Chapter 382 Before Leaving Hong Kong
In the conference room in the basement of Backlund Steam Cathedral.
A member of the Divine Council, Archbishop Horamik Hayden of the Backlund Diocese, sat at the head of a long table, dressed in a white clerical robe. He looked unusually weary, causing the deacons and captains of the Mechanical Hearts sitting around the table to exchange bewildered glances.
Over the past few days, this demigod has been traveling around, dealing with the aftermath of last week's severe smog, securing greater benefits for the Church of Steam in the negotiations between the royal family and the three major churches, jointly attacking the remaining cult strongholds in the Backlund city area with the Church of Storms and the Church of Night, and repairing his damaged mechanical puppet.
Although excessive work did not cause his already abnormal body to collapse, the damage to his spirit was obvious.
The most important thing is that the Steam Church played almost no positive role in this disaster. The smog was finally blown away by Archbishop Raydar Valentine of the Storm Church. Anthony Stevenson of the Night Church was the first to get the key news. The Night believers led by Earl Hall donated a lot of money and supplies for disaster relief, while Horamick could only follow and deal with the aftermath.
"Let's get started and report the new progress in turn."
The weariness in his voice surprised even him.
The deacon sitting on his right, Ikanser Bernard, smoothed down his stubborn hair, spread out the documents in front of him, and reported as concisely as possible:
"According to Sherlock Moriarty's report, we've confirmed that Talim Dumont died from a fatal curse, and the murderer was Triss, the witch who served Prince Edessak. She fled the manor after the prince's 'suicide' and has been missing ever since.
"Because of this case, he was passively involved in the conspiracy of the Witch Cult and the story of the Sealed Artifact '0-08'. While trying to escape the Red Rose Manor, he was attacked by a meteorite. He was eventually rescued by the descendant of the God of Death, Azik Eggers, and accidentally fell into the ruins where Ince Zangwill was.
"We haven't found this relic yet, but it's connected to another relic in the eastern suburbs of Backlund through some kind of teleportation ritual. This is the place where Mr. A of the Aurora Society attempted to summon the 'True Creator.'
"What we don't know yet is how he disrupted the ceremony and escaped from Mr. A. With his strength, it would be impossible for him to do that.
After saying this, Ikanser put down the documents and looked at the archbishop.
"We'll confirm with '2-111' later, next one."
Horamick looked at the "Mirror of Arrodes" placed in the middle of the table, recalling the various rumors about this sealed object in his mind, and after a moment, he looked at the next deacon.
Other deacons and captains also reported on their work over the past few days. Some of them contacted the personnel of Storm and Night and got a lot of new information from them. Some were responsible for hunting down the escaped Triss and Sylvia, but as usual, they got nothing, until the captain who was responsible for the aftermath of the smog in the East District spoke.
"We've discovered traces of a battle at the source of the East District's smog. Both parties involved are mid- to high-sequence Beyonders of the Assassin Path. One of them is believed to be the culprit behind the smog, Lady of Despair Panatia. The identity of the other is currently unknown, but divination confirms that the smog had already become less lethal before the Storm Church's Deep Blue High Priest blew it away. This is likely related to the battle in the East District. I request the use of 2-111 to confirm this."
After hearing what he said, everyone's eyes were focused on the ancient silver mirror.
"Ikanser, you ask the questions. First, determine what happened in the East District."
Horamick looked around and finally pointed at the deacon closest to him. The latter's face turned pale and he instinctively felt that his legend would spread to the entire "Mechanical Heart" because of this meeting.
He took the silver mirror, went through the process of activating the seal, cleared his throat and said:
"Respected Arrodes, my question is, what happened to 'Lady Despair' Panatia when she spread the plague in the East District, and what was the result?"
The surface of the silver mirror began to flicker, and after a moment, a scene emerged. Everyone subconsciously leaned forward and looked into the mirror.
A beautiful woman in a white robe was walking slowly on the foggy street. Beside her, the pale yellow haze gradually turned iron black. The pedestrians around her fell down one by one with painful expressions, but she turned a blind eye, with a holiness on her face that was completely inconsistent with her behavior.
"Pannatia!"
The captain who was investigating the incident in the East District whispered.
The lady of despair in the mirror gradually shrank, and the perspective moved upwards. One could see that the smog covering the East District was quickly dyed an ominous black and spread to half of the city. In the midst of it, a bright fire flickered and moved towards the center of the smog.
The picture quickly expanded and focused. A black-haired woman flashed out from the flames, holding a huge revolver, shooting at Panatia, the source of the toxic smog. There was a painful expression on her round face. She had obviously been corroded by the poisonous fog around her and tortured by the plague, but her brown eyes were full of determination.
The two witches continuously attacked each other with frost and black flames, occasionally changing positions through magic mirror substitutes or flame flashes. The black-haired woman had a low Sequence and was frequently suppressed by Lady Despair, but she seized the opportunity to fight back several times. The scene was a bit tense for a while, and the surrounding "Mechanical Hearts" held their breath.
Unfortunately, the difference in sequence made the black-haired woman's efforts in vain. She soon succumbed to the disease. The figure that kept coughing but tried to fight back with a gun continued to expand in the silver mirror, giving people a sense of tragedy.
The next moment, Panatia, having summoned her frost spear to kill her, looked up at the sky. A blank space appeared amidst the thick haze. Then, the Witch of Despair, panicking and desperate, ran towards the alleyway, only to become transparent, like a sketch erased by an eraser, and vanish into the mirror.
The scene shifted, returning to the black-haired woman who had risen to her feet. She had swallowed a dark green mass, then collapsed to the ground, convulsing. As black lines like paint appeared on her skin, the iron-black smog that had spread across several districts, centered around her, gradually dissipated, returning to its original pale yellow hue.
The surface of the silver mirror gradually returned to calm, and the last image remained on the woman's relieved smile and closed eyes.
Several deacons and captains looked at each other, and then looked at Ikanser, who was the most proficient in using the Mirror of Arrodes. The latter frowned and thought for a moment before explaining:
"I've met this black-haired lady before. We briefly collaborated with her during the 'Apostle of Desire' incident. 2-111's investigation revealed she's likely a member of the Church of Evernight. Apparently, she ventured deep into the fog this time to detain Lady Despair while awaiting reinforcements from the Church of Evernight. After Panatia was 'dealt with,' she used some method to forcibly terminate the fog, paying the price with her life."
After hearing his explanation, everyone sighed.
"I didn't expect that among those who saved Backlund, there would be a witch... a kind witch?"
Another deacon murmured, looking at the Mirror of Arrodes that had just answered, and suddenly found that lines of blood-like words appeared on it.
Ikanser's face turned pale again. Following past experience, he chose to answer the question rather than take the risk. Then he watched his own question slowly appear on the mirror:
"Have you ever tried to get someone to accept you, only to have them abandon you for someone else?"
This time the question was particularly long, and the blood-red words filled the entire silver mirror, as if piercing Ikanser's heart like a sword, making his face turn from pale to red, his eyes widen, and he recalled his unbearable past.
"I choose punishment."
After a moment, the deacon answered word by word.
"boom--"
A bolt of lightning appeared from nowhere in the underground conference room, carrying a strange green color, and hit Ikanser's head, making his hair stand up and turn the same color.
He stood up from his chair unsteadily, his steps swaying unsteadily, and fell beside the table.
Even though he knew that such "punishment" was not fatal, the deacon beside him still carefully checked Ikanser's breath, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that he was just unconscious.
Archbishop Horamik sighed softly, his gaze shifting from the smoking Ikanser back to 2-111, muttering:
"A member of the Church of Evernight... could it be that the power that erased 'Lady Despair' is..."
He glanced at the deacons and captains one by one and said loudly:
"Next question, who would like to ask about Sherlock Moriarty's destruction of the God's Advent ritual?"
There was a moment of complete silence around the long table filled with members of the Mechanical Heart.
————
Wow——
After washing his face with the hot water provided by the hotel, Angel wiped off the water droplets and looked at his refreshed face in the mirror.
The light golden medium-length hair that falls from behind the ears to above the shoulders is not as smooth as before when it was waist-length, but it has a touch of boldness. The facial features have not changed much compared to before, but it exudes a strange temperament. If Angel's expression and body naturally carry a kind of temptation to the opposite sex when she is "joyful", now her appearance has turned into dignified and restrained, which makes people upgrade from imagining sex to pursuing the ultimate beauty.
But why does she look like an underage female... Angel frowned, and the self in the mirror also frowned, with a fragility that made people feel pity, but deep down, there was an urge that made people want to completely destroy her.
She suddenly remembered who she had felt this kind of temperament in before.
"A bit like 'Lady Despair' Panatia..."
She reached out to touch the dressing mirror, and the blonde, purple-eyed woman in the mirror also reached out and touched her fingertips.
At this moment, Angel saw that his eyes in the mirror had turned black, his face was expressionless, and bright yellow flames seemed to rise beside him, as if he had returned to the scene he saw in his spiritual state when he was promoted the night before.
She withdrew her hand as if she had been electrocuted, and focused her attention on the mirror again, only to find that everything that had just happened was just an illusion.
"We're about to board the ship, are you ready?"
Klein's voice came from outside the bathroom. Although it was urgent, there was no impatience in it, but rather a hint of doting.
"Coming right up."
She replied, looking at herself in the mirror and trying to put on what she thought was the most beautiful smile.
Unfortunately, I still prefer longer hair... Angel regretfully trimmed his blonde hair until it was only one-third of its original length.
But I'm going to sea soon, maybe shorter hair would be more suitable for long journeys?
Comforting herself in this way, she took the round-brimmed lady's hat next to her and walked out of the bathroom. Klein was leaning against the wall by the door, with their suitcases at his feet. Seeing Angel, whose temperament was completely different from before, coming over, his eyes were filled with unconcealed surprise.
"Let's go, Great Detective," Angel said smugly, his lips curled up slightly. "Oh, by the way, it's time to stop calling me Great Detective. What role are you going to play?"
"Of course, I am Miss Angelica's most humble servant." Klein also laughed, picked up a suitcase in one hand, and followed Angel towards the door. "German Sparrow awaits your orders."
He said, imitating Arrodes' words.
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