Chapter 431: Let Us Begin {2nd Bonus}
Which was what led to the conclusion that he would just continue to watch and wait for the mean time.
And hope that somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, a window large enough for Ethan’s plan would eventually reveal itself.
Unfortunately, it was at this point in time that a new problematic factor struck at Nathan; the issue of mana.
No matter how vast his reserves were, they were still finite. And the Astral Sea was many things, but merciful wasn’t one of them.
Maintaining his consciousness here came at a cost, and the longer he stayed, the more aggressively it drained his mana.
Nathan had spent an entire day in the astral sea since his last conversation with his son, and now he could feel the exhaustion hitting its peak.
His focus began to waver, then he stopped actively maintaining his presence within the Astral sea.
His form immediately folded inward like a collapsing whirlpool as he disappeared.
A second later, he reappeared on the living room floor of Miss Bernadette’s house, looking visibly exhausted.
Bernadette immediately set aside what she was doing and hurried toward him.
"Welcome back." she said, while confirming he was okay.
Nathan exhaled heavily before giving her a nod.
Bernadette had offered to let him stay at her house which is why Nathan had been here for the last two days or so.
Unfortunately, being at the Stark residence wasn’t exactly an option.
His presence made Ishtar extremely uncomfortable, and considering the circumstances, allowing both of them to share the same space wasn’t particularly wise.
Nathan slowly pushed himself upright while Bernadette handed him a glass of water.
A few minutes later, he was seated comfortably, quietly drinking while trying to recover some of his strength.
"So?" Bernadette asked curiously. "Any progress?"
Nathan shook his head.
Finding the right opportunity wasn’t proving to be an easy task.
Bernadette nodded in understanding before suddenly remembering something. "Oh, right... Ethan said that if you ever came back, I should tell you to go and see him immediately."
Nathan lowered the glass and nodded once again.
—
A short while later, Ethan opened the front door of the Stark residence to the view of Nathan standing before him.
"Any luck with the whole situation?" he asked.
Nathan let out a tired sigh. "No."
He paused for a moment before adding. "It hasn’t been easy finding the right time."
Surprising, the lack of progress didn’t bother Ethan. He simply nodded, then said "then its good that we may have found a new solution."
Ethan stepped aside and gestured. "Come in."
Nathan followed him inside as they walked through the living room together, heading toward the basement.
Coincidentally, at that exact moment, Ishtar was coming down the staircase with a plate in her hand after finishing her meal.
Her eyes landed on Nathan, and instantly, her expression darkened.
There was a high level of irritation in her gaze.
Nathan, however, didn’t even look in her direction. Neither did Ethan.
The both continued walking as though nothing had happened.
A few moments later, they disappeared into the basement.
As Nathan stepped farther into the room, he saw a few others who were there.
Isabella stood by one side, while Eduardo gave him a respectful inclination of his head as he walked in.
But it was the third person that immediately caught his attention.
An elderly woman standing behind the seated Olaf, whose face was bruised and stained with dried blood.
Nathan’s eyes widened at the sight of Jenner Hemilton.
For a brief moment, he stared at her, then a small smile appeared on his face.
Jenner smiled as well. "It’s a surprise to see you too, Nathan."
He let out a soft breath before returning the courtesy with a respectful nod.
However, his attention didn’t stay on her for very long as his eyes gradually shifted toward the blonde haired man seated in the chair.
Ethan gestured toward the captured agent. "This... is our solution."
Nathan’s eyes narrowed as he studied the man tied to the chair before turning toward Ethan with a puzzled expression on his face. "How so?"
Ethan went on with an answer, "This one was following Eduardo and Valerie earlier this evening. They caught him tailing their vehicle and brought him back here."
"He isn’t one of the Blessed, but he’s strong."
He gestured toward Jenner. "So, I summoned Madam Jenner to help us uncover his plan."
"Using her magic that can unseal the mind, we were able to uncover his intentions. Apparently, he traveled all the way here because he wanted revenge... revenge for Norman."
He scoffed and shook his head.
"He came here intending to kill me and every other named person the hero called out in the broadcast."
Nathan glanced at Olaf.
"How foolish," Ethan added. Then a smile slowly spread across his face. "But that’s not even the most interesting part."
"He also met with Beatrice, and told her of his intentions... and also told her that he intends to work independently."
Ethan paused before turning toward Nathan. "Now, I believe you’re beginning to understand where I’m going with all of this."
Nathan slowly nodded. "He has a motive."
His eyes drifted toward Olaf. "He already has a legitimate reason to target you and, by extension, Bella herself."
Ethan nodded. "Precisely."
Nathan glanced between Ethan and the unconscious agent. "Do you really think this will work?"
"If he isn’t actually one of the Blessed gathered around Morgenstein’s daughter, what’s the likelihood that they’ll believe him?"
Ethan shrugged. "The truth is that everything we’ve been doing up until this point has been a gamble."
He stepped forward and rested a hand on the back of Olaf’s chair. "So, yes, we’re going to try this... He already has a believable motive, and he seems powerful enough to pull it off."
"I’m sure that with the right approach, should be very much believable."
Nathan was quiet for a moment, before giving a nod. "Well, this is certainly a much better option than the one I’ve been spending all day trying to figure out."
"Fantastic." Ethan rubbed his palms together before looking at the unconscious man seated in front of them.
"Let us begin."