Chapter 785 Gift?
Without thinking too much, Leonard responded, took the thick stack of documents from Anthony, and flipped through them casually.
He discovered that almost all the cases in the files were located in the East District, which was the center of the smog and had the highest death toll. It was also the site of many incidents involving supernatural factors and wandering wild evil spirits. With the royal family's subsequent concession, this area became the jurisdiction of the Church of the Goddess of Night, and these visions were naturally the responsibility of the Night Watchmen and the Red Gloves.
"By the way, the church in the East District has reported a serial murder case. The murderer is likely a Mid-Sequence Beyonder, so they've requested the help of the Red Gloves. Since they're short-staffed, you might want to stop by and take a look. They can ask the Nighthawks there for assistance."
Anthony picked up another file bag from the table and handed it to Leonard.
The latter did not ask any further questions. He pointed out the Crimson Moon on his chest, said goodbye to the Archbishop, and walked towards his office area. He took out the case file from the file bag and began to read it.
"The deceased were all killed in flames. There are traces of religious sacrifice. Do you suspect this is related to last year's demon dog serial murders?"
He quickly scanned the area, and the first thing that came to his mind was not the demon dog from the "Abyss" pathway, but a case that had occurred in Tingen City, which also involved supernatural factors and evil sacrifices.
They also happen to be proficient in counter-divination and are good at using fire to kill their enemies.
"Witches? No, they should be called 'witches'..."
Muttering to himself, Leonard walked into his own office.
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It was not until late at night that Angel, after using the Klein family's bathroom to wash up, left 160 Boklund Street with satisfaction and floated towards the Hillston District along the deep passage in the mirror world.
"Perhaps I can leave a few sets of clothes at Klein's house later. Hmm, but it will be difficult for him to explain why a gentleman has women's clothing in his home..."
Angel muttered to himself as he walked comfortably through the mirror passage. Just as he was about to return to the familiar Burningham Road, he suddenly felt a spiritual touch.
She cautiously stopped in the spider-web-like passage and looked at several "tributaries" not far away that exuded a strong and dangerous atmosphere.
But the premonition of danger came and went quickly, as if it was just the aftermath of some explosion, sweeping across the "mirror world" and then disappearing without a trace, making it difficult to find its trace.
It was heading towards the East District. What was happening there? This wasn't the aura of the "True Creator" the Aurora Society believed in, nor was it the destructive, corrupting feeling of the advent of a "divine evil"... Angel frowned, wondering whether to return to the North District and drop a letter of complaint to Saint Samuel's Church, or go and see for himself.
After a moment, she made up her mind and headed to the East District to investigate, exercising her rights as the "Shadow of the Goddess" and her obligations as a resident of Backlund.
What if a disaster of the same magnitude as the smog occurs again... Angel felt heartbroken when he thought of the people struggling and dying in the pungent fog.
She quickly passed through the complex passages representing the Cherwood District and the Backlund Bridge District, arriving at the location where she had sensed the anomaly before.
The buildings in the East District are short and dense, and therefore have more small but differently shaped mirrors, allowing Angel to peek at the outside world from various angles. She quickly found a dilapidated apartment building and locked onto a room on the top floor.
Staying in the narrow space behind the mirror, she created a "mirror substitute" to crawl out of the mirror and step into the simply furnished bedroom. She found a white, frail body lying on the cold floor between the messy tables, chairs and bed. It had just opened its eyes and was looking over here quietly.
The woman had thrown her nightgown aside, her long black hair was spread messily on the ground, and her black eyes were filled with pain, confusion and helplessness. It was Triss, whom Angel had not seen for a long time.
It was her. Why was she lying naked on the ground? Did she have the habit of sleeping naked? Angel, who shared the senses of the stand-in, looked away awkwardly.
"As a lesbian, I don't mind. Besides, I feel honored that the 'Golden Queen' is interested in my body."
Triss chuckled softly and turned around without any concealment, showing Angel's mirror double her not-so-big but beautiful breasts, slender waist and flat abdomen, which were half-hidden by her black hair. Seeing that she had no reaction, she clicked her tongue, slowly got up, picked up the black nightgown beside her and put it on, tidied her black hair that almost reached her waist, and tied it into a simple knot.
This is bad for your hair. Even I, who's only been a woman for a year, know this... Well, she's the same as me... Various thoughts flashed through Angel's mind. It wasn't until Triss put the fallen chair in place and sat down that he turned his attention back to the witch and said,
"What happened just now? I sensed something strange in the mirror world. I think if there were other high-sequence witches traveling through the mirror channel, they would feel the same way."
"The mirror world..." Triss's eyes, which seemed to be filled with melancholy and constantly tempting others to fall into it, flashed with a hint of doubt. "Just now, I was accepting the 'gift' of the original witch."
The "Original Witch" believed in by the Witch Cult... Angel's heart tightened, and she subconsciously looked around the mirror world. Her stand-in in the outside world also frowned and asked in return:
"What kind of 'gift'?"
"Of course, it's the power of the path you and I are on... Through this method, I don't need to perform the corresponding role. I only need to passively endure it to digest the potion in my body and quickly ascend." When talking about this state that every Beyonder dreams of, Triss's face was not smiling at all. Instead, she couldn't help but feel fear. "But at the same time, I will be getting closer and closer to Him. The will contained in His power may soon erode me, making me a true... vessel of God's descent."
Why is this guy getting closer to the state he was in when he was with Edessak? If the whites of his eyes disappeared and there was a mysterious smile on his face, he would be even more like him... Angel complained in his heart and shook his head.
Frankly speaking, she was not optimistic about Triss's current state. Even if she had some kind of "gift" from the gods that could quickly increase her strength, this mental state was like an unstable bomb that could explode at any time, and the center of the explosion was in this big city with a population of five million.
"Then why don't you find the potion ingredients yourself and advance normally? For someone like you who has a certain amount of divine favor, this shouldn't be that difficult, right?"
She then asked.
"Promotion? Haha, during that time of confusion, I did gain a lot of knowledge, and even found the location of the 'hunting grounds' hidden by the 'Witch Cult' where I could easily obtain materials. However, the promotion ceremony is simply impossible to complete in the short term. Even if all the official Beyonders were deaf and blind, it would be too difficult for me alone to create a plague large enough to infect 30,000 people. And... he wouldn't want to see this happen."
Could she be talking about Edessak? Could love really turn a witch like her, responsible for the Clover tragedy and orchestrating a massive curse ritual in Tingen, into this state? But what about creating a plague and killing thirty thousand people? A way to replace the formal ritual of killing a demigod and driving him to despair, a method of winning by sheer quantity?
Angel thought of the "Darkness of Disaster" that Winsa had mentioned. Just as he was beginning to wonder, Triss said:
"I'm willing to give up everything to seek a result. You don't need to worry about it. Let's talk about the progress of the investigation. Isn't that why you're here?"
I'm not worried about you, I'm worried about the residents of the East District and even the entire Backlund... Angel complained in his heart, and let his stand nod, then sat down on another chair next to him.
Triss apparently didn't realize that the Witch of Despair before her was just a stand-in. She spoke cautiously:
"Sherman's progress is excellent. We've completely captivated Viscount Stratford. This infatuated Viscount spends a good deal of time each week 'randomly' meeting her whenever she appears in the West End, inviting her to the opera, music, and meals. Sherman declines most invitations, but only accepts those where they can spend time together in public. This effectively avoids the suspicions of the Viscount's guards. After all, it's all his initiative, and the interactions are very 'safe'..."
"I think that in about a month, their relationship will see substantial progress. This depends on Sherman's digestion of the 'Witch' potion. As long as she advances to 'Pleasure', Stratford will definitely not be able to escape her control."
This requires substantial progress in "joy"... Angel muttered, sternly warning the other party:
"This can only be done voluntarily by Sherman. Otherwise, I will put a ring on you that can turn you into Sherman, tie you up and throw you into Stratford's bedroom, and let you do everything by yourself."
"As long as he's willing, I don't mind," Triss sneered and replied nonchalantly. "You can confirm Sherman's opinion yourself, but when everything is settled, I will use her as a hostage to force Stratford, who has fallen completely in love with her, to surrender and reveal the whole truth about the Great Smog and Edessac's 'suicide.'"
"Just relying on one hostage, can a meticulous captain of the palace guards, who holds the royal secrets, give up everything?"
Angel asked back with some concern.
"Parting with loved ones and dying is the most painful thing. Of course, Stratford may not be such a person, but as long as he is attracted to Sherman, I have other ways to facilitate this."
Triss's tone was so confident that Angel began to wonder if she had any "backup plan".
"So this is how you bring 'pain' to others?"
She chuckled and said sarcastically.
"I no longer need these methods. Ever since I put on that sapphire ring, I'm afraid all of this was predicted by the 'Original Witch.' Even without the Witch Cult's control, I would have reached this end on my own."
Triss murmured with a distressed expression on her face, but a second later her eyes showed a hint of fear.
In front of her, Angel was holding the sapphire ring that would wake her up from her dreams from time to time, fearing that she would be "controlled" again.
It no longer had the terrifying aura it once held. It was like a piece of art devoid of design, its value only enhanced by the gemstones. However, it still managed to remind Triss of the events of ten months ago. She couldn't help but stand up from her chair and asked sharply:
"Wasn't it taken away by that hooded woman? How did it end up in your hands?"
The hooded woman was the "Mother of Heaven," the vessel of the Goddess's divine descent... Angel recalled that emotionless face and the inexplicable look in her eyes after she made her choice, temporarily promoted, and calmed the haze. He spoke with a mixture of confusion and emotion:
"I'm curious why He didn't kill you and only took this ring. However, it was thanks to it that I was able to control the plague fog and minimize the casualties caused by the smog... So, I also wore this ring, so why didn't the 'Original Witch' find me?"
Having said that, after hearing Triss's explanation of the "gift", Angel had a new idea in his mind:
Perhaps, after putting on the ring, it wasn't my luck or courage that allowed me to directly consume the Beyonder property of "Pain" and successfully advance to Sequence 5, but...
A gift?
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