Chapter 326

Chapter 112 Light and Dark Part 9

“But…sister…Alei hasn’t—”

“Eli.”

I turned my head, meeting the little girl’s puzzled gaze.

“Listen to your sister, okay? Tell the Holy Maiden to come over here quickly.” I paused, then smiled at Eli, “This is…a very important matter.”

Eli’s small face became even more confused.

She didn’t understand why, but hearing me speak so seriously, she eventually nodded hesitantly.

“Okay…then, sister, you must find Alei.”

“…Yeah.”

The little girl ran away with a sweet smile when I agreed.

Watching her figure disappear in the distance, I turned back toward the high wall and exhaled softly.

Good…

Actually, I wasn’t one hundred percent sure.

Because up until now, I hadn’t sensed any trace of the Abyss. I wasn’t entirely certain that the little girl was the Abyss, but the chances were high. This matter had to be told to Margaret as soon as possible; if it was true… then this cathedral, the safest place in the city, would instantly become the most dangerous and terrifying place.

So no matter what, Margaret needed to take action immediately…

Before she arrived, I had to first see the little girl named Alei, confirm the situation, and calm her down.

Then… I wanted to talk to her first.

The green brick wall in front was about three meters high. I adjusted my loose nun’s robe, rolled up my sleeves, flexed my wrists and ankles, twisted my neck, and jumped around a few times to check my physical condition. Then, I bent my knees and jumped.

I leaped over the wall and landed on the other side, steadied myself, and looked up.

This was the rear hall of the entire cathedral, the most exquisite and splendid sacred area where ordinary people were not allowed. The floor beneath my feet was made of black and white striped marble, and the walls were adorned with intricate mosaic paintings filled with artistic flair. The colors were vibrant, and the ancient and stunning aura was overwhelming, indicating a long history.

Eight-sided columns with dense runes carved into them lined the arched corridor leading into the inner hall. The circular archway at the end of the hall was open, revealing a spacious interior with a ceiling about seven or eight meters high, covered in exquisite ceiling paintings.

“Caw—”

A black raven let out a hoarse cry, circling down from the sky, flapping its wings through the corridor, and landing on my right shoulder.

I stroked the tufts of feathers sticking up on its head.

“Goat cheese…”

“Caw—”

The raven responded.

It tilted its head, staring at me with a single dark, dull eye. Its glossy black feathers were dense and lush, the short feathers on its throat stood out, and its legs were bound by an unopened letter cylinder—it was my goat cheese, not some imitation made by the Abyss.

Just seemed a bit fatter…

I took off the letter cylinder tied to the raven’s leg, hesitated for a moment, and stuffed it into my chest.

Now wasn’t the time to read the letter…

“When did you return?”

“Caw—”

“Are you… finding someone familiar here?”

“Caw—”

Indeed…

This bird recognized people. It should have returned to the capital before me, only to find I wasn’t at the mansion and instead found another familiar person. So it stayed here until I came… Then, who was the familiar person the goat cheese knew?

“Pepé! Pepé—”

“…Where is she?”

“Caw—”

The black raven flapped its wings and flew to a gilded altar about ten meters ahead, circling several rows of candle holders, then landed on a rectangular stone slab that looked like a coffin.

Its beak opened wide again, emitting another hoarse cry: “Yiliushu—”

Ha…

Bingo.

I walked over quickly.

Then I discovered something extraordinary under the altar. This stone slab was likely some kind of door; perhaps there was a mechanism somewhere that could activate it, causing the stone to open, revealing a chamber below. Based on the surrounding traces, this place seemed to be frequently accessed, though it appeared no one had checked it today.

But I didn’t need to worry about finding the mechanism because a large hole had already been chiseled into the stone slab. Clearly, there was a considerable space underneath, but it was pitch-black, and nothing could be seen.

Goat cheese stood at the entrance of the hole, tilting its head dumbly at me.

This large hole was clearly newly chiseled, just big enough for a child to crawl through. There were many fragments of stones scattered around the edge of the slab; I picked up one and threw it into the hole… I thought it would be deep, but I heard a series of clattering sounds almost immediately.

Thud… thud… rattle…

The fragments seemed to bounce a few times before coming to a stop somewhere.

It seemed like stairs.

“Is anyone there…” I called out softly towards the hole.

“I’m… Pei Luo! I want to talk to you!”

Want to talk to you…

Talk…

Apart from a faint echo, no one responded.

“Foolish—”

“Shut up.”

I glared at Goat Cheese, thought for a moment, then hesitantly said into the hole, “Well… I’m coming in…”

Then I jumped onto the stone slab, crouched down, and carefully extended one foot into the hole, hands gripping the edge of the slab, toes pointed downward. Slowly lowering my body, I soon felt solid ground.

Ah…

So shallow…

I immediately lowered the other foot, released my grip on the slab, and crawled into the hole, feeling forward with each step.

…Indeed, stairs.

So I walked forward confidently.

Click, click…

The hard-soled boots made a clear sound on the steps.

Everything was pitch-black all around, and I couldn’t see anything ahead, but after taking only a few steps, I could stand upright. The stairs were descending, and the passage gradually widened on both sides. The air in the chamber was damp, with a strong earthy smell, making it feel oppressive.

“Hey…”

I whispered softly.

“This is too dark, I can’t see, and I want to—”

“Turn on the light, there’s no other meaning…”

I wasn’t sure if the other person could hear me, so I decided to warn them just in case. After waiting for a while and receiving no response, I lifted my right hand. A flash of azure ice magic formed several faintly glowing ice orbs above my head, hovering in the air and slightly illuminating the surrounding space.

But I still couldn’t see clearly…

At least I could make out vague outlines now.

This place… It must be directly below the main altar? The stairs spiraled downward with a steep incline, but it seemed there was even more space below… The chambers of the church should be places for worshipping deities or heroes, right? For example, some of Ethenbel’s historical heroes would be enshrined here, continuing to receive divine protection in their afterlife.

Why would she be in a place like this…

“Hey…”

“Is anyone there?”

“I am, Peyalo…”

“Can we talk?”

As I slowly walked down, I used the light to look around and called out casually, hoping the other person would know I was here and that I was Peyalo. But even when I reached the bottom of the stairs, there was still no response.

“Ga—”

The goat cheese let out a loud cry and flew onto my shoulder.

“Hush!”

You almost scared me to death…

“Be quiet, you stupid bird!”

Stupid bird… Stupid bird…

The echo reverberated in the vast emptiness.

The chamber was indeed very spacious, but too dark. Using the weak light from the frost order, I could only see things within five meters around me. I had no idea what lay ahead, and I couldn’t even touch the walls.

I could only walk on tiptoe… Ah, isn’t there black flame!

Idiot…

I slapped my forehead and quickly retracted the frost order. As the ice orbs shattered and fell, a “whoosh” sound came from my right hand as black flames ignited. I held my arm outstretched in front of me, allowing the pale light to illuminate the entire space.

What a big place…

But before I could get a clear look at my surroundings, a pair of red lights appeared in the distance.

“Damn…”

My heart skipped a beat. Realizing something was wrong, I quickly averted my gaze, not wanting to meet that light. But it seemed too late.

Suddenly, everything turned white in front of me.

Then, the flames spread like a long dragon, igniting the row of candles hanging on the crumbling walls on both sides until they reached the end of the darkness.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

My vision suddenly brightened, and I couldn’t help but squint my eyes.

Damn it…

In just an instant, the environment around me had changed dramatically. I returned to a familiar yet strange place—the dark, narrow corridor from my dream.

… This ability is cheating!

“Hey!”

I looked up at the empty corridor and shouted.

“Stop playing around!”

“I don’t want to play this game!”

“You didn’t come looking for me? We can talk properly, right? I have something to ask you! That… Yiluoshu—”

“…Yiliushi?”

What is going on…

Playing this at the balcony earlier, and now again… Didn’t you come looking for me? I’m here! Even though I remember very little… Could it be that the little girl is angry because I didn’t actively look for her?

Thinking of this, I immediately raised my voice again, “Don’t be mad at me, sister! When I woke up, I forgot so much… really forgot… Can you tell me? Can you tell me what happened?”

……

No response.

You always stay silent, and I get anxious…

“Yiliushi…”

Suddenly, the scene in front of me changed.

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