Four Hundred and Ninety-Seventh Cleaning
Accompanied by the thunder in the sky and the long roar that shattered the air, heavy artillery fired from afar plunged through the palace ceiling. Lightning paved the way for them as they burst through the shattered roof and fell into the grand hall where the Savior’s Incarnation Sect had gathered in large numbers. Before anyone inside could react, the artillery struck the ground and exploded.
The deafening noise and the flames instantly engulfed the entire hall with immense destructive force. The bodies of those hit were torn apart, their remains incinerated, and the walls damaged. Ordinary mortals could not withstand such destruction; countless people lost consciousness silently and fell into d*ath. Only Muhetar did not lose all consciousness at the first impact; he opened his mouth wide, enduring the dual collapse of his body and soul in extreme pain. The shockwave and flames swept across the hall, turning every corner into hell. Only within the sturdy barrier created by extraordinary abilities, shielded by layers of metal and ice, could one barely survive.
After the tremendous explosion, the heat wave and shock subsided, and dust and smoke gradually settled. The once luxurious and solemn palace hall was now reduced to ruins, leaving only scattered debris and a huge crater. Around the crater lay many fragments and broken bodies. Further away, there was a pile of shattered metal, which had previously formed an indestructible metal dome that even the combined efforts of the Savior’s Incarnation Sect could hardly penetrate. Now, this dome had been destroyed by the artillery blast, turning back into a heap of fragmented metal.
A short while after the explosion, movement began in a pile of metal fragments. After slight trembling, a force pushed the fragments upward from below, revealing a figure covered in dust slowly standing up.
Under Dorothy’s manipulation, Vania pushed aside the metal fragments on top of her and stood up from the rubble. After brushing off the dust, she scanned the scene with her eyes and finally focused on the large crater in the hall. Dorothy, hiding in the temple space, couldn’t help but think to herself:
“One shot, right on target… It’s impressive. No wonder Faraluo’s new cannon has such accuracy. Although Baruch’s purchase of these weapons didn’t stop his demise, it certainly helped me…
“To counter the commandments triggered by subjective hostile actions, one simply needs to attack without hostility. A large-scale, non-hostile artillery strike is the key…”
Observing the chaotic scene before her, Dorothy thought as she realized Muhetar’s new commandment. Soon, she found a suitable solution: a non-hostile area attack. By finding someone who didn’t know Muhetar and firing a long-range attack without understanding the situation, she could harm him without triggering his commandment.
Just like what happened now, Nephnis, confused throughout, launched artillery strikes at Muhetar’s location without knowing his situation, eliminating him and his followers. Since Nephnis had no idea whom she was attacking or the significance of her actions, she successfully bypassed Muhetar’s commandment and attacked.
Of course, although this plan allowed Nephnis to avoid the commandment’s effects unconsciously, Dorothy, who guided her, faced the risk of triggering the commandment due to her obvious hostility. To mitigate this, Dorothy broke the plan into several steps. When it came to the crucial step of giving Nephnis the coordinates to launch the artillery, Dorothy complicated the calculation process with complex mathematics, filling her mind with calculations and focusing entirely on solving the problem, thus deviating from her original goal.
This tactic of focusing on small goals to obscure larger ones is common in real life. For example, when Dorothy was still a student, she took a math exam. Midway through, a very difficult problem appeared, requiring much time to solve. However, with only an hour for the exam, rational planning dictated that if the problem proved too challenging, she should move on and return later. Yet, many students persisted, letting the difficulty distract them from completing other questions, leading to poor scores. Similarly, in painting, some focus too much on details, neglecting the overall picture.
These examples show how over-focusing on minor goals can lead to missing the bigger picture. Here, Dorothy used this phenomenon to complicate the artillery calculations, diverting her attention from attacking Muhetar and suppressing her hostility to avoid the commandment.
Nephnis’ precise artillery strike caused massive damage. Before the explosion, Vania and Shadi were inside the metal shield, which was thickly constructed from most of the palace’s metal. The gaps were sealed with thick ice by Shadi, enhancing the shield’s defense and preventing the high-temperature airflow from entering during the explosion. Additionally, Dorothy set the impact point far enough so that the shield wasn’t directly hit. Under its protection, Vania and others survived.
Dorothy controlled Vania to wander through the ruins, observing the surroundings. After a while, Vania noticed a severely damaged body in a corner of the hall, missing an arm, blackened, with faint signs of life, indicating survival despite severe injuries. This body, except for Muhetar, was the only one left in the hall.
Controlling Vania, Dorothy made her silently watch the wounded body. The body stared back, gasping weakly.
“Why… why… could you…”
Muhetar exhausted his last strength, lying motionless on the ground. With the light in his eyes fading, the heretic from the Radiant Church and high-ranking leader of the Savior’s Incarnation Sect, a Red Tier priest, perished. After suffering a series of severe injuries, his soul reached its limit.
Silently watching Muhetar’s remains, Dorothy confirmed his d*ath with spiritual threads, then let Vania search around. Quickly, she found what she wanted among the rubble.
This was a simple stone box. Muhetar had taken out many items from it during previous battles. Dorothy recognized it as a magic box crafted by the White Stone Craftsmen Guild, capable of storing far more than its surface volume. Such items were extremely rare in the Secret World, even beyond the reach of White Chalk-tier extraordinary beings. Dorothy obtained one through Audric’s favor.
Holding the stone box, Vania was about to put it away when a weak male voice echoed behind her.
“Phew… Phew… Already searching for spoils? Recovering quickly… Sister…”
Vania turned around to see Shadi, leaning against a pillar, struggling to stand. He looked at Vania curiously.
“I never imagined we’d actually have a chance to defeat a Red Tier existence… Although I don’t fully understand what happened, it truly is a miracle… We killed Muhetar and survived. Incredible, isn’t it, Sister Vania…
“Or perhaps… the High Priest of the Judge of Heaven…”
With a subtle expression, Shadi spoke to Vania, causing Dorothy to pause momentarily. She then had Vania respond.
“Oh… You’ve already noticed I’m not Vania anymore?”
“Yes, I am a Soul Contract Holder. I’ve seen many First Dynasty legacies in the underground of Northern Ufeiga. Recognizing your current state isn’t too difficult. Someone hurt by Muhetar’s commandments wouldn’t wake up so easily.”
Facing Vania, Shadi explained. Dorothy had Vania respond immediately.
“Yes, I am indeed using Vania’s body. But why do you think I’m the High Priest of the Judge of Heaven?”
“It’s simple… There were too many inexplicable phenomena in this battle besides us and the Church. The lightning, metal, and final artillery strike showed coordination. Someone must be controlling everything. Only the High Priest who attacked the Radiant Church could do this. Didn’t you introduce yourself when you were there?”
Gasping for breath, Shadi recounted his analysis to Vania. Listening to Shadi, Vania smiled and nodded.
“You’re correct. The one controlling this nun’s body is indeed present at the Enlightenment Mark Temple… No, the Radiant Church. I provided assistance during your battle. You should thank me…
“Of course, I’ll be grateful. But before that, I have some questions.”
Looking at Vania, Shadi said seriously. Vania replied lightly.
“What questions?”
“Are you an ‘Enlightenment’ extraordinary being? Has the secret society of ‘Enlightenment’ reappeared in this world? Is the Judge of Heaven… not completely fallen, showing signs of revival?”
Shadi asked Vania a series of questions, waiting earnestly for her response. Hearing Shadi’s questions, Dorothy paused and then carefully had Vania reply.
“Yes, I am indeed an ‘Enlightenment’ extraordinary being. The society of ‘Enlightenment’ has reappeared in this world. I am not the only one. As for the Judge of Heaven… I can say that He hasn’t become mere dust of history…
“Can tell you everything I know,” Vania responded silently to Shadi. Hearing this, Shadi’s expression changed slightly.
“So… What is the current state of your society and organization? What are your goals? Why are you targeting the Savior’s Incarnation Sect? What connection do you have with the Church? Why are you helping them?”
With a somewhat urgent expression, Shadi questioned Vania, who replied calmly.
“Your questions are too many and some are too intrusive, Mr. Shadi. Our relationship hasn’t reached the point where we can reveal so many secrets…
“Um… I apologize, my words were inappropriate. The news of ‘Enlightenment’ power and the awakening of ancient gods is too shocking. I got carried away. Please forgive me…”
Listening to Vania, Shadi quickly responded, realizing his momentary lapse. Vania continued smiling.
“It’s fine. We aren’t petty. Your impression here is acceptable. Answering some of your questions is fine.
“Our current purpose cannot be fully disclosed, but it is related to the Judge of Heaven. We came to Adis to find something related to the God of Thunder from the Enlightenment Mark Temple. We eliminated the Savior’s Incarnation Sect because they became obstacles. We plan to join forces with the revolutionaries and the Radiant Church in Adis to remove them.
“As for our connection with the Church, there isn’t much. To eliminate the Savior’s Incarnation Sect in Adis, we need your revolutionary army and the Radiant Church’s support. Since the nun in the Radiant Church mission is naive and gentle, making communication easier, we chose to contact her first. We informed her of the Savior’s Incarnation Sect’s conspiracy and then introduced her to you. The book she gave you for mutual writing is originally ours. Through our cooperation, we gained confidence in overthrowing the powerful Savior’s Incarnation Sect in Adis.”
Dorothy had Vania explain this to Shadi. Shadi and Setute, who was guiding him, were filled with thoughts and speculations.
The biggest speculation was about the Judge of Heaven. In Shadi and Setute’s minds, the Judge of Heaven might be slowly recovering, using influence to secretly form cults, operating in Northern Ufeiga, collecting relics to aid His revival. The Radiant Church in Adis was one of these. The active Savior’s Incarnation Sect in Northern Ufeiga seemed to be an obstacle to His revival. Their relationship wasn’t good?
“In the body of Shadi, Setute thought, his emotions slightly agitated, wanting to confront the High Priest of Heaven directly. However, his reason prevailed. Without more information, he refrained from rash actions.
“Alright, I’ve told you everything I can. It’s time to go. I’ll take Muhetar’s spoils first. After selecting what we need, the rest will be shared with you and the little nun of the Church. We’ll continue clearing the Savior’s Incarnation Sect in Adis with lightning after we leave. Do you have any objections, Mr. Shadi?”
Holding the stone box, Vania said to Shadi. Shadi, who was deep in thought, nodded in response.
“Winning against Muhetar is largely due to you. There’s no issue with that. Your continued help is greatly appreciated.”
Shadi said this. With Muhetar dead, the Savior’s Incarnation Sect in Adus was leaderless. Shadi could now control the revolutionaries and Adus to the fullest, which was his greatest gain.
“Heh, until we meet again, future ruler of Adus. May you bring true peace to the people here. Keep the secret transmission given by the nun. We can use it to communicate.
“Choose your path wisely. Many past myths will soon emerge from the depths of history.”
Saying this, Vania picked up the stone box and walked out of the devastated hall.
