Chapter 667: Audience Session
In the southern suburbs of Faraluo, within the Palace of the Goddess, the annual audience banquet reached its climax. The two dancers, Adele and Sanderlina, who had been engaged in an invisible contest, had finally concluded their duel. At this moment, Adele was standing on her stage, slowly taking her bow, while Sanderlina lay on the ground, mouth and eyes wide open, almost completely motionless.
After Adele finished her bow and performed a group salute, she slowly stood up again. Looking at Sanderlina lying on the ground, her expression was cold and indifferent. Although she had stopped dancing, the surrounding spectators were still in a daze, entranced by Adele’s allure and unable to fully wake up.
“It’s over…”
Adele thought to herself after letting out a long breath, and soon after, Doro’s voice echoed in her mind.
“Looks like you’ve succeeded. Congratulations, Adele. It seems your charm as a veteran dancer is still unmatched.”
“Haha, don’t say that… little detective. The key factor wasn’t charm but your abilities and calculations. No matter how well a dancer performs, they must still follow the program director’s arrangement. I have a good program director, but this one doesn’t. Maybe I can call you a little director from now on~”
With a slight smile, Adele said with a teasing tone to Doro, who immediately responded.
“As you wish… By the way, you really went all out on that guy. This could be fatal…”
“There’s no other way. Our desire provocations are mutual. During our dance, this person was constantly provoking my murderous intent towards her by mentioning my teacher. I couldn’t remain unaffected,” Adele said coldly, looking at Sanderlina lying on the ground. She then added, “However, regarding the ‘Cup’ of White Chalk, even if it’s a fatal injury, as long as there’s still spirituality, she won’t d*e immediately. You can use your puppet’s spiritual thread to supply energy to the ‘Cup’ and save her. If you find controlling her too difficult and wasteful of energy, and if you don’t have the corresponding technology, I suggest you try linking the spiritual thread only to her head. Cut off the rest of her body and discard it. That way, she won’t have a body to resist, and you’ll only need to supply enough energy to keep her head alive. It will be more economical… and easier for future interrogations…”
Looking at Sanderlina who was motionless, Adele said coldly. Hearing her words, Doro couldn’t help but purse her lips, thinking that Adele’s suggestion might be influenced by personal grudges.
Then, Doro didn’t continue chatting with Adele and instead controlled her puppet to approach Sanderlina, intending to link the puppet’s sigil with the spiritual thread. Just as she was about to do so, something unexpected happened.
In the Colored Dome Hall, Sanderlina’s body suddenly began convulsing violently. Her exposed skin started to rapidly rise and fall unevenly, and she kept vomiting. Seeing this, Doro immediately made her puppet retreat several steps.
Next, Sanderlina’s skin started to burst open rapidly. From the bl**d mist, numerous small, bl**d-covered flying insects poured out and swarmed in all directions, seemingly trying to attack the surrounding guests. Adele, seeing this, immediately took out a small iron container from her body and threw it at the swarm of insects. The small canister exploded mid-air, releasing a large amount of flames that engulfed the entire swarm of insects, burning them almost entirely. This was a firebomb obtained through the church’s channels.
After the flames dissipated, the scene became calm once more. Apart from the charred air, what remained was Sanderlina’s mutilated body, covered in bl**d and flesh, with large parts of her flesh missing, exposing bloody bones.
“These are… parasites?” Adele said through the information channel to Doro, who nodded and replied.
“This person’s body was likely implanted with a large number of worm eggs or larvae from the Rotten Sect beforehand. These eggs should possess some form of judgment ability. They grow and multiply by consuming the host’s flesh when they determine that the host has lost the ability to move. They k*ll the host when they break out of the body. This should be some kind of insurance measure used by the Rotten Sect on themselves…”
Doro explained. She had seen such parasites a few times before. Initially, she discovered a parasitic worm capable of transmitting information on the Red Tier wolf that attacked the St. Hymn Cathedral in Tivian. Other functions on such worms did not seem strange. As a high-ranking member of the Wolf bl**d Association, the Red Tier wolf would not voluntarily host such destructive internal parasites. However, people of lower status might not have a choice.
“It seems that the Rotten Sect was involved in the events related to the Path of Desire. They have been researching it all along. The Wolf bl**d Association transferred your teacher to the Rotten Sect, providing them with ample material to produce results. This dancer is one of those results…”
“But it appears that these results are not yet perfect, containing some secrets and flaws that can be exposed from the corpse. Therefore, the Rotten Sect implanted these parasites as a precaution…” Doro continued to analyze in Adele’s mind. After listening, Adele nodded silently first, then spoke as if remembering something.
“According to common sense… things are probably as you analyzed, but regarding the claim that Sanderlina is from the Rotten Sect, I’m holding back my opinion for now.”
“Oh, you have other thoughts?” Doro asked curiously upon hearing Adele’s words, and Adele promptly responded.
“Before this woman’s neck was twisted, she said, ‘Mistress, save me.’ As far as I know, none of the three sects of the Amniotic Sac call their leaders ‘Mistress.’ The Rotten Sect usually refers to their leaders as High Priests or Chiefs, not ‘Mistress.'”
With a serious expression, Adele told Doro, who frowned slightly upon hearing this.
There was no such term as “Mistress” in the Rotten Sect? Then who was Sanderlina calling when she shouted? Could it be that she wasn’t from the Rotten Sect? Since there was no such title as “Mistress” among the high-ranking members of the Amniotic Sac, where did Sanderlina’s “Mistress” fit in?
Sanderlina was clearly a direct subordinate of this supposed “Mistress.” Among the branches of the “Cup,” besides the Beast, Wave, and Plague, there was only the Path of Desire. But the Amniotic Sac had just acquired the Path of Desire recently. Whether the entire promotion process was complete or included any black tech was uncertain. To create a Red Tier existence seemed highly unlikely. Therefore, the possibility that this “Mistress” belonged to the independent branch of the Path of Desire under the Amniotic Sac was also very low. Since the “Mistress” was unlikely to belong to any of the four branches of the “Cup,” what position did she hold?
Doro pondered this possibility, considering many scenarios, which made her feel somewhat alarmed.
‘It can’t be… But if things are indeed as you suggested, perhaps it can explain why the previously isolated and even hostile three sects of the Amniotic Sac have begun cooperating again.’
Doro thought seriously, and at this moment, Adele spoke again to Doro.
“What’s wrong, little detective? Have you figured anything out?”
“Ah… I have some ideas, but it’s not the time to discuss them now. We should finish our cleanup work as soon as possible,” Doro said to Adele, who sighed and looked toward the Song and Performance Hall.
“Alright, then I should talk to that governor properly.”
“Yes, I’ve already prepared some insurance on him. Now is the best opportunity,” Doro responded, and Adele slowly descended from her water stage and headed toward the Song and Performance Hall.
…
Outside the Palace of the Goddess, deep in a distant forest, a figure hidden in the shadows slowly raised their head. Underneath the hood, their gaze penetrated the gaps between the trees, looking at the golden dome of the Palace of the Goddess shimmering in the sunset. After a moment of silence, they uttered a sentence with evident emotion.
“Hmph… Wasteful…”
After saying this, he raised his head and looked eastward at the dim sky. Recalling the light that had split the sky earlier, he couldn’t help but continue muttering.
“The Judge of Heaven Church… it truly exists. To be able to bring such assistance, I underestimated you, Adele…”
After finishing, the figure in the black robe turned and walked away. In the dense forest, his body gradually became transparent and faded until it vanished without a trace.
…
As the sun set, the originally peaceful audience banquet in the Palace of the Goddess was now in chaos. Fully armed guards appeared everywhere in the palace, strictly guarding all entrances and exits. The banquet was paused, all performances canceled, and all guests were forbidden to leave. Everyone gathered in one place, talking anxiously.
Most ordinary guests were confused, trying to understand the situation, while those with extraordinary abilities stood silently in the corners, observing the scene and the governor’s guards, analyzing what had happened.
While the front hall of the Palace of the Goddess was noisy and chaotic, the rear part was silent. In the luxurious and vast Hall of Glory, only two figures stood here: Adele, still wearing the costume of King Charles but without her mask, and Sangsong, one of the governors of Faraluo.
“Greetings, Governor. I believe this place is sufficiently secluded.”
Facing Sangsong, Adele performed a standard Faraluo court etiquette with a smile, and Sangsong, with his hands behind his back, silently looked at the elegant and dignified woman before slowly speaking.
“I’ve seen you in the report from the anti-demon guard, Adele Briouze. Among the remnants of the Bourbon Royal Family overseas, you are considered one of the most influential and pure-blooded individuals with high legitimacy. Some royalists who were once caught in prison wanted to invite you back to become queen…
“Now it seems they had good eyes. You are at least the most standard Bourbon I’ve seen in years. If you stood in front of those people in this outfit, they would probably kneel down crying,” Sangsong said to Adele, who replied with a teasing tone.
“They… I remember. A few years ago, someone came to Tivian inviting me to Faraluo to ‘conspire’ and ‘collaborate.’ I refused them, though. Compared to their failed restoration attempts, I felt my performances were more important. That was a crucial period for my fame, and I didn’t want to waste it on meaningless endeavors.”
Adele replied, and Sangsong continued.
“But you have returned now.”
“Yes, I heard there was a chance to inherit my ancestors’ legacy, so I came here to take a chance and examine Faraluo’s performance market. Unexpectedly, I didn’t inherit the legacy but ended up saving a governor. Isn’t fate intriguing?” Adele said lightly, and Sangsong couldn’t help but smile.
“Haha… Your wit is much like that of the Bourbons. I never imagined that after so many years of fighting against the Bourbons, I would end up being saved by them. Indeed, fate is intriguing…”
“So, now, can you tell me who tried to k*ll you just now, Governor?” Adele’s expression became serious as she continued to ask Sangsong, who paused slightly before responding.
“That would be one of my political rivals, another governor of Faraluo. Only mutual impeachment among governors can make me lose my governorship at critical moments.”
“Mutual impeachment can deprive each other of power? Does that mean the one who strikes first has an infinite advantage in internal strife among governors?” Narrowing his eyes, Adele said to Sangsong, who shook his head in response.
“Not quite. Mutual impeachment among governors temporarily disables both parties’ abilities, and impeachment is a formal procedure that requires public initiation in the governor meeting or parliament. It’s not easy to impeach someone.”
“So, during the banquet, another governor initiated an impeachment procedure against you in Faraluo’s parliament?” Adele raised an eyebrow and asked Sangsong, who shook his head in response.
“No, it’s not the time for the parliament session, and I haven’t received any notification from the governor meeting. This impeachment must have followed a special procedure.”
“Special procedure?”
Adele asked with confusion, and Sangsong remained silent for a moment before gazing out the window of the Hall of Glory, across a large lake, to the small chapel on the opposite shore.
“The special impeachment procedure… If a governor receives the Holy Approval from the Archbishop of Faraluo, they can bypass the parliament and initiate an impeachment independently,” Sangsong said with a serious expression. After hearing this, Adele spoke unexpectedly.
“The Archbishop of Faraluo? He has such power?”
After hearing Adele’s words, Sangsong continued to look out the window, gazing slowly.
“The current official extraordinary system of Faraluo was almost entirely rebuilt by the church after the victory of the Cold Moon Revolution. Among the countries on the Main Continent, Faraluo’s official extraordinary system is one of the ones most influenced by the church. In our system, the dispatched archbishop of the church possesses a series of privileges.”
…
