Maggie knew the Pope was wealthy, but much wealthier than she had imagined. He had fifteen level-nine magic gems, so many that they were dazzling to the eye.
There were also some parchments recording forbidden spells, some incomplete and some complete. Maggie glanced at them and saw that many of them were spells that had been lost for a long time and were extremely precious.
Maggie was truly fortunate that a surprise attack had crippled the Pope, forcing him into undead form and rendering him unable to use many spells. Otherwise, she would have undoubtedly lost in a head-on confrontation with such a powerful figure possessing such extensive magical knowledge.
Some of it even came from the gods, not just the god of light, but also from the god of darkness and the sea god.
Every god's magic has its own unique style, and anyone with even a little knowledge of spell formulas can spot it at a glance, even if it's incomplete.
Just like different schools of martial arts, it's easy for enemies to identify which school it belongs to.
Whether it's incomplete or complete, it's extremely precious to Maggie, and she can repair it herself without paying any price.
Since parchment is easy to store and not easily discovered, Maggie put them all into her sleeves without hesitation.
Even the odds and ends of the gemstones were all stuffed into his pocket.
The main gems are very small, making them easy to carry on one's person without being noticed.
Most of the remaining items were high-end but relatively easy to buy on the market, including some very precious magic potions and elixirs. Maggie calculated that she definitely couldn't fit them all in her bag, so she had to give up on them for the time being.
She didn't know much about alchemy and potion-making, and the little ghost had disappeared again. Roy had also vanished for many days, and no one was there to help her identify it.
In addition, there was a very old, dull, gray staff that stood in the very center of the entire vault. It didn't look special, but for some reason, it particularly attracted Maggie's attention.
It was as if... she was very familiar with this staff, as if she had used it a long, long time ago.
Maggie thought for a moment. The fact that the Pope placed this staff in such an important place meant that it must have something special about it, and it might even be the most precious item in the room.
It looks very plain, and although it's a bit big, even if she holds it in her hand, probably no one will ask about it.
It was just a seemingly useless staff, and neither the paladins nor anyone else would bother to question her, the saintess.
Without hesitation, Maggie stepped forward and picked up the staff.
Nothing had changed. In fact, the staff felt like unpolished wood, with a slightly prickly texture, but Maggie felt inexplicably at ease.
Finally, Maggie took a deep look at the eerie magic circle, surrounded by five stones exuding an aura of death, and a scene suddenly flashed through her mind.
In the comics, Harlen's victory over the Necropolis was likely due to the Abyss Soul Stone he took, which allowed him to become the Pope's subordinate—a kind of pledge of allegiance.
What would a righteous person like the Pope want with something like the Abyss Soul Stone?
The comic never explained it, but now it seems...
Perhaps there has been a result.
Meanwhile, Gloria had already stepped down from the magic circle. Her voice was slightly hoarse from crying, but she was much calmer than before, and there was no longer any sob in her voice.
"Your Highness, thank you."
After cleaning up the battlefield and collecting all the treasures she could, Maggie heard Gloria's voice and sighed silently.
Have you said goodbye already?
She deliberately softened her tone of voice to be considerate of Gloria's feelings.
"Yes, sister... has already left. You can call the paladins down now."
Gloria responded softly, her voice now carrying a hint of pleading.
“I know I used to be one of the Pope’s men, and I need to recuse myself from the investigation, but… I personally took my sister’s body away, could you please allow me to join?”
This was actually against the rules, but Maggie nodded as she looked at her red, swollen eyes.
She wasn't heartless; how could she refuse such a request?
Finally, Gloria seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, turned around and walked outside. She couldn't wait to take her sister with her, wanting her deceased sister to rest in peace as soon as possible.
Maggie followed them out of the basement, and when she returned to the surface, she felt as if she had been in another world.
Harlan waited outside without going in. When he saw Maggie come out, he immediately went to greet her.
"How is Your Highness?"
The worry in his eyes seemed genuine; he was truly afraid that Maggie would be upset if she saw it.
"I'm fine. Take your men down there, and remember to keep a close eye on Gloria."
Maggie shook her head. The person who should be suffering the most emotional trauma right now is Gloria, who is still inside.
Harlan didn't agree immediately. Instead, she paused for a moment, then turned her gaze to the entrance to the basement. After a long pause, she finally gave a soft "hmm" in response.
Maggie did not stay any longer and instead got into the carriage and returned to the temple.
She didn't want to stay in such a depressing place.
With the dust settled and the witnesses and evidence all there, the Pope's conviction was inevitable, and neither Ford nor Arlin had any chance of redemption.
...
Back at the temple, Maggie had just stepped off the carriage when, to her surprise, Ficklin was the one who came to greet her.
Longlong's demeanor clearly exudes a "I'm a tough guy" vibe, but Maggie only senses his silliness; he's just as clueless as a simpleton.
Um... I'm feeling a bit wronged right now, like a silly goose.
That's right, Ficklin looks like a doormat right now, and it feels like he's about to burst into tears before he even gets to Maggie.
"What’s wrong with you?"
Maggie had a bad feeling. She looked inside the temple and had a feeling that she would see a terrible scene if she went in.
But her immediate priority is to check on Ficklin.
"They...they say you kept me alive just to skin me alive, drain my blood, and forge a staff from my dragon bones. You certainly wouldn't do that, would you?"
Ficklin was over 1.9 meters tall. When he stood up, he could almost cover Maggie. His abs were clearly defined, and his bare upper body was strong and powerful.
Maggie could only see his muscular chest when she looked straight ahead.
But this tough guy actually went to Maggie crying with a face full of bruises.
"?"
Maggie was completely baffled. Who would say something like that to Ficklin for no reason?
Isn't this disrupting her plan to obtain dragon blood?
How will she ever speak to me again?
"Who told you that? Why would I want to kill you? If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have saved you."
To appease Fickling, she could only maintain a straight face and vehemently deny those words.
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