The moon hung high in the sky, and occasionally dark clouds could be seen. In the bright, snowy night, there were still one or two pedestrians, looking hurried.
Phil Gray led Patrick around the corner and into the depths of the alley. The houses along the way were silent, as if they had already fallen asleep.
Only a few stealthy dark figures had just entered through a large red door at the end.
"It really is here."
Phil Gray stopped when he saw someone go inside.
After the last rally ended, he took the opportunity to ask Lisa, who told him that the apostates' gathering place was usually not far from where the sign appeared, or in the deep alley ahead, where there would always be a large red door.
Just as I expected.
Phil Gray put on the mask he had just bought, and Patrick followed suit.
The mask felt exactly like human skin, and when worn, it fit snugly against his face without leaving any flaws.
He tried to smile, and the smile on his mask was also very natural.
Now I don't have to worry about being recognized at all. I can just go in and join the fun. Anyway, when I was in Kao City, I was already a newcomer to the apostate, wasn't I?
Phil Gray thought to himself.
Finding out what the apostates plan to do in Durr City would actually benefit their next move.
In addition, we might hear some news from the Vatican.
He doesn't want to miss any opportunity to enhance his strength.
"What kind of gathering is this? It's so mysterious." Patrick asked in a low voice, clearly unable to imagine what kind of gathering would be held in the early hours of the morning.
"A gathering of apostates of the Church of Destiny."
“Huh?” Patrick exclaimed incredulously, “We’re going to attend their rally?”
"Yes."
Phil Gray gave Patrick a few brief instructions, telling him to keep quiet for a while, otherwise it would be troublesome if this faithful follower of fate got into a fight with the apostate.
Everything was no different from the gathering in Khao.
After passing through the dark underground passage, they found seven or eight people already waiting. Phil Gray and Patrick found a corner and quietly waited for the arrival of the regional leader.
The people around were talking, and the topics were nothing more than the Pope's disappearance and the actions of the Vatican.
However, what they knew was still just the information on the surface, and there was no useful information.
Some of these apostates were ordinary people, while others possessed divine power fluctuations, though these were relatively mild. It seems they were at most first-tier divine favored beings, that is, the listening level.
Patrick looked at these apostates with curiosity; his previous identity and stance destined him to be at odds with them.
In his consistent view, these apostates maliciously provoked the Vatican and blasphemed God, and should all be sent to the gallows in the square.
He simply couldn't understand why His Holiness the Pope's cousin would want to associate with these people.
Could he be here as an undercover agent?
Just as he was idly letting his mind wander, a middle-aged man came down. He had a resolute face and wore a rather thin linen shirt, but he had a unique aura about him.
He easily attracted everyone's attention, while Patrick sensed a strong aura of divine power emanating from him, the aura of a high-ranking chosen one of the gods of fate.
It is at least at the level of divine revelation.
The gods loved you so much, yet you betrayed them?
Patrick was somewhat angry, but Phil Gray had given him instructions beforehand, so he could only restrain his emotions and show an expression of admiration like the others.
Phil Gray was also sizing up the middle-aged man. The familiarity between them made him realize that this man was also a high-ranking chosen one of the gods.
This must be the leader of the apostates in the city of Dur.
The arrival of the middle-aged man silenced the chattering crowd.
Unlike the veiled woman who deliberately stirred up emotions, this leader seemed to be not good with words.
After looking everyone over, he slowly spoke to Phil Gray and the other man, "You two look somewhat unfamiliar."
“We were originally from Kao City, but we couldn’t stand the oppression of the Church of Destiny there, so we moved to Duer City.” Phil Gray’s voice was accusatory, as if he was extremely dissatisfied with the Church.
Patrick was shocked; he clearly hadn't expected his cousin to have such a talent for acting.
"Oh, who was your original leader?"
"She was a woman wearing a veil."
The leader nodded and asked no more questions.
He slowly walked to the high platform in the middle and said in a deep voice, "I have summoned everyone here today because headquarters has given me another task."
"According to reliable sources, Ernest, a knight of the Knights of Destiny who was exiled, may have fled to the city of Duer. Everyone has been searching for his whereabouts with all their might these past few days."
The leader fell silent, but the crowd below began to murmur amongst themselves.
"The exiled knight?"
“Yes, I think I’ve heard of this Ernest before. It was about ten years ago when he massacred the people of a village and was then expelled. It was also found out at the time that he was controlled by the Cult of Dreams. Although he was also a victim, hundreds of people in that village died at his hands, so he was expelled by the Knights.” Patrick explained, but he only learned about it later from other people’s discussions. Ten years ago, he was not even ten years old.
The others didn't know much about this knight either, and only understood after hearing Patrick's explanation.
"So, are we going to find him to persuade him to join us?"
The person asking the question was a woman wearing a black veil and a hat adorned with velvet. She had an elegant demeanor and appeared to be a noblewoman.
"Find him first," the leader replied.
After a brief pause, he left hurriedly, saying, "Today's gathering is over."
"That's it?" Phil Gray was somewhat disappointed; he had thought he could get more information.
“Yes, our leader only informs headquarters of the arrangements at each meeting and then leaves, never staying for more than ten minutes,” the noblewoman replied with a smile when she heard his question.
"And he never checks whether we've completed our tasks, as if our tasks are dispensable." A gentleman wearing a black long coat and tall boots walked over. He didn't look very old, but his bright green eyes looked somewhat weathered.
"Mr. Allen, have you been busy lately?" the lady greeted him.
"Well, Mrs. Dean, you're even more charming than before."
The number of apostate nobles in this city of Duer is quite high; I wonder how they ended up on this path.
Seeing that there was nothing worth staying for, Phil Gray and Patrick left together.
“Cousin, this leader is a high-level chosen one of the gods, at least at the divine revelation level,” Patrick said.
"On par with Wendell and Valck Dodd?"
Phil Gray frowned. "This is a rank of Knight Commander even in the Holy See. How could he join a heretic?"
“At first I saw that he was angry, but then I thought maybe he was framed by someone like Wendell and forced to join the apostates? Just like we are here to attend the gathering,” Patrick said, then snorted. “But whatever the reason, it is not a reason for him to turn away from God.”
“I’m actually curious, if he betrayed the gods, why can he still retain His divine power?” Phil Gray asked.
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