Secrets: Priestess

Chapter 161 Asking for help
The cold morning light poured into the Oak Leaf Bar through the windows. Various bottles of wine were displayed on the wooden bar. Claire looked at these different types of drinks with great interest.

At the bar, Xio sat on a high stool, and in front of her stood a row of young men with their heads bowed.

"Are you sober now?" Xio asked these young men who looked like hooligans in a cold voice.

"Awake." The young men responded weakly, but they did not dare to resist.

Because when they squatted with their heads in their hands, they were mostly sober. After they woke up, some of them recognized that the 1.5-meter-tall woman was the "arbitrator" of the East District, Hugh Dilcha!
The notoriety of "Arbitrator" is well-known among many gangs in the East District, because during the arbitration process, this 1.5-meter-tall girl has repeatedly physically persuaded many ferocious gang members.

Therefore, among these East District gangs, Hugh's reputation is more effective than the gang's gold medal thugs!
"What's your name?" Xio asked the young man who recognized her. The young man was over 1.7 meters tall, but judging from his face, he should be only seventeen or eighteen years old.

"My name is Cham." The young man with messy hair answered quickly.

After recognizing Xio's identity as the "Eastern District Arbitrator", he immediately knelt down - according to rumors, the "Eastern District Arbitrator" held a triangular thorn and harvested the lives of all those who disobeyed her!

Cham, who was at the bottom of the society, had once imagined that he could be as powerful as the "Eastern District Arbitrator". Therefore, he was afraid that their rude behavior just now would lead to punishment from Xio.

Xio asked, "Has it always been this chaotic here?"

Cham's face flushed, and he whispered, "Uh... Actually, it wasn't this chaotic before. At least we didn't dare stay drunk in the shop. Last night, just before closing time, the boss, who hadn't been seen in a while, suddenly came to check the accounts. The manager and bartender were taken away, leaving only a few of us to guard the shop."

Chaim glanced at Xio furtively and said with a bitter face, "We don't usually behave like this. We really were drunk and offended you two. Please forgive us this time."

Xio said, "Boss? Ms. Christina?"

Qiam nodded repeatedly: "Yes. The new owner came this year, but he hasn't been to the store many times."

Claire looked around the wine cabinet and turned around: "Where is Christina?"

"This...I don't know." Cham said with some fear.

Just then, a woman's voice came from the door of the bar: "Xiu, you're here. It seems you are still interested in my bar."

Claire looked in the direction of the voice and saw a mature woman walking in. She was wearing a black dress with smooth lines, which was elegant and showed her mature and steady temperament.

But from the other party's unconcealed tone and attitude, it can be seen that this woman is Tessa!

Quinn turned toward the entrance, recovering from his initial confusion. He smiled politely at Tessa and said, "Ms. Christina, I'm here with a companion for an inspection. This is my companion, Flora."

"Viper Flora?" Tessa stared at Claire, shrouded in her robes. A flicker of suspicion flashed across her eyes, but then she smiled and asked, "How do you feel? The location and size should all meet your requirements."

"Of course, all the bar staff can be replaced." Tessa saw that these guys who smelled of alcohol might have done something inappropriate, and the smile on her lips was filled with indifference.

"Boss, I need this job." Cham and the others' faces changed, and they looked at Tessa with pleading expressions.

Whether out of pity or genuinely offering advice, Hugh advised Tessa, "A bar needs some characters like this."

Tessa threw the question back to Xio with a smile, saying, "If you become the store manager, I'll listen to you."

Upon hearing this, Cham and the others turned to look at Xio with hope on their faces.

Xio sighed softly, "Where did you take the original store manager and bartenders?"

Tessa smiled playfully and said, "I'm a law-abiding person and I won't do anything excessive."

I don't believe you... Claire curled her lips slightly from behind the shadow of her hood.

Xio also looked at Tessa with suspicion, but she didn't want to ask too much about this matter. It was obvious that the former store managers and bartenders thought that Tessa, who didn't care much about the store, was a sucker, and they colluded with each other to embezzle a lot of money from the store.

"But I have no experience in running a bar." Xio was still hesitant.

Tessa smiled and said, "But this position can only be done by you. Or should I let the companion behind you do it?"

Since the bar was to be converted into a place for concealed gatherings, the manager had to be a trustworthy person. Xio also realized that there were not many people who could sit in this position. It had to be someone from their team, not even Tessa's people.

Of course, Xio was also interested in the position of store manager, and the salary was what she needed. After thinking for a moment, Xio nodded and said, "Then let me give it a try."

Xio didn't say what to do if he lost money. Since he was going to do it, Xio only thought about how to do it well.

Hugh was a man of his own, whether as an arbitrator or a bounty hunter. This was why Claire and Tessa both admired him.

After the manager's appointment was confirmed, Chaum and the others were sent back by Xio to clean up. Chaum and the others thought they were fired by Xio, the new manager, and only left after confirming the afternoon's work schedule again and again.

After everyone left, Tessa personally showed Claire and Xio around the bar's overall layout. She explained, "The second and third floors, as well as the basement, can all be used as gathering places. I bought this place because I saw its location and layout were great."

After looking around, Claire was quite satisfied with the place. She made a final confirmation and questioned from under her hood, "Is this place related to the Witch Cult?"

Tessa glanced at Claire and sneered, "I'm not stupid. I bought this place with my personal assets. It has nothing to do with the Witch Cult, and they don't know who I am."

After confirming that there were no other hidden dangers, the bar was officially established as a gathering place. Over the next two days, Xio and Tessa were busy setting up the bar and preparing for a new round of gatherings. Even Claire would occasionally participate as Flora.

Finally, they set the date for the next round of gatherings on October 10, the full moon night of next Wednesday.

The party was being arranged in an orderly manner. On Sunday night, Tessa held up Claire's new drink and casually said to her, "Flora, I didn't expect you to have this skill. Why don't you consider staying at the bar and becoming a bartender?"

When she was on Earth, Claire had no interest in alcohol, thinking it tasted bad and made her feel uncomfortable after drinking it. However, her physique had improved and she was not easily drunk. She could taste some of the flavors. She could not be called a heavy drinker, but she had developed an interest in mixing various kinds of wine.

With her extraordinary learning ability, Claire acted like a seasoned bartender, even fooling Tessa and Hugh into thinking she'd worked as a bartender before. With Hugh managing the bar, things were back on track. Claire ignored Tessa's questions and busted through the bottles on the counter, preparing new flavors.

During the past two days of contact, Claire could sense Tessa's temptations from time to time. This woman seemed to be guessing that her Flora was Claire in disguise.

Because despite all Tessa's investigations, she still couldn't find out the origin of "Viper" Flora. This person seemed to have popped out from a crack in the stone, which naturally aroused Tessa's associations.

Claire ignored all of Tessa's little attempts—it was impossible for her to admit them. As for Tessa's speculation, well, the more uncomfortable it made Tessa, the more it suited Claire's slightly twisted desire for revenge.

Claire ignored Tessa and turned to look at the worried Hugh. "Hugh, ever since you mentioned the full moon night, you've been worried. Your eyebrows are furrowed so tightly that they're almost connected. Is there something bothering you?"

Xio looked at Claire and Tessa, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Actually, I have something I want to ask you..."

Flora is a teammate, Tessa is the bar owner, and most importantly, both of them are knowledgeable Mid-Sequencers!
With the next full moon approaching, Xio was worried about whether Fors could survive this one, so she asked the two for advice, "A friend of mine hears mumblings every time there's a full moon, and is on the verge of going mad... Do you have any solutions?"

Xio briefly described Fors's symptoms to the two people in front of him.

"These ravings drive people crazy..." Tessa sighed softly and said with considerable experience, "These ravings are the influence of higher-level beings. Unless there is a protection from an equal being, they cannot be eliminated."

Tessa's answer filled Xio's face with bitterness. How could she possibly reach such a high-ranking being? Xio looked at Claire with hope: "Flora, do you think the goddess will protect my friend?"

In the shadow of the hood, Claire shook her head and said, "As far as I know, even ritual magic can't borrow this level of power... The Chanis Gate should be able to block out the whispers, but entering the Chanis Gate on a full moon night... is almost like committing suicide."

But Tessa suddenly said, "There's a sacred object called the 'Holy Coffin' in the Goddess Church that can even block out the evil god's whispers."

As she spoke, Tessa's eyes fell on Claire.

Seeing this, Xio looked at Claire with hope. In her mind, Flora, who was of the middle sequence, might know more about the church's holy relics.

Claire thought about the last time she felt the aura of the "Holy Coffin" in St. Samuel's Church, but now the Holy Coffin was most likely in the hands of Alicia, the holder of the holy relic.

Claire sighed and said, "Captain Galadilla did tell me about the situation behind the Chanis Gate. According to the captain, there is no holy object called the 'Holy Coffin' behind the Chanis Gate in the Backlund Diocese... When I return to the church, I will confirm with Captain Galadilla, but... Quinn, don't get your hopes up."

Xio nodded with a heavy heart.

From Xio's perspective, apart from Captain Galadilla, Tessa and Flora were already the highest-level Beyonders she could come into contact with. Even they had no way to deal with her. This reality made Xio feel a little desperate.

The protection of equal existence...

After a busy and tiring day, Xio returned to his residence in Hillston. After opening the door with his key, he groped his way to Fors's room in the dim night.

It was already early morning, and Fors had already gone to bed, but on the desk in the room lay the manuscript of Fors's latest novel.

Based on the thickness of the new manuscript, Xio guessed that Fors was writing a novel while waiting for her to come home before falling asleep. Otherwise, it would be difficult for Fors, who was always lazy, to write such a thick manuscript in just one day.

"But this lazy guy... he still can't wait for me to come back. I told you not to stay up late waiting for me." Xio tidied the corners of Fors's quilt, took the manuscript written by Fors and left. He went to the other bedroom, turned on the gas light, and began to read.

Before meeting Fors, Hugh was not keen on reading, but after Backlund met Fors, Hugh became the first reader of Fors's works.

Xiu was very familiar with Fors's style of work. The protagonists in her works were as lazy as Fors, and of course, they also had Fors's self-proclaimed calmness and wisdom.

But from Forth's recent works, Hugh read the protagonist's worries and fears hidden in the text.

As the next full moon night gradually approached, Fors's heart was not as relaxed as she appeared.

"How can I feel relaxed..." Quinn muttered as he held the latest stack of manuscripts.

Neither the Goddess Church nor Miss Tessa Perslan had a solution to Fors's problem. Quinn frowned and thought of Miss Audrey.

Xio still remembered that Captain Galadilla had warned her that there was a mysterious organization behind the innocent Miss Audrey.

Xio still remembered that she had borrowed a book containing a card with the Heretic God's name from Viscount Grallint's study. And that card with the Heretic God's name was most likely arranged by Miss Audrey...

"No matter who it is, it doesn't matter who it is, as long as they can save Xio."

Xio sighed, put the manuscript in his hand back into Fors's room, and went to bed with a heavy heart.

The next day, in Queens, in the Hall family's magnificent mansion, Audrey looked at Hugh with confusion as he took the initiative to ask for a meeting.

Audrey's ability to read minds allowed her to see that Hugh was confused, anxious, and even fearful.

What happened to Hugh? Audrey was surprised.

What surprised Audrey even more was that only Xio had requested a meeting this time; Fors, who was always inseparable from Xio, did not come.

Perhaps something happened to Fors... Audrey guessed sharply.

Audrey and Susie exchanged a glance, and the golden retriever trotted over and squatted outside Audrey's bedroom, acting as a responsible and secretive "doorman."

"What's the matter, Miss Xiu?" Audrey tried her best to appear gentle, and personally placed the brewed black tea in front of Xiu before asking her why she came.

Xio clenched his hands, took a deep breath, and then turned to Audrey and said, "Miss Audrey, are you...are you a believer in some evil...are you a believer in some god?"

Hearing this, Audrey almost dropped the teacup in her hand.

(End of this chapter)