After receiving the hidden quest clue about Hazel, Orson couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.
Was it really true that this busty girl could never get married?
Previously, Hazel had been forced to marry Cain Lord, a political marriage aimed at uniting the God-Emperor's bloodline with the prestigious Platinum Family.
But then...
Cain consumed the Demon Ascension Pill and became a monstrous demon, only to be dismembered and banished into space by Aetrexa, one of the ten Dragon Riders of Infinite Dimensions.
Now Hazel was somehow involved in the emperor's selection of a bride, and Orson, well aware of the rotting corruption in the Light Dragon Empire, was pondering whether or not to take the chance to get rid of the old emperor.
If that worked, poor Hazel would end up being unmarried once again...
"Hold on, I've never seen you before!"
"Spill it. You snuck into our group alone. What's your real agenda, low-tier mage Orsix?"
Valessi barked, spitting in Orson's direction.
"Alone? Is the ghost beside me invisible to you?"
Orson glanced over at Laketon, who had already walked off with Old Terry and the others. Orson was unfazed, just curious as he looked at Laketon.
Laketon smirked, "Master, to these divine puppets, I am invisible. Only players can see me."
"Looks more like a game virus," Orson remarked with a roll of his eyes.
"Uh, excuse me, since you're so powerful, could you give me a few stat points to boost my attributes?" Orson suddenly asked.
He had been meaning to ask this for a while. Given that the world of Infinite Dimensions was merging with reality, even if he couldn't take these "massive" attributes outside of the game world, at least he wouldn't have to waste time grinding for skill points. He could just wipe out the various War Supreme and God-level creatures in Infinite Dimensions and level up that way.
Laketon's grin grew wider but he didn't respond.
Orson raised an eyebrow. "Alright, how about you just give me hundreds of billions of gold? Or maybe a few hundred sets of artifacts?"
Laketon's expression froze, and he laughed bitterly. "That's beyond my capabilities. I'm just a humble Immortal Slave. I can't interfere with players' progression. I'm sorry."
"So you're just going to talk big, calling yourself a 'divine being'?" Orson shot back sarcastically, his expectations dashed.
"Mind control?"
Orson gestured toward the arrogant Valessi, and Laketon shook his head awkwardly. "The target has been infused with divine will. I can't do anything. However, I can use [Captivity] and [Memory Search] on lower-tier puppets."
"That's a bit interesting," Orson thought, eyes narrowing. Laketon was an Ocular Demon parasite with abilities resembling a mental mage's. [Memory Search] was the specialty of mental mages, while [Captivity] was a rare skill, designed to capture targets alive. Only top-tier monster hunters were said to possess such skills for special trials.
Valessi sneered, "What dark demon are you talking to? Do you have accomplices?"
Valessi scanned the area, but all he could see was empty air.
"You're the first to dare grab my collar and hit me," Orson smirked as he looked at Valessi. The guy was just a Lord-Class mage, with only 8 million HP—Orson didn't need to make a big deal about dealing with him.
"You're looking to die, low-tier mage?!"
Valessi's eyes bulged as he drew out his staff and began chanting.
However, Orson was much faster. With a flick of his wrist, he activated [Sword of the Apocalypse] and switched to melee mode.
Shing! Shing! Shing!
The Supreme Arcane Blade flashed forward, its dark red aura cutting through the air. In just a few strikes, Orson left Valessi frozen in place, his HP plummeting to less than a million.
This was still without a lethal strike. Had Orson switched to Chaos Swordsman mode, with his ranged attack power boosted, Valessi would have been easily killed.
"You..."
Valessi collapsed to his knees, panic evident in his eyes as he stared at Orson in terror.
"Let's see what he knows about Hazel," Orson said coldly, as Laketon's fingers extended dark threads that snaked into Valessi's eyes.
[Memory Search]!
Valessi's face became rigid, his life force evaporating as he turned into a puppet, staring blankly ahead. Two beams of light shot from his eyes and projected a hologram in front of Orson.
"This skill is quite impressive," Orson mused, watching the holographic image form. He had expected Valessi to speak or provide written information, but the memory was directly visualized.
Soon, Orson learned the rough details about Hazel becoming an imperial consort candidate.
Valessi's family, the Xian family, was a vassal of the Empire. Valessi had been licking Hazel's boots in hopes of securing her position as empress, to further the Xian family's political gain.
Orson learned the tragic reason Hazel had been pushed into becoming a "marriageable maiden."
Cain, the God-Emperor's descendant, had been declared a heretic by the Empire's tribunal.
Cain sought to revive the God-Emperor's power and overthrow the Holy Light Empire, an offense punishable by death.
Naturally, the Xian family, involved in Cain's plot, was targeted as well. The Empire had begun publicly investigating them.
Hazel's master, Old Terry, was also a member of the Xian family's elder council and had come to the capital for a tribunal investigation. The noble families, seeing the Xian family's fall from grace, were eager to take their place as the new platinum family.
Coincidentally, this period also coincided with the emperor's bride selection, and Xian Duke Hai Deng, Drunken Dream's father-in-law, had played his hand. Once again, Hazel was being used as a pawn, this time to secure the emperor's favor.
But becoming empress was just the first step. Only by becoming the true empress could she truly control the empire's decisions. After all, the emperor's harem consisted of many consorts, while the position of empress was still unfilled.
Other noble families weren't fools either. They too began pushing forward the most beautiful and powerful women from their ranks to compete for the emperor's favor. Replacing the Xian family as the new platinum family wasn't just a change in title; it meant that the most powerful dragon families of the empire would form contracts with the exceptional figures in their family, making them Dragon Knights.
"Well, this just keeps getting more interesting," Orson mused with a smile on his lips as he commanded Laketon to use the [Captivity] skill.
In the next moment, Valessi's body, which was on the brink of death, began to twist unnaturally, his features becoming grotesque. His body collapsed rapidly, shrinking until he turned into a small doll, no bigger than the size of a palm.
Orson's expression shifted slightly. This skill was even more disturbing than dark magic. He bent down to pick up the doll and was surprised to find that it could be placed in his inventory.
"Prevent Hazel from becoming the empress..." Orson pondered briefly.