This is getting interesting... 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

This indicates that the Edward Kelly appearing before me, eagerly presenting himself, not only comes from a future timeline but also continues to extend the plot inertia in certain circumstances.

Otherwise, it probably wouldn't have been possible to steal the Guardian Spirit of William Adams, the protagonist of that era... However, after nearly fifty years, could the butterfly effect still not be enough to completely disrupt the original fate trajectory, and some key nodes would still naturally occur?

Gu Mo pondered for a moment, shaking his head slightly.

It's not entirely incomprehensible, given that his original plan was to first take control of the East Asian World, using the Southeast Asian Han Culture Circle as the center to develop it thoroughly, and then strive to fully integrate resources for prosperity, aiming to launch space engineering before the end of the 16th century...

Asia itself is vast, and attempting to swallow the entire Earth in one bite would just be biting off more than one can chew, potentially not offering much help, and instead severely dispersing focus, failing to establish an effective management system. Therefore, it would be wiser to secure the basics first, then turn attention to other areas.

Anyway, as long as Asia constructs the necessary technical and industrial foundation and develops into the early space age, with flourishing cities and vast industrial bases spreading across the land... By then, looking back to organize other parts of the world would not be as easy as a father disciplining his son?

And if proceeding according to his blueprint, then after fifty years—

The Western World should... probably still be at the end of the Age of Discovery and Great Voyages?

Due to the terrible and backward transportation and communication of this era, the relative isolation between continents, even if the Eastern World's advancements brought some impacts, they would appear relatively limited and unlikely to completely overthrow their original systems.

If the influence wasn't significant, and the Western World hadn't experienced much shock, it would likely still develop according to its original situation...

Then, William Adams being detained, imprisoned in the Tower of London, and eventually discovered by Edward Kelly and having his Guardian Spirit Sesha stolen could be understandable.

"Bestow immortality..."

Musing for a moment, recalling the special abilities of the Mermaid Spirit, Gu Mo couldn't help but suspect whether the cloning technique among these alchemists was a result of studying this Guardian Spirit?

After all, the protagonist relied on the Power of the Guardian Spirit to transition into an Undead, otherwise, there wouldn't be the capital to slay demons during the Night Parade of Hundred Demons in the Warring States Era.

He cleared this secret chamber, and after inspection, found another secret compartment deep inside, well-hidden through an alchemy array and Spirit Stone Power, with the same setup inside as outside, containing numerous large glass jars like giant test tubes.

They generally stood two meters high, with translucent glass filled with golden yellow liquid, appearing clear and pure like the sheen of golden wheat, resembling the color of normal Spirit Stone Essence, imparting a faint, sacred sense of vitality.

The bases of these giant test tubes seemed to be made of some brass-like material, and judging by the energy wave responses, their internal nature should be an alchemy device utilizing Spirit Stone Power.

And within these test tubes, without exception, floated bodies of clones, eyes tightly shut, some resembling the bald head of Edward Kelly, while others were different... Clearly, this was a "respawn point" they had secretly set up.

If any unexpected situation occurred, and the current body couldn't be maintained, the consciousness would be transferred to a new backup, activating the new body to come back to life here and resume moving.

—Overall, they are pretty cautious folks...

Although perhaps from their perspective, this operation was like catching a turtle in a jar, easily accomplished, with no substantial risk, at most, encountering some fatalities under an enemy's desperate counterattack, but that's about it…

Yet they didn't expect to hit a steel plate—

The enemy they intended to hunt happened to be a strong spiritual system adept, not only wiping them out but also rendering their pre-prepared resurrection measures unusable, as successful consciousness transfer is the premise of being undead, and if the soul cannot escape, having backup bodies is meaningless.

Originally intending to execute a Mind Shock to destroy all alchemy devices in this chamber, burying the unconscious clones amidst the collapse of rocks, Gu Mo thought twice and abandoned that notion.

Might as well keep it for research, for it involves some interesting technology.

Judging by the flawed experience of these rebels, there might be some helpful insights.

After clearing the chamber, ensuring no details were overlooked, the next step naturally was the delightful unboxing time. With a ceremonial sense, Gu Mo burned incense and washed his hands, and if the occasion permitted, didn't mind bathing and changing clothes. He loved this segment the most.

Despite how powerful Edward Kelly was, it didn't mean he was a low-level mob with no value.

In fact, as an important antagonist throughout the main storyline of the first era, planning numerous conspiracies, his weight was fairly close to the final BOSS level. So just now, after thwarting these alchemists' plans and capturing them all, the scene's settlement reward gave a Golden Key.

Just enough to compensate for the prior expenditure on acquiring complete magic ship knowledge and craftsmanship from Neseriel.

Gu Mo glanced at the loot list dropped from the light, his gaze immediately fixed on the spoils listed in the first grid, with the item slot border glowing with pure dazzling gold, indicating its quality tier, and the name underneath displaying—

"Guardian Spirit: Ouroboros"...

As expected, the result was predictable. The great serpent, which had just departed due to the host's death, was drawn back as a prize. If it had real intelligence, it would probably be quite bewildered.

Gu Mo wasn't surprised by this, feeling a sense of inevitability. Although it was his first time killing an enemy with a Guardian Spirit and the first time a Guardian Spirit appeared as loot, he had vaguely sensed beforehand that this could be a massive causal loop...

Even though he was a visitor from another world, he was already participating in the flow of history, becoming a part of this loop, maybe even one of its primary creators. So, he had perceived this possibility in advance and was not surprised.

"Time, truly the greatest power..."

He muttered softly, squinting as he carefully inspected the attributes of the Guardian Spirit. Ouroboros, as a Guardian Spirit, naturally had one passive ability: "Divine Protection," which granted its host powerful permanent boons and special abilities.

But it was special, as it didn't provide resistance to attributes or increase attribute damage, but rather balanced opposing forces to prevent conflicts... According to the system's notes, Gu Mo almost thought he had acquired a Tiger Talisman.

Besides this, the Guardian Spirit also had a unique ability: the power to seize other Guardian Spirits.

Gu Mo pondered deeply. The concept of Ouroboros had long been indicated as a symbol of "infinity" or "all." In ancient impressions, it embodied "self-destruction" and "transforming into a cycle," symbolizing a principle that exists through conflict with opposites, capable of unifying and assimilating opposites alike.

Upon reflection, he seemed to understand the capabilities it possessed.

Claiming the loot, the giant red serpent manifested in the air. Its dense scales shimmered with a cold beauty, coiling around Gu Mo, swirling and hissing before gently biting its own tail, its form quickly fading and disappearing from view.

Feeling the mysterious power it brought, Gu Mo contemplated the other remaining loot.

At the Gold Level, there was only this one item.

There was no sign of the Mermaid Spirit Sesha.

Did it not drop, or was it because... this Guardian Spirit's essence was actually still with William Adams? Although the evil bald head used Ouroboros to imprison her, he didn't completely succeed in making her his possession? Gu Mo thought it was likely the latter.

This was a bit unfortunate.

The remaining loot was still good. Besides a pile of miscellaneous Spirit Stones, there were many Skill Badges—"Alchemy," "Cloning Rebirth Technique," "Consciousness Transfer Technique"... all shining with various shades of silver light, some faintly glowing, others dazzling.

One even had a slight tinge of pale gold, indicating that its quality was approaching Gold Level.

......

...

On the other side.

After dealing with the last possessed individual, completely resolving the matter, Gu Mo reformed his body on the desolate and devastated wasteland.

Combining the extracted memories of the possessed woman in black and the information revealed by the "rareman" Minamoto no Yoshiie, along with considerations of this attack...

Gu Mo roughly pieced together a structure, gaining a broader understanding of the future situation—

These alchemists belonged to a later organization called "Queen's Eye," a resistance group whose mission was to correct the course of history and bring everything back on the right track, seemingly because their founder perceived changes in the worldline, perhaps due to a Guardian Spirit or some other reason.

They discovered that, on the original worldline, the upcoming era should have been the golden age of their England...

England was supposed to rule the world, seize maritime and land supremacy, become the most expansive colonial empire ever, conquering all races, having people from different races everywhere in the world contribute their blood and sweat for them...

At that time, the English flag would be seen flying everywhere on global lands, the sun able to shine on their territories at any given time, as the territories of peak England covered all time zones, the glory of the sun never setting should have been so magnificent...

—However, all of this became a flower in the mirror, a moon in the water, due to changes in the worldline.

—"Queen's Eye" was established because they could not accept all this.

They desperately fought against the altered world, declaring their intent to overthrow and crush the evil rule desecrating the divine's will, to return history to its rightful track and restore the "correct world" as it should be.

Emmmmm... So, is this a story about reclaiming the future?

Too bad their organization isn't called "Chaldea."