Chapter 146
The group of people had no doubt about the authenticity of the judge's identity. The young girl exuded the same awe-inspiring presence as the other judges, and the casual information she shared about the bishop and the high priest was enough to convince anyone of her credibility.
It was perfectly normal for her to be somewhat unaware of the recent events in Ansu; she might have been temporarily reassigned from elsewhere and hadn’t been to Ansu at all.
At that moment, as he descended the stairs, Xia Er pondered the information he had just received.
This trip had been worthwhile. Although he had impersonated a member of the tribunal, he had at least gathered some intelligence, confirming that he was still safe after the sacrificial incident.
The preordained death was not caused by the cultist's sacrificial event... but what was the reason?
Xia Er's mind conjured up the investigation list he had written.
The "Chosen One" of the Dedun Group required further investigation, but for now, it was halted due to the severe injury of the "Chosen One," Lucy.
He wanted to know if Lucy's misfortune was similar to his own, hoping to glean some insight from her.
As for the others, there were still a few individuals to investigate...
The Redemption Society: Professor Ashford.
The Royal Family: Opode Sadias.
The Holy Ascendancy: Archbishop Tara.
Professor Ashford was likely involved with the Redemption Society, but he currently had no means to communicate with them. The only contact he had, Adele, had already withdrawn from the society.
As for Opode from the royal family, Xia Er had no way to reach him either, except through inquiries with Aivina.
Regarding Archbishop Tara, Xia Er had seen a few descriptions of her in his notes.
It seemed Tara had found Amy and was providing her with covert protection. While safeguarding Amy, she was also continuously investigating Xia Er's whereabouts.
In the simulation, Xia Er had encountered Tara twice. The first time, he hadn’t recognized her as a cultist, and she hadn’t paid him any mind.
The second meeting, as described in his notes, took place on the street.
That day, Xia Er had been recuperating at home after a severe leg injury when Amy came to visit. As he was seeing her off, a sudden stroke of misfortune struck—bullets from a gang fight flew toward him and Amy, triggering the seal on Amy's back.
In an instant, the divine servant severed all the bullets and respectfully bowed toward Xia Er. This brief moment was captured by Tara.
Without hesitation, she rushed over, knelt beside Xia Er, and burst into tears, leaving him utterly speechless.
After confirming that only she knew about the divine servant's message, Xia Er persuaded her to hide in the city for the time being. He needed her to access internal information about the Holy Ascendancy.
However, since Xia Er had already cleared out the Holy Ascendancy's stronghold here, Tara was of little use for now.
Looking back, it was after meeting Tara that he encountered a stroke of misfortune that he barely escaped using his transformation save ability... He could investigate Tara again.
According to his notes, Tara seemed to be extremely devoted to him, to the point where she would believe anything he said. That was why he had decided to keep her as an informant, utilizing her identity and resources to facilitate his tasks.
Moreover, Tara was clearly a higher-ranking figure than Bishop Bragg, yet her potion mastery had only reached the level of "missionary," and her own strength was only at the second tier.
It seemed her promotion relied not on strength but on her vast knowledge and deconstruction of the teachings of the Goddess of Salvation, which had earned her a high position within the Holy Ascendancy.
Reflecting on Tara's position as described in his notes, Xia Er confirmed his next course of action.
If he couldn’t uncover anything from Tara, he could still consult her about "misfortune" under the pretense of having a friend, to see if the knowledgeable Tara could provide an answer.
If that yielded no results, he would seek out Aivina and Adele to connect with Opode and Professor Ashford for further investigation.
Xia Er quickly reached the second floor. As he walked toward the main hall along the central staircase, he saw members of the Redemption Society slowly carrying a stretcher toward the door, moving cautiously to avoid causing further harm.
On the stretcher lay Lucy, followed by a large group of Dedun Manor staff. They wore masks that concealed their expressions, but their anxious movements suggested they were even more nervous than the Redemption Society members.
After all, the people of Dedun Manor were quite superstitious about "luck." If even the "Chosen One," Lucy, had met with an accident here, they would likely be too terrified to continue working, even if it meant resigning.
But just as Xia Er descended the stairs, he furrowed his brow slightly.
He had heard an extreme, painful whisper echoing in his mind.
Looking up, he realized the source of the whisper was none other than Commissioner Lucy.
Just moments ago, when a massive stone had nearly crushed her head, she had shown little pain or despair. Yet now, after being administered a potion to keep her alive, she began to exhibit signs of hopelessness?
Xia Er sensed that Lucy's despair might be the key to investigating misfortune; she definitely knew something.
In reality, Xia Er might have plotted his next move carefully.
But in the simulation, he only had 24 hours to act. He had to be decisive; if there was any chance of obtaining information, he had to strike swiftly.
A shadow darted across the carpet like a fish, rushing toward the stretcher before rising slowly in front of it.
One of the "doctors" noticed the unusual sight and immediately called out, "Stop!"
The burning shadow twisted in front of the "doctors," and after a few flickers, Xia Er's figure appeared in front of the group, blocking their path.
"Sir, what are you doing...?"
The leading "doctor" asked in confusion, fully aware that this was a member of the Goddess of Salvation, but unsure why she was obstructing their way.
"Wait a moment."
Xia Er raised her hand, interrupting him. She took a few steps toward the stretcher, leaning in slightly to listen.
At that moment, Lucy's eyes were completely bloodshot, a deep crimson. Despite this, she continued to move her throat and lips to speak, even though her teeth and jaw had been shattered.
"Let me... ugh..."
"Go back..."
"Let me..."
"Return..."
Xia Er's actions silenced the previously noisy crowd. Those who were closer could almost hear Lucy's repeated words.
"You want to go back?"
Xia Er asked, "Back to where?"
It seemed her words had finally found a response, as tears streamed down Lucy's face, mingling with blood that flowed from the corners of her eyes, soaking into her deep brown hair.
"Underground..."
"Sanctuary..."
Xia Er confirmed, "You want to return to the underground sanctuary, right?"
Though Lucy didn’t know who the girl speaking to her was, she couldn’t see her face through the blood that had stained her vision, obscuring the girl’s hair in red... she couldn’t even tell what color the girl’s hair originally was.
But it seemed she had grasped onto a lifeline, using her last ounce of strength to respond, "Yes!"
"Cough, cough, cough..."
After saying this, she coughed up a mouthful of blood, indicating that her ribs had likely pierced her heart and lungs.
Xia Er straightened up and looked at the people in front of her, saying, "What are you waiting for? Get her back to the underground sanctuary."
"But..."
One doctor began to protest, but Xia Er interrupted.
"You’re with the Redemption Society, right? Professor Ashford is still in Brolin City. Go back and fetch him to treat her. The treatment costs will be covered by Lucy and the Dedun Group."
"But..."
"Double."
"But..."
"Triple, and I’ll give you an extra £100 bonus."
"Alright, I’ll go right away."
"Cough, cough, cough!!!"
Lucy on the stretcher seemed to hear Xia Er's words, and in her panic, she spat out more blood, but soon, she slumped back down, as if resigned to her fate.
Xia Er turned to the Dedun Group employees and said, "Aren’t you all going to hurry? Clear out a space for Miss Lucy to undergo surgery."
"Oh, oh... Quickly, brothers, clear a spot!"
The green and red chips quickly scattered, rushing toward the underground sanctuary to begin the cleanup.
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