Chapter 73

“What’s your plan?”

“Let’s storm them.”

After Xia’er finished speaking, she looked at Yulis, who was silently fumbling with the “Radiant Bishop” insignia, and felt a bit disappointed.

Indeed… It was still too difficult to make someone trust a stranger unconditionally with just one sentence?

“Do you have any more questions?”

Xia’er asked as he noticed Yulis, the High Priestess, had remained silent.

She was already prepared to explain everything again.

“I…”

After hesitating for a moment, Yulis asked, “Can I change my clothes first?”

“Sure.”

Xia’er turned his back to Yulis, facing the desk, and said, “I’m not looking. Go ahead and change.”

The sound of undressing came from behind, perhaps because she couldn’t see, Yulis changed clothes very slowly.

Might be due to boredom, Xia’er looked at the candle on the desk and curiously asked, “High Priestess, if you can’t see, why light a candle?”

“Because I can’t see, the other senses have been enhanced by the potion,” Yulis’ ethereal voice came from the bed area, “If there’s a heat source, it makes it easier for me to perceive space and distance.”

Xia’er nodded slightly and recalled that Yulis couldn’t see, then replied, “Oh.”

“I’ve changed my clothes, Sir.”

Yulis slowly approached Xia’er and asked, “May I ask for your name?”

“Xia’er.”

Xia’er turned around and walked towards Yulis, grabbing her wrist and placing her hand on his cheek, “High Priestess, remember my name and appearance.”

This was also Xia’er’s way of making Yulis remember him better, so she wouldn’t accidentally hurt him during the upcoming battle.

It was also to increase Yulis’ trust.

Yulis carefully touched Xia’er’s face and then showed a look of surprise.

“Sir Xia’er… I didn’t expect you to be…”

Yulis struggled with her words before saying, “so young and capable.”

Before Yulis could finish, Xia’er took a small step back, distancing himself from her hand.

“Sir, I haven’t finished memorizing yet.”

Yulis said seriously.

“High Priestess, I’ve dreamt about you multiple times.”

Xia’er said expressionlessly, “The first time, you pinched my face for over ten minutes. The second time, you told me you didn’t need to touch to feel emotions.”

At Xia’er’s words, Yulis’ hand paused.

If she had doubted Xia’er’s dreams before, now, after hearing all this information, she almost completely believed him.

Because the things Xia’er mentioned were exactly what she would do.

“Sir, you can call me Yulis.”

Yulis became serious, facing Xia’er and asking, “Are you from the Tribunal?”

“No.”

Xia’er denied.

“Then… your potion…”

Yulis suddenly thought of something and asked, “Is the person providing information about the Sealed Object you?”

Yulis remembered that a few days ago, Russell’s daughter brought important intelligence to her.

At that time, Yulis was preparing to write a letter to the Salvation Goddess Religion for a third-level “Soul Walker” potion and Replication Ritual as payment. But the Russell daughter wanted a second-level “Judge” potion instead.

Since the lady had good credibility and it was within her authority, after weighing the value of the intelligence, Yulis gave her the potion and ritual.

But now, it seemed that the Russell daughter might have violated the Order Eye contract…

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so coincidental that she received the potion and immediately appeared someone else using it for a Replication Ritual, not from the Salvation Goddess Religion.

But Yulis didn’t plan to pursue this matter.

If Xia’er’s information was true, helping the Salvation Goddess Religion uncover the hideout of the Arrival Sect in Borough City would be a significant achievement.

If Xia’er drinks the potion, she will ensure it’s done under her supervision, ensuring Xia’er won’t be consumed or altered by the potion, leading down an extreme path.

Moreover… Xia’er’s “dreams” might not be dreams at all.

They could be divine revelations from the goddess.

The goddess guides her to find another member of the Salvation Goddess Religion to solve this issue.

Otherwise, it’s hard to explain why Xia’er could repeatedly dream about her, when she had never met her before and had no contact.

Could Xia’er be the Holy Maiden of the “Avenger” pathway?

Perhaps she could try guiding her to join the Salvation Goddess Religion… baptize her.

If she could baptize a quasi-Holy Maiden, maybe the remaining potion could be fully absorbed, and she could apply for the next level “Radiant Bishop” potion in the church…

“Sir Xia’er, do you have a plan?”

Yulis asked, “Should I seek help from the church?”

“No, we’ll handle it ourselves. If we wait for church members, we won’t have enough time.”

Xia’er shook his head, rejecting Yulis’ idea. She continued, “Currently, the Arrival Sect has no information about us, you can rest assured.”

“So our plan is…”

Yulis took a deep breath, ready to remember the plan.

“Let’s storm them.”

Xia’er laid out the plan.

Yulis: “…”

Is this really a plan?

Just now, Yulis thought Xia’er was quite reliable, steady and methodical in his actions. But now, she began to doubt again.

But Xia’er wasn’t lying. Directly storming in was the simplest and most effective plan with a high success rate.

Previously, even under attack by Kit, Yulis managed to fight her until both were severely injured, and Kit returned barely alive.

Now, if the situation was reversed, with Xia’er assisting her, Kit had no chance.

As for the other first-level Extraordinary beings in the casino, Xia’er didn’t consider them at all.

With Xia’er wearing the specially made mask stitched from the Other Realm notebook, the “Gamblers” couldn’t directly confront Xia’er.

Moreover, when the first “Gambler” died, Xia’er could attempt to summon Other Realm creatures.

“Are you serious?”

Yulis asked.

“Very serious.”

Xia’er said calmly.

Xia’er then spent some time recounting the details of Derton Manor to Yulis.

Xia’er described Manager Kit, the strength and pathways of other first-level Extraordinary beings, including the number of cultists, all in great detail.

Even the specific names and characteristics of each Extraordinary being were listed, making the intelligence extremely detailed.

Even Yulis couldn’t help but marvel inwardly… This information was too detailed.

It was as if she had been an undercover agent for years right under their noses.

“You’ve essentially mapped out their entire base.”

After hearing all the intelligence, Yulis couldn’t help but ask, “Do you have an undercover agent there? Or… your organization?”

Such a large amount of intelligence was beyond what Xia’er alone could gather. Now, Yulis was most worried about Xia’er having an organization behind her.

If Xia’er truly had an organization behind her, her plan to recruit people for the Salvation Goddess Religion might not work.

But considering Xia’er might be the Holy Maiden, even if she had to trick or forcibly bring her to the cathedral to verify her authenticity, she would do so.

“Yes, we have a Bishop undercover, but she has left now.”

Xia’er said without changing her expression.

In fact, the Bishop was undercover, but it was actually herself, and she was pretending.

Thinking about it, most of her knowledge of the Arrival Sect came from Yulis in front of her.

Hearing Xia’er’s words, Yulis began to consider kidnapping Xia’er.

Having a Bishop-level undercover agent within the Arrival Sect… How vast is Xia’er’s organization?

When did Borough City get such a large organization? Or was it always hidden and only recently started acting?

Even the Salvation Goddess Religion couldn’t place an undercover agent at such a high level.

“Alright, I’ll go with you.”

Yulis nodded.

This matter involved the Arrival Sect. Yulis couldn’t ignore it. As long as there were cultists confirmed on the other side, even if Xia’er didn’t mention it, Yulis wouldn’t let the Arrival Sect off.

“Sir Xia’er, please wait a moment. I must leave a letter to inform the cathedral about this.”

Yulis walked past Xia’er and began searching for the letter paper on the desk.

“Sure.”

Xia’er moved aside to let her write the letter.

Whether Yulis sends the letter or not doesn’t matter; by the time her letter reaches the cathedral, Xia’er will have already left the simulation.

Soon, Yulis finished writing the letter, and Xia’er retrieved a page from the Other Realm book from the warehouse.

Due to previous intensive use and sticking, the page from the Other Realm was somewhat wrinkled, and it would likely break after two more uses.

At this moment, Yulis, who had sealed the letter, turned to face Xia’er.

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she asked, “What are you doing?”

Yulis instinctively sensed a threat from deep within her soul, and the faint buzzing in her mind reminded her that Xia’er’s direction was very dangerous.

Xia’er used two safety pins to fix the page onto the front of her clothes.

She was still thinking how unfortunate it was that the Other Realm pages were too expensive to cover her whole body.

If she could cover her whole body with Other Realm pages, she would be considered an existence that cannot be directly seen.

Maybe she should let the simulated self enter a deeper simulation every time the real self arrives, write more things?

After all, only the simulated self would die.

Yulis’ words interrupted Xia’er’s thoughts. She looked at Yulis and said, “It’s nothing, just some text from the Other Realm. It won’t affect you.”

Text from the Other Realm?!

Yulis raised an eyebrow slightly.

Can characters from the Other Realm be used casually?

If earlier Yulis was only suspicious that Xia’er might be a Holy Maiden, now she was almost certain with a 99% probability that Xia’er is indeed the Holy Maiden.

Only a Holy Maiden could understand the Oracle from the Other Realm and not suffer permanent mental and spiritual damage after reading it.

No wonder Sir Xia’er, despite being only a Tier 1 “Avenger,” dared to say she would lead herself directly into the cult’s stronghold. She indeed had the confidence.

After making preparations, Yulis, fully geared up, followed Xia’er towards Derton Manor outside the city.

Half an hour later, their figures appeared outside the Derton Manor under the night sky.

The Derton Manor was brightly lit at night. When their figures appeared at the end of the path, two servants rushed forward.

“Excuse me…”

The male servant wearing a green token mask narrowed his eyes slightly when he recognized Yulis, but he maintained his composure and continued, “Are you members here?”

The Sacred Arrival Society hadn’t been exposed, so even if members of the Salvation Goddess Church came over, they would be treated normally.

“Yes.”

Xia’er pinched the card in her hand and flicked it gently toward the servant. The card spun like a dart, heading straight for the servant’s face.

The messenger didn’t even get a chance to see Xia’er’s face before he was startled by the incoming card, which stopped right in front of him.

…Hmm?

Before the servant could react, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

“Ugh…”

The messenger groaned and spat out blood, looking down in disbelief to see his heart hovering just outside his chest.

“Cough…”

He managed to cough out some blood before collapsing lifelessly.

Meanwhile, the other servant sensed something was wrong and turned to run, but his leg tripped on something invisible, causing him to fall face-first.

In front of him, a sharp knife was clearly placed on the ground.

Swoosh —

Unable to scream, his head was pierced by the knife. As his body convulsed, he lost control and died completely.

Yulis, who was about to speak, heard the sounds of impact and saw two lives extinguished without a single cry.

This swift killing speed startled Yulis… How many people must one kill to gain such proficiency?

“They… are from the Sacred Arrival Society?”

Yulis confirmed.

“Yes,” Xia’er replied.

“Take two steps to the right; the floor is covered in blood.”

Xia’er now knew better where to strike to avoid getting blood on herself compared to her first kill, which had sprayed blood all over her face.

Nobody understood the cultists’ identities better than her, as she had killed each one personally.

“Follow me,” Xia’er led Yulis into the manor, pushing open the main door.

Yulis followed closely behind Xia’er, with a white phantom flickering behind her shadow, ready to assist.

Once inside and confirming no one was in the front hall, they turned right into the drawing room.

The moment the door opened, a black shadow rushed to the desk piled with tokens, and a single stroke ended the life of the unsuspecting cultist. Blood sprayed onto the tokens, filling the room with a metallic stench.

After killing three people, the fire in Xia’er’s chest finally weakened slightly, easing her oppressive frustration.

Xia’er barely paused as she passed through another door, opening a hidden door to reveal a spiral stone staircase leading underground.

Yulis closely followed Xia’er, stepping onto the stone spiral stairs, feeling certain that this place was far from simple.

And Xia’er, who had been leading the way, was even more extraordinary.

Xia’er moved without pause, and the few cultists she encountered offered little resistance before falling to her blade. It was as if she knew exactly where they would be.

“There’s a sanctuary underground, laid out almost identically to the Clock Tower Church,” Xia’er remarked as they walked.

“Okay…”

Yulis nodded. This wasn’t surprising since the Sacred Arrival Society originally split from the Salvation Goddess Church.

Soon, Xia’er led Yulis to the lower sanctuary, where several people were moving furniture, seemingly preparing for something.

“High Priest, everything is set here,” Xia’er said.

“Good.”

A few cultists wearing token masks noticed them and looked at Xia’er and Yulis with suspicion.

But in the next instant, several white phantoms surged toward them.

Swoosh!

Four heads flew off and rolled to the ground.

The sudden commotion alerted others, who screamed and shouted:

“It’s from the Salvation Goddess Church!”

“Quick! Notify the manager!”

“Heretics! Die!”

Some cultists ran up other staircases to inform Jiti, while the rest pulled out pistols and aimed at Xia’er and Yulis.

Pew pew pew —

Bullets whizzed toward Yulis, but all were deflected by the white phantoms in front of her.

Those aiming at Xia’er found their aim faltering, their guns slipping from their hands.

When they focused on Xia’er, they inevitably saw the pages from the Other Realm in front of her.

Yulis’s white phantoms acted like white reapers, swiftly ending everyone’s lives in the sanctuary, with two phantoms chasing after the fleeing cultists up the stairs.

Xia’er watched the carnage without expression, silently analyzing Yulis’s abilities.

Though Xia’er had little experience with abilities, she could still draw parallels. She remembered the first time she saw Yulis, who suddenly appeared from behind as if by teleportation.

The Radiant Bishop Xiu had also used this ability — swapping places with a white phantom.

Previously, Xia’er thought it was teleportation because she couldn’t see shadows.

Could this ability be available at Tier 2? It was indeed a powerful survival skill.

“None escaped,” Yulis suddenly interjected, interrupting Xia’er.

“No Extraordinary Persons, just cultists.”

All the cultists who fled earlier had been killed by Yulis.

After ensuring no one was left in the sanctuary, Xia’er led Yulis back to the front hall and pointed to a hidden passage.

That passage led to Jiti’s office.

“We can reach Jiti from here. Be careful,” Xia’er said, opening the passage door and pointing to the spiraling stone stairs.

“Got it,” Yulis responded, stepping ahead of Xia’er.

“Tier 2 ‘Missionary’ combat is very dangerous; stay cautious behind me.”

On the third floor of Derton Manor, in the office at the end of the corridor, a figure wearing a black token mask sat at the desk, leaning against the bookshelf behind, frowning at the backgammon on the desk.

She picked up two dice and tossed them onto the board. Both landed on “1.”

“Damn…”

Jiti couldn’t help cursing.

Her luck had been terrible recently.

No, it was abysmal.

Shellen’s mysterious death, the rapid production of the dehydration syndrome antidote, and the undamaged retrieval of the sealed object buried beneath the Salvation Goddess Church.

Things had gone so wrong that even a minor miscalculation could have disastrous consequences for the Salvation Goddess Church in Borough City.

She could then gain recognition from her superiors and possibly be reassigned to An Su.

Even if Shellen was dead, it didn’t matter much; it was just a setback in the replication ritual for the transmission ceremony. The quick disposal of the antidote was fine too, as long as she uncovered Shellen’s secrets and found the true genius behind the virus.

But why was the sealed object discovered and taken away? How did the Salvation Goddess Church know where it was? And how did they manage to prevent it from triggering?

Approaching within 7 meters would trigger the dehydration syndrome, resulting in the deaths of all the ordinary clergy at the Church Hospital and the Church — why?

Jiti couldn’t understand.

It felt as if some invisible force was controlling events, rendering even the most meticulous plans useless.

The Bishop would come at any moment, and she had to resolve things before they arrived.

“Phew…”

Jiti took a deep breath, leaning back against the bookshelf.

At least there was good news: the Sacred Arrival Society’s base hadn’t been discovered.

She had hidden well and developed quickly. Even the Bishop wouldn’t find any flaws.

To succeed, one must plan carefully and leave multiple options open — that was Jiti’s rule.

As she thought, a slight smile curved her lips.

Swoosh —

A sharp pain shot through her chest. Jiti looked down to see a white phantom hand piercing through her chest from behind.

What… happened?

Jiti lunged forward, knocking over the desk, scattering the backgammon pieces. She turned to see white phantoms emerging from the gaps in the bookshelf behind her, revealing two unfamiliar figures.

Who… are you?

Jiti was bewildered.

74