Chapter 953: Chapter 167: The Counteroffensive in Seven Hills City
The attack incident in Seven Hills City was quickly transmitted back to the Desert Kingdom through encrypted alchemical communication.
When the attendant presented the detailed battle report to Perfikot, she was in the lab tuning a new type of energy core.
Her heterochromatic eyes scanned the casualty figures on the parchment, pausing at the word "Divine Scourge".
"They’ve come, as expected," she placed the report on the lab table, not surprised.
Or rather, this result was entirely within her expectations.
Long ago, when dispatching the Floating City module, she had deliberately allocated three suits of Godslaying Armor and two full Steam Knight regiments.
On the surface, it was to escort missionary activities, but in reality, it was to wait for the Old God believers to fall into the trap.
Those fanatics hidden in the shadows are like hibernating vipers; unless they actively strike, it’s difficult to identify them among thousands of survivors.
Now that they’ve jumped out and summoned the Divine Scourge, it saves her the trouble of a carpet search.
"Prepare two plans," Perfikot suddenly spoke, her voice particularly clear in the quiet lab.
"One is the plan to clear out the underground cult nests in Seven Hills City." She pointed lightly at the map of the Old World hanging on the wall, her heterochromatic eyes scanning the attendant by her side: "Attack routes must be precise down to every secret passage, equip the Steam Knights with thermal sensing devices, I want those rats to have no place to hide."
"The second is the defensive plan against the Old Gods’ counterattack." She turned to the attendant, speaking sternly: "Focus on marking the protection levels of energy towers, medical stations, and granaries, especially the measures against mental pollution.
Deploy the Godslaying Armor at faith nodes, but disguise them as ordinary defensive fortifications. Remember, all actions must remain within the framework of ’religious conflict’."
This supplementary order was meaningful.
Though she possesses Godslaying power, direct military suppression would only push survivors toward the Old God camp.
The best strategy is to let those fanatics continue to expose their atrocities—like human sacrifices on the full moon nights or other acts of violence; while the missionary group consistently demonstrates benevolence—distributing hot porridge laced with sedatives, offering free treatment for frostbite.
When the contrast is stark enough, people will naturally vote with their feet.
In this smokeless faith war, Perfikot needs to ensure every step she takes is in the most correct position.
She knows well that in this game against the Ancient Gods, any small mistake could trigger a chain reaction, possibly reversing the outcome of the entire war.
After the attendant leaves, Perfikot once again walks to the map on the wall.
The light from the alchemical lamp casts her silhouette onto the yellowed parchment map, like a player controlling the game.
The location of Seven Hills City is marked with a red pin, surrounded by dozens of blue pins, each representing an established missionary base.
These bases are like sparks, spreading around with Seven Hills City at the center.
Her fingertips trace along the Tiber River, wandering among those ancient city ruins.
Suddenly, she pressed lightly at a point, leaving a slight depression on the map.
"Full moon night..." she remembered the sacrifice timing mentioned in the report, her ice-blue eyes slightly narrowing.
Behind those twisted rituals lies a deeper pattern, like tides influenced by the moon, the power of the Evil Gods also peaks at certain moments, this discovery made her thoughtful, rubbing her chin.
If she could crack this cycle... her gaze sharpened.
It means she could not only predict the actions of the Evil God believers but also take control, delivering a fatal blow at the most opportune time.
The door to the lab was suddenly knocked.
An attendant came in, holding a freshly decoded cipher: "Sir, the informer planted among the Old God believers has sent news that they’re planning a larger-scale sacrifice."
Perfikot took the secret message, which only contained one sentence: "Next new moon will blood sacrifice a hundred people, targeting the Floating City module."
"Finally intending to get serious, huh? It seems these small skirmishes are far from satisfying the appetites of those Evil God believers." Perfikot sneered, then took out a brass-made key from her desk and handed it to the attendant in front of her: "Send this to Seven Hills City, tell the missionary group leader I authorize him to unlock the Godslaying Armor."
The attendant’s hand trembled slightly when taking the key.
But he quickly calmed down—since the Old Gods dared to send a Divine Scourge to attack the civilian camp, they must be prepared to face a hundredfold revenge.
This is a special key with triple gears, once inserted into the lock on the Godslaying Armor, it would release the constraints of these powerful war machines, allowing them to enter over-limit mode.
Without this key, although the Godslaying Armor possesses Godslayer power, it only has its strength limited to the level of a Divine Attendant.
And with the restrictions lifted, the Godslaying Armor can explode with power enough to rival the strength of a low-level Divine Power Divine in a short time.
Once the attendant hurried away, Perfikot returned to the lab table.
The open manuscript on the table displayed her latest design for the faith monitoring device schematic, once a few parameter adjustments are completed, it will enable real-time detection of local faith fluctuations through the energy tower network.
Those fanatics wishing to hide their traces would be as conspicuous as fireflies in the dark.
"Originally, I planned to wait until the faith monitoring network was established, then gradually force you out of your rat holes." Perfikot stared at the Old World map before her, letting out a cold laugh: "Since you’ve dared to come out on your own, it saves me the trouble."
