Chapter 71: The Secret Meeting

The Alchemists' Council had always been Alkhemia's supreme and most mysterious authority.

There was no complete roster of its members. They rarely appeared in public, and even the number of council members was unknown.

All anyone knew was that every major decision was issued forth from the ugliest tower at the city's center, and that all crucial intelligence was delivered there as well. That tower had come to symbolize Alkhemia's shame.

At the very top of the tower lay a vast, empty chamber.

A massive round table stood alone at its center, encircled by more than a hundred seats. But at this moment, only four were occupied. The figures, distant and aloof, were seated far apart from one another.

One of them was Gustavo Flynn, Sixth Seat of the Alchemists' Council. Gazing at the empty chairs, he spoke mildly, "The chairman once hoped for this room to be filled with legendary-ranked alchemists. Unfortunately, even after all these years, the council has never exceeded a dozen members."

The other three ignored the remark. One of them asked, "Have the people from the Lyon Empire arrived?"

"They are on the way," Gustavo Flynn replied. "Once they pass through the continental teleportation array, they should arrive by tomorrow at the latest."

"And the hostages taken by the lich? Have they all been retrieved?"

Gustavo nodded. "He agreed to the exchange tonight. I will personally verify everything then."

"And have you prepared for dealing with that lich?" another voice pressed. "Have you found his phylactery?"

At that, Gustavo Flynn finally showed irritation. His voice dropped. "Mind your tone, Dippel. Don't think that being the second seat gives you the right to interrogate me. I am not your apprentice. You have no authority to speak to me like this."

The alchemist called Dippel let out a cold laugh. "You should understand why you're handling these errands in the first place. Your other contributions are negligible. Even that lich's published papers have contributed more than you did."

He paused, then continued sharply, "You are the one who should recognize your position. In Alkhemia, knowledge stands above all else."

Gustavo clenched his fists. Such words were a grave insult to any alchemist. Just as he was about to teach the arrogant Dippel a lesson, another council member spoke up. "Enough. No more of this verbal sparring. The success of the plan is what matters most. Flynn, Dippel might have been impolitic, but he's not wrong. That lich is critical. We must be certain that you are fully prepared."

Gustavo Flynn snorted. "Rest assured. I have already made the necessary arrangements. I will obtain that lich's phylactery."

Dippel refrained from further mockery. "Then we'll proceed according to plan. But what about that undead queen? How do you intend to deal with her?"

"We will escort her out of the city today. Once she leaves, we'll activate all defensive arrays. Even with her entire army, it would take her at least a month or two to breach Alkhemia. Besides, she has no reason to do so. Our interests do not conflict."

Dippel frowned. "The queen of the Umbral Depths surely did not come here to sightsee. Have you not figured out her true purpose?"

"It doesn't matter. We no longer have the time to investigate," Gustavo said calmly. "That queen is also a lich. As long as her lingering fixation isn't involved, liches tend toward absolute rationality. Her fixation is clearly the Lyon Empire. There's no reason for her to make unnecessary enemies."

Gustavo Flynn's argument was, admittedly, persuasive.

The undead, who had few desires and little emotional interference, were far easier to predict than most.

Dippel turned his gaze to the only person who had not spoken throughout the entire meeting. "One final question remains. Mr. Jones, are the druids ready?"

Sunlight illuminated the man, revealing a cloak woven from leaves, lush and verdant. He was a druid, one who revered nature and who should have been sworn enemies with these alchemists. And yet he was seated calmly within Alkhemia's highest tower, listening to its greatest secrets.

Had Ambrose been present, he would have recognized the druid at once. This was Van Jones, the very druid whom Ambrose had once encountered in the sewers.

Van Jones nodded solemnly. "As long as you honor your promise, we will bring the girl as agreed. But she must not be allowed anywhere near the sewers again. Even though she was adopted by our tribe as a child, she is still linked to that presence by blood. Last time, when she went there on her own, she nearly trapped me and my people along with her."

"Don't worry," Gustavo Flynn said. "Just bring her here directly."

The meeting drew to a close. Dippel rose and addressed the others. "Gentlemen, I hope that this plan will proceed smoothly, and that we can all obtain what we desire."

The four departed in turn. The vast chamber sank once more into silence and darkness.

But none of them had noticed the strange storm clouds that had lingered over Alkhemia throughout the meeting.

The gap between legends was vast. Some legends possessed powers so extraordinary they defied imagination.

Alabastra of the bone dragon clan was one such example. Her raw combat strength was not particularly remarkable. However, the legendary boon she had received was tied to stealth and concealment, and she had mastered it to perfection.

Even the council tower, layered with countless protective spells, failed to block her eavesdropping. She heard everything as clearly as if she had been sitting at the table herself.

When she hid among the clouds, no one would suspect anything unusual, let alone detect her presence. No one could imagine that the enormous bone dragon was, in fact, a legendary assassin.

And perched atop her massive body was a headless giant. Though the Dullahan stood over four meters tall, he looked almost petite against the bone dragon's thirty- to forty-meter-long frame.

Alabastra snapped impatiently, "What are those alchemists even talking about? Gareth, did you understand any of it?"

The Dullahan could hardly shake his head, so he instead replied, "Who knows. My friend Tiga always says that alchemists are all twisted in the head. Just pass on the conversation and let the people with actual heads deal with the headache."

Alabastra thought the logic sound enough, but she still snorted. "Hmph. Don't think I'm through with you just yet. Once we get back home...!"

"Of course, of course," Gareth replied placatingly. "We'll talk about it at home."

Alabastra transmitted the gathered intelligence through the Necromantic Codex to Black Rose, who immediately forwarded it to Ambrose.

Reading the text on the Codex, Ambrose tapped his fingers rhythmically against the table.

After a long moment of thought, he sent a message to Black Rose. [Megaman Tiga: Lady Rose, I have a very important request. I hope you'll be able to help.]

[Black Rose: That serious? What do you need?]

[Megaman Tiga: I would like you to temporarily safeguard my phylactery.]

[Black Rose: What? Your phylactery?]

Her fingers trembled as she typed. Things were developing far faster than she had anticipated.

[Megaman Tiga: Right. Since Alkhemia has no intention of dragging you into this, who better than a powerful undead queen to guard something so vital?]

[Black Rose: You would be trusting me with your life.]

[Megaman Tiga: It's fine. I do trust you. After all, we still have business worth several tens of billions of gold on the line. You wouldn't betray me.]

Long moments passed before her subsequent reply. [Black Rose: Very well. I will keep it safe.]

Ambrose raised his hands and traced several complex spell arrays in the air. A concealed chest slowly materialized and thunked onto the floor.

He stepped forward and opened it. Inside lay hundreds of exquisitely crafted, silver-white phylacteries.