Chapter 243 - 197: The Essence of the Holy Grail and the Lance of Longinus

A white light flashed, and the diary appeared.

Chu Bamboo’s eyes flew across the pages. He ignored the bulk of the information he had already seen from the overview, extracting only what was useful.

"Hm? What’s this?" A look of surprise crossed Chu Bamboo’s face.

"The day after I lost my ability to traverse the Dream World, Howard Raven showed up at Z Company’s headquarters! I was a little surprised. This seemed different from before...

I’d assumed he was testing me, but after we talked, he offered to be my agent!

He was full of praise, saying he thought I had the potential to become a truly unique, world-class superstar.

Of course, he also had a lot of suggestions, like how he hoped I would release more English-language albums!

I was completely baffled!"

"I really wanted to refuse, but I could clearly perceive through my Memory Divine Techniques that... Howard Raven genuinely meant me no harm!

In fact, he even seemed to vaguely... admire me? It was just bizarre."

Chu Bamboo: "..."

’Ridiculous! Was he brainwashed by the songs? So... because Howard became my good brother’s fan, there was a subtle shift in his initial attitude... and that’s what caused such a massive change in the future?’

’Then why didn’t he become a fan in the last timeline?!’

Chu Bamboo fell into deep thought.

"I agonized over it for three whole days before finally deciding to take a trip to the land of the White-headed Eagle!

On one hand, there was the issue with the Olympics. On the other, since Howard currently meant me no harm, that should guarantee my safety on this trip to the land of the White-headed Eagle, right? Besides, I might even get some information on the Golden Dawn."

Chu Bamboo pressed his lips together and sighed inwardly. ’So that’s how it was. This was the real trigger...’

’In the previous timeline, my good brother never even planned to go to the land of the White-headed Eagle! He probably would have ignored Howard even if he had shown up at his door. So that’s why the two timelines diverged...’

’He’d been shocked that his good brother in this timeline hadn’t acted so conservatively, just holing up back home... But looking at the results, this proactive approach—getting out there and making a move—was definitely the right one!’

"I arrived in the land of the White-headed Eagle, and I could clearly sense the terrifying power the Raven Clan—or more accurately, the Golden Dawn—held here!"

"The Raven Clan isn’t an Old Qian Clan. Its rise has been frighteningly fast—you could even say it all happened in the last two years! At this point in time, the Raven Clan hadn’t even established the Celestial Net yet, so their ascent is truly something to think about.

This rise wasn’t about wealth or anything like that. It was about prestige, status, and you could even say influence. It was enough to let Howard easily parachute into Stone Roll Music as its CEO. The sheer scale of that Energy...

That’s right! While drinking with Howard one time, I learned from his drunken bragging that he had actually never been involved in the music industry before!

In a capitalist society like that of the White-headed Eagle, to be able to install or remove a CEO at will in an unfamiliar industry... and to do it in a day or two!"

"I began to wonder, is the Golden Dawn a fearsome organization with a long history, or did it only rise to power recently? I used to think it was ancient. After all, the name Golden Dawn... belonged to a former British society of Magicians! But if it really has existed for so long... why would it let a new-money family like the Ravens just drop in and rise to the top? Logically speaking, shouldn’t the family hierarchies be set in stone by now? It’s so strange!"

"...The road to becoming a world-class superstar was far easier than I imagined.

With a single command from Howard Raven, the major media outlets in Europe and America had nothing but praise for me. That kind of powerful control over the media, combined with how he casually installed the CEO of Stone Roll... Could the Grand Commander of the White-headed Eagle even do something like that? Is this the confidence that lets the Golden Dawn call itself the deep state?..."

"...After I won two titles at the Grand Slam, Howard Raven tested me again. It was obvious he still hadn’t broken through the blockade of my Memory Divine Techniques...

After that, I finally met James for the first time in this timeline.

James Raven was very strange. His words were incredibly inflammatory, and he exuded an astonishing, bewitching power—a kind of personal charisma.

The first time we met, I actually had the rare feeling that he was a genuinely good person. Keep in mind, I had been very wary of him before the meeting... It was only a while later that I came to my senses and realized something was wrong.

I might have been influenced! By some kind of Extraordinary Power?

But then I remembered my good brother once told me that I’m the only Transcendent in the world! That makes this situation very intriguing...

After thinking it over repeatedly, I came up with a bold theory. Perhaps the Holy Grail, the Lance of Longinus, and other such Divine Artifacts from the Ancient Era are similar to Forbidden Artifacts or Spiritual Artifacts! They’re most likely Spiritual Artifacts! They possess different ’Divine Techniques’!"

"Looked at from that angle, it all makes sense... No wonder the Golden Dawn managed to infiltrate the land of the White-headed Eagle so deeply. James Raven’s situation is proof that they must possess an Artifact that enhances charisma!

That’s probably the real reason they’re so successful at building connections!"

Chu Bamboo’s pupils contracted sharply. In that instant, he felt as if many things had just clicked into place. "That’s right! Forbidden Artifacts and Spiritual Artifacts are forged from the corpses of Transcenders... The Holy Grail and the Lance of Longinus have similar myths!"

Countless thoughts flashed through Chu Bamboo’s mind. ’The Holy Grail gained its Extraordinary essence because it held the blood of the Saint, and the Lance of Longinus became Extraordinary because it pierced the Saint...’

’Even the Saint’s burial shroud, and all the other relics...’

"From that perspective, if you think of the Saint as an incredibly powerful Transcendent, then everything can be explained," Chu Bamboo’s mind reeled. ’This time, it’s at least confirmed that Transcenders really did exist in the Ancient Era...’

The only question was: ’The Saint... what level of Transcendent was he? Surely higher than the Third Realm?’

Chu Bamboo was extremely curious. Could this Saint compare to the Bright Pope of the God Worship Sect from the Dream World?

He continued reading.

"James Raven extended an invitation to me! He wanted me to formally join the Golden Dawn Organization! After much hesitation, I chose to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Golden Dawn!

I reasoned with him, laying out the facts: My potential in the East is limitless. If I were to leave the East and publicly join your organization, I would lose my home base, and my value to you would be greatly diminished!"