Chapter 603

Four hundred and thirty-fourth Conversion

Conquer the sea, XiasTree Archipelago.

In the morning, at a certain location on the main island of the XiasTree Archipelago, a large wooden house was in chaos.

Broken floors, snapped trees, injured XiasTree warriors lying on the ground—all these scenes depicted a battle that had just taken place. The combatants were the XiasTree warriors guarding this place and a man who should have been there to deliver a message.

“Let me go! Let me go, Sukai! I’m here to convey Priest Anman’s orders! How can you attack me!”

Oubye, kneeling on the shattered floor, was held by several warriors. He shouted angrily, his face filled with resentment. Standing before him was the XiasTree warrior named Sukai, who was the guard here. Behind him, in the large house, many Glimmer pilgrims were being held captive.

“I know you’re here to give us an order, but what kind of order… To avoid confusion, let’s hear the command you want to give us.”

Standing in front of Oubye, Sukai, wearing only a short shirt and bare-armed, spoke seriously to the man before him. Hearing his words, Oubye was stunned for a moment, then continued.

“Priest Anman has received a response from Glimmer. They rejected our terms! Priest Anman ordered me to tell you to k*ll all the hostages immediately as a response to Glimmer! Here’s Priest Anman’s staff as proof!”

Oubye shouted loudly at Sukai, his eyes fixed on the staff of Anman lying on the ground nearby. After hearing Oubye’s words, Sukai sighed deeply and said,

“Phew… If that’s the case, we’ve got the right person. Grab him and take him away.”

Sukai responded casually and then instructed his subordinates to take Oubye away. Seeing this, Oubye struggled fiercely and shouted.

“Sukai, you can’t arrest me! I’m here to deliver an important order! Glimmer doesn’t treat us as human beings; we must make them pay… Aah…”

Oubye yelled passionately, but Sukai, finding him too noisy, used his extraordinary ability to manipulate water from a nearby ditch, smashing it onto Oubye’s head, covering his entire head. Although Oubye, as a water mage, wouldn’t suffocate immediately, he couldn’t speak loudly anymore.

After watching Oubye being led away, Sukai walked forward and picked up the staff of Anman lying on the ground. After looking around, he finally saw Priest Anman slowly walking out from behind a tree nearby.

“Priest Anman, I followed your instructions. As soon as Oubye mentioned killing the hostages, I arrested him…”

Seeing Anman approach, Sukai handed over the staff while speaking. After receiving his staff, Anman nodded gravely and said,

“You’ve done well. Now, release those Glimmer pilgrims. Gather them together and arrange for them to rest in a better place.”

“Yes, I’ll do it after dealing with Oubye.”

Following Anman’s instructions, Sukai took his remaining subordinates and left the scene. Soon, they disappeared. After Sukai left, the white nun Vania slowly walked out and approached Anman. Looking at the staff in his hand, Anman sighed softly.

“I never imagined… We were used from the very beginning. Our steadfast faith, which we believed was unbreakable, was merely a tool manipulated by others to fight against Glimmer. If not for Miss Vania, who knows what fate would have befallen XiasTree… It might have been destroyed by Glimmer, and its remains devoured by the serpents’ minions.”

Anman lamented. Listening to his words, Vania slowly responded,

“I did what I had to do. As remnants of the goddess’s faith, I couldn’t stand idly by while XiasTree faced such a tragic end.”

Listening to Vania’s words, Anman fell silent. Leaning on his staff, he turned to look at Vania and continued,

“This time, thanks to Miss Vania… But I am also curious, how did you know Oubye was problematic? This operation was sabotaged by someone from the serpent faction.”

“It’s actually quite simple. When I asked how XiasTree obtained news about our fleet’s vulnerability, you replied that it was brought back by Oubye, who had recently returned from business at sea and heard it from other sailors. However, this explanation doesn’t hold up. I have been on the pilgrimage fleet the whole time, and I know the fleet’s vulnerability was due to an unexpected event in the distant city of Navaha. At that time, Glimmer had sealed off the entire port of Navaha. Without extraordinary abilities, ordinary people wouldn’t be able to learn what was happening inside the port.

“Therefore, this incident likely didn’t spread widely among ordinary merchants. Even if it did, it would have been limited to merchants near Navaha. It would take several days for the information to spread. According to your statement, Oubye returned to XiasTree four days ago, and our fleet’s accident happened around the same time. This means that as soon as our fleet had an accident, Oubye, who had just returned from the sea, knew everything. This is inconceivable. The intelligence couldn’t have been obtained through normal channels. Someone must have investigated it in Navaha and informed him through some extraordinary means. Thus, he likely has close ties with a force outside of XiasTree.”

Vania responded seriously. Hearing her words, Anman stroked his beard and replied with a sigh,

“So that’s how it is… Besides Oubye, few of us engage in activities far from XiasTree. As a sea merchant, Oubye has always been a crucial source of external information for us. We never doubted his reports… I never thought Oubye would betray the goddess and side with the serpent…

“By the way, Miss Vania, how did you know Oubye was a follower of the serpent?”

Anman continued questioning Vania, who smiled and answered slowly,

“At first, I wasn’t sure which side he belonged to. During our conversation, I was actually trying to draw him out with subtle hints. Priest Anman, you were a bit far away and might not have heard clearly. I implied that we were on the same side, causing him to slip key information. That’s how I realized he was a follower of the abyss serpent.”

Having finished speaking, Vania looked at Anman. After hearing her words, Anman nodded thoughtfully and then sighed deeply, squinting his eyes as he continued,

“I never imagined that at such a young age, you could be so meticulous and clever. You’ve truly opened my eyes. Having you as an ally both reassures and worries me.”

“Overpraising me, Priest Anman. Staying true to the goddess’s faith under Glimmer’s influence requires constant vigilance. Thinking more won’t harm us.

“You understand too little about me. It’s natural to feel worried, and I understand that, but you don’t need to worry too much. We are both faithful followers of the goddess. Everything I do benefits XiasTree.”

Facing Anman’s remarks, Vania responded calmly. After a moment of silence, Anman sighed deeply and said,

“I hope so. After all, XiasTree has no other choices now.”

Anman finished speaking and paused to look at the towering giant trees in the distance, then continued,

“Alright, let’s return and discuss how to feign conversion. After reaching an initial decision this morning, we will immediately send a message to the church.”