### Chapter 525: Change
Listening to Evi’s words, Amanda’s expression revealed a hint of satisfaction. Being able to further confirm Vania’s innocence regarding her association with heresy through divination was a good thing for Amanda. This would allow her to put aside her worries about Vania to some extent and employ her more deeply in the future without fearing that Vania was a hidden bomb.
“This time, I originally intended to have you go there to protect Sister Vania, delaying the investigation conducted by the Tribunal to give General Shadi more time to consolidate the situation in the country. I didn’t expect that this event would take such a huge turn in the end—it’s truly unpredictable what happens in the world.”
Walking along the edge of the purification pool, Amanda sighed, and Evi responded beside her.
“This time, it’s mainly thanks to those subordinates of Shadi. They obtained crucial evidence that could reverse the entire situation, leaving both Clifton and Robert speechless. Their capabilities exceeded my expectations. To be honest, I didn’t think they would actually find any evidence when I sent them out.”
Evi said to Amanda, who slightly furrowed her brows upon hearing this, before continuing to speak.
“Subordinates with such strong capabilities? Shadi, a leader of the White Chalk Tier Revolutionary Army, actually has such talented individuals under his command… It seems a bit unbelievable. With such subordinates, instead of keeping them in the country to handle the crisis, he sends them to protect Sister Vania. Isn’t that a bit of a waste of talent? Or am I underestimating the depth of this grave robber general?”
Amanda stated directly. Given the current situation, Shadi’s urgent priority was to resolve domestic problems and complete consolidation as soon as possible. It was concerning that he sent such a powerful team to protect Vania at this critical moment.
“Those subordinates of Shadi are indeed noteworthy. I once tried to investigate them more closely, but when my entity arrived in the skies over Kankdar, they refused to reveal themselves, so I don’t know what their background is either.”
Evi said, and Amanda paused slightly after hearing this, contemplating for a moment before responding again.
“From this perspective, they might not be just simple subordinates of Shadi as they claim…”
“Do you mean these people might not be closely related to Shadi? They are members of another force?”
“Ha… I wouldn’t say their relationship is insignificant; these people might indeed be in league with Shadi. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have aided Vania. What I mean is that while they are on the same side as Shadi, it doesn’t necessarily mean Shadi can command them. Otherwise, he wouldn’t deploy such a powerful force abroad at this time.” Amanda chuckled lightly and shared her thoughts, while Evi understood her meaning immediately.
“On the same side as Shadi… but not heedful of him, Your Excellency, you mean to say those people are Shadi’s backing, members of the Judge of Heaven Church?”
“Exactly… that is my thought. They should be direct members of the Judge of Heaven Church, with their claim of being under Shadi merely for convenience. They are on the same side as Shadi but cannot be commanded by him. After all, this mysterious church is not dictated by Shadi…”
Amanda nodded, affirming Evi’s speculation and adding that this explanation indeed better matched the display of those individuals’ abilities.
“If those people are really from the Judge of Heaven Church… Your Excellency, should we attempt to make contact with them?”
“If they are willing, of course, it would be perfect. We also need to confirm whether they genuinely wish to publicize the belief in the Judge of Heaven.”
Amanda said, then continued after pondering for a moment, addressing Evi again.
“By the way, are you already on your way back?”
“I haven’t departed yet, Your Excellency. I will set sail from Qianxia Island tomorrow.”
“Good, before you leave, leave a contact method with Sister Vania, so that those individuals know if they wish to contact us, they can reach out to you directly.”
“Also, before you go, have Sister Vania stand by in Kankdar for a while. Her new position and task will soon be assigned.” Amanda instructed Evi, who silently nodded in response.
“Understood.”
After respectfully acknowledging, Evi bowed to Amanda and gradually vanished in a blur. Meanwhile, Amanda turned to gaze at the tall saint statue holding the clear spring beside the purification pool after Evi disappeared.
—
Conquer Sea North Shore, Kankdar.
In the afternoon, in the White Dove Hotel located in the foreign gathering area of Kankdar, Vania stood in the hall of her suite, facing the ethereal figure of the nun—it was Evi bidding farewell.
“Hey… Sister Evi, are you heading back?”
“Yes, the matters in Kankdar are already concluded, and I must return. Sister Vania, you will wait here in Kankdar for a while; shortly, your new assignment will arrive from the Sacred Summit.”
Facing Vania, Evi spoke with her usual calm demeanor. Hearing Evi’s words, Vania nodded gratefully.
“Um, I understand. I will be on standby here. Thank you very much for your help, Sister Evi. If it weren’t for you, it would have been quite difficult for me to dispel suspicion this time.”
“This is just what I ought to do. With the Holy Mother above, the innocent shall be delivered justice.” Evi replied calmly. At that moment, Vania pulled out a mechanical orb from her possession.
“So what about this thing…”
“Keep it with you for now. Although this relay device is too far from my entity to project my image or serve as a tool for perception, it still retains the function for you to initiate remote contact with me. If you… or anyone from Adis has urgent matters, you can use it to reach me…”
Looking at the mechanical sphere Vania had taken out, Evi said slowly, casting a meaningful glance around. Her words left Vania slightly puzzled, momentarily lost in thought, just as Evi’s figure began to fade.
“Okay, I must take my leave now. Until we meet again, Sister Vania.”
With that, Evi’s form vanished from view, and in front of Vania stood the empty room as usual.
‘From Adis… Sister Evi, did you sense something… or misunderstand something?’ Vania thought while gazing out the window. But after a moment’s reflection, she let out a sigh and continued speaking.
‘Phew… Anyway, the affairs of Kankdar have finally come to a close. I initially expected to return in success but unexpectedly encountered such a situation. Thankfully, I had a fortunate escape thanks to Miss Doro and Sister Evi…’
Vania mused internally, recognizing that the situation in Kankdar had taken her by surprise. After the events in Adus and being besieged by heretics, she had thought she would be safer within the realm of the Holy Church, but it turned out there were still those wanting to harm her within. Among these people were not only adherents of the Radiant Church but also her colleagues, fellow clergy within the Radiant Church.
‘As fellow clergymen, the government of Kankdar, representing a major power in the Main Continent, wants to harm me for their benefit. As fellow clergy tasked with internal scrutiny, a judge who should be impartial also seeks to harm me due to their power… The church is too large; its entirety is far from the sacrosanct nature I once believed it to have. Not everyone can wholly adhere to the teachings of the Three Saints, even among the higher-ups at the Sacred Summit…
‘Only Akka… can continuously guide the faithful, upholding purity and integrity…’
Reaching the window, gazing at the blue sky outside, Vania couldn’t help but sigh internally.
—
On the other side, at another hotel in the foreign gathering area of Kankdar, Doro was sipping her afternoon tea on the balcony, recalling the events in Vania’s room just moments prior. She pondered with curiosity.
‘That Evi… specifically left a way to communicate when she left. Are they trying to establish a private communication line with Shadi? But if contacting Shadi, once he announces his conversion, there would be more means to do so. So she must have noticed that I might not be a mere subordinate of Shadi and wanted to establish a communication channel with me? That perception is quite keen…’
Doro mused, feeling a sense of caution regarding Evi leaving behind contact details, though she wasn’t overly worried. Based on their attitude, they should not harbor much malice.
However, lacking any ill will, Doro would still choose not to reach out to them actively until clarifying the nature of the supporting church forces aiding Vania, for safety was paramount. Currently, Doro had no urgent matters requiring them.
“From what Evi said… they seem to plan to assign Vania a new role and let her stay in Kankdar. I wonder what kind of task she will be assigned next.”
Muttering lightly, Doro took another sip of tea, then glanced at the newspaper on the table beside her, which featured the day’s two significant news pieces about Kankdar.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the envoy group sent to Adus has no connections to heresy.”
“Mayor Robert is suspected of receiving long-term bribes from the exiled royal family of Baruch, seeking illegal benefits for himself, and has now been removed from office, returning to Faraluo for investigation.”
Doro looked at the two sensational pieces of news that had sparked much discussion across Kankdar today. After skimming through some follow-up articles, she set the newspaper aside, then opened her Magic Box, retrieving her Navigation of the Literary Sea, flipping to the section that connected her with Beverly. After thinking for a moment, she began to write.
“Hey, are you there? I want to ask a quick question. Say, if I wanted to rent one of your divine blessing objects, could I directly use assets as collateral instead of cash?”
After writing, Doro waited for a while, and within seconds, neatly printed characters appeared on the paper.
“Ha? Asset collateral… this could be a bit troublesome for us, with price evaluation and risk assessment. It’d be more straightforward if you used cash. If you want to use assets as collateral, you’ll need to pay extra for our evaluation fees…”
“Aww… we both know each other, and we’re old clients; there’s no need to stand on ceremony here…”
Seeing Beverly’s response, Doro quickly wrote a reply. After some back-and-forth negotiation, Beverly agreed that part of the deposit could indeed be collateralized with assets, but the rental portion must be paid in cash. Beverly also consented to charge Doro a friendly discounted fee of three hundred pounds to help check and evaluate Mazale’s assets and confirm the specific price.
Initially, Doro thought three hundred pounds for the evaluation was a bit steep, but Beverly’s comment during their negotiation shifted her thoughts.
“You think that’s too much? This three hundred pounds is the lowest I can do; I can’t give you any cheaper. You must know, Prince Mazale’s inheritance has been a contentious topic, with several parties squabbling over it. If it weren’t for my having designed a flawless will process for you, that inheritance wouldn’t likely reach your hands. Even if your will is perfect, it wouldn’t be easily awarded to you amidst such contention. I have opened the green light for you in the review process, and you’re still complaining about this few hundred pounds—how stingy can you be?”
Beverly responded to Doro, who, upon seeing Beverly’s message, paused for a moment in surprise and then wrote back.
“Multiple parties are contending… Do you mean other members of the Baruch royal family are applying to the Artisan Guild for inheritance?”
“Of course. According to the responses from the Kankdar base, ever since Mazale’s d*ath, disputes over the inheritance haven’t stopped. Mazale had a bunch of relatives claiming their rights to inherit, causing quite the ruckus. Before you, the most likely successor not only had close kinship with Mazale but also had the endorsement of the Kankdar government, claiming that Mazale verbally bequeathed all his assets to him just before he died. This endorsement was made public to all contenders, which directly dissuaded many.
“Of course, you know what happened next; Robert’s downfall completely wiped out the government’s credibility in this matter. The remaining relatives are starting to make noise again, but since you’ve already presented a flawless will, their outcry will be in vain.”
Beverly explained to Doro, who, upon hearing this, suddenly thought of something.
‘The heir endorsed by Robert’s Kankdar government… claiming to possess Mazale’s dying wishes; that heir must be Ma Aide! This means Ma Aide and Robert are both coveting Mazale’s inheritance and are quite eager, to the extent that… Robert is willing to endorse Ma Aide under the name of the Kankdar government…
‘The inheritance of Mazale holds so much allure for Ma Aide and Robert? Their fortunes must surely not be less than Mazale’s, right? Would Robert help Ma Aide to this extent for some mundane wealth?’
Doro thought to herself. While it was normal for Ma Aide to seek Mazale’s fortune, it was rather intriguing for Robert to contend for the inheritance, risking the Kankdar government’s name to forge a will. In Doro’s view, this suggested that within Mazale’s inheritance lay something of extreme value to both of them.
At that moment, Doro recalled Satraya’s words; she once mentioned that the two members from the Underworld Coffin who were willing to assist Robert and Ma Aide did so because they promised to offer an important item to the Underworld Coffin as a reward, which wouldn’t arrive for some time… So, could that important item be within Mazale’s inheritance?
And amongst Mazale’s assets, the one item of great interest to the Underworld Coffin would surely be the National Treasure Box! The box contained Baruch’s Royal Sacrificial Book, which recorded the method to open the Rahmann Royal Tomb, where,
a Red Tier extraordinary king’s tomb lay, with contents that could surely pique the Underworld Coffin’s interest—not to mention the Phantom Pulling Lamp, which could definitely be classified as a divine blessing object of “Silence.”
‘It seems that I am not the only one eyeing the Rahmann Royal Tomb…’
Looking at the contents on the page before her, Doro couldn’t help but slightly furrow her brows. With a newfound awareness of competitors, her grave-robbing plan could not come slowly.
‘Plans can’t keep up with changes. I can’t wait any longer; I must set off immediately to the Rahmann Royal Tomb and at least ascertain whether the Underworld Coffin has already secured control over it!’
