Chapter 182
He reached out to grab the rust-colored coin that had fallen to the edge of the table, but just then, a comical scene unfolded.
His toe caught in a crack in the worn wooden floor, and his hands instinctively braced against the edge of the table. This small push caused the table to shift slightly forward.
It was this tiny movement and vibration that sent the coin rolling off the table, dropping straight down to the floor. It bounced and flipped a few times on the wooden surface before landing once again with the angelic eye side facing down.
“Ah?!”
Opode’s pupils constricted as he stared in disbelief at the rusted coin lying on the ground. He didn’t even notice a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead.
Damn it…
Damn it!!!!!!
Opode quickly bent down, snatched the coin from the ground, and stuffed it into his pocket before hurrying toward the door.
He couldn’t afford to be late; he had to get back to the factory, or misfortune would pile up!
What had started as a trivial misfortune could grow into the last straw that broke the camel’s back if he flipped the coin again!
Originally intending to burst through the door, Opode reined in his anger and surprise at the last moment, carefully pulling the door open, afraid that too much force would damage it.
If the door broke, he didn’t have enough salary to pay the landlord.
Outside, it was dark and dreary, with a light rain falling, and the temperature had dropped significantly.
Opode walked briskly along the road, stepping on the puddled black gravel as he headed toward the factory.
He had deliberately rented a place close to the Church of the Savior to avoid scrutiny from them. The factory was quite far from his residence, so he had to run.
But just as Opode hurried past a street, he gradually slowed down, his steps becoming hesitant.
Where are all the… people?
At this time, workers should be returning from their lunch break, and the streets would be bustling with activity.
Yet, as Opode ran, he saw no one on the street; even the shops along the way seemed to have closed their doors.
He turned back to look, and the street behind him was just as empty, with only the sound of the rain pattering and the distant rumble of the factory’s steam engines filling the air.
A faint blue glow flickered around him, and black armor burst forth from his body, tearing through his dirty, cheap clothes, covering his chest and arms.
I’m not late… Misfortune shouldn’t be compounding… Why?
The cheap fabric ripped and fell to the ground, and it felt as if he had shed a layer of restraint. He raised his hand to push his rain-soaked golden curls back.
“Who! Show yourself!!!”
Opode’s voice was filled with fury; whoever had come today would have to pay the price.
It seemed the other party heard his words.
From the rooftop shrouded in rain, a white figure emerged, standing at the top.
“Ha…”
Opode looked up at the white figure and snorted coldly.
“Is this the Church of the Savior? What business do you have with me? I don’t believe I’ve violated any of your rules.”
His words were anything but polite.
The Church of the Savior was fundamentally at odds with the nobility, which was why it had been so ruthlessly suppressed.
And Opode, being part of the upper echelons of the nobility, certainly wouldn’t regard the Church of the Savior with much respect.
If any “Pious Monk” dared to stop him, without the constraints of misfortune’s rules, he could kill them, and the Church of the Savior could do nothing but condemn him.
“If you have nothing to say, then don’t block my way.”
Opode raised his middle finger toward the rooftop and scoffed, “Maybe if I’m in a good mood, I’ll donate a few pennies to you, so your goddess can thank me properly…”
As he spoke, his voice grew quieter.
Because behind that white figure, a shadow slowly emerged, standing on the rooftop, quietly watching Opode on the street.
Three… four… five…
Figures of various shapes and attire, both black and white, emerged from the rooftop and the street corners, like ghosts in the rain, blocking every path at the intersection.
“Damn it…”
What the hell is this? Is this still Bole City?
Has the Church of the Savior’s Ansu Cathedral moved directly to Bole City? Why hadn’t he heard about this?
The newcomers were not friendly.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the molten fire tower shield reappeared in Opode’s right hand. He raised the shield in front of him and charged straight ahead.
Get past the blockade first!!!
Boom—!
Opode charged like a human bulldozer, his shield raised, barreling toward the black and white figures. The immense force he generated carved a trench in the ground deep enough to hold water.
As he surged forward, his body gradually became covered in armor, fully armed from head to toe.
He felt no resistance; those black and white figures were like paper, easily knocked aside by his unstoppable force.
In the instant he broke through the encirclement, he retracted his shield and continued running toward the end of the street.
If he could just kidnap a few civilians, those ghostly things wouldn’t dare to lay a hand on him!
Opode sprinted ahead, and soon he spotted groups of people making their way toward the factory not far down the street.
They seemed completely oblivious to the scene around them, chatting and walking as if nothing was amiss, all expertly avoiding this path, as if an invisible barrier lay in their way.
“Come here!”
Opode suddenly flung his right hand forward, a scorching, red-hot chain made of black armor shot out, aiming for the workers outside the street.
Thud—!!!
Suddenly, the chain in mid-air seemed to be caught by something, crashing down to the ground with a dull thud, sending up a spray of gravel and water.
In the shadow beneath the heavy chain, dozens of black and white figures on the ground ensnared Opode’s armored hook chain, as if subduing a fierce serpent, dragging it down and binding it to the ground.
The loud noise caught the attention of the crowd at the intersection ahead, and they peered into the street.
“Hey, what’s that guy doing with his shirt off? He just fell into a pit!”
“Don’t look! You’ll be late, and you don’t want to lose any wages, do you?”
“Hey, don’t remind me of that! You got docked a penny yesterday for being one second late…”
“Oh, Tom, if you bring that up again, I swear I’ll kick your ass with my boot!”
The factory bell rang, and the workers stopped chatting, quickening their pace toward the factory.
They couldn’t see the armor on the extraordinary being, nor the layers of black and white shadows behind him; all they saw was a hapless fool who had fallen into the mud.
And they would never remember why they had taken a longer route to the factory today; it would simply be another “ordinary day” in their memories.
“Bastards…”
Opode quickly turned back, glancing at the dense shadows behind him, feeling a chill run down his spine.
He was already late for work, and misfortune… had begun to quietly compound, doubling under the influence of the coin.
He couldn’t escape.
“What do you want from me?”
Opode’s reason was nearly consumed by rage.
He had endured for so long, and everything was progressing according to plan, but why? Just when everything was falling into place and success was within reach, he was thwarted by a church he wouldn’t have even glanced at before.
He wouldn’t accept it!
“Do you know who I am?! In the name of Sadias, I swear you will be punished for your actions!”
Opode tried to move, but the chains binding his right hand held him firmly to the ground, as if he were tethered by a hook chain, unable to budge an inch.
Clop, clop, clop…
Footsteps echoed from behind the shadows, and they parted to reveal the newcomer.
It was a small figure, half-hidden beneath a cloak.
She slowly removed her hood, revealing pale hair that cascaded down from the cloak, the tips soaked by the rain, exposing a dark green hue beneath the white.
“Damn it… a lackey of the church! Let me go, or I swear I’ll smash your goddess’s statue when I get back!”
Opode shouted in anger; every second counted now. The sooner he returned to the factory, the better his chances of survival.
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