Chapter 269: The Next Victim
This information, obtained through rigorous interrogation by the royal family, was deemed valuable enough by Wadsworth to share with Qin Chu, a gesture of goodwill to strengthen their relationship.
Warren had expected Qin Chu to be shocked, but the Hero’s expression remained calm.
He seemed to be deep in thought. After a moment, he asked, “Did you find out who the leader of the Blissful Witch Society is?”
Warren frowned and shook his head. “No, we haven’t.”
“The Empire’s interrogators are very skilled. They can extract information from anyone, no matter how strong their will. The Duchess of Wyatt was about to confess, but then…”
Before he could finish, Qin Chu interrupted him, “But then her body suddenly began to rot, dissolving into a puddle of goo?”
Warren was stunned. “How did you know?” he blurted out.
This had happened in the Empire’s secret interrogation chamber. How did the Hero know, as if he had witnessed it himself? He quickly realized, “Could it be that you already knew about the Blissful Witch Society, Hero?”
Qin Chu nodded. “I was targeted by them before,” he said.
“I learned some things from that assassin. Of course, not as much as you know. When I asked about the identity of their leader, the assassin’s body dissolved.”
Warren smiled wryly. He had thought this information would be a valuable bargaining chip, but the Hero already knew.
“Why didn’t you inform the royal family, Hero?” he asked, “We could have arranged for your protection.”
Qin Chu chuckled. “There are countless people who want me dead. If I had to worry about every single one of them, I wouldn’t be able to live my life.”
After a pause, he continued, “Of course, I’m grateful to you, Your Highness, for telling me this. I’ll remember this favor.”
Warren felt a little better.
“By the way, what is the Duchess of Wyatt’s position in the Blissful Witch Society?”
Warren’s eyes narrowed. “She’s a mid-level leader. Although she’s not very strong, she’s quite influential in the Imperial City. The society’s hierarchy is based on a combination of strength and status.”
“Judging from her case, there might even be high-ranking members within the Church, or even… the royal family,” he added, his voice lowering.
This wasn’t good news at all.
The thought that the Blissful Witch Society had infiltrated the Imperial City to such an extent made Wadsworth uneasy.
After all, what was the Blissful Witch Society?
A den of depravity and indulgence.
He had mobilized all his spies, investigating whether any of his consorts were members.
He didn’t have deep feelings for them, but as the Emperor, he couldn’t tolerate being cuckolded.
“When are they planning the assassination?” Qin Chu asked.
“After you return to the Imperial City. They’ll find an opportunity,” Warren replied quickly, “Although you’re very strong, Hero, the Blissful Witch Society is insidious and cunning. You should be careful.”
“And my father has a suggestion. He hopes to cooperate with you, to lure out all the members of the Blissful Witch Society, especially their leader…”
“If we can eliminate this threat, it would be beneficial to both you and the Empire.”
After a long discussion, Warren finally left.
With the arrival of the Empire’s reinforcements, Qin Chu, the Royal Knights, and the clerics from the Holy See and the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess could finally return.
These clerics couldn’t stand the harsh conditions here any longer. They preferred the comforts of the Imperial City, their soft beds, not this… wilderness.
The carriages swayed on the road, their wheels creaking.
Qin Chu was alone. He needed some time to think.
Although much of what Warren had told him he already knew, it still gave him food for thought.
Status and strength determined a member’s rank within the Blissful Witch Society.
Even a duchess was only a mid-level leader.
Then how powerful and influential were the high-ranking members, the leaders?
It wasn’t difficult to narrow down the possibilities.
The members were all women, so the top leaders must be women of both high status and great strength…
Like Natia… a Grand Mage from Sage Mountain, her status and strength were both considerable… but that girl… Qin Chu shook his head.
Natia’s innocence was genuine.
She was sometimes even a bit… naive… lacking common sense.
If they were talking about the woman with the highest status and strength in the entire Heavenly Continent, then it could only be…
Saint Monique, the current Holy Maiden of the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess.
But thinking about her image, so noble and elegant…
It was hard to connect her to the Blissful Witch Society.
Then he remembered Florence’s warning before she left:
Beware of Saint Monique.
Her strength had increased at an astonishing rate, breaking through a barrier that should have taken decades in just two years.
And although she was the Holy Maiden of the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess, she was actually worshipping another deity, and not a benevolent one.
Qin Chu hadn’t completely believed Florence’s words… but if they were true… then the possibility of Saint Monique being the leader of the Blissful Witch Society was very high.
The Blissful Witch Society was a dangerous enemy. Although he wasn’t worried about being assassinated himself, with his current strength, he was worried that they might target the women around him, using them as leverage against him.
This was something he absolutely had to prevent. And the best way to prevent it was to eliminate them first.
…
Meanwhile, at the border between the Empire and the Ice Duchy, in the Snow Chain Mountains.
Deep within a mountain, a figure, holding two massive axes, leaned against the wall, motionless. If it weren’t for the slight rise and fall of his chest and the faint puffs of white air from his nostrils, he might have been mistaken for a corpse.
This place was on the side of the mountain facing the Ice Duchy.
Even within the mountain, the temperature was frigid.
But the man didn’t seem to feel the cold, his upper body bare, his powerful muscles, shimmering like metal, visible beneath his dark skin.
Just looking at him, one could sense his immense strength.
Countless scars, like wriggling centipedes, covered his skin: marks from Demon Beast claws, wounds from human swords…
A chilling sight.
But these scars were also like medals, a testament to his countless battles.
Of course, those who knew his identity wouldn’t call him a hero, because once enraged, this man would attack indiscriminately, friend and foe alike.
He was a pure killing machine.
This man was Muse the Mad.
The most volatile member of the Hero Squad, even more so than Karsus and Ekaterina.
When his rage was triggered, no one but Jie Luo could control him.
Slaughter was ingrained in his very being, in his soul.
He liked Jie Luo, in this aspect.
So he saw Jie Luo as his best brother.
Benson and Karsus were also alright.
As for the others, Muse didn’t care.
Especially that little girl Loseweisse, who considered herself the leader of the former Hero Squad. He scoffed at her commands. What right did she have to order him around?
But when Loseweisse told him about the possibility of resurrecting Jie Luo, and that there might be a soul fragment here in the Snow Chain Mountains, for the sake of Jie Luo, Muse had reluctantly accepted her mission.
Finding this place hadn’t been difficult.
But obtaining Jie Luo’s soul fragment was another matter entirely.
He had been trapped here for days, wanting to retrieve the soul fragment on his own, without asking for help from that woman he despised… but he couldn’t.
A torch flickered on the wall, dispelling the darkness.
Before him, a large opening had been carved into the rock face.
Sealing the entrance was a dark purple door, translucent like jelly, the torchlight revealing the black stone walls within.
Inside the chamber was a large stone slab covered in strange writing that Muse couldn’t decipher, a blackened skeleton lying on it, tattered clothes scattered around it.
The skeleton was riddled with holes, clearly having suffered greatly before death.
And around it were strange objects: vials filled with a dark red liquid, grotesque skulls, metal instruments covered in twisted runes, and eerie clay pots…
Although this place had been sealed for who knew how long, tiny black insects still wriggled within the pots.
And at the back of the chamber stood a massive statue, shaped like a bloated, decaying toad.
A strange, putrid stench filled the air.
Suddenly, Muse felt an itch in his throat.
He coughed, touching his throat. Had he caught a cold?
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