeball back into its socket. She looked up at the girl named Shaer. "I don't even know you."
She had never heard that name before and had no idea what connection they might have.
Imogen was no stranger to high-stakes situations; she maintained her composure, ready to use words to stabilize the strange and powerful individual before her while searching for an opportunity to escape.
"You don't know me?" Shaer chuckled, shaking her head. "Hearing that answer makes me feel a bit nostalgic."
"Let me think about what connections we might have..."
Shaer tilted her head back slightly, squinting her eyes as if genuinely pondering the question.
"The 'Keybearer'—I killed him."
"The antidote for the 'Rotting Plague'—I developed it."
"Soundwave—I killed him."
"The Church merger—I facilitated it."
"The proposal to abolish the 'Grain Act'—I delayed it."
"And you... seem to be quite displeased with me for all these things..."
Shaer spoke slowly, each revelation causing Imogen's expression to shift dramatically.
Imogen stared at the red-haired girl, her remaining left eye widening in disbelief. She could hardly fathom that all of this was orchestrated by her...
But now, the power Shaer displayed was a clear indication that these claims were likely true...
She had managed to insert an ordinary quill into Imogen's eye without her noticing... Just that alone told Imogen she had no chance of escaping.
At least until she understood how Shaer had done it, Imogen had no means of resistance.
"Why... we have no grievances, and yet everything you’ve done seems to be aimed at..." Imogen began, but instinctively fell silent when she reached a certain name.
"Longying?" Shaer looked at Imogen with interest. "Are you suggesting that I'm targeting you?"
Imogen remained silent, tacitly agreeing with Shaer’s assertion.
"I actually think it’s you who are targeting me..." Shaer shook her head and continued, "But let’s get back to business."
Shaer’s relationship with the Joyous Society was akin to a cursed bond.
When she was still weak, the Joyous Society had haunted her like a nightmare, forcing her into various incidents.
It had also compelled her to do all sorts of things for self-preservation...
Now, after meeting the mastermind behind it all, she found that the other party had placed the Joyous Society in the role of "victim"... which left Shaer both amused and exasperated.
This was all a transformation brought about by her newfound strength.
If Shaer had still been at the level she was when she first arrived in Ansu, encountering Imogen would have been a near-death experience... Back then, she would have been utterly defenseless against Imogen's mental attacks.
Compared to Soundwave, Imogen posed an even greater threat... not to mention that Imogen had the hallucinogenic drugs provided by Longying.
"Business?" Imogen looked at Shaer, momentarily at a loss.
Just moments ago, she had been on the brink of death, contemplating what grudge had led to this meeting, and now the conversation had shifted to collaboration?
At that moment, the carriage gradually came to a stop in front of Shaer’s home.
Tara, sitting at the front of the carriage, got out and opened the door, saying, "Lady Shaer, we’ve arrived."
"Let’s go talk." Shaer nodded slightly to Imogen, then stepped down from the carriage, heading toward the villa.
She seemed completely unconcerned that Imogen might escape; her demeanor was as casual as if she were inviting a friend over for tea.
Inside Shaer’s villa, there was no separate reception room. She led Imogen into her study and sat down on the sofa.
Tara poured red tea for Shaer, while Imogen stood across from her, showing no intention of sitting down... She was still trying to figure out what Shaer wanted from her.
"How many emitters have you installed in Ansu?" Shaer asked, looking directly at Imogen.
Imogen was not surprised by Shaer’s question.
Shaer had intercepted her beneath one of the emitters... Shaer knew about the emitters, so Imogen wouldn’t be caught off guard.
The collaboration they were discussing likely had something to do with the virus emitters.
"The East District and South Bank are fully covered. The West District is the last to be set up, and there’s just one left in the North District... the final device at the platform," Imogen replied slowly, not daring to conceal anything.
"I need you to use the emitters to help me with something," Shaer said, her gaze steady on Imogen.
"What do you need?" Imogen took a deep breath, unsure of what the red-haired girl wanted her to do.
"It’s simple. I just need you to make me famous—within Ansu City, the more famous, the better," Shaer stated, looking directly at Imogen.
"Famous?" Imogen blinked in surprise.
She found it odd; for someone like Shaer, who possessed terrifying supernatural abilities, becoming famous should be a piece of cake.
However... since Shaer had asked about the virus emitters beforehand, it suggested that her desire for fame was not as straightforward as it seemed.
As Imogen pondered this, a silver light flashed in the girl’s hand, and a thick manual appeared.
Shaer took the quill handed to her by the green-haired girl and began writing in the manual.
After jotting down a few lines, she turned the manual around and gently pushed it toward Imogen.
Imogen looked at what Shaer had written.
Upon seeing the intended outcome, Imogen felt a bit bewildered.
She still didn’t understand.
First, she was to become widely known, then there would be a cognitive alteration to make everyone below the fourth tier forget about her... What was the point of this?
It would only let all the fourth-tier individuals know that a girl had used her "Nightmare" ability to toy with them.
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Chapter 357: Leimeides and the Three Iron Balls
Feigning contemplation for a moment, Imogen looked toward Shaer and slowly nodded, saying, "I accept this collaboration, but I have one condition..."
"Collaboration?" Shaer raised an eyebrow at Imogen's words, tilting her chin slightly as she scrutinized her with narrowed eyes. "A condition?"
As soon as Shaer finished speaking, Imogen's heart sank.
The other party... wasn’t here to seek her collaboration...
Or rather, the other party had never intended to engage her in any so-called "collaboration."
Crack!
Just as Imogen felt her mind swirling in confusion, the door to the study swung open.
Tara opened the door and stood aside, allowing a few people to enter.
Eleanor, Percy, and Avina walked into the study.
However, when Avina entered and glanced at Shaer, her gaze flickered slightly, as if she had done something shameful and couldn’t meet Shaer’s eyes.
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