Chapter 1518
The Glory of Annie
Chapter 1518 The Glory of Annie
Old Finch's motives became an unavoidable key point.
The three of them, along with Noah, conducted a thorough investigation and found that most of the reports about Old Finch, whether on the StarNet or the Annie Magic Network, were about his romantic affairs.
Generally speaking, people say he was dissolute and unruly, a good-for-nothing who disregarded the reputation of the Finch family and spent his days indulging in pleasure...
This reputation has remained unchanged for over forty years, from his youth to his old age.
Even at his own father's funeral, when Adrian, a "mixed" bloodline, inherited the Finch family, he didn't care at all and didn't even show his face.
"Looking at it this way... it's even less reliable now." Antonio slumped in his chair, utterly dejected.
“But at least one thing is certain,” Lan Bingru said earnestly, pointing to her virtual screen, “when he was young, he traveled to other planets and was commended by the then-ruler of Jingyao. He was even specially rewarded with a private spaceship to facilitate his continued travels.”
"Most importantly, this is the key: having private access to and from Anemoma without needing to be subject to airport control."
"Where is it?" Antonio jumped up. "I can't see it!"
“This is old news from the academic section; what you’re reading is the gossip section.” Lan Bingru turned the screen towards him.
Antonio said "Oh," glanced at it twice, and then sat up instead of lying down: "Really! So he does have a usable ship."
"Hey, here's a photo!" Lan Bingru clicked on the spaceship image to enlarge it. "But for some reason, his reputation suddenly soured, and he never used the spaceship again. It's normal for it to be forgotten after all these decades."
"Looks like he's got a story to tell." Lin Fan came in from outside. "We can't get any information out of the butler and servants; they're all slippery."
“They’re all seasoned veterans of aristocratic circles; how could ordinary people possibly get any useful information out of them?” Antonio laughed. “In this situation, we should have sent Jin Sichen, but unfortunately, he’s not here.”
Although some clues were found, there was still no lead.
I wanted to ask old Finch directly, but it seems he got a message from the butler and disappeared without a trace.
In the end, it was Impelli who broke the deadlock and gave everyone an answer.
After not seeing him for many days, Impelli still had the same serious and meticulous demeanor as when they first met, and went to find Chitose first upon entering.
Seeing that Qian Sui was not there, he unusually did not leave, but stood there for a moment before finally speaking.
"I think you should leave."
"Good heavens!" Antonio sprang up from his recliner. "What's going on lately? One after another, they're urging us to leave?"
"Who else told you to leave?" Impelio frowned slightly.
Lin Fan glanced at Antonio, and seeing that he realized he had let something slip and was guiltily curling back into the recliner with his back to him, he turned to Impelli.
“Old Finch, Adrian’s father said the same thing a few days ago. Perhaps you have different information that you can tell us.”
“Ah…it’s him.” Impelio nodded. “If you’re asking about the reason, what I know is probably no different from his.”
“The situation in Crystal City is not very friendly to you right now. I do not mean to look down on you, but leaving as soon as possible and avoiding conflict is obviously the best solution.”
"Thank you for informing me," Lin Fan nodded slightly, then changed the subject, "More than that, we'd like to know, what were your reasons for choosing to betray us?"
“There is no betrayal.” Imperio slowly shook his head. “From beginning to end, I have been loyal to Annemo. In my principles, the selfish desires of Crystal City cannot supersede the safety of Annemo.”
“I know I can’t stop greed, so I can only take a desperate measure to eliminate the source of desire. The current Annie Demon can’t withstand another round of this.”
Antonio whistled loudly and sat up cross-legged without anyone noticing: "You said you were the glory of the Annis, and you actually came."
"I thought you also supported the Burning Beast becoming the new Beast God." Lin Fan crossed his arms and looked at him.
“I don’t support it.” Impelli shook his head. “The Beast God represents not only powerful energy, but also supreme faith. Even if your Burning Beast is equally powerful, it is not our Annemo Beast God, nor can it replace our Beast God.” “Wow~” Antonio raised an eyebrow. “A pure love war god… my apologies…”
"So Adrian is targeting you because your stance is hindering his interests?" Lan Bingru exclaimed. "I thought it was because you were under Vallejo's command."
“That’s part of the reason,” Impelli did not deny. “But more importantly, it’s his disgust with humanity. He can’t openly hate himself, so all that emotion comes out on me.”
"So you're actually this clear-headed?" Antonio seemed to only recognize Impelli today, getting up and circling him. "Then I need an apology for my misunderstanding back then."
“No need.” Impelio remained completely unmoved. “What I say or do is not important to you. What is important is that you really need to leave as soon as possible.”
“I know you are not afraid of the likes of Adrian, and you may not even care about the orcs of the entire Annemo. The life and death of these people may be just a matter of a wave of your hand to you.”
After witnessing how easily Qian Sui buried the Burning Beast into the Earth's core, Imperio, as a top combatant of the Beast Soul Legion, had a completely new assessment of the strength of Qian Sui and Lin Fan's group.
They are by no means like Adrian, who is a treacherous and petty person, and cannot be easily controlled by tricks, schemes, or even numbers.
Moreover, they are an advanced civilization from outer space, unlike the native Burning Beasts who have an inseparable bond with the Annie Demon.
“But I care.” Impelio looked directly at Lin Fan, his gaze unwavering. “I care about the stability and prosperity of Annemo, I care about everything about it.”
"Despite your perception of its many problems, it remains my beloved homeland. Therefore, I implore you to avoid this entirely avoidable and pointless conflict, and to utterly thwart Adrian's ambitions."
Lin Fan read many emotions in his eyes, but the most prominent was his unquestionable sincerity.
“What if we don’t agree?” she asked.
Impelli suddenly smiled: "You won't refuse. You've already run out of reasons to stay. The only reason you haven't left is that you can't leave."
This Impellio, though old-fashioned, possesses exceptionally keen insight. Completely different from his appearance, he is easily overlooked.
“Yes, we can’t leave.” Lin Fan continued smoothly, “So even if we wanted to fulfill your wish, how would we leave? Would you personally escort us?”
“No need for all that trouble,” Impelli said. “Since old Finch contacted you, he must have mentioned his spaceship.”
“The air traffic control ban targets aircraft that are flying regularly. His ship has been forgotten for decades and has the highest level of freedom. It is the safest and most secure way to leave.”
"What's so safe about it?" Antonio shouted. "They're not blind. Even the smallest spaceship is still a spaceship! Even if it wasn't detected during takeoff, do you think it can hide before leaving the atmosphere? Your Crystal City's air defenses aren't just for show. They'll just shoot us down with one shot..."
“I will take over the air defense system to ensure your safe escape from the Anemora,” Imperio interrupted him, his tone calm but unquestionable.
“I don’t believe you,” Lin Fan said bluntly. “I’ve heard too many lies and seen too much absurdity here. I can’t believe what you’re saying.”
"What would it take for you to believe me?" Impelio pressed.
"Unless you allow me to search your soul—to directly enter your brain and see your truest thoughts."
Impelli paused for a moment, then decisively said, "Okay."
"Even if you lose all your brain function after the soul search and become an incapacitated idiot, will you no longer have any connection with the Glory of Annie?" Lin Fan confirmed again.
Impelli stared intently at Lin Fan, his cheeks slightly tense, clearly trying his best to control his emotions.
After a long silence, he slowly spoke.
"If it would allow you to leave in peace, and save the Annie Demon from a catastrophe..."
"bring it on."