Chapter 239: Scraping the Bone to Heal
“As expected of you. If the Pope knew your plan, she would cry tears of joy.” Afra sighed.
Such wicked amusement was typical of Kailun.
She didn’t know when he had picked up this bad habit, but it was probably impossible to change him.
Afra didn’t mind, though. As long as Kailun wasn’t at a disadvantage, the feelings of outsiders were irrelevant.
“Don’t be so sure. The Pope’s tolerance might be stronger than we imagine.”
Kailun didn’t dwell on the topic of the Pope. He changed the subject. “Compared to the Pope, we should pay more attention to the Empire next door. They’ve been making a lot of moves recently, and their motives are unclear. It’s worth noting. Honestly, every time I think about that entity’s existence, I feel a sense of urgency.”
Due to the lack of crucial information, Kailun couldn’t make an accurate judgment, even with the important information Carol had provided.
Another reason for summoning Illusion was to fill in the missing pieces.
Among the people around him, only Illusion clearly remembered everything that had happened in the previous life. The others either knew bits and pieces or knew nothing at all.
“I knew you had ulterior motives. You just arrived, and you’re already trying to pry into my secrets.”
Illusion pushed away Kailun’s arm and crossed her arms defensively. “I’ve already told Carol everything I can. I’m sure she’s relayed it to you. The remaining information shouldn’t affect the overall situation. Revealing it would only cause abnormalities in the world. This is such a headache. What am I supposed to do?”
Kailun glanced at Illusion, who was wearing a long dress. “Judging from the facts, I’ve never peeked at your ‘secrets.’ It was always you who revealed them. I didn’t even have time to react. Also, I know what you’re worried about, but compared to gambling blindly, I prefer to gather more information before making a move. You can choose some less impactful information to tell me.”
Illusion looked into Kailun’s eyes. “You’re too cautious. You already have the advantage. According to our previous calculations, neither that entity nor the Unlucky Entity can turn the tables. The power gap is too large. They haven’t fully recovered and can’t confront you directly. Can you tell me what you’re worried about?”
From Illusion’s perspective, Kailun had already won at least eighty percent of the battle. Eighty percent was a conservative estimate. If she were bolder, she would even say ninety percent.
Fate and Ottovia were strong, but that was ten thousand years ago and three years in the future. At this point in time, they hadn’t fully recovered.
The Unlucky Entity, Ottovia, was already under Kailun’s control, with no chance of turning the tables.
As for Fate, she was also in the recovery phase, her strength at most equivalent to two Popes.
However, Afra could defeat three Popes, and Kailun himself wasn’t weak either. No matter how she looked at it, she felt that Kailun had already won. As long as he didn’t do anything reckless, victory was assured.
Based on this consideration, she didn’t reveal any more information.
Besides, the remaining information wasn’t that important and shouldn’t affect the overall situation, probably.
Kailun shook his head at Illusion. “It’s not that I’m being overly cautious, but I suspect I’ve missed something important. Fate’s mentality is too good, so good that she’s interested in me. Not disgust, but interest. So do you really think she’s already lost?”
This was simple logic. Even the relatively calm Pope had been driven to the brink by Kailun, her goodwill rating plummeting to -97 in just a few months.
But Fate was still curious about him, not even angry about the Temple being divided. Was this the mentality of a loser?
Kailun stared at Fate’s goodwill rating: 15. This number was incredibly jarring.
Judging from Fate’s current behavior, she didn’t care about the gains and losses of the Temple of the Celestial God at all.
He speculated that the Temple’s power wasn’t the deciding factor in this battle.
By integrating the information, Kailun could roughly deduce what had happened after his death, but he still felt like something was missing.
For example, what was the Empire’s true motive for acquiring Portland?
Illusion frowned. “Is that so? Let me think about what I’ve missed.”
“Well, I can’t think of anything. But since you’ve said so, I’ll tell you a little more… But don’t blame me if anything unexpected happens. You forced me to do this. You pinched my nose and patted my butt, forcing me to talk.”
Illusion was extremely reluctant. Compared to Kailun’s gambling behavior, she preferred to play it safe.
“Yes, you’re right. I forced you.”
Kailun grinned and let Chrissy release his arm. He pulled Illusion into his embrace, pinched her nose with one hand, and patted her butt with the other. “Alright, you can talk now.”
Illusion was stunned for a moment. “Let go of me! You’re taking revenge! If you’re not happy, you can take it out on Vivian. What does it have to do with me?”
Kailun: “It’s fine. We’ll include Illusion next time. Now, answer my question.”
Poor Illusion was once again bullied by Kailun.
……
Strangely, since the end of the morning meeting, Pope Meggie Liran hadn’t seen Kailun for more than ten hours.
She had thought tonight would be another night of torment, but the only person sharing her bed was Helena.
Despite the absence of the sounds that usually disturbed her peace, she couldn’t fall asleep.
“Pell, I want to go out for a walk.”
Meggie Liran, wide awake, nudged Helena’s shoulder with her elbow. She wanted to go out and look at the moon, to relax.
Helena turned to look at the Pope. “No, I can’t let you go out without Kailun’s permission. And I’ve told you many times, call me Helena. Otherwise, I’ll whip your butt with a barbed whip.”
This time, Meggie Liran’s mood didn’t fluctuate. She looked into Helena’s green eyes. “You’ve all changed so much. You used to be an assassin who reveled in blood, and Chrissy was a lively Saint. Ever since you met Kailun, you’ve all changed, lost yourselves.”
Helena put an arm under her head. “I don’t deny that we’ve changed, but I don’t think it’s a sign of losing ourselves. Compared to the Pell who only knew missions and slaughter, I prefer the current Helena. At least now I have the ability to whip you. As for Chrissy’s thoughts, I don’t know. You can ask her yourself.”
“Forget it, let’s sleep. That Chrissy is beyond saving.”
Meggie Liran turned her back to Helena, no longer wanting to think about Chrissy.
She was disappointed in Chrissy, very, very disappointed.
Although she had appeared cold during their interactions, she had always regarded Chrissy as a daughter, even wanting to groom her as her successor.
Unfortunately, all her hopes had been shattered by Kailun. Not only had he stolen Chrissy, but he had also usurped the position of Pope right in front of her.
There was no going back now. She prayed that Kailun would receive the punishment he deserved.
Whoever it was, please punish that evil demon!
Meggie Liran fell asleep as she prayed.
The next morning, the operation to hunt down Kailun began with great fanfare. Paul and Charles were leading the operation.
Six ninth-rank mages, thirteen eighth-rank mages, and countless seventh-rank mages participated in the hunt.
This high-end combat power accounted for more than two-thirds of the Temple’s total, almost all of their available strength.
Such a terrifying force could easily wipe out several major factions. Deploying such power to hunt down Kailun was a clear sign of how seriously they took him.
“Pope Kailun,” in charge of supervising the operation, took everyone to the Temple’s highest hanging garden early in the morning. It offered a panoramic view of the entire city.
The Hanging Gardens were built halfway up a mountain on the north side of the Temple, extending outwards from the mountainside, appearing to float in mid-air from afar.
Legend had it that it was built ten thousand years ago by the mysterious entity named Fate, mainly for leisure.
Although the successive Popes rarely visited it, it was regularly cleaned and maintained. It still looked harmonious and natural.
Various exotic flowers and plants were eye-catching, and the pleasant fragrance filled the air. Closing one’s eyes, one could almost imagine being in a sea of flowers.
Besides Meggie Liran, Helena and Illusion also accompanied “Pope Kailun.” Afra and Chrissy didn’t appear.
Kailun led the group to the farthest edge of the Hanging Gardens, where a white round table sat.
“Have a seat, everyone. This is the best viewing spot.”
Kailun sat down first and gestured for the others to join him.
“No, thanks. I’ll stand.”
Illusion was the first to refuse. She rubbed her butt and glared at Kailun.
He had righteously claimed that he didn’t want her to disappear, that he would give her more “sense of existence,” but all she received was his wild “passion.”
“Suit yourself.”
Kailun didn’t force her. He understood her predicament.
Helena and Meggie Liran didn’t have similar problems. They sat down and looked at the city below.
“It’s about to begin in a few minutes. Do you think Paul and the others can successfully hunt down Kailun?”
Kailun took out two communication devices and placed them on the table, one his, and one Meggie Liran’s.
Meggie Liran frowned. “Besides you, which Kailun are you talking about?”
“Who knows?” Kailun chuckled and sent a magic letter to Afra.
“Boom!”
With a loud explosion, the so-called hunt officially began.
Meggie Liran looked at the city below with unease, plumes of black smoke rising into the sky.
Seeing the good feedback, Kailun wrote another magic letter, informing Charles of the direction to pursue.
“Your Holiness, do you know the practical meaning of the phrase ‘scraping the bone to heal’ for the Temple?”
Kailun leaned forward, his arms crossed, noticing the tension in her eyes.
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