With a 'creak'.
The door was closed again, and the surroundings fell into dead silence.
Ruan Qing'an sat alone on the golden chair, her wrists and ankles tightly bound by chains, sealing all her magic power, as if to prevent her from erupting again and causing chaos.
In the deathly silence, 037 spoke in a trembling voice.
[Ancestor, the archbishop means...]
"It's nothing, it was only a matter of time before it was discovered."
037 couldn't help but say, "I know, my ancestor. The church couldn't possibly not investigate afterward, and they couldn't hide it from the prayer room either."
Ruan Qing'an paused, his leaden-gray eyes half-closed, his tone incredibly calm as he spoke: "Last night, I knew what kind of decision I had made. It was indeed quite absurd and unreasonable."
"I was just too impatient, little system."
As she spoke, she closed her eyes for a short rest, seemingly a little tired.
Even 037 couldn't help but feel sorry for him: "Ancestor, you're just too worried about the male lead's situation. Besides... none of us really know where that so-called emotional threshold is. This is the only way."
Of course, there are other options, namely—
He kept testing Aldridge's limits and constantly provoking him.
But 037 knew that Ruan Qingan was unsure of one thing, and whether he could actually do it was another matter entirely; otherwise... how could things have come to this?
[Ancestors, don't worry.]
[Since the archbishop didn't mention this earlier, he definitely hasn't found the male protagonist. He must be alright; he'll definitely come!]
Upon hearing this, Ruan Qing'an scoffed, simply lowering his head and nonchalantly wiggling his toes, tapping the chains on the ground, and casually remarked, "It doesn't matter, little system. Don't have any hope for some things, so you won't despair when the final outcome comes out."
"After the seal was broken, the affection level decreased."
037 couldn't help but say: [Ancestor, are you worried...?]
Ruan Qing'an paused, then chuckled, "How could that be? It's normal. I expected it. After all, when he was sealed, Aldrich was mentally impaired and didn't understand emotions."
“I bought him, he became a slave, and I personally put a collar on him… How could he possibly accept this after regaining his senses?”
Upon hearing this, 037 was momentarily at a loss for words.
Even if they wanted to refute it, they wouldn't know where to begin, because they all knew that when Nguyen Thanh An was taken away by the Archbishop, Aldrich's seal had already been broken, and he had returned to normal.
But he never showed up in the end.
037 asked worriedly, "What do we do next, ancestor? Are we really going to let the Church of Light take you back to the Lycas Empire and burn you at the stake?"
"...No rush, I know what I'm doing."
When Nguyen Thanh An paused and closed his eyes, he appeared as if he were not waiting to die in a courtroom, but rather leisurely enjoying afternoon tea in a manor.
She said softly, "Do you know what the hardest part of this mission is? It's how to find that lurking rat."
"I'm not afraid of what I might go through."
"My only concern is that the tasker is too patient and too cautious. If he does nothing, that would be a real problem."
Upon hearing this, 037 seemed to understand something again, though he was still a bit confused.
Is this... a ploy to lure the enemy out?
Ruan Qingan didn't explain anything, and just as the atmosphere in the room fell into dead silence again, a strong tremor suddenly came—
Because he was locked in the trial room, Nguyen Thanh An had no idea what was happening outside. He could only faintly hear screams: "Oh no! Someone is attacking the Church of Light! Help!"
"It's all Dolores's fault. If she hadn't challenged the authority of the Church of Light, how could people have thought that the Church of Light was so easily bullied?"
"Yes, how come all sorts of scoundrels dare to come here?"
Upon hearing the sounds outside, Ruan Qing'an raised an eyebrow, a hint of interest flashing in her light gray eyes. But before she could speak, her expression suddenly changed—
Suddenly, an unpleasant smell filled the room.
Overwhelmed by dizziness and blurred vision, Ruan Qing'an managed to stay conscious and, through the haze, spotted a strange, black flower in the corner by the door.
That unpleasant smell must come from this thing.
Black again...?
After realizing this, Ruan Qing'an's consciousness sank uncontrollably. With all his power restricted by the magic circle and shackles, the already weak physique of a magician was now even worse than that of an ordinary person, with almost no resistance to drugs...
Moments later, Ruan Qingan had already lost consciousness.
She sat slumped in the golden chair, her head hanging low, her hands limp at her sides, the chains even clanging crisply.
And just after she fell into a coma—
The chaos outside had subsided, and seemingly at the perfect moment, someone outside the courthouse immediately shouted—
"Oh no!"
"Dolores in the courtroom...she has no vital signs. The chains could sense her pulse, but now..."
"It stopped, it stopped abruptly—Dolores is dead!!!"
...
The Church of Light, a branch church of the Xisha Empire.
A person draped in a black cloak stood in a hidden corner. His entire body was covered by the cloak, making it impossible to see his exact figure. Any parts that were visible were also covered by a strange black power, making him look particularly eerie in the sunlight.
Just then, the archbishop emerged from the secret passage and, upon seeing the man in the black cloak, quickly bowed: "Your Excellency, Envoy."
"I have just sent men to attack the church again."
The cloaked figure spoke, her voice hoarse and unreadable: "Has the matter of faking Dolores's death been resolved?"
The archbishop nodded: "Everything is ready, Your Excellency."
"Your Excellency is truly a visionary, knowing that Dolores was going to cause trouble for that Aldrich guy and making arrangements in advance."
What escort? What trial?
It was just a formality, the archbishop knew perfectly well. He was only trying to keep his position afloat, and as for the rest... he was just using the fake death to make Dolores's identity disappear.
But people, on the other hand, must stay.
After hearing the archbishop say this, the man laughed a few times: "Very good, you have done well. When God descends to earth, you will know how fortunate it is to believe in my God and change your life!"
"Of course, thank you for giving me this opportunity, Your Excellency."
The archbishop hurriedly said, "I am old and believe in the God of Light, but I receive no power in return. The God of Light... is a fake!"
The man smiled and nodded: "Since you are the archbishop, you naturally understand that faith does indeed receive a response of divine power, while disloyalty to faith will result in the loss of that power. However, you do not believe in the God of Light now, yet you have not lost any power."
"This power no longer changes with the sincerity of one's faith, Archbishop, you should understand that—"
"The God of Light is dead."
"The god of death and curses shall live on forever!"
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