Alaric wasn't in a rush to digest his Mask Maker potion. He'd only advanced to Mask Maker less than two weeks ago, and while he'd made progress thanks to Adam, he'd been too busy with other matters to focus on further digestion.
But with a willing test subject like Azik showing up, Alaric wasn't about to pass up the chance. Digesting the Mask Maker potion early and advancing to Sequence 6 Avatara wouldn't hurt.
"Speaking of which, crafting the Avatara potion requires an item tied to a high-sequence Fate Pathway…" Alaric mused, his gaze settling on Ouroboros.
"What's up?" Ouroboros, who'd been quietly observing, looked up at Alaric, puzzled.
"Ouroboros, could you spare a drop of your blood?" Alaric asked openly, no attempt at subtlety.
"Sure." Ouroboros nodded, then added, "In exchange, I want another meal like that lunch."
"Deal!" Alaric agreed without hesitation to the favorable trade.
Medici glanced at Alaric, a thoughtful glint in his eyes, but said nothing. Turning to Ouroboros, he said, "Big Snake, I'm not too familiar with the current Rose School of Thought. Have your people gather some intel and pass it to me."
"Alright." Ouroboros nodded without objection.
Medici then looked at Azik. "Once we have the intel, we'll make a plan to help you reclaim the Rose School."
He shot Alaric a glance. "Hope someone pulls their weight this time."
"Relax, I'll definitely call my teacher in." Alaric said, flashing an OK gesture to Medici while mentally debating who to summon for the Rose School takedown.
Though the Rose School lacked a Sequence 0, it was still a formidable organization with a Sequence 1 and several high-sequence Beyonders. Reclaiming it would require an King of Angel-level figure. The True Creator, sealed as He was, couldn't act directly.
"Let's see… why not have Tolzna, the Chained God, handle it? They're both from the Southern Continent, so we can spin it as a factional clash…" Alaric schemed.
Unlike the Loen authorities, the Rose School was a heretical group that could be dealt with openly, especially with Azik's legitimate claim, giving them a righteous cause.
Still, sticking to his strategy of biding time and building strength, Alaric didn't plan to reveal the Rose School's takeover yet. Using Tolzna's power would let them disguise it as a conflict between the Rose School and another Southern Continent faction... a plausible cover.
Unlike others, Tolzna, the Chained God, was waiting for Alaric to pull him into play. Lacking the unique skills of Mr. Door or Roselle, Tolzna's fate was to serve as a heavy hitter.
Azik, unaware of these intricacies, trusted Lucifer's capabilities and had no objections to Medici's plan.
"Then it's settled!" Alaric said with a smile, finalizing the plan. After chatting with Azik a bit more, he suggested Azik stay temporarily and nudged Klein to take him shopping for daily necessities.
Once the two left, Alaric poured himself another cup of tea. "With all the morally upright folks gone, it's time to talk serious business."
Ouroboros, sipping coffee, looked up at Alaric with clear confusion.
Medici, unsurprised, pulled an apple from somewhere and took a bite. "Let's hear it. What's your plan?"
"Taking down the Augustus family, obviously!" Alaric gave Medici a look that screamed, Do I even need to say it? "I already said they've chosen the path to ruin."
"But you're not planning to topple them now." Medici said, biting into his apple.
"Not topple, no. That'd be no gain and all pain." Alaric said with a smile, sipping his tea with a wistful expression. "The Augustus family makes such a great target. We can mooch off Intis' resources, draw the Seven Gods' attention, and even use them as bait to fish out those with ulterior motives…"
He sighed dramatically. "The more I think about it, the less I want to touch them." Then he grinned. "But they've pissed me off, so they've got to pay a price!"
"Just say what you're planning." Medici said, unfazed by Alaric's theatrics.
"Just a little lesson in scam prevention for the Augustus family." Alaric said, his smile brightening. "They're cozying up to the Demoness Sect, thinking the Primordial Demoness genuinely wants to help them produce a Sequence 0. Poor things... they don't know the truth."
Medici raised an eyebrow. He knew Alaric had access to odd sources of information, privy to secrets even they didn't know, and this was clearly one of them.
"What if we kindly tell them the truth? Think they'd break with the Demoness Sect?" Alaric asked with a sly grin.
"Obviously not." Medici said, catching on to Alaric's scheme. His grin turned reckless. "They're too deep to turn back. Or rather, neither you nor I would let them."
"Exactly. Poor things, backed into a corner…" Alaric feigned pity, then laughed. "So let's help them out! I'm sure the Augustus family wouldn't mind an extra ally. Unlike the Demoness Sect, we don't ask for much…"
"Just some supplies, some gold, a few colonies, and a slice of military control. Simple!"
"What if they refuse?" Medici asked, chewing his apple.
"Then we make it so they have to agree." Alaric said with a carefree laugh. "Once the Augustus family's isolated, they'll have no choice but to lean on us!"
He looked at Medici, grinning. "Just not sure if they still have a Conqueror characteristic. If they do, even better."
Medici paused mid-bite. "There's something you don't know?"
"I'm not omniscient." Alaric said, shrugging. "I knew they had a Conqueror uniqueness, but then Adam gave me a Conqueror characteristic. Who knows if he swiped it from them?"
He grinned again. "But whether they have it or not, their deal with the Primordial Demoness is real. Don't you want to do something about it?"
***
Every 100 Power Stones and 5 Reviews will earn you a Bonus Chapter.
And if you want to read up to 50 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (remove space)