Behind Side's throne, the floor-to-ceiling windows, several meters tall, were shrouded by thick curtains that draped down like a waterfall, letting almost no outside light penetrate. Only through occasional gaps could one catch glimpses of mist and the distant silhouettes of buildings.
In this space, opulent as a private museum, she and Lanqi stood at a distance, their gazes meeting.
"I am the Bishop of Domination, Sigrid."
Side spoke the words with utmost composure.
"……"
Though Lanqi's expression remained unchanged, his momentary hesitation betrayed that he was, quite frankly, rendered speechless.
It was not because he had suddenly met a Cardinal of the Resurrection Church for the first time without warning.
Rather, he simply could not fathom the train of thought of the woman before him.
A Cardinal had actually gone undercover in the Extinction Branch?
The Extinction Branch would never in a million years have guessed that the Bishop of Domination would pull a stunt like this!
Yet Lanqi had no right to judge her, considering he had done the exact same thing—and by pure coincidence, their schemes had collided, resulting in the absurd situation before them.
"That is simply how things work in the empire right now. Within the borders of Protos, wisdom is everything."
As if reading Lanqi's perplexity, Bishop of Domination Sigrid held out her right hand with an open palm.
"Instead of recruiting en masse and risking an influx of infiltrators from the Extinction Branch, why shouldn't I go see for myself and take the very best talent they uncover?"
Whenever she wanted something, she never stole—she took it by force.
"So, you don't intend to infiltrate the higher ranks of the Extinction Branch to cause sabotage?" Lanqi asked, sounding faintly puzzled.
"That is the work of underhanded cowards. I have no stomach for it."
Sigrid clicked her tongue in disdain, as if recalling the Extinction Branch's perpetual methods.
Having achieved her objective, she had no further use for the identity of Side.
Lanqi was momentarily stunned once more.
He had assumed the Bishop of Domination was playing some grand game of chess.
In the end, her motive was far simpler than he had imagined.
She purely wanted to snatch the top newcomer recruited by the Extinction Branch.
And then personally offer Lanqi direct recruitment from the boss.
While Lanqi still appeared composed, his shadow had already begun to tremble.
"……!"
Merely being at this distance from the Bishop of Domination was enough to scare Boss Cat half to death.
Never in its life had it laid eyes on a bishop-tier figure of the Resurrection Church, yet now a calamitous existence capable of bringing ruin to heaven and earth was standing right before it!
It was a terror born from the depths of its soul, an inescapable dread toward power of an incomprehensible realm.
Under such suffocating pressure, all it could do was shiver helplessly, praying that the entity upon the throne—far more terrifying than any legendary eighth-tier demonic dragon—would not notice it, granting it a sliver of hope to survive.
"Your shadow is trembling."
Sigrid showed remarkable patience with Lanqi. Unbothered by his silence, she gazed at his shadow and murmured to herself.
Instantly, Lanqi's shadow seemed startled, twisting even more violently.
"I have no interest in harming such a weak creature, little one—unless you dare to challenge me."
Her gaze seemed to pierce straight through the shadow to perceive Boss Cat, leaving it nowhere to hide even across space.
"……!!"
As her voice trailed off, Boss Cat hesitated for a brief moment.
With its fur standing entirely on end, the little black cat finally poked out from the shadow and scrambled onto Lanqi, curling itself tightly into a ball, its entire body gripped by icy dread.
Only in Lanqi's arms could it feel the slightest trace of safety.
Its sole wish was to survive insignificantly before this horrific being.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I'm right here."
Lanqi cradled Boss Cat gently, patting it to soothe its fright.
"So, Your Grace, did you take notice of me because of my performance in the Extinction Branch's assessment?"
Lanqi looked back up, bowing respectfully once more as he posed the question.
He could not yet be entirely certain whether the Bishop of Domination had sought him out because of his reform work in the Southwestern Province or simply due to the Extinction Branch's assessment.
In the Southwestern Province, aside from the silver-armored priest he had initially encountered aboard Viscount Francis's airship, no other clerics acting as propagators and transmission channels had seen his true appearance, let alone come into contact with his true self.
Furthermore, Lanqi's indoctrination should have been quite thorough, and he had only arrived in the imperial capital of Herrom a few days ago.
Even if the Bishop of Domination had personally investigated the Southwestern Province, she could hardly have tracked down the silver-armored priest so quickly and extracted the true identity of the Pioneer from him.
"Indeed. While I have no idea what your score was in the first round, and your showing in the second was only passable, I was very taken with your performance in the final assessment."
Sigrid raised a hand and pointed at Lanqi.
"You are quite exceptional. I want you. Come serve as my direct retainer."
"……"
This put Lanqi in an awkward position.
Back in Ikerite, it seemed no one had ever regarded him so highly.
Yet the moment he arrived in the Northern Continent, he found himself favored by a Cardinal.
While the Bishop of Domination certainly showed him ample respect and offered conditions clearly two tiers above what the Extinction Branch provided—and would likely grant him an audience with the slate without much difficulty if he requested it—the real problem was that he had zero interest in viewing the Original Slate - Basic. What he wanted to see was the Original Slate - Seal!
Moreover, if he formally chose the faction of the Bishop of Domination—at the level of a direct retainer, no less—he could forget about ever remaining undercover in the Extinction Branch.
"If I join, could you allow me to remain undercover within the Extinction Branch?" Lanqi asked.
"……A clever scheme. You want to play both sides, don't you?"
Sigrid gazed into Lanqi's emerald eyes and smiled, as if reading his every thought.
"However, wouldn't allowing me to sow discord within the Extinction Branch yield the greatest benefit for you?" Lanqi explained.
It seemed the Bishop of Domination possessed an exceptionally strong desire for control.
"I told you, I have no fondness for such tricks. My direct retainers belong at my side, obeying my commands and serving me,"
the Bishop of Domination said, her expression growing noticeably impatient at Lanqi's second inquiry.
"Harboring crooked intentions within the Extinction Branch is an easy way to get killed. An intelligent man like you shouldn't need me to spell out what kind of person the Bishop of Extinction is. In comparison, if you stay with me and remain loyal, I will not only spare you punishment, but will use my power to shield you."
Lanqi gazed at Bishop of Domination Sigrid, unbothered by the death that could fall upon his head at any moment, his mind coolly weighing the circumstances.
"Agree to it, meow…… Just agree, meow……"
"Isn't it the same no matter which one you serve…… Her side is clearly way better, meow……"
Boss Cat trembled in Lanqi's arms, whispering frantically with every ounce of its strength.
At this point, it no longer cared whether Lanqi joined the Resurrection Church. It only feared that he would lose his mind and refuse the Bishop of Domination!
The instant he uttered the word 'no,' the two of them would likely meet their end right here!
Chapter 272