Chapter 83

“Trot, trot, trot…”

In the night, a majestic horse galloped outside Borough City.

Riding on the fully armored horse was a knight clad entirely in silver armor, with a red-haired girl sitting in front of him.

The girl’s petite body swayed with the horse’s gallop, her face expressing a look of utter despair.

When the reins were pulled, the horse finally stopped at the foot of Creek Mountain.

The knight dismounted gracefully, patting the horse’s neck gently with his hand.

The girl, who had been jolted around, tried to stand on her tiptoes, but even her toes couldn’t reach the metal stirrups.

Finally, she gave up and adjusted her posture, jumping down from the horse and landing steadily.

This red-haired girl was Xia’er, and the knight behind her was naturally the “Crown Guard” Nia she had persuaded to come along.

“Why can’t we use the carriage? Do you know how hard your armor is…”

Xia’er complained as she rubbed her back with the back of her hand.

Riding the horse wasn’t as interesting or cool as she had imagined. She couldn’t stay steady, and each jolt made her feel pain from the back armor.

Xia’er suspected that Nia was intentionally retaliating against her.

After Xia’er dismounted, Nia released the reins, and the horse galloped back towards Borough City along the original path.

Nia looked at the dark road leading uphill and didn’t reply to Xia’er, instead saying, “Remember, my task is to prevent anyone inside from coming out. No matter what happens inside, I won’t intervene, even if you die inside.”

“Of course, if you intervene, it would reveal that Aivana is involved too,” Xia’er said with a smile, patting Nia’s arm guard.

“We both won’t let Aivana get into danger, right?”

Nia stood still for a moment, then slowly started walking up the hill.

If Nia’s armor could express emotions, the helmet would likely be glowing red.

Xia’er followed Nia, curiously watching her walk on the cobblestone path.

No matter whether she walked on muddy ground or cobblestones, Nia’s armor made no sound and left no footprints, as if it had no weight at all.

Ding-dong —

A hollow metallic sound echoed.

Nia stopped and turned around to see Xia’er tapping her back armor with her fingers.

“Is this really made of silver? Or some alloy created from extraordinary items?”

Xia’er looked up curiously and asked.

Nia silently turned back to face forward, continuing her walk, but this time, her pace quickened.

After about five minutes, under the moonlight, Nia could see the outline of Derton Manor ahead. She stopped and hid herself in the nearby bushes.

Throughout the journey, she hardly spoke to Xia’er because she knew that the more they talked, the more likely she was to be influenced by Xia’er’s terrifying abilities without realizing it.

All she could do was reduce conversation and maintain her current state of not being affected.

“Thanks~ I’m going in now,” Xia’er waved and smiled, “Don’t let anyone out, okay?”

“Oh, and thanks for the mask and adhesive. If I come out, I’ll return the money.”

With that, Xia’er lifted the silver wolf-head mask, which covered only half of her face, and placed it over her face, covering the left side.

The mask gradually fused with Xia’er’s flesh, and her extraordinary aura began to weaken, even her life force becoming unstable and difficult to detect.

Having completed everything, the girl continued towards Derton Manor under the moonlight, while Nia’s gaze remained fixed on Xia’er’s back.

What exactly was Xia’er planning to do?

She dared to go to Derton Manor alone even though she knew it had been infiltrated by cultists. What gave her the courage?

But none of this mattered to Nia.

Her greatest hope was that Xia’er would die inside and expose the intelligence network behind her, drawing the cultists’ attention away from Aivana.

Then, she could spread rumors that the Russell family’s young lady had been attacked by a tempter and post a bounty on Xia’er, clearing Aivana’s name.

In Nia’s exceptional vision, she saw two attendants wearing green token masks approaching Xia’er.

Xia’er reached into her satchel, seemingly to retrieve something.

A membership card?

Nia shook her head and stopped looking at Xia’er.

To her, Xia’er’s behavior was akin to seeking death.

Even if she perfectly matched the potion, it was still only at the first stage.

How could she investigate the Arrival Sect alone?

Even if she could obtain some information by persuading the cultists without extraordinary abilities, such actions would soon be known by the cult leader here.

Who knows what kind of sealed objects the cult leader might possess; even Nia wouldn’t dare to say she could walk in and come out unscathed, let alone a first-stage girl.

Suddenly, Nia sensed a faint silver light in the distance.

An inexplicable sense of unease arose in Nia’s heart, and the buzzing noise that had been bothering her suddenly intensified.

Huh?

Nia looked up in shock at Xia’er’s position, only to find Xia’er still standing there.

However, the two attendants wearing green token masks were already kneeling tremblingly in front of Xia’er.

Flocks of ravens screamed and flew up from the forest, adding a more oppressive noise to the night.

Seemingly sensing Nia’s gaze, the girl wearing the half-faced silver wolf mask slowly turned her head towards Nia.

The half-mask was now covered with paper bearing terrifying blood-red characters.

The paper adhered perfectly to the silver wolf mask due to the adhesive, fitting every contour and crevice. The solemn mask now exuded an endless sense of eeriness.

Instantly, the darkness before Nia’s eyes began to consume the surroundings, focusing her vision solely on the masked girl.

The surrounding darkness also surged restlessly, with frenzied crimson eyes with black vertical pupils appearing and scanning the area wildly, as if searching for prey.

Nia lowered her head abruptly. If she had a heart, it would be beating at an unprecedented speed.

The black tide before her slowly receded, and Nia trembled as she raised her hands, revealing a pair of blood-soaked, tattered hands belonging to a girl.

Yet, when her hands collided lightly, they produced a metallic clashing sound.

Nia was horrified.

What was this…

After some time, until everything returned to normal and the surrounding sounds calmed, Nia slowly raised her head, looking towards the entrance of Derton Manor.

There, no attendants or girls were left, the entire place empty, as if nothing had happened.

Only the ordinary-looking Derton Manor now appeared eerie to Nia.

What was going on… Just a glance…

Almost her mind was polluted?

An unknown fear spread in Nia’s heart.

She hadn’t felt this way for a long time. Just a glance, and she wanted to run away.

Nia slowly clenched her fists.

If anything else happened inside, she would definitely run away… She didn’t want to experience that feeling again.

The girl called Xia’er… was not simple.

…

Unlike Nia’s anxiety outside the manor, Xia’er had just entered the familiar Drawing Room of Derton Manor.

“Be smart, understand?”

Xia’er looked at the two attendants leading the way and said, “Remember to remind me about any glass or mirrors.”

Just now, Xia’er used adhesive to attach the somewhat damaged “Other Realm page” from the warehouse to Nia’s mask.

It was likely that after this use, the “Other Realm page” would be impossible to remove from the mask.

If torn forcefully, the “Other Realm page” would become fragmented due to the adhesive, rendering it useless.

If she wanted to use it again, she would have to exchange the whole mask.

She hoped the mask wasn’t too expensive. Otherwise, Xia’er would have to replace the “Other Realm page” again…

She learned from her first attempt’s lack of experience.

Perhaps she could have the simulated self redraw one? Directly on parchment or fabric, or even etched onto a metal plate or coin, to make it less prone to damage.

By the time she reached the secret passage leading to the Underground Sanctuary, four people were already following her.

To avoid anyone knowing she was here and informing other cultists, Xia’er had each cultist she encountered walk in front of her.

Soon, she arrived at the Underground Sanctuary and stopped at the secret passage leading to Jiti’s office.

She had just advanced to the rank of “Tempter” and hadn’t saved the game yet, and there was no “Satanar” mark in her body.

Misleading other cultists was easy, but Xia’er wasn’t sure if the mask and her temptation ability could fool Jiti.

Regardless of success or failure, Xia’er had to come, as a trial for her real self.

She felt advancing to “Tempter” was quite simple. Even if this save didn’t work, starting over would be easy.

“Wait here for a bit. There will be tasks for you later,” Xia’er said to the three men and one woman bowing before her.

Then, she walked past them and directly entered the secret passage, ascending the spiral stone stairs towards Jiti’s office.

As the temperature around her slowly rose,

When the cold sensation completely faded away, Xia’er saw the bookshelf in front of her.

Gently pressing the stone switch beside it, the creaking sound of gears engaging filled the air, and the bookshelf began to split from the middle, revealing Jiti’s silhouette in front of Xia’er.

“Who?!”

Jiti suddenly stood up, her black dress that had been pulled down to her waist sliding down instantly. She turned around angrily, but immediately lowered her head.

A cold sweat trickled slowly down her temple.

At this moment, under the desk in front of Jiti, another woman with short auburn hair also crawled out, trembling and standing behind Jiti, her mouth seemingly still dripping with a gleaming liquid.

“You are…”

Jiti spoke slowly, her heart filled with surprise and uncertainty.

She did not sense any aura of an Extraordinary Person from the other person, but just a brief glance almost frightened her out of her wits.

The Mother Goddess’s murmurs in her mind gradually grew louder; she feared that if she looked again, she would be summoned to the Mother Goddess.

Is it a Bishop?

But why does this person not have any aura of the Mother Goddess?

“You, go to the Underground Sanctuary and wait with them,” Xia’er said slowly, looking at the woman behind Jiti, “Georgine.”

The woman called Georgine trembled violently. After a while, she nodded shakily and walked towards the person in front of her, whispering, “Yes, sir/madam…”

As soon as Georgine left for the underground passage, the bookshelf behind Xia’er slowly closed.

Before Jiti could figure out how the person knew Georgine’s name so easily, she saw the person step forward.

Slap!

A palm struck Jiti’s face squarely.

The sudden heavy slap caused Jiti’s face to turn to the right, her ears ringing, and she felt dazed. Even the blood flowing from her lips did not register in her mind.

No one could remain calm after such a sequence of events.

“How can you still do this now, Jiti?!”

Xia’er’s tone rose, her voice filled with frustration, “The plan failed, and you’re not trying to fix it, but enjoying yourself?!”

“I… I…”

Jiti finally reacted.

This person in front of her is… a Bishop?

A feeling of fear started to well up in Jiti’s heart.

“My lady Bishop, it’s not like that. Please listen to me,” Jiti said without hesitation, kneeling down and crawling towards Xia’er’s feet.

Xia’er, prepared for this, stepped back, leaning against the bookshelf behind her, her face full of disdain.

Trying to lick my shoes again…

“Don’t call me Bishop,” Xia’er said calmly, her tone returning to normal.

“The one will come to Derton Manor on the 23rd at 1 PM… If you want to survive, you must clean up this mess before the Radiant Bishop arrives, understand?”

Don’t call her… Bishop?

Indeed, this person is disguised, and even their life aura is very weak, no wonder she couldn’t feel the resonance of the Mother Goddess mark.

However, she could still passively detect if the person’s words contained lies, possibly due to the side effects of the Sealed Object suppressing her strength. Her uncontrollable passive ability still worked.

She sensed that the mysterious person in front of her had not lied yet.

“Avia, Marcelo, Georgine… Are they all still here?”

Xia’er listed the names of the other cult members who were Extraordinary Persons, one by one.

Hearing this, Jiti felt slightly relieved.

Even these secrets are known… It seems this Bishop comes from the upper echelons, or even a High Bishop.

But Jiti had no idea why this person had come to remind her at this moment.

“Yes, sir/madam, I am ready to follow your orders anytime,” Jiti said respectfully, maintaining her kneeling position and facing the red carpet on the floor.

Everyone is here… Not bad.

“You don’t need to investigate Adelle anymore. It’s useless,” Xia’er shook her head slightly and said, “Xie Lun died in the Rossul family. Do you know how he died?”

“My subordinate… currently only knows that Xie Lun is dead, and his body has returned to the Redemption Society, but I don’t know if the Rossul family was involved,” Jiti said, her tone weak, “The Rossul family’s young mistress had already dismissed all the servants before the incident, so my informant couldn’t bring back any information.”

Is Avina really still hidden?

This surprised Xia’er.

In the simulation, Avina was attacked by Jiti, which likely came from information obtained through Adelle.

It could also be related to Avina and Adelle reporting something to Yulis together.

Jiti’s heart ached as she thought about this.

Her carefully cultivated intelligence network in Borough City, which she believed was foolproof, was still exposed in front of this person.

All of this, including her investigation of Adelle, was known.

“This wasn’t done by the Rossul family,” Xia’er shook her head, “You don’t need to investigate Avina either, to avoid getting entangled… Now, Avina is under my control, and her third-tier Crown Guard, Nia, has also been influenced by me. They won’t pursue this matter further.”

Xia’er’s words made Jiti tremble with fear.

The Rossul family’s young mistress was controlled so easily? How long has this been going on…

And the third-tier “Crown Guard” was also affected… Is she now a comrade?

Third-tier issues resolved so effortlessly… This person’s strength is unfathomable.

But Jiti still didn’t understand.

“I don’t understand…” Jiti said slowly, tentatively asking, “Why did Xie Lun die in the Rossul family, but it wasn’t the Rossul family who did it? Didn’t they participate?”

“You… cannot reach this level yet,” Xia’er shook her head gently.

Cannot reach this level?

Jiti felt a bit puzzled.

She was about to become a High Priestess soon, isn’t her level high enough?

What level is needed to know the truth behind this?

Is this still something within her reach?

“If I directly reveal the truth and her name, she will know,” Xia’er said, “But I can use a special method to tell you half of the truth.”

“Please enlighten me, sir/madam,” Jiti bowed deeply, her heart filled with anxiety.

Secrets of the deeper layers of the Church… Can someone at her level really know?

Why is this person telling her?

Won’t she face some kind of punishment?

Or is there a compelling reason?

Just mentioning the name and the truth will make the other party know?

This sounds… like the Mother Goddess?

Is the other party a descendant or incarnation of some deity?

Fear of the unknown began to envelop Jiti’s heart. She was afraid to hear anything that might lead to her death, but she couldn’t ignore it.

“Originally, I wouldn’t have found you,” Xia’er said, looking at Jiti, whose head was buried deeply, “But this matter involves the Church’s plans, so I had to find you.”

“A mysterious intelligence organization has come to Borough City. Currently, only I and the Rossul family’s young mistress know of their arrival…” Xia’er paused, as if choosing her words carefully, then continued, “That organization has been disrupting the Church’s plans. I was sent to investigate it, and the Rossul family’s young mistress was unknowingly manipulated by that intelligence organization to do certain things…”

Is this… true?

A mysterious intelligence organization that constantly disrupts the Church’s plans is in Borough City?

She didn’t notice at all?!

A wave of guilt washed over Jiti, and she lowered her head even further.

No wonder her plans kept failing… It turns out she had ventured into areas beyond her understanding.

Suddenly, the person in front of Jiti took a sudden step back, hitting the bookshelf behind her, causing a few books to fall to the ground.

“Oh no… She heard our conversation… She knows again…”

The voice of the person in front of Jiti became urgent, and Jiti’s heart leaped.

The person did not lie… Without mentioning any names, the members of the intelligence organization somehow knew the content of their conversation!

“Quick! Jiti! Gather everyone in the Sanctuary!”

Xia’er turned around and opened the door, saying, “Bring everyone to the Sanctuary, even those who are not believers!”

“Sir/madam… this base…”

Jiti wanted to say more, but was interrupted directly.

“Gather everyone in the Sanctuary! Don’t make me repeat myself!”

Xia’er stepped hard on Jiti’s head, angrily saying, “All of you!”

“I want to… try calling the Mother Goddess inside the Sanctuary to counter her… Quick!”

“Remember to bring more high-level materials to the Sanctuary for the sacrifice!”

“Yes! Yes, sir/madam!”

Jiti felt her mind explode when she heard about summoning the Mother Goddess. She quickly pulled her head away from the person’s foot and rushed directly to the Underground Sanctuary, leaving no time to enjoy it.

Summoning the Mother Goddess…

The extreme excitement and frenzy of being stepped on and potentially seeing the Mother Goddess filled Jiti’s heart.

She would follow what the person said and gather everyone in the Underground Sanctuary!

Meanwhile, Xia’er, with disdain, lifted her right foot and rubbed the corner of the bookshelf with the sole of her shoe.

Without fighting, she gathered everyone…

Might as well try summoning directly.

If successful, it would give her leverage against that “Radiant Bishop”…

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