Li Yuan chuckled and slowly reached into the inner pocket of his coat with a composed motion. When he withdrew his hand, it held a palm-sized metal token.
The token emitted a heavy, dark gold luster. Engraved on the front was the exclusive crest of the Imperial Family—a soaring eagle with three stars beneath its talons.
Below the crest was a line of small silver characters, bearing Li Yuan’s name and his position as an Inquisitor. In the top-left corner, a magic imprint was embedded, its patterns intricate and complex, emitting a stable and clear mana fluctuation.
The difficulty of this imprint did not lie in its shape, but in the distinct personal brand within the mana it radiated. This was a special anti-counterfeit mark that only a Heroic Spirit rank mage could produce, and each mark was unique and impossible to replicate.
The female Inquisitor’s movements instantly froze. She stared at the token for several seconds before her fingers slowly released the hilt of her sword. The male Inquisitor’s expression also became nuanced, tinged with awkward surprise.
“This imprint—” The female Inquisitor’s tone became significantly more cautious. “It is indeed the Imperial Family’s exclusive Heroic Spirit rank anti-counterfeit mark. It cannot be faked.”
The male Inquisitor also moved his hand away from his sword hilt and took a step forward, placing his right hand over his chest and bowing slightly toward Li Yuan.
“Forgive us. We have offended you. Please, sir, accept our apologies.”
The female Inquisitor followed suit and bowed. Her ears turned slightly red, clearly embarrassed by her previous attitude.
Li Yuan tucked the token back into his inner pocket. In reality, it was a forgery he had copied on the fly using his Divine Sense to scan their belongings just moments ago. The shape, the crest, and the mana fluctuations of the imprint were all replicated flawlessly. It would dissipate on its own before long, but it was enough to prove his identity for now.
“It’s fine. Such a reaction is only natural.” He waved them off, his tone returning to its usual gentleness. “How should I address the two of you?”
The female Inquisitor was the first to give her name. “Vina Selen, Inquisitor of the Seventh Court of the Imperial Inquisition.” She pointed to her companion. “This is Baron Grayer, our squad leader for this mission.”
The tall warrior named Baron nodded to Li Yuan again. His previous cold, business-like expression had faded, replaced by a respectful stiffness.
Mokotoba stood to the side, still looking a bit dazed, but he could tell the tension had dissipated. He stood there for a moment before bowing to the three of them as if he had made a final decision.
“I won’t disturb your business, my lords. Regarding my sister... I leave her in your hands.”
Li Yuan nodded to him. Mokotoba bowed once more, turned, and quickly disappeared into the depths of the alley. Once he was far away, Li Yuan turned back to the two of them.
“How did you end up with him?”
Baron explained, “We were ordered by the Chief Inquisitor to investigate the case of the deaths of the festival maidens. We’ve only been in the City of Divine Grace for three days and have been conducting our investigation on the outskirts. We noticed this boy wandering near the temple frequently, and since his behavior was unusual, we brought him in for questioning. Only then did we learn that there was another Imperial colleague here, and one who arrived even earlier than us.” He paused, a look of apology surfacing again. “About what happened just now, I truly am sorry.”
“Just a misunderstanding, no harm done.” Li Yuan glanced at the sky and tilted his chin toward them. “Let’s find a quiet place to talk. Since you’re also here to investigate this matter, we can share some intelligence.”
Vina nodded and pointed toward the east side of Lightseeker Avenue. “We’ve rented a small warehouse from a merchant guild over there. It’s quiet and there aren't many people.”
The three of them crossed several alleys and arrived at a drab, two-story brick building. From the outside, it looked like any other merchant warehouse, but the inside had been temporarily tidied up. A few empty wooden crates were stacked against the wall, and a rough wooden table with several chairs sat in the center.
A hand-drawn map of the City of Divine Grace was spread across the table, with four or five locations circled in red ink—all of them branch temples or altars.
Baron bolted the door while Vina lit an oil lamp on the table. The three sat down, and Li Yuan spoke first.
“My investigation has focused on the interior of the temple. I’ve made some progress, but I’m not at liberty to disclose the specific details yet—some things can only be finally confirmed on the day of the festival.”
This was a mix of truth and lies. He had indeed discovered much about the temple’s interior, but even if he explained the parts involving evil cultivators and the spatial pocket, these two wouldn't be able to comprehend them. It was better to be vague, neither lying nor revealing everything.
Upon hearing this, Baron and Vina’s expressions darkened. Vina flipped through several parchment sheets on the table and sighed. “To be honest, our situation is much worse. We’ve spoken to the families of four or five whistleblowers over the last few days, and what we’ve gathered is basically the same as what Mokotoba said—those girls essentially died shortly after participating in the festival. The temple has been evasive, acting as if they know nothing. Beyond that, there are almost no new leads.”
Baron added, “The temple has independent defense rights and privileges that exempt them from Imperial law. Without a search warrant, we can’t enter the temple or contact the priests. We stood outside a branch temple yesterday for a while but were blocked by several guards. In the end, we couldn't get in.”
He shook his head, his expression helpless.
After listening, Li Yuan leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment. Although the information these two brought wasn't much, their identities were valuable in themselves—official investigators from the Imperial Inquisition representing the Empire’s formal stance. No matter how autonomous the temple was, it was still an institution within the Empire’s borders; openly defying an Imperial investigation was a different matter entirely.
This could be put to good use.
“I have a plan.” Li Yuan leaned forward slightly, resting his interlaced hands on the table. “Instead of continuing to circle the outskirts, it would be better to take the initiative and intervene during tomorrow’s festival.”
Baron and Vina both looked at him as he continued.
“A new spokesperson will be chosen during the festival to act as a medium for the so-called delivery of the divine oracle. Publicly, it’s claimed to be the will of the God of Light, but based on what I’ve gathered, the true purpose of this ritual is far from simple. If the ritual is allowed to proceed, that girl likely won't survive past tomorrow night.”
Vina and Baron’s expressions changed slightly as they silently waited for Li Yuan’s next words.
“I plan to publicly interrupt the ritual midway through the festival in the name of the Imperial Inquisition and take the girl away,” Li Yuan said in his usual unhurried tone. “The Adjudicators you brought can be responsible for maintaining order on the perimeter to prevent a riot among the believers.”
Baron was silent for a few seconds before speaking in a low voice. “Sir, there are only ten of us in total. Aside from Vina and myself, who are Rank 7 warriors, the other eight Adjudicators are Rank 5 on average. Among them are two assassins, two fire mages, and four knights. However, the temple guards number over two hundred, with at least ten high-level guards. The disparity in strength is vast; the chances of winning a direct confrontation are slim. And...”
He paused, seemingly weighing his words.
“And if we really start a fight at the festival site and cause civilian casualties, the few of us won't be able to handle the consequences when we return.”
Li Yuan looked at him and smiled. “You don't need to worry about that. His Majesty has granted me full command over this operation, including the authority to take compulsory measures against the temple. I am now giving you new orders—from this moment on, the objective has changed to executing a forced intervention at the festival site, with the priority being the rescue of the chosen girl.”
“Since it is a direct order from His Majesty, we have no objections,” Baron answered straightforwardly.
“Very well.” Li Yuan tapped a finger on the Central Plaza on the map. “Gather your people tonight. Divide the Adjudicators into two groups. One group will be on the perimeter of the plaza to evacuate civilians; once the fighting starts, lead the crowd away. The other group will follow you into the temple to tie down the priests and guards.”
Vina thought for a moment and asked, “Sir, they are the temple after all. For our Imperial Inquisition to directly interfere—”
“That’s exactly why we must act during the festival,” Li Yuan looked at her. “By publicly taking the person away on the grounds of a criminal investigation, if they back down out of guilt, we rescue the girl and the mission is a success. But if they forcibly obstruct us, they are essentially admitting in public that there is something wrong with the festival... After all, the divine oracles of the God of Light never said the spokesperson couldn't be replaced, right? Regardless of the outcome, we hold the initiative.”
After listening, Baron was silent for a few seconds before slowly nodding. Vina also wore an expression of realization.
“You two can decide on the remaining details. Baron will be in charge of the specific personnel deployment, and Vina will handle communicating the action plan to the Adjudicators.” Li Yuan stood up and straightened his sleeves. “Before the festival begins tomorrow, I’ll meet you at your base.”
“Understood,” Baron and Vina answered in unison.
Li Yuan nodded to them, pushed open the warehouse door, and walked out.
The sky had completely darkened. The magic lamps on both sides of Lightseeker Avenue lit up one by one, bathing the street in a faint white glow. In the distance, the melody of rehearsing hymns drifted over from the main temple, intermittent on the evening breeze.
He walked slowly back along the street, having already calculated his next move.
The people Vina and Baron brought were certainly not meant to deal with that ‘Envoy.’ They might barely hold their own against the temple guards for a while, but against the entity behind the scenes—whose depth even Li Yuan couldn't fully gauge—they were clearly insufficient.
But this was an overt move.
An Imperial Inquisitor publicly interrupting a ritual and taking away the spokesperson—the temple would have only two choices. Either they accept it and let the Imperial people take the girl, ruining the festival; or they resist, leading to a direct confrontation between the temple guards and the Imperial Adjudicators, escalating the situation into an open standoff.
If someone was indeed hidden behind the High Priest, they would certainly not want to see either of those outcomes. While he didn't know the exact role this ‘spokesperson’ played in the festival, there was no doubt she was essential.
And the sudden appearance of a group of professionals from the Imperial Inquisition at the festival site, questioning the legitimacy of the spokesperson in front of the entire city’s believers—this would undoubtedly signal that the Empire’s officials had their eyes on the City of Divine Grace.
When that happened, it would inevitably cause a shock to both the believers and the temple. Once the situation began to spiral out of control, it was unlikely that the person hiding behind the scenes would continue to stand by.
Of course, the other party might not show themselves at all, continuing to hide like a turtle and letting the High Priest and these Imperial visitors handle things themselves. Baron and Vina might not be the strongest combatants, but their status as Imperial Inquisitors was the best protective charm.
The temple could play tricks in the shadows, but once they openly attacked Imperial investigators in front of everyone, it would no longer be a simple friction between divine and imperial power, but a declaration of war against the entire Empire.
At that point, the temple would be caught in a dilemma, and the collection of faith and vow power would certainly be impacted. No matter how it played out, Li Yuan wouldn't lose.
By bringing the conflict between the temple and the Empire into the light, he was forcing the other side to make a choice. As long as that person dared to show their head, Baron and the others would no longer be needed.
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