Secrets: Priestess

Chapter 206: Fear Bishop
In St. Samuel's Church, the morning sunlight streamed into the Archbishop's office, which was a small conference room. Claire sighed softly:
"You really think highly of us by entrusting us with this kind of task..."

St. Anthony's demeanor returned to calm, and he spoke firmly, "Precisely because this matter is so serious, we all need to contribute. This is an era of revelry for cultists, and we cannot afford to retreat."

"The era of cultists' revelry?" Claire looked at Saint Anthony in confusion. "What does this mean?"

Saint Anthony nodded and said, "Galadia, you often stay in the archives to review materials, so you should have noticed that the cultists are becoming more and more active..."

This is true. According to the case files, the frequency and intensity of supernatural events are increasing year by year.

Is it possible that the power of the evil gods is growing?
Could it be that the righteous gods are unable to suppress the evil gods?

Although Claire didn't explicitly state these suspected blasphemous issues, they were clearly shown on her face.

Faced with Claire's reaction, Saint Anthony remained silent for several seconds. He drew a crimson crimson shape on his chest and spoke, "The Lord protects us, but the end of all destruction is near, and the forces of evil are becoming active."

end?

"The evil gods are about to bring about the end of the world?"

Claire's brain was a little out of sorts. Due to her own experiences, she had a very bad impression of those evil gods.

But based on her current knowledge, she has come to understand that whether it is a good god or an evil god, they are the end point of the potion system and are essentially similar.

And divinity is necessarily connected with faith.

But even if those evil gods were squeezed out by the seven righteous gods and could hardly preach, they would not bring about the end of the world...

end……

Claire remembered that she had seen this word in Roselle's diary. Roselle had once joined a secret organization with a long history, mystery and power.

According to Russell's description, the long-established organization believed that dusk was bound to come and doomsday was inevitable.

[When dusk comes, when the end of everything comes, He will awaken from His slumber, let everything return to Himself, and create a new world and a new history.]

All belongs to Him...

This is... aggregation!
Claire thought of the indescribable, illusory scenes of separation and reunion she had seen when she was on the verge of losing control and when she had come into contact with divinity.

I thought of the Creator who created everything, as mentioned in various church scriptures, cult doctrines, and even myths and legends!
Is it the Creator awakening?

Is this the truth about the end of the world?

Instead of the evil gods bringing about the end of the world?
Even the frequent occurrence of strange and bizarre events could be the evil gods and their followers trying to save themselves?

Even trying to save the world?

Thinking of this, Claire couldn't help wanting to laugh.

Take the Battle of Tingen, for example. If it weren't for the desperate resistance of the Nighthawks, countless ordinary people would have died in the birth of the evil god's offspring. And the Tingen incident wasn't even the most tragic or widespread evil event recorded in recent years.

Even if the cultists have the attitude of resisting the coming of the doomsday, those crazy, cruel and bloody guys don’t care about the life and death of others at all. They may even deliberately sacrifice some people’s lives, just like deliberately crushing an ant colony.

Claire took a deep breath and uttered a single word clearly to Saint Anthony: "Gather..."

Claire saw Saint Anthony's unwavering gaze waver at that moment. She was shocked, but...

Claire was keenly aware that the word "gathering" was not the same as the end of the world mentioned by Saint Anthony!

However, Claire continued, "I once read in an ancient book about the end of the world. It says that what is separated will eventually come together. The Creator separated everything, and everything will return to Him."

A terrifying power was awakening in Saint Anthony, and his deep black eyes emitted a strange power that frightened the soul: "This is the words of the heretics."

Claire's consciousness was instantly blanked. It was as if she had seen an extremely terrifying scene, which made her lose the ability to think and the sense of time and space...

But at this moment, Claire suddenly felt pain in her heart.

She regained consciousness and saw Saint Anthony, who was looking at her with an inexplicable expression.

Saint Anthony looked pious, as if the power that had just erupted was an illusion. He slowly shook his head and answered Claire's earlier doubts, "Gathering... That's not the end we face right now. The Lord once said that a danger threatening the entire world is approaching. However, in this crisis, the potion's power becomes easier to digest. This is what causes the frequent occurrence of unnatural events and the increasing harm they cause."

"Just like many Nighthawks and even the Red Gloves fear the advancement of their Sequences, fearing the indigestible madness within the next-level potions... Many high-ranking officials in those secretive organizations also hold a similar mindset. Moreover, the higher the Sequence, the easier it is to lose control..."

"But in this era when potions are easier to digest, some people are stirring, attempting to acquire a more powerful yet more dangerous power."

Claire interrupted, "Like the former Four Emperors?"

During this conversation, she had revealed many things she shouldn't have known and had been intimidated by Anthony Stevenson. However, since they could continue this peaceful exchange, Claire concluded that Saint Anthony had tolerated her probing for some reason.

Therefore, Claire wanted to take this opportunity to clarify the many questions hidden in her heart.

Saint Anthony remained silent for a moment before nodding and saying, "Yes, the Four Emperors once possessed power comparable to that of the gods. Even one of the Four Emperors, the Night Emperor, established the Trunsoste Empire with the support of the Goddess and the other righteous gods."

Seeing Saint Anthony fall silent again, Claire gently asked, "Can you explain that history in more detail?"

"No." To Claire's surprise, Saint Anthony smiled mischievously and rejected her directly.

Saint Anthony said, "These are not areas you can get involved in today... At least, you will be qualified to know these true histories after you enter the realm of demigods and demigods."

"Furthermore, Her Highness Arianna is more qualified than I to explain to you the true history obscured by these extraordinary powers."

"Okay, let's get back to the topic." Saint Anthony brought Claire back to her senses.

"The crisis looming over Backlund and even the entire Loen Kingdom lurks in the shadows. It's even very likely related to the Augustus family. Limited by the agreement between the church and the royal family, we cannot conduct an investigation into the Augustus royal family without a clear oracle."

"This requires you, Dunn Smith... and these core members of the church to conduct a covert investigation."

It's more of a bait than an investigation.

Claire sighed inwardly, but she still accepted the church's arrangement. If she truly left the church, or even the goddess's support, the taint within her would spiral out of control in a matter of seconds.

However... after realizing the danger of this investigation, Claire planned to push the other team members out of the center of this vortex without attracting attention.

Daly, Audrey, Hugh...

Perhaps it was difficult for everyone in Backlund to escape this crisis, but being at the center of the conspiracy was too dangerous for them.

As for Tessa...

Claire felt a surge of irritation. This was the only person she couldn't push out of the vortex's center. According to the church's arrangement, Tessa Poslan was the bait at the very center of the vortex, far more important than herself. "I'll tell Tessa Poslan everything I know," Claire said to Saint Anthony. At least this way, the woman would be more aware of the danger of this incident.

In response, St. Anthony did not show any intention of stopping them, but simply said: "The goddess will protect you."

The Archbishop hadn't responded to the Goddess about this matter before. Would he really protect us? Claire complained in her heart, but she didn't dare to say it out loud.

Claire could still clearly distinguish which words could be used to test the waters and which words had to be buried deep in her heart.

Finally, Claire asked Saint Anthony, "I hope Your Excellency Saint Anthony can help me with one last question. What is the name of your sequence?"

Saint Anthony lowered his eyes and responded simply, "Fear Bishop."

It turns out he is called the Bishop of Fear!

Claire pondered in her heart.

Her Highness Arianna's Sequence is obviously higher than His Excellency Saint Anthony's, that is, the "Servant of Secrets" is Sequence 2, while the "Bishop of Fear" is Sequence 3!

序列9“不眠者”、序列8“午夜诗人”、序列7“梦魇”、序列6“安魂师”、序列5“灵巫”、序列4“守夜人”、序列3“恐惧主教”、序列2“隐秘之仆”……

The names of the sequences emerged in Claire's mind one by one. She had a complete understanding of the Sleepless Path, except for Sequence 1, which could not truly exist because of the Goddess of Night.

This is also the third path that Claire has a relatively complete understanding of after the "Sun" path and the "Black Emperor" path.

As for her speculation about Sequence 1, Claire thought of the goddess's honorific name:

The goddess of the night, higher than the stars, and more enduring than eternity;

The Crimson Lord, the Mother of Secrets;
Queen of misfortune and terror, lord of sleep and silence.

Fear and secrecy are both revealed within it. Perhaps the name of Sequence 1 is also contained in the goddess' honorific name.

Crimson, secrecy, disaster, fear, sleep, silence... these all represent the authority of the Goddess and are also the integration of the abilities of the "Sleepless One" path.

Claire restrained her thoughts on the Goddess of Night. After bidding farewell to the "Bishop of Fear" Saint Anthony, she pondered how to proceed with the next investigation.

The Capin case might indeed involve the Augustus royal family, which is why it was handled so cleanly by the forces behind the scenes, making it difficult to find any clues in Backlund.

They couldn't just barge into MI9 to interrogate them.

"It seems like there are a lot of clues, but there are only two lines that can be investigated further..." Claire thought with a headache as she sorted out the complicated case.

One is the bait "Alicia" played by Tessa, who might really be able to wait and see for some clues.

The other is "Admiral Disease" Tracy who is hiding on the sea. If we can find the slave ship of this legendary pirate, we may be able to follow the clues to find the mastermind behind the scenes.

The first clue requires enough patience and enough caution.

The second is to search in the vast ocean.

It's not something that can produce results in a short time...

"Think of a way to start with MI9?"

Claire thought of the golden-masked man, Joakim Laval, the MI9 member who had taken such good care of Xio.

"Saint Anthony informed me of unusual personnel movements within MI9. Could Joakim Laval's transfer from MI9's core authority be related to these movements?"

Claire also thought of Hugh's father, Mason Dill, the former deputy director of MI9 who was sentenced to death by hanging for treason. Could he be related to the unusual personnel movements in MI9?

With this in mind, Claire went to the Oak Leaf Bar first, handed the "Master Key" to Xio, and asked him to deliver it to the "Hunter".

Then, with the attitude of giving it a try, he left secret codes for meeting at some places agreed upon with Joakim Laval.

After completing these tasks, Claire continued to reunite with Alger from the Church of Storms and began to investigate the Capin case. However, after a whole day of work, she still found nothing.

"Miss Tulip didn't come to participate in the investigation today?" Alger, who had been silent all the way, asked Claire before parting.

Could it be that The Hanged Man has doubts about Audrey's identity? Claire thought so and covered for Audrey, saying, "I've assigned her to handle the rest of the cases."

Then, Claire asked, "Mr. Wilson, why are you curious about 'Tulips'?"

Alger explained calmly, "It's not that I'm curious about Miss Tulip. I'm just confused as to why you, the captain, are the only one busy investigating and not seeing the other team members. This kind of situation is simply impossible among the Mandated Punishers."

Claire smiled at this and said, "Oh, I see. Actually, the Nighthawks, like the Mandated Punishers, place more emphasis on teamwork. It's just that the Red Gloves are more short-staffed, so they sometimes conduct individual investigations."

Alger flattered him slightly, "This also proves that the Red Gloves are elite."

Claire, who had been thinking of wrapping up her investigation for the day, suddenly asked, "Mr. Wilson, are any of the investigators in the Church of Storms investigating the Capen case out at sea looking for clues?", thinking of the Hanged Man's seemingly extensive and hidden network of contacts.

Alger smiled gently. "I'm sorry, I don't know much about this. Perhaps you could ask Captain Roy."

Claire wasn't surprised by Alger's attitude. After all, when they first met at the Tarot Club, the image of the "Hanged Man" left a deep impression on Claire. Claire didn't give him a chance to refute and said directly:

"Then please convey this question to Captain Roy for me."

“Uh…” Alger helplessly stretched out his hand towards Claire’s departing back. Only after Claire’s figure completely disappeared did he become lost in thought.

He did know that the Church of Storms had sent a ship to investigate the Kapin case, but he did not know the details.

"I can use Galadilla's question to get more detailed information from Roy... The Capin case is of great importance. If I can play a significant role, I might be able to receive more resources from the Church. This is also an opportunity to enter the core of the Church..."

Alger's childhood experience of being chosen but then abandoned by the church headquarters, and the abuse and injustice he subsequently suffered in a remote church, all made him yearn for the power of the Storm Church.

Becoming the bishop of the Church of Storms and gaining power has always been Alger's goal.

Even after coming into contact with The Fool and the Tarot Club, Alger still did not change his goal. He even hoped to achieve it faster with the help of The Fool and the Tarot Club.

"It's a shame I still haven't been able to establish a good relationship with Duke Negan. What exactly is the connection between Beth Lyonness, Capin, and Duke Negan? If I could grasp this connection and gain Duke Negan's support, I'd have the potential to rise even faster in the church..."

"Looks like I still have to find a way to reach a cooperation with the 'Queen'. I hope tomorrow's party will go as I wish..."

“I wonder if I can ask Mr. Fool for his powerful followers to help me…”

(End of this chapter)