Chapter 526

Chapter 526: The Court of Judgment

The next day.

The sun emerged from between the gaps of the high mountains. Some rays of light, divided by the peaks, shone down in beams, illuminating the palaces nestled among these mountains.

They were predominantly white, and the stone used to build the temples sparkled with tiny crystal particles under the sunlight, creating a hazy glow as they reflected the light.

Almost all the buildings in the Holy Land were like this, scattered across the continuous white cliff plateau. Some were atop mountains, some in valleys, and others in the open wilderness. They were elegant and grand, often adorned with reliefs depicting legendary tales and historical stories.

During the early days of the Third Era’s Chaos Disaster, many great heroes emerged from various regions. They fought at the forefront, leading people to resist the attacks of the chaotic army and protect the local creatures from extinction.

Among them, according to church records, there were 427 named heroes, 65 of whom were canonized. The founder of the famous White Orchid Cross Sword Sect in Hope Lane, Duran, was canonized as the White Flower Virgin.

After the disaster ended, most of these heroes became local rulers or leaders, and their descendants continued to hold such positions. Over time, they gradually formed new nations, expanding once more in the desolate lands.

Back then, hundreds of states coexisted, merging and swallowing each other until centuries later, the rise of the West Wind and the Emerald Empire led to the formation of two major factions in the Western Continent: the Snowflower Seven Kingdoms and the Emerald Empire.

Around the same time, the scattered islands in the Southern Region were unified by the Redberry and Crescent Moon United Kingdom, which was later abbreviated as Crescentberry.

—

Aquarius Palace, a secluded palace.

Lohil stood on a wooden stool, holding a wet towel in one hand and leaning against a white jade-like stone pillar, wiping away the accumulated dust from above.

As the wet towel passed over, those grayish areas turned clean and white again, revealing the detailed reliefs beneath.

These reliefs silently recounted the great deeds of the past to future generations.

“Lohil, is it your turn to change shifts?” Boli’s voice came from below. She was carrying a wooden bucket filled with water, walking towards the entrance.

Lohil glanced at the condition of the ceiling of the main hall and shook her head, handing the towel to Boli below, asking her to replace it with a clean one.

“Not yet. Let me finish cleaning here first before I switch with you; otherwise, it will be difficult for you to reach,” she said.

“Alright, thank you for your hard work, Lohil Senpai,” Boli handed a clean towel to this silver-haired nun.

In Aquarius Palace, the buildings had to be thoroughly cleaned every three months, and today happened to be Lohil and Boli’s turn to clean the main hall.

Now, apart from the two of them, no one else was in the main hall. A few scattered beds remained, their bedding long removed, leaving only the basic structure of the beds. After they finished cleaning, the miscellaneous items in the hall would also need to be cleared out.

By the time the sun rose to its highest point in the sky, around noon, the two took a short break.

Lohil got off the stool, preparing to put the towel into the bucket. At that moment, two people in black robes arrived at the main entrance.

Their attire matched the style the young lady had seen last night—mysterious and efficient. Though their steps were not slow, they made no sound.

“Hello, may we ask if Miss Lohil is here?” They had never met this silver-haired nun before.

Boli looked up at the two and then curiously turned her head to look at Lolan Hill.

“I am,” Lolan Hill said, putting down what she was holding and rinsing her hands in another bucket of clear water before standing up.

“Hello, Lord Kewus wants to see you,” their voices conveyed no sense of emotion.

“Hmm, I know,” Lolan Hill replied, turning to Boli beside her.

“I’ll go then. I’m afraid I won’t be able to eat lunch with you today.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Boli waved her hand.

“Lohil Senpai, go do your important things first. I’ll take care of this,” she added.

After tidying her clothes slightly, Lohil followed the two behind her out of the main hall.

They brought the young lady to a cliffside where two massive Blade-feather Eagles were perched. These giant eagles had sharp feathers and formidable combat capabilities, but riding them required special saddles to avoid being cut by the feathers.

Two black-robed individuals each rode one of the eagles, while Lohil sat behind one of them.

As the giant eagles leaped off the cliff and spread their nearly ten-meter wings, the cold wind in the valley sliced across their skin like fine knives.

The scenery rapidly receded behind them, and below lay a thousand-foot-deep abyss. Everything in sight changed swiftly as the Blade-feather Eagles flew. For ordinary people, their hearts might have pounded so hard they felt like they would burst out of their throats.

After flying through the mountains and canyons for a long time, the temples and buildings in the view gradually decreased and became sparse. Finally, the two giant eagles landed on a special mountain waist platform.

The terrain here was quite unique. In the center was a short and large mountain, roughly resembling a blunt-tipped cone. Surrounding it were high and slender peaks, forming a rough circle that enclosed the central mountain.

Each peak had tall lighthouses, with big clocks and people in black clothes.

After the giant eagles landed on the platform of the central mountain, the three jumped down and continued inside.

First, they arrived at the gate. After a series of procedures and checks, six black-armored guards cautiously allowed them entry.

The passageway inside was spacious, with torches placed on the walls, occasionally dripping water from the ceiling.

“Where are we?” Lohil asked, her ethereal voice echoing far down the passage.

“This is the headquarters of the Court of Judgment. There are also prisoners awaiting execution inside the mountain,” the person in front replied.

“But Miss Lohil doesn’t need to worry. We’re just here to ask for your assistance with some work,” the person behind her added.

Generally, such explanations weren’t necessary. However, Lord Kewus had specifically instructed them to be more courteous today. Otherwise, given their usual reputation and methods, anyone in the church would tremble with fear and unease.

As the internal special agency of the church, the Court of Judgment was always shrouded in mystery. It was rumored that they could directly execute fallen church members and usually lurked in the shadows, monitoring priests and nuns across different regions.

As a secret service organization, they rarely explained themselves externally. It was said that almost no priest who was taken by the Court of Judgment ever returned alive. Moreover, unlike other church personnel, they did not follow various rules and morals.

Once someone was identified as needing to be dealt with, they would use various effective methods, including poisoning, assassination, extermination, and cross-continental manhunts, among others. They had always been notorious and blood-stained.

Sometimes, even good people feared being implicated and misunderstood by outsiders, ending up on the list of those to be arrested and processed by the Court of Judgment.

Lohil recalled the various rumors and introductions about the Court of Judgment until a voice from a black-robed person echoed beside her.

“We’ve arrived.”

Today, I’ll end the chapter here, go to bed early, and adjust my schedule.

Goodnight everyone, get some rest.

(End of Chapter)