Chapter 436
The tense atmosphere that had just been palpable seemed to shift directly into a support group for patients, the earlier strain dissipating significantly.
After a long pause, the Pope finally shifted her gaze from Xia'er’s right hand to her eyes, slowly speaking, “Before we discuss cooperation, I would like to understand one thing... Your Excellency.”
“What is it?” Xia'er retracted her right hand and asked calmly.
“What is your purpose in exploring the Otherworld?” the Pope inquired directly.
“To regain power and make some friends,” Xia'er replied without hesitation.
Utilizing the Otherworld to reclaim the power of "uniqueness" to make her pocket watch more complete was one of the few useful points the Otherworld offered Xia'er.
As for making friends... it wasn’t entirely a lie; at least she had met Xiao Zuo and An Chong, which could be considered a small network in the Otherworld.
“Regaining power, you say...” The Pope nodded slowly and asked, “Do you wish to see the nodes of the Otherworld?”
It seemed she accepted Xia'er’s statement.
After all, the purpose of the Order of the God of Order in exploring the Otherworld was also to regain power, and they had indeed reclaimed some—like potions of the third and fourth tiers, and methods for creating artificial divine attributes.
“Please, follow me.”
The Pope didn’t waste any words, simply walking toward a certain part of the room, directly opening a hidden door and descending the stairs beyond it.
Xia'er followed, with the others trailing closely behind to ensure her safety.
As they descended the spiral staircase, the closer they got to the bottom, the more Xia'er felt a familiar aura—not just her, but Xiao Zuo on her shoulder sensed it too.
With each level they descended, the temperature grew colder. Although the Pope had started on the top floor, they were now far below ground level, likely two or three floors down, and still hadn’t reached the bottom.
In addition to the oil lamps, there was a crimson light source at the very bottom, which became increasingly pronounced as they descended, to the point where no other light was needed.
Finally, as they approached the fourth underground level, someone couldn’t hold on any longer.
A “Glowing Bishop” halted, trembling as he said, “Archbishop Tara, I... I’m showing signs of losing control over my potion. I can’t go any further...”
“Stay here,” Tara said, frowning slightly, telling him he didn’t need to continue.
In Tara’s eyes, the other’s faith was no longer pure enough; if he couldn’t overcome such a minor difficulty, he was destined not to be someone who could stand by the Mother Goddess.
As they continued downward, fewer and fewer people followed; even Peirxi had stopped.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go further, but she was genuinely starting to show symptoms of potion instability.
In the end, only the Pope, Xia'er, Tara, and Henry remained at the bottom.
When they finally stepped onto the stone bricks of the lowest level, Xia'er looked toward the crimson light source.
It was a shattered shield quietly floating in mid-air, its original color indistinguishable under the crimson glow. Blood threads connected the fragments of the shield, and at the center of these threads and shards, a blood-red vortex spun endlessly, as if it would never cease.
This was... a blood array, and the gate to the Otherworld.
Xia'er had seen countless scenes like this, reminiscent of the “Spiritual Summoning,” but she had never encountered a blood array that could last for such a long time...
According to Henry, this node of the Otherworld had been maintained for at least seven hundred forty-one years since the end of the Holy War era.
To put it into perspective, Xia'er maintained her blood array using her own blood and sacrificial materials... What could sustain this blood array for hundreds of years?
What kind of force could possess such immense energy?
Xia'er’s gaze swept over the shield once more, mentally recording all the patterns and bloodline paths, ready to replicate them at any moment.
Just then, an unexpected event occurred.
Xiao Zuo suddenly leaped down from Xia'er’s shoulder, diving straight into the blood-red vortex, entering the Otherworld. Soon after, Xiao Zuo jumped back out, and Xia'er noticed it seemed to be holding something.
A dull, black-blue feather quill.
Xiao Zuo pinched the quill between its two fingers, proudly presenting it to Xia'er.
This was... the quill she had discarded in the Otherworld, stripped of its “uniqueness” and the touch of fate?
The quill that had caused her so much trouble?
It was still intact in the Otherworld?
Perhaps due to being in the Otherworld for so long, the quill had absorbed some of its essence, the blood-red markings becoming increasingly distorted; just looking at it felt like being affected.
Xia'er had no doubt that anything written with this quill would carry the aura and taint of the Otherworld.
Bending down, Xia'er took the quill from Xiao Zuo’s hands and gently patted its back.
Pleased with the praise, Xiao Zuo excitedly twirled around a few times.
The others clearly noticed this scene, especially the Pope, whose gaze was locked onto Xia'er. Even as the iron mask on her face seemed to melt into dripping iron, she didn’t avert her eyes.
The shock in her and Henry’s hearts was indescribable.
For Xia'er to retrieve something from the Otherworld was as simple as eating or drinking... This profoundly shook their worldview, especially the Pope’s, as if her entire perspective was on the verge of collapsing.
She even began to doubt herself.
What had their efforts over the years been for?
But soon, the Pope regained her composure.
She would do everything in her power to persuade this formidable being to agree to cooperate with the Order of the God of Order.
At any cost.
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PS1:
Sorry!!!
I really slacked off; I didn’t expect that the closer it got to the New Year, the less I wanted to write. I had planned to stay in my rental and write this year.
Tomorrow, I must write over 6K, or else I’ll be in trouble!
No more slacking off! Tomorrow’s me!!!
Good afternoon!!!
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PS2:
Here’s a recommendation for an orange-themed novel, “The Villainous Master, My Disciple Wants to Backstab Me,” by Qing Luan Dalao, a new book~
Chapter 232: We Will Meet Again... “The Time Binder” (6159 words)
“Are you okay?”
Xia'er glanced at the Pope beside her and asked.
It wasn’t that Xia'er looked down on the Pope; she simply had to ask—
At this moment, the Pope of the Order of the God of Order had seen her iron mask melt into iron water, dripping down bit by bit, the red, bloody iron pooling at her feet before seeping back into her body.
Such a terrifying transformation left Xia'er with no doubt that she could collapse and go mad at any moment.
Xia'er wasn’t worried about her; she was worried about herself... having a fourth-tier extraordinary being beside her going insane, with only a second-tier Tara around, and the surroundings being mostly sealed off, it was truly a situation where calling for help would be futile.
After all, the Pope’s mental state had already seemed off.
But upon hearing Xia'er’s question, the Pope slowly raised her hand and waved it, a distorted humming sound escaping her lips.
“As long as we don’t go inside, there’s no problem...”
To maintain her composure and speak rationally in such a situation was indeed not easy... Even Tara, standing beside her, was instinctively hiding behind Xia'er, clutching her clothes tightly with her eyes shut, too afraid to open them.
Xia'er suspected that the Pope had begun to use the “artificial divine attributes” plan to alter her own psyche; otherwise, it was hard to explain the stark difference in her behavior now compared to before, as if she were suffering from a split personality.
“Tara, go back up,” Xia'er turned her head and placed a hand on Tara’s shoulder.
“No... Mother Goddess... I can do this...” Tara murmured, not even realizing she had instinctively said something she shouldn’t have.
“Be obedient.” Xia'er’s tone became slightly firmer.
Tara looked up into Xia'er’s eyes, struggling internally for a moment before choosing to bow to Xia'er and turn to ascend the spiral staircase.
After watching Tara leave, Xia'er turned her gaze back to the node of the Otherworld before her.
The node... she had seen it.
But could this thing be exchanged?
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