Chapter 344
The clergy rushed out of the room, and Seraphin was quick to follow.
I must report to Duke Russell immediately... mobilize all family resources, seal off Ansu City, and dig three feet into the ground!
I cannot let Queen Vitalis get a hold of any leverage!
...
"Xia... Er?"
In the cold, damp basement, Aivina slowly opened her eyes in Xia Er's embrace. As her vision adjusted to the surrounding darkness, she looked up at Xia Er's face.
"You’re awake?"
Xia Er knelt down slightly, allowing Aivina's feet to touch the ground, and gently asked, "Can you stand?"
"I can..."
Aivina steadied herself by gripping Xia Er's shoulder and slowly rose. The solid ground beneath her feet quickly dispelled the dizziness clouding her mind.
"Over here, Xia Er."
In one of the rooms, Lucy poked her head out and waved at Xia Er.
"Okay."
Xia Er responded and hurried toward Lucy.
As he opened the door, he was greeted by a variety of experimental instruments, both large and small, and a complex aroma of herbs filled the air.
The small space was covered with a blanket on the floor, where Amy lay sleeping, while Adele was slumped over the workbench, appearing to be asleep as well.
The dim light from a lantern was the only source of illumination in the room.
The sound of the door opening seemed to startle Amy and Adele. Adele scrambled to her feet, looking toward the entrance.
"Xia Er... wuwuwu..."
As soon as she saw Xia Er, tears streamed down Adele's face without any preamble. She wiped her tears while mumbling, "You finally came back..."
In contrast to Adele, Amy appeared more composed. She propped herself up and stared at Xia Er, remaining silent for a long moment.
Having grown up without much hardship, Amy's ability to endure in such an environment without breaking down spoke volumes about her mental fortitude and adaptability.
After calming Adele down a bit, Xia Er began to inquire about what had happened recently.
It turned out that at the end of September, shortly after Xia Er's capture, Lucy had managed to obtain the "Gardener" potion. By that time, Amy had completed the ritual and fully absorbed the potion, officially becoming a true extraordinary being.
After being hidden away by Lucy, Amy joined Adele in her research. With the assistance of the "Gardener" ability, Adele's research progressed by leaps and bounds.
Now, their achievement was the successful cultivation of a second violet capable of resisting the blight of decay, and they had no issues with the quantity of samples.
However, how to extract the special components from this violet, whether it could be made into an antidote, or if they could simply cultivate a plant that could resist the blight, remained unknown.
Having regained her composure, Aivina stood beside Xia Er, quietly listening to their account.
When Xia Er asked, Aivina began to recount some of the events she had experienced during his absence.
Xia Er listened intently as Aivina detailed her various efforts to rescue him, noting the names of those who had troubled her, which she kept tucked away in her heart.
As Aivina's story neared its end, Xia Er suddenly remembered something and asked, "What about Tara?"
"Little Tara is over by the sewers... She’s been there almost every day... I think she even went out a few times. We tried to convince her not to go out recklessly, but we couldn’t stop her."
Adele replied.
The sewers?
"Wait, I need to find her. You all stay here."
If anyone was likely to act impulsively in this situation, it would be Tara. Unlike the others, she had no sense of reason.
Xia Er exited the room and followed the corridor to a hidden door. Pushing it open, she heard the sound of flowing water and caught a whiff of the foul stench from the sewers.
Stepping out of the dark passage, Xia Er stood in the side corridor of the sewer, glancing around.
Soon, she noticed a barely perceptible mark.
This was the mark of the Holy Order... Xia Er had seen it before at the Dedun Manor, and she was very familiar with these symbols.
Following the marks, Xia Er walked until she reached the last one.
It was a stone wall. Xia Er reached out and pushed a stone beneath the mark.
Nothing happened; she felt no vibrations or the sound of gears engaging.
The stone door swung open, warm yellow light spilling out. Following the light, Xia Er peered inside a small underground space of about fifty to sixty square meters, filled with members of the Holy Order. They all turned in unison to look at her.
"This rescue plan is crucial. We must do whatever it takes to save those inside. Children, it’s time to offer your lives and loyalty... Xia Er?!"
Tara, who had been standing in the center with her back to Xia Er, turned around upon noticing the others' gazes. The words she had been saying caught in her throat, turning into a gasp.
Xia Er understood instantly what Tara was planning to do and felt relieved that she had arrived in time.
Otherwise, they would have lost a portion of their fighting strength.
Looking at the members of the Holy Order before her, Xia Er's mind raced, and an idea began to form.
"Tara, come here."
Xia Er waved her hand at Tara.
The crowd quickly parted, and Tara, dressed in the garb of the Holy Order, rushed to Xia Er's side, bowing her head respectfully.
"I have a question for you."
Xia Er looked at Tara.
Tara fought the urge to raise her head and forced herself to keep it down, suppressing her excitement as she replied, "Yes... please ask."
"What is the Holy Order's view on merging with the Church of the Savior Goddess?"
Xia Er inquired.
"Them? Just a bunch of traitors to the Mother Goddess's faith..."
Tara instinctively began to mock the Church of the Savior Goddess, "They cling to the royal family, trading favors to survive."
Not just Tara, but the members of the Holy Order behind her began to murmur among themselves. Although they didn’t know Xia Er's identity, their disdain for the Church of the Savior Goddess was palpable.
"But..."
Tara shifted back to the main topic, "If you, Lord Xia Er, wish for the two churches to merge, all you need to do is show a few miracles or create some wonders to make them believe in the Mother Goddess's existence again..."
"Many knowledgeable individuals and those on the fence inside will likely turn completely to the Holy Order. At that point, even if the Pope disagrees with the merger, there will be nothing they can do."
Miracles, huh...
Right now, the only method Xia Er could think of to create a "miracle" was that untested ability, [Omniscient].
Whether it was the Church of the Savior Goddess or the Holy Order, their depictions of the Mother Goddess or Goddess were faceless.
But if she could make some adjustments to the statue so that it pointed toward her, then Xia Er could respond through [Omniscient].
Of course, she couldn’t carve her own face directly; otherwise, she would be deeply tied to both religions.
It was important to remember that the Church of the God of Order and the Ansu royal family were desperately trying to eradicate the Church of the Savior Goddess in Ansu. Carving her own face would be like putting a target on her back for others to take her down.
However, the skill description of [Omniscient] didn’t specify that she had to carve a face; it only required "constructing a creation that points to you"...
This meant that not just the statue, but even gestures or incantations that pointed to her could be known to her.
But this ability had to be used cautiously; too many people knowing about it would lead to a constant barrage of prayers or words pointing at her, akin to an unending stream of telemarketing calls invading her mind—far more terrifying than mere whispers.
This was a potential point for promoting the merger, and Xia Er needed to remember it—she hoped for a chance to meet the Popes of both the Church of the Savior Goddess and the Holy Order to see if she could persuade them.
"Given the state of martial law in Ansu, do you have the means to get people out? I killed Princess Windsor."
Xia Er asked calmly.
"Please wait, Lord Xia Er, let me check..."
Tara retreated into the room to ask a black-clad follower.
Having killed Windsor would surely lead to a massive search. Now that she had gathered much intelligence, including Adele's research notes, she could carry them with her for exchange once they got out.
The only thing left to do, aside from seeking out the Popes of the Church of the Savior Goddess or the Holy Order, was to stack the [Nemesis] effect for those involved in this matter.
The higher the layers of [Nemesis] stacked, the safer she would be in reality.
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