Mystery: The Witch of Desire

We have no choice but to deal with them.

Reeves stopped Evelyn's hand and said in a deep voice:

“I have accepted that statue and received the grace of the Great Master. We are not enemies, but sisters who serve Him together.”

Evelyn, however, did not believe Levi's words at all:

“How is this possible? The Great Master does not bestow gifts lightly. Even Samira did not have the opportunity to recite His name. How could you have received such a gift?”

Levi carefully considered his words before speaking:

“I can attest to this. In addition to tracking items, which you just mentioned, the power my great master bestowed upon me also includes the ability to maintain an extremely strong desire for money. Although I am not yet clear on what this ability is used for, it truly comes from the grace of my great master.”

Upon hearing this, Evelyn's face flashed with disbelief.

She lowered her head, her expression gloomy, and remained silent for a long time.

After a long pause, she finally spoke in a deep voice:

"Come back to the Riverside Theatre with me. I'll give you a test. If you pass, we'll naturally accept you."

Reeves nodded; he could roughly guess what the test would entail.

The carriage traveled for an unknown amount of time before finally coming to a stop. Evelyn took off her coat, wrapped it around her pistol, and then pressed the muzzle against Levi's lower back.

"Get off the bus, and don't get any funny ideas."

Reeve didn't say anything and obediently got out of the car.

He discovered that the carriage had gone in a huge circle and he had somehow ended up back at the back entrance of the Riverside Theater!

He glanced at the coachman, whose condition was clearly abnormal; his face was flushed, and he was staring at Evelyn with lustful eyes, casting a yearning look at her.

Evelyn simply waved her hand, and the coachman's eyes went numb, and he collapsed unconscious.

"The ability to manipulate others' desires and to render them unconscious—are these also gifts from that evil god?"

As he pondered this, Levi entered the Riverside Theatre through the back door at Evelyn's prompting.

Upon entering, you'll find yourself in the backstage area of ​​the theater, separated from the stage by several buildings and thick walls. You can faintly hear Xia Lani's melodious singing and the overwhelming cheers coming from there.

Under Evelyn's coercion, Reeves was led through a maze of twists and turns into a secluded room. Throughout the ordeal, he kept a close watch on his escape route, but Evelyn kept a tight grip on him and never gave him a chance to break free.

Evelyn kept her gun pointed at Levi, ripped off the cufflink from his arm, and examined it closely to confirm that it was just an ordinary cufflink, nothing special.

Then, she tapped lightly on the wall, as if conveying some kind of signal. Soon after, one of Evelyn's men arrived and took the cufflink away.

At this moment, Evelyn confidently said to Reeves:

"I instructed my men to hide your cufflinks in a room. If you can use your tracking ability to find out which room it is, then I will acknowledge that you have truly received the great master's favor and consider you one of our companions; otherwise..."

Evelyn's expression turned cold, and the threat in her eyes was unmistakable.

A sense of unease crept into Levi's heart. He wasn't sure if his newly awakened tracking ability was accurate enough to pinpoint a specific room—in this building filled with secrets and the unknown, even the slightest deviation could lead to complete failure.

Evelyn glanced up at the old wall clock, its pendulum swinging dully, emitting a monotonous and subdued sound. She lightly raised the cold-gleaming pistol in her hand, its metallic sheen flashing in the dim light, her tone calm and utterly devoid of emotion:

"You can begin."

Levi took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, and his aura subsided, as if merging with the dim air around him. He cleared his mind of all distractions, focusing intently on the extremely faint spiritual imprint remaining on the cufflink, carefully probing its location. At first, the sensation was obscured by a thick fog, only a blurry disturbance, elusive and difficult to grasp; he gritted his teeth, extending his spiritual energy like fine threads, patiently combing and guiding it. As his mind sank deeper, the blurry sensation gradually became clearer. The faint spiritual fluctuation condensed into a single point in his perception, with a clear direction and distance, like a single star in the darkness, firmly anchored in a certain position.

After confirming that everything was correct, Levi opened his eyes and stepped out of the room.

The narrow corridor was lined with dozens of tightly closed doors, layer upon layer. To find the correct answer by luck would be an impossible task. Without hesitation, Levi followed his instincts and walked straight through the corridor, stopping in front of an inconspicuous door.

He composed himself slightly, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart, turned around, and looked at Evelyn with feigned composure, awaiting her judgment.

Evelyn asked expressionlessly:

"Are you sure this is the room?"

Reeves thought for a moment, then adopted a devout expression:

"Thanks be to my Lord, He has enabled my eyes to see through the fog."

Evelyn, upon hearing this, was filled with respect and also raised her hands in a shout:

"Praise be to my Lord, who is our mother and our father, the root of all curses in this world, and our guide to the abyss!"

As Evelyn showered her with praise, her cool eyes grew fervent, her gaze towards Reeves filled with warmth and affection.

"I never imagined that Samira would fail, while you, a complete stranger, would succeed in receiving my Lord's blessing! Who you are is no longer important; from now on, you are our companion!"

As she spoke, she opened her arms to Levi.

Chapter 49 Sharon

"Is...is this a hug for me?"

Reeves paused for a moment, then reluctantly opened his arms and embraced Evelyn.

The moment he touched her, he could clearly feel her soft outline, but her body was icy cold, without any warmth that a living person should have, like a walking corpse.

Evelyn hugged him tightly, her body trembling slightly, as if she had truly seen her long-lost sister.

But Levi's heart sank deeper and deeper. The cold touch did not bring him to his senses; instead, it quietly ignited a burning desire within him, spreading uncontrollably throughout his body. He gritted his teeth, desperately suppressing the inexplicable restlessness, struggling against the uncontrollable desire within this cold embrace.

Evelyn seemed to notice Reeves's unusual behavior and smiled slightly:

"I'm sorry, I accidentally used my ability and manipulated your desires."

Only then did she release Revi, her usually cool face now filled with piety:

"Once Lady Sharani's performance concludes, I will gather the rest of the blessed ones and proclaim this good news. With your participation, our ceremony to welcome the Lord's coming will be even more perfect."

Lady Sharani... So she's the leader of the Hyena Gang? How utterly absurd—the leader of a group of cult members is openly and brazenly active in the public eye as a famous actress.

The words "the coming of the Lord" alone gave him a faint sense of foreboding and destruction.

Reeves was mentally calculating how to extract more secrets from Evelyn, but on the surface he feigned a pious and obedient demeanor, carefully choosing his tone as he asked:

“Ms. Evelyn, I would like to know what abilities my great master has bestowed upon me, so that I may have a clear understanding of them.”

Evelyn nodded slightly upon hearing this, her face immediately displaying an expression of fervor and pride, and she said:

"Of course, as qualified believers, we need to understand the miraculous power of the Great Master, which will make us more awe-inspiring and more devout. Even if you don't mention it, I will tell you."

"This seemingly cold lady is actually a fanatical cultist..."

Levi inwardly grumbled, but outwardly pretended to listen attentively.

Evelyn cleared her throat and spoke slowly and deliberately in a serious tone:

"The Great Master governs desire and the abyss, and is the master of all demons and heretics. The power He bestows upon us is similar to the traditional extraordinary pathways, but far more refined. The first stage of the power He bestows is called 'Miser,' which corresponds to sequence 9 of the traditional extraordinary pathways. That is, the stage you are currently in. The Miser has an extremely strong desire for money, food, and the like, and can sense items that he once owned."

She paused and continued:

"The second stage of His gifted power is called 'Sex Addict,' which corresponds to Sequence 8 of the traditional extraordinary pathway, the stage I am currently in. Sex addicts have a comprehensive improvement in their physical condition; they can use their eyes and words to induce lust, concoct aphrodisiacs, and are extremely sensitive to the scent of hormones."

"The third stage of His gifted power is called 'The Actor,' which corresponds to Sequence 7 of the traditional extraordinary pathway, the stage that Lady Sharani is currently in. The Actor can alter muscles and bones to disguise himself and gain a weakened version of the extraordinary abilities of the person being imitated. He can make others fall into his performance."

"As for higher levels of ability, that is beyond our current comprehension. Our faith and piety are still weak and insufficient to persuade our great master to bestow further power upon us."

Upon hearing this, Levi immediately fell into deep thought.

It must be said that the power bestowed by that great master is truly terrifying. The miser of Sequence 9 has little combat power, but starting with the sex addict of Sequence 8, they have formidable combat power and can even manipulate the desires of others. And the actor of Sequence 7 can actually obtain the extraordinary abilities weakened by the imitator!

It has to be said that Grace's extraordinary abilities are truly bizarre. No wonder the Hyena Gang controls the Riverside Theater, and the gang leader, Sharani, has become a famous actress herself, because she is an "actress"!

"Is this similar to how an assassin can accelerate the digestion of magical potions during assassinations?"

While pondering, Levi dealt with Evelyn:

“I understand. I will serve my great master even more devoutly in order to receive higher levels of blessings.”

Evelyn nodded in satisfaction and led Levi into a secluded meeting room, which was dimly lit and simply furnished.

A moment later, a cold, sinister figure pushed open the door and entered first.

The newcomer was enveloped in a somber aura, his face wrapped in yellowed old bandages, revealing only a pair of dark, cold eyes, the gaze piercing through the gaps like the chill of a tomb's depths. He was robust, yet his steps were eerily light, as if he were treading on shadows, his entire being exuding a deathly stillness incompatible with the living.

He spoke in a cold voice:

"Lady Sharani's performance has ended, and she will arrive soon."

Evelyn nodded slightly, then turned to Reeves and introduced him:

"He is Princeton, a miser, and also the gravedigger of Sequence 8..."

Before he could finish speaking, Princeton suddenly erupted in fury, his low growl echoing through the small conference room:

"What are you doing? Revealing my ability sequence to a stranger!"

Evelyn, however, paid no heed, her eyes blazing with an almost manic fervor:

“She is not a stranger. She is a believer of the Great Master, a beloved child bestowed by the Lord’s own hand, and our sister!”

Princeton scoffed, his tone full of disdain and sarcasm:

“I don’t care about any of that. Does receiving a gift necessarily mean you share the same goals as us? What if… the master’s judgment is wrong?”

These words were like a lit fuse. Evelyn's expression instantly turned cold. She abruptly raised her eyes, her aura suddenly becoming sharp and frenzied, her voice trembling slightly with extreme rage:

"How dare you... question our great master?!"

At the same time, a faint glow quietly rose around her, and as her hands moved swiftly, a dark spiritual power swirled around her fingertips.

"enough!"

A charming and melodious voice rang out, its tone gentle yet carrying an undeniable authority.

Evelyn and Princeton, who had just been at loggerheads, instantly suppressed their murderous aura, calmly returned to their seats, and put aside their anger.

Upon hearing the sound, Rivi turned his head and looked at the woman who had pushed open the door and entered.

She wore a form-fitting dark dress that trailed on the ground. Her face still bore the makeup from the performance, exuding both dazzling brilliance on stage and a bottomless chill.

She is the most popular actress at the Riverside Theater, the dream lover of countless people in Tingen City, and the leader of the followers of the evil god—Xia Lani.

Chapter 50 Testing

Xia Lani walked slowly to the center of the conference room, her gaze sweeping over the three people. Her tone remained charming, yet carried an unyielding authority:

“I can clearly feel the divine aura bestowed upon her by the Great Master. We are all brothers and sisters serving the Lord, and there is no need for us to hide anything from each other.”

Princeton remained silent, the bandages on his face unmoved. He sat up straight in silence, refusing to look at Evelyn again.

Xia Lani smiled knowingly and said:

“I am an actor of Sequence 7. Before receiving the grace of the Great Master, I was just an ordinary mortal who had never touched the threshold of the extraordinary—this only further demonstrates the supreme power of the Lord, who can directly elevate a mortal as insignificant as dust to an extraordinary being of Sequence 7.”

Levi's heart skipped a beat, filled with inward shock. He never imagined that a powerful extraordinary being like Sharani was previously just an ordinary person. The blessing from that evil god could directly propel a mortal to the level of Sequence 7; this power was truly terrifying.

Immediately afterwards, Evelyn leaned forward and said in a somewhat icy tone:

“I am a sex addict of Sequence 8, as I mentioned earlier. In addition, I am also a Fallen Angel of Sequence 8 of the Demonic Path. I used the Demonic Trick of the Fallen Angel to sneak into your carriage earlier.”

As she spoke, she glanced at Princeton and added:

"You already know about the situation at Princeton, the gravedigger of Sequence 8."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sharon, Evelyn, and Princeton all turned their gazes to Levi, scrutinizing and probing him as they waited for him to speak.

Suppressing the turmoil within him, Levi feigned compliance and slowly began to speak:

“My name is Livre. According to Lady Evelyn, I received the first stage of the Great Master’s blessing and am now a Sequence 9 miser, as well as a Sequence 9 assassin.”

Levi didn't know if the other party had the means to detect extraordinary sequences, so he didn't hide the fact that he was an assassin.

"assassin?"

Upon hearing this, Sharon raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in her beautiful eyes, but she didn't ask any further questions, as if she had only heard something trivial. Evelyn and Princeton, standing to the side, also wore more serious expressions upon hearing this.

Reeves understood. He clearly remembered that Wright, the deputy at the Riverside Theater, had died alongside Jason, the assassin. Now that he had revealed his identity as an assassin, they would inevitably connect the two events.

But that was exactly what he intended—this undisguised honesty made him appear completely unaware of the previous entanglements, seemingly revealing his identity while actually quietly absolving himself of any connection to Wright's death.

After a moment of silence, Sharani leaned forward slightly, her tone suddenly becoming serious, her gaze fixed on Levi, and slowly asked:

"Livia, how did you obtain Samira's statue? Describe the process in detail, without omitting anything."

With his eyes lowered, Levi began to speak slowly and calmly—he lied and claimed that he had joined the Hyena Gang by chance and was ostracized by Samira. When Samira died from being corrupted by a strange power, he went to dispose of her body but unexpectedly made contact with the female statue.

When talking about his entanglement with the statue, he deliberately slowed down his speech, describing the scene of his chance encounter with the statue and being drawn by a mysterious force, recounting the strange phenomena that followed, and how he was eventually enveloped by the grace of the great master and received blessings.

Throughout his speech, Levi spoke sincerely, as if everything he said was true, but in the moments when no one noticed, he subtly concealed all the key points that were unfavorable to him.

"Praise be to my Lord, all glory is to desire!"