Goddess Kaleidoscope

Now that Abbot has finally arrived in Pine Town, he finds it far more prosperous than he had imagined. Despite being a remote border town, it boasts a large university and an open-air opera house. Apart from its relatively small population, it is comparable to many of the kingdom's major cities.

The Pantheon, rooted here, is far superior to any obscure local sect. The fact that the Holy Maiden and Pope candidates of the Holy Church of Light are all here speaks volumes.

If the king saw this, he would probably be in a bad mood again!

Albert's trip to the North was routine. Every autumn, the King would send trusted ministers to inspect the regions, assess the agricultural harvests, and also probe the lords' attitudes toward the King to see if anyone wanted to betray him.

During this inspection tour, Abbott also received an additional task from the King: to investigate the population situation of the various fiefdoms in the North. His Majesty wanted to know how many able-bodied men were under the command of the thirty-one lords, large and small, in the North.

So, looking at the strong, healthy, and rosy-cheeked local youths in the streets and alleys of Pinetree Town, Abbott couldn't help but nod.

"This is such a wonderful place!"

As dusk fell, the bustling town gradually quieted down. Seeing that it was getting late, the townspeople headed to the opera house in small groups. In recent years, the locals' living standards have improved rapidly. With no longer worrying about food and clothing, some people naturally began to yearn for spiritual enjoyment. Therefore, ever since the town's opera house was built, every performance has attracted a large crowd.

At the theater entrance, Ludwig greeted the guests with a smile. Just then, Serana and her entourage arrived. Ludwig noticed that Cai Side was not among the people accompanying her.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Cai Side discovered a golden opportunity right in front of him: Serana, that stupid woman with all her strength, had actually left him alone to guard the embassy.

Prior to this, Cai Side had never dared to follow the instructions from above to secretly film Serana with a camera. Such a peerless master's five senses are extremely keen on breath and sight, and he could be easily detected even from hundreds of meters away.

Fortunately, when Cai Side accompanied Serana to the film set, he discovered that the camera would automatically start recording as soon as the power button was pressed, unlike ordinary magical props that required someone to handle them the whole time.

Cai Side suddenly had a good idea. Since machines are inanimate objects and not as easy to detect as living people, he could secretly place an on camera in Serana's room while she wasn't looking. Maybe he could get lucky and capture some "dirt" that he could use to get by.

So after Serana left with the rest of the delegation, Cai Side immediately signaled to his accomplices who were responsible for supporting him, telling them to bring all the cameras they had on hand. Cai Side had already left a back door for them; the steel gate in the backyard was ajar and could be opened with a gentle push.

Cai Si-de believed that as long as they weren't seen by anyone on their way here, their operation would be absolutely flawless!

After receiving Cai Side's signal, the liaison quickly arrived at the alley where the embassy's back gate was located, carrying three cameras: one sent from the Sun City, and the other two obtained by businessmen through connections from the local "black market."

The "street business" in Songshu Town has always existed. Lu De knew that there was a group of black marketeers hiding in the shadows, but as long as they didn't cross the line he, Lu De, had drawn, he would usually turn a blind eye.

After all, these smugglers do have connections, and Lud sometimes needs to go through them to get things that can't be bought on the market.

Four people came to meet them. Cai Side was in the backyard. Hearing the "meowing" outside, he hurriedly ran to open the door and beckoned them to come in quickly.

Hey! Over here! Over here!

"Sir, we have brought the items."

"Were you seen by anyone on the way here?"

"Definitely not. We deliberately avoided the main roads and took the less crowded alleys. The locals were all at the theater, and we didn't run into anyone along the way."

"That's good, that's good."

Hearing the man pat his chest and assure him, Cai Side's initially uneasy heart calmed down a little. However, neither he nor his four henchmen knew that just a few minutes earlier, when he opened the door to let the man in, a group of teenagers had just passed by on the other side of the back alley. They were a group of student council members who had just left school and were on their way to the theater to watch a movie.

Fran, now the student council president, was tightly flanked by the vice president, Sasha, and the secretary, Hima, while the accountant, Mochi, the only male in the group, silently followed behind. Because they were walking slowly, he happened to spot a shadowy figure lurking in the alley.

"Sis, there seems to be someone over there!"

"A figure? What figure? Are you seeing things?"

"Impossible! I really saw it! Do you think I'm like you?!"

While busy getting close to the pretty girl, Hima turned to look at Mochi with a fierce glint in her eyes when she heard her younger brother dare to talk back to her. The younger brother was so frightened that his heart skipped a beat and he quickly distanced himself from her.

Fortunately, Fran stepped in to smooth things over, stopping Hima from physically assaulting her brother. She then looked at Mochi, who insisted she'd seen a figure flash by in the alley. They were currently on Embassy Street, lined with small courtyards used to house high-ranking foreign delegations. Fran didn't know who lived in the house in front of them, but it certainly wasn't an ordinary person!

But intuition told Fran that Mochi might not be mistaken.

To confirm the situation, Fran suggested that the other three members of his group go and inform the guards, while he would go ahead and check things out. Fran's decision was not based on unfounded confidence, but rather on a firm grasp on how to protect himself.

As the host of the goddess of the hearth, Marigsis, Fran's status is equivalent to that of a chosen one. Initially, Marigsis's divine power was weak, so there was naturally no extra power to share with her. However, now that they have entered the Pantheon, under Rudd's management, the faith in the goddess of the hearth has been restored, and Marigsis's power has returned to the third tier level. As a result, Fran has also benefited and can finally use divine magic.

While I'm not quite proficient at attacking, I can easily cast a shield on myself.

However, as soon as Fran finished speaking, Sasha and Hima objected in unison. The group of friends had no idea that she could use divine magic, and when they heard that Fran wanted to go and check the situation by herself, they refused no matter what.

The two weren't sure if there would really be any danger, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. If there were bad people, and a beautiful girl like Fran fell into their hands, the consequences would be unimaginable.

So the group refused to let Fran take the risk alone, and Mochi volunteered, saying that he, as a boy, should go and check the situation, while the three girls should go and inform the guards.

As the group was arguing, Hima, who had sharp eyes, noticed that a room on the previously dark third floor of the embassy suddenly lit up, and the light was flickering. She could vaguely see some figures moving around, which looked like a ghost story in the middle of the night.

On the third floor of the embassy, ​​Cai Side had already led several henchmen into Serana's room. One of the henchmen saw that the room was pitch black and that it would be inconvenient to work with just the lantern in Cai Side's hand, so he took out a flint and steel to light the main light in the room, but was quickly stopped by the leader who had come with him.

"Are you stupid? Have you forgotten what I told you beforehand? Nothing in this room is to be touched, especially this oil lamp. If it's been lit, anyone with a keen eye will notice. If you need light, use the lanterns we brought!"

Under the boss's reprimand, the three henchmen became even more careful.

The team had conducted thorough research beforehand and determined that the ideal installation location for the camera was a ceiling cavity, as there was enough space there to accommodate the entire camera. To prevent the faint magical fluctuations emitted by the camera when it was turned on from being detected, they also encased the camera in a full-coverage copper shell, leaving only the lens exposed.

The leader used to be a famous thief in the underworld. His three underlings were his apprentices and belonged to the same gang. By chance, they were recruited by their current boss and occasionally used their professional skills to do some shady work for their boss.

The four of them worked cautiously, with Cai Side holding the lantern tremblingly to light their way. Even though he knew there was no one else in the embassy besides them, and that Serana had taken the others to see a play and wouldn't be back for at least four hours, he was still extremely anxious. Every few seconds, he would turn his head to look at the door, afraid that Serana would suddenly jump out.

Because the older brother was so timid and panicked, the lantern in his hand trembled with his movements, so from the window, the already dim light looked like a ghostly fire flickering eerily.

"Tell me, how long will it take you to get this done?"

"If nothing goes wrong, it'll take a little over an hour. It's easy to stuff this thing into the ceiling, but to make sure it's not discovered afterward, it'll take a bit more time. Anyway, we'll take care of this job. You just need to hold that lamp steady in your hand."

Hearing their elder brother's teasing of Cai Side, the younger men who were working almost couldn't help but laugh. They had all realized long ago that this "priest" in front of them had the guts of a rat; his body had been trembling ever since he led them in.

However, the group only dared to look down on each other secretly in their hearts; none of them dared to actually mock the other. After all, their status was what it was. Even the most timid priest was still a priest, a high and mighty master, while they, no matter how bold, were just a bunch of thieves, henchmen doing dirty work.

As the group was busy working, one of the henchmen inadvertently peeked out the window through a gap in the curtains and noticed several people watching them from the main road outside. He immediately became alert.

"Boss! There seems to be someone downstairs!"

Upon hearing his subordinate's report, the eldest brother immediately stopped what he was doing, slipped to the window, and peered out from the shadows. Cai Side's already anxious heart leaped into his throat even more instantly.

Thanks to the streetlights on the main road of Songshu Town, the eldest brother judged from their figures that the four on the main road were probably teenagers who were curious because they saw the lights flashing on their side.

Based on his experience in the underworld, the best course of action at this point would be to send Cai Side, the legitimate clergyman, down to deal with them. However, the leader glanced back at Cai Side's timid appearance, with "nervousness" written all over his forehead, and thought that sending him down alone might actually make them more suspicious.

After a moment's thought, the eldest brother had an idea. He had his third apprentice put on Cai Side's robes and impersonate a priest to chase people downstairs. Among his apprentices, the third brother had the most deceptive appearance. At first glance, he looked honest and simple, but in reality, he was kind-hearted but wicked and full of evil intentions.

The delegation from the Holy Light Church consisted of more than a dozen people. They usually had limited contact with the locals, so the third brother shouldn't have been recognized.

So, following the eldest brother's instructions, Cai Side took off his own robe and gave it to the third brother to wear. They went downstairs to the main gate of the embassy, ​​pretending to stretch their arms and legs as if they were taking a break. Then, "inadvertently," they saw a few teenagers.

When Fran and the others saw a "priest" walking towards them, Sasha didn't think much of it and immediately went to meet him. She then pointed to the room where there were still lights and flickering figures, reminding him that something was wrong.

The third brother was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said.

"You mean that room? It's fine. There wasn't a thief there. It was one of our people cleaning out the insects. But thank you all for your kind reminder. May the Holy Lord bless you."

Seeing that the honest-looking priest said he was alright, Sasha and the others didn't suspect anything. Hima even complained to her brother Mochi that he was making a mountain out of a molehill and wasting a lot of time here. Only Fran calmly observed this seemingly ordinary priest.

"Since everything's alright, let's hurry to the theater."

"Yes, it is getting late."

Fran nodded, seemingly having noticed nothing, and turned to leave with his companions. But just then, a strange fragrance wafted over. Mochi, who was at the back, was the first to smell it. In an instant, he felt dizzy and his legs went weak. Before he could even warn his sister in front of him to be careful, he collapsed to the ground.

Hearing the thud behind her, Hima instinctively assumed it was her increasingly dull-witted younger brother who had tripped and fallen. She was about to turn around and tease him before helping him up when, in that instant, she too was caught off guard and collapsed to the ground. Sasha and Fran followed suit; none of the four boys escaped the same fate.

The third brother, who was disguised as a priest, had a sinister smile on his face, completely unlike his previous honest and simple appearance.

"You little brats, do you really think you can fool me?"

The third brother carefully looked around the street after putting the bottle containing the sleeping potion back into his pocket. Embassy Street was already sparsely populated, and after nightfall, it was practically deserted. After all, there was a rare spectacle tonight, and probably more than half the town's residents had gone to see it.

The third brother thought to himself that if he hadn't taken on this job, he and his brothers would probably still be sitting in the theater.

"Let's go see it tomorrow after we finish this job."

With a silent sigh, the burly third brother carried all four children into the embassy in two trips, one in each arm.

Judging from the children's matching school uniforms, they should all be students of Brewster Academy. The third brother didn't know these kids and had no grudge against them, but since they were unlucky enough to run into him and wanted to pretend they didn't know anything and report it to the police, the third brother had no choice but to be ruthless and make them all disappear.

Pine Tree Town is right next to the Void Forest. Every year, countless people go missing after entering the forest and never come out again, so a few more hotheads won't make a difference.

They brought the children into the house and tied them up with ropes. The third brother went upstairs to report the situation to the eldest brother. They would take the children with them when they left after finishing their business.

However, not long after the third brother went upstairs, Fran, who had been keeping his eyes closed and motionless, suddenly opened his eyes.

Earlier, when they were outside, Fran had already realized that the third brother was a fake priest. The tattered shoes that were inadvertently revealed under the other man's robes gave him away.

Also noticing this was Hima, who usually seemed carefree but was actually very meticulous. Unfortunately, her ability to control her expressions wasn't as good as Fran's, and the experienced third brother noticed, so he used a mind-control potion on them.

Originally, Fran was prepared to take direct action. As a chosen one of the gods, she could cast divine spells instantly. Even though Fran was not very proficient in using divine spells, it would have been enough for her to instantly kill the third brother, who was just a mortal.

But just as Fran was about to speak, the goddess of the hearth, Marigis, who was always inside her, suddenly called out to her, telling her not to act rashly.

So Fran, who hadn't made a move, was also drugged. Fortunately, the Marigis inside her was unaffected by the drug. As soon as the third brother left, she directly detoxified Fran and instantly regained consciousness.

After regaining consciousness, Fran looked around and saw that all three of her classmates were lying unconscious beside her, but fortunately their vital signs were normal.

Fran, who had no idea what the goddess was up to, asked Marigis in his mind.

"My Lord, what should we do next?"

"Don't rush, you little guys have just stumbled into this mess by accident. But don't worry too much, there are two fourth-tier gods guarding outside this house. Just stay here and pretend to be unconscious, and wait to see a good show."

"But this isn't the show we really want to see!"

Meanwhile, in the theater, Lud, whose seat was right next to Serana, was chatting and laughing with her. The two seemed to be having a pleasant conversation, which was seen by many people around them and naturally led to various interpretations and speculations.

Looking at the huge white screen that was erected on a frame in front of her, Serana smiled and said to Lud with a meaningful look.

"It's about to start, isn't it?"

"No! It has already begun."

At the opera house, audience members were still arriving when several students approached Ludwig anxiously, saying that the student council members were missing.

Thanks to the principal, Brewster College always gets free group tickets whenever the local opera house has an all-ages performance. So, as soon as dinner time is over, most of the faculty and students head to the opera house early.

The student council members have some extra work to handle, so they leave the school a little later than other students.

However, the students who arrived earlier soon discovered that the student council group, who were supposed to arrive only a few minutes later, were nowhere to be seen after almost half an hour. Out of concern, several of President Fran's fellow countrymen retraced their steps, searching all the way back to the school and then back to the opera house, but the four student council members were nowhere to be found.

It was only then that everyone realized something was wrong.

So the student representatives immediately found the principal, who was sitting in the theater. After listening to the story, Lu De was taken aback, but he simply reassured the students and told them to go back to their seats and that he would handle the matter himself.

Just then, Hydra hurried over. Having just received Hume's message from the raven, she whispered a few words in Ludd's ear, causing Ludd's expression to become subtle.

"Are those children at the embassy now?"