OBS Chapter 204 The Blasphemy Card—The Witch, the Sanctuary's Examination
Chapter 204 The Blasphemy Card—The Witch, the Sanctuary's Examination
Chapter 204 The Blasphemy Card—The Witch, the Sanctuary's Examination
Bernadette, who had just arrived at the docks, frowned as she looked at the letter in her hand, feeling that she understood Carl Woodward less and less.
At Ms. Amanda's extraordinary party, Evan exchanged contact information with Bernadette, giving her the name "Carl Woodward" and the mailing address "MI9".
Bernadette was well aware that the recipient's name written to MI9 was probably an "alias" rather than a real name, but as a "spy" who was very good at controlling her thirst for knowledge, Bernadette would not deliberately try to find out relevant information unless Evan confessed it himself.
After all, Evan is capable of mastering many high-sequence matters, which is definitely extraordinary. If you can avoid overstepping the bounds, you shouldn't do it, otherwise you might end up with nothing.
The fact that Evan took the initiative to arrange a meeting with him through a messenger today shows that Evan trusts her and doesn't care that she knows his identity. If she investigates Evan's identity again, it will not cause any possible resentment.
Bernadette had no choice but to be so cautious, because this face-to-face conversation with Evan, even without deliberately probing,
Her voyeuristic eye also saw something unusual in Evan; otherwise, merely investigating the source of her earlier premonition of danger would not have caused her such serious injury.
The "Master of Prophecy" sequence in Sequence 3 of the "Hidden Seeker" pathway is a sequence that can directly see the course of the river of fate and is very wary and experienced of the backlash of fate.
With the added blessing of the same '0' level seal artifact, Bernadette was not seriously injured and her eyes bled even after only a brief observation.
In the instant she finished observing the River of Fate, Bernadette caught a fleeting glimpse of a mysterious, phantom image on Evan's body.
When she looked again involuntarily, she felt a fierce erosion emanating from Evan. This erosion was extremely intense, and if she hadn't reacted quickly, and if it weren't for the interference and protection of the "Sage's Forehead Ornament," she might have been contaminated at that time.
In order to uncover the truth behind her father's death and find a way to resurrect the Black Emperor, Bernadette once voluntarily removed her protection, listened to the deadly words of the hidden sage, and received a vast amount of knowledge.
She compared the corruption she sensed from Evan with the words of the Hidden Sage and felt that the corruption from Evan was more deadly, which made Bernadette even more curious and wary of Evan.
But this very person whom I take seriously doesn't care about the formula and materials of his own path, but instead cares about the things of the neighboring witch's path.
Both the extraordinary characteristics of the "Witch of Pain" that he mentioned before, and the blasphemous cards of the "Witch" path that he is now asking about, were beyond Bernadette's expectations.
Bernadette is over a hundred years old and has seen all sorts of things, but she still harbors some unease about the "hunter" who takes the initiative to approach and understand the affairs of the "witch".
But no matter what she thought, she still had to reply to the letter. If Evan asked her about other things, Bernadette might not know the answer, but if he asked about the blasphemous card of the "Witch" pathway, she would actually know the answer.
Bernadette slammed her hand on the table, and the pen on the table suddenly jumped up and scribbled something on the paper, as if it were being held by an invisible hand. Before long, it had written a letter according to her wishes, and then the letter disappeared again.
After mailing the letter, Bernadette went to the window and looked down at the port, which was bustling even at night.
He gazed at Lanius, who lived in the union compound, hidden behind layers of buildings.
Seeing that he was currently in a lucid state, using his identity as the vessel of the true creator god, he was lashing out at the Aurora Society members beside him to mask his growing panic, while muttering to himself:
"It will take no more than three days for the Augustus family to take action to expel Ouroles."
"It's almost time. The day I'm promoted to angel is fast approaching. Then I'll be even more qualified and powerful to investigate matters concerning the 'Black Emperor.'"
Bernadette stared blankly at the glass in front of her, as if many happy scenes of her and her father together from years past were appearing on her reflection.
"The Blasphemous Token of the Witch Path is not in the hands of the Witch Cult or the Gnostic Society, but in the hands of the Evanhorn family of the Fussac Empire."
Was it given as a gift by Roselle when he was still alive, to the prince who was then serving as the ambassador of the Fussac Empire to the Intis Empire?
Hiss—sending a witch's formula to the Einhorn family, who possess the "Hunter" pathway! Roselle's twisted sense of humor is truly something else!
I remember that Rosell defeated the multinational coalition led by the Fussac Empire before he was able to conquer Remenberg, Maximiliana, and...
The inclusion of countries like Segal under their protection ultimately contributed to the prestige of the Intis Empire. To this day, the powerful "royalist faction" of the Roselle dynasty still dominates the Intis political arena, precisely because Roselle brought unprecedented honor to Intis and elevated it to unprecedented heights.
At the time, the royal families of all the countries had their kings personally attend the coronation ceremony of Roselle, and all the countries of the Northern Continent recognized the fact that Intis had become an "empire".
It's undeniable; Rosell had defeated the allied forces and declared that any king who didn't come was disrespecting him.
He would spare other countries and focus all his efforts on destroying those that embarrassed him.
This kind of "emperor" title is far superior to the so-called "Bairan Emperor" title of the Kingdom of Rune. In any case, ever since George III shamelessly donned the title of "Bairan Emperor," no country in the Northern Continent has recognized the Kingdom of Rune as an "empire."
Even within the Kingdom of Rune, most people simply refer to themselves as the Kingdom and never as the "Empire."
From this perspective, it was inherently difficult for George III to prepare for the initiation ceremony of the "Black Emperor."
In other words, Intis is now a republic; otherwise, if anyone dared to wear the "Emperor" title left by Roselle,
Back then, those who reluctantly acknowledged Intis as part of the "Empire" were determined to first join forces to destroy him.
"Who exactly is Roselle targeting by giving this card to the Einhorn family, who control the 'Hunter' pathway? Is it the Einhorn family? Or the 'Witch Cult'?"
For a moment, Evan couldn't figure out what Rosell was trying to achieve with his actions, or whether he was just trying to satisfy his own perverse sense of humor.
"We should investigate later to find out who Prince Fussac was who served as the ambassador to Intis back then."
"But no matter who it is, it's better than falling into the hands of the Witch Cult and the Gnostic Society. This gives me another way to find high-sequence recipes for the Witch Path, so overall it's a great thing!"
Having resolved so many matters at once today, Evan was exceptionally happy and in a very pleasant mood. After dealing with the atmosphere of the ceremony in the apartment once more, he realized it was already quite late, so he changed his clothes and prepared to stay in the apartment for the night.
Tingen, Blackthorn Security, Dunn Smith's office.
Klein is being examined by the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is shocked and takes seriously the fact that all the Night Watchers in a city know about the "playing method," and has even sent two high-ranking deacons to examine him.
"You said you discovered the potion recipe for the Seer's Path Sequence 8 'The Clown' during your previous mission, and then, with the help of your friends in Backlund, you collected the necessary materials, so you successfully leveled up a few days ago?"
A man dressed in a black trench coat and white shirt, who looked to be only in his thirties, sat opposite Klein and asked.
The man had short, golden-brown hair and dark green eyes that resembled a moonless lake at midnight, giving people a sense of inner peace. He was very handsome, but he liked to hide his chin in the shadow of the high collar of his trench coat and shirt.
"Yes, Lady Cecima! I swear to the goddess! I have not uttered a single lie!"
Klein was quite frank, after all, he obtained the 'Clown' potion recipe with the tacit approval of his captain and teammates.
The relevant materials were all obtained through a transaction facilitated by Evan, and everything is verifiable. Evan is also willing to vouch for him; he truly did not tell a single lie and spoke only the truth, only selectively concealing certain information.
"Is your friend also an extraordinary being? What's his name?"
Lord Cecima was very satisfied with Klein's honest attitude, but he did not give up asking questions. It was a matter that Night Watchers had to be strictly investigated to promote themselves based on their own resources, let alone a member who could summarize his own "playing method" and was willing to selflessly tell his teammates.
Extraordinary individuals who are overly eager for universal ascension are easily seduced by secret organizations, thus going astray and towards extremism. The defecting Archbishop Ince Zangwell is a prime example.
However, Cecima admired Klein's act of sharing his potion digestion experience with his teammates. This at least showed that Klein was not a selfish person, and she believed that he would become a pillar of the church sooner or later, not to mention the church's subtle attitude towards extraordinary individuals with the "Diviner" pathway.
This was precisely because he greatly admired Klein, so he strived for the utmost thoroughness and meticulousness in his examination of Klein.
"He was my classmate at Hoy University, Evan Horn!"
Upon hearing the name, Cecima's eyes widened instantly, her dark green, lake-like eyes becoming turbulent.
He quickly asked:
"That Evan Horn from the Earl of Akhova's mansion? The younger brother of Congressman Robert Horn?"
Klein was also taken aback by Cecima's reaction, but when he thought of what he had heard recently about Evan's success within MI9 and his being even granted the title of baron for his merits, he understood and quickly nodded to indicate that it was him.
Having received a definite answer, Cecima nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Klein and couldn't help but ask:
"Your 'role-playing' method—never mind, I won't delve into that. Just do as I say!"
Klein was a little confused by Lord Cecima's reaction, but since he didn't pursue the matter further, Klein, who was already feeling somewhat guilty, was happy to accept it.
As Cecima opened the silver-white box she carried with her and took out the sacred relic—the Bone Sword—she swore an oath to Klein with her bow, while recalling the message she had received from Backlund.
Upon receiving a message from Archbishop Anthony of Backlund, the Church of Tranquility learned that the Goddess had a chosen one, and one who was a chosen one of the "Hunter" pathway.
It wasn't the "Sleepless" pathway, nor the "Acceptor" pathway, nor even the "Warrior" pathway, but the "Hunter" pathway. The subtlety of this made the entire high-ranking members of the Tranquil Church feel a chill, after all, they weren't a special church of the Earth Mother Goddess that specifically accepted extraordinary individuals whose pathways weren't adjacent.
After discussions at the Divine Conference, coupled with the series of assassinations in Backlund, everyone agreed that the world situation was about to change drastically, and the whole world would enter a period of turmoil. That's why the Goddess was dedicated to cultivating extraordinary individuals with the "Hunter" pathway who would be exceptionally powerful in times of chaos.
Having heard that Klein and Evan Horn were close classmates, Cecima, combining the conclusions of the previous meeting with his own knowledge, couldn't help but speculate:
Could Klein's acting techniques have been taught by Evan? Is he preparing for his future path by passing on these "acting techniques" in advance to establish his own loyal followers?
If that's really the case, then the question of why the Tingen Night Watch squad was able to collectively learn the "acting method" cannot be investigated further.
Some things can be done but not said. Since it is the goddess's chosen ones who are taking advantage of the loopholes, the church has a responsibility to cover it up, or at least pretend not to know.
After all, it is a consensus among the seven major churches of the true god that the practice of role-playing should not be spread. If this matter is investigated in depth and something is found out, and other churches find out, wouldn't that be shooting ourselves in the foot?
Thinking of this, Cecima felt a little sour. He had become one of the three senior deacons of the "Red Gloves" before he was forty years old, and one of the 22 members of the Divine Council. He had a bright future and was favored by the goddess. He was recognized as the most handsome guy in the Church of the Night.
Unexpectedly, not many years later, the goddess had a new favorite. The good news is that this favorite is an extraordinary one who has passed the "Hunter" pathway and will most likely not return to the church.
The bad news is that the goddess dotes on him too much, and has informed him in advance about the ritual for advancing to a higher sequence through the hunter path. She even went so far as to violate the agreement of the Church of the Seven Gods, allowing him to make preparations within the church in advance, opening a back door for him. Now she expects him to clean up his mess.
Thinking about this, Cecima felt a sense of the impermanence of life, and her heart was filled with endless melancholy. She couldn't help but want to shout: I was here first!
Klein didn't understand why the senior deacon in front of him had suddenly changed his aura. He just felt that the deacon had suddenly become somewhat melancholy, but he didn't think too much about it. He still obediently placed his hand on the white bone sword and followed Cecima in swearing an oath to the goddess in Hermes.
As he swore the oath, Klein vaguely felt that he had established a subtle connection with some being in the infinite distance through the white bone sword, and his heart was pounding in his chest.
After all, he wasn't a novice in the mysticism world anymore, and he was very worried that the gray mist on his body would be discovered by the Goddess of the Night, thus exposing his biggest secret—his identity as a transmigrator.
Fortunately, nothing unusual was discovered until the end, as if the goddess hadn't paid special attention to the oath. "Alright, you've passed the sanctuary's test. I need to check on the others; you can leave now."
"Here, take this."
After Klein finished taking the oath, Cecima took a pen from Captain Dunn's desk, scribbled on a piece of paper, and then handed it to Klein.
Klein looked puzzled, but after taking a look, he realized that it was actually the potion recipe for the 'Magician' pathway, Sequence 7 of the 'Occupy the Next House' route.
Seeing Klein looking somewhat bewildered, Cecima smiled calmly. Generally speaking, an extraordinary person who can summarize the method of acting will become the backbone of the church in the future. After they pass the church's test, the church will give them some benefits. Firstly, it is to bestow grace, and secondly, it is to shorten the time for them to accumulate merits for promotion. After all, talented people are rare.
Cecima originally brought Klein the materials for the "Clown" potion, but unexpectedly Klein advanced ahead of schedule thanks to his connections, so the prepared materials were no longer presentable.
Whether or not Klein would receive the "Magician" potion recipe as a benefit would have to be decided after Cecima returned and the decision was made by the higher-ups at the Church of Tranquility.
But realizing that Klein had a deep connection with another chosen one of God, and that the Tingen Night Watchers might be preparing for his future ritual, he decisively wrote down the "Magician's" formula and gave it to Klein.
Cecima felt that her years at the Church of Tranquility had not been wasted. She had mastered the art of social interaction and had already given the young, promising chosen one a tremendous amount of face before even meeting him, making it easier to talk to him when they met in the future.
Klein looked at the 'Magician' potion recipe in his hand with a very complicated expression, to the point that his face almost twisted. Klein was heartbroken. If he had known that the church would give him the 'Magician' potion recipe, he would never have used the Roselle diary that Evan owed 'The Fool' to buy the potion recipe.
Thinking about how he had relieved Evan of his debt of eight pages of Russell's diary, and how much hidden knowledge he had missed from Russell's diary, Klein felt so heartbroken that he could hardly breathe.
However, he had received nine years of compulsory education and higher education in his previous life. Although he was extremely distressed, he still forced himself to thank Lord Cecima in a low voice. Cecima, on the other hand, did not notice Klein's unusual behavior at all.
After leaving Captain Dunn's office, Leonard, who had been keeping an eye on Klein, noticed that he seemed somewhat lost and couldn't help but go up to him and ask:
"What's wrong with you? Why do you look like this? Is something wrong?"
Although the old man inside him kept assuring him that the high-ranking deacons from the Holy Temple were completely undetectable, Leonard couldn't help but feel nervous when the moment came. He knew that if the old man was found out, he wouldn't be able to explain himself no matter how hard he tried.
"It's nothing, you can go in!"
Leonard was skeptical, but in the end, under the watchful eyes of Captain Dunn and the other team members, he gritted his teeth and walked into the office, looking more like he was being tortured than being examined.
It took Klein a while to recover, and he couldn't help but laugh at himself for being old-fashioned, just like in his previous life.
People feel cheated if they buy something online at a higher price, but they don't realize that times change and the price of an item changes over time.
If I hadn't sought out the 'Magician's' recipe beforehand, I definitely wouldn't have been able to collect all the potion ingredients now and level up at any time.
You know, sometimes collecting potion ingredients is a matter of luck. Just because they were able to collect the ingredients through the Hanged Man and Miss Justice a while ago doesn't mean they can find the same ingredients now. But the Tingen matter is urgent. Thinking of this, Klein felt relieved.
Just as Klein figured it out, the door to Captain Dunn's office opened again, and Leonard walked out looking bewildered and sat down next to Klein.
"How come it's so fast? What did you say?" Klein was also surprised by Leonard's speed of evaluation and couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know either! Lord Cecima just let me touch the sacred object, made me swear an oath to it, and then let me leave. There were no other tests."
Leonard looked at Klein with suspicion, wondering what Klein had said that made his test so easy.
He absolutely refused to believe that the Night Church's assessment of its core members would be so simple; even the old man on his body remained silent.
It's obvious they've lost their way.
Klein was completely baffled and had no idea what was going on.
Cecima quickly finished meeting with everyone assigned to him. After all, everyone in the Tingen squad knew about the "acting method," so although it wasn't explicitly stated, the two senior deacons tacitly separated everyone for testing.
After completing his mission, Lady Cecima left Captain Dunn's office and headed directly underground.
Before long, another senior deacon also quickly completed his inspection task, at a speed that exceeded everyone's expectations.
This even made Klein and Leonard, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, anxious again.
Finally, the two senior deacons announced in front of everyone that the Tingen Squad had completed the test and that they would all become the core pillars of the Church of the Night. They then encouraged them to continue digesting the potion, but made no mention of transferring the relevant personnel, which surprised Captain Dunn.
The last two senior deacons left Tingen that very night, without lingering any longer. Klein watched them leave and whispered to Leonard beside him:
"Are we really not going to tell Tingen the truth? Although those two high deacons are not demigods, they both possess relevant sacred artifacts and are very experienced."
Leonard and Klein shared a secret and stopped hiding it, listening intently to each other, which Klein found unsurprising.
"Why do you think these two senior deacons were able to complete their assessment of the Tingen squad so easily? It was all arranged."
Although they all possessed sacred relics, they were still so insignificant in the face of the power behind the scenes!
Leonard spoke each word as if he were repeating a complete statement, and Klein did not refute him.
He simply nodded slightly, his eyes firm and resolute.