Chapter 261

Chapter 261

Helping out was one thing, but Gu Zhaoxi wasn't doing this purely out of the goodness of her heart. Whether it was delivering items or babysitting, she always had conditions.

“The request isn’t particularly hard, but it’s not simple either. Still, I think you’re the best person for the job,” she said, tilting her chin toward a specific direction. “Go to the Medici estate and check on whether Louis is still alive. If you can bring him out, great. If not, so be it.”

With the God of Death Butterfly—a powerful tool for spacetime travel—at her disposal, and given her origins within the Medici family, Eve was indeed better suited for this task than anyone else.

That said, it wasn’t as if Eve was the only option. Luo Lin, Gu Zhaoxi’s youngest student, also had status as the eldest daughter of the Medici family. In theory, she should have had an even easier time accomplishing it.

It was possible Gu Zhaoxi was just stirring up trouble intentionally, but Eve did have some personal business with Louis. So after giving Gu Zhaoxi a glance, she didn’t refuse the task.

“You know, you people are really treating me like some kind of spacetime travel shortcut,” Eve remarked.

With the help of the God of Death Butterfly, Eve easily bypassed the guards posted at regular intervals along the mountain path. She emerged from the swirling vortex she had transformed into, landing lightly inside the Medici estate. The vortex she had used for the task shrank until it reverted to the God of Death Butterfly’s withered right wing. The butterfly perched on Eve’s shoulder, grumbling.

“If you’re not happy about it, you can always return to the Divine Realm,” Eve said mercilessly. “Don’t forget the promise you made before we left.”

The God of Death Butterfly immediately choked on its words. It clearly remembered how Cionanado had initially instructed it to return after escorting Eve. It had been the one who insisted on staying out longer, and Cionanado had reluctantly agreed—on the condition that it obey Eve’s commands, bound by an alchemical contract!

At first, it thought it would just be a set of basic rules to keep it from causing trouble. But who knew Eve would be the biggest troublemaker of all, constantly ordering the great God of Death Butterfly around? Resentful but unwilling to return to the Divine Realm, it had no choice but to grin and bear it.

The Medici estate was built into the mountainside. Its layered palaces followed the contours of the mountain, resembling a pure white dragon gracefully descending from the peak, winding around the slopes, with its tail barely visible at the base. The night draped over the structures and mountains like a thin veil, soft and silent.

The layout inside hadn’t changed much from Eve’s memory. She deftly avoided traps near the corner towers at the entrance and quietly swiped a key from a servant’s waist. Now that she was inside, using the God of Death Butterfly’s ability for such a short distance would be wasteful. Moreover, this body’s physical capabilities, even after training, were far inferior to her original body. With limited means, she had to proceed with extra caution, relying on her memory to navigate stealthily.

As she passed a palace as white as a cloud, Eve looked up, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes. The God of Death Butterfly noticed her change in expression and twitched its antennae, curious. “Have you been here before?”

“Is there any place I haven’t been?”

“But you look nostalgic.”

Eve fell silent for a moment before replying softly, “I lived here when I was young.”

In the Medici family, minors weren’t allowed to have private quarters—even the children of the family head. Group living was encouraged to foster collaboration among the youth, and the Cloud Residence was built specifically for them. However, the Medicis were far from poor. The Cloud Residence was spacious and bright, and while the children lived together, it was more like a luxury apartment complex with individual units.

Unfortunately, it was now occupied by new residents. Through the glass windows and thin curtains, Eve could see the slender shadows of adolescents moving inside, like shadows from the past, stirring memories she found hard to suppress.

The God of Death Butterfly seemed intrigued by the idea of seeing where Eve had lived as a child and was tempted to sneak inside for a look. But Eve had no intention of lingering and turned to leave. Reluctantly, the butterfly followed, setting its curiosity aside.

Eve recalled the information Unica and Long Quan had shared with her: Cecil, the eldest son of the Medici family, had been severely injured during the league matches and still hadn’t regained consciousness. The Medicis had captured Louis precisely to treat Cecil—following their usual pattern of rewarding a successful treatment and punishing a failed one.

Although Gu Zhaoxi hadn’t specified whether Louis needed to be alive or dead, alive was definitely better. The longer this dragged on, the more likely things could go wrong. Eve stopped wandering and headed straight for Cecil’s quarters.

Cecil’s residence was located in the southern part of the Medici estate, not far from the Medici Patriarch’s own quarters. Since the end of the league matches, the constant rotation of senior physicians and the flow of rare medications had become defining features of the pristine white palace. The Medici Patriarch stood silently on the second-floor balcony of his study, watching the comings and goings in his eldest son’s residence.

“Has Cecil still not awakened?” he asked.

“His injuries are too severe. Not only was he contaminated by the Insect Mother, but he also overused his Spiritual State Ability, draining his spiritual sea. Coupled with his severe physical wounds, recovery has been slow,” the First Steward replied, her voice hoarse from within her silver-gray robe. “The alchemist said he can at most keep the young master alive. To wake him, we need a Philosopher’s Stone.”

During the league matches, the massive surge of contamination had disrupted all surveillance systems. The few alchemical monitoring devices capable of withstanding the Insect Mother’s pollution were destroyed under the pressure of Cionanado’s divine descent. Cecil had been injured during that chaotic period.

The scene had been one of utter chaos, with people scrambling everywhere. Even Luo Lin hadn’t seen clearly when or how her brother had been injured. According to her and Grace’s accounts, Cecil had simply been unlucky—exhausting his spiritual energy before being accidentally impaled by one of the Insect Mother’s tentacles.

It sounded plausible, but the First Steward felt something was off.

Everything seemed a little too convenient.

Because all Senior Alchemists had sworn oaths to the Divine Realm Lord, the First Steward—even knowing Eve was alive and had been taken to the Divine Realm—couldn’t reveal this to anyone, not even the Medici Patriarch. And if Eve was still alive, the question of who would want Cecil dead became painfully obvious.

What First Steward was most curious about was how Eve had managed to accomplish all of this.

"There is still one last Philosopher's Stone left in the family vault," she ultimately held back her speculation, instead pursing her lips and returning to the original topic, "and that Philosopher's Stone is quite special—it was something Lady Catherine designated for Miss Luo Lin in her will."

"A long time ago, Gu Zhaoxi once gave Catherine Medici a Philosopher's Stone. She originally intended to recruit Catherine as her student, but that short-sighted human woman refused."

Using the Luna Butterfly's ability, one person and two butterflies easily passed through the crowd; countless servants bustled about, yet not a single one noticed that a stranger had slipped in. Relying on her memory, Eve quickly found Cecil's room. The handwoven long-pile carpet swallowed all footsteps that shouldn't have been there. In the opulent bedroom adorned with white mother-of-pearl, the young man lay unconscious on the bed due to severe injuries, his handsome face ghastly pale. If not for the faint rise and fall of his chest, he would have looked no different from a corpse.

Besides Eve, there was also a physician conducting a routine examination on Cecil, while the God of Death Butterfly flitted about curiously—this was the first time it had seen the person who had killed Eve in her previous life.

"He looks so weak, contaminated with so much of the Insect Mother's pollution, as if he's about to die," the God of Death Butterfly thought Eve had brought it here to save this human, so it laid out the treatment plan without hesitation, "If you want to keep him alive, you must use the Philosopher's Stone as a medium to find a way to purge the pollution."

To its surprise, Eve merely lowered her head, glanced briefly in the direction of the physician's examination, and then stood up straight, her voice cold: "Why are you telling me this? Whether he lives or dies has nothing to do with me."

She wasn't kind enough to save someone who had bullied her and tried to kill her. The reason she came here was, firstly, because passing by the Cloud Residence earlier had stirred a flicker of emotion in her heart, so she decided to check on how her old acquaintance was doing; secondly, Eve had long known that this matter was connected to Yan Ning and specifically came to see if she had left any evidence that might expose herself.

Fortunately, although Yan Ning usually seemed unreliable, she was quite efficient in her old trades like murder and arson—no wonder she could get her team listed on the black market rankings, foolish as she was.

She turned to the God of Death Butterfly and instructed, "The Medici family is keeping Louis alive to prolong this person's life, so where he's held shouldn't be far from here—probably within this very mansion. Can you directly locate his position for me?"

"I'll try."

The God of Death Butterfly didn't want to promise anything. After all, Louis, that ungrateful fellow, hadn't returned to the divine realm for a long time. It had only managed to catch him last time when it went to Blue Star, and even then, it was amidst a haze of pollution. As for Louis's own aura... well, it couldn't quite remember.

But then the Luna Butterfly touched Eve's cheek with its antennae and emitted a soft "buzz."

It could sense that beneath this building, there was an exceptionally weak spiritual entity.

Following the Luna Butterfly's guidance, a black-and-white vortex, invisible to others, flickered briefly in the bedroom.

-

Medici Patriarch remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Since it was given to her by Catherine, let's not touch it for now."

First Steward was not surprised by this outcome. She had been working under Sparti since her days at the First Empire Academy and had always been well aware of the relationship between the family head and his wife.

As Sparti returned to his desk to continue working, First Steward also withdrew her attention from the other palace. But just then, a strange sensation suddenly struck her heart, as if a string had been pulled. The peculiar feeling made her unconsciously exclaim, "Huh?"

"A little bird has slipped into a place it shouldn't be," she muttered.

Medici Patriarch, holding documents, didn't even glance her way: "Deal with it."

"As you wish."

The silver-gray cloak leaped down from the edge of the balcony, the robe flapping loudly in the descending wind. After just a few jumps, First Steward's figure merged completely with the deep night.

Meanwhile, Eve had just been led to a pitch-black secret room. The profound darkness enveloped the newcomers like an overwhelming tide—neither flashlights nor any other method could illuminate even a single corner in this dreadful place.

Such familiar, forceful methods were quickly recognized by the God of Death Butterfly: "It's the aura of rules. A quite skilled alchemist has set up precautions here in advance."

In the entire Medici family, no one but First Steward could achieve this. Eve had no desire to confront this mysterious and powerful lady under such circumstances. Frowning slightly, she said, "Make it quick. Try to sense Louis's location again."

"Buzz."

The basement was surprisingly vast, with a winding layout. Without the Luna Butterfly's perception, Eve would have had ways to find the person, but it would have taken much longer. The Luna Butterfly not only found the fastest path but also helped her avoid traps along the way.

As they approached the final room, the butterfly's guiding pace noticeably slowed. This must be the place. Eve narrowed her eyes but knocked on the door politely. Amid the knocking sounds, she softly asked, "Excuse me, is Mr. Louis inside?"

After a long while, a young man's voice full of fear and vigilance came from the room: "Who are you?"

People from the Medici family wouldn't speak to him in such a polite tone, so this must be someone sent from outside. Sure enough, the person outside said the next second, "I am from the Alchemist Association, here under orders to take you back."

"!!!"

Louis was stunned for quite a while before he understood what she meant from the familiar words, and he couldn't help but be overjoyed. Of course, he knew that even if he went with the Alchemist Association, he would have to undergo a series of trials and might even be sentenced to imprisonment, but no matter what, even going to prison was better than staying with the Medici family.

This place is too terrifying! These people are practically demons in human disguise!

With a clang, the heavy sound of chains being pulled echoed, but Louis didn't care anymore. He scrambled toward the door: "Quick, hurry, do you have that tool? There's a keyhole on the door; you can open it with a key, then come in quickly and help me get this cursed thing off my neck..."

—Unlock it.

Before he could finish his urgent words, an all-too-familiar clicking sound suddenly rang out—the screech of a sharp blade striking steel, like a bucket of cold water pouring over Louis, chilling him to the core.

If there had been light in the dark room, everyone would have seen the Grand Alchemist's trembling, slender body and sharply constricted pupils. His legs gave way, and before Eve could say anything, he collapsed sitting on the ground on his own.

"Mr. Louis?"

Eve first heard the sound of his panicked fall, then parried the First Steward's heavily swung longsword. The Luna Butterfly operated at maximum capacity, nearly diluting her presence completely in the air, while the God of Death Butterfly, unusually clever, directly transferred the First Steward to the farthest diagonal position in the underground floor, buying Eve precious time to open the door.

Before leaving, she had carefully prepared the device and other commonly used alchemical tools for rescue. Eve's expression darkened as she inserted the silver key into the keyhole, wrenched it forcefully, and the heavy iron door slid open with a loud sound. The noise would surely help the First Steward locate them quickly. Without time to orient herself, Eve slashed at the air left and right several times, then grabbed Louis by the collar and leaped directly into the passage the God of Death Butterfly had opened for her!

Afraid that Louis couldn't withstand long-distance spatial transfer, she set the first jump's endpoint at the foot of the mountain, just outside the Medici family's domain. In an instant, the cold, dark room was replaced by dense woods, with the vast starry sky visible through the rustling leaves.

The First Steward's earlier strike had nearly crushed Eve's current small physique. Barely escaping, she turned her head and dry-heaved, then took the healing potion held by the Luna Butterfly. After the hot, dry sensation of blood in her throat subsided, she finally had time to see Louis's wretched state.

With just one glance, Eve's expression changed sharply, and she tightly grabbed the leather collar around the alchemist's neck.

The collar looked like a dog collar, but she knew it had a more terrifying function beyond humiliation—it could silently synchronize with the wearer's brainwave activity over time, ultimately achieving brainwashing.

This high-tech device couldn't possibly come from the Empire; it was a primary torture tool used by the Alliance to deal with strong-willed Guide-type criminals. During her time with "Flying Bird," Eve had seen space pirates put similar collars on captives.

With Louis's spiritual power intensity, he wouldn't last long before being brainwashed into an idiot.

"Dammit," Eve cursed under her breath, "don't tell me I went through all this trouble to rescue a fool."

What the Medici family did was too vicious!

She immediately cut the collar, and as the leather wide band fell to the ground, several rounds of bullets immediately came from different directions—the First Steward's pursuers had arrived. Worse still, Louis had been carrying the Medici family's signal tracker all along.

The God of Death Butterfly, before it could even catch its breath, had to open a new spatial tunnel. Although human weapons couldn't harm it, the feeling of being in pursuit and fleeing for their lives was a fresh experience for the usually aloof divine butterfly.

After holding back for a while, it finally exclaimed excitedly after several consecutive jumps: "The feeling of pursuit is so thrilling!"

Eve: "...Don't go crazy now."

After the coordinates flashed through several locations in a short time, they finally shook off the Medici family's pursuers. Eve caught her breath, drank two more potions, and looked around, realizing the God of Death Butterfly was clever enough to set the final teleportation point at the entrance of Gu Zhaoxi's bar.

When in doubt, summon elders for support. The Medici family chasing her was a completely different matter from trashing Gu Zhaoxi's shop.

Taking advantage of the rare safe time, Eve didn't delay. She pulled the semi-conscious Louis over, and the Luna Butterfly emitted a soft, moon-like white light. Then, all her spiritual power concentrated at her fingertip as she pressed it against the alchemist's forehead.

Immediately, like a mountain collapse and tsunami, the spiritual power swept domineeringly through Louis's mental world. His already dazed eyes completely glazed over. In her quick and careful search, Eve finally found how he had awakened Anthony's unnatural Spiritual State Ability and how he had used Zerg venom as a raw material to repeatedly conduct Spiritual State-related experiments and make breakthroughs.

Truly genius, but also truly sinister.

Eve's gaze was as cold as water. After carefully memorizing this memory, she lightly flicked her fingertip, and the spiritual power surged up—erasing this obscure experimental memory from the alchemist's mind completely.