The past was built upon collecting unique characteristics.

The crypt of the cathedral in Bethesda.

The candlelight flickered on the candlestick, casting the ancient murals on the wall, depicting redemption, into a dim and intermittent glow.

Located deep beneath the church, this place is a quiet sanctuary for clergy to handle private matters.

Kyle Dyson, dressed in a black butler's robe, pushed open a heavy wooden door and entered the room. His respectful gaze immediately fell on the large desk at the back of the room.

The man sitting behind the wooden table was none other than Bishop Ednor Riley of the City of Bet.

As a bishop, Ednor was tall and upright, giving people a sense of stability even when sitting. His hair was gray but neatly combed, and his light blue eyes were particularly deep, as if they could see through everything.

"Your Excellency the Bishop." Deacon Kyle stopped a few steps from the desk, bowed slightly, and placed his right hand on his chest in a church salute.

Ednor seemed to have just finished reviewing a document. Hearing the sound, he looked up, temporarily put the document aside, and focused his gaze on Kyle.

"Hmm, did you bring a report about the End of the Church incident?"

"Yes, Your Excellency the Bishop." Deacon Kyle raised his head, his expression respectful and serious. "What I need to report is the follow-up investigation into yesterday's incident involving the highly dangerous relic, 'Grey Paradise'."

Ednor nodded slightly, gesturing for him to continue.

After receiving an affirmative answer, Deacon Kyle briefly reviewed the clues in his mind and then began to explain:

"After extensive investigation and intelligence gathering, we have come to the consensus that the three major incidents that have occurred in Bet City recently are not isolated incidents, but rather are interconnected."

After pausing briefly to consider his words, he continued speaking in a clear voice.

"First, there's the case of the theft of ancient books from the 'Paradise Secret Society'."

"It all started with the robbery and murder that happened to the White family business. On the surface, it seemed to be an action taken by the 'Paradise Secret Society' to seize the ancient book brought out from the border ruins."

"But after further investigation, we deduced that the Blissful Secret Society was likely influenced or manipulated by a deeper force, and perhaps unknowingly used as a tool to divert attention and draw attention away from the situation."

At this point, he subtly observed the other person's expression, while Ednor simply nodded slightly, indicating that this information was already within his expectations.

"Based on the information we currently have," Deacon Kyle continued, "this robbery was ultimately carried out by a private investigator named Morian Thias, commissioned by Miss Charlotte White of the White family."

"A detective?" Ednor repeated the word, his question devoid of any emotion.

"That's right, and the detective successfully recovered the lost ancient book and solved the case," Kyle stated truthfully.

He then shifted the topic to the events that occurred in the next dock area.

"Almost simultaneously with the investigation into the robbery, a massive strike broke out in the dock area, led by veteran worker Joseph Norman."

"However, months before the strike, Joseph had been collecting documents on various 'taboo rituals' through underground channels. The strike and the ongoing chaos it caused provided perfect cover for what he would do next."

After taking a deep breath, Kyle's tone suddenly became more serious and forceful.

"More importantly, on the day of the negotiations, Joseph himself mysteriously 'exploded' and died in full view of everyone. After a thorough investigation, it was confirmed that he was a flesh-and-blood dummy created by some kind of magic."

"Nevertheless, the incident caused great panic and chaos at the negotiation site, and many people were injured as a result."

Ednor lowered his gaze, staring at a certain spot in silence for a brief moment, before asking:

"So do you think that strike negotiations and the public 'death' were a deliberately staged performance?"

"That's right, Your Excellency the Bishop." Kyle's tone was unusually certain, without the slightest hesitation.

"Their aim was to create chaos to cover up the real operation, but Joseph alone could not have accomplished such an effect, so there must have been assistance from the 'Endless Sect' behind it."

"While various forces were heading to the negotiation site, Joseph had already quietly escaped with 'Grey Paradise,' but due to prolonged exposure to high-ranking relics and sectarian contamination, his body underwent irreversible mutations, causing his escape to be interrupted."

"At this moment, the End Cult sent two members to ensure that the Grey Heaven was not intercepted, delaying the time for the relics to enter the final activation stage."

At this point, a deep solemnity appeared on Deacon Kyle's face.

"And that detective, Maurian Thias, also seems to have been investigating the Joseph trade case and happened to follow Miss White to the scene."

"When official forces failed to reach the core area immediately, the detective, posing as a journalist, was intercepted by the End Cult and a battle ensued."

Upon hearing this, even the usually composed Ednor couldn't help but interject with a question:

"A private investigator of unknown origin repelled two members of the End Cult?"

"To be precise, it was Miss White who fought alongside him against the enemy," Kyle added.

"The most crucial point is that 'Grey Paradise' did not activate within the scheduled time. It is possible that the intervention of this wild Ascended and Miss White accidentally interrupted a key step of the ritual, resulting in the current whereabouts of the relics being unknown."

After listening to the complete report of the incident, Bishop Ednor remained silent for a long time, only his light blue eyes still revealing a glimmer of reason.

For a moment, the room was quiet except for the crackling of the candle.

"Your Excellency, if I may ask," Deacon Kyle suddenly broke the silence, "in that emergency, why didn't we use the power of the 'Discipline' to seal off the entire city, including the roads?"

"While the 'Commandments' can certainly prevent Joseph from escaping," Ednor said slowly, his deep gaze fixed on his face, "in that situation, the same level of power could also stimulate the 'Grey Heaven,' accelerating its activation process ahead of schedule."

The bishop slowly stood up, his back to Kyle, his tall figure casting a huge shadow in the room.

"From this moment forward, strengthen surveillance and purification efforts across all parishes, especially in industrial zones and port cities." Ednor's resolute voice echoed in the stone chamber.

"Yes, Your Excellency the Bishop." Deacon Kyle bowed deeply.

But after a while, he seemed to suddenly remember something and spoke:

"Your Excellency, there is one more thing I'm unsure whether I should report to you."

"What is it?" Ednor asked calmly.

"The details of the strike in the dock area were published in the Bay City Daily today."