Chapter 74: Blood-Soaked Cathedral
Victoria had always been enveloped by the barrier cast by the Old Man, considered an extension of his ability, constantly monitoring everything within the city.
It was because of this barrier that the Harbingers acted with extreme caution, even Luo Ling’s puppets, scattered throughout Victoria, couldn’t find any trace of them. They were avoiding the Old Man’s surveillance.
It was also because of this barrier that when Fiona discovered the secret that could shatter the Company, the directors instantly detected it, nearly costing her her life.
If not for Linna’s intervention, Fiona wouldn’t have escaped.
Therefore, maintaining the Victoria barrier was crucial, whether for preserving the city’s stability or eliminating unfavorable elements. Even at great personal cost, the Old Man ensured the barrier’s continuous operation.
But now, this barrier showed signs of fracturing.
…Was it the Harbingers’ doing?
This was certainly a possibility, but Luo Ling didn’t think so. The reason was that the Harbingers hadn’t become more aggressive after the barrier’s fracture. Instead, their recent activities had strangely decreased, as if they were wary of something.
On the other hand, the Company hadn’t panicked due to the barrier’s fracture, instead continuing to steadily push forward with their plan to eliminate Incubation Barriers.
This meant… the barrier’s fracture was likely part of the Company’s plan, or rather, the Old Man’s plan.
“Maintaining such a large barrier requires an immense amount of power. Even with the Company’s other methods, the burden on the Old Man must be considerable.”
Luo Ling pondered for a moment. “Now that I think about it, the reason I almost succeeded in lifting Destined Death from Aunt Fiona was probably partly due to this barrier.”
The barrier’s fracture meant the Old Man had completely shed his burden and was operating at full power.
Coupled with the recent unusual activities of both sides…
“Are they finally going for a final showdown?” Luo Ling’s expression turned serious, but then a thought struck her, her gaze darkening. “Or… are they planning to directly initiate a Boundary collapse?”
From the secret Fiona revealed, the Company directors’ true objective was to seize a Taboo’s Authority. Even after their previous failure, they were still preparing another attempt, just like before.
But in the current situation, were they planning a desperate gamble, directly initiating the awakening ritual, or had they abandoned the plan and chosen to risk being devoured by initiating a Boundary collapse to thwart the Harbingers’ scheme?
“Small ripples before the tsunami…”
After digesting this information, Luo Ling’s consciousness returned to Alyssa’s body. Only then did she realize she was being carried.
Stasha, despite her slender appearance, was surprisingly strong, carrying Alyssa in a princess carry, puffing and panting as she moved her to the bathtub.
Of course, it might also be because Alyssa was quite light.
The blindfolded nun had a rather shapely figure, curvy in all the right places, unlike Luo Ling’s flat physique.
Of course, comparing Luo Ling to Alyssa was a bit insulting. Even Alyssa’s sister, Stasha…
Despite both suffering from childhood malnutrition, with Stasha’s situation even worse than Luo Ling’s, she was still more developed. Her loose, coarse clothing had simply hidden her figure.
Now, Luo Ling couldn’t use malnutrition as an excuse.
“……”
Luo Ling closed her Spore vision. Out of sight, out of mind.
Since her hands were full carrying Alyssa, Stasha couldn’t check the bathwater’s temperature, so she said,
“Sister, can you check the water temperature? See if it’s alright? It’s on your left.”
“Alright.”
Luo Ling reached out and touched the water—a superfluous action, as Alyssa had lost most of her senses and tactile perception after her Grotesquification, replaced by the Puppet Ballad’s unique senses.
In other words, Alyssa now only looked human on the surface. She was essentially a large fungal strain with some human organs attached.
“It’s perfect,” Luo Ling said softly.
“Okay!” Stasha said, carefully lowering Alyssa into the tub. “Be careful, sister. Move your right hand a bit to the left, yes, a little more, hold on tight.”
Only after Luo Ling had grasped the edges of the tub did Stasha release her hands.
With a splash, Alyssa’s body sank into the tub, sending water spraying everywhere.
“Ahh!”
Stasha yelped as the water splashed onto her, clutching her slightly reddened arm in shock.
She reached out to test the water temperature, but the moment her fingers touched the surface, they turned red from the heat. She quickly withdrew her hand.
“Sister, the temperature is wrong! Here, take my hand, quickly come out! You’ll be cooked if you stay in any longer…”
“Pfft.”
Luo Ling couldn’t help but laugh at Stasha’s words, but Stasha was on the verge of tears.
She thought her sister must have something wrong with her to not feel the water temperature.
“Just add some cold water,” Luo Ling said. “Maybe it’s old age, my senses are dull. It felt fine to me.”
How dull could her senses be…
Stasha’s eyes widened. Her sister wasn’t that old, was she? Only… thirty-seven?
Without time to think, Stasha quickly extinguished the fire heating the bathwater, then ran to a large bucket of cold water, scooping up a bucketful and pouring it into the tub.
After several trips, the water temperature finally returned to normal. She wiped the sweat from her forehead.
…Huh, not that tiring?
At the same time, Luo Ling withdrew her fungal threads.
Just a little life hack.
“Come here, Stasha,” Luo Ling beckoned.
“What is it, sister?”
Stasha approached cautiously. She saw her sister reach out and gently brush against her slightly burned arm, instantly soothing the pain.
Even the redness faded, the burn forming a scab that quickly fell off, revealing new, tender skin.
“There you go,” Luo Ling said with a gentle smile.
This was Alyssa’s awakened ability, consuming her inspiration to accelerate wound healing, limited to external injuries that could heal naturally.
Of course, this was a fairly standard healing ability. If it were Luo Ling’s Puppet Ballad… to heal this kind of injury, she would likely just sever the arm and regrow it. Generating a small patch of skin was more difficult. After all, healing wasn’t the Puppet Ballad’s specialty.
“Wow, so amazing!” Stasha touched her arm in disbelief, then looked up at Alyssa. “Sister, is this the power of God? But… does God really exist?”
Stasha, who had never witnessed supernatural powers before, was both amazed and confused.
Having read many books, Stasha was a rare materialist and atheist in Victoria. Her annotations on religious texts were based entirely on real-world knowledge, making her a heretic in the eyes of the Church.
Only in front of her sister did Stasha dare to utter such blasphemous words.
Unfortunately, this world… was no longer “material.”
“Perhaps,” Luo Ling said with a noncommittal smile.
This rare moment of warmth was short-lived. After her sister finished her bath, Stasha used the same water.
Of course, this time, the water temperature was perfect, and Stasha enjoyed a long, relaxing soak.
Although she was using her sister’s bathwater, Stasha didn’t mind.
This kind of life was an unimaginable luxury before. They used to only have the opportunity to wash their bodies with clean water once a month, and even then, it was just a quick wipe. A proper bath was unthinkable.
After her bath, Stasha busily helped her sister dress.
A large Mass was being held at the Church of Light’s cathedral today, officiated by the Archbishop of the Victorian Anglican Church himself, with countless dignitaries attending. It was a grand occasion.
Therefore, Alyssa needed to be as clean as possible. She rarely had the opportunity to bathe so thoroughly.
Clean water was a precious commodity in Victoria, unless one had access to a Water Elemental Path Awakened One, or… an Ice Elemental.
—The Twintails team’s daily water supply was provided by Cen Xiangyun. Perhaps… this could also be considered a life hack.
Even Stasha wore a smaller version of a nun’s habit today. Although she wasn’t the Saint, she was the Saint’s younger sister, practically a little Saint herself.
Except this little Saint harbored heretical thoughts.
When Stasha wheeled her sister to the cathedral, it was already packed with people, even the area outside overflowing with commoners.
Upon seeing Saint Alyssa appear, the noisy crowd instantly fell silent. Almost everyone knelt down, reverently performing the holy ritual.
Being worshipped like this still felt awkward to Luo Ling, but she didn’t withdraw her consciousness, as she sensed an uninvited guest within the cathedral.
Luo Ling maintained a calm expression, entering the cathedral surrounded by her followers.
The Mass preparations proceeded smoothly, leaving some time for the Saint’s private prayer.
Stasha pushed Luo Ling to the room where the Saint usually prayed alone. Luo Ling turned and said softly,
“Wait for me outside, Stasha. I want to be alone for a while. I’ll be out soon.”
“Mmm.”
Stasha nodded and stepped back, making way for Luo Ling to enter the room.
Luo Ling opened the door, and as expected, an excessively small child stood inside, wearing a slightly ill-fitting scholar’s robe, his childish face bearing a world-weary expression.
Only one person in all of Victoria dressed like this.
“Educator,” Luo Ling nodded slightly. “You seem to have… shrunk again.”
If he had looked like a twelve or thirteen-year-old child before, Educator now looked no older than ten, his complexion even paler.
“The Boy made his move,” Educator said gravely.
Luo Ling’s pupils constricted.
Her guess… was correct.
The Boy was one of the three Company directors. His personal involvement meant the Company had pushed all their chips into this gamble. Whether it was the awakening ritual or a Boundary collapse… it was imminent.
“Six of our Harbingers died at his hands, instantly, without exception. They didn’t even have time to activate their secret techniques,” Educator whispered. “I briefly encountered him. Unfortunately… I was slightly outmatched and sustained some injuries.”
Judging from his significantly younger appearance, it wasn’t just “some injuries”…
His injuries must be severe.
Luo Ling hadn’t known about this. Although her intelligence network spanned Victoria, it was limited to low-level information. Ordinary people couldn’t exist within Incubation Barriers, so her power couldn’t penetrate them.
This meant these events had occurred within Incubation Barriers.
“Theologian, don’t leave the cathedral during this time. Maintain the status quo. Leave the rest to us,” Educator continued, his voice pausing slightly. “Your talent is unparalleled, your future limitless, so rest assured. At least… protecting your life is not a problem for us.”
“So, do I still need to spread the White Witch’s aura in the various Incubation Barriers?” Luo Ling asked.
“No need. We’ve achieved our objective. Now…”
Educator seemed to realize something, carefully choosing his words before continuing,
“In short, you’ve done well, Theologian. A new ascension ritual is being prepared. You just need to wait a little longer and you will become the Harbingers’ fifth leader, after Religious.”
The Harbingers seemed to have a special method to forcibly ascend ranks. Religious had used this method, ascending from a Mid-Order to a High-Order Awakened One in three months, but… the price must have been considerable.
“…Mmm, thank you, sir.”
Luo Ling lowered her head in acknowledgement, a strange feeling rising in her heart.
This promise… seemed too good to be true…
A new ascension ritual?
A new sacrificial ritual!
She knew that Religious’s ascension would be part of Philosopher’s path to godhood. What about her?
As a fellow Myriad Path Awakened One, she would likely become the cornerstone of Educator’s ascension…
What a cunning plan.
“Be careful. I’ll be going now.”
Educator seemed to have other matters to attend to. He nodded at Luo Ling and dissolved into a pool of blood.
Under Victoria’s rare, warm sunlight, the blood instantly evaporated, disappearing without a trace, as if Educator had never been there.
Luo Ling remained silent for a long time, turning to look at the statue. The spherical Sacred Tool on its pedestal had been taken by Educator.
However, it carried Luo Ling’s power, allowing her to track its location and even spread fungal threads.
Stealing a Grotesquery’s Authority… especially from a human-like Grotesquery, wasn’t so simple. The “price” wasn’t always apparent.
“Let’s leave.”
Luo Ling wheeled herself towards the door. With a creak, the door opened, and Stasha immediately approached.
“Sister, are you done?” Stasha asked.
“Mmm,” Luo Ling replied softly.
Solemn hymns echoed within the cathedral, sung by Victoria’s top Anglican choir, their voices filling the central hall, spreading God’s glory.
When Luo Ling and Stasha returned to the central hall, the Archbishop of the Victorian Anglican Church was already standing on the pulpit, reciting holy scriptures to the devout followers below.
However, compared to the Archbishop, the followers were clearly more interested in the newly arrived Saint. Although they listened to the Archbishop’s sermon, when the Saint appeared, they all knelt down, performing the holy ritual in silent reverence.
The Archbishop was caught in an awkward position, unsure whether to continue or not.
He glanced darkly at the Saint behind him. It was he who had presided over the trial that expelled this rebellious girl who dared to interpret the scriptures from the Church. He hadn’t expected her to return in this manner.
Luo Ling, noticing the Archbishop’s gaze, smiled and nodded slightly.
A vague unease lingered in her heart, like a premonition of danger, but she couldn’t pinpoint its source, making her restless.
The Archbishop snorted softly, not moving from the pulpit.
Even the Saint had to yield before the Archbishop.
The reason the Archbishop had personally attended this Mass was to steal the limelight from the recently popular Saint, to remind all of Victoria who truly represented God’s will.
No one understood God better than him.
—Actually, it was mainly because the followers’ donations had all gone to the Church of Light recently, drastically reducing the Anglican Church’s income, making it difficult to sustain themselves.
Seeing the Saint seemingly subdued, a smug smile appeared on the Archbishop’s lips.
“Good, she knows her place.”
The Archbishop was satisfied, and as the followers rose, he continued his sermon.
But just as he cleared his throat, a sharp whistle echoed from outside the cathedral.
Before anyone could react, a fierce, blood-soaked aura surged in.
In an instant, a bloody path appeared from the cathedral’s entrance, leading straight to the pulpit.
The Archbishop, standing on the pulpit, instantly turned into a puddle of flesh and blood, a brilliant spray of blood erupting.
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