Chapter 117

Chapter 117: Infiltration

Listening to Dorothy’s words, Vania stood there in shock, unable to comprehend that the girl before her could say such words.

“Only the two of us? Facing such a large cultist nest? What kind of joke is this?”

“Then, Miss Dorothy, do you mean that you have already gathered intelligence from inside?” Vania continued to ask with confusion, and Dorothy nodded in response.

“Yes, according to my investigation, the cult leader inside is about to hold an ascension ceremony soon. Those children might be needed for his ceremony. If we don’t stop him, those children might face a grim fate. According to the intelligence, the An Yin Bureau has likely been paralyzed by them. We can’t go back to notify them in time, so we’ll have to handle this ourselves.”

With her arms crossed, Dorothy spoke seriously, and Vania couldn’t help but feel another wave of astonishment at her words.

“What… Are you saying that those children might be related to the cult leader’s ascension ceremony?” Vania said incredulously. She had agreed to work with Dorothy because she was a believer of that one and also because Dorothy showed her the evidence of the “Lamb Song” and its ability for poison recognition, which was a secret transmission. As a former Radiant Church nun who mainly believed in the Holy Mother, Vania’s compassion drove her here.

“It’s almost certain. Otherwise, why would they go through so much trouble to adopt these children and teach them secret transmissions? The ascension ceremony inside is about to begin soon. This is our chance. Even if we can’t save the children, we should at least disrupt the ceremony and give them a chance to escape. Of course, what comes next is quite dangerous. You can choose to stop here…”

Looking at the nun beside her, Dorothy spoke persuasively. She understood that the nun had already done enough, and she wouldn’t force her to continue if she wanted to stop.

“But… Disrupting the ceremony and creating a chance to escape… Miss Dorothy, may I ask one last thing? Is your current task also the will of that one?”

After some thought, Vania asked with a peculiar look on her face. Dorothy was slightly taken aback but nodded slowly. Seeing this, Vania clenched her teeth and spoke.

“Alright… Then let’s go.”

…

As dusk faded, night approached.

In the north mountains of Igewent at Night, the large villa flickered with lights. In the courtyard and around it, many security personnel in uniforms carried lamps as they patrolled the perimeter.

They were originally the servants and security guards of Viscount Field’s household. After Lue arrived, they were almost all corrupted and became followers of the “Cup” sect, the most loyal guards of Lue himself.

Now, with the crucial moment of Lue’s ascension approaching, these guards intensified their vigilance. Inside the villa and courtyard, people were on duty, and outside the courtyard walls, others patrolled with lanterns.

In the dark forest, two guards carrying lanterns walked along the path to the villa, chatting. One of them seemed to be unable to contain his desire any longer.

“Ah… I can’t wait anymore. I wonder if there’s still any stock left in the house? I really want to go back and take a bite.”

“I doubt it… The city hasn’t delivered anything for a long time. Our supplies must have run out, and many of the brothers are already impatient. Everyone is waiting for the master to succeed so we can have a big feast…”

“Mm… But I can’t wait anymore. I wonder if we can find someone unlucky enough to come to us voluntarily, like that lost woodcutter last time… Eh? What’s that sound?”

Just as they were talking, the two patrol guards suddenly heard the sound of hooves and wheels coming from afar. Soon after, they saw a carriage with a gas lamp slowly approaching from the road ahead, and the driver looked anxious.

“Hey! Excuse me, sir! Which way is Igewent? Sorry, we’re lost!”

Just as they were speaking, the unlucky man appeared.

Seeing the driver waving from the carriage ahead, the two guards exchanged a smile. After licking their lips, they approached the carriage together, smiling warmly.

“Oh… Looks like you’re out of luck, buddy. Igewent is far away, and it’s already dark. Why don’t you stay here for the night and continue tomorrow?”

“That’s unfortunate. If that’s the case, please lead us to where we can rest.”

As he spoke, the driver jumped off the carriage and began talking with the guards, asking specific questions. Just as the guards’ attention was drawn to the driver, a figure silently approached from behind them, sneaking up behind one of the guards, then drawing a small kn*fe, covering his mouth, and muffling him.

“Mmm! Ugh!”

“What… Mmm!”

As the other guard looked in surprise at his companion, the driver stepped forward and covered his mouth, swiftly inserting the kn*fe he held behind into his throat.

Finally, both guards lay on the ground with wide eyes. Standing beside them were Edric and Brandon, expressionless.

The necks of the fallen guards began to stop bleeding rapidly. Their expressions changed from shock to coldness, and they silently stood up. Then, Edric, dressed as the driver, searched his body and took out a small jar, throwing it to the two guards. One of them caught it and opened it, finding it contained a flesh-colored ointment, seemingly some kind of cosmetic.

Next, the two guards used wet wipes provided by Edric to clean the bl**d from their necks and applied the ointment to cover their wounds, making it difficult to notice anything amiss in the dim light of the night.

“So, please lead the way, gentlemen.”

“Understood, sir.”

After a brief exchange, Brandon got into the carriage, while Edric returned to the driver’s seat. The two guards led the carriage forward toward the villa.

Soon, they arrived at the main gate of the courtyard. The gatekeeper frowned and shouted at the two guards leading them.

“Joseph, Oliver, what’s going on?”

“This is the carriage heading to Igewent. It’s dark, so we asked them to stay here for the night. Please open the gate.”

One of the guards approached the gatekeeper and whispered.

“It’s another lost soul. We have fresh supplies.”

Hearing the guards’ words, the gatekeeper’s eyes lit up, and he patted the guard’s shoulder with a smile.

“You guys always manage to find something. Looks like I can indulge tonight.”

As he spoke, the gatekeeper unlocked the gate with a key and waved to signal the carriage to pass.

After watching the carriage enter, the gatekeeper closed the gate and turned to the guards still nearby.

“Remember to save me a piece after you’re done.”

“Haha, of course.”

Having said that, the gatekeeper returned to his post. Seeing this, the guard’s eyes turned cold, drew a small kn*fe, and stepped forward to k*ll the gatekeeper in the same manner he had been killed.

Watching the gatekeeper fall, the guard shrugged and watched as he stood up again. He then said,

“Let’s go greet the others. Don’t forget to bring the knives. That’s necessary.”

“Of course…”

Speaking, the gatekeeper followed the guard through a side door into the courtyard, searching for the isolated or small groups of companions to “greet.”

At this moment, in the carriage heading into the villa, Dorothy sat calmly beside the uneasy nun, continuously consuming “Enlightenment” to expand the control limit of the zombie ring, increasing her forces and reserves.