Chapter 514

Chapter 137 The Woman Named Meese

Have they already faced off against the Joker?!

My heart suddenly skipped a beat as I turned my head sharply to look at him. Our eyes met briefly with the ordinary man, who showed no emotion on his face. It seemed like what he just said wasn’t something worth making a fuss about. Seeing my surprised expression, he raised an eyebrow and asked in return, “What’s wrong?”

“No, nothing…”

I suppressed the turmoil in my heart and shook my head. After a moment of thought, I lowered my head.

To be able to fight the Joker and force him to retreat without any obvious injuries. This man seems unexpectedly strong…

And from his words, there were more than just one or two people with the Joker…

Those people, if nothing unexpected happens, should be part of the ten “Blood Sacrifice” heretics mentioned in the initial intelligence report. After all, in Alertheon City, we only encountered three “Blood Sacrifice” stages. I killed two, Isaac killed one, and since the others didn’t show up, they must have been acting together with the Joker.

“How many did you drive away?”

In the deep, narrow passage, we moved forward using the light of the torches. As our footsteps echoed clearly, the ordinary man, after some thought, replied to my question, “Five.”

That means, the two of them fought against seven likely third-stage heretics, and still managed to escape unscathed even after killing two…

“Blood Sacrifice stage?”

I asked again. The ordinary man glanced at me indifferently, “Blood Sacrifice stage.”

“…Sigh—”

It seems my guess was correct.

The Joker left three people in Alertheon City, including the Mist Concealer, and brought all the remaining “Blood Sacrifice” stages over.

“You guys are really strong…” I couldn’t help but sigh.

The strength of these three people is the best thing for me. That means I won’t have to face several Blood Sacrifice stage heretics alone. Before coming here, I had some pressure thinking about this, especially facing the Joker, I don’t think I could easily defeat him.

But with these three people added, the pressure became much lighter.

“No, you can’t say that.”

However, the ordinary man slightly shook his head when he heard my words, “Miss Silvija, I understand your thoughts, but I must remind you that the Joker’s power shouldn’t be underestimated. We were able to force him back because he didn’t want to engage in prolonged combat.”

“He has things to do and doesn’t have time to fight us. If it drags on until the bishop guarding the forest and the faith group arrive, both sides would end up in a no-win situation, which is not what the Joker wants, at least not right now.”

“The Joker chose to withdraw without hesitation because he saw this point. We chased for a while, and once we were out of the watch range of the watchtower, we dared not continue pursuing. Because continuing might lead to a very ugly death, after all, those are people who escaped alive from the old man’s sword.”

The ordinary man shrugged.

“…”

So the implication is that even though they have the ability to kill other “Blood Sacrifice” stage heretics, they are still very cautious when facing the Joker. None of them have confidence in defeating him.

I couldn’t help but frown again, “Which way did the Joker run?”

“We chased all the way to the depths of a valley south of Woodward Forest. The terrain there is treacherous, making it difficult to find them. However, I don’t think they will remain hidden. Although the Joker’s purpose isn’t entirely clear, we now have another clue…”

“What clue?”

As we walked deeper into the passage, doors appeared on both sides of the walls. The flickering firelight revealed voices coming from the rooms, as if they were having low conversations, occasionally interspersed with the sound of utensils clinking. A man in a priest’s robe came out from the door on the left and bowed to the ordinary man and the others. As I passed by him, I glanced at him, and he also noticed me. He paused for a moment, then smiled.

“He’s someone recently transferred from the royal city, a member of the faith group.”

After taking a few steps, the man in the priest’s robe returned to the room, and the sound of the door closing echoed in the passage. I couldn’t help but turn my head to look again, then heard the ordinary man’s low voice, “Now, assisting here in the sealing and exploration of the abyss mud. Oh, it’s that monster that appeared on the west side of Woodward Forest about a year ago… that ravine is quite close to here.”

“…”

My heart suddenly skipped a beat.

A year ago, on the west side of Woodward Forest… wasn’t that where I appeared?!

This place…

is the west side of Woodward Forest!?

“The abyss mud in the ravine has mostly disappeared, but the dark and decaying power remains. The surrounding plain, spanning tens of kilometers, has been severely eroded, turning the soil into jet black. The terrifying power advances slowly yet powerfully, even sins cannot stop its momentum. It’s likely that within a year, this place will be swallowed by the abyss’s power…”

The ordinary man continued walking, his expression calm as he looked ahead at the flickering firelight. I watched his profile, equally calm, but my heart pounded violently.

“Oh, of course, we are doing everything we can to avoid this.”

So, quite a few members of the Faith Order were transferred here, but most of them had set up camps on the fringes of the scorched earth… Well, I shouldn’t really be telling you this; it’s a secret of the Church… My apologies, Miss Silviga. Please don’t mind me; let’s get back to what we were discussing before.”

“Hey, what’s your name…”

“Daniel.”

“Daniel, have you ever been to…”

I wanted to ask him if he had ever been to the “clinic” near the Gate of Truth on this side. If he had, I wanted to know what he saw there…

But I stopped myself mid-sentence.

“…No, never mind.”

I shook my head gently.

The man named Daniel turned his head, looking confused. I blinked and changed the subject. “About what you said earlier, the clue…?”

The matter concerning the “clinic” was something Angel had secretly investigated, with no leads yet. Few people knew about it, perhaps not even his confidants like Margaret. And these people…

It’s hard to trust someone whose background you don’t know. After the turmoil in Sielgaya, even I could see that the Church was deeply divided. Though the ordinary man would listen to Angel, who knows which side they truly belonged to. If this were exposed prematurely, the consequences could be dire…

I should remain cautious.

For now, the priority is the problem with the clown. No matter what, I must ensure that nothing involving Claire’s village happens. As for this abandoned “clinic” on this side… I will personally confirm it once everything else is settled.

“Alright, Miss Silviga, let me briefly explain our next steps.”

The ordinary man nodded, no longer pressing further, and got straight to the point. “Perhaps you don’t know, but recently in the royal city, someone stole Sister Teresa’s relics from the church.”

The passage ahead bent and then opened into a wider space. The ordinary man led me to a new stone chamber, which was smaller than the previous one but seemed to be crowded with people.

Clergy in white robes and hooded figures moved in and out of various rooms and passages, their expressions anxious. The noise was clamorous. As I watched these people, I said to Daniel, “No, I know about this.”

I vaguely remembered that when I was still in the royal city, Angel had mentioned this incident to me once.

At the time, I thought it was some fervent fan who took it. I didn’t pay much attention, and later I didn’t know if they caught the person… What does this have to do with the clown?

“Yes, well, Miss, you probably don’t know that the person who took those things did so without delay, taking a carriage all the way to Sielgaya, and is currently at the border town of Woodworth Forest.”

…Huh?

I turned to look at him, puzzled.

What’s going on…

“After the incident, His Holiness might not have paid much attention, only ordering an investigation. But who knew that this investigation would reveal unexpected news… During the period when the relics were missing, a woman with silver hair and blue eyes had visited the church to pay respects to Sister Teresa.”

“…Silver hair and blue eyes?”

I felt like I had grasped something.

Scratching my head, with furrowed brows, I listened as Daniel continued. “Yes, silver hair and blue eyes. These are characteristics of the people from Epolista in the Eastern Continent. Almost everyone there has silver hair and blue eyes. Of course, due to the barrenness of Epolista, severe desertification over centuries has forced many families to migrate to the Western Continent.”

“The Order City, as one of the four major human cities, has welcomed countless immigrants. Seeing someone with silver hair and blue eyes there isn’t unusual, but if it involves Sister Teresa… Miss Silviga, you understand, right? The nature of the situation has changed.”

“…Indeed.”

I walked a few steps, looking up at him.

This person knows Teresa’s identity…

“We found out the identity of that woman. It happened during the May Day Festival, when the church invited many famous wandering poets and troupes to perform in the city to celebrate the festival. That woman was part of one of those troupes, a new dancer, stunningly beautiful and exceptionally skilled with a sword, thus gaining great popularity among the audience.”

Wandering troupe…

…Dancer.

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in my head!

On that night of the May Day Festival, Sarah, Daisy, and I were shopping, and we saw such a woman in a small square surrounded by a crowd… Silver hair and blue eyes, with a sharp sword, her gaze piercing, her cold and exquisite face unforgettable!

I suddenly stopped, looking at Daniel’s face, my pupils widening. “She…”

“That woman took Teresa’s relics after the performance ended, left the troupe alone, and went to Sielgaya. Recently, we tracked down her location, and she is now using the alias Meise, joining a new wandering troupe at the border town of Woodworth Forest.”

…!

“Miss, she is a member of the Gate of Truth.”