Five Hundred and Twenty-First Deposit and Withdrawal
When the intense light destroyed the defense system, it pierced through the entire Fiery Trial from top to bottom, unstoppable. For a moment, the ten-thousand-ton vessel trembled violently. Passengers on board staggered as the ship shook, causing many people to fall unsteadily.
The intense light vanished in an instant, leaving everyone in the hall of the Fiery Trial staring in shock at the spot where it had disappeared. Hajeta, who had been running there, was nowhere to be seen; instead, two large holes, each a few meters in diameter, appeared in the floor and ceiling. The originally quiet environment became filled with alarm bells and chaos.
“Report! Lord Clifton, the emergency shield has been breached, the hull is punctured, and our ship is taking in a large amount of water!” A cleric burst through the door, stumbled into the hall, and urgently shouted to Clifton. Upon hearing the cleric’s words, Clifton’s already grim face collapsed further, and he immediately responded.
“Immediately seal off the leaks!”
“Yes!” After responding, the cleric quickly ran back, while Clifton swiftly turned his gloomy gaze toward the slightly floating, ethereal nun Evi. Unable to suppress his anger, he said, “Nun Evi… do you know what you’re doing?!”
“I certainly do. I’m protecting the key witness from harm…” Evi calmly replied in response to Clifton’s words. Clifton continued, his anger unabated, “You are killing someone! Killing on the Fiery Trial! Killing on the grounds of the Bureau without my permission! You’ve also damaged the Fiery Trial! Do you know what the consequences will be?”
“Consequences? What consequences? Are you going to judge me? You, Clifton, have the qualifications to judge me? Even if it were the Grand Judge Kramer himself, he would need the approval of the Holy See or the College of Cardinals to judge me. If you appeal to the College of Cardinals, I suggest reporting your actions of restraining your own people and allowing criminals to destroy important evidence. Let’s see what the final outcome will be.”
Facing Clifton’s visibly angry demeanor, Evi calmly replied, her expression unchanged. Hearing these words, Clifton’s face twisted. He gripped the armrests of his chair tightly and gritted his teeth, saying, “Nun Evi… don’t push me too far!”
“I also advise you, Judge Clifton, to act more restrained and maintain a proper attitude. If you continue to act unfairly, then my actions won’t just stop at what they were before. To ensure that major scandals like the Fiery Trial being sunk by friendly forces don’t happen, I think both sides should remain restrained and refocus on the case.”
Evi continued to speak to Clifton in a calm and silent manner, though her words carried an indomitable pressure. At this moment, Clifton felt this pressure, suppressing his anger. After scanning the pale-faced Robert and Ma Aide, he clenched his teeth and said, “Alright… Alright… Let’s first focus on the case…”
As Clifton turned his somber face towards the center of the hall, where the magical array was located, the spirit of Mazale, who had been successfully summoned and was visibly shaken by the intense light, caught his attention. Before Clifton could ask any questions, Robert suddenly stood up and loudly called out to Clifton, “Sir!”
Hearing Robert’s voice, Clifton turned his head and looked at Robert, who was standing in front of his seat with a horrified expression, eagerly looking at him. Facing such a Robert, Clifton glanced at the composed Evi and sighed silently. Finally, he focused his gaze on Mazale’s spirit.
“Mazale Prince, do you remember how you died?”
“I…” Mazale’s spirit, initially somewhat confused, became resolute, showing pain and anger on his face. He turned to look at Robert and Ma Aide.
“I was strangled! Someone strangled me to d*ath! After I was shot at the station and lost consciousness, they took me to a room and told me they would treat me. But two days later, they killed me!”
“I recognize them… They are members of the City Guard! They are the mayor’s subordinates here, Robert’s men! The one who strangled me is the captain of the guard, Hajeta! He is definitely under Robert’s control! I was completely killed by Robert!
“Also… also my uncle, Ma Aide. He was very close to Robert. That day, when I went to the station for the welcoming ceremony, Ma Aide insisted that I go! He must have colluded with Robert to let me d*e!”
With evident anger, Mazale’s spirit pointed at Robert and Ma Aide, shouting loudly. The summoner’s voice echoed throughout the hall almost simultaneously.
Listening to these words, the people in the hall fell silent. Clifton rubbed his forehead in frustration, while Robert, his face pale, sat down weakly. Ma Aide, beside him, opened his mouth wide in shock and fainted. Evi remained indifferent, while Vania began to pray with her hands clasped in front of her chest.
At this moment, on the deck of the Fiery Trial, numerous crew members were busy repairing the damage caused by the intense light. One of the crew members, after some labor, sat down to rest. During this process, he couldn’t help but look up at the thick clouds in the sky and the light piercing through.
In the thick clouds, the power of “Lamp” faintly activated. In his eyes, above the thick cloud layer, a huge outline seemed to emerge.
…
While the standoff on the Fiery Trial was ongoing, on the other side of the foreign settlement in Kankdar, Dorothy, dressed in a short-sleeved dress, was sitting in a coffee shop, drinking coffee and gazing at the distant dock. Just moments ago, she had seen the dazzling light that had descended from the sky.
“What incredible destructive power. That nun Evi… I didn’t expect the church faction supporting Vania to have such powerful figures. It seems they truly value Vania…
“But thankfully, with Sister Evi here, we can stand against the Kankdar authorities and the tribunal. Otherwise, we’d have to flee with Vania under cover of night…”
While sipping her coffee, Dorothy pondered internally. Having watched the standoff from Vania’s perspective remotely, Dorothy knew that things on the Fiery Trial had largely concluded. The general situation was as she had anticipated, except for the unexpected move by Evi. After observing Evi’s method of action, Dorothy’s speculation about Evi deepened.
“Well, no matter what, if everything goes smoothly on the Fiery Trial, this incident in Kankdar will be mostly resolved. Then, we’ll deal with the finer details…”
Speaking, Dorothy shifted her attention to another direction in Kankdar.
…
In the foreign settlement of Kankdar, on a bustling street, Nephnis, wearing a robe, a headscarf, and a veil, stood at the edge of an intersection. In front of her was a steady stream of people and carriages on the road. Across the street, in the direction Nephnis was facing, was a large pawnshop.
“According to the address… This should be it…”
Looking at the pawnshop’s sign, Nephnis muttered. She carefully crossed the street and arrived at the other side. After a brief glance around, she climbed the stairs and entered the pawnshop.
Inside the pawnshop, Nephnis scanned the luxurious decorations and several counters. After careful observation, she walked straight to one of the vacant counters and soon reached the counter.
“Welcome. Are you here to pawn something?” The clerk behind the counter greeted politely. Nephnis nodded and asked, “I want to inquire whether you accept stone core coins?”
“Stone core coins… Ah,” the clerk’s expression showed a peculiar glint as he appraised Nephnis. “Madam, we do accept stone core coins, but I don’t handle them. You need to go to the appraisal counter. If you really want to pawn stone core coins, I can take you there.”
“Thank you.”
Nephnis responded, and the clerk came out from behind the counter and led her to one side of the hall. Following closely, the clerk opened a small door at the edge of the hall and stepped inside. Nephnis immediately followed him.
Behind the door was a narrow, long corridor. Nephnis followed along the corridor, turning corners and passing intersections until she reached the end where an iron door stood. The clerk walked to the iron door, turned, and said to Nephnis, “We’re here. You can complete your transaction inside.”
“Thank you.” Nephnis responded, watching the clerk leave for a distance before turning back to the iron door, opening it, and stepping in decisively.
Behind the iron door was a relatively small stone room. The walls were solid stone, with a few gas lamps hanging on them providing dim light. There was a small window on the wall in front, covered with an iron sheet with holes punched through to connect the room to the space beyond. In front of the window was a chair.
This scene was not unfamiliar to Nephnis. Last year, she had seen similar rooms in Tivyan. Yes, this was the secret trading room within the White Stone Craftsmen Guild’s base, used for trading various covert items. This pawnshop was precisely the White Stone Craftsmen Guild’s base in Kankdar.
After casually looking around the room, Nephnis sat down in the chair in front of the window and spoke, “I want to confirm the assets in my account and withdraw a portion.”
“Identification.”
A low voice emerged from the window. Nephnis searched her robe and pulled out a golden ring, handing it through the gap in the iron sheet. The window opened slightly, and the ring was taken.
Nephnis then sat in the chair, waiting patiently. After about two minutes, an unexpected voice came from behind the window.
“This is… the identification of Baruch’s first heir, Prince Mazale?”
“Yes.” Nephnis responded directly to the query from within the window. Immediately, another voice came from inside.
“As far as we know, Prince Mazale was assassinated a few days ago. Who are you to him?”
“Well… Isn’t it your guild’s practice to not inquire about customer information?” Nephnis continued, and the window responded, “We do not intend to pry into customer information, but we must ensure the safekeeping of their assets. If you wish to withdraw items belonging to Prince Mazale, you must prove that he agreed to transfer the assets to you before his d*ath.
“Otherwise, you must prove that you have a sufficiently close bl**d relation to him or are his wife. However, I understand that Prince Mazale was not married.”
The voice from the window continued. Listening to this, Nephnis took a deep breath and then took out a file folder from her robe, containing a stack of documents.
“These are the will signed personally by Prince Mazale. It clearly states that if he dies, all his assets will be left to me. This document bears Mazale’s handwriting, soul imprint, bl**d imprint, and King Baruch’s official seal. You can examine it yourself.”
Nephnis handed the folder over, and after a slight hesitation, a hand extended from the window to take it.
