Chapter 120 The Nighthawks and the Machinery Hivemind Cooperate

|Half an hour earlier…|

Machinery Hivemind team captain Max Livermore had just finished dinner with his family when he suddenly heard knocking at the door.

Looking through the windowpane, he saw a carriage emblazoned with the Triangular Sacred Emblem parked on the street outside.

He directed a smile at his wife and said, “Looks like I’ll have to work overtime.”

As he spoke, Max got up to open the door.

Standing at the threshold, the brown-haired Captain Ikanser smiled slightly and said, “I’ll need to take up some of your time tonight. There’s a matter requiring your assistance.”

“It’s fine.” Max nodded with a smile, “I get overtime pay anyway.”

Even as he spoke, he was already slipping into his coat.

‘Overtime pay…’ Max sighed inwardly, remembering Odis, who always had a reason to request for overtime pay at the ready.

Ikanser greeted his colleague’s wife and children.

By then, Max had already grabbed his cane and put on his top hat. After bidding farewell to his wife and kids, he boarded the carriage with Ikanser.

To his surprise, a Nighthawks squad captain, Karl, was inside the carriage.

“This is the liaison between the Nighthawks and the Machinery Hivemind.” Ikanser made the introduction, “We are about to carry out a joint operation with the Nighthawks. I want to appoint you as the liaison for the Machinery Hivemind to maintain constant contact with the Nighthawks.”

Max was somewhat bewildered by this new appointment. When he left the Mechanical Research Institute this morning, there hadn’t been the slightest sign of such an operation.

Ikanser promptly offered an explanation, “At today’s gathering of the Mysticism Research Society, Odis obtained an astonishing piece of intelligence…” He briefly outlined the beginning and end of the matter before concluding: “…I had someone send a telegram to the Nighthawks, alerting them that someone was investigating them. His Excellency Crestet Cesimir came to the institute and informed me of a plan the Nighthawks are currently undertaking.”

At this point, he looked toward Karl.

The latter nodded solemnly and picked up the thread, “A month ago, we obtained an ancient Sealed Artifact inscribed with numerous Dragon script characters. Touching it causes one to hear bizarre, uncanny voices that can easily lead one to lose control. Originally, we intended to treat it as an ordinary Sealed Artifact, but right then, a church all the way in East Balam provided a crucial piece of intelligence: members of the Rose School of Thought were actually plotting to seize this Sealed Artifact…”

“…So, we decided to use it as bait to set a trap, waiting for the Rose School of Thought to come and take it. The intelligence your informant provided at noon made us think that the Rose School of Thought’s operation was about to begin. However, divination revealed that it wasn’t the Rose School of Thought investigating the Nighthawks. Other secret organizations are eyeing that Sealed Artifact as well. Thus, Archbishop Anthony decided to collaborate with other official Beyonders to lay an ambush for the enemy together.”

Max realized that there were more enemies than anticipated, and the Nighthawks were short on manpower, which was why they needed to launch a joint operation.

“Why do all these secret organizations want that Sealed Artifact?” He asked, stroking his chin, “Unless they’ve gone completely mad, why would they attack an important stronghold of an orthodox Church?”

It might make sense if it were a remote church, but the churches situated in Backlund were practically the second headquarters of the Orthodox Churches, with Demigods permanently stationed there.

Though there was a tacit understanding among the Orthodox Churches that Deities would not directly descend upon densely populated major cities, they still possessed Angels. It would take only a minute or two, perhaps not even that long, for reinforcements to reach Backlund.

“We are still looking into this matter ourselves,” Karl said, “Yes, we still haven’t completely deciphered the meaning of those Dragon script characters even now. However, through divination and other methods, we have determined that this Sealed Artifact possesses a powerful attraction to ancient, mysterious entities, as well as the most evil, twisted beings.”

At this point, Ikanser spoke up again: “If I recall correctly, Odis understands the language of the Dragon race, right?”

Max was taken aback for a moment before replying, “According to our surveillance records, he did indeed teach himself the Dragon language. But…”

But there were significant unstable factors surrounding Odis. What if an ancient, mysterious existence really resided inside him, and upon seeing that Sealed Artifact, would completely revealed Their true nature? What then?

It was just that with Karl present, Max thought it improper to voice such a speculation directly.

“We have already informed the Nighthawks of Odis’s special circumstances, and they support our next course of action.” Ikanser said, while pulling out a small, exquisite mechanical rod with a red button on one end. He explained, “As long as you press this button, Archbishop Horamick will arrive on the scene within three seconds.”

Only then did Max realize that it was very likely that the Machinery Hivemind’s condition for cooperating with the Nighthawks was to use that Sealed Artifact to test Odis.

And since Max was friends with the person in question, having him invite Odis to decipher the Dragon script would not arouse the other’s suspicion.

If Odis showed no signs of trouble, Max could smoothly take the opportunity to invite him to provide intelligence support for this joint operation, making everything seem entirely natural.

With this realization, he said, “Alright, let’s go invite Odis right away.”

Max knew full well that this was also a test for him. He usually stayed quite close to Odis, so who knew whether he had already fallen under his influence?

Ikanser nodded, “You will be the one to knock on the door in a bit.”

The carriage arrived at Unit 77 Hilton Avenue, and Max stepped down to knock on the door…

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|Back to the present…|

*Knock, knock, knock~*

Odis, who was chatting with Bernadette upstairs, frowned, wondering who would come knocking on his door so late at night.

“My premonition was correct. The truth has come knocking.” Bernadette remarked, “Once you return, we will continue our conversation.”

With that, she seemed to take her leave.

Odis did not quite catch her meaning, but he surmised that what he was about to face likely pertained to the Moses Ascetic Order they had just been discussing.

He briskly walked downstairs. His spirituality didn’t warn him of any danger, so he opened the door, only to find Max standing outside.

“At this hour…” Odis mumbled, then his gaze shifted to the carriage on the street bearing the Triangular Sacred Emblem before asking, “Is there a lead on that case?”

He was referring to the case where they had uncovered the Rose School of Thought members. Even now, he still had no idea who had been feeding him clues.

“No, there’s another, more important matter,” Max replied, “Captain Ikanser is in the carriage as well.”

Odis was slightly taken aback, then he said, “Give me a moment.”

He turned back to put on a coat, then glanced at the churning, heavy fog outside on the street and grumbled, “Damned weather.”

He donned a hat as well; otherwise, walking through such thick mist would leave his hair damp and soggy.

Stepping into the carriage, Odis greeted Ikanser. As for the presence of the Nighthawks team captain, it caught him somewhat by surprise.

He recognized Karl, the same Nighthawks squad captain who had come to the fighting arena intent on arresting him.

What Odis didn’t know was that Karl had subsequently helped him conceal evidence.

Ikanser briefly outlined why they needed Odis for this operation, explaining that the Nighthawks and Machinery Hivemind had a joint undertaking requiring the deciphering of a Dragon race document. Having heard Odis knew Dragonese, they were bringing him along to take a look.

Odis nodded, saying, “Assisting official Beyonders with their investigations is a duty we ordinary citizens ought to fulfill.” Then he cleared his throat and added, “By the way, how is the overtime pay calculated?”

Karl could not help glancing at Ikanser, his eyes seemingly asking: ‘Is this your ancient, mysterious entity? And he’s haggling over overtime pay with you?’

Ikanser was already well-accustomed to this. So he answered smoothly, “It will be paid according to the Machinery Hivemind standard overtime rate. Well, and if you manage to decipher the script on that document, there’ll be an extra bonus.”

Hearing the word ‘bonus’, Odis suddenly didn’t miss his warm blanket quite so much. He then shifted the topic, “Backlund winters are too cold…”

He was somewhat doubtful of their true motive for bringing him along on this operation.

It wasn’t that Odis had sensed Ikanser’s test. It was Karl’s presence that made him wonder whether the Nighthawks had uncovered some crucial clue proving that he was Lelouch, prompting the three of them to join forces to arrest him right now.

He wasn’t particularly worried about the Machinery Hivemind acting against him.

Currently, they were in a phase of playing dumb with each other. The Machinery Hivemind was monitoring him, yet acting as if they harbored no suspicions whatsoever. Odis knew about their surveillance, yet acted as though he were oblivious to it all.

Soon, however, he noticed that the carriage was not heading toward Phelps Street, the Backlund diocese headquarters of the Nighthawks, but toward the Backlund Bridge District.

With that, his mind was put at ease…

The carriage was indeed driving toward the Backlund Bridge District. To avoid harming innocent bystanders, the Nighthawks had set their trap inside a large warehouse in the district.

Upon arriving at the warehouse, someone had already opened the large doors, allowing the Machinery Hivemind carriage to drive directly into the dimly lit interior.

There was no cargo anywhere inside the vast warehouse, only a metal platform set in the very center, atop which rested a square, white jade-like stone.

Odis stepped down from the carriage and abruptly looked up. Suspended from the warehouse ceiling hung a massive Dark Sacred Emblem.

The Emblem gave him a fleeting illusion that it had just glanced down at him. He turned to look at Ikanser, Max, and the others, but none of them showed any unusual reaction.

So he brushed that feeling aside, writing it off as nothing more than a trick of his senses.

Soon, Odis’s attention shifted to the stone. With a single glance, he recognized it: “These aren’t ordinary dragon script.”

Rather, they were mystical symbols utilized by the Dragon race. With the aid of the Knowledge Moor, Odis had gained proficiency over these mystical symbols after advancing to Melee Scholar.

He was probably the only one capable of translating them in all of Backlund…