Chapter 77
The face behind the mask of Shaer revealed a faint smile as she softly said, “Back then, you even gave me a notebook.”
“Y-You remember me! Oh, Mother Goddess…”
The maid, flustered, reached up to remove her mask. Bowing her head, her voice grew increasingly excited. “It was an honor to have received you by chance, Your Excellency! Don’t worry! I haven’t told anyone about your visit; everything here is just as it should be!”
Usually, even the lowest-ranking servants would hardly catch the eye of the manager, Ji Di.
To have an unexpected encounter with the bishop of the Holy Communion was an immense honor for a maid who had yet to drink the potion and was still just a servant.
“Hahaha, I was quite impressed by you back then.”
Shaer’s tone became more relaxed as she casually asked, “Have you met any other bishops? You have a luck that other siblings don’t.”
“I received a bishop three months ago,” the maid said, her face flushed with excitement. “I even followed at the back of the line to worship alongside the bishop!”
“Oh, that guy.”
Shaer nodded with a smile. “How do you think he compares to me?”
“You’re much more approachable than that bishop. He hardly spoke the whole time, just exchanged a few words with the priests, and stayed here for a week.”
The maid paused for a moment to recall, then continued, “One day, I was in charge of receiving that bishop. He was quite refined, a serious man.”
“Oh? He doesn’t usually act that way.”
Shaer teased lightly, “What role did he play while he was here?”
“Uh… he…”
The maid hesitated, then cautiously asked, “Your Excellency, are you… close with him?”
Within the Holy Communion, communication typically flowed from the top down. If Shaer were close to that bishop, it would imply a horizontal connection.
This thought calmed the maid’s inner excitement a bit, but it also sparked a flicker of doubt.
“What’s your name, child?” Shaer inquired.
“My name is Hanan, Your Excellency.”
“Congratulations, Hanan.”
Shaer reached out, placing her hand gently on Hanan’s bowed head. “You will see the Mother Goddess.”
Shaer tugged at her hair, slowly lifting her head.
Hanan trembled like a leaf, but soon, she surrendered any resistance, gradually raising her gaze until she faced the terrifying mask and the bishop’s dark red eye, glimmering with a dangerous light…
“Mother Goddess above…”
Hanan’s lips curled into a fervent smile, her body ceasing to shake as she murmured, “Your Excellency… I hear the voice of the Mother Goddess…”
Shaer left the scripture room, closing the door behind her. Inside remained a madwoman, alternating between laughter and tears, stabbing her abdomen with a candlestick until her blood drained away completely.
She had once seen herself; at least in this simulation, she could not allow her to remain.
Moreover, the task of executing heresy seemed to be directly achievable here… Ji Di had developed this place into a small cult circle, and with her absence, it was the perfect opportunity for Shaer to perform the replication ritual.
Shaer straightened her clothes and glanced toward the other end of the corridor.
It seemed a maid had heard the noise and rushed out from the cage. Upon seeing Shaer at the end of the corridor, she quickly lowered her head.
“Come here.”
Shaer beckoned to the maid.
The maid hurried over, bowing her head as she asked, “How may I serve you, Your Excellency?”
“I checked the notes of the extraordinary ones and found their faith in the Mother Goddess to be somewhat wavering,” Shaer said with a smile. “Prepare a larger private prayer room for me, and bring them down one by one. I’ll explain the scriptures to each of them; every brother and sister deserves it.”
“Really?!”
The maid’s excitement was evident as she struggled to contain her breath. “I’ll prepare it right away!”
Soon, the maid had arranged a private prayer room for Shaer. After settling her inside, she dashed off to bring down the first extraordinary one.
Before long, the news that “Your Excellency” would privately explain scriptures and impart the supreme knowledge from the Mother Goddess spread quietly. Everyone was filled with excitement at the prospect of meeting the bishop, and each summoned individual wore an expression of barely contained fervor and enthusiasm.
Twenty-one hours later.
A carriage sped down a narrow path, quickly stopping in front of the Dedun Manor.
Bang—
Bang bang bang bang—
Bullets shattered the rear window of the carriage, piercing through the driver’s skull, and the old brown horse was also shot dead.
Ji Di gasped for breath as she stumbled out of the carriage, dragging a bag behind her, her entire body stained with blood, unable even to summon the white shadow to help her carry it.
“Help me with this!”
Wearing a black chip mask, Ji Di looked toward the manor’s entrance, only to find the servants who usually stood there had mysteriously vanished.
“Mother Goddess above… those lazy good-for-nothings…”
Ji Di cursed as she struggled to drag the blood-soaked burlap bag, inching her way toward the manor’s entrance.
Inside the bag, something seemed to be writhing, but after Ji Di kicked it hard, it fell silent.
“Damn heretical scum… I hope you can still act tough when you meet the bishop.”
Ji Di spat, pausing to catch her breath before continuing to drag the bag inside.
Instead of heading straight to the main hall, she quickly pulled the burlap bag to the side, opened the door to the parlor, and glanced around to confirm there were no guests in the main hall before dragging the bag inside.
As soon as she entered the parlor, Ji Di was hit by an indescribable stench. She looked at the desk piled high with chips and saw a corpse that had begun to rot in the heat, its death long overdue.
What’s going on?
Ji Di frowned, but she couldn’t afford to dwell on other matters now.
The task of capturing Yulis had already exceeded the deadline set by the bishop; she needed to hurry to the underground sanctuary before the bishop lost patience.
It was shameful and infuriating that she had almost been defeated by Yulis, even though they were of the same rank.
Passing through the parlor, Ji Di dragged the burlap bag to another secret passage, opened it, and ran down the stairs with the bag in tow.
Hearing the cries of pain from the person inside the bag, Ji Di felt a rush of satisfaction.
“Does it hurt? Go ahead and cry now,” she taunted with a laugh as she ran. “Once you see the bishop, you won’t be able to smile anymore.”
Bang—
Kicking open the secret door, Ji Di entered the empty sanctuary.
Breathing in the cool air of the underground sanctuary, Ji Di felt as if she had returned home.
Aside from the lingering scent of her own blood from a broken nose, everything felt reassuring in the underground sanctuary.
Especially when she recalled the grand faceless statue in the main hall, the vibrant scene of the last bishop leading all the brothers and sisters in worship still vivid in her mind.
After this plan succeeds, she would request the bishop to lead everyone in worship once more, to experience the grace of the Mother Goddess up close.
As Ji Di’s gaze shifted to the side corridor, a shadow cloaked in black momentarily halted her thoughts.
But soon, Ji Di snapped back to reality, dragging the burlap bag toward the side corridor and stopping in front of the figure.
“Ah… sister,” Ji Di almost called out the person’s name but quickly corrected herself. “Where’s the bishop?”
Adele had already been healed; the most brutal part of this judgment was what the bishop wanted to complete, and she couldn’t ruin the bishop’s enthusiasm by acting prematurely.
Shrouded in black, Adele extended her bandaged hand, opening the side corridor and pointing toward the previous cell.
Is the bishop still waiting? If so, then I shouldn’t be blamed…
“Come along.”
Ji Di smiled, her gaze shifting from Adele to the burlap bag she was dragging.
She was already imagining the expression of despair on this high priest’s face after being judged by the bishop.
This is the treatment heretics deserve.
Ji Di stopped at the cell door, bowed her head, and Adele stepped forward to knock.
Knock knock knock—
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