Chapter 168: The Pope’s Self-Blame
Kailun and Afra walked towards the auction venue. In the Chamber of Commerce’s corridor, they happened to encounter Chrissy and Helena.
Chrissy looked anxious, and Helena even more so.
“Kailun, I think the Pope suspects me!”
The moment she saw Kailun, Chrissy rushed towards him, the anxiety in her eyes fading slightly.
She threw her arms around him, as if trying to meld her body into his.
Afra shook her head helplessly and went to Kailun’s VIP room first.
To her, who was naturally aloof, Chrissy’s enthusiasm was a bit too much.
With Afra gone, Chrissy became even more passionate, even rubbing her chest against Kailun.
“Aren’t you suspected?” Kailun pushed Chrissy’s shoulders, creating some distance between them.
Although there were no outsiders here, it was better to understand the situation first.
Chrissy chuckled. “That’s why I have you. I believe you can solve all the problems.”
She stood on her tiptoes, trying to kiss Kailun’s cheek, but he stopped her with a hand on her chin. “There’s something I forgot to tell you. Just over half an hour ago, I had someone assassinate an eighth-rank mage from the Temple of the Celestial God who was staying in the Royal City. Although not many people know about it yet, I believe the Pope will soon find out that an eighth-rank mage has gone missing.”
Chrissy: “!!!”
Helena: “!!!”
The disappearance of an eighth-rank mage was no small matter, especially in the Royal City.
“Why? This isn’t your style.”
Chrissy regained her serious expression, pondering for a moment but unable to find a reasonable explanation.
“On the surface, it’s because I wanted to save money. I didn’t want to pay one million gold coins.”
Kailun gently scratched the soft flesh under Chrissy’s chin. “Would you believe me if I explained it like that?”
Chrissy tilted her head slightly, allowing Kailun to caress her chin more comfortably. “I don’t believe you.”
“Then you’re wrong. I really was thinking that. After all, it’s one million gold coins. Besides, I also wanted to test the waters, to test the Pope’s attitude with an eighth-rank mage. It’s the perfect opportunity. Even if something goes wrong, you’re there to balance things out.”
It was a risky move, but with Chrissy as a mediator, it became possible.
Although Charles had investigated some interesting things, as long as the Pope didn’t witness it herself, there was room for explanation.
The Pope’s care for Chrissy was extraordinary, not something that could be easily shaken.
If he was right, there would be a period of peace for a while.
The Pope wouldn’t act rashly without knowing Kailun’s true strength. This was one of Kailun’s advantages.
Of course, the most important thing was that Chrissy was living in the Royal City. He didn’t think the Pope would want her to suddenly disappear, right?
“Your smile makes me uneasy.”
Seeing the smile on Kailun’s face, Chrissy took a step back, escaping his touch.
“Anyway, you don’t have to worry about the Pope’s suspicion. They don’t have any evidence of our direct contact. Even if they find some clues, you can explain it as deliberately getting close to me. If they really ask, tell the Pope that Kailun has mastered a magic that can turn people into fireworks, and you’ve found some clues about it. You want to get close to me to extract information from me, and you’re willing to offer your useless body to Kailun for that purpose. Understand?”
Kailun stepped forward and stroked Chrissy’s golden hair.
“You’re doing something very dangerous. And you mentioned my body. Are you trying to take advantage of me?”
Chrissy used honorifics to show her obedience. If she had a tail, it would be tucked between her legs.
“Do you think I need to take advantage of you?”
Kailun glanced at Helena, the assassin girl, who looked troubled, and then said to Chrissy, “I think I’m the one being taken advantage of, right?”
“Ehehe, you saw through me. So can I come to you tonight?” Chrissy poked Kailun’s chest with her finger.
After Kailun’s guidance, she had relaxed.
The Pope couldn’t possibly sneak into the Xiya Kingdom and capture her, right?
Kailun didn’t answer. He flicked Chrissy’s forehead three times and then walked towards the VIP room.
“Hey you, what do you think those three flicks mean?”
After Kailun left, Chrissy turned to Helena with a mischievous smile.
“Who are you asking? My name isn’t ‘you’.” Helena crossed her arms, glaring at Chrissy.
“Of course, I’m asking you. You seem to be unhappy with me, but don’t forget, I’m still the Saint of the Temple of the Celestial God. I can contact the Pope and have you sent back to the Temple. Then your identity as a traitor might be exposed even before mine.”
Chrissy walked over to Helena and patted her shoulder. “Or I can call Carol now and have her take you out shopping. How about that?”
Helena: “!!!”
Hearing Carol’s name, Helena shuddered, her face filled with fear. Her fear of Carol had reached the point where just hearing her name was enough to affect her.
“I… I know I was wrong.”
She didn’t dare to gamble and could only surrender.
“That’s right. Let’s go home and choose our outfits. We’ll go play with Kailun tonight.”
Satisfied with the answer, Chrissy walked towards the exit happily.
Helena was startled. “I have to go too?”
Countless unspeakable images flooded her mind.
Chrissy waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t overthink it. You’re just going to keep watch for me. Make sure no one interrupts.”
Helena: “…”
After settling Chrissy, who was full of strange thoughts, Kailun returned to the VIP room.
Carol was instructing the two elves on their daily tasks. Bella was listening attentively, and Afra was sitting at the table, peeling an apple.
Kailun didn’t disturb them. He sat beside Afra and helped her eat the apple.
Afra peeled one, and he ate one. They were very efficient, and soon, all the apples in the fruit plate were gone.
After finishing the apples, Kailun diverted a bit of his attention to listen to Ella’s announcements downstairs. The Lucky Potion was being auctioned now. Without Kailun’s manipulation, these Lucky Potions were just plain water with a few drops of Chrissy’s tears.
Chrissy’s tears were also holy water, possessing special effects. At least it wouldn’t make people suspect that the Lucky Potion was just plain water.
As for the more special holy water, Kailun kept it for himself. It was stored in a box in his bedroom wardrobe.
The ten bottles of Lucky Potion were sold for a total of 1.3 million gold coins. Ella had the bidders drink the potion in turns.
Except for two unlucky individuals who only experienced a three-second effect, much to Kailun’s disappointment, the others all received a mental boost for at least ten minutes.
For Kailun, whose strength had increased significantly, the current consumption only caused a slight dizziness.
The auction concluded successfully at 6:00 PM. The Balance Chamber of Commerce had earned a total of five million gold coins worth of items, including high-rank magic books and scrolls.
Most of these transactions were “cost-free,” and with the recent arrival of treasures from the tomb, the Xiya Kingdom’s national strength was greatly enhanced.
Therefore, Kailun would take advantage of this period of peace to rapidly develop the Xiya Kingdom.
His strength had grown too quickly recently, leaving many aspects lagging behind. He could use the next period to consolidate his foundation.
Although he had fewer things to do now, he was still busy. The newly formed White Jade Alliance was also a problem. If it wasn’t handled properly, they might side with the Temple of the Celestial God.
Kailun scratched his head and left the Chamber of Commerce with the others. He had to “play” with Phils tomorrow, so he had to prepare some props that might come in handy.
……
“Chrissy, your recent reports have become increasingly perfunctory. If you can’t give me a satisfactory explanation, I’ll have Koya bring you back to Alaye right now.”
After dark, Chrissy received a magic letter from the Pope. Her tone was very firm, lacking the usual warmth.
This time, Chrissy replied personally, “I apologize, Your Holiness. I’ve been busy with a very important matter recently, so I neglected you. Please punish me if I caused you any inconvenience.”
Chrissy’s attitude in the magic letter was very good, even submissive, like a subordinate reporting to her superior.
This deliberately created distance made the Pope even more worried. She hesitated for a long time before sending another magic letter. “I don’t want to punish you. I’m just concerned about your well-being. The Xiya Kingdom is too dangerous, and Kailun is extremely dangerous. It’s not a wise decision to be too close to him.”
Chrissy: “I know, but I hate him! I want to skin him alive and leave no trace of him! I can’t stand seeing him standing in front of me, unscathed! It’s precisely because of my hatred for him that I want to take revenge. Did you know? I recently discovered a secret about Kailun. He seems to have mastered a special magic that can turn people into terrifying fireworks.”
“Crash!”
The Pope, in Alaye, stared at the magic letter from Chrissy. She was so focused that she didn’t even notice she had knocked over her teacup.
Their previous attack on the Abyss had failed because of Kailun’s intervention. The terrifying “fireworks” had left a deep impression on her.
That was why she had been hesitant to take any action against the Xiya Kingdom.
In recent days, she had tried to borrow the Empire’s Destiny Divination Device from the Empress to predict the future, but she was refused.
Every time she thought of the Empress’s gaze, a sense of unease surged within her. An invisible barrier had formed between them.
Then she had learned some information about Kuye Town from Charles, further increasing her vigilance.
The world was no longer familiar. The successive emergence of unknown events made her feel like a headless fly, running around in circles.
Chrissy’s words gave her a new hope. What if Chrissy could uncover the secret behind Kailun’s rise?
This was a dangerous thought. Her study was already filled with information about Kailun. There were even people analyzing the food he might eat in his daily life.
But after such a long time, she hadn’t obtained any valuable results.
This time, the Pope stared at the magic letter in silence for even longer…
“No, it’s too dangerous. Kailun is good at manipulating people. You’re no match for him. The waters are too deep. You should come back.”
For Chrissy’s safety, the Pope still tried to persuade her to return.
If she continued to interact with Kailun, even if she wasn’t a traitor now, she would become one eventually. After all, Kailson’s example was still fresh in her mind.
“No! I can’t give up now! I’ve successfully gotten close to Kailun’s personal maid. I’m almost there! Kailun bullied me before, so he’s not very wary of me. I can definitely help you find out his secrets, even if it means sacrificing everything I have. Please forgive my rudeness, but I’m going to Kailun’s manor now.”
Mixing truth and lies, Chrissy took advantage of the Pope’s limitations, being far away in Alaye, and fabricated a believable excuse.
After sending the magic letter, Chrissy threw her communication device under the bed.
She slammed the table and said, “Little follower, get dressed and come with me. You’re in charge of keeping watch tonight. No sneaking snacks.”
Helena: “…”
She wanted to pin Chrissy down and beat her up, but the contract she had signed with Kailun stipulated that she not only couldn’t harm Chrissy but also had to obey her orders.
She should have just smashed her head against the wall.
……
“How could this be? How did things turn out like this?”
The Pope looked at Chrissy’s magic letter with pain. She had completely forgotten about Charles’s information.
She believed that Chrissy would never betray the Temple of the Celestial God. Chrissy had always been proud of the Temple, considering it her goal. A Saint like her couldn’t possibly rebel.
The heartbroken Pope could only blame Kailun. He had tainted Chrissy, turned her into this.
Besides resenting Kailun, she also blamed herself. She also wanted to know Kailun’s secrets. A voice in her heart urged her to stand by and watch.
“Someone, send the spy who infiltrated the Royal City tonight to gather information about Chrissy. Make sure to find out if they really went to Kailun’s manor.”
After a moment, the Pope composed herself and enveloped her body in white light.
Soon, a maid knelt before her. “But Your Holiness, the new spy has just been placed and hasn’t established a foundation yet. Such a hasty action carries great risks. The Xiya Kingdom’s intelligence organization is very sophisticated. We’ve found traces of the Loya Ball’s involvement.”
The Pope said coldly, “Are you questioning my decision?”
“No… No, Your Holiness. I’ll go and do it right away.” The maid backed away.
After more than ten minutes, the maid returned with the latest information. “Your Holiness, the spies have confirmed that Saint Chrissy is on her way to Kailun’s manor with an unknown follower. They are expected to arrive in five minutes.”
Hearing this, the Pope’s heart sank.
[Because of her guilt towards Saint Chrissy, the Pope’s goodwill towards you has decreased significantly. Goodwill -20, Total Goodwill -40]
The war hadn’t even begun, and the kind-hearted Pope had once again provided Kailun with a large number of attribute points.
Someone was going to suffer tonight!
……
Unfortunately, the new bed was too big to be finished in the afternoon. However, with the help of the two elf sisters, Kailun believed it would be completed soon.
As for tonight, Kailun, the “commander,” had already deployed his troops and made his intentions clear. Afra tried to flee but was caught by Anna, who held her legs, ruining her chance to escape.
Therefore, before the battle even began, Afra was tied up and thrown aside, becoming a spectator.
With Kailun’s soft command, the battle commenced.
Anna and Ella, prepared in advance, attacked from both sides, grabbing Kailun’s limbs, biting and entwining. They temporarily gained the upper hand.
However, Kailun was still Kailun. Even Anna’s skillful “bites” and Ella’s persistent “grinding” couldn’t make him show any weakness. He remained calm, pushing, kneading, and soon regained control.
They each targeted each other’s weak points, every move causing significant “damage.” No amount of gentleness could buy them more than a moment’s respite.
Faced with the powerful Kailun, their defenses could only be overwhelmed.
After a few rounds, Kailun gained complete dominance. He raised the banner of victory and charged towards Anna’s “high ground,” his relentless assault leaving her army in disarray.
“You’re nothing!”
Kailun declared. Half an hour of “ravaging” had left Anna’s army defenseless. They could only raise their hands in surrender.
After defeating Anna’s army, Kailun turned his attention to Ella, who had been sneak attacking him from behind. She had been constantly harassing his “rear” with her “advantageous” forces, annoying him to no end.
Seeing Kailun turn his army towards her, Ella tried to flee. Even the persistent Anna had been defeated. How could she possibly be a match for Kailun?
However, Kailun didn’t intend to let her go. With a wave of his hand, his armies on both sides surrounded Ella’s forces in a pincer movement, their numbers overwhelming.
Squeezing, kneading, pulling, even the strongest pressure could only be flattened and shaped by Kailun. And that wasn’t all. After disrupting Ella’s deployment, Kailun’s army surged forward, piercing through her forces and completing the encirclement.
Divided in two, Ella fought desperately, increasing the pressure on both sides, trying to strike Kailun head-on.
But she had underestimated Kailun’s strength and her own weakness. Her actions not only failed to push Kailun back but also made him even more excited.
He charged back and forth, “slaying” hundreds of “enemies.” After seven “in-and-outs,” Ella finally collapsed on the “battlefield.” They hadn’t even reached the main event, but she already felt her will broken.
Even though Kailun had “extinguished” the fire with his “water,” the heat in her heart couldn’t be quenched.
“Barely passable.”
Kailun commented on Ella, who had managed to hold him back for an hour. The attribute points provided by the Pope had made him even stronger.
He then set his sights on Afra’s army. They looked very weak and could only be considered dessert after the main course.
“I know you. You’re the legendary weak knight who keeps losing. I heard your best record is only three minutes.”
Kailun taunted before the battle, trying to provoke Afra.
But she blushed and explained, “Being out of shape was just an accident,” and “A knight’s defeat isn’t a real defeat”…
Soon, laughter filled the “battlefield.”
After laughing heartily, Kailun directly attacked Afra’s “city” without giving her any time to prepare. The fierce battle was far more intense than before. He was clearly taking revenge for what happened during the day.
After a few rounds, Afra was flushed and breathless, as if she had been burned by fire.
Just as she was about to faint, the reinforcements that were supposed to arrive at 3:00 AM pushed open the door.
“Today, I will use my body and faith to eliminate all evil!”
Chrissy stared at Kailun with determined eyes.
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