Chapter 69

“The Bishop has gone mad.”

“I… I intend to…”

A bead of sweat trickled down Jiti’s forehead, gathering at her chin before finally dripping onto the carpet.

Not only had her plan failed, but she also couldn’t capture Aivana, who had sabotaged the plan. Instead, she brought back an Extraordinary Person who frequently interacted with Aivana after the plan. This person was also Xie Lun’s student.

Jiti’s mind raced furiously. She had to come up with a plan convincing enough to appease the Bishop before he became enraged.

“Your Excellency! The plan… the plan isn’t completely a failure yet!”

Jiti spoke quickly, trying to get the words out first while refining her plan in her mind.

“Hmm?”

Xia’er’s tone rose, clearly showing disbelief.

“I secretly captured the Extraordinary Person involved in destroying the plan. Although we didn’t catch the mastermind… we did catch Xie Lun’s former student, Adelle.”

Jiti began.

“What about the mastermind?”

Xia’er’s tone was displeased, “What use is catching Xie Lun’s student?”

“The mastermind is Aivana from the Rossul Family. Before she could be killed, she was rescued by her ‘Crown Guard’. We didn’t have time for brainwashing.”

Jiti explained hastily, “But we caught Adelle, who had close contact with her.”

“From Adelle, I learned a secret that Xie Lun had been hiding from us.”

Jiti paused before continuing, “Xie Lun… simply cannot succeed in the replication ritual. His virus, and even his previous status as a ‘Plague Doctor,’ were all achieved with the help of his student, Adelle.”

“Xie Lun is not suitable at all. Instead, Adelle is the one who can bring the most benefit to our Church. She is a genius in the ‘Physician’ path!”

“She was caught just as she was preparing for the replication ritual. Now, we can convert her to the ‘Plague Messenger’ path. When she drinks the potion, we will guide her to embrace the Mother Goddess, and then… make her develop an epidemic stronger than dehydration syndrome!”

Jiti laid out her plan in one breath, lowering her head and closing her eyes tightly, her heart pounding violently.

She believed this explanation had a good chance of persuading the Bishop in front of her.

Xie Lun’s talent was mediocre at best, and it was only his frequent research reports that caught Jiti’s attention. Additionally, his interest in joining the Church of the Presence made Jiti, with the help of the previous Bishop, initiate this plan.

If the plan succeeded, she would be transferred from Borough City to An Su… even becoming a true Bishop was within reach.

Unfortunately, the mission failed, but this was always an impossible task!

Now, Jiti discovered a genius in the “Physician” path far surpassing Xie Lun, someone she could utilize to make amends!

“How do you know Xie Lun’s report is fake?”

Xia’er calmly asked.

“Your Excellency! Adelle admitted it herself! I interrogated her personally! I can tell if she is lying!”

To her surprise, instead of praise, Jiti felt panic set in.

“You know?”

Xia’er laughed mockingly, “I could say I am the mastermind behind the plan, or that I killed Xie Lun. Could you tell the difference?”

Jiti’s face froze.

The Bishop had entered the room earlier, and because she accidentally saw something she wasn’t supposed to, the potion inside her had started to boil, causing her mental state to become unstable.

However, after licking the Bishop’s shoes, her mental state stabilized, and she began to analyze the Bishop’s emotions subtly.

Just now, she truly didn’t sense any dishonesty from the Bishop… the Bishop wasn’t lying…

Even such an absurd statement from the Bishop didn’t contain any hint of deception.

There may still be many sealed objects on the Bishop that Jiti had never seen before…

“You jest… Your Excellency, how can she compare to you… I checked, and she has no sealed objects on her…

Jiti started to doubt her own ability to detect lies.

“Take me to see her.”

Xia’er interrupted Jiti, saying.

“Yes, I’ll lead the way.”

Jiti bowed her head and stood up quickly, feeling a sense of relief.

The Bishop didn’t pursue the failed plan further but showed interest in Adelle. This was good news for Jiti.

At least it meant her newly devised plan had convinced the Bishop, making it seem feasible.

Jiti kept her eyes fixed on her feet. She noticed the Bishop slowly raising his arm and clicking his fingers.

Silver glints flashed, and the letter mark on the ground and the sealed object on the Bishop’s waist vanished in the silver light. Jiti couldn’t perceive them anymore.

Oh my… How many sealed objects does the Bishop have? Doesn’t he fear the side effects?

No wonder she always felt the Bishop’s body was so weak; he must be carrying a bunch of sealed objects.

Jiti gathered her thoughts, no longer speculating about the Bishop’s exact strength. She moved around the Bishop’s position and walked toward the bookshelf behind the desk, whispering, “She is currently imprisoned in the underground cell, I’ll take you to see her.”

Two white shadows emerged from Jiti’s shadow, grabbing onto the bookshelf and slowly pulling it open.

The massive bookshelf split in two, revealing a narrow gray brick pathway in the middle.

One of the white shadows pressed a switch, and oil lamps flickered to life in the passage.

Xia’er followed Jiti, maintaining a distance of about seven steps, walking down the winding downward corridor.

As Xia’er descended, she felt the temperature around her drop, making even breathing feel cold.

Luckily, she had already put away the Lethal Bloody Orchid, and her body was gradually warming up. The temperature change wasn’t much of a problem.

After feeling they had descended about five floors, Xia’er finally arrived at a relatively spacious area with three large pillars supporting a circular stone hall.

There was no dark, damp atmosphere as expected. Apart from the blood symbols on the ground which were somewhat unsettling, there was nothing strange.

Xia’er noticed that besides Jiti’s room, there were two spiral staircases leading down to the cells below.

It seemed like this place was used for worship or rituals.

Two white shadows walked ahead of Jiti. In front of the main hall, there was a wooden door—this structure looked very similar to a church tower.

Xia’er followed her into a side corridor. Jiti stopped in front of one of the rooms, opened the wooden door, and walked in.

“Your Excellency, this is Xie Lun’s student, Adelle.”

Entering the room, Jiti pointed to the person locked in the iron cage and said.

Xia’er stepped into the room and turned to look in the direction Jiti was pointing, her pupils slightly narrowing.

In the center of a semicircular iron frame connected to a thick wooden frame, a sturdy cross-like structure was firmly planted in the ground, reminiscent of a version of the Church of the Presence’s variant cross.

Fine lines hung down from above, with silver barbs attached to the bottom hooks, gripping the person’s arms and stretching them outward, pressing against the cross behind them.

At the top corners of the cage, two thicker ropes were tied, their ends dyed black with clotted blood, hanging two large black iron hooks. These hooks pierced through the person’s cheeks and lips, securing them to the cross.

The person hanging on the cross was Adelle.

Adelle’s skin, already torn by whips, revealed the pale, bloody flesh underneath.

At this moment, she was standing on tiptoe, her head drooping, seemingly in a state of unconsciousness.

“I interrogated her immediately after bringing her in this morning.”

Jiti stepped aside, giving Xia’er space, bowing slightly, and continued, “No one else knows about this, Your Excellency.”

Xia’er stared expressionlessly at Adelle hanging above, without moving.

This was merely a simulation.

With the help of 【Calm Thinking Lv.2】, Xia’er, who had died several times in the simulation, showed no emotional fluctuations.

“Wake up!”

Jiti seemed dissatisfied with Adelle’s unconscious state. The white shadow beside her crossed the cage and kicked the wooden stool under Adelle’s feet.

The wooden stool wobbled violently, and Adelle, already struggling to stand on tiptoe, lost balance and swayed.

“Ugh…”

Adelle’s body shook violently, reopening the wounds on her arms and mouth. She woke up in excruciating pain, opening her eyes but unable to see anything.

Her eyes were already covered in blood.

Adelle dared not struggle, knowing that any movement would only increase her suffering as the barbed silver hooks and iron hooks dug deeper into her skin and muscles.

“Where is the ‘Plague Messenger’ potion?”

Xia’er looked at Adelle, expressionless, and asked Jiti beside her.

“Yes! I’ll go fetch it right away!”

Jiti perked up at this, realizing the Bishop was agreeing to her new plan… she had found a way out!

Jiti bowed repeatedly towards the Bishop, then hurried out of the cage and ran upstairs.

Only when Jiti’s footsteps faded away did Xia’er exhale deeply, turning away from Adelle’s pitiful state behind her.

Meanwhile, Adelle, whose mind was still in a haze, forced herself to stay awake, reactivating her thoughts.

Epidemic… Messenger?

They… want to convert me to another path… want to brainwash me…

Once the path is converted, once I join the Church of the Presence… saving others… I might end up killing countless people…

Absolute no.

Adelle could only see two red dots from the burning oil lamps, but those dots illuminated the figure of the person facing her in the darkness.

Without hesitation, Adelle gathered her remaining strength and kicked over the wooden stool under her feet.

Snip—

The silver hooks tearing at her flesh shattered, and the iron hook at the corner of her mouth ripped open her lip under the force of gravity and her own weight.

Bang—

Adelle collapsed to the ground, using every last bit of her strength to throw the object in her hand towards the black shadow in front of her.

“The fine silver hook with the slender thread was pulled off by her.”

And the target was precisely the carotid artery of that figure.

Ding——

A sharp metallic clash echoed, Adelle’s final desperate strike landed directly on a black pistol, causing the silver needle to fall onto the stone floor and lie still.

That “bishop,” even with his back turned, seemed to anticipate her actions, blocking her attack without even turning his head…

Desperation spread through Adelle’s heart; her blurred vision began to darken at the edges, and the massive blood loss threatened to make her faint at any moment.

She didn’t even have the strength left to commit suicide.

The intense regret reverberated within her. If she could do it all over again, she would never throw the silver needle; instead, she would use it on her own neck…

A faint silver light flashed, and Adelle caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye of the figure approaching her, but she had no strength left to struggle.

The figure squatted down in front of Adelle, gray-blue hair hanging down, swaying in front of her eyes. She saw the dark shadow reaching out toward her.

“Kill me…”

Adelle wanted to say those words, but she lacked even the strength to open her mouth.

Suddenly, a familiar medicinal scent wafted under her nose. She felt a bit of moisture wetting her lips.

Instinctively, she swallowed, mixing the potion with the blood in her mouth, and she could feel the pain in her body gradually subsiding.

“It’s okay… Just sleep a little.”

A gentle, familiar voice sounded above Adelle’s head. Adelle struggled to recall whose voice it belonged to.

Though Adelle had no mother, she imagined that if she did, her voice would be just as gentle…

Adelle managed to stay conscious, the recovery effects of the potion already pulling her back from the brink of death.

She was sure that this potion was made by her own hand.

Each “physician” had unique formulas, effects, materials, and even flavors for their potions.

The potion that the “bishop” had given her, Adelle had tasted and tested countless times. This effect was clearly her work.

In the Redemption Society, only the most cost-effective potions were mass-produced. Adelle’s potions usually used the most expensive materials, and she liked adding mint extract to them, making them greener and more refreshing.

Who could it be?

Adelle wanted to look up at the “bishop,” but the small amount of energy she regained wasn’t enough to lift her head.

A flash of silver light passed, and Adelle’s slightly clearer mind received a strong spiritual warning. This instinctual warning from her spirit kept reminding her to avoid lifting her head.

Otherwise, the consequences could be fatal.

“Bishop!”

At that moment, Jiti’s voice came from the doorway.

She ran over and knelt beside Xia’er, looking down at Adelle, whose face was completely torn open and lying on the ground.

“You can baptize her.”

Xia’er stood up, putting the pistol back into its holster, and said.

“After drinking the potion and hearing the teachings of the Mother Goddess, you will naturally understand the importance of faith.”

Xia’er spoke to Adelle, who was still lying on the ground.

Even Xia’er felt some remorse seeing Adelle suffer in the simulation.

Killing her would make Jiti suspicious of Xia’er, so it was better to let Adelle join the cult within the simulation.

Her injuries were such that even brainwashing wouldn’t help; she’d only be able to recover. At least until the simulation ended, Adelle wouldn’t be tortured anymore.

“Yes, Bishop!”

Jiti looked at Xia’er’s back, feeling a slight sense of gratitude.

The Bishop assigning her this ritual to baptize an Extraordinary Person showed that she wouldn’t be in too much danger in the short term.

Moreover, if Adelle displayed her talents after joining the church, Jiti would also gain recognition and rise in importance.

This was grooming her for something important.

Jiti didn’t waste time. She controlled the white shadow to enter Adelle’s shadow, manipulating Adelle’s hand to take the potion bottle from Jiti’s hand.

But what surprised Jiti was that after Adelle took the potion bottle, she opened her mouth and poured the potion down her throat using the force of the white shadow.

Huh?

Jiti felt puzzled.

What just happened?

Wasn’t she stubborn before? Why did she willingly drink the “Plague Messenger” potion?

What exactly happened in the cell? What did the Bishop do to make Adelle choose to drink the potion?

This Bishop was much more capable than she thought.

Luckily, everything seemed to be going well.

Seeing Adelle drink the potion, Jiti wasted no time and began reciting the prayer.

A circular black mark slowly appeared on Adelle’s right hand, and once she finished reciting the last phrase, “Mother Goddess above,” Adelle’s expression became confused.

Under the impact of the potion and unknown mutterings, Adelle was branded with the mark of Satanar and became a member of the cult.

Only when Adelle’s hand mark faded and she fell into a deep unconsciousness did Jiti’s tense heart finally relax a bit.

“Bishop, I’ll arrange for someone to take care of this new family member. We just need to wait for her to wake up…”

Jiti stood up, lowering her head towards Xia’er, and said.

But Xia’er interrupted her.

“We can’t wait.”

Xia’er shook his head and said, “Do you know her identity?”

“Yes, she’s from the Redemption Society, Sharen’s student…”

Jiti quickly explained, “I’ve investigated, she has already left the Redemption Society. Now, she’s an Extraordinary Person with no affiliation to any organization!”

“She indeed has no organization.”

Xia’er shook his head and asked, “Do you know who her sister is?”

“Her… sister?”

This question left Jiti stunned.

Her previous preparations, contacts, and investigations had all been focused on Sharen. Naturally, she had investigated Sharen’s students as well.

Among Sharen’s students, Adelle was one of the most low-key.

In other students’ mouths, Adelle was an orphan who hadn’t made any notable research contributions and had joined the Redemption Society by leveraging Sharen’s work. She was lazy, stayed indoors, and had extremely low emotional intelligence, often publicly refuting Sharen’s theories.

Given her shallow social connections, Jiti hadn’t spent much effort investigating her, assuming she posed no threat.

However, after realizing that Sharen’s research was actually done by Adelle, Jiti had to reassess her analysis of Adelle.

When combined with the fact that Adelle had a sister, Jiti’s relaxed state of mind was shaken again.

Could she have missed some crucial information?

“Her sister is…?”

Jiti knew her plan had another flaw and had to ask reluctantly.

Could it be a high-ranking member of the Redemption Society? That was unlikely… If it were a high-ranking member, how could they allow their sister to study under Sharen?

Jiti might not understand academic achievements, but high-ranking members of the Redemption Society would certainly know about them.

“Yulis.”

Xia’er slowly said, “She’s currently the High Priestess of the Clock Tower Church, a second-tier ‘Missionary.'”

A “Missionary” of the Salvation Goddess Church? And a High Priestess?

This indicated that Adelle’s potion digestion was nearing completion, at least more thorough than her own.

If Adelle really had a sister in the Salvation Goddess Church, that would complicate things.

If Adelle had been missing for too long, the High Priestess would definitely start an investigation, disrupting the plan.

Every piece of information from the Bishop made Jiti sweat, even though the Bishop didn’t speak much, each piece of information was significant.

It was as if the Bishop knew more about this place than Jiti, who had been running operations here for years.

“She’s in Room 202 of the ‘Good Night Inn.’

Xia’er turned to Jiti, who lowered her head even further. Xia’er continued, “I need to see her alive here.”

“Yes, Bishop, I’ll prepare immediately. Three days… no, two days…”

Jiti nodded repeatedly.

“Must we capture her alive?”

A second-tier “Missionary,” and with the enemy hiding and us being in the open, killing her would be easy, but capturing her would be difficult.

“All heretics must be judged.”

Xia’er’s masked face wore a stiff smile, making her words sound even more sinister and evil, “Let her see her sister’s transformation.”

Jiti watched as the Bishop’s legs came closer, and she swallowed hard, avoiding eye contact by kneeling down.

Jiti felt the Bishop’s hand on her hair, the Bishop bending slightly, her face getting closer…

Jiti’s mental warnings rang loud, and the hidden mark on her abdomen began to reappear, the frenzied mutterings echoing in her mind.

“The Mother Goddess wants to hear that she is guilty.”

“Do you understand?”

“I give you 12 hours… bring her to me.”

“Otherwise, the Mother Goddess will punish you.”

The comforting sensation of the mark and the mental bombardment forced Jiti to nod repeatedly. With the Bishop’s approval, she fled the cell, hurriedly preparing the capture plan.

The Bishop… was terrifying!

She was crazier and more fanatical than any “Avenger” path Bishop Jiti had ever seen. Their faith in the Mother Goddess was much purer than hers.

Standing there, Xia’er finally stood up, gently touching the mask on his face.

Was it too natural for him to play the bad guy?

Well, he had done plenty of bad things in the simulations… but that was the simulated Xia’er, not the real one.

In the next simulation, she would be a top-notch good person, the savior of the Clock Tower Church.

Xia’er looked at Adelle one last time in the cage, then turned and walked toward the door…

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