Audrey cradled the "egg" whose surface was covered in mysterious patterns. Both curious and excited, she asked, "What should I do?"
Ebner ignored the drifting thoughts of the "Sharp Eyes" and replied with a smile, "It's very simple. Infuse it with spirituality and hatch it. It will then recognize you as its master."
Hearing this, Audrey couldn't help herself and immediately put it into practice. In the next instant, a sky-blue, fluffy, spherical creature broke out of the shell, opening a pair of big eyes that instantly inspired affection at first sight.
This… this must be the word 'cute' invented by Emperor Roselle, right? It's way too adorable!
Audrey was completely defenseless against the little fluffball and had her "heart" instantly "captured." Although she was well aware that, from a psychological perspective, this was merely a tendency formed by the intertwining of humanity's desire to conquer, protect, control, and nurture offspring… she still felt that the gift Mr. "Tower" had given her was absolutely wonderful!
Even though no matter how one looked at it, this blue fluffball had nothing whatsoever to do with an "Ice Frost Giant Dragon."
Seemingly sensing Audrey's confusion, Ebner cleared his throat and gave a brief explanation:
"It's currently in its 'Larval Form,' corresponding to Sequence 9 of the 'Demoness' pathway. It only has a simple 'Aura Concealment' ability… However, as it continues to evolve—passing through the second Larval stage, Growth Phase, Maturity Phase, Perfect Form, and finally reaching Ultimate Form—it will grow into an 'Ice Frost Giant Dragon.'"
"Then how does it evolve?" Audrey asked, her eyes sparkling.
"Just feed it Beyonder characteristics, like this…" As he spoke, Ebner took out a "Witch" Beyonder characteristic, handed it to Audrey, and gestured for her to personally feed it to the blue fluffball.
"T-This… feeding it directly like this? Won't it lose control?" Audrey asked hesitantly.
Ebner shook his head and replied with a smile, "Although it looks like a 'living creature,' in reality it's merely a 'quasi-biological' item I created by combining the abilities of an 'Ancient Alchemist' and an 'Alchemist.'
"Don't treat it as an intelligent lifeform."
Audrey nodded in realization, holding the "Witch" characteristic in her hand as she said thoughtfully, "So that means this characteristic can at most let it evolve to the Sequence 7 'Growth Phase'… and if I feed it a 'Despair Demoness' characteristic, it can evolve directly into an 'Ice Frost Giant Dragon'?"
"That's right!" Ebner nodded firmly.
After thinking it over, Audrey brought the "Witch" characteristic directly in front of the blue fluffball. Then, the creature—whose spherical surface previously had no seams at all—suddenly opened a mouth and swallowed the characteristic in one bite.
—As for the cost of the characteristic, she would naturally reimburse Mr. "Tower" later through a donation made in Bernadette's name.
Not seeing the dramatic scene she had imagined, Audrey turned her head with slight disappointment and said to Ebner, "I thought Mr. 'Tower' would design this fluffball with a mouth full of sharp teeth!"
"How could I put something like that into a gift meant for a young lady?" Ebner's mouth twitched. He suddenly felt that Miss "Justice" might have somewhat… heavy tastes. But he quickly reacted and offered a tactful piece of advice, "You'd better read fewer of Fors's novels in the future."
Come to think of it, this was actually Ebner's own fault… Ever since Fors had been frightened by the "Flesh Trigger" he created, her writing style had changed.
Her original works leaned more toward romance and mystery. Although they contained horror elements, they focused more on atmosphere. But after that incident, she began adding large amounts of grotesque descriptions.
Even in the script for The Sinking of the Ice Sea, she arranged for a sea monster whose teeth were covered in shredded flesh to make an appearance.
Audrey gave Ebner a strange look. Fors's novels contained quite a few characters modeled after "hero detectives," but every single one of them liked using horrifying things to scare girls and then taking advantage of the situation.
She had just assumed that Mr. "Tower" was about to pull the same trick on her, so she had fully prepared herself and left him no opportunity.
Who would've thought that she was overthinking it?
While Audrey's thoughts wandered, the blue fluffball had already completed its "evolution," transforming into a short-haired little rabbit entirely covered in blue fur. It looked extremely beautiful.
Audrey happily picked it up, doted on it for a while, and then asked again in confusion, "Why a rabbit? I thought it would be a draconic creature, like a half-dragon."
Because in the original timeline, there was a big shot of the 'Dragon' pathway which turned into a 'rabbit.' But now, due to my interference, that probably won't happen—so I'm using this as a 'commemoration.'
Ebner muttered a few words internally but didn't tell Audrey the real reason.
...
After the birthday ball ended, Audrey removed her accessories, changed into her nightgown, and entered the bathroom.
Looking at the water surface gradually filling with white mist and the bathrobe placed nearby, Audrey didn't rush to bathe. Instead, she first introduced the new companion to the somewhat uneasy Susie.
Susie cast a few vigilant glances at the silly rabbit. Only after confirming that the other party's intelligence was average and that its inner thoughts weren't very active did she finally relax.
"However, first there was that assistant Islant, and now there's this silly rabbit… I'll have to work even harder!"
From Susie's expression, Audrey more or less "read" what she was thinking and sighed helplessly, deeply feeling that having a "hard-working" dog at home was exhausting for the owner!
...
While Ebner was attending the Hall family's ball and fulfilling Miss Audrey's wish, the "Miracle Invoker" Alvin Abraham appeared within "Alvin's Answer Labyrinth," inside that enormous palace with five tiers of platforms, where the pillars, steps, and floors were all cast entirely from gold.
According to "his own" memories, Alvin—or rather, Ebner—knew that this place was actually called the "Hall of Authority."
Ebner had come here several times before, yet had never been able to ascend to the fifth tier and obtain the item's highest authority… because the most critical requirement for the fifth tier was the consent of "Alvin Abraham."
Thus, even though this item possessed the level of a "0-grade" Sealed Artifact, aside from forcibly "purchasing" two "miracles" while on the first floor of the "Dream Labyrinth Tower," Ebner could normally only use it as a temporary "hotel."
"Now that problem is no longer a problem!" Alvin walked up to the platform on the fifth tier and placed his hand upon it.
Very quickly, verification passed, and he automatically obtained the so-called highest authority of the "Answer Labyrinth."
No—this place was actually not an "Answer Labyrinth" at all. That was merely its most superficial application… This item was, in truth, my "traveling palace."
Ebner sat down on the dazzling golden throne on the fifth tier, a faint sigh escaping his heart.
Come to think of it, the reason Alvin had locked away the highest authority was because, before his death, he had preset certain arrangements here—he had completely severed one of his "Worms of Star" and hidden it within the highest authority.
Once a later individual resurrected Alvin according to the "mystical framework" he had set up, there would be a slim chance for him to reverse-invade the later person's mind and seize dominance…
Unfortunately for him, his scheme had been seen through by Ebner!
And the illusory image of Alvin that Ebner had seen in his mind during the final stage of the ritual—that was precisely the "Worm of Star" lying in ambush.
Even so, that bastard still pulled so many tricks while I was inheriting Alvin's memories!
After cursing with a laugh, Ebner shook his head and pressed a button on the armrest of the throne according to memory.
In the next moment, a projection display filled with a strong sci-fi aesthetic appeared before his eyes.
After streams of complex symbols—so chaotic that an ordinary person would feel dizzy after just one glance—flashed rapidly across the display like garbled code, the figure of a woman appeared before Ebner. She had a voluptuous figure, was adorned all over with gold and gemstone accessories, and her face could not be clearly seen.
"Alvin, long time no see," the woman greeted him in an unknown language.
Ebner clearly understood her. He nodded and replied with a smile, "Indeed, it's been a very long time, Helena."
But then he narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Your condition doesn't seem very good?"
The voluptuous woman named Helena gave a bitter smile and answered:
"Yes… to be precise, my main body has already fallen… Only the avatar stored within this item, which helps you manage the traveling palace, still barely exists…
"But that being has been continuously attempting to 'corrupt' me through my main body…
"Fortunately, the barrier established by your planet is far more powerful… Its power has great difficulty penetrating here.
"As for the 'Golden Star' we established, its barrier has already been breached by that being's followers and has been completely destroyed…
"In fact, if it weren't merely one of that being's 'children' targeting me, the 'Golden Star' wouldn't have lasted that long at all.
"Mm… the final piece of information I received was that my main body—the 'Goddess of Wealth'—was swallowed whole in a single bite by that being's 'child'!"
(End of Chapter)