Chapter 1,381 – Idiche

“So you’re something called a lawkeeper, tasked with working undercover under the order of Her Majesty? And your job is to expose extradimensional invaders who have infiltrated the Mercurial Court?” Idiche slowly said, her disbelieving expression perfectly matching her sarcastic tone.

“That’s it in a nutshell. Why would that be any weirder than you investigating conspiracies in your sleep?” Zac said, doing his best to keep his tone calm and gentle.

For one, Idiche still held Esmeralda hostage. Secondly, the stormy waters they were sailing through were a horrible place to have a falling out, at least for Zac, who had absolutely no idea where they were. Thankfully, his earnest effort at diplomacy was finally yielding results. Idiche dropped the act, leaning back into her seat with a thoughtful expression.

“Fair enough. But why did your toad rifle through my things?”

“We didn’t expect the whole guild to set out for a hunt the moment we reached Explorer’s Cove. There was no time to worry about protocol. With limited time to gather intelligence, we had to focus on the upper management,” Zac said. “I don’t know what’s in your notes, but Esmeralda must have thought it pertinent to our mission. She doesn’t just steal things for the fun of it.”

The last part was a bold-faced lie, sticking out among the half-truths he’d peddled for the last ten hours. Zac was even thankful that Esmeralda remained muffled, preventing her from objecting to the slight on her thief’s honor.

“And you’re sure that wench isn’t the main perpetrator?” Idiche pressed for what felt like the twentieth time.

“I didn’t say that,” Zac said. “The [Courtyard Compass] I showed you isn’t powerful enough to expose Monarchs. It’s also possible that she might be a traitor rather than an infiltrator. Our enemies could very well have bribed some people to help with their operation.”

“That’d be just like her. Always smiling and acting all gentle when she’s actually looking out for number one,” Idiche nodded.

‘Isn’t that kind of the point of the Explorer’s Guild?’ Zac mused, wisely keeping the thought to himself. He’d talked himself hoarse to somewhat get Idiche to come around to his side, and he wouldn’t ruin that by taking the side of the Vice Leader’s rival.

“I’ve shared what I know now, so how about releasing my friend?” Zac asked.

“She told me she’s your master,” Idiche said with a slight tug on her lips. “Which is it?”

“In certain endeavors, yes. Otherwise, she’s a valued companion.”

“… Fine, but just so you know. I’ll trigger a Dream Paradox if I notice any funny business. With the Peregrine Ocean providing energy, you’ll be lucky if you manage to escape before you outsiders are sent back home,” Idiche warned. “You’ve seen how the waters surrounding Sevona’s Hunting Lodge are.”

“Of course,” Zac quickly said.

While the interrogation technically had lasted close to half a day, most of that time had been spent with Idiche desperately navigating through a spatial storm while Zac held onto the vessel for dear life. They’d only emerged half an hour ago, at which point the rest of the fleet was nowhere in sight.

When Idiche looked suspicious at how quickly Zac gave his word, he took out Everit’s lawkeeper token. “I swear on my honor as a member of the Imperial Magistrate.”

“You should know that token means absolutely nothing to me. I’ve never even heard of the twenty-three departments or your magistrate before today.”

“I still can’t believe the Mercurial Courts don’t teach you these things. You’re still part of the empire,” Zac muttered while stowing his token.

“They do. I never said I was a good student, did I?” Idiche said, almost looking proud of her ignorance.

Thankfully, the Vice Leader didn’t have him jump through any more hoops. She released her hold on Esmeralda, who immediately disappeared in a spatial flash. Zac suppressed a smile when the ripple was much stronger than necessary, causing a wave of water to drench Idiche. As for Esmeralda, she’d already retreated to the safety of her shrine.

“That nasty thing could really use a beating,” Idiche muttered while expelling the water with a rotation of her energy.

“She’s young and willful. Don’t sink to her level,” Zac said with a smile before turning his attention inward.

‘Invader?’

‘No,’ Esmeralda said with reluctance.

‘That’s good,’ Zac said. While he’d guessed as much, it was nice to have confirmation. ‘You’re slipping. How did a Peak D-grade cultivator manage to capture you?’

‘Don’t get me started! This girl is cheating. For one, she’s wearing an invisible cloak imbued with B-grade spirituality. Secondly, the dream state she mentioned is the real deal,’ Esmeralda said with a shudder. ‘Stay clear if her eyelids start drooping. She’s no weaker than most Early Monarchs in that state, and she wields the Dao of Dreams like an old master.’

‘You think she might be a senior in disguise?’

‘No, more along the lines of being possessed or housing a second consciousness from a partial reincarnation,’ Esmeralda said. ‘Whatever her deal is, she should be on our side. Her notes didn’t have a lot of valuable information, but she’s genuinely been trying to deal with the invasion.’

‘And she’s not lying about being connected to the Eighth Elder?’ Zac asked.

‘It’s real if her testament can be trusted, and I think it can,’ Esmeralda said. ‘Garnering goodwill with one of the elders can’t hurt, but it seems as though the lass can’t get hold of her master since the invasion.’

“And you tried reporting your suspicions to the Eighth Elder but were ignored?” Zac asked Idiche to confirm.

“Not ignored,” Idiche shook her head. “I think her hands are tied. Either that or she’s been forced to delve deep into the unstable realities surrounding the island. My messages won’t be able to reach her there.”

Zac slowly nodded. Idiche’s experience aligned with what he’d seen in Transformation Docks and the Sixth Elder’s hints upon Zac’s arrival. The elders of the mercurial court were unwilling or unable to get entangled with the invaders. Perhaps they feared getting tainted by the Lost Plane’s corruption, knowing it might harm their true goal for the trial and constructing Grand Dream’s Omnipresence Container.

“Either way, lawman, you’ll be going with me during the hunt.”

“That’s fine by me,” Zac said. “Looking forward to working with you.”

He was already planning on asking Idiche to team up before they reached the island, and not just because he wanted to avoid being thrown off-board. Her prophetic dreams seemed extremely powerful, and she was decked out in top-tier gear. Between his Luck and inside information and Idiche’s uncanny abilities, they had a good chance of exposing whatever the invaders plotted.

Gaining the assistance of another top-tier combatant was the cherry on top. There were too many invaders for him to deal with alone unless he could figure out a way to split them up. There was also nothing that said the Explorer’s Guild was the only infiltrated faction. The other groups competing for the hunting lodge could very well be just as compromised.

With a rough agreement in place, Zac started digging for information. As expected, Idiche did have some inside information as one of the Explorer Guild’s Vice Leaders.

“Master called Sevona a Dream Gestalt,” Idiche said.

“What’s that?” Zac asked.

“When the circumstances are right, a common belief among enough people can conjure something out of nothing,” Idiche explained. “From what I understand, Sevona was the perpetual Godqueen of a small kingdom. If it existed for real, it was likely located inside a Mystic Realm with a powerful connection to the Peak of Fantasy.”

“If?”

“The whole thing could have been dreamt up inside the Peregrine Ocean,” Idiche shrugged. “But there should be a core of truth. The scenario is too stable to be a rootless fantasy.”