Chapter 20: Rumors
The Group Leader strolled over to Jian Ji’an and gave his shoulder a friendly pat.
“It’s totally unreasonable for the Holy Church to monopolize this power. They’re dragging those who hold power back to strengthen their own influence under the guise of divine will. Don’t you think that’s just a tad exploitative of their own god? It’s best to know when to stop.”
With that, the Group Leader and a whole troupe of theater members waltzed off, leaving Jian Ji’an in thoughtful silence.
Just as Jian Ji’an suspected, the Group Leader had no intentions of clobbering him.
The Holy Church was far too peculiar; it would be a piece of cake to target a small theater group.
If they gave Jian Ji’an a lesson, they might end up offending a significant power, and then things could get hairy. So, ignoring him and making a swift exit was the way to go.
The Holy Knights of the Church always pick the softest targets. If someone is too strong, they evaluate that even joining the Church wouldn’t make them easy to control and simply abandon the pursuit. They wouldn’t send a whole battalion of Holy Knights after just one person – that’s the reality.
The Group Leader had previously shooed away a few curious Holy Knights and gained this little insight.
“Ugh.”
Jian Ji’an clicked his tongue, visibly irritated.
By the time he was able to move again, the silhouettes of the Group Leader and his troupe had vanished.
The feathers that had been floating in the air settled to the ground, creating a magnificent blanket of white.
After a moment of silence, Jian Ji’an turned to leave.
Once everyone had cleared out, Night Star Lan, who had been lurking in the shadows, poked her head out, sporting a look of glee as if she were at a theater performance.
“Well, well~ Looks like I’ve played the Existence Interference card to perfection! Nobody can detect me—this is fantastic.”
After all, both the Group Leader and Jian Ji’an were Star Holders, and their mental strength appeared to be quite high.
If even they couldn’t spot her, it went without saying that her stealth abilities had skyrocketed to EX level.
Could she possibly be ready to switch to the Dual-Born Assassin class?
Ahem, back to the point.
The Group Leader and his crew should be clear of the Holy Knight drama for now.
The star organizations in this era were truly a bizarre bunch.
It seemed they were more about power and ambition than actually protecting something meaningful.
And the most outrageous part was that this organization thrived under a religious facade. Truly, it was a foreign circus!
With that thought, Night Star Lan decided she didn’t want to dwell on the Church’s antics anymore.
She was keen on following the Group Leader and the others.
Sooner or later, she’d witness more performances!
If she went back now, she would miss all those non-existent future performances of the theater members.
Onward!
…
Jian Ji’an returned to the church in the territory.
His initial goal for today was to bring back the makeup artist he stumbled upon, but to his surprise, he also encountered a girl masquerading as a noble, with a hint of divine power swirling around her.
He’d intended to bring that girl back too, but she had dashed away like a startled rabbit, leaving him in the dust.
Thus, he headed straight for the theater where the troupe was performing.
But guess what? Another unexpected twist awaited him.
Turns out, that Group Leader was also a Divine Favor holder, and not weak by any stretch. Now that was problematic.
If that Divine Favor holder was shielding the troupe’s makeup artist, Jian Ji’an wouldn’t be able to bring anyone back. It would be as futile as fetching water with a basket!
Without any other Holy Knights’ help, he was in deep trouble.
As Jian Ji’an pondered this predicament, he entered the church.
In front of the divine statue, he encountered the priest.
“Father, I didn’t bring back the target.”
“Why not?”
“Because the troupe has a strong Divine Favor holder—the Group Leader—and I can’t make a move.”
“Then put it on hold for now.”
“The Group Leader had something to say before he left. Would you like to hear it?”
“Speak.”
Jian Ji’an then repeated the Group Leader’s parting words to the priest.
Upon finishing, the priest fell into a deep silence.
“From this statement, he seems quite confident in standing against the Church.”
“I have no idea why he’s so brave.”
“Send out my orders, in the name of the Church: spread the word that the Rising Sun Theater Group is disrespecting the divine and insulting the Church, ensuring they can’t continue to perform anywhere.”
“Understood.”
After receiving the command, Jian Ji’an turned and left to carry out his new task.
Inside, a wicked grin curled on his lips.
The Group Leader’s tone and demeanor earlier had rubbed him the wrong way.
If that’s how it was going to be, he decided he’d make sure the Group Leader’s troupe would face shutdown.
He could almost picture the troupe disbanding.
Just imagining walking in front of that old man and witnessing his reaction was enough to make him chuckle.
…..
A shift in perspective.
Night Lan and Night Star—those two little lolis—were still stealthily trailing the Rising Sun Theater Group.
Blending in with the crowd, they were as inconspicuous as dust particles.
Suddenly, Night Star Lan caught snippets of nearby chatter that piqued her interest.
“Did you hear? The Rising Sun Theater Group seems to have upset the Holy Knights of the Church and openly insulted the Church, committing sacrilege. They’re so bold!”
“What’s this Rising Sun Theater Group about?”
“Apparently, they perform on stage for the big shots, and it’s supposed to be quite entertaining. But now that they’ve ticked off the Church, they’re bound to be in deep trouble.”
“Good riddance! How dare they offend the Church? This troupe’s days are numbered!”
“Not just numbered, but they’re flirting with disaster!”
….
Such exchanges quietly floated into Night Star Lan’s ears, causing her to pause momentarily.
“Wait, are they talking about the Rising Sun Theater Group?”
It actually seemed that way.
Lost in thought, Night Star Lan quickly figured out the culprit.
It had to be Jian Ji’an’s doing.
That guy ran back to throw a fit after taking a hit at the theater. What a sore loser!
Night Star Lan felt a strong sense of disdain.
“Ugh… is this really how things turned out? How will everyone in the troupe handle this next?”
With the Rising Sun Theater Group facing flags from all directions, a hint of worry crept into Night Star Lan’s heart, prompting her to keep following the Group Leader and the others.
The Group Leader and his troupe returned to the tavern.
As they stepped inside, the previously bustling tavern quickly fell into a hush.
Everyone sitting at the tables fixed their gazes upon them, emanating an aura of avoid-at-all-costs.
At that moment, the tavern owner suddenly sidled up next to the Group Leader, whispering, “Group Leader, what in the world did you do to incur the anger of the Church? Word out there is you’ve insulted them and disrespected the divine! Is that true?”
Hearing this, the Group Leader quickly put the pieces together.
“It must be that Holy Knight from earlier!”
Though they hadn’t laid hands on each other physically, in a different sense, the troupe had taken a serious hit.
To this, the Group Leader replied to the tavern owner, “I’m sorry, this is on me. Please let us stay for another night.”
With the Group Leader’s response, the owner was more or less convinced.
“Alright, but just for tonight. In the morning, you all have to get out, or my tavern might be in dire straits.”
The Group Leader nodded, saying nothing more.
