扒开女人两片毛茸茸黑森林

"Before the Grand Alteration Spell, yes, it was as you think. But after the Grand Alteration spell? I'm afraid people's mindsets will revert back to the time during the Witch hunts in Europe. The spell will make normal people, who didn't have enough of an impression of the Curtained World, forget all about it. This time... I think it'll be much worse than during the Witch hunts.

Back then, they only had cold weapons. But now? They might even try to capture us and study us," Envy explained.

"During the Witch hunts. What happened back then? Why did society turn to look up to mages instead of seeing them as test subjects, like you told me?" Daniel inquired.

"About that, you could say that I and two of the Grand Councilors, who are no longer in this world, back then taught those people a very harsh lesson not to mess with mages," Envy said, her smile sad and melancholic as she reminisced about those days.

"You? Being ruthless? Please," Daniel scoffed at Envy, who only smiled sadly.

"Danny," Koyuki called out as she nudged Daniel's side. "Envy can be ruthless when she really needs to be; she just doesn't like being that way," Koyuki told him.

"Really?" He asked, looking at Envy as if he were seeing her for the first time.

Envy shook her head and sighed. "Emphasize the words 'Really need to.' If I don't see it as absolutely necessary, I don't want to do it either. It's... bad for my mental health," Envy explained.

"What did you do?" Asked Daniel.

"Let's just say... the second Black Plague during 1665-1667 is my handiwork, and I'm not proud of it," Envy said, her eyes dimming with guilt. (Author Note: This event replaces the Great Plague of London in this novel's timeline during 1665-1666, and the number of victims who fell to the plague is much greater as it affects all of Europe.)

"I'm sorry... for bringing that up," Daniel sincerely apologized.

In fact, Daniel didn't fully comprehend Envy's pain since he never had the same experiences as her. Moreover, many of the profession cards he had integrated with had already been twisting his mind and perception of mercy, numbing him to the pain of destroying other lives beyond repair. He simply wanted to convey to her that making her feel bad was something he felt the need to apologize for.

Although he's still himself, his mind and perception in those areas are like that of a veteran who survived a world-ending war and still needs to fight for survival. He didn't experience any PTSD from the card integration because he didn't witness any trauma. The power of those cards only reinforced his mind and twisted his perception.

In conclusion, Daniel is still a paranoid individual who is becoming even more paranoid due to the effect of the Grand Hunter Profession card, which requires him to prepare countermeasures against anything or have confidence that he could take them down at any time. Despite his paranoia, towards those he considers his family, he still places complete trust in them.

"So… I need to prepare for the worst in case those leaders who have already forgotten to be afraid of mages and the Curtained World might stir up some trouble for me. Is that right?" Daniel asked for confirmation.

"That's right," Envy nodded, then continued. "But I bet those people might already have their eyes on your tech."

"What do you mean? Didn't you say that people will forget everything related to magic?" Daniel asked.

"Yes, but you represent your artifacts as inventions of science. People don't see your technology as magic; they view it as very advanced technological marvels born from science that they don't understand. And they will surely come for it. This time, normal people no longer have any perception or fear of the Hightower. They will come at you like a swarm of ants, feasting on candy," explained Envy.

"Do you think this is the effect the Hightower wanted? Pushing normal people who greed over my technology to hound me to death?"

"Maybe, or maybe not. I don't really know. Since the only one who holds the position of Grand Councilor right now is Golden Scale, but judging from his usual behavior, he shouldn't have planned this. At most, it would just be a pleasant surprise for him," said Envy, then she looked at Daniel, waiting for him to digest the information.

"Ugh… That's just great. First, mages trying to mess with me and now normal people too? Give me a break, world," Daniel sighed tiredly, his frustration evident.

Envy giggled. "As they say in East Asia, the large tree catches the most wind. And you, right now, are an unnatural, mutated tree that suddenly overshadowed the average trees. Of course, you'll be targeted," she remarked, then continued.

"More importantly, I think you should focus more on Europe. I heard that the Montmorency family betrayed the Sanguinis Clan by letting the Hightower use their mana font as a source of fuel to activate the Grand Alteration spell. Henri Montmorency was nothing more than a greedy opportunist who liked to profit in troubled times. It is very different from his grandfather, who was an upright man.

And the Vatican Archbishop faction seems to also have a hand in this mess. I think you should call to let someone send Sylvana over here. She's safer by your side," advised Envy.

"How did you know this?" Daniel asked.

Envy smiled as she lightly touched Daniel's chest and dragged her finger downward toward his abs. "I have lived for a very long time, Danny. I have a lot of connections in the Curtained World and a lot of favors that I deliberately didn't call in. Even in the Vatican, there are some people in the higher hierarchy there who owe me some serious favors," Envy said with a mysterious smile.

Hearing this, Daniel turned toward Koyuki. "Honey… Can you please ask your great-grandfather and your mother if they want to tour America with me? I'll quickly install a teleportation portal here that connects to my super submarine in case they feel homesick and want to return here to sleep," Daniel asked his wife.

"Okay… I'll be right back and tell you the good news. Great-grandfather might be stubborn as a mule, but he can't stand my puppy eyes for long," Envy said mischievously before leaving the guest room to ask both her great-grandfather and her mother about visiting America.

After receiving a clear picture from Envy, Daniel instructed the technician and engineering team to install the teleportation portal in the Mori Clan Castle. He then contacted Penthesilea to arrange for someone to send Sylvana to stay with him.

Daniel visited Odysseus to plan ahead and prepare some countermeasures against those greedy individuals who wanted his technology. He ensured that they would find themselves without any moral high ground over him while he maintained his status quo.

In fact, he had already prepared a secret project in Sector Alpha City a long time ago, in case things got messy over there. However, it wasn't the time to reveal that card yet. He needed to ensure that people wouldn't dare to mess with him or see him as a pushover they could extort something from for free.

Regarding the Hightower, he planned to discuss this with Greed and see what they could do, as the effect of the Grand Alteration spell had affected the entire world. The situation there might have changed drastically, so he needed to be prepared for the worst-case scenario there too.

— A few Days Pass —

A few days passed, and the transition of power orchestrated by Odysseus allowed Takayuki Matsudaira, a loyal samurai of the Tokugawa Clan, to easily control the overall situation in Japan. Daniel left some outdated power armor for Matsudaira and his trusted allies to use if needed.

Odysseus and Momotaro were instructed to remain in Japan to assist Matsudaira in firmly controlling and pacifying the country. Daniel also provided them with VTOL aircraft, a battleship, and a small battalion of soldiers for mobilization.

Takayuki Matsudaira now acted as regent for the young heir of the Tokugawa, who was only three years old. All authority would be transferred back to the young heir once he reached the age of eighteen.

Tomoe accompanied them to America as Daniel ordered her to serve as a bodyguard for Mayumi and her grandfather. Both Seichuro and Mayumi agreed to accompany Daniel to America after enduring prolonged puppy eyes from their beloved daughter/great-granddaughter.

Despite feeling indignant that he couldn't keep his precious great-granddaughter with him in Japan and that he had to travel to America with his aged body, the stubborn old man still came without complaining, though he did huff at Daniel.