Chapter 1172: Chapter 1158: The Palace Beneath the Sea
"Something extremely important?"
"Yes. We still haven’t figured out what it is. The confidentiality level on this information is extremely high. Our eyes within the Inquisitors can’t get close to the lost item."
"I think I should be able to guess what it is."
The smile on Count Misar’s face grew even brighter, the lines at the corners of his mouth loosening slightly, and for a moment he seemed several years younger.
"Jack, keep monitoring that group of Inquisitors. Don’t interfere with what they’re doing, and don’t let them discover you." Count Misar made his decision.
Jack nodded, then continued, "Over on the Life Sect’s side, they seem to have sensed something recently. The Archbishop wants you to go to the Church to meet him."
"Did he say when I should go?"
"He didn’t. Seems he wants you to go when you’re not busy."
"I see." Count Misar gave a meaningful smile, then said, "I understand. Help me tell the Archbishop that I’ll set foot in the Life Church when I’ve finished my current business."
Jack’s gaze shifted slightly. "For this operation, the Life Sect won’t make a move?"
"The fact that they can stay neutral is already the result of years of work on my part. Make a move? How could the Sect possibly come help me? But if I win this time, they should reevaluate my standing. All right, you can withdraw for now. Be careful these days and do your work properly. What we’re doing this time is a beheading offense. If we fail, there’s only death waiting for us. But once I succeed, the road ahead will be wide open."
Count Misar said with a smile.
Jack nodded and was just about to leave when Count Misar spoke again: "Wait. What’s the situation with the Forgotten Association?"
"They’re all very well-behaved. Those old things in the Forgotten Association are either in slumber or self-sealed. It’s hard for anyone to come out and stir up the game. The rest of the Forgotten Association people are all infighting over control of the Association. No one can pull the Forgotten Association together."
"Good. A headless swarm tearing at each other—that’s the kind of Forgotten Association that lets one rest easy."
"And the hatchery?"
"Proceeding in an orderly fashion."
"Good, you may go."
Count Misar waved his hand. This time Jack withdrew, standing outside the office door, and casually closed it behind him.
Click.
With the door closed like that,
it was as if a layer of sealing had been placed.
He stood impeccably straight outside the door, playing the part of the loyal Guard.
Inside the room.
Count Misar picked up his fountain pen again and, on a fresh sheet of paper, slowly wrote: "Old man, it’s been a long time since we last contacted each other, but over here in Abaida, a lot of your Inquisitors have shown up.
I heard you lost something very important.
If you’re willing to talk to me, it’s possible the two of us could reach some kind of cooperation. After all, in Abaida, I still have some resources and connections.
Interested in coming to Abaida for a chat?"
After Count Misar finished the letter, he rolled it up, then gave a soft whistle. On the previously empty windowsill, a strange large bird suddenly appeared.
Count Misar stroked the bird’s feathers, then placed the letter in its beak. "Go, my dear."
In that instant,
the space around the bird suddenly turned multicolored, forming a prismatic passage. With a flap of its wings, the bird flew into it.
Moments later, the passage closed.
Count Misar began humming a tune.
Inside the Blood Church.
Alfred was kneeling before a gigantic statue of the Scar God. The statue rose from the floor all the way up to the ceiling, yet its face had not been carved.
Its face was as if veiled by a thin layer of gauze.
All of a sudden.
Alfred opened his eyes, a sharp divine light flashing within.
He pulled a small knife from his breast and made a slash in the air beside him. A seven-colored radiance was sliced open. Reaching into the rainbow glow, he grabbed, and Count Misar’s strange bird was hauled out.
"The Inquisitors—things are getting livelier and livelier."
Alfred let out a cold laugh and took a pocket watch from inside his coat. After pressing a button on the watch, he said in a low voice, "That old bastard leading the Inquisitors should be heading to Abaida as well. Just what has Misar done to draw so many forces in?"
His eyes flickered.
Soon after,
from the other end of the watch came a sound like grinding gears. "I don’t know. But the Life Sect has already decided not to get involved."
"That is indeed their best option. After all, Count Misar is someone they’ve been cultivating for a long time, with a great deal of effort invested. Once Count Misar dies, they’ll completely lose their voice in Abaida."
Alfred stuffed the letter back into the bird’s beak, then shoved it into the Spirit Realm passage.
"You let it go? The head of the Inquisitors is an old monster as well. Are you sure you want him involved?"
From inside the watch,
the grinding-gear voice came again.
Alfred sneered. "What’s there to be afraid of? The messier the better. Completely ignite the war in Abaida and sweep all that trash out."
"Fine. But I have to remind you, if Count Misar dies, we’ll need to pacify the situation as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the Imperial side probably won’t tolerate Abaida sinking into chaotic war."
The raw, mechanical voice from the watch said.
Alfred nodded. "I know. The Mechanical Church will get what it deserves, you can rest easy."
With that said,
he cut the connection on the watch, closed his eyes again, and resumed praying before the massive statue of the Scar God.
...
Three days later.
Baiyu received a message from Harley.
"The family agreed. The old ancestor is willing to meet you as well."
The message was very brief.
After Baiyu finished his preparations, he headed to the Adventurer Association. To meet an Immortal, he had to be thoroughly prepared. No one knew just how powerful an old monster who had lived that long truly was.
However.
Baiyu wasn’t without confidence.
An Immortal’s strength should be about the same as the leader among the City Lord’s Attendants, Lilith.
Although the gap between Baiyu and Lilith was huge,
if he focused solely on escaping, preserving his life wouldn’t be difficult, and he could also summon Moon to help.
According to the information provided by Harley Bain,
Baiyu arrived beneath Abaida Bridge. Shortly after noon, a small wooden boat drifted out from the riverbank, the boatman standing at the prow.
Baiyu couldn’t sense any Spirituality from the boatman.
This was a dead man.
Baiyu didn’t say anything more, stepping directly into the boat’s hold. The small wooden boat began gliding forward down the river, gradually heading farther out, then slowly sinking beneath the water.
In the rushing current,
the small boat continued to sink. Baiyu stood in the boat’s hold, Blood Qi forming a shield around him, squeezing the water away on all sides.
Very soon.
Fog began to rise around him.
Fog was rising on the seabed.
Baiyu looked around, just about to figure out where he was, when the mist dispersed and a vast, imposing palace appeared in front of him.
"We’re here..."
The boatman rasped hoarsely.
Without hesitation, Baiyu stepped off the wooden boat, set foot on the riverbed, and slowly walked toward that palace.
