The Fifty-Nineteenth Trap
During the night, in a forest outside Kankdar, under the moonlight, a tall figure cloaked in black stood silently on the ground. The shadowy gaze beneath the hood watched the disappearing figure between the trees. The entire scene was silent, creating an oppressive atmosphere.
After some time, the tall figure slowly descended, visibly shrinking before one’s eyes. The broad shoulders instantly sagged down, collapsing by about half. With the sudden decrease in shoulder width and height, the large black-cloaked figure became much smaller.
After shrinking significantly, the black-cloaked figure extended its hands from within the wide sleeves, lifting the large hood to reveal a face wearing a black mask with long silver-white hair. After removing the black mask, a delicate young girl’s face appeared, which was none other than Dorothy.
“Phew… Finally done…”
After a deep breath, Dorothy began to remove the oversized black robe she was wearing, taking off some iron plates inside and placing them neatly. After removing all the iron plates, Dorothy folded them together with the oversized black robe, then opened the magic box and placed this set of imposing attire inside.
At that moment, Neve emerged from a thicket at the edge of the clearing, looking around cautiously. She then came out of the thicket and ran over to Dorothy, who was collecting her clothes, holding her robe and running small steps. Curiously, she asked:
“Miss Dorothy, have you taken care of her?”
“Taken care of? More or less… She is now infected by Poison Recognition. Using the secret transmission content she craves as bait, I’ve managed to exert a certain degree of control over her.” Dorothy said while closing the opening of the magic box. Hearing this, Neve couldn’t help but ponder for a moment, then replied:
“I didn’t expect that Poison Recognition, which isn’t the ‘Queen of Insects’ secret transmission, could also control others…”
“It’s natural. One of the main symptoms after being infected by Poison Recognition is an insatiable desire to seek more of the same content. Once the source of Poison Recognition is mastered, the person infected can be controlled. Many societies use this method to corrupt and tempt others to serve them. I’m just following suit.”
While tidying up her clothes, Dorothy explained to Neve. Neve thought deeply after hearing this.
‘Is it true that many societies use Poison Recognition to control others? Then, considering I’ve read so many secret transmissions, have I been controlled by Miss Dorothy through these secret transmissions? But that doesn’t make sense… Those secret transmissions seemed boring and uninteresting to me. If not for Miss Dorothy’s strict requirement, I wouldn’t have read them at all. So, I should not have been controlled by the secret transmissions. Since I wasn’t controlled, I basically listen to whatever Miss Dorothy says. Indeed, Miss Dorothy is more powerful than any secret transmission…’
Neve thought to herself. In terms of controlling others, ordinary secret transmissions were not as effective as the ‘Queen of Insects’ secret transmission. Because using ordinary secret transmissions to manipulate others required constant reinforcement with more transmissions to satisfy their desires. Excessive accumulation of Poison Recognition in one’s body would cause the infected person to gradually go mad or even d*e from mutations. Therefore, using Poison Recognition to control others was not a long-term solution.
However, Dorothy was different. Dorothy had Satriya pray for Akka, and afterward, she could maintain regular contact through the information channel. This way, Dorothy could periodically clean up part of the Poison Recognition in Satriya’s body, ensuring that the accumulation did not exceed the threshold for madness, thereby maintaining her allure constantly. This allowed her to control Satriya without driving her insane.
“Since secret transmissions have the power to control others, Miss Dorothy, with so many secret transmissions at your disposal, you should be able to manipulate many people in the future,” Neve continued questioning Dorothy after finishing her thoughts. Dorothy immediately responded:
“Controlling others with secret transmissions isn’t that simple. For ordinary people, secret transmissions are indeed effective. However, for Extraordinary Beings, it’s difficult to use secret transmissions to control them. Extraordinary Beings have much higher sensitivity and resistance to Poison Recognition compared to ordinary people. They can often sense Poison Recognition upon seeing or hearing it and immediately take precautions to avoid knowing its contents.
“The reason I could control Satriya is because she was already affected by Poison Recognition when her soul was detached. Extraordinary Beings in a soul state have weaker resistance to Poison Recognition and cannot take measures to shield themselves. It was only after she was deeply influenced that I could easily take advantage of her weakness.”
Dorothy explained to Neve. After hearing Dorothy’s explanation, Neve nodded and continued asking:
“So… Can she help us steal Mazaal’s soul? Even though she’s in charge there, it’s still quite difficult to take out something important, right? I remember she has a peer-level companion as well.”
“No need to steal. She just needs to be able to touch that thing.
“Alright, we shouldn’t idle around anymore; we have things to do next. Senior Sister Neve, start preparing the magical array,” Dorothy responded lightly to Neve, nodding repeatedly.
“Oh, okay…”
…
In the forest, Satriya, dressed in plain white robes, walked slowly along a path. Her expression no longer showed the previous confusion but instead had a calm and composed demeanor. Deep within her indifferent eyes, however, there was a subtle yearning.
Satriya returned along the path she had come, picking up her dropped shoes halfway and continuing forward after putting them back on. Soon, she reached the courtyard gate of the villa and entered silently. There, a man she knew stood waiting. Upon seeing Satriya, he frowned and asked:
“Satriya, where were you just now?”
“I went out for a walk. I felt suffocated in that house, it made my head hurt. I told them before I left…”
“I see… How do you feel now?”
“I feel better… It seems I really shouldn’t stay cooped up indoors all the time. I need to go out more often… Alright, I’ll go rest now.”
After greeting her companion, Satriya waved and headed straight into the house. Seeing Satriya return safely without any harm, the man let out a sigh of relief and then walked to another part of the house.
As time passed, the bright moon rose to its peak in the sky. When most people were deep in sleep, Satriya in the villa suddenly opened her eyes, got out of bed, put on her shoes, and walked out of the room.
Then, Satriya descended through the villa’s small building, soon reaching the entrance to the basement. Looking down the stairs, she saw numerous ghosts wandering and circling in the corridor below. She walked down directly.
Satriya walked down the stairs. The ghosts in front of her automatically moved aside to make way for her, making no sound.
After walking for a long time, Satriya arrived at the door of the basement. Behind the door was a narrow stone room illuminated by a brilliant orange-yellow light from a lamp hanging on the ceiling.
Amidst the light, Satriya continued forward, arriving at the center of the room. There, a stone platform held a large iron coffin covered with intricate runes.
Looking at the massive iron coffin, Satriya stretched out her hand to touch it. She caressed the complex patterns on the coffin, stopping at one spot, then forcefully pulled, tearing off a piece of the pattern.
After tearing off the pattern, Satriya looked at the small piece of iron she had torn off. Then, she took out a small bottle of glue from her body, applied a little to each piece, and stuck them back, eventually restoring it to its original appearance.
After repairing the iron coffin, Satriya immediately turned around and walked out of the basement, heading back up the stairs. After climbing for some time, she returned to the first floor of the small building, then hurriedly walked back to her bedroom.
As she closed the bedroom door, Satriya looked up at the skylight, gazing at the night sky outside. In a voice only she could hear, she murmured:
“Great Akka, who records all things, I have completed the task given by your servant. Now… please grant me new knowledge, subsequent knowledge…”
…
Time passed, the moonset and sunrise. When the night dispersed, the residents of Kankdar welcomed the dawn in the east. A new day had arrived in the city.
In the morning, as the vast Kankdar gradually entered a busy period, in a spacious and bright ward of the central hospital of Kankdar, Robert, dressed in hospital gown, sat at a specially moved small table on the balcony, wearing a scarf and enjoying a refined breakfast. Beside him was his personal maid.
While reading today’s newspaper, Robert enjoyed his delicious breakfast, casually glancing at the city’s morning scenery outside the balcony. His expression looked quite relaxed. However, across from him, Ma Aide, wearing a luxurious robe from Northern Ufeiga and a headscarf, did not look as good as Robert. Standing on the ground, he expressed concern towards Robert:
“Mr. Robert… When will the judgment of the Holy Church’s judge come down? And when will Shadi and the little nun be convicted?”
“Don’t panic, Ma Aide. The judge from the Sacred Summit has only been in Kankdar for three days, everything is still in the investigation phase, and it’s not time for a final verdict yet…” Robert replied calmly while drinking a glass of red wine. Ma Aide continued anxiously:
“But… Didn’t you say earlier that the Bureau also dislikes the little nun? They would take action and convict her within a day or two once their people arrived. But now, the little nun is still staying comfortably in the hotel… How can the judge convict her if he doesn’t take action against her?”
“Haha… Regarding this matter, I underestimated the importance of the little nun in the Savior Faction. I didn’t expect that the big figure from the Sacred Summit sent such a formidable presence to protect the little nun. This has somewhat restricted the judge. Many of his unconventional methods are unusable, leading to slower progress.”
Laughing lightly, Robert continued speaking with a calm expression. However, his words did not ease Ma Aide’s anxiety.
“If unconventional methods can’t be used… Does the judge still have the ability to convict the little nun?”
“Of course. Although Clifton currently doesn’t have a good way to deal with the little nun protected by the Savior Faction, if something happens to the Savior Faction itself, giving us and Clifton a significant opening, we can use this opportunity to completely bring down the little nun.”
Looking at Ma Aide, Robert smiled. Not fully understanding the meaning behind Robert’s smile, Ma Aide continued to ask in puzzlement:
“What you mean by something happening to the Savior Faction is…”
“A foolish trap they’ve almost fallen into. We just need to wait a bit longer. You won’t have to wait long to see them completely fall into the trap. Once they step into the trap, even the Steel Nun won’t be able to protect the little nun.”
With a hint of mystery, Robert spoke to Ma Aide while drinking his wine. Just as Ma Aide was extremely puzzled, the door to Robert’s room suddenly knocked. Robert looked at the door and said directly:
“Come in.”
After Robert finished speaking, the door to the ward opened, and Captain Hajeta of the Kankdar City Guard entered the room. He bowed to Robert on the balcony and said:
“Mr. Robert, there’s news from the Fiery Trial. This morning, Sister Vania’s side is going to provide important evidence to Judge Clifton, which involves you and Prince Ma Aide. Therefore, you both need to go for some confirmation.”
After reporting, Hajeta respectfully stood in place. Upon hearing Hajeta’s words, Robert put down his fork and kn*fe with great interest, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and looked very composed, as if he had expected this report.
After wiping his mouth, Robert glanced at Ma Aide beside him and continued smiling.
“His Highness the Prince, it seems we don’t have to wait much longer. Please, let’s go watch how the prey struggles after falling into the trap?”
