Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Tieliu City, Level 17, No. 189 Fa Lang Avenue.

Police in brown uniforms, firefighters in red uniforms, and judges in black trench coats surrounded the three-story building that had suddenly caught fire.

The fire had been extinguished, but even with the street vents spinning at full speed, they couldn't immediately clear away the lingering black smoke. Thus, despite the commotion outside, the residents of this neighborhood kept their windows and doors tightly shut, not daring to go out.

This was a neighborhood of respectable families, who had always taken pride in the safety of their community. "No cultists for twenty years" was even a selling point used by real estate agents when introducing the area. Today's spectacle, however, was something the neighbors around No. 189 had never seen before.

Speaking of which, No. 189... Was there really a No. 189 on their street?

Respectable gentlemen and ladies whispered behind their curtains, scrutinizing the old, dilapidated house that should have been there, yet left no impression in their minds.

"It must be a ritual pointing to the Black Sun," said a ritualist from the Court after an inspection. "This ritual enveloped the entire No. 189 in shadows, granting it a concealment effect. Unless a Saint Light Knight with particularly keen intuition is present, ordinary professionals wouldn't notice this house."

Upon hearing this, the captain of the Combat Team One at the Level 17 branch of the Court looked at Youzhao Wotebake.

Youzhao held her forehead.

Though thirty-nine years old, she still looked young, the female antelope person let out a soft hiss, as if suffering from a terrible headache. After a long pause, she gritted her teeth and said, "Yes, that's true, Huan Banxiang has this one strength."

Not fond of using her brain, her intuitive sense in matters of inspiration naturally took the lead. But judges can't afford to not use their brains, and Youzhao's mind was now filled with curses directed at this troublemaking newcomer.

"Cough, cough," the captain of the Combat Team One interrupted Youzhao's inner tirade, steering the conversation back to the main point. "Is this a new ritual that hasn't appeared before?"

"Yes," the ritualist frowned, "in recent years, cultists have also invested more effort into rituals. Although they face many restrictions in various aspects, just one or two clever individuals can bring significant changes to rituals."

Of course, when it comes to the study of rituals, the ritualists of the Six Pillar Gods are still superior. The evil gods do not unite like the Six Pillar Gods; ritualists who believe in a particular evil god can only use rituals directed at that god, unlike the ritualists of the Six Pillar Gods, who must walk a tightrope between the different beliefs of the six deities.

The number of rituals available to the ritualists of the evil gods is far fewer than those of the Six Pillar Gods, and the difference in numbers and the number of rituals mastered leads to varying research progress on both sides.

But even if slower, the ritualists of the evil gods will still produce new results.

Just like the one established at No. 189 Fa Lang Avenue.

"This is our fault at Level 17," the captain of the Combat Team One said first. "We patrol this area every day but failed to notice this No. 189. If it weren't for Judge Huan Banxiang coming today, this den of monsters would have continued to hide in our jurisdiction."

"How is she injured?" he asked with concern. "There's no curse or anything, right?"

"She's tough," Youzhao replied. "But the issue isn't just about uncovering a monster den."

"You mean the arsonist who escaped?" the captain of the Combat Team One asked. "That must be a cultist who worships the Black Sun."

"No, not exactly," Youzhao said. "This afternoon, we from Level 5 transferred a report to you at Level 17. Did you see it?"

The captain of the Combat Team One looked puzzled. "Actually, I received two reports today... Well, I haven't had time to look at them yet. Who was reported?"

Youzhao pointed to a small tent set up on the road, marked with a Holy Heart Cross, indicating it was a medical tent.

Although Youzhao didn't say anything, the captain of the Combat Team One understood and walked towards the tent with her.

The ritualist, left behind, did not follow. Instead, he turned to study the new ritual.

Youzhao and the captain of the Combat Team One lifted the curtain and entered the tent. The flesh doctor inside briefed them on the condition of the two injured individuals and then left the tent on his own accord.

As soon as the flesh doctor left, the sound of Youzhao grinding her teeth filled the tent.

"Huan Banxiang!" she hissed. "I told you not to come alone to investigate!"

Healed of all her injuries by healing spells, the canine person Huan Banxiang, who seemed to have fallen asleep, immediately opened her eyes, sat up, and knelt on the medical cushion.

"It's not like that, Captain!" she looked at Youzhao with tears in her eyes. "I just accidentally walked here."

"If you walked here, why didn't you walk back?" Youzhao glared at her coldly. "Did you just give up and think, since you're already here, you might as well take a look?"

Huan Banxiang made a whimpering sound.

"If you had alarmed the nest by poking around, it would all be your fault," Youzhao said. "Tell this captain about the report you received, starting from the beginning, and don't withhold any information."

Huan Banxiang continued to whimper, her eyes darting to Bai Li lying on another treatment cushion.

The small Pomeranian canine person had just been healed of her burns, but the bald patches on her tail and ear would only disappear once the fur grew back.

Huan Banxiang lowered her head and began recounting the report Bai Li had given her that morning.

After listening, the captain of the Combat Team One immediately realized the severity of the situation.

"The reason 'his eyes are very similar to my husband's'..." he sighed, recalling the report. "I remember now, the informant was that poor woman from Level 5 who killed her husband, a cultist, to protect her daughter during his inauguration ceremony, right?"

"How did she end up living with you?" Youzhao was surprised by the new information. "Never mind, if it weren't for her call, I wouldn't have noticed anything was wrong and brought people over so quickly."

The communicator who answered the call came over to tell Youzhao that Huan Banxiang's roommate had called to ask if Huan Banxiang was working overtime.

The communicator's intention was to gossip about the newcomer's lifestyle, but Youzhao immediately sensed something was amiss. Recalling Huan Banxiang's fuss over the report that afternoon, she gathered a team and set out.

Arriving at Fa Lang Avenue, before they could reach No. 176 where Lecai Xikadir resided, she spotted flames rising in the distance. By the time they arrived at No. 189, she saw the severely scorched Bai Li propping up the unconscious Huan Banxiang, with the two canine individuals tumbling out of the blazing doorway of No. 189.

"So," the captain of the Combat Team One said, "Lecai Xikadir..."

"Seeing the unconscious Huan Banxiang, I immediately ordered the team members to enter No. 176. Lecai Xikadir wasn't there; only a butler and two servants were home." Youzhao's voice deepened. "Neither the house nor the servants showed any signs of issues. But if the fire at No. 189 was a warning signal, even if I reacted quickly, investigating Lecai Xikadir after the fire started was too late."

"Do you think No. 189 was a layer of defense for No. 176?" the captain of the Combat Team One pondered. "Indeed, Judge Huan Banxiang came to investigate No. 176 but was drawn to No. 189. Once she entered No. 189, No. 176 was immediately alerted, correct?"

"I didn't come to investigate No. 176," Huan Banxiang said with tearful eyes.

"Um," Youzhao nodded, "but this is based on the assumption that the owner of No. 176, Lecai Xikadir, indeed has issues."

The captain of the Combat Team One waved his hand.

"Is there any problem? Watching him for half a year will reveal something; I've never seen a cultist who doesn't slip up at all. Besides, there's already an Inquisitor lurking near his place. This Lecai Xikadir knows he's been exposed. No matter how well he pretends, he'll still prepare to flee.

"As soon as he runs or shows signs of transferring assets, we can arrest him directly."

After saying this, he seemed puzzled.

"Speaking of which, the ritual used in Case 189 pointed to the Black Sun. Among the four demon corpses, there were both the Mad Beasts of the Silver Moon Maiden and the Shadow Demons of the Black Sun. Then, this Lecai Xikadir was reported to be a believer of the Silver Moon Maiden... Which side is he really on?"

***

"You tell me," Moses said to Bai Li in the dream, "Didn't you memorize the scriptures? Is he a follower of the Silver Moon Maiden or the Black Sun?"

In this dream, identical to the real medical tent, Bai Li listened to the discussion of the three Inquisitors, her eyes full of confusion.

After much consideration, she hesitantly replied, "Only the followers of the Silver Moon Maiden would target me... right?"

"No," Moses took out a teaching rod from somewhere and tapped a small blackboard that looked out of place in the tent, "I just taught you that the Aberrant Sect is composed of followers of the Silver Moon Maiden, but not all followers of the Silver Moon Maiden join the Aberrant Sect. Those who target you are members of the Aberrant Sect.

"There's no such thing as alliances among evil deities. They cooperate one moment and stab each other in the back the next. However, the Plague Research Society, which worships the Black Sun, does frequently collaborate with the Aberrant Sect. They have established a shallow trust. This Lecai Xikadir might be a member of the Plague Research Society, but he obtained information about you from the Aberrant Sect."

Moses tapped the blackboard again.

He said sternly, "And these things, you, who claim to want to kill Lecai Xikadir, haven't thought about at all."

Bai Li: "Uh..."

"What do you mean 'uh'? You're not Hisike," Moses continued, "The Lord has told you, hasn't He? He and His followers rarely interfere with reality. We hide in minds and dreams, and only act when necessary. The Silver Moon Maiden is indeed the enemy of the Lord, but our most common task is to avoid being discovered by Him.

"Do you intend to make enemies for the Lord by insisting on killing the followers of other gods?"

"I don't!" Bai Li finally became anxious, "I don't!"

This merman, claiming to be the Priest of the Mirror's Eye, had saved Bai Li and Huan Banxiang and warned Bai Li that a cultist in Case 189 was planning to set a fire. Bai Li was grateful to him, but she wouldn't allow him to defame her.

"You may not have intended it, but your actions will lead to that result," the priest with the beautiful face and glowing blue eyes looked at her, "Because you cannot weigh the consequences of your actions, and that's because you lack fear.

"Why didn't you directly report Huan Banxiang's disappearance when you called the Inquisition, instead of coming to search yourself? If you were wary of your non-mainstream faith and didn't want to involve the Inquisition, why didn't you pray to the Lord before taking action?"

Moses said sternly, "You can't continue like this. If you want to prove yourself, then pray to the Lord and regain your fear."