Reincarnated Hero System - Chapter 1153 - 1153: Two Birds, One Stone

At the time, all eyes had been on Cayenne, watching how she would treat the young Princess Bianca, which would have greatly affected Bianca’s standing.

Many believed this would cause a rift between Lloris and Cayenne, but to everyone’s surprise, Cayenne treated Bianca the same way she would any royal child.

There was no trace of discrimination, and she even punished anyone who showed the slightest hint of it.

Because of that, most who understood Cayenne’s character believed she must have known who Bianca’s mother was, and that whoever the woman was, she possessed enough influence in Dragondune that any mistreatment of her daughter within the Sandfire Palace could severely damage the relationship between the Sandfire Palace and Dragondune.

Cayenne briefly glanced at Lloris before turning her gaze back to Evan as she spoke.

“I believe the Emperor should have informed you that while the Princess does have a connection to Dragondune, it isn’t certain she’ll be able to help you locate the exact individual you’re seeking there.”

Hearing this, Evan nodded slightly, lifting his cup and taking a sip of tea before replying.

“Of course, I’m aware of that. The person I’m after is the Master of Dragondune. Princess Bianca is related to a higher-order member of Dragondune who may or may not have information about the Master’s whereabouts. My intention is to speak not only with the Princess herself but also with that parent of hers.”

When Evan said this, Lloris’ expression changed subtly, though Cayenne’s face remained calm and unreadable.

“When the Princess arrives, I’ll speak with her directly and see if we can reach an understanding that allows me to obtain the information I need, and meet the Master of Dragondune personally,” Evan said, before looking up at the Empress.

“I’m not sure if the Emperor has told you, but the Master of Dragondune is one of the Demonic Hand’s highest-priority targets. It’s one of the main reasons they’ve been delaying their plans, since the Master of Dragondune remains a major threat, someone who’d inevitably interfere the moment they begin their operation in Tarse.”

He set the teacup down gently before continuing.

“The problem is that to eliminate the Master of Dragondune, they first need to find out where that person is. And that’s information even Dragondune’s own citizens don’t know, including those as high up as the spies among Princess Bianca’s guards.”

At the mention of the spies, Lloris spoke.

“Yes, those two. I’ve kept them under close watch since I saw that recording of yours, but I’ve noticed nothing strange or suspicious about them.”

Hearing this, Evan sighed and shook his head.

“That was a mistake, Emperor Lloris. Placing them under watch was the same as alerting the First Finger that you were onto of them.

As I mentioned before, the First Finger possesses a Fate Manipulation ability. He can perceive the fate lines of specific targets, and the colours of those lines reveal the nature of what lies ahead for them. Brighter colours indicate favourable fates, while darker ones signify unfavourable outcomes.”

He leaned back slightly as he continued.

“The moment you ordered those dragons to be watched, their fate lines would’ve darkened, since any attempt to send information would have led to you catching on, which is an unfavourable result for them.

Considering how much importance the First Finger places on locating the Master of Dragondune, the spies near Princess Bianca would likely be targets of his skill.

If their fate lines dimmed, he’d probably have them remain inactive. Not through direct orders, of course. He’d have the Fifth Finger deliver that instruction instead. Direct interference can distort fate’s calculations, so he avoids that whenever he can.”

When he finished speaking, Cayenne immediately responded.

“You seem quite familiar with how the First Finger’s ability works.”

“Unfortunately,” Evan replied, “all Heroes are. I mentioned this to the Beast King, and I’ll tell you the same thing now: you’ve met the First Finger before. You just didn’t know the person you met was the First Finger.”

Her expression remained unchanged except for a slight raise of her brow.

“I have met the First Finger of the Demonic Hand?”

Evan nodded.

“Yes. In fact, most national leaders and high-ranking figures on the Alpha Continent have crossed paths with the First Finger at some point in their lives. They simply don’t realise that the person they met was the First Finger.

All of the Demonic Hand’s Executives maintain alternate identities known to the public. For example, the previous Ninth Finger was a member of Blealand’s Parliament, and Deram Hester, known to everyone as one of the Beast Kingdom’s Sovereigns, is also the Fifth Finger of the Demonic Hand.

They all operate behind such façades, and the First Finger is no exception. You just met their alternate identity.”

After saying this, Evan picked up one of the cupcakes on the tray and took a bite, his expression brightening faintly as he nodded in approval.

“This is good,” he said. “Send my regards to the chefs.” He took another bite, then turned back toward Lloris as the Emperor spoke.

“So,” Lloris began, “can you explain why you intend for the Master of Dragondune to be the one to deal with the Fifth Finger?”

At Lloris’ question, Evan sighed softly, setting his cup down before looking up at the two of them, his voice taking on a more serious tone as he spoke.

“What I’m about to say must not leave this room until I permit it.”

Magic power flowed from his body, enveloping the room within a soundproofing spell before he continued.

“I have a plan for Aidos that I’m calling the Transcendence Project.”

Without allowing them the chance to interrupt, he continued speaking.

“As the name suggests, it’s a project aimed at creating several more Transcendent Level existences for Aidos.”

Hearing this, Cayenne spoke first.

“You want to create Transcendents?”

“Yes,” Evan replied without hesitation. “The greatest limitation Aidos currently faces is that there aren’t enough powerful existences for Sovereigns to defeat and gain the EXP required to ascend. It’s the same problem that has persisted for centuries, the reason why the number of Transcendents remains so low.”

He leaned forward slightly as he continued.

“It took ‘Strongest Human’ Rathal killing over a thousand Level 700 and dozens of Sovereign Level vampires just to become a Transcendent. We can’t have every Sovereign doing that now, can we?

My Transcendence Project is designed to achieve ascension without the need for such mass slaughter.”

Lloris narrowed his eyes at this explanation, voicing the question Cayenne also had.

“And how exactly does this project intend to create Transcendents? Do you have some convenient stockpile of monsters for them to harvest EXP from?”

Evan shook his head at that.

“No, I don’t have a convenient stash of monsters. What I do have, however, is a convenient stash of EXP itself. But that’s something I’ll explain when I officially begin the project.”

He paused briefly before continuing.

“For now, what you should know is that Deram Hester and Xolgren Agriker, when in their Demonic Fusion state, can possess power up to the level of the Master of Dragondune.”

At that, Lloris’ eyes widened, but before he could speak, Evan raised a finger to stop him.

“Now then,” he continued, “their Demonic Fusion is a special case. They can combine some of Xolgren’s summons and use them as catalysts to further enhance their power. That’s why, in that state, they can rival the Master of Dragondune.”

Evan leaned back in his chair, picking up another cupcake and feeding the silent Eliza as he spoke.

“What I want is for Dragondune’s Master to defeat them in that fused state, gaining enough EXP to break through the final barrier keeping them at the Sovereign Level.”

At his words, Cayenne and Lloris exchanged a glance, understanding what Evan intended. He wanted to use this encounter to make Dragondune’s Master a Transcendent.

That was why he was so intent on finding them.

“Aidos needs more Transcendents,” Evan continued, turning his gaze toward Lloris. “I mentioned before, Emperor Lloris, that during my time away, I travelled to the world of our invaders.”

Cayenne’s eyes showed a faint trace of surprise at this revelation, though she remained silent as Evan went on.

“Even though they’ve declined over the past several millennia, they’re still far more advanced and powerful than the current Aidos.

The physical distance between our worlds, along with the restrictions on the size and level of existences that can cross through the dimensional rift, are the main reasons Aidos managed to repel their previous invasion.”

Picking up his cup, Evan’s tone grew grim.

“Worse still, Aidos isn’t the only world they’re invading. They have several battlefront worlds that they’re currently subjugating, like the one I was stranded on for months.

They obviously can’t focus all their Transcendents on us, but they still have enough to spare for a Prime World like Aidos.

We need more Transcendents if we’re to stand a chance against theirs when the dimensional rift eventually breaks open and they come flooding back into this planet.”

Evan had just finished speaking when his hand, which was reaching for another cupcake on the table, suddenly froze mid-air. His eyes widened slightly as he looked up, and Lloris immediately noticed the change in his expression.

“What’s wrong?” the Emperor asked.

Evan turned to him, the brief surprise fading from his face as he spoke. “Emperor Lloris, are you familiar with Series Skill Resonance?”

“Of course,” Loris replied without hesitation.

Series Skill Resonance referred to the amplification effect that occurred when multiple wielders of Unique Skills from the same Series were within range of one another. This resonance caused their skills to display greater power than usual, and the effect grew stronger with each additional member of the Series present.

This was common knowledge across Aidos.

“A few seconds ago, my Hero Series Skill began resonating.”

That single statement instantly changed the atmosphere in the room.

Cayenne quickly recalled Laurene’s claim that a Hero had been either a frequent visitor to or a resident of the Sandfire Palace months ago.

If Evan’s skill was truly resonating as he said, then it meant that the Hero in question was currently somewhere within the palace.

Evan turned his gaze toward the door, raising his hand slightly as if to point in that direction, but then his expression turned strange.

“Huh? They vanished?”

Lloris looked at him in confusion, and Eliza, who had been silent until then, spoke softly.

“Could it be that upon sensing the resonance and your presence, they turned around and left?”

Evan immediately shook his head. “No. The resonance is still there, even though I can’t sense them anymore. They didn’t run away—they’re still here. They just… disappeared from where they were.”

His brow furrowed. “That doesn’t make sense.”

The moment he said this, his Semi-Transcendent senses picked up something, and he immediately turned towards one of the chamber’s windows.

‘No…not the window.’

He moved his gaze toward the antique grandfather clock standing between the two windows. It was a tall piece, with a bevelled glass door that could be opened to reveal the pendulum inside.

Because of the clock’s height, the door itself was fairly large, about 1.5 metres and 50cm wide, and though not flawless, the bevelled glass was reflective enough to act as a mirror.

The moment Evan looked at it, the glass surface rippled like disturbed water. From that shimmering distortion, an arm extended outward, followed by the rest of a humanoid figure.

Gasps of surprise filled the room as a young woman stepped out from within the reflective bevelled door.

She stood close to 180 cm, her glossy black hair tied into a ponytail on the right side of her head with a gold-coloured crown-shaped fascinator, while two shoulder-length locks framed her face.

Her skin carried a lightly tanned brown tone like most people from Tarse, though still a bit lighter than the brown T-shirt she wore above long black jeans and laced boots.

Both Lloris and Cayenne were visibly taken aback by her sudden appearance, and even Cayenne’s usually composed expression broke slightly with surprise.

The woman didn’t spare either of them a glance, her dark brown irises reflecting only Evan as she spoke.

“Oh, it was you, Second.”

Evan chuckled softly, resting his elbow on the armrest of his chair as he replied. “Now that was quite an entrance.”

Her Mystic Eyes weren’t active, but Evan had no difficulty figuring out which of the Seven Heroes she was.

After all, there was only one Hero whose Mystic Eyes allowed them to teleport through mirror-like surfaces.

With a calm smile, Evan waved lightly and said, “Nice to meet you, Third.”

Standing before him was the Hero of Reflection.