Chapter 144
Some late-night drunks who hadn’t yet returned home witnessed the scene, but after a brief moment of panic, they dismissed it as merely a drunken hallucination and didn’t think much more about it.
Xia'er escorted Li Qi back to her home. After telling her that he needed to report the incident, he left her behind, taking control of the carriage and heading towards Keli Ke Mountain outside the city.
The positions of others were uncertain, but the location of Lucy, the representative from the Deyton Group, was noted in his notebook.
The notes indicated that she had been investigating at the Deyton Manor outside the city almost continuously, and aside from that dinner, she hadn’t even entered the city.
However, her path was that of a "Tianmingzhe" (天命者, "Fate Bearer"), which was inherently linked to fortune. Xia'er’s instincts told him that this person was highly suspicious.
The carriage came to a slow stop at the entrance of Deyton Manor, which was now completely surrounded by a cordon.
A Deyton Group employee, wearing a green chip mask, approached and respectfully bowed towards the carriage, saying, “Deyton Manor is still under repair. May I ask who you are...?”
A horse-drawn carriage without any horses was at the entrance of Deyton Manor; it was clear that it belonged to a supernatural being.
Although the green chip employee was not a supernatural being himself, he had undergone similar training, allowing him to maintain a respectful demeanor even in such situations.
“Where is Representative Lucy?”
After disembarking, Xia'er asked directly, “I need to see her.”
“Representative Lucy? She’s in the underground cult chapel. May I ask who you are...?”
The employee cautiously spoke, trying to confirm Xia'er’s identity.
At this moment, Xia'er’s "Judicator" archive was still active, and he was wearing the ceremonial robe that Yulisi had specially prepared for him.
So, Xia'er didn’t hesitate any longer and stated, “Judgment Court, here to investigate the Holy Arrival Church.”
Only then did the green chip employee, under the faint moonlight, recognize the ceremonial robe of the Goddess of Salvation that Xia'er was wearing. He quickly stepped aside and asked, “Do you need me to take you there?”
“No need.”
Xia'er shook his head and walked directly into the manor.
This green chip employee didn’t seem familiar; he looked like he had come from headquarters with the representative.
Xia'er might even be more familiar with the structure and secret passages of Deyton Manor than he was.
As Xia'er reached the entrance of the manor, the green chip employee followed respectfully at a distance.
Just as Xia'er stepped into the manor, a series of loud booms erupted.
Boom—boom—
The massive rumbling echoed for miles, making Xia'er think there had been an earthquake or an explosion.
He turned to look in the direction of the noise.
“That direction is...”
Xia'er quickly ran to the left. Meanwhile, members of various factions who were investigating in the hall also rushed towards the side corridor upon hearing the commotion.
Xia'er took the lead and kicked open the door to the game room.
This was the source of the tremors and sounds, the site of the previous ritual, above the underground chapel.
However, at this moment, the dome had completely collapsed, and even the adjacent walls were damaged. The door opened to reveal a massive, dark chasm leading down to the underground chapel.
“What happened?”
“Did it collapse?”
“Over here! Oh my God…”
The green chip employee gasped, and suddenly, he seemed to realize something, shouting, “Lucy! Representative Lucy is still down there!”
“What? Is there still someone down there?”
“Quick, to the secret passage! That area should be safe!”
“Check all the secret passages and prepare to go down and rescue people!”
The crowd became chaotic as they rushed towards different secret passages.
A shadow darted out from behind Xia'er and jumped into the dark chasm.
In the next moment, Xia'er’s figure twisted and vanished, replaced by a shadow standing in the same spot, while Xia'er’s true self had already appeared in the ruins of the underground chapel.
The ground was littered with broken stones and the shattered forms of cultists who had been sacrificed and turned into mummies.
Four shadows quickly spread out from around Xia'er, beginning their search. Meanwhile, several supernatural beings holding oil lamps and torches had already descended through the secret passages, starting to look for survivors.
“Over here! Representative Lucy is here!”
A shout caught Xia'er’s attention. He hurried towards the source of the voice, pushing through the crowd surrounding that area to see Representative Lucy.
A massive stone was pinning her lower body, and her head looked as if it might be crushed, her forehead completely caved in.
“Ugh…”
A mouthful of blood spilled from Lucy’s lips.
“Such… bad luck…”
A blood-stained coin slipped from Lucy’s hand, rolling on the ground to reveal the image of a knight and a dragon.
“Quick, go find the ‘Healer’!”
Xia'er stood by, watching Lucy’s breathing grow weaker.
Wasn’t it just her...?
Or was it that he wasn’t the only one facing such misfortune in Boren City?
Were there others also caught in this calamity?
---
Xia'er stepped back behind the crowd.
The potions he had taken from Adele during his Judicator archive were not with him; he was a “Judicator,” not a “Missionary,” and had no way to heal injuries. He could only step aside and let those with healing abilities come forward to help.
Watching the “Tianmingzhe” Lucy lying not far away, her body still twitching and bleeding, Xia'er couldn’t help but feel a twinge of doubt.
He looked around and spotted the altar not far away.
Aside from the massive stones and bricks that had fallen from the collapsed dome, the interior of the underground chapel was almost unchanged from when Xia'er had first seen it.
There were just a few more cordons and white cloths used to cover certain religious symbols and slogans.
He navigated around the crowd, moving through the darkness towards the side corridor, lighting the oil lamp there, and began checking each room one by one.
The cage, the library, the private prayer room...
The diaries stored in the library had all been taken away, and most of the books and scriptures had vanished, likely taken by the followers of the Goddess of Salvation.
The religious items in the private prayer room had also been cleared out, and even the statue in the cage had been destroyed.
It had been over forty days since those factions had arrived here... the investigation had been ongoing for over forty days.
Everything that needed to be investigated had been uncovered, and everything that needed to be taken had been removed.
Forget forty days; with so many factions working together, they could probably turn Deyton Manor upside down in less than two weeks.
So why were so many people still here investigating?
Were they investigating? Or were they waiting?
If they were waiting for the Holy Arrival Church to show up, then there were far too many people left behind, and there were also quite a few ordinary people assisting with the investigation. Wasn’t that just asking for trouble?
Xia'er reached one of the secret passages and followed it upward.
This passage led to Jidi’s office, and the stone bricks inscribed with scriptures had been smoothed down with a file, making it nearly impossible to see any traces of the Holy Arrival Church.
She arrived at the entrance of the secret passage and pulled the switch. With a loud grinding noise of gears, some sand and stones fell from above, and the bookshelf in front of her began to open slowly. However, after a small gap was created, it got stuck.
Had the mechanical devices not been maintained for too long?
Two shadows emerged from behind Xia'er, each grabbing one side of the bookshelf and using brute force to pull it open wide enough for Xia'er to pass through.
Once the bookshelf was opened, Xia'er saw that Jidi’s office was brightly lit. A few young men and women dressed in the robes of the Goddess of Salvation were rummaging through the items on the shelves. Upon hearing the noise from the secret passage, they all turned to look at Xia'er.
Two of the men were likely still performing the replication ritual as church attendants, while only the woman was a “Penance Monk.”
The “Penance Monk” reacted the fastest. After a brief moment of surprise, she quickly walked up to Xia'er, bowed slightly, and respectfully said, “Honorable Judicator.”
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