"You set this up?" Bertha took two steps back, staring at the silver-masked man before her. "The person who set it up died a long time ago. Who on earth are you?"
"I am the Whip of Order."
At those words, Talina reached down swiftly, drawing two daggers from her boots. At the same time, red light flared around her, and she lunged at Neo with astonishing speed.
Yet before Talina had even moved, Neo had already raised his hand, as though everything had been foreseen. When she appeared before him with her daggers raised, Neo merely pointed his index finger forward.
"God said, let there be light."
A holy beam of light shot from his fingertip, piercing straight through Talina's shoulder. Even the precious leather armor she wore crumpled like paper, and the violent impact sent her flying backward, crashing against the stone wall.
After falling, she struggled to her feet, clutching the wound on her shoulder with sheer terror on her face.
She knew without a doubt that she was no match for this man. Whether in sheer power or combat experience, he towered over her like a mountain.
Neo held his index finger before his face and examined it closely, looking slightly out of practice and somewhat amused.
Bertha asked in pleasant surprise, "Who are you, really?"
"I told you. I am the Whip of Order."
Bertha asked excitedly, "You're undercover in the Whip of Order?"
She knew Talina's strength. The woman's prowess lay not only in her noble bloodline or her skill in bed; her personal strength and talent were exceptional.
To defeat Talina with a single finger, and using the power of Light no less—this man had to be a formidable powerhouse of the Light faction in the mortal world.
For the current Church of Light, what they lacked was not ordinary followers, but powerhouses capable of holding their own. Furthermore, during their previous exposure in York City, many of their members had been killed or captured, dealing another blow to their strength.
Talina spoke up. "Please escort me out of here. If you can escort me back to Samsara Valley, I will pay you, and the Church of Light, a reward that will satisfy you completely!"
Neo shook his head. "Too far. Not going."
"She is a young lady of the Church of Samsara's Simonsen family," Bertha reminded him. "She can deliver on the reward she promised. I assure you, this would bring tremendous benefits to both you and our church."
It was a guarantee from her bedmate, and Bertha's way of reminding Neo of the woman's noble status.
"A young lady of the Simonsen family?"
Neo finally learned her identity. The Simonsen family was renowned as the royal bloodline of the Church of Samsara. No wonder she hadn't hesitated to burn a Samsara Crystal to break the array, and had a retinue of loyal guards willing to detonate themselves just to buy her time to flee.
Tonight's moon-gazing hadn't been in vain; he truly had caught a big fish.
Neo spoke. "Take off that leather armor you're wearing."
Talina froze, but she unbuckled her armor and set it on the ground.
With the armor removed, her white undershirt was revealed, its shoulder already soaked in blood.
Neo glanced at Bertha. Though Bertha had no idea what Neo planned to do, she had after all worked as a secretary at a psychological clinic and was well-versed in reading people. She walked over, picked up the armor still warm and stained with blood, and brought it to Neo.
"May I know your name? I am Bertha, one summoned by God, a divine envoy of Light. I can help connect you to the will of Light, so that no beam of light in this world will ever be alone."
Neo ignored Bertha's words, took the leather armor, and rubbed it between his fingers. Its defensive power wasn't particularly outstanding, but it was undoubtedly expensive because its trait was not defense, but "Vitality Recovery."
If worn by a frail person, it could regulate their body by constantly drawing in and purifying the surrounding aura.
If worn by a healthy person, it served as a beauty treatment, equivalent to having one's skin receive nonstop care and maintenance.
Only a true highborn lady would wear such armor. Normal people prioritized defense when choosing armor, rather than such superficial perks, let alone paying an exorbitant price for them.
"Leather armor from the Berry religion?" Neo asked.
Talina answered, "It was crafted by Grandmaster Craftsman Sosro of the Berry religion... [Gift of Nature]."
Neo nodded. Even though he had pierced the shoulder, it was only a corner. With a little patching, its value wouldn't suffer much, and it would sell easily on the black market. After all, women's money was the easiest to make.
Then, Neo said, "Daggers."
Bertha walked over to Talina again.
Talina gave her an incredulous look, but Bertha gave her an urging nod. Still, Talina said to Neo, "I know your power, and I understand I am no match for you, but my pride does not permit me to surrender my weapons. Please forgive me."
Seeing this, Bertha shot Talina a glare, then immediately turned to Neo. "Please forgive her offense. But her status and backing are truly important to our church. We desperately need outside help right now. Perhaps bringing her back could ease relations between Light and Samsara."
"Every orthodox church only wishes for Light to be snuffed out forever."
Hearing that, Bertha quickly replied, "That is true, but our church could receive some shelter in the shadows. That, too, is vital for us right now."
"By relying on the Church of Samsara?" Neo said with disdain.
"My Church of Samsara has the standing to say such things," Talina said.
"I trust her character," Bertha chimed in.
"Order has already declared war on Samsara. Right now, at least six Order Knight Legions have launched assaults on several of Samsara's holy lands. Do you think after this war, the Church of Samsara will still have the standing to say such things?"
"What!"
Terror washed over Talina's face. Back in the Church Affairs Building, she had vaguely suspected that the matter of the Cage Space had been discovered by Order, provoking their wrath.
Yet she truly hadn't expected that Order had already declared war, nor that their knight legions were already attacking Samsara's holy lands.
"This..." Bertha turned around, looking at Talina.
Talina said hurriedly, "I guessed something went wrong, but I never imagined it would be like this."
"Daggers," Neo said again.
Talina raised the daggers. Bertha walked over and carried the pair to Neo. Examining the etchings on the blades, Neo said, "Forged by the Church of Raymond?"
The true god revered by the Church of Raymond was the God of Assassins in myth.
"Yes."
Neo nodded. This pair of daggers was also worth a fortune.
"Boots."
"What... what do you mean by this?" Talina asked. "I can give you everything on me, so long as you protect me and help me leave York City."
"I will not protect you leaving York City," Neo said calmly. "Of course, you can choose to let me take these things off your corpse myself."
"Bertha?" Talina looked at Bertha.
Bertha looked at Neo. "Since Order has declared war on Samsara, wouldn't Samsara be even more willing to become an ally of our church in the future—assuming Samsara doesn't fall under Order's offensive?"
"A dog beaten into submission and agony wouldn't dare bare its teeth again. Instead, it will fetch a white rabbit on its own to curry favor with the abuser."
Bertha was left speechless.
Neo looked at Talina again. Beneath his mask, his gaze was chilling and composed.
Talina had no choice but to take off her boots, and Bertha brought them over to Neo.
"Windchaser Boots from the Church of the Wind Goddess?"
"Yes, that's right," Talina admitted.
These boots provided an exceptional boost to agility.
Neo nodded, then looked at Talina once more. "Earrings, pendants, scrolls?"
"I didn't bring any out. When things went wrong at the Church Affairs Building, Bertha and I were lying in bed," Talina answered.
"Anonymous point coupon cards?"
"I'm sorry, I never carry point coupons."
Neo looked at the armor, daggers, and boots at his feet, then shook his head. "Feels like it's still not enough."
"If you want anything else, all I can offer you now is my underwear. I just put it on not long ago, so it's clean."
"Truly nothing else?"
"Nothing."
"If there's anything else, my promise to you is void."
Talina bit her lip and said firmly, "Nothing. You can come search me, or I can take off my underwear too and lie here, letting you inspect every inch of my body."
"I believe you." Neo gave a slight shake of his head. "No need for an inspection."
"Then can I..."
"You can walk out the door and keep running. If you're lucky, you might avoid the Order garrison entering the city. Once you escape York City, you can figure out a way out of Wien."
Hearing this, Talina immediately looked at Bertha.
Bertha turned to Neo. "You still haven't told me your name?"
"Where did you learn about this photo studio?"
"From an old notebook. The owner recorded that he had two good friends; all three loved photography and opened a photo studio together, naming it Gers after one of the friends. The other friend set up a teleportation array beneath the studio.
"I came across that notebook by chance, and I'm certain no one else has read it all these years.
"When I arrived in York City, I found this photo studio. The owner said it was founded by his grandfather and two friends, and has now been passed down to the third generation.
"The owner had no idea this space was hidden beneath his shop. I came down here before to pay respects to the traces left by our Light predecessors."
"You said earlier that the person who set it up was already dead?"
"Yes, because in the later pages, the author recorded witnessing that friend's execution with his own eyes."
"Oh. Dead, huh."
"Your voice sounds very young—I mean, you don't sound elderly. When you said you set up the array here, did you mean your ancestors?"
"What was the name of the friend who was executed in the notebook?"
"Aside from the name Gers, the author and that friend were referred to by Maclay letters; no real names were left."
"No names, huh..."
"I originally planned to investigate the notebook's contents further, including the author's identity and that of his closest friend. In the author's description, he was someone bathed in holy radiance, while that friend was someone favored by Light.
"Yet in my understanding, I had never heard of such a Light family lineage existing in York City, let alone two. As you know, Order holds Wien firmly in its grip; it is difficult for Light to achieve any real development here.
"However, because of the earlier mishap, our identities were exposed, and our original plan guided by the bell chimes failed. My subordinates and I had to evacuate quickly, so I had to abandon my planned investigation of this place."
Neo looked at Bertha. "I think you can pick that investigation back up."
"If you need me to, I will gladly serve you. That is my mission as a divine envoy—bringing gospel and aid to all, uniting everyone."
Neo chuckled. "I just think you're not suited to be a divine envoy. If you're at the helm, a ship full of people is prone to capsizing on the open sea. You'd be better off doing things within your capabilities."
"Is this your criticism of me? I accept it, and I will do my utmost to improve myself. Then, I will continue investigating this place. But how should I contact you?"
"As long as you're in York City, I can find you. Just like how I watched you two run in this direction and knew you'd come here."
"All right, I understand."
Neo raised a hand. A faint grinding sound came from outside, indicating that the entrance had been opened again. He said to Talina, "You may leave now. I hope the God of Samsara you worship doesn't send you into reincarnation tonight."
Clad only in her white undershirt, Talina said nothing more. Gritting her teeth, she turned to leave.
"Oh, right. If you run into a handsome young man carrying a greatsword outside, don't panic. He's my teammate, and should be right outside the photo studio by now. Believe me, he's very easy to recognize, whether by the greatsword or his good looks."
Talina asked hurriedly, "So... he'll spare me for your sake?"
"No. He is a devotee loyal to Order to his very bones; his eyes cannot tolerate the slightest desecration of Order. He cannot be bought, nor deceived. Offering daily salutations to the great God of Order is his greatest spiritual comfort."
"Then... what should I do?"
"I'm sick of him loitering in front of me all the time, but I can't bring myself to kill him with my own hands. Maybe I was moved by his piety, or maybe his handsome looks stay my hand.
"In short, do me a favor and kill him while you're at it."
"Can I defeat him?" Talina's expression showed a lack of confidence, her gaze dropping to her gear piled before Neo.
"You could easily kill him with your bare hands. Because he's just a God's Servant."
"R-really?"
"I swear in the name of the God of Light. When I personally vetted him into the squad two months ago, he was just a God's Servant."
Chapter 215