Chapter 317 - The endless grind
Scarlett’s final days on the Rising Isle were anything but restful. The week following the events in the Hall of Echoes passed in a whirlwind — there was simply too much to follow up on with her game knowledge of the Isle’s secrets. While she had no desire to linger longer than necessary, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to leverage the resources and favours she had accumulated from the Council.
And those favours were plentiful. She’d kept careful count. While there weren’t any more major dungeons on the scale of the Hall of Echoes or the Astral Sanctum, lesser dungeons, hidden chambers, and scattered relics still held their value. For days, she worked alongside the Isle’s wizards to uncover these secrets, ensuring each discovery added to the Council’s growing list of debts owed to her.
The Veiled Library, however, remained off-limits. Scarlett had promised Yamina she would warn her before revealing its hidden sections — likely so the woman had the chance to ‘tidy up’ after their visit there. Still, Scarlett imagined Yamina was also just as eager for another private look through the Library’s forbidden archives without anyone watching over her shoulder.
As for how Scarlett could contact Yamina, that was less clear. The woman had been missing since before they entered the Hall of Echoes, and no one seemed to know where she’d gone. Scarlett wasn’t sure if that was bad news or not, but she trusted she would eventually learn more — especially if Yamina’s activities were connected to Beld Thylelion in some way, as her inquiries in the Library had suggested.
Beyond unearthing Zuverian secrets, Scarlett had also engaged in a few more meetings with the Council to discuss the Hallowed Cabal and the Anomalous One. She hadn’t shared anything particularly world-shattering—at least not from her perspective—but she’d ensured the Isle was brought up to speed with what factions like the Shields Guild and the Followers of Ittar already knew. For all their magical expertise, the Rising Isle could lag behind in understanding events outside their domain, notably those centred within imperial territories.
Of course, her motives weren’t purely altruistic. The recent aggression of the Cabal and Tribe, combined with the Hall of Echoes incident, had understandably left the Isle wary. Encouraging cooperation between them and other major factions suited Scarlett’s broader goals. At least in the sense that they could all act as stabilising factors in the world, and that gave her more freedom to move as she needed to.
She had also hinted to the Council about the impending opening of Beld Thylelion, warning that the Undead Council might already be aware and preparing for it. This wasn’t entirely new information—they had been on their way to piece it together themselves—but by giving them a heads-up, much as she’d done with Elystead Tower and the Followers, she ensured that they leaned slightly in her favour.
Then there was the matter of Grand Wizard Blakeshaw. The Council had requested she corroborate her accusations against him — namely, that he had been collaborating with the Undead Council. Proving it wasn’t that difficult. Though Blakeshaw was currently absent from the Isle, Scarlett knew of his secret laboratory on the Isle, and it contained more than enough incriminating stuff.
Sure, she had received some strange looks and questions regarding how she could possibly have learnt of the laboratory’s existence, which was fair enough. Before her first meeting with the Council, she’d spent a great deal of time trying to figure out how she could present this information convincingly, but in the end, she just abandoned the pretence altogether. By now, she had long since passed the point of offering false justifications. More often than not, the truth wasn’t an option, and her leverage spoke louder than any excuses. Not everyone approved, but enough of the Council seemed content to let it be — so long as she kept providing valuable insights.
That suited her just fine. In truth, she almost preferred this kind of transactional relationship. It was certainly easier than the intricate political dances required when dealing with figures like Arch Wizard Godwin of Elystead Tower. Leaving so many unanswered questions with a group of research-obsessed wizards—wizards powerful enough to topple most nations—might not be ideal in the long run, but long-term consequences weren’t her immediate concern at the moment.
As for Blakeshaw’s fate, the Council had offered only vague assurances that they would handle the matter internally. Scarlett saw no reason to press further.
Looking ahead, she had several promising ventures that would involve collaboration with the Rising Isle. But she would need to be careful. As an imperial noble, she did have to take her status into some regard, given the empire’s somewhat tense relationship with the Isle. Also, no matter how many Zuverian artifacts or secrets she provided, the Isle would never allow her free rein if they believed she posed a genuine threat to them or the world as a whole. Considering some of the stuff she’d done in the past, she suspected she would continue walking that fine line for some time.