Chapter 156
That was the mournful cry of those who had not yet been blown to bits, reverberating a hundredfold in Xia Er's mind.
"Ha..."
Xia Er clutched her hair in pain, as if trying to drown out the despairing wails echoing in her head with the sharp sting of pulling her own hair. She quickened her pace, sprinting away from the explosion.
No... how could it be that she just happened to run into the Blackwater Gang's internal strife?
After she had killed the half-supernatural Thomas and the gang leader Solari, Xia Er had only asked Aivina to deal with Solari's nephew, Ean. After that, her attention had been consumed by her dehydration, leaving her completely oblivious to the affairs of the Blackwater Gang.
To her, the situation with the gang had been perfectly resolved. Unless something unexpected happened, she thought she would never have to deal with them again in her lifetime.
But Xia Er never anticipated that, after hitting rock bottom, this seemingly insignificant plot point would nearly cost her life more than a month later.
As she gradually escaped the influence of despair, her emotions began to sink.
Misfortune... had not ceased even after her intervention in the simulation, even though she had arrived here as a completely new entity with no causal connection.
This indicated that she was under the surveillance of certain people or forces.
If this misfortune were to correspond to her notes, it would be classified as Level 2 misfortune—an affliction that would leave her, without any supernatural abilities, with minor injuries even if she used [Prophet's Vision] to evade it.
If she disregarded Nia, whom she had not directly encountered, she had already come into contact with three Level 3 supernatural beings today, which did not align with the intensity of the misfortune.
The real misfortune... was still waiting for her ahead.
Xia Er gradually slowed her pace, calming her slightly rapid breathing as she warily scanned her surroundings.
Where is it?
How will the next misfortune descend upon her?!
In a slum, a misfortune that could overwhelm even a Level 2 "Judicator"...
Xia Er suddenly looked up at the nearby Bell Tower District, its towering spire glowing faintly, like a lighthouse's searchlight piercing through the night.
In her attempt to escape the cries in her head, she had run back to the area closest to the Church of the Savior!
It couldn't be that unlucky...
Xia Er immediately changed direction, darting into an alley, hoping to take a long detour to leave the Bell Tower District. But just then, a flash of white light suddenly appeared before her.
Damn!
Four shadowy figures emerged from beneath her, surrounding Xia Er in the narrow alley. In the next moment, a beam of white light slashed toward her back.
Xia Er felt a tremendous force propelling her forward, and after rolling several times on the ground, she managed to stabilize herself with the help of [Agility], turning to look behind her.
Behind her, a shadow wielding a black flame tower shield had been cleaved in two, dissipating into the air. Not far from the shadow, a familiar white figure was twisting its wrist, its fist clenched, staring in Xia Er's direction.
It was Xiu!
But why was she attacking her directly?
First things first, she needed to stabilize the situation!
"Xiu! Is that you?"
Xia Er called out, hoping Xiu could hear her voice, not caring whether any ordinary people might overhear.
Her shout had an effect; at least the white figures had ceased their actions, as if the earlier attack had merely been a test.
Tap, tap, tap...
Footsteps echoed from the end of the alley. Dressed in a white, ornate clerical robe and wearing a faceless mask, Xiu slowly approached Xia Er.
"The Tribunal, is it?"
Xiu fixed her gaze on Xia Er, her tone devoid of any inflection.
"You heard me?"
Xia Er hesitated, buying time as her mind raced to devise an escape plan.
"Are you referring to what started with Opode? If so, then yes. I heard it."
Xiu replied calmly, addressing Xia Er's question.
"Opode Sadires is a person of interest."
"I've answered your question. Now please answer mine."
Xiu continued to look at Xia Er, "Are you a member of the Tribunal?"
This was a lie detector question.
As soon as Xia Er answered, she would be immediately judged on whether she was lying.
There was no way Xia Er could answer that question.
Previously, to clear out space in her warehouse, she had taken out the [Echo of the Silver-White Timebinder], while the [Token of the Radiant Bishop] had remained inside, and now it was finally coming in handy.
"Xiu, have you forgotten who I am? Do you remember this?"
A silver-white light flashed, and a letter along with a badge appeared in Xia Er's hand. "You personally handed this to me."
A white figure leaped down from the rooftop, landing in front of Xia Er, reaching out to take the letter and badge, and promptly stuffed them into its mouth.
In the next moment, the white figure beside Xiu reached into its abdomen, retrieving the envelope and badge, and handed them to Xiu.
Xiu opened the envelope and glanced at its contents, then focused on the badge in her hand, examining it closely.
It was her handwriting, the ink was specially made for the church, and even the badge...
The white figure reached into its abdomen again, pulling out another badge and holding it next to Xiu's.
Identical... even the aura was indistinguishable.
"...Hmm?"
An uncontrollable sense of confusion welled up in Xiu's mind, making it difficult for her to maintain her composure.
Dehydration... this was clearly an incident for which she was fully responsible, and it had been resolved before it even occurred. She hadn't had time to head to Brolun City... where did this letter come from?
Even the spiritual imprint within the badge was identical. Now, mixing the two badges together, Xiu couldn't tell which was real and which was fake.
Most importantly, the "Judicator" before her had not lied.
Could she really be from the Tribunal?
No, while she had never seen all the members of the Tribunal, Xiu had a list and information on all Level 2 and above "Judicators." None of them matched this girl's physique and hair color.
Moreover... the girl before her exuded a repugnant aura; Xiu sensed no reverence for the Church of the Savior from her—logically, members of the Tribunal would be even more fervent in their faith.
With just this, Xiu could not be convinced. The evidence the girl presented did not clear her of suspicion.
She raised her gaze to Xia Er and continued, "Please show me your badge, 'Judicator.'"
Hearing Xiu's question, Xia Er's heart sank.
If she hadn't tried to impersonate the Tribunal for convenience, perhaps she could have relied on her identity as the "Saint" to bluff Xiu. But now, it seemed she had walked right into a trap.
Perhaps due to the involvement of the "Tribunal," Xiu was adamant about verifying Xia Er's identity.
What terrible luck...
But Xia Er truly had no time to parley with Xiu. She had many things she wanted to investigate, and she still wanted to see Tara's investigation report at noon. She didn't want to end the simulation so hastily...
Moreover, Xia Er genuinely had no further evidence to prove her affiliation with the Tribunal.
"I did refuse to join the Tribunal, and I also declined the Church of the Savior's invitation. Impersonating the Tribunal was solely to investigate the anomalies surrounding Opode."
Xia Er took a deep breath, deciding to call for reinforcements.
"I am from the Russell family, working for Aivina Russell. I will bring an apology gift to your church for any offense caused."
Xiu inched closer, pondering.
"Aivina Russell..."
It seemed that the name Aivina had indeed made an impact.
"Previously, there was indeed a heretical spy from the Church of the Holy Ascension among Miss Aivina Russell's servants."
Xiu stepped forward, saying, "I ask this young lady to cooperate with the investigation; it will be over soon."
The Church of the Holy Ascension?
In an instant, Xia Er understood what Xiu was suspecting.
She suspected that Xia Er was affiliated with the Church of the Holy Ascension.
Bringing up Aivina's name not only failed to dispel Xiu's suspicions but instead deepened them.
Was it the [Satan Badge] in her warehouse?
The [Satan Badge] had previously only needed to be in the warehouse to take effect, causing cultists with the "Satan Mark" to worship Xia Er.
But unexpectedly, it seemed that members of the Church of the Savior could also sense the aura of the [Satan Badge].
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