Chapter 683 — The Persistent Ghost
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
Amber left. Gao Yang watched Verodai—Ophelia—in silence; she still looked calm and detached. Pi Yun stood quietly to one side, eyes slightly narrowed, as though resting them.
"I thought you would follow her out," Verodai said to Gao Yang. "After all, you seem to care a great deal about your 'guard'."
"I know her. Right now she wants to be alone for a while," Gao Yang said. "Before that, though, there are a few things I want to say to you."
"...The Defiants were a stubborn, fanatical band of heretics, and our plans were much the same," Verodai said frankly, before Gao Yang could speak. "We kept as much humanity in our plans as we could, but humanity alone cannot stand against gods and the end of the world. Sometimes some of our methods will seem to you as cold and cruel as those of the Ember Cult. I hope you understand that."
"Rest assured, I understand that perfectly. The Divine Calamity project Kamael took part in was no different in essence from the Shadow Project, and both of them had a good deal in common with the methods of the Assembly of All-Endings," Gao Yang shook his head. "The difference is that you, at least, are still trying to hold on to your humanity."
"It makes little difference—at least not to the people on the receiving end, like Miss Amber."
"She'll calm down. It's just that too much has happened to her today," Gao Yang said. "I have some questions for you."
Verodai nodded. "Go ahead."
"Sarylandrov received his orders from Francis Moen and went to the Dark Mountains to find the Shadow Fortress—why would Francis II have known the Shadow Fortress existed?"
This was a crucial question. The Defiant Project was one of the greatest secrets left behind by the ancient Gondorian Empire, yet very few people knew of it. So why would the young Francis II have known the Shadow Fortress existed? He had even possessed a pair of Shadow Seal Rings meant to open the fortress—Sarylandrov's mission had been classified at an extremely high level, and even the regent duke at the time had been kept in the dark. Did that mean Francis II had secretly been in contact with some ancient Defiant, and had thereby obtained clues to the Shadow Fortress?
Though Ansu's royal power had ended, and whatever secrets Francis II once held no longer mattered today, this matter touched on the Defiant Project, and Gao Yang could not help pressing for a few more answers.
"My 'royal father'..." A visible trace of emotion crossed Verodai's face at the name Francis II. She sighed softly and shook her head. "I do not know where he learned of the 'Shadow Fortress,' but from my observation and judgment, he knew nothing of the Defiant Project."
"Your observation and judgment?" Gao Yang caught the other layer in her words keenly. "You suspected he knew of the Defiant Project too?"
"He held a Shadow Seal Ring. That alone was enough to interest me," Verodai said calmly. "But after investigating, I found that he regarded the Shadow Seal Ring merely as a powerful supernatural artifact. So for a time I assumed he had simply come across an ancient relic by chance—works of the ancient Gondorian Empire were carried out of the wasteland with the pioneering forces back then, and plenty of them are still scattered about today. Such cases are not unusual. But after hearing what you have told me today, I have a new conjecture..."
Gao Yang raised an eyebrow. "A new conjecture?"