Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 136 Connor: I'm so sad (5k)

When he heard the voice of Priest Leonard, Luo Xiu pushed the door open and walked in.

As usual, this diligent old priest was still busy dealing with the mountains of files.

When he heard the faint sound of footsteps, Leonard raised his head and glanced at the visitor.

When Priest Leonard saw that the person coming was the new "deacon" and newly promoted "Holy Inquisitor" Ross Carlos, the corner of Leonard's eye twitched slightly.

"You... cough cough again. You're here, Luo Xiu."

Leonard said as he stopped what he was doing, leaned over to open the drawer on the inside of the long table, and took out two scrolls with gold patterns printed on the edges.

"The [Divine Confinement] and [Divine Punishment] skill scrolls you requested from the Holy Court have been approved."

"I was just about to ask Connor and the others to find you and tell you about this."

"..."

The Holy See approved it so quickly? Luo Xiu was slightly surprised, so he bowed to Priest Leonard and thanked him:
"Thank you, Master Priest. This is very timely..."

"Come and sit down, Luo Xiu." Leonard waved.

Hearing this, Luo Xiu locked the door and then sat down in front of the chair opposite to Priest Leonard.

Leonard then pushed the scrolls of [Holy Confinement] and [Holy Punishment] to Luo Xiu.

Then, Leonard took out another letter from the drawer and pushed it in front of Luo Xiu.

"This is the reply from your teacher, the priest Ivan Jimeier from Dawn Town."

Leonard said, "I'll pass it on to you for him."

"..."

"The teacher's reply to me?"

Luo Xiu was slightly stunned.

Luo Xiu quickly recalled that he had indeed written a letter to Priest Ivan after the "Lord of Red Maple City" was killed, and told him everything about Red Maple City in the letter.

To Luo Xiu, this was just an ordinary daily routine, so he didn't take it too seriously.

He thought that Priest Ivan would write him a reply. But he didn't expect that Ivan's reply would be sent to Priest Leonard...

Seeing the confused expression that flashed across Luo Xiu's face, Leonard smiled and said:

"Your teacher doesn't know your exact address in Sina City."

"So, he sent the letter directly to the Church's 'House of Inquisition', hoping to ask other Inquisitors to pass it to you..."

"It was Pamier who received the letter and brought it to me."

“So that’s how it is…” Luo Xiu suddenly realized.

He didn't say anything else, but stored the scroll and letter in front of him into the storage bracelet.

“[Intellectual] little things always bring a sense of freshness.”

Watching Luo Xiu fiddling with the rune bracelet, Priest Leonard smiled.

But this amiable smile did not last long, and Priest Leonard soon turned serious.

He looked at Luo Xiu and finally said seriously:

"Okay, that's enough of the pleasantries."

"What is the purpose of your visit this time?"

"..."

This is the "working" Priest Leonard that I am familiar with... Luo Xiu complained in his heart. Feeling the strong aura naturally emanating from Leonard, Luo Xiu nodded and said to Priest Leonard:

"Is such that."

"Yesterday, I attempted to destroy a large stronghold of 'Blood of Thorns'."

"This was done with some help from outside forces, and also with some 'luck'. However... I still managed to destroy this stronghold."

"And among the bases of this group of cultists, I learned the hiding places of almost all medium-sized and larger bases throughout the 'Songyuan Territory'."

--Snapped.

Priest Leonard dropped the pen in his hand onto the table again.

Leonard might be surprised, but he would not be shocked, that Luo Xiu had destroyed a large pagan stronghold.

What he cared more about was the second half of Luo Xiu's sentence.

"You said you knew the hiding places of all the 'Blood of Thorns' distributed in Songyuan Territory and their medium-sized and larger strongholds?!"

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Luo Xiu looked solemn as he said to Leonard, "In the large base of Blood of Thorns, I found a detailed map. These are recorded in it."

As he spoke, Luo Xiu took out a simple brown sheepskin scroll from his storage bracelet.

Unfolding the scroll, it turned out to be a simple map of "Songyuan Territory" with many black and red marks on it, which were the approximate locations of the "Blood of Thorns" stronghold.

Leonard turned the parchment map around, supported himself with his hands on both sides, and looked at it for a long time.

The light in his eyes gradually brightened and his face was filled with excitement.

"This... is such a detailed map. If the location marked on it is correct, then Blood of Thorns will surely suffer a devastating disaster..."

Looking at Leonard's high spirits, a subtle curve appeared at the corner of Luo Xiu's mouth.

Of course, Priest Leonard didn't know that this "map" was not actually obtained from the Blood of Thorns stronghold.

——That was a punctuation map drawn by Luo Xiu himself according to his memories from his previous life!
From the first day Luo Xiu came to "Sina City", he had been secretly drawing this map. The purpose was to find a suitable time to expose "Blood of Thorns" to the vision of "Holy Court" on a large scale!

In order to push the progress of the [Dusk and Night] mission as high as possible in a short period of time, the "Holy Court" is an indispensable and important combat force.

However, if this information is reported to the church too early, it will only cause the church to become suspicious and bring unnecessary trouble to oneself.

However, the situation was different now. He was already an "alcoholic" of the church, and his position in the "Holy Inquisition" was "Holy Inquisitor". Moreover, he had just destroyed a large base of "Blood of Thorns" the day before. With such a combination of identities and events, providing intelligence of this level would not arouse suspicion.

In fact, Luo Xiu only revealed the location of the "Blood of Thorns" stronghold within the "Songyuan Territory", and he did not reveal all the strongholds of "Blood of Thorns" within the empire!
To Luo Xiu, each "Blood of Thorns" stronghold was a small copy. He was already very impressed by these "copies", and as a transcendent, he had an extremely strong memory.

And if the "Holy See" can really use his intelligence to completely wipe out the "Blood of Thorns" forces within the empire, then he will also gain considerable merit from it!

At that time, he would be able to apply for more resources from the "Holy Court" and even a part of the authority of "Glory".

As for Priest Leonard...

Luo Xiu was already a transcendent being with the "Triple Destiny", and Leonard had crushed the spiritual barrier of the "Scarlet Magic Crystal". Leonard could no longer tell whether what Luo Xiu said was the truth or a lie.

From Leonard's perspective, after spending more than a month together, he has become more inclined to believe that what Luo Xiu said is true!

……

"I need to confirm... Luo Xiu. You know, this is a big deal."

Priest Leonard said slowly: "I need to confirm the authenticity of this map..."

"Luo Xiu, go find Anthony and tell him about this map."

"Then, you will follow the punctuation marks above to randomly explore several Blood of Thorns strongholds in Sina City to see if their locations are real."

"Remember, don't alert the enemy. And don't get entangled with the enemy unless it is absolutely necessary."

"You must be vigilant at all times. This map may be a trap set by the enemy..."

"..."

Leonard's words retained his usual caution, but the excitement in his eyes did not dim.

"Okay." Luo Xiu nodded in response.

Then, Luo Xiu stood up, said goodbye to Priest Leonard, and left the room.

The information has been conveyed. All that remains is to wait and see.

The moment the "Holy See" confirms the authenticity of this information, the death of all the "Blood of Thorns" cultists within the empire will officially begin the countdown.

……

……

Shortly after Luo Xiu left, Priest Leonard picked up the map on the table and began to examine it carefully.

"Blood of thorns...blood of thorns..."

Leonard murmured, his eyes began to become more profound.

"If this map is real, then perhaps we can completely eliminate those monsters."

"And if we can truly eradicate all the 'Blood of Thorns' pagans entrenched in Songyuan Territory, it will also be a great achievement for the 'Sina City Church'..."

"Perhaps the Holy See will give us more authority because of this, so that we no longer have to endure the constraints from the Supreme Being..."

"Luo Xiu, Luo Xiu... our 'Sina City' Church is so lucky to have you."

"Well, after Anthony and the others have confirmed it and brought back accurate information, I will report this map to the Holy See."

"But, but before that, I have to go to Bishop Fabion and ask him to confirm some things..."

"Oh, if Bishop Fabien's health were better..."

"..." Following the murmur, Priest Leonard stood up.

He rolled up the parchment map on the table and put it in his arms.

Leonard moved. He left the pile of files, left his desk, and walked to the door of the room.

Then Leonard turned the handle and opened the door.

Leonard left the "Holy Court" and walked deeper into the church's inner courtyard.

He was going to meet the current bishop of the Sina City Church, Bishop Fabion.

Bishop Fabion's throne is located at the deepest part of the inner courtyard.

……

……

After leaving Priest Leonard's room, Luo Xiu walked to the other side of the church's inner courtyard.

His destination was the "priest's residence" built deep in the garden. It was the residence of all the clergy of the church in the church.

If Anthony, Connor and Pamier had nothing else to do, they would usually stay in the "Priest's Residence" and wait for tasks or arrangements from Priest Leonard.

……

Luo Xiu soon arrived at the "Priest's Residence" deep in the inner courtyard.

What caught Luo Xiu's eyes was a neatly planned, ochre-red building with a distinct church style.

In front of the gate of each building stands a gilded statue of Xu Yu. The golden glow lingers around the statue, filled with a sacred and solemn atmosphere.

Many "holy men" from different positions passed by Luo Xiu.

After greeting each other with the "priests" of different functions, Luo Xiu walked straight to the innermost part of the residence.

This is a courtyard belonging to the "Holy Inquisitors", where Anthony and his companions live.

Anthony's team of Holy Inquisitors is not the only one in Sina City, but other Holy Inquisitors usually do not act with Anthony's team, nor do they live in the same courtyard.

Therefore, in the nearly one month since he came to Sina City, Luo Xiu hardly saw other "Holy Judges".

As he stepped into the courtyard, Luo Xiu quickly noticed a familiar slender figure with long gray hair.

The "Holy Knight" Pamier was holding a dark broadwood sword in both hands, swinging it fiercely at a wooden stake tied with sandbags in the courtyard.

——Bang! Bang! Dull and heavy sounds continued to come from the surface of the sandbag.

Pamier swung her sword with great force, and with each swing of her sword, the wooden stake tied to the sandbag would vibrate violently.

When he saw Luo Xiu approaching, Pamier stopped swinging his sword.

Pamier put away the wooden sword and turned to look at Luo Xiu, a hint of surprise flashing in her golden-green eyes.

"Good morning, Luo Xiu..."

Pamier greeted, "As I recall, this is your first time here."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Pamier."

Luo Xiu smiled and responded, "You look quite good. It seems that you have recovered from that battle."

"……fine."

Pamier's tone paused. The look she gave Luo Xiu suddenly became complicated.

"...I heard that you have been promoted to a transcendent of the 'Triple Destiny'."

Pamier's tone was a little dazed.

"Although I feel... I should be promoted to the third level soon. But, I still can't figure it out. I can't find the inspiration to advance."

Pamier asked Luo Xiu: "So, Luo Xiu, how did you do it?"

"..."

"Actually, it's nothing..."

Luo Xiu followed the answer he had prepared beforehand and said softly:

"I just followed my heart and did what I thought I should do."

"..."

"Follow your heart?" Pamier was stunned.

Seeing that Pamier seemed to be confused again, Luo Xiu could only shake his head and said nothing more.

You can't just tell Pamier that you actually opened... ?
Moreover, according to the experience shared with other NPCs in the previous life - "Follow your heart", this is indeed an important reference when trying to get promoted.

After all, the natives of the Apocalypse World do not have player panels like Luo Xiu.

When reaching the upper limit of the current destiny level, Luo Xiu can see his "promotion task", but the natives cannot.

But just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist - “completing an important event” is still one of the prerequisites that all extraordinary people who have reached their current bottleneck must meet when trying to advance.

And when this event is completed, normal extraordinary people will feel an extremely strong and joyful surge of their own spirituality.

This is a sign of spiritual sublimation. This feeling is like a blessing to the soul, making people feel comfortable both physically and mentally.

This also marks an opportunity for promotion.

Therefore, there was nothing wrong with Luo Xiu telling Pamier the answer he had prepared in advance, "Follow your heart."

Rather, what extraordinary people really "want to do" is more likely to be their promotion mission, the resonance or intuition they trigger.

At this time, after many events and his own unremitting training, Pamier's character level has reached lv.20.

Pamier's promotion should be imminent. Before long, the "Anthony Squad" of the Church of Sina City and the Holy Inquisition will welcome the third Holy Inquisitor of the "Triple Fate".

"That's right." Pamier came back to his senses from his thoughts on "following one's heart" and asked Luo Xiu:

"I haven't asked you yet. Did you come to the Priest's Residence to see someone or do something?"

"I'm here to see Captain Anthony."

Luo Xiu then replied sternly: "Master Priest, he has something important that I need to tell him."

"Is there something important you need to talk to Anthony about?"

"...Well, I understand."

Pamier nodded and said:
"You can find him at the Vanilla Orchid Market. He should be with Connor now."

"In the past two days, Connor always seems to be discussing something with Anthony. I don't know much about it, and I'm not interested."

"Vanilla Orchid Market?" Luo Xiu asked with some doubt in his tone.

Although he didn't know why Captain Anthony was going to the Vanilla Orchid Market, Luo Xiu still nodded and thanked Pamier.

Afterwards, Luo Xiu turned and left the courtyard. He walked out of the church and soon arrived at the "Vanilla Orchid Market".

……

Vanilla Orchid Market, Sina City.

Through a carpet search by "Fog Shadow", Luo Xiu finally found Anthony in front of a jewelry stall.

At this moment, Connor was beside Anthony. Next to Connor, there was another petite figure.

That was the daughter of Priest Leonard, the alchemist of [Intellect] destiny—little Marilyn Bambers.

It was the first time that Luo Xiu saw these three people traveling together. It looked like they were shopping or having a picnic.

Suddenly, an extremely strong curiosity emerged from deep within Luo Xiu's heart.

He then followed them quietly and kept a close eye on their movements.

Anthony, Connor and Marilyn gradually walked out of the noisy crowd and came to the relatively secluded bank of the creek.

Compared with the main street of Vanilla Orchid Market, there are fewer pedestrians here. At this time, the river is rippling with ripples, and the cherry trees on the shore are swaying in the wind. The scenery here is pleasant and more conducive to relaxation.

At a very natural point, Anthony naturally made an excuse to leave, leaving Connor and little Marilyn alone.

Then, shortly after Anthony left.

Under a cherry tree covered with pale pink flowers, Connor Rune suddenly knelt on one knee in front of little Marilyn and took out an exquisite silver jewelry box from behind.

Connor held the silver box in his left hand and opened the lid with his right hand with a "pop" sound.

Just inside the silver box was a beautifully crafted platinum ring that sparkled brightly in the sun.

Then Connor seemed to say something loudly to little Marilyn.

Little Marilyn's face turned red instantly.

Little Marilyn seemed to shake her head firmly and answered Connor with a timid expression. Then she trotted away in the opposite direction of Connor.

Luo Xiu saw that the expression on Connor's face seemed to be filled with strong sadness, disappointment, pain and confusion in that instant.

"--hiss……"

Luo Xiu, who was watching the show on the side, suddenly felt a strong sense of guilt deep in his heart.

(End of this chapter)