Chapter 175: Who Stole My Bones? (6)

Louis’s excitement was contagious, and the twins, flame siblings, and even Pablo, the room’s original owner, all turned to see what was going on.

“What’s wrong?”

“What happened?”

“What is it?”

“Did something funny occur?”

They rushed over to Louis in no time flat, with Pablo slipping in among them.

He flicked his fingers.

Dip.

A sparkling light appeared in the center of the group and revealed an unexpected guest.

“Lord Louis!” It was none other than Fin.

An alarmed Pablo asked, “Wh-what did you do?”

“I’ve added space transport capabilities to the communication stone connected to Fin. I suppose it’s a one-way summoning spell of sorts?”

“…What’s that?”

“It doesn’t matter. You wouldn’t understand even if I explained it to you.”

“I-I might…” Pablo hemmed and hawed.

Smack!

“Ouch!” His rambling ceased as someone whacked him on the head.

Louis turned to Fin. “What did you learn? What does that old codger have hidden away?”

“I found something fascinating!” The slight excitement in Fin’s voice drew everyone’s attention.

“Fascinating? What is it?”

“The Transcendent Era!”

“…?”

The unexpected remark left the guests utterly confused.

Meanwhile, Pablo shrugged it off as inconsequential and began explaining what he knew. “The Kanburk Kingdom is known for accumulating extraordinary wealth despite its small size. We even speculate that their collection of Transcendent artifacts rivals that of the Empire.”

“…”

“As one of the larger domains under the Kanburk Palace, Persellus would naturally possess such artifacts.”

Pablo nodded at Fin’s explanation.

“No! That’s not it!”

“Huh?”

“It’s not just that they have a Transcendent, they’re actually creating one!”

Pablo was taken aback. “Creating… a Transcendent?”

“Yeah! Although ‘creating’ might be too strong a word… let’s just say they’re researching it. It’s still in its infancy; I doubt they’ll be able to construct a proper Transcendent anytime soon.”

“Holy smokes! Crafting a Transcendent?!” Tania, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, suddenly interjected.

“Why is creating a Transcendent so surprising?”

Pablo shook his head vigorously. “Of course it’s surprising!”

“Why?”

“Take the 4th rank Transcendent you shattered some time ago. Acquiring just one of those could easily consume half of a small domain’s annual budget.”

“W-w-was it really that expensive?”

“W-we did that?! And three of them?!” Tania’s jaw dropped, and even Kendrick, who had been listening intently, was left speechless.

Half a year’s budget for their entire domain. To the Flame siblings, who had grown up in a remote mountain village, it was an inconceivable sum of money.

But Pablo wasn’t finished yet.

“Moreover, the cost skyrockets every time an Transcendent’s rank goes up. Just think of how expensive a 2nd rank is… It’s so rare that only about thirty of these are known to exist even within the Empire.”

“Th-that’s probably really expensive, then.”

“Expensive? Of course it is! Despite their astronomical price, there’s always a queue of buyers eager to get their hands on them.”

“How come?”

“Presently, countries can produce 3rd and 4th rank Transcendent on their own. But when it comes to 2nd rank Transcendent… they can’t be made anywhere except the Tower of Wishes itself.”

Pablo glanced at Louis, then continued, “The Tower of Wishes is the only place in the world where Grade 2 Transcendents can be produced. I’ve heard they can produce no more than ten units per year, even if they try to mass-produce them.”

The twins, who had been listening to Pablo’s story, chimed in.

“Demand is high, but supply is incredibly low.”

“When something’s this scarce, you can pretty much name your price.”

“That’s right,” Pablo nodded. “That’s why if you ask anyone who the wealthiest tower in the world is, they’d all say without hesitation, ‘The Tower of Wishes.’”

As soon as Pablo finished speaking, the twins and Fin’s eyes all turned towards Louis.

Twitch, twitch.

Their gaze fell on Louis, who was desperately trying to suppress his rising smile.

The wealthiest tower? What the…?

Heh-heh…

Is that mine?

Of course, the tower wasn’t entirely his, but could he claim ownership of at least 90%?

Louis shook his head slightly.

No… no! It’s 95%… no, 99% mine!

The more he thought about it, the more he struggled to keep his giddiness in check.

Meanwhile, Tanya and Kendrick, unaware of the situation, looked on quizzically.

“Teacher, is something good?”

“You look incredibly happy.”

In contrast, Ron and Fin, who were aware of the situation, chuckled quietly.

Louis cleared his throat and asked, “By the way, we’ve been talking about Transcendent Rank 2, but is there no Transcendent Rank 1?”

Pablo immediately answered.

“There are none.”

“Why not?”

“It’s believed that a first-rank Transcendent can’t be created.”

“But if you can’t create one, why bother ranking them as first-rank?”

“Well… I heard a rumor that there might be a first-rank Transcendent in the Tower of Wishes. No one’s ever seen it, but they say it might exist… you know?”

“What’s that? So basically a hallucinogenic Trancendent… or something?”

“The Tower of Wishes is where they rank the Transcendents, so doesn’t that mean they must believe a first-rank one exists too? That’s why people assume it isn’t just a baseless rumor.”

“Hmm… I see.”

Pablo turned away from Louis, who was still smiling contentedly, and addressed his juniors.

“Anyhow, getting back to the main topic… Anyone can research and create Transcendents, but it’s not something just anyone can do. That’s what surprised me.”

“Wait, let me get this straight: You’re saying that while anyone can do it, it’s not feasible for just anyone?” Tanya blinked in confusion.

Pablo chuckled at her puzzled expression. “Creating a Transcendent requires an enormous amount of capital. It’s often cheaper to buy ten Transcendents from the Tower of Wishes than to research and develop even one Grade 4 Transcendent.”

“Oh!”

“A country would need a sizeable treasury to even attempt Transcendent production. Only the Empire and some wealthy kingdoms have succeeded so far, but their creations still fall short in performance compared to those made by the tower.”

“So essentially, it’s an inefficient process?”

“Indeed.”

“Aha!”

“Even so, the creation of Transcendants would have a profound impact on the international balance of power. If only we could succeed…”

“So that’s why that Duke fellow has been obstructing the Order’s warriors from getting involved, huh?”

Tania nodded vigorously.

Kani then posed a question. “But isn’t the Kanburk Kingdom sitting on a pile of cash? Wouldn’t it be worth giving it a shot, then?”

“Theoretically, yes, but considering they’re already pouring astronomical sums elsewhere, it’s unlikely they’d initiate transcendent research without a guarantee of success.”

“Astronomical sums? Where could they possibly be spending that much money?”

“Well, that’s…”

Just as Pablo was about to reveal the source, a voice interrupted from outside:

“Tap-tap. priest, Great Warrior. A letter has arrived from Kanburk Palace.”

Louis’s eyes flickered at the news.

As Louis gestured, Pablo sprang up and opened the door.

“G-Great Warrior?”

“Your letter!” Startled, Pablo snatched the letter from the warrior and handed it to Louis.

Louis unfolded the letter and quickly skimmed its contents. Despite the verbose and detailed writing, the core message was simple.

Looking at Pablo, Louis asked, “What’s the Calron Conference?”

“They say it’s going to be held?”

“Yes.” Nodding, Louis handed the letter back to Pablo.

Pablo examined the letter, his expression puzzled. “Huh… There shouldn’t be a meeting scheduled yet. Why?”

“I asked, what’s the Calron Conference?”

“Held every five years in the Kanburk Kingdom. The last one was two years ago.”

“I see. And now they’re suddenly calling for a meeting? Just when we’re facing this crisis?”

Something wasn’t adding up.

Louis rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

As Pablo observed, he couldn’t help but inquire:

“Louis, don’t you feel… something’s amiss here? Is it perhaps related to what you mentioned about a ‘bite’ last time?”

This remark referred to a conversation Pablo had with Louis after they dealt with an attack from a Transcendent. Louis had suggested that if they let things go unchecked, those responsible for orchestrating events might react.

In response to Pablo’s question, Louis remained noncommittal:

“Well, it could be either way. I suppose we’ll find out once we get there.”

Pablo nodded in understanding. “Let’s proceed then. It seems things have turned out well, no matter how strange. If it’s not too late, did you ever wonder about the astronomical expenses of the Kingdom of Kanburk; where all that money’s being spent?”

”…What do you mean?”

“I believe it would be better if you saw for yourself, rather than me trying to explain.” With those words, Pablo gave a mischievous grin.

The questioning gaze directed towards him only solidified Pablo’s confidence. He was certain that even a dragon like Louis would be astonished upon witnessing “…it.”

The dim glow of a lantern cast an eerie light over the chamber.

A massive fist slammed fiercely onto the table.

Bang!

“Still no word on their whereabouts?” The voice was cold and menacing.

”…I’m truly sorry,” came the gnawingly anxious reply.

Before his master’s seething rage, the subordinate could only bow his head low. After a moment, the sweat broke out on his forehead, and he spoke once more. “We’re doing our best to track them down, but so far there’s not been a single clue to find them.”

“What the hell have you lot been doing?!” he snarled.

“Haah…” The man took a deep breath, forcing himself to regain his composure. He tried to keep his tone even. “So where exactly have you searched?”

“We’ve confirmed that there was a battle at the location you set for that day, and the Transcendent and her warriors… they’ve simply vanished,” his subordinate reported grimly.

“That’s exactly what I’ve heard dozens of times already! I’m asking you, where exactly have you searched?”

A thorough search conducted within a three-kilometer radius of the battlefield revealed not a single trace of the target.

”…This is preposterous. How can such colossal creatures simply vanish into thin air?”

The master gnashed his teeth, his eyes betraying a hint of agitation as he turned to his subordinate.

“What… what are the chances that those heretics got to them?”

“Impossible. Our strategic analysis team has run multiple simulations, and there were no flaws in the plan.”

“But… but how did that monster return to the Order alive? It doesn’t add up!”

”…”

“If everything went according to plan, Pablo should have arrived at the Order as a corpse, not on his own two feet!”

”…”

“Yet, that creature returned alive! Doesn’t that imply they encountered the Transcendent?”

“If that’s the case, remnants of the Transcendent should remain. Yet in the battleground, save for traces of combat, nothing else was found. I’ve received reports that even the great warrior’s party arrived at the Order empty-handed.”

“Could that monster have disposed of the Transcendent and hidden its remains?”

“Considering the time it took for the great warrior’s party to escape the operation site and arrive at the Order… that possibility seems unlikely.”

”…”

“Even if hidden, given our search party was in such close proximity, they should have discovered it by now.”

“But they found absolutely nothing.”

As the one in charge, I’m truly grappling with this situation.

Five transcendents, vanished without a trace.

It makes no sense whatsoever.

How had steel giants weighing several tons apiece… vanished into thin air?

What made this even more frustrating were the reactions of the cult members.

“…What are your thoughts? Don’t you find it strange how quiet they’ve been? If they’d been attacked, those battle-crazy lunatics should be ready to rip someone apart by now.”

“Analyzing the current situation… we believe another force was involved.”

“So you’re saying someone else engaged our cult while we weren’t looking, then took our five Transcendents and disappeared?”

“That’s correct. From the start, Pablo never encountered the Transcendent we sent, and another force likely dealt with our Transcendent instead.”

”…If there was no engagement, it makes sense for Pablo to have reached the order so quickly.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“However, with one Transcendent 2, two Transcendents 3, and three Transcendents 4 involved, to face such power, one must possess at least two Transcendents 2. Do you think any force could easily obtain a Transcendent 2?”

”…”

Seeing his subordinate at a loss for words, the master barely managed to suppress his exasperation.

Phew… He exhaled strangely, then gritted his teeth and spoke. “Expand the search area.”

“But… if we rush the search, there’s a risk of leaving a trail.”

“Ugh…” Blood vessels bulged in his master’s eyes. “Remember this… You must find a Transcendent 2, no matter what… Understand? Our lives hang in the balance.”

“I will bear this in mind,” his subordinate replied.

The subordinate bowed deeply and left.