Chapter 173: The Counterattack of Chaos (5)
For the past two months, the Church of Twilight wasn't the only thing occupying Karnak's attention. First, he had to confirm whether the Dragon Emperor Grateria actually existed in this world. To do that, he needed to cross-check ancient legends and myths, one by one. And this was not something the King's Order Intelligence Division specialized in.
They were experts in current affairs, not archaeologists. He needed someone capable of digging through ancient texts, either a high-ranking mage or a senior priest. Fortunately, Karnak had strong connections in both circles. He first sought out Deltros, the royal court mage of Eustil.
"The Dragon Emperor? What's that?"
"I'm not entirely sure myself..."
He fabricated a plausible excuse on the spot, claiming that during his exploration of Maleficus Dungeon, he overheard cultists mentioning the name. While he didn't know exactly what it was, they seemed to treat it as something extremely important. That alone was enough of a reason to investigate.
Though researching ancient records would be a tedious task, Deltros agreed without hesitation. "Cultists, huh? Alright, I'll look into it."
After all, he wasn't going to be the one doing the work. His apprentices would be the ones suffering. Besides, mages were naturally drawn to mysteries, and the concept of a Dragon Emperor was intriguing enough.
After that, Karnak sent a similar letter to Alius. A few days later, he received a reply almost identical to Deltros's.
—Understood. I will have people investigate.
It was yet another delegation of work. Alius had risen in rank, and tasks like these were now beneath him. With the Dragon Emperor issue delegated, Karnak moved on to his next priority, tracking down Edia. He needed information on Tecas merchant guild.
***
"You want me to investigate Tecas?” Edia frowned at Karnak's request. "Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?"