Chapter 145
The other two attendants quickly reacted, moving to stand on either side of the "Ascetic." "Your Excellency."
"Mm."
Xia Er spoke in a flat tone, giving a slight nod. "Thank you for your diligence. You may return to your duties... You, come with me."
At this moment, a shadow followed Xia Er, dressed in the attire given by You Li Si, which left the members of the Salvation Goddess Church opposite him momentarily stunned.
The "Ascetic" had no doubts and followed Xia Er, watching as he took a seat in Ji Di's office chair.
Xia Er casually pulled open a drawer, its lock already broken. The space that once held Ji Di's spiritual notes was now empty. He looked up at the "Ascetic" and said:
"I just arrived in Bo Lun City and haven't had the chance to visit Priest You Li Si and Bishop Xiu."
"Can you tell me... why has the investigation taken so long?"
Xia Er's tone was calm, but there was an unmistakable anger in his eyes, causing a bead of cold sweat to form on the back of the young "Ascetic" woman.
"Please don't blame us, Your Honor. We have been working hard on the investigation."
Sweat trickled down her forehead, dampening the wisps of hair at her temples. She continued nervously, "But we really haven't found much residual evidence..."
"We asked the Redemption Society to examine every corpse, but we still couldn't find the body of the cult priest Ji Di or the other unidentified bishop... They..."
"Don't be nervous."
Xia Er interrupted her, saying, "Calm your breathing and tell me about your investigation again."
"Be thorough, be clear."
Xia Er's tone was noticeably gentler, and he deliberately slowed his speech, but unexpectedly, this only made her more anxious.
Perhaps it was the nature of the tribunal that made her nervous; at least Xia Er believed he was being quite kind.
After taking a few deep breaths, the woman finally steadied her voice and recounted the details of their investigation over the past few days.
Since it was the site of the De Dun Group, the Salvation Goddess Church had gathered their team and formed a convoy with the De Dun Group to rush to Bo Lun City as quickly as possible.
However, when they arrived, the De Dun Manor was already deserted, and many extraordinary items had been taken amidst the chaos.
The people of De Dun Manor began to assess their losses, settle accounts with traitors, and investigate the identity of every cultist.
Meanwhile, the Salvation Goddess Church focused on investigating the Sheng Lin Sect.
They not only found numerous spiritual notes belonging to cultists, but most importantly, they discovered the spiritual notes of the person in charge of this stronghold, Ji Di, along with a letter that seemed to have never been sent.
The letter detailed an incident involving a cultist named Qiao Zhi Ni and a cult bishop.
It clearly stated the time the bishop was supposed to arrive, which coincided with the chaos at De Dun Manor. Naturally, they connected these two points, believing that everything was orchestrated by that bishop.
According to the "missionary" You Li Si, she felt the arrival of a divine servant, a sensation that was both familiar and terrifying.
Familiar because of the warmth and purity of its aura; terrifying because it was not summoned by the Salvation Goddess Church.
You Li Si's faith seemed to waver slightly, and with Bishop Xiu's help, she was recovering, while the others were fully engaged in investigating the identity of the bishop from the Sheng Lin Sect.
Almost all the corpses had been verified by the Redemption Society, but none matched the characteristics of Ji Di or the third-tier "Radiant Bishop." Even the body of Qiao Zhi Ni was missing.
They had not overlooked even the skin flakes and dried blood on the ground, yet they found nothing.
It was highly likely that the bishop had already left with the divine servant.
In the end, Xiu was forced to use the church's forbidden techniques, reconstructing the situation at the time through the blood clots of the cultists.
This reconstruction revealed a horrifying truth.
The sacrificial ritual had indeed succeeded.
Xiu saw the ethereal divine servant, while the indistinct bishop knelt on the ground, weeping profusely, and the scene froze at that moment.
However, they interviewed everyone who had been at De Dun Manor at the time and found no trace of the bishop. Investigating further would yield no results—he had been recognized immediately upon entering De Dun Manor without using a membership card.
Those who had seen his face had their memories wiped clean.
Now, aside from knowing that the bishop was male and a third-tier "Radiant Bishop," no further information had leaked.
The trail had gone cold.
During this time, they also captured several members of the Sheng Lin Sect who had infiltrated the investigation team, subjecting them to severe torture and even brainwashing techniques, only to uncover a fact that left them even more baffled.
The Sheng Lin Sect was also investigating what had happened.
They, too, were unclear about what had transpired at De Dun Manor, and the information known to the Sheng Lin Sect might even exceed that of the Salvation Goddess Church.
This summoning was a spontaneous act by that bishop!
Now, the investigation had turned into a race against time.
The Salvation Goddess Church had to capture that "Radiant Bishop" faster than the Sheng Lin Sect could react, intercepting the summoning ritual and the divine servant from his hands.
This was why the Salvation Goddess Church continued to send people to investigate.
"Oh..."
Xia Er nodded slightly.
So the Salvation Goddess Church was stuck here... but they would likely never find out where that bishop was.
Because that bishop himself didn’t even know how the sacrificial ritual began, and before long, he was consumed and absorbed by the divine servant, leaving no body behind.
The divine servant's arrival used Ji Di's body, and now it had sealed itself within Ai Mi's back. Under Ai Wei Na's protection, the Salvation Goddess Church would never uncover the truth.
The letter Ji Di left behind to exonerate herself unexpectedly became misleading evidence that completely freed Xia Er from this matter.
As for the Salvation Goddess Church and Xiu, he no longer needed to worry about them... They hadn’t even realized he was involved, let alone how to bring such misfortune upon him.
"What about the De Dun Group? Why have they been investigating here for so long? Do they have any progress?"
Xia Er asked.
"Uh..."
The woman cautiously glanced at Xia Er, hesitating before saying, "I heard that in An Su, the De Dun Group is using the Sheng Lin Sect as an excuse to begin a major internal purge..."
"If it was just about recording events and assessing losses, these matters could have been wrapped up two weeks ago. We're not quite sure what they’ve been investigating all this time; they’ve practically pried open every brick to search..."
Upon hearing this, Xia Er nodded. It seemed the "Ascetic" opposite him didn’t know much more about the situation. To learn more, he would likely have to investigate on his own.
"Alright."
Xia Er nodded and casually asked, "Is Priest You Li Si still at the Good Night Inn?"
"No, Your Honor. The dehydration infection has been completely eradicated, and Priest You Li Si and Bishop Xiu have returned to the Bell Tower Church."
The woman replied.
"Mm, you may continue your investigation."
Xia Er stood up and walked toward the door. As he passed by the "Ascetic," he reached out and patted her shoulder, startling her.
Once Xia Er exited and his figure disappeared from view, the two attendants turned to the dazed "Ascetic," cautiously asking, "Priest, that was...?"
"Yes... it was definitely from the tribunal."
The woman nodded, taking a deep breath and pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
"It feels so..."
"Shut your mouth, don’t say another word."
The woman raised her hand, interrupting the young man's words. "Don’t casually discuss members of the tribunal behind their backs."
Seeing the two of them resume checking each book, the woman finally let out a sigh of relief.
They were still young and had not yet been exposed to deeper secrets, so it was normal for them not to understand the tribunal's terror.
They were all sword-bearers of the church, their blades pointed not only outward but also inward. Interrogation, torture, and execution were the tribunal's specialties. One or two of them, like fanatics, would never waver in their convictions, making them prone to extremism.
So even speaking with them required utmost caution, lest one be accused and taken away for investigation.
Once she calmed down, the woman resumed her work.
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