Valeria's gaze lingered on the man in black for a moment. There was no awe in her emerald eyes, only a scrutinizing look as if assessing prey and a hint of barely perceptible amusement.
She gave an elegant bow, her posture impeccable, her voice as sweet as honey, yet carrying a chilling quality:
"High Priest, did you summon me?"
The man in black robes—the current priest of the Shadow Abyss Church, Minkoo—slowly raised his head.
In the shadow beneath the hood, two deep, dark flames, seemingly capable of devouring light, suddenly ignited—those were his eyes.
An invisible, suffocating pressure, like an icy tide, instantly filled the entire chamber, seemingly freezing the air. It was not a physical force, but a pure, soul-chilling darkness and decay on a spiritual level.
"Valeria."
Minko's voice rang out, dry, cold, and devoid of emotion, like sandpaper rubbing against bones.
"Grinburg... has failed."
He didn't raise his voice, but the simple statement carried a mountain-like heaviness and a hint of suppressed rage. The eerie green light in the corner of the room flickered violently.
Valeria's smile remained undiminished, even more alluring than before, as if she were not discussing a disastrous defeat:
"Oh? That small place that guards the strategic pass? It seems our 'pet' hasn't satisfied the Cree people."
Her tone was nonchalant, as if she were commenting on a boring performance.
"pet?"
Minko's voice suddenly rose a notch, and his icy anger almost materialized, causing the shadows on the walls of the secret room to twist and writhe.
“Three Shadow Abyss Splits! One of them even completed the initial fusion! They are not pets, they are extensions of the will of our Lord Nocturnus, claws that tear through the light! They were… utterly destroyed! Not even a trace of them could return to the Shadow Abyss!”
Valeria's emerald eyes narrowed slightly, finally abandoning her nonchalant demeanor, and a genuine seriousness appeared on her face.
She knew all too well how powerful the split entity was, let alone the even more powerful fused entity.
"It was destroyed? Who did it? Was it Sutherland himself? Or... did those despicable hyenas of the Holy Church sniff out some rumors beforehand?"
Her mind raced through all sorts of possible scenarios, and she was rapidly analyzing each one.
However, the information she currently possesses is so chaotic that she finds it difficult to make sense of it.
Minko's voice returned to its cold, deathly silence, but the two black flames burned even more fiercely.
"Traces of powerful light veins remain on the battlefield, as if a holy god had personally descended... but there are also unusual points of magical turbulence erupting."
The strangest thing is... one of the split entities seemed to... go out of control before it died? It devoured its companion! This completely violated the pre-programmed instructions!
The shadow beneath his hood seemed to shift towards Valeria, his invisible gaze piercing her like a tangible object:
“Valeria, I need the truth. I need to know what really happened on the battlefield of Grinburg! Who, and by what means, killed our Lord’s creation? And who, or what, interfered with or even distorted the core commands of the Splinter? Is it a new enemy? Or… a shameful flaw has appeared within us?”
Valeria's red lips curved into a dangerous smile:
“High Priest, you should know my price. Getting me to gather information, especially such dangerous information, is no easy task, and the corresponding cost will naturally be high.”
Valeria's tone carried a hint of helplessness, but more so a firmness, as if emphasizing the value of the information she was providing.
However, in the face of such words, High Priest Minko was unusually decisive.
His voice was as firm as steel, without the slightest hesitation or doubt:
"Your task is your reward."
This statement is concise and clear, yet it contains an irresistible force, as if it has already decided everything.
“The Earl of Sutherland…he must die.”
"His presence was the biggest obstacle to the northward advance of the Sass army, and also the spiritual pillar of those Light Vein Maggots. And those important noble commanders around him... let them rot in fear and chaos."
"Assassination?"
Valeria's eyes gleamed with excitement, like a viper spotting its prey.
"This is my specialty. The target list?"
"The list and intelligence will be given to you later."
Minkoo slowly raised a withered hand, palm up. A pure, chilling darkness slowly rotated and condensed in his palm, eventually forming a small emblem made of shadows—the Eye of the Abyss, symbolizing Nocturnus, which seemed capable of swallowing all light.
“But your mission is not limited to this, Valeria.”
He pushed the shadowy emblem toward Valeria.
The emblem hovered in the air, exuding a cold yet alluring dark aura.
"Infiltrate the heart of the Kree, get close to Sutherland and his circle. Use your 'talent' to uncover every detail of the Battle of Grimburg, and find out the true culprit and reason behind the destruction of the Divided!"
This mark allows you to sense the remnants of Shadow Abyss's power, and can also, when necessary... provide you with a little 'help,' or, create a little 'chaos.'
Valeria stretched out her slender fingers and gently touched the floating shadow emblem.
The emblem seemed to come alive, merging into her fingertips and leaving a faint, breathing black eye-shaped mark on the back of her fair hand.
A cold yet powerful force surged into her body instantly, making her feel so good that she almost groaned.
A hint of intoxication flashed in her emerald eyes, but it was quickly replaced by deeper greed and scheming.
"As you wish, Your Excellency."
Valeria's smile bloomed again, even more alluring and captivating than before, like a poisoned rose.
“I will make the blood of Earl Sutherland the first offering to water the Shadow Abyss.”
"As for the secrets of Greenburg... believe me, no secret can escape the 'Blood Tomb's' listening when a man is most relaxed."
She turned gracefully, her dark red cloak tracing a beautiful arc, like flowing blood, silently slipping out of the suffocating chamber.
The stone door slowly closed behind her, locking away the coldness, darkness, and the silent burning anger and deep questions of Priest Minko.
Valeria stepped into the relatively bright corridor outside, the black eye-shaped mark on the back of her hand shimmering faintly. Her mission was clear:
Death and truth will unfold together in the heart of the Kree territory. And the mysteries of the Greenburg battlefield will be unraveled by her, the most dangerous hunter.
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