Nightmare Light

Chapter 204 Vice-Bishop Zhao's Room

As soon as Bishop Du said this, the surrounding priests seemed to realize something, and everyone's expression changed when they looked at Lin Wang.

A person who can simulate the spiritual power of a true god?
Lin Wang shook his head: "I think you're overthinking it—I just tuned and synchronized the mental frequency of this headband, not the mental strength of a god."

After he said this, the expressions of the surrounding priests softened considerably.

Even Bishop Du seemed to believe Lin Wang's statement and did not delve further into the topic.

Although his ability to manipulate mental energy already surprised these priests, it was still better than the fact that he already possessed the authority of a true god...

Only Shi Xionglue, standing not far away, looked thoughtful and gave Lin Wang a deep look.

Is it really possible for mortals to synchronize with the mental frequency of gods...?

……

Lin Wang followed a priest and walked towards the display case again.

He didn't tell the priests the truth about the thorn headdress—the truth was much simpler than he had just described.

Having the authority to manage the tree fern, he merely glanced at the headband and forcibly "took over" its management.

It's as easy and simple as a sub-unit returning to its parent body.

This process, even within the server functionality, is simply represented by a single log line: "[Take over secondary unit]".

This also prompted Lin Wang to think: Is the secondary unit really a divine artifact that the goddess once wore on her head?

While he was thinking, he walked to the cabinet.

Lin Wang had already decided what he wanted: "A corpse wrapped in a banner... and this, yes, this shriveled fruit."

The priest asked curiously, "You are a mortal priest of the burial school, so it's easy to understand why you want this corpse-wrapping banner. But what do you need this dull walnut for?"

"Is it called a 'dark walnut'?" Lin Wang weighed the shriveled tree fern fruit in his hand. It was very light and at first glance it did indeed look like a walnut.

“Yes, this thing is very strange… No matter the environment, and no matter what kind of mundane or even divine magic is applied to it, it cannot be made to glow or react,” the priest said. “If it weren’t for its strong suppressive effect on mad mundane masters, the temple wouldn’t have placed it here.”

Lin Wang nodded: "I'll take this one—I feel like I'm destined to have it."

The priest neither agreed nor disagreed, and handed both items to Lin Wang.

[Recycling Complete]

Bishop Du waved his hand, and several priests brought over a few chairs and a table, on which tea and snacks were laid out.

Bishop Du gestured for Lin Wang and Shi Xionglue to sit down at the table.

"Alright, enough time has been wasted... Now, let's talk about Vice-Bishop Zhao."

Now we've finally come to this.

Lin Wang thought to himself.

Bishop Du said, "According to Commander Shi Zhan... oh, from now on I should call you Bishop Shi."

Shi Xiong gave a wry smile: "No, I'm really not used to you calling me that. I'm more used to fighting in armor..."

“Alright, then I’ll call you cook too.” Bishop Du quickly changed his address. “That’s fine too, it’ll make things easier for me.”

Shi Xionglue: "..."

"According to what the cook just said, after the battle in the Underworld, you thought Vice-Bishop Zhao was about to die, so you went to take care of other matters. When you came back, you found that her 'body' was gone?"

“Yes, based on Vice-Bishop Zhao’s previous actions, Brother Lin and I believe she has escaped,” Shi Xiong said. “My thought is—I believe that, given her way of thinking, what she’s about to do will certainly not be good, firstly, and secondly, it certainly won’t be good.”

Bishop Du pinched his long eyebrows, slowly smoothing them, and pondered for a few seconds. Then, he nodded very seriously to the two of them: "I think you are right."

He stood up, beckoned to a priest, and said to her, "Bring me the Ant Gu Mirror."

The priest nodded and left. Then, Bishop Du stood up, his gaze serious, and looked around the entire room.

The middle-aged bishop's demeanor changed instantly; his expression turned serious. In a flash, he transformed from a gentle middle-aged man into a powerful and imposing figure.

He addressed all the priests in the room in a loud voice: "We believe that Vice-Bishop Zhao's actions have constituted a substantial threat to the temple and the Chu Federation... We have determined it to be a defection, and we are to immediately launch an investigation and manhunt for her."

He said to Lin Wang and Shi Xiong, "Come with me."

The group walked through a series of stone corridors, climbed steps, and traversed a section of the enormous temple before entering a side building at the rear of the temple.

The side building was still primarily constructed of stone, but the rooms had been transformed into a series of closely spaced small rooms. The priest leading the way told them that this was the dormitory for all the clergy of the temple, and that Vice-Bishop Zhao's room was also located here.

The group walked to a door, and the priest with the key unlocked it and pushed the door open.

Bishop Du led Shi Xionglue, Lin Wang, and several priests in charge of the search into the former dormitory of the female vice-bishop.

This is a small suite with two rooms, one in the front and one in the back.

The clergy's suite was not for luxury, but for knowledge—the outermost room served as both a reception room and a study.

Apart from the desk and two chairs placed casually, the walls of the room were covered with bookshelves filled with all sorts of temple texts.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, nothing was found in Vice-Bishop Zhao's room," a priest told Bishop Du after searching both the inner and outer rooms.

Bishop Du glanced at Shi Xionglue: "Bishop Shi, have you discovered anything?"

“If it were a fight, I could tell something… but what can I tell from this woman’s room?” Shi Xiong shook his head slightly. “However, I do find that she seems to be someone who doesn’t really enjoy life.”

"Hmm? Why do you think so?"

"There's no smell of food in this room, which means she doesn't like to eat."

"..."

Bishop Du shook his head, then turned to look at Lin Wang: "Mr. Lin Wang, what do you think... you've discovered?"

He turned his head and saw Lin Wang standing in front of the desk, slightly bent over, one hand groping on the table, looking thoughtful.

"Lin Wang?"

Lin Wang didn't answer. Instead, he focused intently, ran his hand over the entire tabletop, then scratched at one corner of the table with his fingernail before bringing it to his nose to smell it.

He asked Bishop Du, "Did Bishop Zhao write things frequently when he was at the temple?"

“As far as I know, no,” Bishop Du replied. “Some priests might write down their understanding of divine magic, or compile and organize some religious materials and mythological texts… but Vice-Bishop Zhao did not participate in these things, so theoretically she should hardly write anything.”

"That's strange then." Lin Wang scratched at the table again. "Come and see."

The two men moved closer to the table, and upon closer inspection, their eyes narrowed slightly.

On the right side of the table, there were some barely noticeable ink stains. After Lin Wang scratched them off, the original color of the wood was revealed, creating a very clear contrast.

Clearly, the owner of this table had written a lot here, which is why there are scratches on the table, which were then deliberately wiped clean in an attempt to cover up these marks.

"If she wasn't required to handle the temple's paperwork... then what did she write at this table?"

(End of this chapter)