A few days later, outside the City of Divine Grace, Oslama Allen’s carriage slowly approached the city gates.
Besides him, several other members of the Allen family, skilled in Time Retrospection, accompanied him.
Noah and Leah, the siblings, had been waiting outside the gates for some time. After they met, Oslama, supported by his family members, stepped out of the carriage, an ancient compass clutched tightly in his hand.
“Grandfather,” Noah and Leah greeted, bowing. Oslama nodded in response, then said directly,
“First, take me to the places you’ve already investigated. There are some things I need to confirm.”
“Understood.”
Their first stop was the alley where Mokotoba and Li Yuan had first met.
Oslama personally performed Time Retrospection there, after which Mokotoba’s home, his warehouse, and the Central Plaza were all investigated one by one.
With each new location, Oslama’s expression grew heavier, and eventually, even the accompanying Allen family members felt the oppressive aura emanating from him.
As dusk approached, everyone returned once more to the initial alley. This was where Mokotoba had first formally spoken with Li Yuan, and it was the starting point of all their clues.
The old man stood at the alley entrance, staring at the low wall for a long time before speaking in a deep voice,
“This is it. The key point is right here.”
Noah was slightly startled and asked, confused,
“What is it, Grandfather?”
Oslama shook his head, placing the compass on the ground. His tone changed, becoming sharp as he commanded,
“Form the array!”
Upon hearing those words, everyone accompanying him changed expression. Leah couldn’t help but whisper,
“Grandfather, your body—”
“Form the array!”
His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, prompting everyone to begin moving. They quickly spread out, placing several formation stakes around the alley. Noah and Leah stood on either side, while the other family members took their respective positions. Oslama stood in the center of the formation, bringing the ancient compass before him and setting it down. The moment the compass touched the ground, faint silver patterns appeared, spreading out along the cracks in the stones and quickly connecting to all the formation stakes. The entire alley seemed to be enveloped by a silver net. Oslama closed his eyes, placed his hands on the compass, and shouted,
“Retrospect!”
All the family members simultaneously activated their abilities, and a brilliant light erupted. Layered retrospective images appeared within the formation, and Mokotoba’s figure gradually became visible.
All the scenes were identical to what they had seen before—but this time, Oslama didn’t stop. He gritted his teeth, pouring his power frantically into the compass.
The compass needle began to tremble violently, the silver patterns expanded and contracted, and the temporal images in the alley became distorted.
“Hold steady!”
At his command, everyone increased their power simultaneously, and the compass needle spun fiercely. The next moment, a highly blurred shadow suddenly appeared in the previously empty scene.
The shadow was faint, not even clear enough to confirm its form. But it was definitely there, standing in front of Mokotoba.
Oslama’s eyes suddenly widened, and he cried out anxiously,
“Found it—”
Before he could finish, the compass emitted a piercing hum. Then it vibrated violently as if struck by a massive impact, and all the formation stakes simultaneously exploded.
Boom—!
After the loud bang, everyone was sent flying by a powerful force, and Oslama, who was at the center of the formation core, was severely injured. He was thrown back over ten meters, crashing heavily at the end of the alley, and the compass in his hand developed a fine crack.
“Grandfather!”
Noah struggled to his feet and rushed over, while Leah also stumbled to the old man’s side.
Oslama’s chest heaved violently, blood constantly gushed from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes gradually lost focus. Yet, he still clutched Noah’s arm tightly.
“That person—”
Noah said anxiously,
“Grandfather, please don’t speak yet.”
“No!” His voice was weak but carried an unprecedented urgency. “He’s... in the royal capital...”
Oslama used his last bit of strength, speaking each word distinctly,
“Find him—you must find him—”
Perhaps due to extreme agitation, his breathing became even more rapid.
“Tell His Majesty...”
A complex look flashed in the old man’s eyes.
“The Casnoe Empire’s way out... has been found!”
After saying this, Oslama’s hand relaxed, and he completely lost consciousness.
The Allen family quickly sealed off the alley and transported him back to their temporary residence for treatment. Accompanying healers and local physicians from the City of Divine Grace worked together to barely stabilize the old man’s injuries.
Oslama’s injuries this time were extremely severe. The backlash from Time Retrospection was already dangerous, and combined with using himself and the compass as the formation core to forcibly peek at an existence that should not be peeked at, the cumulative backlash was even more serious.
That very night, the news was sent back to the imperial capital via urgent channels.
Kevinlit was in his study, processing documents related to the subsequent takeover of the City of Divine Grace, when a secret report was delivered to his desk. The attendant’s face was more urgent than usual.
“Your Majesty, an urgent report from the City of Divine Grace.”
Kevinlit broke the seal, his gaze sweeping over the first line, and his expression immediately changed.
【Oslama gravely injured and unconscious】
He abruptly stood up, knocking over the quill pen on his desk, spilling ink everywhere. Kevinlit, however, paid no mind, holding his breath as he continued to read.
The report detailed everything Oslama had done in the City of Divine Grace, concluding with his exact words before he lost consciousness.
Kevinlit clutched the report, unable to recover his composure for a long time.
Oslama’s severe injury alone was shocking enough. The Allen family’s Time Retrospection ability was extremely unique, and Oslama was the strongest master of it in this generation...
For him to suffer such a severe backlash, to the point of unconsciousness, could only mean the matter was far more dangerous than previously imagined.
But what truly unsettled Kevinlit was that last phrase—the empire’s way out—what did that mean?
The Casnoe Empire, having developed to its current state, was a colossal entity. Looking at all nations, only a few could threaten the empire, and they were very far away.
Although there were factional disputes among nobles domestically, overall stability was maintained. While the incident in the City of Divine Grace caused a stir, the empire seized the opportunity to bring it under its administration, which was an unexpected gain.
The country was peaceful and prosperous, trade routes were open, and there were no large-scale wars on the borders. Although neighboring countries occasionally had skirmishes, none dared to engage in full-scale war with the empire.
If there was a crisis, it could only be the Abyss Demons that appeared every few decades, surging from rifts in various places, threatening border and wilderness areas.
Although each incident required significant military and material expenditure, Abyss events had persisted for thousands of years, and the empire had always had a response mechanism. While troublesome, it was far from a calamity of national destruction.
Unable to find any answers, Kevinlit sat back down in his chair, his brow deeply furrowed, murmuring to himself,
“A way out...”
He repeated it softly. If Oslama was referring to Abyss Demons, did it mean the next Abyss Rift would undergo changes beyond the empire’s capacity to handle? Or did the Allen family’s ancient texts record some greater catastrophe, and this person named Li Yuan was the only variable? These speculations gave him an increasing headache.
Yet, the empire’s history told him that the Allen family’s prophecies were never wrong; this was an ironclad law written into the empire’s history.
Currently, too little information was available. Oslama was unconscious, and Noah and Leah couldn’t clearly explain what the old man had seen. The only certainty was—Li Yuan was in the royal capital.
Kevinlit slowly placed the report back on the desk, his fingertips lightly tapping the paper.
Impersonation of a Royal Inquisitor, unrecordable by time, seen only as a blurred projection at the cost of Oslama’s severe injury... and then called the empire’s way out.
This was no longer a simple impersonation incident.
After a long silence, he rang the silver bell again, and the attendant quickly reappeared.
“Your Majesty.”
“Instruct Noah and Leah to immediately bring Oslama back to the imperial capital. Notify the Royal Physicians to be on standby at all times, ready to take over Oslama’s treatment. Heal the old Marquis at all costs.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Furthermore, retrieve all intelligence from the Kingdom of Kajinson from the past six months. All content related to outsiders, special powerhouses, and abnormal incidents should be sent to my study.”
The attendant bowed in acknowledgement, and Kevinlit added,
“Especially Kajinson, the royal capital.”
“As you command.”
After the attendant left, Kevinlit leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the report on the desk. After a long moment, he softly exhaled.
“No matter who it is—” his finger rested on the name “Li Yuan” “—I will surely find you...”
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