Chapter 363
As he stepped out of the Cecil Palace, a guard from the Queen's Sword approached him briskly, bowing his head and whispering, "Your Excellency, the Archbishop Eleanor of the Church of the Savior seems to have just boarded a carriage and left."
"Where to?"
Qiangyin frowned slightly.
The Judgement Court? Where could they be going at this hour?
The Church of the Savior was always under the royal watch, especially someone of Eleanor's stature; her movements were typically reported in real-time.
By the time the report reached him, it meant she had already been gone for at least three or four minutes.
In the past, Qiangyin would have ignored Eleanor's departure, but at this sensitive juncture, he couldn't afford to overlook any detail.
"She headed towards the East District," the guard replied, still looking down.
"Go, follow her. Bring a few 'Crown Guards' and find an opportunity to stop her carriage for a routine inspection."
Qiangyin quickly issued the command.
Though a few 'Crown Guards' wouldn't be able to challenge a Level 4 like Eleanor, they represented the royal authority. If she wanted to continue her missionary work in Ansu, she would have to cooperate.
With the threat from Princess Vita neutralized, it was time to lock down the entire city.
"Help me contact Charles."
Qiangyin turned to a member of the Royal Orchestra beside him. "Seal the city."
"Seal the city? That will upset the nobles; their shipments will come to a halt..."
The female musician hesitated, looking down as she spoke.
"What’s our justification?"
"Maximum alert, apprehend a fugitive."
Qiangyin nodded slightly, "The charge is... assault on a royal member."
That reason would be enough to silence the nobles.
He left a small team of the Queen's Sword to guard Vita, ensuring her safety while also keeping an eye on her.
Vita was a clever child; her intelligence often led her to feign weaknesses that left others puzzled.
The Echo Barrier had a vast effective range, covering most of the West District, but its resistance to interference was weak. Even a Level 2 'Sound Lawyer' could easily create a soundproof vacuum.
Clearly, her excuse for blocking the echoes was flimsy and raised many questions, but as long as he confirmed that the "subversive" was not with her, Qiangyin needed to act quickly to catch the fleeing "subversive."
Finding a "subversive" in a city of nearly two million people was like searching for a needle in a haystack... but Qiangyin would rather kill a thousand innocents than let one slip away.
Searching for a needle in a haystack? Just drain the sea.
As long as he could find the person, rewind time, and the issue of killing the wrong one would be resolved.
Meanwhile, shortly after Qiangyin left, Vitalis stood up and exited the concert hall.
"Sofia, prepare the carriage."
She stepped out of the hall and quickly instructed the maid standing by the door.
"Yes, Your Highness... where are we going?"
"Windsor Palace."
...
In the Church District, within an abandoned and soon-to-be-demolished Church of the Savior.
This had once been the largest parish of the Church in the East District, but now it lay in ruins, a refuge for the homeless, a den for vermin, and even a trading ground for gangs.
Yet today, it felt unusually empty.
Only one figure was busy inside.
The gravel on the floor had been cleared, and the weeds growing between the bricks had been removed. A red-haired girl walked through the church, carrying a bucket of warm blood.
In her right hand, she held a gruesome severed arm, gripping it like a handshake, using the exposed flesh and bone to dip into the bucket of blood and draw on the ground.
Xia'er worked quickly, the images she had seen etched in her mind. The skills from "Linguistics" that granted her photographic memory and the basics of "Drawing" were now in full play.
Even without proper tools, she could create precise patterns with just the severed arm.
As the bucket of blood neared the bottom, the eerie blood array was left with only one final stroke.
Xia'er held the severed arm, ready to throw it to activate the array.
But this was not the time.
The sacrifice was not yet in place, and the prey had not yet fallen into the trap; she couldn't activate the blood array just yet.
This time, Xia'er planned to have Tara execute the activation of the blood array... this array was drawn with Xia'er's blood, so communicating with the other realm would be no problem.
After much thought, Tara was the only suitable candidate.
Xia'er couldn't stay here.
She had to go against the current, returning to the West District before Qiangyin arrived and the blood array was activated.
She needed to find Qiangyin's spiritual notes, break the spiritual seals on them, and see their contents.
If Qiangyin had indeed left some "codes" to remind himself of wounds or such...
Then Xia'er would gain an absolute informational advantage.
Even if Qiangyin rewound time before his death, she could create false intelligence, leading Qiangyin to misinform himself...
As long as the misdirection was good enough, even the "uniqueness" of the influence could affect reality, and Qiangyin would be led down a path completely unrelated to Xia'er, freeing her from his grasp.
If he continued to investigate in the wrong direction... Qiangyin might even die from the side effects of constant time rewinding.
Just after Xia'er completed the drawing of the blood array, a series of footsteps echoed.
Xia'er looked up towards the church entrance and saw Tara walking in, followed by Yulisi, Amy, Eleanor, and nearly thirty members of the Holy Order, Tara's students.
Xia'er observed Eleanor, who was fixated on Amy's back, confirming that Tara had successfully completed the task Xia'er had given her.
The next act was for Tara to take the stage.
Xia'er handed Tara the pre-written incantation with phonetic symbols, along with the severed left arm.
"Do you remember what I told you?"
Xia'er asked Tara, looking her in the eye.
"I do..."
Tara nodded.
Once communication with the "Dark Worm" was established, it was to kill Qiangyin immediately... that was the task left by the Mother Goddess.
"Who is she..."
Eleanor's gaze shifted to Xia'er, her expression fluctuating.
She could see the illusion on Xia'er—what the red-haired girl offered was indeed her own missing left arm.
To Eleanor, this scene was somewhat horrifying, and only she could see it.
Not mad, but close to madness—this was Eleanor's first impression.
Moreover, when she locked eyes with the pink pupils of the red-haired girl, an inexplicable fear surged within her.
This feeling of fear had not been experienced since her ascension to Level 4... which made her suspicious.
Seeing Eleanor take a half-step back and her flickering gaze, Xia'er understood.
So this could be considered a counter to her nemesis?
"Don't mind me."
Xia'er nodded slightly, smiling, "Just a passing artist, helping to create a piece."
"Amy, come with me."
Xia'er called Amy over, causing Eleanor to feel uneasy.
"Wait, you can't take her; she's the Saintess."
Eleanor stepped in front of Amy, warily eyeing Xia'er.
"The Saintess?"
Xia'er raised an eyebrow, her right hand lifting slightly, palm up, gesturing invitingly towards the church, "There’s something even more thrilling ahead... Amy."
Upon hearing Xiaer's call again, Amy, who had been too scared to speak, quickly sidestepped Eleanor and ran to Xia'er, clutching her hem and hiding behind her.
"Enjoy your ascension, Lady Eleanor."
Xia'er waved her hand, leading Amy through the path cleared by the Holy Order members, "Farewell... Yulisi, you come too; I can take you to meet Adele."
Xia'er also took Yulisi along.
Meanwhile, standing before the blood array, Tara cradled the now tattered black-purple arm in her hands, taking a deep breath.
This was... the arm of the Mother Goddess? It bore her scent.
This was a holy relic...
Tara slowly embraced the arm, completely disregarding the dirt and blood still clinging to it.
"What is that..."
Eleanor stared at the blood array, her hands trembling slightly.
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