Chapter 263: Lanqi Wilfordism

In the lonely winter, the natural light in the imperial capital of Helrom is much weaker than in other seasons. It gently passes through the thin clouds, bringing a little warmth to the cold earth.

Lanqi walked alone on the wide road.

Today is a working day.

He didn't need to go to the Protoss Royal Academy to tutor Zestila, and he lived a retirement-like life in a hotel not far from the school every day.

After receiving the letter in the morning confirming that he had passed the written test, he set out for the Temple of the Knights of Annihilation after lunch. He still looked well-organized, wearing a diamond-striped vest and a dark gray long coat to protect him from the cold.

His green eyes appeared even clearer in the sunlight, like a emerald lake.

As he walked, the number of citizens of the imperial capital walking on the road gradually decreased.

Most of them avoided the location of the Knights of Annihilation, as if it was a restricted area on the map.

Lanqi, who was walking in the opposite direction, had an obvious destination, which attracted the attention of some ordinary people. They looked at him in surprise as to why this seemingly gentle and well-behaved young man was walking in that direction.

"Lanqi, are you sure you are really acting, meow..."

A childish voice with a hint of timidity came from the shadow.

When there are no people around who are sensitive to magic, Boss Cat's telekinetic magic can also transmit the sound directly to Ranchi's ears, but his magic control skills are very clumsy. If there is a master of magic profession nearby, he will quickly discover something wrong with the shadow.

Boss Cat felt that Lanqi's association with the priests of the Tyrant branch when he was in the Southwestern Province was already very dangerous.

I didn't expect that Lanqi finally got the identity he wanted, got rid of those resurrection priests, and now came to the capital to be a tutor peacefully, but he actually took the initiative to join the Nirvana branch! Boss Cat just thought this guy was crazy!

"Don't worry, Boss Cat. I have a firm belief. It's normal for a police officer to go undercover in a gangster's lair."

Lanqi smiled and whispered, as if whispering to the cat boss.

"……That's good."

The cat boss was convinced that after Ranch's operations in Lilom City, the nightmare start was now back on track, and he even dreamily led Ranch to live a comfortable and beautiful life in the capital of Helrom.

It thought about it, and remained silent.

Prepare to wait and see what Lanqi will do before meeting Xiu Bao.

It has already accepted the status quo, but this kid seems to have some other ideas and does not intend to stop for the time being.

But he should have brakes.

that's all.

Lanci approached the building of the Knights of Annihilation.

In the end, there were almost no other pedestrians on the street except for the faint snowflakes floating in the air.

In the distance, the majestic buildings of the Knights of Annihilation gradually appeared before his eyes.

Although he had been here once, Lanqi still felt a little emotional when he saw the temple of the Legitimate Resurrection Church again with his own eyes.

This is the Northern Continent.

It is indeed very different from the Southern Continent.

It is always at times like these that I realize that I am in a foreign country, far away from my familiar town and home.

Lanqi shook his head and walked slowly to the heavily guarded gate.

The knights in dark grey heavy armor looked him up and down, and after checking the letter, one of them nodded, indicating that he could enter.

Then Lanqi put away the re-examination notice and walked into the bottomless building.

Lanqi remembered the instructions in the letter.

He walked along the corridor on the left and soon found the examination room for the re-examination.

At the end of the corridor, two huge metal doors were tightly closed. On both sides of the doors, priests were still quietly guarding. Their eyes were cold and they were ready to fight at any time.

"Come in."

Without Lanqi showing the letter again, the priest opened the door to the examination hall for Lanqi.

Behind the heavy iron door is a spacious hall with a solemn atmosphere.

A tall chandelier hangs from the ceiling, emitting a faint light. Surrounding it are carved murals that originally remained in this building, depicting a distorted and bizarre holy war in the northern continent. The faces of heroes and demons appear and disappear in the shadows, as if they are about to walk out of the paintings and join this space.

Shrouded in oppressive silence, the air seemed a little thin and most of the area was in darkness. The face of each candidate seemed to be swallowed up by a deep shadow, and the shadows behind them were even darker.

Compared to people like Lanqi who arrived later, there were already more than 20 people gathered in the examination hall waiting for the re-examination.

They sat on scattered chairs around the hall, keeping a distance from each other. Some closed their eyes to rest, some lowered their heads in thought, and some villains lowered their heads to recite in secret, their lips moving quickly in the darkness, like a curse, but no sound came out.

Most of them are evil and dangerous people, and the most conspicuous ones are the masters of this place where evil is concentrated, making others reluctant to get too close.

Lanqi glanced at the hall, and soon the door behind him closed tightly with a bang.

The huge pendulum clock above the door, with every sound of its gears, announced the impending test of fate.

There is no turning back once you come here.

Lanqi's appearance attracted a lot of attention in a brief moment.

Eyes would be fixed on him from time to time, evaluating his every subtle movement.

The black-haired, green-eyed young man looked too gentle and harmless at this moment, just like a pure white lamb that had strayed into a pack of dark wolves.

In the first round of written examination, there might be people like him who look orderly.

But everyone who has completed that test paper knows that in order to pass the written test and get a high score, not only does one need a detailed understanding of the Resurrection Church and the Nirvana branch, but also an extreme villain's mind.

No matter how you look at it, he is really weak and not threatening at all.

I guess even if this guy passed the exam, he only passed the objective and conceptual questions by relying on his solid theoretical knowledge.

Lanqi simply walked to an empty seat on the side of the hall and sat down, folding his hands on his legs and looking ahead calmly.

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

As time passed, the atmosphere in the hall became more and more tense.

Lanqi was not panicked at all, but the cat boss in the shadow was already trembling with fear at the dense malice.

I would have run away if I could, but I kind of regretted following Lanqi out of curiosity.

Everyone who comes here is a heavyweight.

A good young man like Lanqi with a clean record is obviously not on the same level of danger and chaos as those other pure villains!

The hour chimed above the metal door.

Lanqi could clearly hear the overlapping echoes while sitting in the corner. Each bell sounded like a warning, reminding everyone present that the danger here was increasing with time.

In the hall, the faint light coming from the front corner echoed with the dim chandelier. The cold air also condensed at this moment. When the bell sound gradually faded away, a slight sound like fine sand slid into the hall from the depths of darkness in the distance, like some kind of spell that made time stand still. Every corner of the hall, every candidate waiting for the exam, and every carving seemed to be frozen in this moment.

That's the sound of footsteps.

Although the sound was not loud, in this tense atmosphere, the footsteps were like drumbeats on everyone's heartbeats, guiding their attention and drawing their sights towards the unknown direction.

From time to time, wind blew in from a gap in the iron doors on the inner side of the hall, bringing a gust of cold air. At the same time, it also blew up the faded curtains in the corner of the hall, making them make a whistling sound.

Like other examinees, Lanqi's gaze passed through the shadows of the hall, waiting for the figure that was about to appear.

Gradually, a faint light appeared from the depths of the hall, illuminating a figure in dark grey robes, which gradually walked out of the darkness in the hall.

He walked slowly, and his face appeared in front of everyone. It was a face that was weathered by time but gloomy and cold. His deep-set eyes revealed a cold desire for control, and under his hooked nose were quite thin lips.

What frightened the examinees was the purple holy seal on his chest, which emitted a faint light and illuminated his robes.

None of the villains present dared to underestimate him. Being able to wear the purple holy seal showed that he was not only a big villain, but also a well-known high priest in the Silent Branch. He was a high-ranking official in the true Church of Resurrection and a terrorist living on the dark side of the northern continent.

Just like that, Archbishop Caius, who was in charge of the examination, walked to the front of the hall.

"I am Caius, the examiner who will preside over this re-examination and final assessment."

Caius's figure seemed even taller in the dim light. He opened his mouth slowly and his low voice echoed throughout the hall.

"In order to prove your most basic and most important loyalty to the Church of the Resurrection, you must complete a task. This is the content of the retest."

His eyes slowly scanned each candidate, and when he didn't speak, silence enveloped the entire hall.

Many candidates present gradually showed doubtful looks, as they did not know any method to accurately test loyalty.

Even if there really is magic that can see through one's inner thoughts, it would take at least an eighth-level expert who specializes in the mind and soul to be able to do it. Even if there were ancient magic items of this level, it was obvious that the scale of this re-examination was not enough for them to use them.

"Some time ago... the Church of the Goddess of Fate in the Kingdom of Estellan was popular. They came up with a method to detect resurrected priests. Although it may not be completely accurate, it did screen out a lot of our people. This wave of atrocities, which is generally 'questioning first and then asking the other party to prove themselves', was called 'Wilfordism' by the priests who spread it."

Caius calmly told everyone in the hall,

"Now that we have switched sides with the Church of the Goddess of Fate in the Protoss Empire, this 'Wilfordism' can also be used by us."

"I will first treat all of you as traitors of the Church of the Goddess of Destiny, and you need to prove to me that you are not."

"The content of the retest is very simple, that is, to transform the statue of the goddess of fate."

"I will give each of you a statue of the goddess of fate. You can freely imagine, destroy, or even defile the goddess of fate to prove your loyalty to the faith of the Church of Resurrection. Then submit a work to me. I will also use it to judge your position, style, and the degree of fit with the artistry of our Nirvana branch."

At this point, Caius has simply and clearly explained the theme and rules of this exam.

Four chapters today, three more chapters to go 　　 　 (end of this chapter)