Who hid my body?

Chapter 347 Daughter of an Old Friend
Bai Wei opened his eyes in a dilapidated room, then stretched his slightly stiff body. Then came a series of sounds of bones grinding together, like an old machine that was about to break down but was still running.

Tsk, it seems this body is really reaching its limit. As things stand, it's unlikely to be able to support him in another high-level battle; he can only barely maintain basic mobility.

Fortunately, the first phase is complete, and all developments are now proceeding according to his plan.

In fact, what Bai Wei wants to do has always been very clear: to use information asymmetry to exert pressure on both sides.

The pressure and attraction of multiple body parts to a single body part holder is self-evident, and what Bai Wei needs to do is amplify this point, amplify it, and amplify it again. And when Isaiah obtains that finger, the pressure reaches its peak.

For Isaiah, the price of obtaining the finger was the exposure of his identity, the lack of the other body parts, and being "isolated" by Bai Wei, forcing him to bite the bullet and become the one to stick his neck out.

For Diana and Rocky, Isaiah was far too powerful, so much so that they had to band together and use every means to bring him down.

But the real purpose of Bai Wei is to "use all means necessary".

That's why Bai Wei suggested using the Abyss Prison as leverage. If things hadn't developed to this point, they would never have touched the Abyss Prison, because it was too sensitive and too dangerous.

So much so that no matter who brings it up, it will arouse vigilance and apprehension in others.

Even now, Bai Wei's reasons were high-sounding enough, but he knew that he had definitely aroused Diana's suspicion, otherwise Diana would not have refused him immediately.

But that doesn't matter. Bai Wei's goal wasn't to get Diana to agree on the spot, but to let Diana know that this method is feasible. If things really come to a standstill, she will eventually consider it.

And that's what Bai Wei will do next—continue to apply pressure.

Yes, the pressure now is still not enough. He needs to increase it further, and this increase will be two-way, not only for Diana but also for Isaiah.

Bai Wei's reason for throwing the finger to Isaiah was not simply to make him take the fall.

Don't forget, Bai Wei's soul is on that finger. Every time he snaps his fingers, a part of his body will be "devoured" by Bai Wei.

Of course, Bai Wei didn't intend to use this to seize Isaiah's body. After all, Isaiah wasn't Uru; the strength of his soul meant that it was virtually impossible for Bai Wei to silently erode him without his notice. Once the erosion reached a certain point, Isaiah would definitely discover it, and that would greatly increase the unpredictability.

But this doesn't mean that Bai Wei can't do anything. A goose feather is light, and you can't even feel its weight when you hold it in your hand, but it's a different story when it falls on a balanced scale.

Bai Wei smiled.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside.

Not long after, a young woman pushed open the door, and outside was a sky full of yellow sand.

This is a no-man's land.

The woman looked around to make sure no one was watching before quickly walking in.

“You don’t need to be so nervous,” Bai Wei said casually. “Nobody knows who I am.”

“Your ‘nobody’ includes me too,” the woman said in a low voice.

“But I know you,” Bai Wei said with a smile. “Good evening, Ina.”

Yes, the woman in front of me is named Ina, and she is one of the high-ranking members of the Lyra Church.

Of course, for Bai Wei, her other identity is the most important—Gerald's daughter.

After the events in the nameless town were over, Bai Wei's next stop was naturally the meeting point in the no-man's-land. The matter here was very important, and he could no longer operate remotely as before; he had to come in person.

So he entered the no man's land, originally planning to find any church delegation and use his [Domination] ability to sneak in. However, as soon as he entered, he found the Lyra delegation, which had been waiting in the no man's land for almost half a month.

Isn't that a perfect coincidence? We even saved the [Domination] skill.

So Bai Wei found Ina and asked her in a light tone if she could take him in.

But for Ina, this was no easy task.

Ina looked into Bai Wei's eyes. She was quite certain that she did not know the person in front of her, but he gave her a very familiar feeling.

Of course, her willingness to "take in" Bai Wei was not based on feelings, but rather on Bai Wei revealing his identity, claiming to be a good friend of her father and the person behind sending Hevinia to Lyra.

Few knew of Hevinia's origins, so he was clearly not an imposter. Ina quickly settled Bai Wei in, without attracting much attention. After dismissing the envoys from the Contract Land in the area, she returned.

Ina may not have realized that her actions were already demonstrating her trust in this suspicious person she had just met.

"Why did you come here?" Ina asked.

"I need to go to the assembly point to handle some matters."

"You actually know about the rally?"

Bai Wei laughed: "Otherwise, why would I be here?"

Ina realized she had asked a pointless question, so she frowned slightly: "If you don't tell me your true purpose, why should I help you? You can't expect me to trust someone I know nothing about. What if you have some bad intentions...?"

“I know you need to take responsibility for Tianqin,” Bai Wei said with a smile. “Your father was just as wary of me back then.”

Upon hearing the word "father," Ina's serious expression suddenly changed. She stared blankly at Bai Wei, and a ridiculous thought that had been lurking in her mind before surged up again.

So Ina asked, "Have we met before?"

“Of course,” Bai Wei said. “I’m a friend of your father.”

“But I have absolutely no recollection of you,” Ina said. “Don’t even mention when I was a child. Forget about the fact that you’re about my age, even if we were children, I have no memory of you…”

“'You don’t need to know who I am, you just need to know the circumstances under which your father met me.'”

Ina's expression froze completely.

She knew that phrase all too well, so much so that she had many nightmares afterward. In her nightmares, her father stood in a burning oil refinery with a mocking smile on his face that was completely unfamiliar to her.

"You were back then..."

"Yes, it's me." Bai Wei admitted with a smile. "That's why I said we've met before."

Ina's breathing grew heavier, and she whispered, "As expected, Father's mental state is not in trouble."

“Yes, his mental state has always been very good,” Bai Wei said leisurely. “It’s just that he was under a lot of pressure at that time, after all, he had to face you and also guard against me, but he was generally normal.”

Ina pursed her lips. Upon learning that her father's mental state had not deteriorated, an indescribable emotion welled up within her. A mix of sadness, a sense of loss, and...relief.

But she quickly composed herself, looked at Bai Wei again, and said, word by word, "So... who exactly are you?"

The atmosphere turned somber once again.

After a long silence, Bai Wei asked, "Who am I? Don't you really have any guesses in your heart?"

Ina didn't say anything, she just looked at Bai Wei.

"Although I really want to tell you the answer, I promised your father I wouldn't involve you," Bai Wei said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Ina instinctively clenched her fists.

“It’s always like this,” she said softly. “My brother did the same thing, my father did the same thing, everyone said they didn’t want to involve me, and in the end I was left all alone.”

Bai Wei looked at the daughter of his old friend and asked, "Do you think they wronged you?"

“Of course not. The survivors can never blame those who sacrificed themselves,” Ina shook her head and said softly. “But I don’t want to always be the one left behind.”

After speaking, Ina realized she had misspoke, so she immediately stood up and resumed her previous capable and efficient demeanor: "I misspoke just now, please don't take it to heart. Since you are Father's friend, then I..."

"What if I told you that your father hasn't left yet?"

Ina's expression, which had just recovered, froze again. She stared intently at Bai Wei: "What did you say?"

"Oh? You really didn't notice?" Bai Wei propped his chin on his hand, looking at Ina with a half-smile. "Or has his presence become so insignificant?"

Ina opened her mouth, and the image of the Sword of Order standing atop the ruins flashed through her mind.

Although she had a premonition and had guessed it before, she wasn't sure until now...

Ina took several deep breaths before she finally steadied her slightly trembling body. When she looked at Bai Wei again, there was something more in her eyes.

“I understand.” Ina nodded slightly. “Thank you for telling me.”

"Just the ramblings of some unknown person." Bai Wei shrugged. "I'm not responsible for what I say."

Ina smiled. Only then did she truly lower her guard against Bai Wei. At the same time, she became more certain of her suspicions about Bai Wei's identity.

Aside from the legendary one, Ina really can't think of anyone else who could do that.

"Besides helping you conceal your identity, is there anything else I can do to help you?" With that in mind, Ina could convince herself to do more.

"Just take me to the meeting point." Bai Wei could naturally sense the change in Ina's state of mind, but he did not intend to implicate Tianqin. After all, he still had to be careful in his actions before he could retrieve his body. "I will handle the rest myself."

“We’ve been here for almost two weeks, but there’s still no news from the Land of Contracts,” Ina said. “We’re not sure when the gathering will start either.”

Did they really wait in the same spot for two weeks? As expected of Lyra's team, even though the god is gone, they still value order and rules so much.

Could this be Gerald's influence?

Bai Wei chuckled to himself, but didn't say it aloud. He simply smiled and said, "Don't worry, they'll be here soon."

Soon? How soon? They haven't received a single hint...

"Lady Ina." At that moment, a guard's voice suddenly rang out from outside, "The envoy from the Land of Contracts commands us to depart now; the gathering is about to begin."

...So fast?

Ina looked surprised, but she didn't ask Bai Wei how he knew. Instead, after briefly replying to the guards outside, she said to Bai Wei, "In that case, I will go and make preparations for you now. I will arrange an official identity for you so that the envoys from the Land of Contracts will not notice."

"Actually, it doesn't have to be that complicated."

"Ok?"

Bai Wei said with a smile, "Right now, the focus of the Contract Land is not on us."

……

Isaiah walked out of the hotel, and Mina immediately went to greet him, looking nervous: "Teacher..."

"No need to say anything more," Isaiah interrupted Mina. "I understand."

Then Isaiah's gaze passed through Mina and looked behind her.

Overnight, the once-destroyed nameless town became "lively" again. Hundreds of uniformly dressed Guardians of the Contract Land surrounded the inn, creating an indescribable pressure that made the Star Remnant delegation warlocks in the middle feel like lambs to the slaughter, even unconsciously slowing their breathing.

Isaiah's expression remained largely unchanged. He scanned the guardians present, finally fixing his gaze on a messenger who approached him.

“Mr. Isaiah,” the messenger spoke first, his tone slightly stiff, “we have been sent to inform you that the assembly is about to begin.”

"Is that so? It's just a notification," Isaiah said calmly. "With this attitude, I thought you were here to declare war on me."

"Look at what you're saying," the envoy said with a forced smile. "You're not an enemy of the Land of Contracts, so why would we declare war on you? We're here to ensure your safety. After all, you know that the wanted criminal with four pieces of his body is still missing."

Isaiah understood the deeper meaning in the messenger's words, but he did not point it out. He simply nodded slightly and said, "Alright, then lead the way."

"Alright, please follow me." The messenger turned and left, his attitude not that of a distinguished guest, but rather that of a prisoner.

Mina walked up and whispered to Isaiah, "They came overnight and were very stealthy. By the time we discovered them, we were already surrounded."

“The elite of the Land of Covenants, that’s normal,” Isaiah said calmly.

"But they moved way too fast!"

Isaiah chuckled and said, "I guess my zombie friends couldn't sit still anymore."

Then he turned to look at the other side, and if he remembered correctly, the Rhine troops were stationed not far from them.

However, the place is now deserted.

“Teacher, I’ve already inquired,” Mina said. “Bishop Rocky of Rhine fled overnight.”

(End of this chapter)