Chapter 524: Rectification
In the depths of the forest, the humanoid figure formed from faint white smoke continued to solidify. After hearing the words of a man named Yakar, the white smoke figure fell into a brief silence, as if pondering something. After the silence passed, it spoke again to Yakar.
“The current situation is still chaotic, and the details are unclear. After you are safe, continue to stay hidden in Kankdar. Try to figure out what has happened between Robert and Ma Aide, and work to contact Ma Aide to inquire about the progress of the Artisan Guild’s procedures and how long it will take to retrieve the items.”
“Yes, I also plan to change my appearance before returning to Kankdar,” Yakar replied in response to the instructions of the white smoke figure, who continued speaking after hearing his words.
“Before her disappearance, did Satraya show any strange signs?”
“Strange? If we’re talking about strange, Satraya has been acting oddly ever since she was poisoned; she has been mumbling strange things all day, so I suspect her disappearance might also be related to the sudden intensification of the poisoning.”
“Understood. Then for a while, you can try to find Satraya. Once you locate her, control her and do not allow her to run away. I will allocate personnel to support you. Remember, your most critical task is to obtain Baruch’s Royal Sacrificial Book by any means necessary.”
Facing Yakar, the white smoke figure earnestly instructed him, and Yakar nodded gravely in response to its words.
“Yes, I understand!”
…
In the foreigner settlement area of Kankdar, inside a hotel, Doro, after inspecting Baruch’s National Treasure Box, returned it to the magic box. Sitting at the table, she began to assess her resource consumption in this Kankdar incident to confirm her status.
First, on the day of the assassination, Doro had increased her use of the “Cup” to seize control of the body from Satraya, who was possessed by Vania, consuming 2 points of “Cup.” To expel Satraya’s spirit, she used two Spirit-Expelling Sigils, consuming 4 points of “Silence.” The Small Zombie Puppet was taken by surprise by Robert’s intense extraordinary detection, consuming 1 point of “Shadow.” In order to create conditions for Vania, she used the last tube of Eight-pointed Milk Smoke.
Next, during the investigation phase, Doro used the Puppet Mark to “assist” the envoy group’s guard to help them resist forced confessions under Clifton’s torture, which included forcibly controlling those who wanted to confess to remain silent and sharing some effectiveness of the bl**d-Eating Sigil to alleviate their physical suffering. This totaled 3 points of “Cup.”
Finally, in the concluding phase, she gained information on the poison from Baruch’s Royal Sacrificial Book, which was worth 4 points of “Silence” and 3 points of “Enlightenment.” After summarizing her consumptions and gains, Doro’s spiritual status was as follows:
19 Cups, 12 Stones, 9 Shadows, 15 Lamps, 26 Silences, 50 Enlightenments.
‘Phew… Thankfully, although this incident was significant, due to Evi’s assistance, the spiritual consumption was not too great. Aside from the “Cup,” other spiritual consumption can be ignored. However, the “Cup” has fallen below 20 points, which is a bit troublesome.’
After a sigh of relief, Doro thought to herself that if it hadn’t been for the big gift pack replenishing the “Cup” in XiasTree, her “Cup” would have been insufficient by now.
‘One of the immediate problems… is how to handle the inheritance left by Mazale. Although his inheritance is substantial, most of it consists of not-so-freely-accessible assets. Either sell everything to convert it to cash or negotiate with Beverly to use these assets as collateral to directly rent the Divine Blessing Object. I hope it can be directly mortgaged; otherwise, selling so many securities and properties would take an unknown amount of time, and selling things that originally belonged to Mazale might attract attention from some interested parties, leading to investigations…’
Doro pondered this in her mind. She intended to attempt to discuss with Beverly the possibility of using Mazale’s assets as money to rent the Divine Blessing Object. If that didn’t work, she would have to think of a way to sell gradually, which was another relatively troublesome and risky process.
‘The second problem is the one named Satraya. To prevent her from being caught by the Church, I had her run away early. This Satraya is controlled by poison, and while the stability of the control is uncertain, she might currently be pursued by her original organization and comrades. Until it is confirmed she is safe, I can’t have direct contact with her. For now, let’s let her leave Kankdar temporarily, hide for a while, and then plan how to deal with her later. After all, this Satraya is from the Underworld Coffin Cult and needs to be handled carefully.’
Doro thought this in her heart. Before this, she had already gathered some information about Satraya’s identity in their brief encounters. She was a mixed-bl**d from the New World and the Main Continent, born in a plantation estate in the New World, the result of a scandal between the estate owner’s daughter and the local slave workers. During her childhood, she was sold to other plantations as a lifelong slave, enduring hardships and labor. Due to her innate ability to communicate with spirits, she encountered a Wilderness Spirit and became an “Extraordinary Being” under its guidance.
After becoming extraordinary, Satraya was hunted for killing her master, transforming into a bandit, killing and robbing indiscriminately, whether innocent poor or wealthy. Later, she fled to Northern Ufeiga to become a treasure hunter, rising to the status of a White Chalk Tier Extraordinary Being through her abilities, seeking the resources of large extraordinary societies, and during her interaction with the Underworld Coffin Cult, she joined as a peripheral member. For the past few years, she had been partnered with another member named Yakar.
Satraya had been partnered with Yakar for several years. According to her, Yakar was a core member of the Underworld Coffin Cult and, in some sense, served as her examiner. Yakar directly contacted the higher-ups of the Underworld Coffin Cult for missions, which they executed together, with Yakar assessing Satraya. Once he deemed her trustworthy, she would enter the inner circle of the Underworld Coffin Cult, and this task was the final evaluation.
According to Satraya, this mission involved accepting the commission of Robert and Ma Aide, providing spiritual support for the plot to frame the envoy group. Upon completion, Robert and Ma Aide needed to give something to the Underworld Coffin Cult as a reward, but Satraya was unclear about what that specific item was, as it was part of the communication between Yakar and the higher-ups of the Underworld Coffin Cult.
Currently, Satraya, although her behavior of controlling teammates might not have been exposed yet, Doro did not dare to keep her close. She was worried that Satraya might attract the Underworld Coffin Cult’s attention. Also, Satraya, poisoned by the substance, was unstable mentally and could not effectively perform undercover work.
If Satraya returned to the Underworld Coffin Cult, she would undoubtedly face their full efforts for poison treatment. If Doro let her get treated, she would lose control over Satraya. If she did not get treated, it would raise suspicions within the Underworld Coffin Cult. Keeping Satraya in a hospital for a long time, not fully integrating into the Underworld Coffin Cult, would hinder Doro from obtaining valuable intelligence. Therefore, Doro chose not to send Satraya back as an undercover agent, but rather to have her hide for a while and, if the Underworld Coffin Cult did not find her, to assign her other tasks.
‘The last urgent issue is how to break into the Rahmann Royal Tomb and retrieve the Phantom Pulling Lamp. The Rahmann Royal Tomb is the tomb of a founding king and an extraordinary being of the Red Tier. The difficulty of the heist is definitely not trivial. While I have read a few books on tomb raiding, my practical experience is still insufficient. Moreover, robbing a large tomb is a team activity, and I currently may not have enough personnel, so I will likely need to look for some experienced helpers.’
Doro thought in her mind. The first helpers that came to her mind were Shadi and his team, who were professional treasure hunters. The Rahmann Royal Tomb was located within the borders of Adus, making it more convenient for them to send people.
However, Shadi was currently busy with internal matters. If she contacted him for help now, it was likely he wouldn’t be able to spare any effort. Therefore, Doro decided to wait for a while and prepare before heading to the Rahmann Royal Tomb.
“It’s time to take a short break…”
After taking a deep breath, Doro returned all her used items to the magic box and stretched her body lazily.
…
At the foot of Sacred Summit, in a certain part of the Holy Shield Guard City.
Under a grand dome painted with intricate ceilings, there lay a clear pool of water surrounded by tall stone pillars supporting the massive dome. Beyond the pillars was a blue sky, and in the center of the pool stood a towering statue of the Holy Mother, her hands raised high, continuously pouring pure spring water into the pool below. Within the clear pool, a figure stood, bathing in the flow from above while praying.
Suddenly, at the edge of the pool, a blurred figure gradually appeared. Before long, a semi-transparent hologram of Evi manifested, silently watching the praying figure in the spring and then spoke.
“Your Excellency, the situation in Kankdar has yielded preliminary results.”
Hearing Evi’s words, the figure in the water was momentarily taken aback, then finished her prayer and slowly stood up, emerging from the pool. The figure revealed was that of a mature woman, her light white dress clinging to her body, perfectly outlining her silhouette. Her damp golden hair fell to her chest and waist, and a look of trance floated across her delicate features. Amanda walked through the clear water towards Evi.
“Oh, tell me more. How do they plan to deal with that Mayor Robert and those former royalty?” Amanda asked as she approached the pool’s edge, to which Evi immediately responded.
“Under the will behind Kankdar… that is, the instructions from the major powers of the Main Continent, the main responsibility for this incident has been placed on Ma Aide and parts of the old royalty associated with him, specifically on Robert personally.
“They claim that Ma Aide and others bribed Robert heavily to assist them in the assassination of Mazale and the framing of the envoy group. Robert, aware that his actions were forbidden, was tempted by the bribe. Without consulting his country’s government in Faraluo or communicating with representatives of other countries in Kankdar, he accepted Ma Aide’s bribe to facilitate their conspiracy while deceiving others.
“Not long ago, the government of Faraluo sent a telegram to Sacred Summit expressing their anger and condemnation of Robert’s principles being violated for personal gain and offered apologies and condolences for the losses suffered by the Sacred Church’s envoy group. Before Faraluo, other countries had sent similar telegrams to Sacred Summit, with nearly identical content…”
With an expression of indifference, Evi slowly recounted, and upon hearing Evi’s words, Amanda had already reached the edge of the clear pool. In an instant, the water marks on her body vanished completely.
“Heh… they really shifted the blame quickly. It seems that mayor has become a sacrificial pawn… However, since they mentioned condolences for the envoy group, did they offer any specific gestures?”
As she strolled beside the clear pool, Amanda continued speaking, and Evi floated beside her, continuing.
“Faraluo expressed to several other countries that they are willing to be more proactive in resolving disputes over previously contentious construction issues, including the new churches in the five free port cities of Northern Ufeiga, including Kankdar. They are willing to pursue reconciliation and construction actively and agree to build them in the style of the Holy Mother’s Chapel. Additionally, they can increase the number of personnel dispatched. Further, they are also more willing to listen to the opinions of the Sacred Church in the selection of the new mayor of Kankdar.”
“Five free ports… this is quite a significant concession. Do they have any other demands?”
“There is. Faraluo hopes that you can exert your influence to hand over the jurisdiction of Robert’s trial to them,” Evi replied indifferently to Amanda, who then showed an understanding expression.
“It seems… they are also afraid that Robert might fall into Klama’s hands and be coerced into revealing more confessions. If Klama captures him, he might spill everything.”
“That seems to be the case. Once someone ends up in the jurisdiction, the final statement they make often depends on the disposition of the tribunal. If someone as high-ranking as Robert divulges any heretical information within the territory of Faraluo, they would have an excuse.”
Evi continued explaining to Amanda, and she nodded in response.
“In this incident, we have managed to grasp a bit of Klama’s tail and can exert some pressure on him. However, Faraluo also needs to provide something else… how about this: if they can promise unconditional access to at least five Faraluo military ports in the future, I can try to rescue Robert…”
“Unconditional access to five Faraluo military ports… understood, I will respond to Faraluo’s side afterward.”
“Then… what about Sister Vania and the other members of the envoy group?” Amanda continued to ask Evi, who immediately replied.
“Sister Vania has been under my protection and has not suffered from the tribunal’s harm, and the other members of the envoy group have also been released. They have signs of frequent torture, but after nearly three days of torture, they have not revealed anything. They are currently undergoing comprehensive treatment.”
“Three days of torture without yielding a false confession? That’s commendable. I didn’t expect Hilbert to assign such elite protection to that young sister…” Amanda remarked in surprise, and Evi confirmed.
“Yes, they did not provide false confessions, which indeed surprised me, but it has saved me a great deal of trouble. I haven’t even had to implement my original plans.” Evi continued, then paused before adding.
“Additionally, there is one point worth noting… The unexplained anti-divination that had shrouded the envoy group lost its effect after Robert’s capture. Signs indicate that this anti-divination likely originated from Faraluo. Seeing that the situation was irreparable, they retracted it…
“After the anti-divination ceased, Clifton, who dispatched the tribunal, seemed unwilling to give up, requesting a public divination to be conducted under the supervision of all parties. I agreed to his request and gathered the involved parties. During the Fiery Trial, he performed a divination on all members of the envoy group, including Sister Vania, to determine if there were any heretical elements. The result was negative. Sister Vania and the entire envoy group have completely been exonerated. I have already notified each diocese to reintegrate their information into the church’s anti-divination systems.”
Evi informed Amanda, who nodded lightly upon hearing Evi’s words.
“Completely exonerated? That’s good… as long as they’re not heretics, that’s fine…”
Amanda said slowly, unaware that Vania’s current situation was not called heresy but paganism.
