Chapter 21

Chapter 21

It was a feeling different from seeing the silver moon behind the clouds.

The Silver Moon Maiden was so adept at provoking desires that when that hazy light fell into Lin's eyes, the resentment he had felt towards food over the past three years took on a tangible form. The taste of delicious food seemed to directly touch his cerebral cortex, violently squeezing out drool from his salivary glands.

But this current longing was different. He didn't know what the thing calling him looked like, nor did he understand why he wanted it. Counting carefully, this was only the third time he had come into contact with it, yet he felt a certain certainty—

It belongs to me.

Wait, It?

Lin: "…"

Damn, where did he get the nerve to think like that?

The blindfolded black-haired ritualist instantly woke up, but on the surface, he only skipped a beat in his heartbeat, and his mind could still keep up with the team's ongoing discussion.

He analyzed and found that his teammates hadn't yet proposed a concrete plan, so he began thinking again.

Lin knew he was probably an evil deity, and some even called him "It," though Bai Li Boméi was the only one who used that term. Nonetheless, he could be called "It" without question.

However, compared to the true evil deities—whether the Silver Moon Maiden, the Black Sun, the Fallen Sky, or other rarer ones—he might not even measure up to their pinky finger.

Without the evil deities needing to act personally, their followers could kill Lin.

So why was he so confident just now, thinking that "It" belonged to him?

Could it be that the appetite stirred by the Silver Moon Maiden on the beach hadn't subsided? Ah, he really should have gone to the purification room to calm down before the mission.

But if he had gone to the purification room, catching up with Lingfei Ge's team would have been difficult. Both the Chief Judge and the Wind Secretary hinted that he should take the mission, indicating that the reward after completing it would be excellent. Even for the bonus alone...

Of course, the bonus is most important! He had already decided to quickly save up for the treatment fee for Blue Phosphorus Ash!

Feeling more alert, Lin reminded himself not to approach the direction where the sound of the sea tide could be faintly heard, ignoring the elusive call and started participating in the discussion.

A few minutes ago, Lingfei Ge executed the ratman who had lost his plant and could no longer resist, while Yan Tang directly questioned the ratman's spirit and wrote down the information to explain to them.

"It's two bounty-hunted elites of the Heresy Cult. The one who escaped is 'Steel Tiger,' and the one who died is 'Flower Hand.' According to our records, 'Steel Tiger' frequently operates around Spire City, but 'Flower Hand' usually operates in Glass City and Azure City. I remember there was a case involving him in Glass City two weeks ago. Without a doubt, he has recently arrived in Spire City.

"Even as a spirit unable to think clearly, he didn't say why he came to Spire City. I heard the Chief Judge killed a large number of new recruits of the Heresy Cult last night? I think the Heresy Cult must have prepared for significant losses due to the Chief Judge and moved elites from other cities to fill the gaps."

Lingfei Ge's round little face looked serious, and the metal balls between his fingers spun rapidly.

"These cultists must be planning something big," he said. "We can't let Suye Azari provide them with any more help."

"Yes!" Shan Ta, who had dressed, responded loudly.

"Those two Heresy Cult elites were specifically sent to intercept our team, right?" Lin, who seemed completely unfazed, interjected calmly. "Although Miss Yan Tang can no longer see the direction Suye Director is heading, the appearance of 'Steel Tiger' and 'Flower Hand' suggests that Suye Director may have already joined forces with the Heresy Cult members and possibly entered their heavily guarded stronghold."

"You're still calling him Suye Director?" Lingfei Ge asked, somewhat surprised, but didn't dwell on it. "That's the problem. Although we acted swiftly, the illusion created by Suye Azari's self-created ritual delayed us significantly. We're still a step behind."

He sounded regretful. "I heard you spent over an hour in the interrogation room because you witnessed the fake Suye's death. Lin, why didn't you react faster and spot his flaw immediately? We might have caught him halfway."

At that moment, I didn't even realize I had activated this ability, Lin thought.

Shan Ta looked confused, struggling to follow the conversation. "So, we've confirmed that Suye is in the Heresy Cult's territory, right? Why aren't we taking action?"

"How do you propose we act?" Lingfei Ge asked.

"Charge in—"

"Okay, you don't need to say more." Lingfei Ge said.

"The leader of the Heresy Cult in Spire City is Sulu Bengu," Lin said, always curious about the meaning of the surname Bengu. "'Desire Flower Maiden,' she is a high-level professional. If she's in the stronghold, charging in would likely be suicide."

"But your ritual—"

"Based on experiences from other cities in raiding Heresy Cult strongholds, most plants near the altar can be killed instantly, at most losing some vitality. Besides, as a Flower Shepherd, Sulu Bengu can easily replant if they die."

"Hmm." Shan Ta also began to think seriously.

Lingfei Ge didn't expect much from this inexperienced newcomer and remained silent for a moment. "Even if we report to the main office for support, we first need to confirm Suye Azari's exact location. We can't just say 'we suspect Suye is in the Heresy Cult's stronghold.'

"Let's try to get closer to the stronghold without engaging in conflict along the way."

He issued specific instructions, and Lin and Shan Ta acknowledged, while Yan Tang, who had been silent, nodded.

"We need to eliminate 'Steel Tiger' first," Lingfei Ge said. "Beastmen have keen senses; we can't let him sneak up on us."

"Steel Tiger" was still hiding deep in the cave.

Earlier, Lingfei Ge edited his own curses, looping them to ensure the enraged "Steel Tiger" wanted to come out but was persuaded by reason not to, scratching the walls repeatedly within Shan Ta's range as a Blood Knight.

Of course, the machine gun turrets had stopped firing, and what kept "Steel Tiger" from coming out now was the four-to-one odds.

Lingfei Ge signaled Lin to cancel the ritual that blocked eavesdropping.

Confirming the ritual's effect had vanished, he glanced at the cave entrance surrounded by three turret spiders and raised his voice slightly:

"This terrain still limits a Mechanic's abilities. Shan Ta, go in with Yan Tang and capture 'Steel Tiger.' Can you do it?"

Saying this, he made several gestures to Shan Ta and Yan Tang.

"Yes!" Shan Ta responded loudly. "Leave it to us, Captain!"

The scratching sounds from the cave stopped, indicating that "Steel Tiger," who had been monitoring their movements, didn't realize his actions had exposed him.

There's some sense, Lin thought, but not much.

Yan Tang nodded at them as well, then led the way to the cave where "Steel Tiger" was hiding, with Shanta, the centaur, trailing behind her.

Lingfei Ge directed three illumination drones to follow them while he climbed back into his turret mechanical spider. Alone, Lin took out a small broom from a box and swept the ritual array on the ground clean. He then removed his right glove, covered in chalk dust, and picked up the chalk to redraw the circle.

Drawing straight lines and circles freehand is a basic skill for ritualists. Of course, after drawing, one still needs to use measuring tools to check if they are truly straight or circular.

After a busy period, Lin finally selected a pendant from several hanging from his chest, placing it in the center of the ritual array, and set a steel plate on the opposite side.

He sat facing the steel plate, making sure not to touch any lines or patterns within the ritual array with his seemingly casual movements.

The pale lips beneath the bandages moved slightly, muttering something indistinctly.

Suddenly, some dust and pebbles from the cave ceiling fell onto Lin's hair.

The blindfolded black-haired ritualist looked up in surprise, only to see a large, furry figure pounce down from the cave ceiling toward him.

Using the winding terrain of the cave, he had shaken off the Blood Knight who could sense his position but couldn't find the way. "Steel Tiger" quietly returned to the open area where he had just fought the Blood Knight.

As soon as he peeked out, he saw the three turret mechanical spiders patrolling around an unfamiliar Inquisitor sitting within the ritual array.

A ritualist...

Ha, do they think the defense provided by the ritual can withstand a truly powerful attack?

"Steel Tiger" felt his blood heating up. He took a deep breath to gather energy, then seized the moment when the turret mechanical spider's gun muzzle moved, leaping to the cave ceiling and using the momentum to pounce downward.

His sharp claws extended from their pads, tearing through the invisible armor surrounding the ritual array with a single swipe.

"Steel Tiger" didn't even slow down for this attack. The massive shadow enveloped the vulnerable ritualist below, and he opened his mouth wide, revealing teeth stained with blood. The weaponless ritualist could only raise his hands in a futile attempt to protect his head.

Wait.

The ritualist's raised right hand, the ungloved right hand, the back of the hand facing "Steel Tiger," bore a fresh red, circular pattern.

Before "Steel Tiger's" claw reached the hand, the circular pattern on the ritualist's hand began to bleed like a wound.

The ritualist smiled lightly and said, "You must attack this ritualist who clearly isn't taunting you."

"Steel Tiger" didn't understand, but he did catch the next sentence.

The ritualist shouted, "Repulsion!"

Just a moment before he could tear the ritualist apart, "Steel Tiger" froze briefly in mid-air.

In that brief moment, he saw the ritualist move his right hand away, revealing the bandaged eyes beneath.

Even though he couldn't see the ritualist's eyes, "Steel Tiger" felt as if the ritualist was staring intently at him for a moment.

There was no more time for "Steel Tiger" to investigate. Lingfei Ge, who had been waiting for this moment, fired an enchanted laser that pierced through him.

The fatal wound, which carbonized his entire heart, was beyond recovery even for a mid-level Beastkin like "Steel Tiger." His contorted, dying face was overlaid with images projected from his eyes.

The image covering him was a face somewhat similar to his own.

Sulu Bengu, whose wanted poster Lin had seen.

From the eyes emerged not only the leader of Spire City's mutation cult but also another familiar figure to Lin.

Director Shuye.

Somewhere, sometime, a younger but still aged foxkin, compared to the current Director Shuye, spoke to the white-furred tigress:

"I can bypass the silence counter-spell and tell you when 'Seashell' will arrive in Spire City."