Steam Age: I Fight Against Divine Authority with Otherworldly Tales

Chapter 70 Tracing Cause and Effect

Suren stood up and looked at the hidden door. At this moment, the hidden door and the surrounding walls were covered with white frost. The frost was still spreading, but the speed was visibly slowed down. After a few seconds, it stopped spreading.

Suren took two steps back quietly, frowning as he looked at the mess in the basement and pondered his next plan.

Trying to re-enter that room was not a good option; who knew if there were other traps inside? Besides, Su Lun had already seen the room clearly in the light—it was empty.

Fortunately, this wasn't entirely fruitless; the trap has indirectly proven some things.

Based on the situation at the scene and William's previous description, Suren made a rough guess: the so-called haunting was just someone using this dark room to hide items, most likely the group that stole Charles's goods.

Considering the whereabouts of the Dead Sea Scrolls, these people are most likely from the Gate of Truth, while the Eternal Covenant Knights intercepted the shipment.

Based on the current scene, it appears that the members of "The Gate of Truth" have left, possibly borrowing some items. After all, there are no bodies at the scene, and according to William's description, the members of "Eternal Oath" did not have time to dispose of the bodies.

"Then, the remaining goods are most likely in the hands of the 'Eternal Oath Knights'." Through the deductions just now, Suren had an answer in his mind.

With that in mind, he took out Cole's "Spirit Bridge," and now he needed to trace the other party through the "causal thread."

This is another ability of "cause and effect": it can actively consume source knowledge and trace the source along the cause and effect line. The more event nodes it passes through, the more "source knowledge" it consumes.

The reason it wasn't used before was because the causal link couldn't be directly locked through photos, but the room is now full of traces left by the other party, allowing for a perfect application of the ability.

As Suren channeled his "Source Knowledge," silver threads appeared in his eyes. Suren found the threads related to the trap, but two of them were broken. Fortunately, one thread was intact, allowing Suren to track it.

Following the complete silk thread, Suren used the power of the "Spirit Bridge" to find the source of the thread—the raven—and also learned the location of its settlement, which was near a small alley southeast of the "Mist Exchange".

Suren wiped the sweat from his brow. This "Spirit Bridge" contained extraordinary power at the level of an "Awakener," which was indeed a considerable burden for him.

Just as Su Lun was about to put away the "Spirit Bridge", he noticed that there was a crack about one finger long on the Spirit Bridge.

Suren frowned. When the professor explained the function of the "Spirit Bridge" earlier, he didn't mention that this thing could be damaged.

He put the "Spirit Bridge" away, guessing that perhaps it was because he forcibly erased the emotional influence on the "Spirit Bridge" that it developed cracks.

"In other words, it might break down completely after one or two more uses," Suren sighed.

Suren thought Cole's relics were quite useful; they could create coincidences silently, trace cause and effect, and even had two abilities that Suren hadn't used yet.

Although those with "Causality" lack direct combat abilities, their abilities are very practical, at least for now, they are more useful than Suren's "Secret Knowledge".

Putting aside her chaotic thoughts, Suren dusted herself off, avoided the frost on the floor, put the shelves back in their place, then turned off the gas light in the room and walked out of the basement.

William stood at the top of the stairs, peering down. Seeing Suren emerge with a grave expression, he asked nervously, "Lord Deathbird, what happened down there? I think I heard some noise."

"Things are really bad. You've been tricked by those two." Suren sighed, then gave a look that suggested he was still in control. "They sealed the evil spirit in the basement. Luckily, I've solved the problem for you for now."

Suren turned to William with a hint of warning and said, "However, I still suggest you find a chance to block up this basement as soon as possible and move out. This house of yours is indeed unlucky."

William turned pale with fright. He nodded tremblingly, then, as if remembering something, asked in a trembling voice, "My lord, what kind of reward should I give you?"

"Given that you helped me find clues about those two swindlers, and that you were very cooperative, I don't need any reward." Suren waved his hand, after all, this explanation was in line with the doctrine, at least on the surface.

He wasn't worried that William would complain, because William had no reason to do so.

Using the excuse of investigating the swindler, after saying goodbye to William, Suren walked on the stone path, but her mind was on the "Manuscript of the Truth Speaker".

The Codex of Truth didn't lie; it was certain it had obtained a lead, but it wasn't safe. However, the Codex of Truth's logic was most likely that the lead involving William Miller was safe.

Suren gave a wry smile; using this thing really felt like playing with fire.

No longer dwelling on the matter, Suren began to plan her next move.

The location of the "Eternal Oath Knights" in Suren is now known; the question is, what to do next?

The simplest way is to directly notify the "Deathbird Monks," but this would not only break the relationship he has built with the "Eternal Oath," but might even accelerate Suren's exposure.

Or should we make a deal directly with the "Eternal Oath"? The thought popped into my head, but I rejected it immediately.

Although I had just helped the other party complete a task, it was just a normal collaboration.

Given that the other party is willing to fight the "Gate of Truth" to obtain that batch of goods, it is highly unlikely that you can offer any bargaining chips that the other party would care about.

After much deliberation, Suren decided to first use the [Identity Network] to infiltrate the area, figure out the internal situation, and then use the Spirit Bridge or other means to distract the guards and steal the goods.

"If the plan fails, try to make a deal with them," Suren decided in his mind, then began to check his belongings to make sure everything was in order.

Then, when his consciousness sank into the "Mandara Ring", he found that the special "Demon Heart" was gone, and the "Ellie's Tear" lay quietly in the ring.

At this moment, Ellie's Tear changed its appearance; the gem's color changed from emerald green to scarlet red, and its shape changed to a star.

With a thought, Suren found the "Tears of Ellie" lying quietly in his palm. It no longer had that gem-like feel, but rather felt like the heart of a living being. Suren could even feel its rhythmic breathing.

As Suren held it in his hand, he could clearly sense its full power. It was no longer about proliferation and healing, nor was it a single elemental explosion; it was a completely new, composite power.