Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 251 Feast and Party

Just in front of the Great Hall, when the guards on duty saw Luo Xiu and the "deacons" of the church arriving, they all raised their long spears and bowed slightly to the guests of the church.

The leading Royal Guard Knight stepped forward, saluted Luo Xiu and said:
"Welcome, distinguished guests of the church. Lord Baines has set up a banquet in the auditorium. May you enjoy a pleasant dinner."

Four "Royal Guard Knights" with triple destinies were on duty at the Grand Court Hall. The celebration banquet held by the "Border Court" this time was really impressive... Luo Xiu thought to himself, and then he nodded to the Royal Guard Knights and responded:

"Thank you, and may you be bathed in the Holy Light forever."

After giving a "glorious" response, Luo Xiu then walked into the church, and the deacons from other churches followed him.

……

Bianting, inside the Grand Council Hall.

Passing through the lobby of the auditorium, Luo Xiu went straight into the main hall of the auditorium. His vision was immediately attracted by the magnificent scene.

It was a huge auditorium that could accommodate a thousand people. The dome covered the auditorium, and the rows of colorful semicircular window panes in the middle of the hall complemented each other.

In the brightly lit banquet hall, the magnificent chandeliers emit a soft light, which is reflected on the guests' gorgeous clothes, sparkling with sparkles.

The thick red carpet covered the entire banquet hall. The silver plates on the tables were filled with fine wine and delicacies. The aroma of meat and wine mixed together, filling the entire space.

Nobles sat on inlaid chairs, toasting their glasses and chatting, while soft music filled the air, accompanied by low laughter and the clinking of silver cutlery.

The nobles and officials from Red Maple City who were invited had already taken their seats. They were walking between their seats and chatting with other nobles and officials.

The waiters were dressed in uniform black uniforms with white aprons tied around their waists. They held silver trays with crystal glasses of champagne and red wine on them. They moved among the crowd, politely refilling the guests' glasses with wine.

When they saw Lord Nelson, the nobles and officials temporarily stopped talking, came over to greet Nelson, and said:

"Nelson! Our party star, congratulations on directing a beautiful victory!"

While greeting Lord Nelson, the observant officials had already noticed the figure of Luo Xiu, the "High Priest" of the church, behind Nelson.

Although the officials had never seen this "high priest", they could still roughly guess his identity from his clothes.

After greeting Lord Nelson, the nobles and officials who gathered around him then performed a slightly clumsy sacrament to Luo Xiu, and also greeted him:

"And to the distinguished guests from the Church, we are honored to share the dinner with you all!"

There was no piety on their faces, only heartfelt respect for those in high positions. Luo Xiu smiled slightly, nodded to them and responded:

"Thank you, and may you be forever bathed in the Holy Light."

After saying that, Luo Xiu walked straight past these nobles and officials. After briefly greeting them, City Lord Nelson continued to lead the way for Luo Xiu.

Those nobles and officials then dispersed and found new "friends" to join in the conversation. They soon disappeared from Luo Xiu's sight.

……

At Luo Xiu's suggestion, the church's "deacons" stayed in the belly hall and represented the church in contact with the nobles and officials.

Luo Xiu continued to follow the guidance of City Lord Nelson and went to the second floor of the Grand Auditorium.

Compared to the scene in the abdominis hall, this place was much quieter. The slightly dim light was swaying with the candlelight, and Luo Xiu had already seen a familiar figure shaking a red wine glass.

"Grand Inquisitor" Baines, who had changed into a dark, gorgeous brocade robe, sat on a velvet chair, smiling at the guests in the hall.

Next to Baines, the "Knight of the Throne" Frosa sat on another velvet chair.

He had taken off all his armor, revealing his hideous face covered with scars. He just sat there quietly with his eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.

The two generalists of the "Fangbei Academy", the "Great Alchemist" Irfan and the "Great Rune Master" Eureka, sat opposite Baines. Sensing the sound of a newcomer, they all turned their heads and cast their eyes towards Luo Xiu.

In front of Luo Xiu, there was the last empty velvet chair, which was the seat reserved for him - this was the real gathering for the "high-ranking ones"... Luo Xiu thought to himself.

Then, he saw the "Grand Inquisitor" Baines raised his hand with a smile on his face, pointed at the empty velvet chair, and said:
"You are here, Lord Luo Xiu, our great hero. Please take a seat. Your seat is over there."

"I'm late." Luo Xiu responded with a smile, and then sat down in front of the velvet chair that Baines pointed to.

The five highest-ranking people in Red Maple City gathered together. After City Lord Nelson bowed deeply to Luo Xiu, Baines, Frosa and the two great thinkers, he walked down the suspended ladder on the side to preside over the banquet in the main hall.

"This should be our first formal meeting."

A gentle voice came from the side. It was the voice of the Great Alchemist Alvan. He spoke first:
"Your Excellency Luo Xiu, the High Priest of the Church, this time, we finally have the opportunity to communicate deeply and understand each other."

"Hello, Mr. Elvan." Luo Xiu nodded politely and responded with a smile, "May the Holy Light be with you forever. It is my honor to sit at the same table and communicate with all the seniors."

"You are very humble." Irfan smiled and said, "That's good. It is a transcendent quality. After all, humility keeps people away from stupidity and prevents them from falling into the quagmire of stupidity."

Why is he talking more mysteriously than me... Luo Xiu muttered in his mind, and then heard Baines interrupt the topic and said:

"Alright, everyone. It's rare for us to get together like today, so we should take this opportunity to discuss some more important matters."

"...Yes. Lord Baines is right." The "Great Rune Master" Eureka echoed in a low voice, "If this is just a simple banquet to celebrate the victory, there is no need for us to come."

"I still have thirteen mysterious runes to unlock, and four prayer rituals to the 'truth' that need to be performed urgently. To be honest, I am very busy..."

The "Great Rune Master" Eureka exuded an air of impatience from the inside out. If it weren't for the "Acting Dean" Irfan dragging him here, he would never have come here.

...Luo Xiu had already read some indirect information from Eureka's attitude.

He then echoed Baines and said, "Yeah, I agree. After all, too many unexpected things happened in the previous decisive battle."

Baines nodded, his expression became serious, his gray-gold eyes became deep, and he said:
"Yes, just as Lord Luo Xiu said."

"Regarding those hyena monsters and those hidden believers who claim to be apostles of the Holy Abyss, Luo Xiu and the two from Fangbeiyuan, I have already talked to you separately about the relevant matters."

"Fangbeiyuan will be responsible for continuing to study the living hyenas. As for the coniferous forest, it will be left to the clergy of the church to investigate."

"We at the Border will try to find out the details of the Holy Abyss. I think we will divide the work like this for now. Do you have any objections?"

"...We have no objection." Alvan said.

"We have no objection either." Luo Xiu also responded, "This way, we will all be familiar with each other's arrangements, and we can find time later to exchange the intelligence we have obtained."

"Well, that's it." Baines nodded. Then he slowly said:
"Mr. Luo Xiu once reminded me of something that I was very concerned about."

"Lord Luo Xiu once told me that if the 'Fang Head' appears, it means that the 'Executioner' is not far away."

"For this reason, I have sent people to conduct a special investigation and have indeed obtained some information."

"One of the 'Executioners' of the Dark Principality, the 'Shadow Military Advisor' Koros, has arrived in Feite City."

"He is not far from Red Maple City. It is only five days away at most. I am worried that the defeat of the Black Vanguard Army in this decisive battle will attract Koros."

...He will definitely come. Luo Xiu thought to himself. Luo Xiu, who had been keeping an eye on Koros for a long time, knew Koros's general itinerary, but Bagli was not with him now, so Luo Xiu did not have the latest information about Koros for the time being.

Baines' intelligence network has collected information about Koros, which means that he will arrive in five days at the latest... Luo Xiu was thinking about this in his heart, and he couldn't help but hope that Hubert, the "Senior Deacon" of the General Church, could come faster so that he could be promoted to the "Fifth Destiny" one day earlier, which would make him safer.

But then he heard Baines say:
"In addition to the Executioner Koros himself, my scouts also told me some bad news - Baberon, a 'Hidden Elder' of the 'Hidden Omniscient One', is traveling with Koros."

After saying this, Baines glanced at the "Great Alchemist" Alvan. Alvan's eyes suddenly widened and he looked a little unbelievable.

"You mean the 'Hidden Omniscient One'?!" Irfan almost shouted, "And the 'Hidden Elder' Baberon?"

'Hidden Elder' Baberon... Luo Xiu still has some impression of this name.

As his memory was retrieved, Luo Xiu quickly recalled that it was the "ally" that "the Executioner" Koros had found for the matter of "Side's Notes" and that "the Violent Swordsman" Bagri had reported to him a long time ago.

At that time, Luo Xiu successfully let Bagri divert Koros' attention, causing a big fight between Koros, the "Hidden Omniscient" and the "Pure Order".

Luo Xiu did not pay attention to the follow-up of this incident, but he could probably guess that the "Executioner" Koros and the "Hidden Elder" Baberon gained little from it... They are still traveling together now, could it be that it is still about "Side's Notes"?
As Luo Xiu guessed this, he soon realized that this might be an opportunity for him to complete the hidden task [The Filthy Wail] that had been gathering dust in the task panel for a long time.

He remained silent for a while, and only heard the "Great Alchemist" Irfan ask Baines in a somewhat inappropriate tone: "Is your news true? Who told you the news? Is it really the 'Hidden Elder' Baberon?..."

"...Irfan." Eureka, who was beside Irfan, patted Irfan's back heavily, which was leaning forward. Irfan then sat back and mumbled something in his throat.

"My intelligence has never been wrong." Baines said seriously, "But this is not the point. The point is that we need to prepare as early as possible."

"If there is only one executioner of the 'Fivefold Fate', we can still fight him. But if there are two such enemies..."

As he said these words, Baines frowned tightly. He must have been distressed for a long time, but he couldn't think of any good solution.

"The Sage Tower cannot send elders here. Those acting sages are needed to maintain the empire's first line of defense." Eureka shook his head and said, "We are unable to provide reinforcements."

"The same is true for the Supreme." Baines sighed and said, "The situation on the first front is now very critical. After Lord Bakar learned of our great victory, he was planning to transfer Frosa or me to the first front."

"..." Silence suddenly enveloped the air. After a few seconds, Luo Xiu broke the silence and said:

"...A 'senior deacon' from the General Church will come to Red Maple City soon to 'test' me for a certain priesthood. I may be able to ask that deacon to stay for a while."

"A 'senior deacon' is coming?" Baines's frown suddenly relaxed, and a look of joy appeared on his face. "Luo Xiu, this is really good news."

"But this is not his job." Luo Xiu shook his head and said, "I can only try my best to keep him, but there is no guarantee."

The coming of "High Deacon" Hubert was not a secret that needed to be kept secret.

Luo Xiu did not name the person, nor did he explain the reason why Hubert was coming. He simply greeted Baines, Irfan and others in advance to stabilize the mentality of these teammates.

After learning that a "senior deacon" would be arriving, the tense atmosphere at the scene immediately eased a lot.

Then, Luo Xiu turned his gaze to Alvan and asked him:
"Sir Irfan, you seemed surprised when you heard the name 'Baberon'?"

"...Yes." Alvan nodded.

"This is not something worth hiding within our Fangbei Academy. Even all of our warlocks know him."

"Because, 'The Sage Attendant' Baberon, he was once the mentor of Eureka and me."

"More than a decade ago, he suddenly rebelled against the Tower of Sages and joined the 'Hidden Omniscient'. His motives and whereabouts are unknown."

"We only know that he has become a 'hidden elder', but other than that, we haven't heard any news about him."

"...I see." Luo Xiu nodded. "I understand. I also heard about similar things from another 'generalist' friend, but I haven't heard from that friend for a long time."

"Your 'universalist' friend?" Irfan asked subconsciously.

"Well, Rocklan, the 'generalist' of the Alchemy Institute in Sina City, do you know him?" Luo Xiu answered him.

The reason why he suddenly asked Erfan about the "hidden elder" Baberon was not because Luo Xiu was very interested in Baberon, but more importantly, he could mention the name "Locklan" in a natural way.

Only by using Rockland as a starting point could Luo Xiu mention "Side's Notes" and reveal more or less about the real purpose of Koros and Baberon to Baines, Elfan and others in a reasonable way.

"Ah...you know Rockland."

Irfan nodded and said, "Yes, some people from their 'Skarchi' family also joined the 'Hidden Omniscient'. I think when Rocklan told you this, he must have hated them deeply."

"I'm sorry, Lord Luo Xiu. Fangbeiyuan has already received the news of the death of the 'Educator' Rocklan. On his way to Songyuan City, he was killed by the 'Executioner' Koros and his Black Fang. All the sorcerers and scholars who were traveling with him also died."

"Please accept my condolences, Lord Luo Xiu. We mourn the loss of an outstanding comrade, and we are also sad for you to lose a close friend."

"...Is that so?" A gloomy look appeared on Luo Xiu's face at the right time.

Although Rocklan's true identity was completely opposite to what Alvan said, he was actually a black alchemist who was addicted to tinkering with forbidden knowledge...but Luo Xiu was not prepared to add any more to Alvan. He just remained silent for a while, as if he was really in some kind of sadness.

Ten seconds later, Luo Xiu raised his arm, took out a sapphire pendant from his bracelet, and said:
"...I understand. Then this thing, the 'Second Order Magic Pendant' that Rocklan gave me, is Rocklan's relic...I want to give it to you. Please help me return it to the Sina City Alchemy Institute. It should have commemorative significance for them."

"..."

"...I understand." Alvan nodded and solemnly took the sapphire pendant from Luo Xiu.

After putting the pendant into the bracelet, Alvan said to Luo Xiu:
"I will send someone to return it to the Alchemy Institute in Sina City, but since this is a gift from Rockland to you, according to the rules of the 'Tower of Sages', I will return you something of greater value."

"Mr. Luo Xiu, after this banquet is over, please send someone to Fangbei Courtyard. A 'Madness Grade' puppet will be our greeting gift."

……

(End of this chapter)