Chapter 440
The once half-kneeling, battered armor, its eyes glowing a ghastly green, slowly rose to its feet.
"Interesting..." A metallic hum emanated from within the armor. "She directly created another identical node with her bare hands..."
The broken armor seemed to completely disregard Tara, who stood wide-eyed before it. It slowly lowered its head to look at Henry, kneeling at its feet.
"Get up, Henry." The armor took a step forward, but the metallic right leg emitted a piercing sound of metal fatigue, almost like a scream, as it moved.
The right leg began to twist and deform.
"Henry... hasn't that candidate saintess been found yet?" The voice from within the armor carried a hint of impatience. "Didn't she return to Ansu?"
"Yes, but she is still under the protection of that Miss Russell..."
"Forget about her. Don't bother with the strong sound; bring her here, quickly... these bodies are too weak..."
The Pope walked toward Tara, his tone gradually softening.
"Come on, Miss Tara."
The metallic screech echoed.
"Let us meet His Excellency Charles once more..."
Tara's heart raced. She watched the Pope prepare to leave, and only after Henry's reminder did she snap back to reality and hurriedly follow.
This is bad... I need to inform the Mother Goddess quickly...
So this is the true purpose of the Order of the God of Order in abducting Nia...
...
Clang—
"Haah..." Charles gasped as she threw the empty iron shell onto the carpet, leaning on her knees, slightly out of breath.
She had lost track of how long it had been since she felt the sensation of sweating from exertion; that armor was indeed heavy.
"Are you alright, Lady Charles?" Percie rushed forward as soon as she saw Tara approach, pulling out a clean white handkerchief and offering it to Charles.
"Thank you." Charles accepted the handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her face.
It wasn't that she didn't want to use her own handkerchief; it was just that she had already given it to Tara earlier... but she seemed to have forgotten to ask for it back.
After catching her breath, Charles looked up and asked, "Where's Tara? Where's Henry?"
How could so many people be missing right after I arrived?
Charles's gaze fell on the broken iron shell lying on the ground, feeling somewhat speechless.
The Pope was dead below, and there might still be a strong sound outside... it seemed that this simulation wouldn't end well for her.
Originally, Charles thought the Pope could withstand the influence of the Gate of the Otherworld and accompany her to the end; her mental strength should be significantly stronger than that of other "Crown Guardians."
But unexpectedly, after she created the second node of the Otherworld, the Pope's spirit collapsed under the influence of the two nodes in no time.
Moreover, she had been "possessed" by the platinum armor of the Otherworld creatures that came afterward... it seemed she was dead beyond recovery.
"Teacher Tara... went with Henry," Percie said, a hint of worry on her face. "Henry said he was going to greet the 'Pope,' and this secret must not be known to others... Lady Tara asked me to stay behind to protect you; she went with him."
Tara...
She completely prioritized me, disregarding her own life...
"Let's go find Tara."
Charles hesitated for only a moment. Although she had always regarded Tara as "a very practical tool," once a tool was used comfortably, she naturally didn't want to replace it or let it break.
Just as Charles was about to head toward the door, a broken silver armor appeared at the entrance.
"Lady Charles... have you finished your research?"
The familiar metallic hum came from within the armor, its ghastly green glow staring directly at Charles, the Otherworldly aura emanating from it making her feel slightly uneasy.
For a moment, Charles felt as if she were facing a terrifying Otherworld creature—one that was decidedly unfriendly.
But from Percie's earlier words, Charles could deduce that the figure before her was indeed the Pope... she was still alive and had merely changed bodies...
"I'm sorry, I didn't know this would affect you." Charles pointed at the armor on the ground, her gaze drifting behind it.
Only when she spotted the short figure with dark green hair did she finally relax.
"Tara, come here."
Charles waved Tara over, and once Tara stood before her, Charles raised her hand to shield Tara behind her.
"Are you alright?" Charles asked, looking down.
"I... I'm fine, Lady Charles." Tara kept her head down, saying nothing. She knew she couldn't reveal everything to Charles right now.
"You've seen the node, and you've read the notes... your subordinates have even come to spy on my most secret place... I have no reservations about you, Lady Charles."
A harsh, grating metallic hum filled the air.
"I wonder how you feel about the cooperation we discussed, Your Excellency?"
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PS:
Taking a break from 4K today!
Happy New Year, everyone! May you excel in your studies and see your careers flourish! Wishing you sweet love!
By the way, I’d appreciate any free monthly votes as the end of the month approaches!
Going out to eat! Cheers!
Good night in advance!
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Chapter 234: Talents Abound in Ansu City (4163 words)
Charles did not rush to respond about the cooperation.
From Tara's expression, it was clear that she had seen something related to her own interests. Now was not the right time to discuss the details of cooperation without having complete information.
But delaying this matter a bit was quite simple... after all, the simulation would end at 17:51 this afternoon.
"You detached from your own shell, didn't you, Your Excellency?" Charles looked at the Pope before her, shifting the topic.
"Indeed..." The Pope glanced at the remnants of the armor that had been dragged up, saying, "Thank you for bringing my body here, Lady Charles."
"That's good to hear... I thought that Otherworldly entity had devoured both your spirit and your body..." Charles nodded with a smile. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Otherworldly... entity?" The dark green flames flickered in the Pope's hollow eye sockets, her voice wavering. "Are you saying...?"
"Yes, the master of that fortress, the entity from deep within the Otherworld." Charles nodded slightly. "It occupied your shell and transformed into a... white gilded armor."
White gilded armor?
Now, not only the Pope but even Henry behind her was completely stunned.
"May I ask... why did it appear? Is it still down there? Did it say anything to you?" Henry seemed a bit anxious, stepping forward to ask quickly.
His question calmed Charles's heart a little.
The other party was more anxious than she was, indicating that this information struck at their core needs.
In this way, the advantage in intelligence was on her side.
"I still need some time to decipher what it said... my memory is a bit muddled right now, I hope you can understand," Charles shook her head, a hint of bitterness on her face. "If possible, I would like to return now; I want to record its appearance."
"Tara, paper."
Charles reached out her hand toward Tara, who quickly took out a notebook and a pen, handing them to Charles.
Swish, swish, swish—
Charles quickly wrote down an address on the paper, then handed it to the Pope, saying, "This is my address. If you don't mind, I can decrypt the information before eight tonight. You can come by, and we can discuss the cooperation then..."
"Alright, no problem." The Pope extended her hands to take the notebook from Charles, saying, "I will definitely visit on time."
"Let's go, Tara." Charles led Tara toward the door, but suddenly, she seemed to remember something and turned back to the Pope, saying, "By the way, there are a few things I understood... it said that in the east, someone is preventing its arrival..."
"Yes... I understand."
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