He was imprisoned in Nibelungen for a thousand years, only to find out upon his release that he was

"Great, little sister! Our team's food supply is unlimited and you can choose whatever you want (referring to free food purchases)! Promotions in our team don't consider age, and even the youngest sister has the right to participate in high-level decision-making meetings (referring to being part of the atmosphere-building team)!"

"Oh oh oh oh!" Xu Fangzhi's eyes lit up as he listened.

That's great! Unlike that damn church, which held her back for so long and left her still a trainee!

Beside him, Hiel's eyes flashed with a sharp light. "Junior, are you perhaps planning to betray the church? Why are you still an apprentice? Don't you have any self-awareness?"

Xu Fangzhi shrank back under the watchful eye of the senior, no longer daring to cause trouble.

The last one is the young girl Olga Marie. Her long, silver-white hair has become somewhat disheveled from the previous running and fleeing, but it still cannot hide the girl's delicate figure and face.

Hier also looked at her.

Olga Marie had previously met with the two members of their church group and introduced them to each other. She claimed to have been the monarch's agent at the Clock Tower, which seemed to imply some hidden agenda. She did state her purpose, though—to investigate the city as well.

That's easy to handle; we share the same goal. As for this kind of magician, Hierre thought he could discuss with her the strange things about the team here...

"I'm so glad to finally meet you!"

Olga Marie stared intently at Lu Ming's appearance, comparing it with the information she held in her hands. After confirming that everything was correct, she ran over and took the initiative to shake hands, her excitement visibly evident.

They actually switched sides right before the battle!?

Hier was incredulous, his mind immediately going "Huh?"

So you're all in cahoots.

Okay, then she can take on the reliable role of handling the mental tasks and test the waters with this group.

Not long after, Lu Ming finished exchanging pleasantries with Olga Marie and led them on a tour of the base:

"First, let me introduce you to Wen Gaode and Annie's team—a highly trained and well-equipped police force..."

Everyone possesses a Noble Phantasm blessed by the gods!?

Hier's eye twitched.

A surge of nouveau riche arrogance rushed towards me.

"And then, let me introduce these essential members of our team: Aozaki Touko, Francesca..."

The Grand Puppeteer is here too!?

Hier frowned.

"Ishtar, Ereshkigal, Skadi..."

Multiple gods!?

Hier was dumbfounded.

What kind of team is this? Are you a legitimate team?

Isn't it like the founder of the Dead Apostles encountering a speed bump after a stroke of luck? What exactly is so difficult about it?

"Anyway, they're in charge of assisting me in the fight. These are the two prisoners we captured alive, their names are something like Frohoff and Ottenrose..."

Hier: ! ?

A bunch of gods are only fit to assist you, so who are you?

Volume 1: Chapter 86 Even though you've lost your father, you still have me.

When Hier tried to ask Lu Ming who he was, he only received perfunctory replies such as "I'm just an ordinary person with good health and alchemy talent."

She then abandoned the approach of directly obtaining valuable intelligence.

The main problem is... your information is too fake.

Who among ordinary people would simply send several deities to the back as support while they themselves went in, single-handedly tormenting these two progenitors of the Dead Apostles to the point of questioning their very existence?

Poet, hold on!

In addition, she learned about Xia Luming's past heroic deeds from others—mainly his little fangirl Haruli—including, but not limited to, fighting against Odin, fighting against Odin, fighting against Odin...

To be honest, Hier couldn't help but start to wonder what kind of person was hidden beneath the surface of this seemingly human-looking and human-like person.

This inexplicably reminded Hier of his own workplace, the Holy Church.

To be precise, it was the "branch" she was assigned to, the burial agency, which also had a mysterious figure who was difficult to understand—the "nun" Jixiangyuan Qihuang.

This Miss Qihuang is a completely upright and kind saint-like character, both in her actions and in her inner beliefs.

But Hier felt that there were deeper reasons and hidden underlying logics that prompted her to behave this way.

"...It sounds like your goal is to wipe out the monsters and restore order to the city as soon as possible. I think we have the same goal, and we can help each other."

Getting back to the main point, unlike Sugata Naoki, who was at an intern level, Hier still hoped that the task assigned by his superior could be completed satisfactorily.

As the saying goes, since we're already here...

Didn't the higher-ups order them to investigate the Dead Apostles' plans? Whatever those ancestors' plans are, just wipe them all out; that would solve the mission at its source.

"No!" Lu Ming corrected solemnly, "To be more precise, it is to thwart Odin and the Dead Apostles' conspiracy and completely annihilate them along with their forces!"

"Uh, is that so?"

Hier responded, barely managing to suppress her embarrassment. She thought to herself that ever since visiting this team, it seemed like the word Odin was constantly on their minds.

"Mr. Lu Ming, I have many questions I would like to ask you about this!"

At this moment, Olga Marie couldn't help but step forward and ask. Despite having obtained a wealth of information through her friendship with Reines and the El-Melloi classroom, she was still eager to speak.

But she still wanted to verify things with Lu Ming so that she could better understand what her father was plotting.

"No need to be so polite, please speak."

Lu Ming noticed the girl's hesitant expression. He looked around and opened his arms:

"Don't worry about it. If you have any difficulties, just speak up! Those who have gathered here are either your teammates or the core members of my team."

"We share the same goals, we share the same thirst for truth, and we are equally determined to work together towards a better future!"

—Skadi: ...No.

"Thank you, I came to ask about my father..."

Olga Marie smiled again, deeply sensing Lu Ming's strong, unwavering positive emotions and aura.

To be honest, this was something that young Olga Marie particularly envied. She hadn't had that confident, high-spirited aura for quite some time since her family's misfortune.

Losing the power and status of the Clock Tower felt like losing one's backbone and spirit.

On the other hand, Lu Ming, according to him, dared to fight against terrifying enemies and powerful forces for a long time when he had nothing.

His spirit and will shone like gold!

"As far as I know, my father's hometown is far away in Britain, yet 60 years ago he traveled thousands of miles to participate in the experiments at Area 51..."

Olga Marie recounted the intelligence she knew, word by word.

After listening, Lu Ming gave a decisive reply, "Young lady, your guess is not unfounded. I have indeed investigated these experimental intelligences. I'm afraid your father has already become Odin's puppet and pawn."

At this point, Lu Ming's voice turned serious, "If I'm not mistaken, you're most likely also a test subject in your father's mind to complete the plan!"

Hmph, all of Odin's subordinates are like this. He remembered that the Chen family patriarch treated Chen Motong the same way, and this Animusfia family is probably the same.

"So that's how it is!"

Olga Marie recalled the strange look in her father Maris Billy's eyes, and as her confusion subsided, her heart grew increasingly heavy.

“I’ve had a similar feeling for a while now. My father used to say that he had no expectations of me, but recently his attitude has completely changed... just like Mr. Lu Ming said.”

"Hmph, that's precisely proof that he's always been Odin's puppet!" Lu Ming said.

"Including the large number of innocent people affected, the appearance of these monsters, the undisguised attacks on the city, and your father's recent unusual behavior..."

"The timing of these events is so close together, this astonishing coincidence indicates that Odin is accelerating his plans to overthrow the entire world! No, this is only the beginning of the plan!"

"..."

Seeing the two of them exchanging intelligence so enthusiastically, Hier was almost dumbfounded.

Wait, are you guys serious about what you're talking about?

She originally only wanted to investigate the Dead Apostles, but after discovering they were causing trouble, her goal shifted to eliminating them. As for the part about Odin, she simply considered it a rumor.

I thought only Lu Ming was acting strangely, but it turns out everyone around him seems to be acting a little strange.

According to you, Odin's plan is quite grand.

From the Holy Grail War to America, Atlas Institute, the Clock Tower monarch families, and the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostles... it's practically a global scheme, infiltrating every faction like a sieve!

At this moment, shouldn't she be celebrating: Fortunately, our church has escaped a disaster!

"Father......"

Seeing Olga Marie's distress, Lu Ming said, "Your father is not worth remembering. I advise you to stay away from that family."

The girl shook her head. "My father is gone now. I won't miss him."

Moreover, she is now homeless.

"It's alright. Even though you've lost your father, you still have us!"

Lu Ming comforted him, “Even if we leave our hometowns and step onto unfamiliar land, even if we have only known the people around us for a few days, we are all displaced people. There are homeless people everywhere in this city.”

"Today, we gather here to bid farewell to the past and strive for a better tomorrow!"

"Ok!"

Volume 1: Chapter 87 Be Proud, You're Strong

Hier took a deep breath.

Her mind is a complete mess right now.

Not long ago, Lu Ming's confident tone, his constant references to Odin, and Olga Marie's knowing expression... all kept replaying in her mind.

She had heard of the reputation of the Animusfia family of the Clock Tower, and since Olga Marie was from a monarchical family, she would never joke in public.

But... if all of this is true, then it seems like Hiel is a bit out of touch with the changing situation in this world.

Judging from Olga Marie's statement, based on that Area 51 experiment, America has been infiltrated by Odin, the alchemists at Atlas Institute have also been infiltrated, and the Western families at the Clock Tower are also heavily affected... It seems as if only the Holy Church remains untouched by the world.

If this is true, then she has to say—this world has a kind of beauty in its distorted timelines.

And after everything is over, how am I supposed to write that tedious report to the church leadership?

For example, "Why did the Dead Apostles come to Snowfield City?"

A: Odin summoned them.

What are the Dead Apostles' plans?

A: Help Odin overthrow the world.

How should the severity of the situation be assessed?

A: Boss, apart from our church, the entire outside has been wiped out.

Thinking of this, Hiel slapped his forehead, his face darkening.

If you write a report like this, the higher-ups will treat it as a worthless work report and fire you on the spot!

In contrast, Xu Fangzhi, who was inexperienced and had no brains, seemed quite carefree.

She was trying to get close to a uniformed policewoman named Annie, while simultaneously pulling out handfuls of black keys from under her black robes, almost piling them up into a small mountain. The size of the keys far exceeded the girl's small stature, and this amazing spatial storage ability made Annie's eyes light up.

As Xu Fangzhi chatted and laughed, his eyes were fixed on the magnificent and extraordinary Noble Phantasms that the police officers were equipped with.

Needless to say, they obviously think "Dugu Nine Keys" is too rubbish and are envious of those flashy, high-effect pay-to-win items.

"You come here right now!"

Hiel frowned and pulled the blond trainee agent over. "Turn off that look in your eyes. Are you thinking of leaving the church to join them?"

"No way! Would I be such a wavering person, senior?" Xu Fang replied with a pout, his eyes darting around, clearly not telling the truth.

Hiel's lips twitched. So you're complaining about the church's treatment? Fine, she'll remember that!

Your meal allowance will be cancelled from now on. If you want hot sauce, you'll have to buy it yourself. She only provides non-spicy curry!

"Come on, stop wandering around and get down to business."

"What's the important business, meow?"

"Those two 'Twenty-Seven Ancestors' tied up there, you didn't see them because they were just background figures, did you?"