198: Devil's Deal

"Re... Resurrect The Painter?!"

Wang Dalong was completely stunned, feeling as if ten thousand alpacas were stampeding through his mind, leaving behind a mess of blank space.

He stammered as he repeated those words, which were so absurd they made one want to laugh, yet he couldn't even manage to pull up the corners of his mouth.

"What kind of international joke is this! Have these people lost their minds? What era is this? Satellites are flying all over the sky, yet they're still thinking about playing with spirit-summoning banners?!"

"For madmen whose faith has collapsed and then been reshaped, logic and the era are the most meaningless things."

Duke Howard gently swirled the amber liquid in his glass, a layer of crystalline wine tears clinging to the walls. His expression was indifferent, as if he were recounting an old piece of news that had absolutely nothing to do with him.

"In their distorted world, The Painter is not a mortal, but a deity descended to the human realm. His death was merely a return to his Valhalla, waiting to be summoned again. And the 'eye of odin' is the only key for them to retrieve the 'God's' soul from the divine realm."

Lin Feng didn't speak, his fingers unconsciously tapping gently on the armrest of the sofa.

A mad plan beyond ordinary understanding.

An object of unknown origin, suspected of possessing supernatural powers.

A group of fanatics who had been lurking in South America for eighty years, possessing immeasurable financial and technological strength.

What kind of monster would be born when these three things were mixed together?

Just thinking about it made one's scalp tingle.

"So, because of this mad plan, you started fighting among yourselves again?" Lin Feng asked the most crucial question.

"That's right." A trace of imperceptible fatigue appeared on Duke Howard's face. "The second split was much bloodier than the one in the Africa desert. After decades of estrangement, this group of 'pure-blood descendants' no longer trusts an 'outsider' like me, who has British noble blood in my veins."

"In the end, the radicals led by Von Ehrenberg won. They took their core subordinates and made off with the vast majority of the wealth we brought from Germany, as well as the most important..."

"'eye of odin'." Lin Feng finished the sentence for him.

"Yes." Howard nodded and took a sip of his wine. "They completely disappeared from Argentina, as if they had vanished into thin air. I spent decades and used all of the Cavendish Family's power in South America, but I still couldn't find their exact location. As for me, I was completely sidelined, becoming a leader in name only, left to guard this empty shell and continue my own research with these fools who do nothing but recite The Painter's quotes all day, their heads stuffed with straw."

A long silence fell over the office.

A shocking secret spanning three continents and lasting nearly a century was thus laid out completely before them by a dying old man in the most nonchalant tone.

Wang Dalong opened his mouth, wanting to complain a bit, but found that any words seemed pale and powerless in the face of such a bizarre reality.

"Well then, Your Grace." Lin Feng finally spoke, breaking the heavy silence.

He looked into Duke Howard's blue eyes; they lacked the cloudiness common in the elderly, and were instead frighteningly clear.

"You didn't call us here today just to invite us to listen to an old story, did you?"

"Of course not." Duke Howard smiled, a smile carrying a hint of an old fox's cunning and playfulness.

"I know about your deal with my daughter, Elizabeth. Gold, wealth—those things have long been no different from the dust on the road to me. But I am very clear about what you truly want by taking such a great risk, Mr. Lin."

His aged but powerful body leaned forward slightly, those clear eyes locking onto Lin Feng.

He spoke word by word, his voice not loud, yet echoing clearly in the quiet room:

"nine tripods."

Buzz!

Lin Feng's brain felt as if it had been struck hard by an invisible sledgehammer!

Although he remained calm on the surface, the hand resting on his knee unconsciously tightened.

It was here!

His true purpose had finally been spoken!

"During that life-and-death journey deep into Kunlun back then, although I almost lost my life there, I didn't come away empty-handed." A look of reminiscence mixed with longing appeared on the Duke's face. "I've seen ancient rubbings of that object; I know where the patterns recorded on it ultimately point."

"That is the true key to the origin of the world, far older, purer, and much more..."

He paused for a moment, seemingly searching for the right word.

"...closer to the 'Dao'."

"You want to make a deal with me." Lin Feng's tone was flat, showing no emotional fluctuation.

"A smart man." Duke Howard nodded approvingly, leaning back comfortably into the soft sofa and spreading his hands. "A deal with immense benefits for both of us."

"Help me retrieve the 'eye of odin'. To those madmen, it's a tool to resurrect their idol; but to me, it's the final piece of the puzzle for my research, a necessity. As long as you can bring it back to me intact, I will tell you all the secrets I know about the nine tripods."

"Why should we believe you?" Wang Dalong couldn't help himself; he stood up and pointed at Duke Howard. "You've even deceived your own daughter for over seventy years! Who knows if you're digging another hole for us!"

Hearing this, Duke Howard only gave him a faint glance, a look like one would give a noisy child, filled with a high-and-mighty indifference.

"Because you have no other choice."

His gaze fell back onto Lin Feng, a meaningful expression appearing on his face.

"Your understanding of 'Ouroboros' ends here. And they have known of your arrival from the moment you stepped onto Argentine soil. Without my intelligence and help, you won't be able to move an inch in this city; in less than three days, you'll become part of some concrete block in the docklands."

"More importantly..."

He paused for a moment, seemingly enjoying the gravity that flashed across Lin Feng's face.

"Because you know that everything I'm saying is the truth."

The moment the words fell, a cold, mechanical prompt sounded in Lin Feng's mind without warning!

[Ding!]

[Detected key story character: Howard Cavendish (Status: Unknown). Confirmed information credibility: 92%.]

[The original quest 'Search for the Nazi Treasure and Howard Cavendish's Whereabouts' has changed...]

[S-Rank Chain Epic Quest activated: 'Bite of the Ouroboros'!]

[Quest Phase One: Retrieve the 'eye of odin']

[Quest Objective: Based on the clues provided by Howard Cavendish, find the core stronghold of the radical faction of the Nazi remnant "Ouroboros" and reclaim the key item 'eye of odin'.]

[Quest Reward: Unknown.]

[Failure Penalty: Unknown.]

S-Rank!

Chain Epic Quest!

Lin Feng quickly closed the virtual panel before him, the waves in his heart gradually calming, leaving only a bottomless pool of cool composure.

He slowly raised his head, meeting Duke Howard's blue eyes that seemed capable of seeing through people's hearts.

This was a deal with the devil.

But he couldn't refuse.

Because the chips the other party offered were something he could not give up no matter what.

He calmly reached out his hand and made a "please" gesture toward Duke Howard.

"Their clues."

"Tell me."