To be honest, the Oracle had only escaped from Theodore's pursuit less than half a month ago.
Even now, he dares not easily show his face on the far north ice plains.
He had only heard that the leaders of the Holy Knights of the Holy Light Church were strong before, but now that he had actually faced them, he realized that they were not just ordinary strong!
At this moment, he was wearing a deep blue cloak made from the oldest ice from the depths of the Eternal Ice Abyss, with tiny ice crystals constantly condensing and dissipating on its surface.
Beneath the hood, his face was blurred, seemingly shrouded in a constantly flowing, starlight-filled mist, with only two points of pale blue light, like frozen stars, appearing and disappearing in the mist.
He held a strange crystal fragment tightly in his hand. Inside the fragment, a miniature, lifeless starry sky seemed to be sealed, emanating a cold, piercing, twisted, and chaotic aura of the stellar origin.
It is a fragment of the Heart of the Stars.
He was surrounded by the unique chill of the Ice Abyss, capable of freezing the very essence of the soul, making the temperature of the entire ice cave terrifyingly low.
"Has the aura of the Star Remains stabilized?"
The puppeteer's voice rang out, dry and hoarse, like rusty gears grinding together, devoid of emotion, yet carrying an unsettling penetrating power.
His gaze swept over the fragments of star remains in the Oracle's hand.
The oracle, whether it was his imagination or not, seemed to see a hint of greed in the puppet before him.
On the oracle's blurred face, the two points of eerie blue light flickered, emitting a peculiar resonant sound as if ice had shattered and reformed:
"Theodore's Holy Flame... is troublesome. The power of the Star Remains has been temporarily suppressed, but the core remains intact. The cold air in this region will help me recover."
He paused for a moment, then turned his misty gaze to the Blood Vine Heart in the Puppeteer's palm: "You're quite good at picking up bargains."
The puppeteer's stiff lips twitched almost imperceptibly, as if in a smile, but it only made it more eerie: "Even the most guarded scholar, skilled in recording, is as vulnerable as a puppet in the face of a legend. The Heart of the Bloodvine is already one of the cornerstones of my lord's divine kingdom."
He carefully placed the Bloodvine Heart into a specially made container engraved with spatial runes.
The Bloodvine Heart was only presented to the Oracle to verify his identity, not to be given to him to repair his injuries.
"Lady Rita has sent new instructions." The puppeteer stated his purpose: "The foundation of the Holy Light Church's earthly kingdom is about to be completed. That is the key to their delusion of breaking free from the shackles of the Heavenly Kingdom and seizing control of the Holy Source."
"Lord Balg has been persuaded and is heading straight for the border of the Demon Realm with Lady Rita. Their actions will attract the attention of most of the Holy Light Church, especially those old monsters."
The oracle replied expressionlessly, "A feint to the east while attacking in the west. A good plan. Now, should we strike the other drum?"
“Not bad.” The puppeteer’s voice was dry and hoarse, like rusty gears grinding together.
He raised his hand and waved it, causing his gray cloak to move without wind, and countless invisible threads intertwined on the ice surface, condensing into a simple ice crystal map.
A winding path is marked by fluorescent lines on the map, highlighting several key nodes.
"Mr. 'Shadow One' from the Bellucci family is very efficient. This is the route and estimated time for escorting Raymond Iron Ridge back to the Holy City. Two Inquisition envoys will personally escort him, along with a team of elite Inquisition troops."
The Oracle's azure gaze swept across the map, the chill condensing into ice shards in the air: "Hmph, the Inquisition's trash? I'm not exaggerating, but in the entire Church of Holy Light, only the Holy Knights and the Inquisition are capable of fighting. The rest are all just for show!"
He let out a short, cryptic sound, full of disdain: "In the face of true power, they are nothing but exquisite porcelain."
"The target isn't murder, nor is it kidnapping that good-for-nothing Raymond." A dark red light flashed beneath the puppeteer's hood as he pointed to a node on the map. It was an area located at the junction of hills and sparse coniferous forests, with complex terrain that made it easy to set up an ambush.
"What Lady Rita needs is his detailed memories of the Holy Light Church's internal workings, especially the Holy City's defense system, the Knights' deployment, and... the secret plans of the Earthly Kingdom. He is a veteran commander who has guarded the pass for many years, making him invaluable."
"Moreover, he was once Lord Balg's mole, and he may still have clues about Lord Balg's past plans, which will be useful for our lord to control the situation in the future. We need him to live, to live fully, and then 'read' him."
A blue light flashed in the Oracle's eyes: "If you want to save Raymond without injury, my Extreme Cold Annihilation Domain can do it. It covers the core of the escort team, freezing their movements and thoughts, but it can only last for ten breaths. The Inquisition's secret techniques of those guys in the Holy City are effective against the undead heretics, so your puppets will be suppressed. You will need to hold them back."
The puppeteer let out a short, sneer: "Restraint? I've studied the Church of Holy Light for decades and prepared a gift specifically for them."
His cloak billowed like water, and three puppets identical to him emerged from the shadows, their movements stiff yet menacing.
“They will entangle the two legendary envoys of the Holy Inquisition.” The puppeteer flicked his fingers, a nearly transparent thread taut in the cold wind. “The remaining guards of the Holy City Inquisition are yours. As for the reinforcements that the Holy Knights may arrive later…”
He paused, then added, "Lady Rita's Time Mirror will descend to meet us. The old monsters of the Holy City react quickly, but we are even faster. Prepare yourselves; the routes and nodes are set, proceed according to plan."
The Oracle nodded silently, sat down cross-legged, and star fragments floated in front of his chest. The dark blue starlight and the power of ice merged to form an ice crystal vortex.
The puppeteer chanted softly, and magical runes spread across the ice surface, condensing into a spatial teleportation array in the shadows.
...
Inside the camp, puppets disguised as Mark and his three companions stood silently.
What happened in the banquet hall was long over.
The four puppets that returned from the banquet hall naturally needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.
Even if they survive this crisis, any evidence that cannot be left behind should be destroyed as soon as possible.
Mark and his group finally understood that the Church of Holy Light was not a monolithic entity.
Just as Monica was busy working on the dolls' sacred disguise magic, preparing to restore the four dolls one by one.
Suddenly, the shadow beside Mark rippled silently, like a wave on the surface of water.
Ellen Ben appeared beside them without warning, still wearing her silver-grey robes adorned with star and moon patterns, with her little black dog, seemingly curious about everything, at her feet. Unlike her languid and mysterious demeanor in front of Alfonso, her face now carried an undeniable sense of urgency.
"Time's up, little ones, it's time to go."
Eileen's voice was low, yet it clearly reached the ears of the four people who were hiding, carrying an irresistible force.
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