Chapter 1 The Top Treasures

Within a short ten minutes, Suren had acquired two top-tier treasures, the Bow of Chronos' Time Curse and the Golden Spear of Causality of the War God Tyr.

Yet, far from feeling any elation, he felt things were developing in a very bad direction.

Originally, according to his plan, even if he rescued Barrett, it wouldn't be too big of a problem.

Magical marks and the like had no effect in the Small Void Realm.

Across two planes, there was no way he could be easily tracked.

Suren had initially thought of finding a place to hide first, and things would probably be safe after the commotion died down.

After all, this was the Roman Kingdom. No matter how many secret agents the Ruying Intelligence Agency had, they couldn't possibly ferret him out in the city.

Even if the people of the North Sea Fleet wanted to find Barrett to ask about the missing fleet, special means would most likely pinpoint the Divine Judgment Legion more accurately. They would never suspect Suren, an "outsider."

But now the situation was even more troublesome.

Suren didn't know why a golden spear had fallen from the sky to kill him.

And now the spear had been brought into the Small Void Realm.

The situation had become delicate.

He had already identified it earlier; this golden spear was the Roman "clan-protecting treasure" treasured by the Agaparnon Temple.

The stakes involved were extremely high.

Suren happened to have heard the legend of the Golden Spear... It was an object of faith for the Romans.

For an outsider to take it was to become an enemy of almost the entire Roman people.

But if he hadn't taken it just now, he would have been killed by the spear.

As things stood, Suren ran through the city while questions arose in his mind.

Who had thrown this spear?

Was it to track Barrett?

Suren thought it was possible, but unlikely.

If someone could truly divine Barrett's presence in his Small Void Realm across a plane, it would be nearly impossible. Would that require a seventh-tier, eighth-tier, or even ninth-tier diviner?

Clearly, Barrett wasn't worth such a high price.

On the contrary, was it possible that this golden spear was aimed at Suren himself?

Whoever could wield this golden spear was definitely someone of significant status.

Most likely a "big figure" in the Agaparnon Temple.

Suren was puzzled. He had no conflict with the temple, so why would they want to kill him?

...

The Small Void Realm was loaded with several big troubles. Whether it was Barrett or the two weapons, they clearly couldn't be exposed right now.

Suren felt like he was carrying several ticking bombs, and he wandered around the city with trepidation.

Fortunately, the Death Herald remained quiet, and nothing sinister happened again.

But suddenly, a deep horn sounded throughout the vast city-state of Moros.

"Omm..."

Like an air raid siren, the sound awakened the entire city.

"Shu~"

"Shu~"

"Shu~"

"..."

Then there was a series of explosions as flares rose into the sky.

It was pitch-black midnight, but the flares lit up the sky like daytime, illuminating the shadowy figures on the streets.

At the same time, assembly horns sounded in the Roman army barracks, security camps, North Sea Fleet garrisons, and various official forces throughout the city. Countless warriors donned armor and spears and poured into the streets and alleys.

The previous fighting was just outsiders from the Luying Intelligence Agency causing trouble. Now the Romans themselves were taking action.

Suren was not surprised by this commotion. Instead, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The flares illuminated his solemn face. He looked at the sky and muttered, "A large-scale search has begun..."

Searching with manpower meant that those guys in the temple had no mystical means to locate him!

"It seems I'm temporarily safe..."

Suren exhaled a long breath of turbid air, a gleam flashing in his eyes.

He had seen various divination techniques and now understood the principles of divination.

The higher the target's tier, the more causality involved, and the more complex the environment, the higher the price to pay for divination.

He, Suren, was no longer the second-tier newbie he was when he came out of Old Lingdun, someone anyone could divine at will.

He had now advanced to the fourth tier and possessed so many treasures. It was almost impossible to rely on manpower to divine him. He estimated that any divination mage below the sixth tier who tried to accurately discern his location would probably die on the spot.

Without the Golden Spear, a special weapon with the ability to manipulate causality, it was unlikely that the other party could pinpoint his location.

Thinking of this, Suren was glad that he had taken the Golden Spear inside earlier.

There might not be a second item of that caliber in the entire Roman nation.

This unexpected turn of events also caused the other party to lose the initiative.

"Even the mysterious high priest of the Agaparnon Temple can at most predict that I am in the city... Now, leaving the city would only draw attention."

Suren rapidly analyzed all the known conditions in his mind, which dispelled his decision to risk leaving the city.

...

Suren had previously considered a comprehensive plan for how to escape if he encountered a search.

Hotels, inns, bathhouses, brothels, taverns... These places where foreigners gathered were definitely key targets for searches.

Suren didn't dare go there. Instead, he went directly to the slums.

There was a mixed and chaotic shantytown there, with hundreds of thousands of people from the lower classes.

The situation in the city was becoming more and more chaotic. The army, local gangsters, pirates... all the forces under the command of the North Sea King had become active.

The four city gates and various main roads had been completely sealed off, and no one could move openly.

But for Suren, this was good news.

He wasn't the only one who couldn't be caught. Now that the city-state of Moros was filled with all kinds of people, especially the several forces trying to assassinate the Frost Moon Princess, they also couldn't be exposed.

After all, not everyone knew that the people of the Agaparnon Temple were looking for their lost Golden Spear.

When encountering a search, the assassins would definitely think they had been discovered, and battle would be inevitable.

The city-wide search was like blasting a fishpond, and the big fish hiding in the dark were also blasted out.

Not long after the city was sealed off, fighting broke out everywhere in the city.

...

But obviously, the Golden Spear was of great importance, and the Agaparnon Temple's determination to find the object of faith exceeded expectations.

Even the female priests of the temple, wearing long robes and veils, personally appeared in the city.

With their call to action, the entire Roman populace mobilized.

Romans were born warriors, and when the common people took up arms, they immediately became searching guards.

They had also thought of the complex slums, and more and more people participated in the search.

Suren had blended into the civilian shantytown, but he was also trapped there.

The main roads outside were full of Roman soldiers.

Suren moved quickly through the alleys.

The urgent warnings from the loudspeaker echoed in his ears.

"A thief has stolen the Golden Spear, defiling our sacred Temple of the War God..."

"Emergency curfew! City-wide curfew! All irrelevant personnel must return to their residences immediately!"

"The High Priest has ordered all Romans to stay at home and cooperate with the search. Report any suspicious strangers immediately!"

"..."

As soon as these words came out, the Roman people in the city were stirred up.

Insulting their faith was more serious than anything else, and they clamored to catch the "thief."

Suren's eyes twitched as his previous goodwill toward the Romans vanished.

Stolen?

You tried to plot against me in secret, and now it's become stealing?

A pure faith system, it turned out, was just a tool for those in power.

However, Suren also understood a few things.

The priests of the Agaparnon Temple would receive unconditional obedience from the Roman people for anything they did, but now they were using deception.

In other words, someone in the temple throwing the spear was also something that couldn't be exposed.

Otherwise, there would be no need to hide it like this.

...

With the city-wide search, Suren's situation was not optimistic.

He hadn't expected the commotion to be so big.

Looking at the situation, it wouldn't end until they turned the place upside down.

There were clearly capable people among them. They dispatched troops to surround the slums, divided the complex shantytown into dozens of sections, and then knocked on doors one by one.

No Roman refused to cooperate.

Those who didn't cooperate must have something to hide.

Suren's original plan had to change.

Even if he wore a human skin mask to disguise himself as a Roman, a lone dweller with no family or friends would be a key target. Origin, neighbors, length of residence... It would be easy to be exposed with just a few questions.

And to make matters worse, the hiding places he had scouted in advance were blocked by the Roman army before he even had a chance to go there.

Because of the shared vision of the Black Crow and the perception of the Rune Umbrella, he narrowly avoided several groups, but the situation was becoming more and more dire.

Just then, Suren, hiding in a dark alley, was blocked again.

Killing these people wouldn't be difficult, but once exposed, it would be troublesome later.

Looking at the interrogation site in the distance, he was very solemn. "This is bad... Without 'family' and 'acquaintances,' I'll definitely be questioned. It seems they're focusing on checking people who entered the city in the last few days."

Suren looked up at his surroundings. The number of onlookers was increasing, and the probability of hiding without being discovered was decreasing.

Just as he was calculating which direction would give him a better chance to break through, he suddenly saw a head pop out from the second floor of a residential building not far away. She looked at Suren and greeted him with a questioning tone, "Sir?"

Suren looked up and recognized the person. It was actually the braided girl named Kama he had met at the flea market who bought the puppets.

He didn't expect her to live here.

With just that one glance, Kama had obviously guessed that she had recognized the right person. A hint of hesitation flashed across her face, as if she had made a decision, and then she called out, "Sir, come here quickly!"

Suren didn't know how she had recognized him, but after a moment's thought, he teleported and appeared in the room of that building.

...

With the city-wide curfew, anyone still wandering the streets must be a foreigner without a fixed residence.

As soon as Suren entered the room, he saw Kama take out a half-meter-long black rune puppet from her storage ring.

A quick appraisal revealed that it was a treasure.

Substitute Puppet

Details: This is an antique puppet passed down for thousands of years, with the inscription 'Made by Robert Boyle'; after dripping blood, the puppet can replace the host to transfer all causality contaminated in the near period, avoiding being tracked by mysterious means;

"..."

Suren was also greatly surprised.

He knew how to make this kind of Substitute Puppet, but the materials needed for such a transfer were very difficult to find, and he had never seen them before.

He didn't expect to encounter one here.

And looking at the name of the maker on it, it was made by his Senior Brother himself.

This Kama had actually taken out her ancestral puppet?

Suren glanced at her in surprise, "For me?"

He immediately understood that the other party had guessed that he was the one being searched for in the city now!

How did Kama discover it, and how could she have recognized him so coincidentally?

While speaking, caution also surfaced in Suren's eyes. The other party must have guessed something to take out this puppet.

"If you feel you need it, don't hesitate."

Kama was obviously very smart. Looking at Suren's subtle expression, she naturally guessed his doubts.

Anyone would be vigilant when being wanted throughout the city and recognized by someone.

She used honorifics and added an explanation, "Don't misunderstand, I just feel that you need it. My talent is Sixth Sense. I took the liberty of calling out to you just now because I felt... that it seemed to be you."

So that's the talent.

Suren nodded in understanding and then accepted the puppet.

"Thank you. This is a very precious treasure."

He thanked her and, without any delay, cut a small slit in his finger with a silk thread and smeared the blood on the puppet.

Originally, he wouldn't have accepted such a high-level treasure from a stranger for no reason, but now the situation forced him to be impolite and use it.

As the blood was smeared on, a trace of spiritual light flashed on the puppet.

Kama responded, "You're welcome. My father always taught me that treasures are valuable because they are used in the right place."

She watched everything and became even more convinced of something: whoever knew how to use this weird doll must be a descendant of the Weird Doll Master lineage.

She instantly felt that the treasure had been entrusted to the right person and said, "You can throw it in the fireplace."

"Mm."

Suren nodded and threw the blood-stained weird doll into the burning fireplace, greatly relieved.

As the puppet burned, no one would be able to track him through the causality he had created tonight.

Even if he was caught now, he wouldn't be afraid.

...

Since it was someone else's family treasure, they definitely knew its value. Suren didn't intend to take advantage of her and said directly, "The Substitute Puppet was very precious. What do you want in exchange?"

Hearing Suren say the name of the puppet, Kama shook her head and said, "Sir... that puppet is precious, but it's not very useful to me. You don't need to worry about it."

Suren felt that it was probably because of the few blueprints he had given her before that he was now receiving this reward.

Kama asked, "Sir, may I ask if you are a descendant of the Weird Doll Master lineage?"

Suren didn't hide it and said directly, "Yes!"

Hearing this, a light immediately appeared in Kama's clear, brown pupils. "Really! Then you... which lineage are you from?"

Puppet masters were already a small group, and now he had even met a fellow disciple, so he was no longer an outsider.

Suren hesitated for a moment.

Which lineage?

That was really hard to say.

In terms of seniority, this girl should call him Great-Grand... Great-Grand Uncle?

Seeing his moment of hesitation, Kama thought she had touched on something private and quickly said, "Oh, if it's not convenient for you to say, then you don't have to..."

Before she could finish, Suren shook his head and said, "It's not that it's not convenient to say. It's just that it's troublesome to explain. I am... a disciple of Teacher Sereia."

Hearing this, a hint of suspicion appeared on Kama's face. She was obviously thinking that she had never heard of this lineage.

The notes left by her ancestors said that there were only so many lineages of weird doll masters...

Wait!

Teacher Sereia?

Could he be talking about the Sereia?

The founder of the Weird Doll Master lineage?!

How could that be!

Suren looked at Kama's suddenly suspicious and shocked expression and said rather helplessly, "It's what you think. It's just that it's a bit troublesome to explain."

"This..."

Hearing this, Kama's eyes widened.

She thought he was a senior brother of a certain lineage, but it turned out he was her Great-Great-Great-Grand Uncle?

This... was this gentleman in front of her an old monster who had lived for thousands of years?

After that thought popped into her head, Kama's expression instantly became extremely strange.

Suren knew that this statement was a bit incredible, so he had hesitated just now.

He didn't intend to explain and said, "I'm not that old. But it's a bit troublesome to explain. If there's a chance in the future, I'll explain in detail."

He also didn't hide the fact that he was the one the people outside were searching for and said, "You solved a big problem for me, even saved me. But my presence here may bring you trouble..."

Hearing this, Kama became even more terrified. She seemed to have thought of something and quickly said, "No! It won't be a problem! If you don't mind, you can stay here. I can help you."

"..."

Hearing this, Suren's expression turned slightly serious, and his gaze swept around.

This was a puppet workshop and also a permanent residence. The walls and workbench were covered with puppet-making tools and blueprints, and the decorations in the room were very girlish.

Judging from the arrangement of the room, Kama had been living here for quite some time.

Now that the possibility of being tracked by mysterious means had been cut off, staying here might indeed reduce a lot of trouble.

And coincidentally, at this time, Suren had already sensed that someone was surrounding them.

A group of people went up the small building and knocked on doors one by one.

Going out now would greatly increase the probability of being discovered.

Kama also heard the commotion, glanced at Suren, and nodded very seriously, "Leave it to me."

She didn't know Suren's fighting strength, but she was very clear that the temple's priest had spoken, and no one could leave the city now.

Suren frowned, but he didn't leave.

At this time, there was a knock on the door.

Kama went to open the door. Outside were several pirates with the insignia of the North Sea Fleet.

As soon as the door opened, a not-so-clever wave swept over, obviously from a perception-type professional.

"How many people are inside? When did you come to the city-state of Moros?"

"Two... me and my cousin."

"Oh, a cousin? When did he come..."

"A long time ago."

"..."

Obviously, the pirates who came to check the civilian houses were all familiar with this area.

Before the questions could be finished, someone outside shouted, "Hey, Leichit, don't ask, that's Miss Kama's house, I know... let's go to the next one."

"Oh."

Hearing this, the pirates seemed to want to finish the questioning quickly, took another look, turned their heads, and left.

With roots and a foundation, they naturally wouldn't be suspected.

Suren listened in the room without saying anything.

If he remembered correctly, the frivolous young man who had been pursuing this girl before was the captain of a North Sea Fleet squad?

The door closed, and Kama also breathed a sigh of relief.

After being questioned once, the immediate trouble had been temporarily resolved.

She looked at Suren and said, "Sir, when the time comes, you can just say you're my cousin..."

Hearing the background she had made up, Suren didn't think there was anything wrong and nodded, "Mm."

...

After the group of pirates left, there were only two people left in the room.

This was a young girl's boudoir, and after the two of them were alone and had finished the business, there was no topic to talk about, and the atmosphere seemed slightly awkward.

Suren looked at the semi-finished puppet on the workbench and casually said, "You're researching the Gilles equation? Your direction is wrong. This is a sealing-type alchemy matrix, which is usually not used on aggressive weird dolls. Moreover, it's rarely used even at the intermediate puppet master stage."

There were many puppet parts in the room. Unlike the rune puppets Suren usually researched, these puppet parts had many ingeniously designed mechanisms, steel needles, poisonous mist, nooses, weird thorns...

The Boyle family inherited another branch of the weird doll masters—mechanism weird dolls.

But this level, in Suren's current eyes, was indeed not much left.

Hearing Suren's words, a look of humbly accepting criticism flashed across Kama's face, and she nodded from time to time, "Mm."

While Suren was speaking, he was also thinking about what to give her in exchange for the Substitute Weird Doll she had used just now.

Thinking, he took out several fourth-tier weird dolls he had made, "Oh, right, I'll give you these puppets."

Although they couldn't compare to the Substitute Weird Doll, they were also expensive to make.

Moreover, for Kama's current second-tier strength, these puppets were more practical and could bring her enough security.

Puppet masters were like this, their combat power all relied on puppets, and good puppets could instantly raise their combat power.

Puppets could also be passed down as heirlooms, generation after generation.

This was the Puppet Master's "hard currency."

"This..."

Seeing Suren take out several rune weird dolls, Kama's eyes immediately lit up.

As a weird doll master, she could naturally see at a glance that the exquisite nature of these weird dolls far exceeded her understanding.

Not only the blueprints, but the carving, enchantment, and runes... all were master-level craftsmanship. Various details indicated that it was the first-generation ancient method passed down through their Boyle family.

Only then did she recall the previous conversation.

Was this person in front of her really her Great-Great-Great-Grand Uncle?

Only this could explain why he could take out those complete blueprints and these high-level weird dolls.

Kama seemed a little flattered. Facing the gift from a Senior of the same sect, she couldn't refuse and accepted the puppets, "Thank you... Great-Grand Uncle."

Hearing this title, Suren's expression was a little strange. Although the seniority was correct, he also felt that it wasn't right, so he said, "My name is Suren. You can just call me by my name."

Hearing that Suren didn't correct her, Kama's expression became even more solemn, "Yes, Great-Grand Uncle. Oh no, Su... Mr. Suren."

Suren didn't bother with the problem of titles and said, "My identity is very troublesome. It's not a good thing for you to get involved. I won't stay here for long. I'll leave when the search in the city ends. If you have any problems, or if you need my help, just say so."

As he said this, his peripheral vision also glanced at a corner of the room.

A family that had been passed down for thousands of years must have some foundation.

The semi-finished product with soul fluctuations was placed in an inconspicuous corner.

Kama didn't take the initiative to mention it, and he didn't ask about her privacy.

...

Hearing Suren's words, a look of disappointment flashed across Kama's face. She seemed to feel that she had finally met a Senior of the same sect, and she was about to miss him.

She looked thoughtful and thought, "That... Mr. Suren. If possible, I would like to ask you a few questions about puppets."

Suren said, "You don't have to be so polite. Speak."

As Kama spoke, she took out a puppet and then tinkered with the mechanism, pulling out several blueprints hidden from the puppet's body, "Can you help me see what's wrong with these blueprints?"

Suren raised his eyebrows slightly. Such careful preservation meant that the things were not simple.

The blueprints were hand-drawn, but they were higher-level than any of the things on the workbench.

Suren frowned as soon as he glanced at them, "On what ancient book did you find this?"

Just looking at the mysterious runes on the blueprints, he knew that this was a very complex and high-end puppet component.

And it was only a part.

Newly drawn, like a copy of an object... This was also a key clue.

Kama truthfully said, "This is something passed down through my Boyle family."

"..."

Suren carefully looked through it again and immediately knew that it wouldn't be easy to find the problem in a short time.

Mechanism Weird Dolls were promoted by that Robert Boyle, and many things were his original creations.

Many of the knowledge designed here were "top-level puppet knowledge" that Suren had not yet touched upon.

He also needed to go back and look at many classics to find the problem.

However, although he couldn't completely understand it, Suren could guess what this part of the blueprint was for.

He faintly understood what was going on with the soul in the corner puppet.

"This should be the making of a top-level Puppet Core. There are traces of Lich Secret Techniques on it, and it should also be able to entrust souls..."

Suren's eyes narrowed slightly, unable to hide the shock in his heart for this blueprint, and he praised, "This is truly a great whimsical idea!"

Hearing Suren say the situation of this blueprint in one breath, how could Kama not know that his puppet skills far exceeded her understanding?

She asked in surprise and anticipation, "Can you repair this blueprint?"

Suren's expression was serious and said, "It's difficult. The technology in the blueprint is knowledge that will only be involved in the top puppet field. Even if I have the materials, I can't make it. What's more, this is only part of the blueprint..."

Hearing this, Mama eagerly asked, "If... I can have other blueprints?"

As she spoke, she also knew that she was being rude. A hint of hesitation flashed through her crystal eyes, as if she had made a decision. Finally, she said the family's biggest secret of inheritance, "That... I didn't mean to hide it from you. But please help me... and my brother!"

Suren raised his eyebrows: "Your brother?"

So the soul fluctuation on that puppet was her brother.

Kama nodded seriously and said, "Yes! This is the Blueprint of the Heart of the Mechanism Puppet that has been handed down from our Boyle family. And my brother is trapped in a broken Heart of the Puppet."