The secret room was not large, only a small space of about a dozen square meters. The walls were lined with storage compartments filled with all sorts of bizarre items.
There were famous paintings, organs, potions, and even several massive biological fossils.
Sephirot examined them one by one.
After browsing for a while, his gaze was caught by a fist-sized stone with a rough exterior.
It looked like a stepping stone casually picked up from the roadside.
He reached out and picked it up. The moment he touched it, a tingling sensation spread through his palm.
Sephirot instinctively wrapped his hand in magic, but to his surprise, the magic surging from within him was instantly absorbed by the stone.
Could there be some half-dead old spirit sealed inside this thing?
"This is a meteorite I found at a meteorite impact site last century," Marie Laveau introduced from the side.
"When I first picked it up, the meteorite had mostly shattered into worthless fragments."
"After I tossed it into the secret room and left it there for a while, the fragments slowly bonded themselves back together, piece by piece, almost as if they were alive."
Marie Laveau paused, then continued, "At the time, I tried channeling a bit of mana into it."
"It showed no resistance at all, and the more mana it absorbed, the faster it repaired itself."
As she spoke, she shook her head, seemingly having lost interest in the stone.
"But beyond that, it had no other use whatsoever."
"The material is extremely strange. It can't be used for engraving magic circles, and it's very difficult to melt with ordinary flames. To me, it's utterly useless."
It absorbs energy and repairs itself?
Delight surged through Sephirot.
If this material were used to craft a weapon, he would never have to worry about that weapon breaking again.
Even a Devil Arm transformed from a demon could still be destroyed after withstanding forces beyond its limits.
For example, Uncle Dante's Rebellion had once been shattered by a Demogorgon.
The Rebellion he now carried was merely a replica Nico had forged for him to commemorate the past.
So this kind of material, capable of absorbing energy and repairing itself, was incredibly precious.
More importantly, it was perfectly suited to the exclusive talent he had just awakened.
After Sephirot's bloodline awakening broke through to 20%, unlocking his Devil Trigger, he had also unlocked an exclusive talent.
However, that talent was a bit too hard on weapons, and since he had not encountered any strong enemies recently, he had yet to use it.
His talent allowed him to compress massive amounts of magic into a weapon, forcibly converting it into extreme destructive power.
But precisely because of that, there was a very high chance the weapon would shatter during battle.
Now, with this stone's self-repairing ability, if he incorporated it while forging his own Devil Arm, he would no longer need to worry about weapon damage.
"I'll take this one."
Sephirot picked it up and stored it within Silent Hill.
The transaction complete, the two prepared to leave.
At that moment, a little girl in a pink dress appeared without warning.
Alessa pointed at a pitch-black, withered seed in the corner. "That one. I want it."
The little girl who had suddenly appeared had no energy signature whatsoever, almost like a ghost.
Marie Laveau was startled and immediately clutched the necklace at her chest.
Sephirot caught her wrist. "This little girl is with me."
Marie Laveau stared intently at the expressionless child.
As the Voodoo Queen, someone who dealt with corpses all year round, she could not sense a trace of living or spiritual presence emanating from her.
She took a deep breath and, without any hesitation, said, "Since she's with Mr. Sephirot, consider it a welcome gift."
Sephirot glanced at her. According to their contract, he could only take one item from here.
However, he also understood that this was a deliberate gesture of goodwill, an attempt to curry favor and build ties.
He picked up the seed and handed it to Alessa, then nodded at Marie Laveau. "Thanks."
"If you run into problems you can't solve later, you can come find me."
A look of joy crossed Marie Laveau's face.
After the transaction ended, the two returned to the front parlor of the barbershop.
Jingle.
Just then, the brass bell on the barbershop door suddenly chimed.
Fiona pushed the door open and walked in, her face a mask of cold indifference.
The moment she saw Sephirot and Marie Laveau emerge from the back room one after the other, her expression turned extremely ugly.
"Sephirot?!"
Fiona glared at him, her voice laced with fury. "Didn't you leave New Orleans?!"
Before Sephirot could respond, Marie Laveau, standing nearby, folded her arms and let out a cold sneer.
"What? Mr. Sephirot isn't a student at your academy. Has Headmistress Fiona's reach grown so long that she meddles in everyone else's business now?"
A flash of anger crossed Fiona's eyes, and she was about to retort.
But then, as if remembering something, Fiona, usually so domineering, miraculously suppressed her rage.
Seeing Fiona in this state, Sephirot also guessed the reason for her visit to Marie Laveau.
By his reckoning, she should have already pried the origin of the immortality potion from Madame LaLaurie.
And that potion was created by none other than the Voodoo Queen beside him.
For the sake of achieving eternal life, this proud, arrogant Supreme Witch had probably come to seek reconciliation and demand the formula.
However, the outcome likely would not go as she wished.
Sephirot had no intention of getting involved in the grudges between these two old women.
Ignoring Fiona's darkened expression, he walked past them and went straight out of the barbershop.
He hailed a taxi. Since the Headmistress was away, he could use the opportunity to visit Miss Robichaux's Academy, pick up Zoe, and throw her into Silent Hill for some proper training.
—--
Melodious bells echoed. There was no dome here, no walls.
Only rows of pillars standing in silent stillness.
Atop each pillar crouched a four-winged angel.
They wrapped themselves tightly in their wings, heads bowed low, perpetually guarding the figure bathed in eternal holy light not far away.
Gabriel descended from the sky, his expression calm. "Still no contact with Highfather?"
Michael, with his back turned, shook his head slightly.
Ever since Highfather had detected the disturbance in the void, He had left Heaven.
Since then, Michael had received no further decrees from Highfather.
"There's been some trouble on Earth."
Gabriel lowered his gaze slightly. "I intend to go check on the situation. And while I'm there, it's about time I discussed this matter with those two."
Michael turned around, his golden eyes unreadable.
"Going in your true form?"
Gabriel nodded.
Michael watched him quietly, remembering how much importance Highfather placed on Earth.
"Go."
—--
Miss Robichaux's Academy.
Sephirot pushed open the villa's front door. He had just stepped into the living room when his footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
A figure was sprawled out on the sofa, watching the portraits of the past Supreme Witches on the wall with keen interest.
A red trench coat, a simple black vest underneath, and a head of unruly, unkempt hair.
"Uncle Dante?"
Sephirot was slightly taken aback.
What was he doing in New Orleans?
The moment the thought arose, Sephirot snuffed it out instantly.
This was a witch's territory. Who knew if this was some trap laid in advance by the cunning and scheming Fiona?
His right arm instantly activated Devil Trigger, his form darting forward like lightning as he threw a punch at the sofa.
(Translated by yourtl.app)