Chapter 84: Viki’s Attitude (Part 2)
“Huh?”
Viki hadn’t said anything yet, but Rect, caught mid-bite, looked up in surprise, his expression stretching like rubber, “What? Holy City?”
Clearly, he was clueless about it.
Meanwhile, Viki remained calm, lowered her head, and leisurely sipped her hot tea, casually glancing at the top hat I had tossed on the table.
“That hat? I picked it from the finest lace store on Merswell Street—one of a kind in all of the Western Continent, and I absolutely adore it,” she said, utterly unruffled.
It was evident that this woman wasn’t surprised by my words at all.
“So, you’re still in touch with Saint George, right?” I asked, not in the mood to continue discussing the hat.
Viki lifted her head again, raising an eyebrow at me.
She didn’t answer immediately, appearing almost distracted. After a quick glance at me, she set her tea cup down and turned her gaze toward the flower bed where the Winter Orchids were planted.
Her eyes sparkled with an appreciation I couldn’t quite decipher: “Chain of Divine Lock.”
But what came out of her mouth was entirely unrelated.
“It’s one of the three relics controlled solely by successive Popes. A few insiders call it the supreme relic, its shape unknown, its purpose unclear. Since the day of its bestowal, it has been kept deep in the Underground Prison of the Holy City, never to be touched or activated by anyone other than the Pope. There hasn’t been a record of it being activated for a millennium.”
“I got some more precise information from Saint George. The Chain of Divine Lock actually originates from a powerful relic of the Ancient Deity. In other words, it’s some part of the ‘Ancestor of Gidales,’ just like the other two relics. But the Chain of Divine Lock seems to be the most special of the trio.”
“The specific purpose of it is to imprison the Mother God of Abundance, who is kept deep in the Underground Prison, but the method of imprisonment and the capabilities of the relic are classified core secrets of the Church. It seems Saint George knows very little about it too.”
“Cardinals don’t have the power to enter the depths of the Holy City’s prison, nor does Simon, who manages the prison. Even the entire Temple Church is kept in the dark. The only ones who truly know about this matter are the successive Popes and some mysterious owls… or maybe a few in the Choir of Saints know something too.”
“…”
So this woman was still maintaining close communication with Saint George.
Powerful relic from the Ancient Deity?
Is that why it can imprison the crazy Mother God? This was my first time hearing about it.
But…
“I saw it once in the Eastern Continent.”
I locked eyes with Viki and said, “There was no Pope present, just the Choir of Saints and the First Knights Order. They once attempted to release the Chain of Divine Lock… or at least planned to.”
Pausing, I turned to glance at the two maids standing far behind me and then back at the Forgiveness Head guy next to me, who looked utterly confused. After a brief hesitation, I spilled the beans: “That time, they aimed to seal me. It was an overwhelming force of faith, but it got interrupted midway. I don’t think they were bluffing.”
A flicker of shock passed through Rect’s eyes.
Yet Viki remained expressionless, saying nothing. She waved her hand towards the maids, signaling them to swiftly retreat.
“…Seal you?”
Once the maids were out of earshot, Her Majesty the Queen asked, but it seemed she quickly figured something out, waving her hand signaling me not to explain. Her eyes were calm as she stated, “That can’t be the real Chain of Divine Lock. The real one must be tied to the Holy City; otherwise, that place would become a wasteland.”
“But it’s not impossible that the Pope created a high-level divine miracle resembling the Chain of Divine Lock to prevent some unexpected situation and passed it on to the church’s core members… You’ve faced top clergymen, so you know they each have unique miracles; this is quite likely.”
She made a good point.
“And right now, what’s sealing the Holy City is indeed the real Chain of Divine Lock, not some makeshift miracle cobbled together by manpower.”
Her Majesty continued, “Though it’s unclear to what extent this has been accomplished, the situation now is such that outsiders simply cannot enter. The golden light enveloping the city not only repels all living creatures but also completely obscures what’s happening inside, including sounds. No one knows what’s really going on in there.”
Not even Saint George knows, huh?
Hmm…
The fact that Viki said this means she truly has no clue.
“Did Saint George tell you all this?” I asked.
“Not entirely,” she replied softly, lowering her gaze for another sip of tea.
“Not entirely?” I furrowed my brow for a moment, then suddenly realized, “You’ve got spies planted around him.”
After saying that, I thought for a second and asked, “What about Sharman?”
“……”
Viki sipped her hot tea, glancing at me.
Rect looked back and forth between us, staying silent the whole time.
After a moment, Her Majesty the Queen suddenly asked, “Who’s the person on your side?”
“From the Choir of Saints, Ramiel.”
I blinked without flinching, immediately spilling, “Not exactly my guy; he’s someone who might flip at any time. But I think, for important matters, at least he won’t lie to me.”
Viki tilted her head and pondered, “The one released from Chielis City.”
“Yeah.”
“What kind of deal did you strike with him?”
“……”
Curious?
Not telling you.
“He should be figuring out how to get into the Holy City by now.”
I quickly changed the subject, “He said he might have a way and plans to give it a shot. If all goes well, he’ll get in touch with me after entering the city.”
“Got it,” Viki nodded.
With her personality, if she saw I didn’t want to talk, she wouldn’t press further. Her face didn’t betray any hint of concern.
But who knows if she’s twisting things around in her mind a bit…
Hmph.
“Although there are currently no plans for a formal appearance, Saint George has already begun deploying his forces outside the city.”
Her Majesty the Queen suddenly continued, “Including his supporters, the Meteor Shower Magipani Holjones, Archbishop Perseus Helington, and a total of thirteen Pope Knights have arrived successively at the Holy Angel Fortress in the outer city, preparing to attempt the first dialogue with the Holy City.”
“The vicious claw cultists from the Underground Prison are also among them. They took control of the Lahram City Hall half a month ago, and the bridge connecting the Holy City to the outside world has preliminarily fallen into Saint George’s hands.”
“……”
Suddenly throwing so many names and places at me; it’s getting a bit confusing.
I blinked and slyly scratched my behind with my back hand.
“Meteor Shower, Magipani Holjones?”
In the end, I found myself most intrigued by this name.
“She was once hailed as the ‘one under heaven’ of outstanding female Pope Knights, a genius figure from the last generation, mastering the dual orders of rock and fire. Her only defeat in life was in a duel against my teacher, Sword Saint Ryan.”
“Oh…”
“She is Saint George’s staunchest supporter. Rumor has it she received substantial aid from the Williams family in her youth, but to me, it seems she merely wants another chance to duel with her teacher and win to redeem her name.”
Meteor Shower, one under heaven…
“She’s the teacher of the Flame Master, right? After Tarlasya left the southern Empire, he went looking for her?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Viki replied faintly.
“And Sharman is also outside the Holy City, right?” I propped my chin up with one hand, staring at her face, “These detailed and specific movements, there’s no way Saint George could be constantly updating you. You’ve arranged for Sharman to act as an insider, haven’t you?”
