The sound of light footsteps echoed through the deep, quiet corridor. Leonard glanced at Archbishop Randolph Carter, who was at the very front, and couldn't help but lower his voice to whisper:
"I always feel like His Grace, the Eye of the Goddess, is deliberately hiding something from us…"
Daly, dressed in a black hooded robe with blue eyeshadow and blush, giving her an exotic and cold beauty, shot Leonard a look as if he were an idiot.
Some things are better left unsaid, everyone understands them in their hearts. If you insist on speaking them aloud, do you really think that at such a close distance, a demigod's spiritual perception wouldn't notice?
Stopping the chuckle that rose to her throat, Daly pursed her lips:
"That's not something we should be concerned about. All I want to know now is where Ince Zangwill is hiding after escaping to the Southern Continent!"
As the two exchanged words, Archbishop Randolph Carter, who was walking at the very front, stopped.
A middle-aged man in a bishop's robe drew a Crimson Moon on his chest and respectfully said:
"Praise the Goddess, Your Grace, please follow me. The sealing process has been lifted, and that Grade 1 Sealed Artifact can now be awakened."
Randolph Carter nodded and said in a deep voice to Leonard and the other Red Gloves team members:
"Rest up quickly. Once we borrow this Sealed Artifact, we will continue our journey."
He then followed the bishop around the corner and walked towards the even deeper underground.
Even without the Archbishop leading the way, the elite Red Gloves team, all of whom were Mid-sequence Beyonders, received extremely high-level treatment. After leaving the core area, many clergy members voluntarily stepped aside to make way.
Daly, who was contemplating how to earn merits to exchange for the opportunity to advance to Gatekeeper, inadvertently glanced at a middle-aged gentleman passing by, and her expression suddenly became dazed.
Under Leonard's somewhat puzzled gaze, Daly suddenly turned her head, savoring the familiar feeling that permeated her soul, but the place she looked at was empty.
Leaning against the wooden door of the prayer room, Dunn slowly sat down. After a long while, the corners of his mouth slightly curved up, and he silently uttered a sentence:
"Long time no see…"
At this moment, the last bit of the Soul Assurer potion that had bothered him for a long time was finally completely digested.
-----------------
In the vast and silent hall, the Eye of the Goddess, Ilya, no longer had the calm expression she had before. She stood up and bowed respectfully, which was the most basic respect for an Grounded Angel:
"Good afternoon, Honored Sir. Are you here for Ince Zangwill?"
Aaron withdrew his gaze from the huge Dark Sacred Emblem, smiled, and waved his hand, instructing:
"Ince Zangwill's matter has its own arrangements. My visit to the Southern Continent this time must be kept secret for now. I came to find you proactively this time mainly for two things."
"Firstly, I just brought a large army of undead. You might have sensed it just now. I specifically informed the Church to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings."
"Secondly, I hope to obtain information from the Church regarding the Numinous Episcopate's various hidden strongholds in East Balam. I plan to carry out a secret cleanup."
A look of understanding flashed across Ilya's face. In the Darkness surging behind her, specks of starlight appeared, solidifying and flying into Aaron's hand.
"The remaining Death faith in the native areas of East Balam is still deeply entrenched, especially among the native rebel forces, almost all of whom have received funding from the Numinous Episcopate."
"This is the intelligence continuously collected by the Church's embedded informants over the years. Do you need me to send people to act together?"
With a slight sweep of his spirituality, the information contained within the starlight quickly appeared in his mind. Aaron nodded in satisfaction and chuckled:
"That won't be necessary. I will make it appear as an internal conflict within the Numinous Episcopate, which will also make it easier to take over those rebel forces secretly believing in Death."
"Additionally, I brought a Soul Assurer who is about to advance. You should still have a spare Spirit Warlock characteristic here. After he advances, he will be responsible for the secret contact between the undead army and the Church."
Ilya nodded respectfully. After Aaron's figure completely disappeared, she slightly raised her hand, and a subtle fluctuation immediately spread outwards.
A moment later, a woman in a clerical robe respectfully emerged from the shadows, holding a crystal that resembled a heart, deep black in colour, and covered in pores:
"Your Grace, the Eye of the Goddess, in accordance with your wishes, the special application to borrow the Grade 1 Sealed Artifact has been sent to the Cathedral, and the Spirit Warlock characteristic has also been retrieved."
Ilya nodded calmly, picked up the characteristic, and looked towards a certain prayer room, following the sensation.
-----------------
The afterglow of dusk sprinkled on the sea. A whale-shaped undead creature slowly moved forward, breaking through the wind and waves.
On its wide back, Azik, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, seemed to sense something. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at Klein, who had been unconscious for two days.
As if he had experienced a long dream, Klein, who had regained control of his body from the endless depressive sounds, struggled to get up. He muttered to himself with some confusion and lingering fear:
"I, I lost control?"
As he spoke, he weakly pinched his glabella. The double vision in front of his eyes still hadn't fully returned to normal, and he could vaguely see a brilliant Door stained with a hint of dark green.
After repeatedly confirming that Klein had no major problems after waking up, Azik's tightly furrowed brows quietly relaxed, and he smiled, shaking his head.
Meeting Klein's somewhat puzzled gaze, Azik did not hide anything and simply repeated what "Orange Light" Hillarion had said.
Hearing that Amon had almost tracked him down while he was unconscious, Klein nearly jumped up, but quickly restrained the impulse and noticed a shriveled corpse lying beside him.
This was Turanich von Helmosuin!
Klein, who had been a detective in Backlund for a period, recognized this great scientist, who was wanted by the Loen Kingdom, at a glance. He never expected him to be the real-world incarnation of "Orange Light" Hillarion.
Is this the blessing of the Seven Lights of the Spirit World?
Klein carefully looked at the colorful halo encircling the four black dots on the back of his right hand. Finding nothing, he simply stopped bothering with it, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to feel the changes brought about by advancing to Marionettist.
After a long while, Klein opened his eyes with a strange expression. With such a bizarre ability, Rosago back then had completely lost the prestige of a Marionettist.
After muttering to himself, Klein took a deep breath and looked at Azik, respectfully asking:
"Respected Mr. Azik, what are your plans next?"
Manipulating the giant whale beneath his feet to change direction, Azik smiled and pointed to the faint outline of an island on the distant horizon:
"First, I'll find an island to bury his bones. Once your spirituality is completely stable, I will continue my journey to search for my lost memories."