Chapter 105
Niya looked up in shock at the spot where Xia'er had just been, only to find Xia'er still standing there, unmoved.
Before her, however, the two attendants wearing green chip masks were trembling as they knelt before her.
A flock of crows erupted from the trees, screeching in terror, adding a more oppressive noise to the night in the mountains.
It seemed that the girl wearing the half-silver wolf mask sensed Niya's probing gaze. Slowly, she turned her head to look at Niya.
The half-mask had, at some point, been covered with a layer of paper inscribed with terrifying blood-red characters.
The paper adhered perfectly to the silver wolf mask, fitting into every crevice and contour, transforming the once solemn mask into something infinitely eerie.
In an instant, the darkness before Niya began to consume the surroundings, forcing her gaze to focus solely on the masked girl.
Meanwhile, the darkness beside her stirred restlessly, revealing a chaotic array of crimson eyes with black slit pupils, frantically scanning everything around as if searching for prey.
Niya instinctively lowered her head. If she had a heart, it would surely be racing at an unprecedented speed right now.
The black tide before her slowly receded, and as Niya trembled, she raised her hands, only to see a pair of tattered, blood-stained hands.
Yet when her hands lightly collided, they produced a sound akin to metal clashing.
Niya's heart sank.
What on earth is happening…?
Time seemed to stretch indefinitely until everything before her returned to normal, and the surrounding sounds fell silent. Slowly, Niya lifted her head to look toward the entrance of Dedun Manor.
There, the attendants and the girl had vanished, leaving the area eerily empty, as if nothing had ever happened.
What had once seemed like an ordinary manor now appeared sinister in Niya's eyes.
What on earth is going on… I just took a glance…
Had her mind almost been tainted?
An unknown fear spread within Niya.
She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this way. Just a single glance had made her want to flee.
Niya clenched her fists slowly.
If anything else happens inside, I will definitely run away… I can’t bear to experience that feeling again.
That girl named Xia'er… she’s not simple.
…
Unlike Niya’s heart-pounding anxiety outside the manor, Xia'er had just entered the familiar parlor of Dedun Manor.
“Be sharp, you two,” Xia'er said to the two attendants leading the way. “If you see any glass or mirrors, make sure to warn me in advance.”
Just moments ago, Xia'er had used adhesive to attach the somewhat damaged "Otherworld Page" from the warehouse to the mask Niya had given her.
Once used, that "Otherworld Page" would likely be permanently affixed to the mask.
If forcibly removed, the page would surely be ruined by the adhesive, losing its original function.
At that point, if she wanted to use it again, she would have to exchange the entire mask.
Hopefully, the mask isn’t too expensive; if it is, Xia'er would have to get another "Otherworld Page"…
She had learned the hard way from her first experience.
Perhaps she could have her simulated self redraw one? Directly on parchment or fabric, or even engraved on a metal plate or coin, so it wouldn’t be so easily damaged.
As she walked toward the secret passage leading to the underground sanctuary, four people were now following her.
To prevent anyone from alerting other cultists after realizing she had arrived, Xia'er had instructed every cultist she encountered to walk ahead of her.
Soon, she arrived at the underground sanctuary, stopping at the passage leading to Jidi's office.
She had just been promoted to "Instigator" and hadn’t saved her progress yet, and this body bore no mark of "Sadana."
It was easy to fool the other cultists, but Xia'er was unsure if this mask combined with her instigation ability would be enough to deceive Jidi.
Regardless of the outcome, Xia'er had to come; it was a chance to test her limits in reality.
After all, she felt that being promoted to "Instigator" was quite simple. Even if this save didn’t work, she could easily store it again.
“Wait here for a moment; I’ll have more tasks for you later,” Xia'er said to the three men and one woman who were bowing before her.
Then, she stepped past them and entered the passage, climbing the winding stone staircase toward Jidi's office.
As the temperature around her gradually rose and the chill faded away, Xia'er saw the bookshelf before her.
She gently pressed a stone switch beside it, and with a grinding sound, the bookshelf began to part in the middle, revealing Jidi's silhouette.
“Who?!”
Jidi sprang to her feet, her black dress slipping from her waist as she turned angrily, only to lower her head in an instant.
A bead of cold sweat trickled down her forehead.
At that moment, a woman with short flaxen hair emerged from beneath the desk, trembling as she stood behind Jidi, a glistening liquid at the corner of her mouth.
“Y-you are…”
Jidi began slowly, her heart filled with uncertainty.
She sensed no aura of the extraordinary from the woman before her, but that brief glance had nearly sent her into a panic.
The whispers of the Mother Goddess in her mind began to boil; she feared that if she looked again, she would meet the Mother Goddess herself.
Is she a bishop?
But why does this person lack any aura related to the Mother Goddess?
“You, go to the underground sanctuary and wait with them.”
Xia'er looked at the woman behind Jidi and spoke slowly, “Georgina.”
The woman, called by name, trembled violently, then nodded shakily, stepping forward and whispering, “Yes, my lady…”
Once Georgina descended into the passage, the bookshelf behind Xia'er slowly closed.
Before Jidi could comprehend why the person before her knew Georgina's name so easily, she saw the figure step forward.
Slap—!
A resounding slap landed squarely on Jidi's face.
The sudden, heavy blow sent Jidi's head snapping to the side, her ears ringing, leaving her momentarily dazed, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth without her even thinking to wipe it away.
Anyone would be stunned after being jolted from that state and then slapped.
“How can you still waste time like this?! Jidi!”
Xia'er's voice rose, filled with exasperation, “The plan has failed, and instead of finding a way to salvage it, you’re here enjoying yourself?!”
“I… I…”
Jidi finally snapped back to reality.
The person before her is… a bishop?
A wave of dread surged from the depths of Jidi's heart.
“Bishop, it’s not like that; please let me explain.”
Without hesitation, Jidi dropped to her knees, crawling forward on her knees until she reached Xia'er’s feet.
Xia'er, having anticipated this, stepped back, pressing against the bookshelf behind her, her face filled with disdain.
Here we go again, trying to lick my shoes…
“Don’t call me bishop.”
Xia'er spoke slowly, her tone gradually calming, “That one will arrive at Dedun Manor at 1 PM on the 23rd… If you want to live, you must clean up this mess before the ‘Glorious Bishop’ arrives, understand?”
Don’t call her… bishop?
Indeed, this lady had come in disguise, her life force so faint that it was no wonder Jidi couldn’t sense the resonance of the Mother Goddess’s mark.
But Jidi could still passively sense whether there were lies in this lady’s words, perhaps due to the side effects of the sealing artifact suppressing her powers, allowing her uncontrollable passive abilities to activate.
She could feel that, so far, this mysterious lady had not lied.
“Aibai, Marcelo, Georgina… are they all still here?”
Xia'er listed the names of the other extraordinary cultists as if reading a menu.
Hearing this, Jidi felt a slight sense of relief.
Knowing these secrets… it seems she really is a bishop from the upper echelons, possibly even an archbishop.
But Jidi still had no idea what this person’s purpose was in coming here to remind her.
“Yes, my lady. If needed, we are at your service at any time.”
Jidi, still kneeling on the red carpet, spoke respectfully.
Everyone seems to be here… not bad.
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