The group on the left was mostly dressed in shabby hemp clothes, their hands tightly clutching wooden crescent charms. Their expressions were a chaotic mix of fanaticism and fear.
The group on the right appeared far more respectable. Though they also wore clerical robes, theirs were made of silk. At the very front of this group stood a woman.
She wore an exquisitely crafted noble gown of dark red, embroidered with intricate gold-thread patterns. Even in the dim light of the lanterns, the fabric shimmered with an expensive luster that would make anyone gasp.
A necklace of massive black pearls hung around her neck, and she held a jeweled folding fan—luxuries that only the wealthiest nobles could afford.
Standing half a step behind her was a young girl with dazzling red hair, dressed in a tight-fitting maid’s uniform. The girl’s hand remained rested on the hilt of a sword at her waist.
“You bunch of idiots who do nothing but kowtow to a piece of broken glass all day! That lunatic Bennis took all the elite members to the wilderness to die! The New Moon Sect’s influence in Silvervein City is now nothing more than a pathetic empty shell!”
“If I hadn't used my family’s merchant funds to grease the palms of the City Patrol, do you think you’d still be able to hide down here like rats? Those iron-clad hyenas would have cleaned this place out long ago!”
“Lady Elizabeth, please watch your words! Bishop Bennis is merely missing. He would never be defeated so easily; he has mastered the...” A fanatic cultist on the left flushed red, shouting back in protest.
“Mastered what? Mastered how to turn into a pile of fertilizer under the full moon?” The noblewoman named Elizabeth cut him off ruthlessly, her folding fan snapping shut with a sharp crack.
“Stop deluding yourselves. The sect needs a new leader. I, Elizabeth, have contributed the most Gold Sun and possess the highest ritual mastery among the remaining members. It is only natural that I take over the bishop position left vacant by that fool Bennis.”
“Who is in favor? Who is against?”
The shouting in the theater instantly reached a fever pitch.
This chaotic scene made Modi, who had just emerged from the dark passage, frown deeply.
He gave Sophie an apologetic look before his form dissolved into shadows.
When he reappeared, he was standing in the center of the stage.
Modi slammed his iron-bottomed cane heavily against the wooden floor.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The dull, magically resonant strikes immediately drowned out the arguments.
“What is all this noise? The full moon has just passed, Elizabeth, Alvey! Are you already so impatient to tear each other’s throats out?” Modi’s face was grim.
The two factions, which had been at each other's throats moments ago, went silent instantly like ducks being grabbed by the neck the moment they saw Modi appear.
“The Bishop is here?” The leader of the cultists, a Mid-tier Cultist named Alvey, lowered his head and quickly tried to cover up. “We... we were just rehearsing a play. Yes, a play to celebrate the descent of the New Moon Lady. We weren't actually fighting.”
But someone clearly wasn't buying it.
“A play?” Elizabeth, the noblewoman, let out a cold laugh. “Modi, stop playing dumb. You know better than anyone what a mess the sect is in right now.”
She looked directly at Modi without hesitation, her chin slightly raised.
“Bennis is completely finished; there hasn't been a peep from his sacrificial ritual. Now, in this cursed kingdom, only I can provide enough funds to rebuild the prayer ritual arrays. As for ritual mastery, I consider myself the best among this group of misfits.”
Elizabeth’s eyes, lined with dark red eyeshadow, narrowed slightly.
“Give me one reason, Modi. Why shouldn't I replace Bennis and become the new Bishop?”
Silence filled the hall as everyone’s gaze fixed on Modi.
It seemed Modi didn't hold absolute power here.
Sophie observed silently from the side.
She could easily see that the New Moon cultists in the theater were divided into three factions.
One faction was Modi’s subordinates, who immediately went quiet and stood behind him once he arrived.
Another faction consisted of the nobles who provided funding for the New Moon Sect. This made sense; after all, maintaining a sect required a lot of money, and many nobles were willing to pay to employ a group of skilled casters.
The last faction was the low-level cultists who were still trying to summon Bennis’s spirit.
Bennis’s inner circle had been wiped out by Miaoyue along with him. Those left here certainly weren't the elites.
They were unaware that Bennis had already returned to the Silver Throne and were still trying to maintain his influence.
However, considering they were personally erased by Miaoyue, had these people really not received the news yet?
The New Moon Sect’s information network was truly slow.
Facing Elizabeth’s questioning, Modi took a deep breath.
He straightened his tattered robes.
“Lady Elizabeth, your financial strength is indeed impeccable, and I have seen your loyalty to the sect,” Modi said. “But when it comes to serving the gods, a mortal’s ‘mastery’ can never compare to a deity’s ‘blessing.’”
He took a step to the side, clearing the way and making a gesture of profound respect as if inviting someone forward.
“The reason I cannot grant you the position of Bishop is because today, I have found the most suitable candidate for the sect. I have found the miracle sent down by the Heavenly Mother—”
“The true Saintess of our sect.”
A gentle breeze of magic lifted Sophie, softly sweeping her onto the stage.
Sophie appeared right beside Modi.
“This is the new Bishop I have found for the sect, and the Saintess bestowed upon us by the Goddess!”
Modi announced loudly.
Hearing the word ‘Saintess,’ the cultists all showed expressions of shock.
Sophie lifted her skirt slightly and gave a small curtsy.
Although Modi hadn't discussed the bishop position with her, Sophie figured it out after a moment's thought.
This old geezer Modi doesn't want to give up the bishop position either.
She didn't know how many bishops were left in the New Moon Sect, but with Bennis gone, Modi’s influence had undoubtedly increased.
By propping up a newcomer like her, who had no power base, she would naturally be seen as part of Modi’s camp.
As for that noblewoman, Elizabeth...
She was probably looking to start a New New Moon Sect or a Second New Moon Sect.
This is where the level-up sound effect should play.
Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun~
Sophie didn't really care; she didn't plan on staying here for long anyway.
If anyone targeted her or made her unhappy, she would just call the Hero over.
“Hehehehe, her?”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes dismissively, lazily waving her folding fan. “A beggar in commoner’s clothes pulled off some street? Modi, has the Moon Goddess cast Feeblemind on you?”
While mocking him, she impatiently fixed her gaze on Sophie’s face, which was hidden behind a mask.
Sophie calmly looked up and met Elizabeth’s eyes.
Their gazes locked in the dim glow of the brass lanterns.
Elizabeth suddenly went silent.
One second.
Two seconds.
Sophie: ?
Elizabeth: ?
【Log: You are under bloodline suppression from a [Twelfth Generation Vampire]. You will undergo a Perception check; failure results in obeying the opponent's commands.】
【Log: You failed the Perception check. You are under the effect of [Bloodline Majesty] and must obey the opponent's commands.】
【Log: Unique Skill [Pure Lust] triggered. You are immune to [Bloodline Majesty].】
Sophie blinked.
Well, what do you know? A colleague.
And among colleagues, we’re all just looking out for each other, aren't we?
Rate on N.U.
