“An envoy from the Northern Territory? What do they want with me?” Celia blurted out instinctively.
Bishop Samuel paused. His cold gray eyes grew dim, lost in thought.
Ultimately, he shook his head with a self-deprecating chuckle and began to explain slowly:
“Saintess Celia, this world is actually not as simple as it seems. There exist powerful and bizarre extraordinary forces here...”
“This power is the product of gods establishing a connection with this world. More strictly speaking, all that is extraordinary and mysterious in this world is related to the gods.”
“For instance, since the Third Epoch, the anomaly of the red moon has often appeared in the sky. Another example is the dead city of Arcadia, discovered by some in the depths of the Silent Sea. Both bear genuine traces of the influence of divine power.”
As he spoke, Bishop Samuel glanced at Celia. Seeing her listening with rare focus, not even blinking, the bishop continued:
“Those who obtain these powers are what we call Beyonders. They walk different pathways, and those who walk the same pathways gradually gather, eventually forming various factions.”
“There are many such factions in our world, both official orthodox powers and hidden, secret organizations. Our Church of Life in Vytania, the High Tower Council of the Winter Empire in the Northern Territory, the Star Academy of Midgard at the continent's center, the Demon Hunters of the southwest, the Crafters' Association, the Secret Arcane Society... these are all public factions recognized by various nations.”
“As for secret organizations, I do not know much. The plague that once broke out in Leytin City and the blood-heart disease in the Northern Territory are related to certain cults.”
“Our Church of Life walks the Life pathway. I am a Rank Two Natural Contractor of the Life pathway, while the envoy from the High Tower Council I just mentioned is a Rank Three Elemental Mentor of the Elemental pathway, known to many as the Witch of Ice.”
The Witch of Ice... that must be the bad woman who pursued her clone earlier...
To think she was already a Rank Three Beyonder. No wonder her Rank One clone stood absolutely no chance against her, Celia mused silently.
But she quickly sensed something unusual. Why was the bishop suddenly bringing all this up out of nowhere?
“So, why are you telling me all this, Lord Bishop?”
You old fogey, you never explained anything about Beyonders to me before, which is why I died so confusingly the first time... Celia grumbled inwardly.
The bishop paused before saying, “Because next, that lady will guide you to become a Beyonder of the Elemental pathway—a Rank One Apprentice.”
Th-The Elemental pathway?!
Celia's eyes widened in utter disbelief.
“M-Me? But aren't I the Saintess of the Church of Life?!”
The Saintess of the Church of Life not walking the Life pathway...? What kind of international joke was this?!
Bishop Samuel turned his head to look at the statue of the Goddess not far away. After a long silence, he continued:
“This is an agreement I reached with that lady, because the pathway we walk is not entirely suitable for you... Well, perhaps it also contains some of my own selfish motives.”
He sighed softly and added, “Of course, this is not absolute. You can still choose to walk the Life pathway; we also possess the methods of advancement for it. Or, you can continue to be an ordinary person. But in that case, we would have to be much more careful with your protection, and the requests you made when you arrived might have to be voided.”
After speaking, the bishop turned slightly, hiding half of his face in the cross-shaped shadow cast by the high window, lost in his thoughts once more.
“Alright, Lord Bishop. I will consider it...” Celia replied.
Sigh, what a sentimental old fogey. And he talks in riddles, too...
Watching Celia's departing figure, Bishop Samuel raised a hand to cover his mouth and coughed softly twice. Looking down, he saw a few drops of dark green blood on his palm.
...
Leaving the cathedral, Celia made her way to the church's monastery according to the directions Bishop Samuel had given her.
Following the guiding monk, Celia walked through the cloister and was led into a parlor.
Pushing open the door, she found the room very simply furnished. In her line of sight were a wooden table, a few chairs, and a wooden crucifix on the wall.
Celia spotted a woman with ice-blue hair sitting on a chair, dressed in a white robe with silver patterns. Her eyes were cold, resembling icy stars.
Beside her stood a woman in an ink-black dress. Her dark purple hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and a faint, playful smile constantly lingered at the corners of her lips.
Upon seeing Celia, the purple-haired woman waved first, then trotted over with a smile:
“Hey, little sister, are you the Saintess of the Church of Life?”
As she spoke, she reached out, ruffled Celia's hair, and measured her height against her own.
“Oh my gosh, you're so tiny! You must be pretty young, right?”
Completely oblivious to the metaphorical dark lines on Celia's forehead, the purple-haired woman continued to talk to herself:
“Oh dear, they actually employ child labor here in Vytania? Even though it's not illegal back in our Northern Territory, how could they do this! Especially to such a cute little girl! Hmph, if I find out who did this, I'll definitely blow them to smithereens with a cannon, then kidnap you back to be my hand-wa... cough, I mean, take you to the High Tower to study!”
Hearing the purple-haired woman's words, Celia froze. After a long moment, her delicate little face turned from pale to red, followed closely by a wave of disdain.
Taking a step back in disgust, she pretended to be obedient and replied:
“Um, yes, big sister. I'm Celia.”
Her voice was soft and sweet, very pleasant to the ear.
“Wow, so cute!”
The purple-haired woman wanted to leap forward and pull her into a tight hug, but a cold female voice suddenly rang out from behind her:
“Camilla, mind your manners.”
“Tsk...” Clicking her tongue, Camilla replied in a sarcastic tone, “Fine, fine, my lady. Whatever you say.”
Reluctantly withdrawing her hands, she returned to the blue-haired woman's side. After finding a chair and sitting down, she said softly:
“You sit too, little sister.”
Celia sat down as well, choosing a spot far away from Camilla. She placed both hands on her knees, looking somewhat constrained.
Just as she settled in, she looked up and locked eyes with Camilla's smiling gaze, feeling a sudden chill run down her spine.
This possessive look, this creepy smile...
Hiss...
This girl... she's definitely into girls.
In her heart, Celia silently labeled her a lesbian.
At that moment, the blue-haired woman stood up, her cold gaze landing squarely on Celia.
“Are you the Saintess the bishop spoke of?”
“Um, yes...”
Unsettled by that icy gaze, Celia's voice grew noticeably weaker.
Seeing this, Camilla couldn't sit still again. She said testily:
“Hey, Ignis, you're scaring her! I warned you before we came to be gentle, be gentle... Ah, how many times do I have to say it? You don't have any girls who like you precisely because you keep a straight face all day...”
But before she could finish, Camilla was instantly interrupted.
“Shut up,” the blue-haired woman said coldly.
“Uh, fine...”
Camilla shrank back. Seeing that persuasion didn't work, she stealthily dragged her chair closer to Celia, leaned in, and whispered in her ear:
“Don't be scared, little sister. She's actually a very good person, just looks a bit fierce. But don't worry, as long as I'm here, she won't be able to bully you!”
“Um, thank you...”
You being like this makes me even more scared...
Celia instinctively nudged herself a bit further away.
Realizing that she might indeed have frightened the girl, Ignis softened her tone slightly:
“Saintess Celia, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Ignis, a Rank Three of the Elemental pathway. Bishop Samuel should have introduced me. The one beside me is Camilla, a Rank One Astrologer of the Destiny pathway. She is proficient in cold weapons, skilled with cannons, and knows some funeral rites.”
“Also arcane arts, forging, and I know a bit of elemental magic too!” Camilla chimed in.
Celia listened, dumbfounded.
No, wait, big sister, are you Astrologers really this fierce?
Some of you know how to kill and bury people, some can use weapons and cannons, and you even know all sorts of bizarre crafts.
Ignis ignored Celia's bewildered expression. She glared at Camilla, seemingly warning her not to interrupt, and then continued:
“Our mission this time is to help you increase your strength as quickly as possible to cope with the Abyssal Order's assassination attempts and contamination. During this period, as long as you do not run off on your own, we will do our best to ensure your safety. This is also within the scope of my agreement with the bishop.”
“However, our time is limited, and we won't stay in Leytin City for too long. So please make haste. Of course, you can also choose to leave with us afterward; that way, you will be safe.”
Forget about leaving with you. Who knows when my identity might be discovered and I'll be executed on the spot.
As for the protection they spoke of, she didn't know what form it would take or if it would interfere with her going out to snatch spiritual items.
Amidst her thoughts, she suddenly realized something rather eerie.
“Wait, did you say the Abyssal Order's assassination attempts?”
How did they know the Abyssal Order wanted to assassinate her?
Ignis glanced at her and explained:
“The Abyssal Order is a secret organization of the Demon pathway. They worship the Demon King and believe that the existence of the gods continuously suppresses the power of the Abyss. Only by completely corrupting or destroying the gods can their king truly awaken.”
“As for the assassination, it is not difficult to deduce. Three years ago, a plague broke out in Leytin City. This event is recorded in the High Tower's archives and involved two major secret organizations: the Blood Order and the Abyssal Order.”
“At that time, the Abyssal Order wanted to use the plague to allow the Witch of Flame to complete her Rank Five advancement ritual, while simultaneously eliminating a high-ranking Beyonder of the Church of Life, Saintess Isariel. Meanwhile, the Blood Order required a large-scale slaughter to please their Mother Goddess, so the two factions reached a cooperation.”
“Of course, all of this ended with the fall of the Witch of Flame.”
“The Abyssal Order's motive for assassinating Saintess Isariel is also easy to guess. Holy blood bestowed by the deity flows within a Saintess. If a Saintess dies or is contaminated, the deity's power weakens. Thus, the Abyssal Order wanted to seize the opportunity to weaken the Goddess of Life, whom your church worships.”
“Although killing or contaminating believers can also affect the Goddess to some extent, the influence of an ordinary believer is truly negligible. Moreover, it is difficult for them to expand such a scale continuously, because as soon as any signs appear, the various orthodox factions will step in to stop it. By comparison, directly eliminating the Saintess is far more effective.”
“Why do we say they might repeat their old tricks? Because just a few hours ago, we discovered traces of Blood Order activity at an underground exchange, along with some dead rats. Those rats had remnants of curses and abyssal aura inside them, which is exactly the same method as last time.”
“All signs point to the high probability that the two major orders are about to make a comeback.”
Rate on N.U.
