Do I Have to Participate Too?

That evening, in an upper-floor office of Saint Weiyefu Church, several wall lamps and the candles on the desk illuminated the room together. Feilikesi Duonowan sat behind the desk, his golden eyes glancing at Xialuote from time to time as the quill in his hand scribbled across the paper. Xialuote concealed Walunting's existence to avoid exposing Hengli'aite, disguising the information about Madam N's gathering as intelligence from within her family before recounting everything that had happened that afternoon to the Purifier captain. "...Finally, she said she belongs to the 'Aurora Order.'" "The Aurora Order..." Duonowan repeated the name in a low voice and shook his head. "There are no internal Church records regarding them—at least none that I know of. "How strong do you think that Madam N is?" Xialuote weighed her words before answering: "She can emerge directly from shadows, and she can also envelop my shadow with her own. At that moment, my spirituality gave an intense warning... She even said she has the ability to control my shadow and kill me. "I believe she is definitely above Sequence 7. An evil god's believer in Suxite could likewise hide in shadows, but was nowhere near as agile as her, nor could he threaten others from within the shadows..." While continuing to write, Duonowan asked several more questions. Then, he picked up the booklet Xialuote had bought at the gathering and began leafing through it. When his eyes swept over the honorific name of the "Attendant of the True Creator," he paused, just like any official Beyonder would. After a moment, he summarized: "Apart from the parts concerning magic mirror divination and the attendant of the 'True Creator,' the rest of the contents are authentic and credible. This means the person selling the booklet wanted to use the valid preliminary material to entice others into using magic mirror divination, thereby recruiting more believers for the entity he worships." *That was what I thought too...* Xialuote muttered inwardly, before turning to the crucial question: "Then do you think the intelligence Madam N provided is genuine?" Duonowan leaned back against his chair and said in a measured tone: "The university district is mainly the responsibility of the Church of the God of Craftsmen. If that member of the 'Aurora Order' wanted to disclose this information, she could easily have gone to their church and dropped off an informant's letter. "Why would she wait at a gathering where most people are known members, just for a newcomer suspected of being an official Beyonder to appear, and then hand the intelligence to you? There are far too many coincidences and uncertainties here..." *So the official Beyonders of Telier care about jurisdictions too... But Duonowan's suspicion makes a lot of sense. My invitation to the gathering came from that Instigator of the Sects of Wisdom, and going there today was an impromptu decision. If she hadn't run into me, wouldn't Madam N have been unable to pass the intelligence to the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun?* Thoughts whirled through Xialuote's mind, and she nodded repeatedly. Suddenly realizing something, she blurted out: "No, it wasn't a coincidence!" "I decided to tail the person selling that booklet because I saw the honorific name involving the 'True Creator' and suspected he was the cultist behind the recent attacks. But thinking back now, it feels as though I didn't seriously consider the danger I might encounter at all, nor did I heed Madam N's warning during the gathering. "And when I left the gathering, she happened to notice what I was doing, showed up to stop me, and handed over the intelligence in passing..." It all felt like an orchestrated script. At the time, the only person capable of exerting an influence over Xialuote was the unfathomable Madam N, who seemed to possess the ability to read minds! "An inevitable outcome disguised as a coincidence..." Duonowan also frowned, his gaze lingering on Xialuote's face. "There is indeed a potion pathway known as 'Spectator' capable of influencing the subconscious of others, but they do not possess the ability to manipulate shadows..." "It could be an extraordinary item—I mean, a Sealed Artifact." Possessing the Dagger of Verdict, Xialuote offered the reminder immediately. Duonowan nodded without surprise. "Perhaps. That would explain why this Madam N possesses abilities from different pathways. She might have discovered your identity after the gathering began and influenced your subconscious, emboldening you to trail that overt believer of the 'True Creator,' while she hid in the shadows to appear at the right moment and deliver the intelligence into your hands." *So I was influenced by that Aurora Order member right from the start... Was it when I bought the booklet and asked Madam N to witness the transaction, or the moment I walked into the room?...* This line of analysis aligned perfectly with Xialuote's own suspicions, sending a chill through her body. She could not help asking: "Why would she do that?" "Assuming it was indeed Madam N who influenced you, her objective is quite clear," Duonowan said, picking up the sheet of paper detailing Xialuote's report. "She referred to our search for the attackers as 'dog eat dog,' showing obvious contempt and disgust toward those people, and even said they had forsaken their faith and were being used by others. "Perhaps traitors have emerged within the Aurora Order, and Madam N wants to use the hands of official Beyonders to clean them up. That way, she won't have to act personally, and she can make the Church believe the previous attack had nothing to do with the Aurora Order." *Borrowing a knife to kill, while clearing her own name in passing...* The more Xialuote thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. No wonder Madam N hadn't reported it directly to the Church, but instead took such a roundabout route, letting the intelligence pass through a low-Sequence Beyonder who had just joined the gathering and appeared to have ties to the authorities. Moreover, she possessed the ability to detect lies. Perhaps the moment she first looked at Xialuote during the gathering, she had already deduced something was amiss from the request to buy the Arbiter formula. "Then what should we do next?" Xialuote asked. "According to standard procedure, we would first dispatch a Purifier to scout near the armory to confirm whether there are traces of Extraordinary power or hidden rituals, and whether any believers of the 'True Creator' are hiding among ordinary people. Then, depending on the situation, we would decide how many members to deploy officially and whether to bring Sealed Artifacts." With that, Duonowan stood up and walked to the window, looking out toward the north bank of the Sailunzuo River shrouded in night, toward the direction of Saint-Marre Prison and the armory. "However, if Madam N is truly taking the initiative to spread the word, and even used Extraordinary abilities to guide you toward the clues, it means the matter is already extremely urgent. "Considering the vast amount of gunpowder stored in the armory, we do not have the leeway for a slow investigation." He turned around and picked up the report from the desk. "I will notify the archbishop at once and let him decide whether to bypass ordinary scouting and directly dispatch a battle-ready squad." With that, he briskly left the office, leaving Xialuote alone in the room. Xialuote also walked over to the window, looking at the distant, castle-like silhouette of the prison as thoughts tumbled through her mind. Originally, she had merely gone to an underground gathering to seek the Sequence 8 potion formula and investigate believers of the True Creator along the way. She never imagined that just a few hours later, the matter would involve a potentially massive attack in this grand metropolis. *If I had known it would turn out like this, should I have just headed straight home after getting the magistrate formula?... No, the issues in that booklet were too obvious. Pretending not to see them wouldn't have been right either. Besides, once Madam N had her eyes on me, she wouldn't have let me leave easily...* Xialuote sighed silently. She then remembered that the seller had already deposited the formula with Madam N, meaning she would have to prepare ten thousand feierjin next week to complete the trade. That was assuming the other party had genuinely provided accurate intelligence in the hope of seeing a "dog eat dog" fight between the Church and the traitors, rather than setting a trap to ensnare her and the Purifiers. After an anxious wait of nearly a quarter of an hour, hurried footsteps finally echoed in the corridor outside. Duonowan pushed open the office door, his expression even graver than when he had left, and the report originally in his hand was nowhere to be seen. Seeing Xialuote standing by the window, he walked straight up to her and said: "The archbishop just received intelligence from another channel, and it corroborates the information you provided." Xialuote secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but quickly grew tense again, asking eagerly: "Then when do you plan to act? First thing tomorrow morning?" The Purifier captain looked at her quietly, then shook his head. "The archbishop has ordered the operation to begin immediately. The armory at Saint-Marre Prison stores half of all the gunpowder in Telier. Even if those people detonate it on the spot, it will cause immense devastation. "You will also participate in the upcoming operation." "I have to participate too?" Xialuote repeated blankly, momentarily wondering if she had misheard. This was the capital of the entire kingdom. More than one Purifier squad was stationed beneath Saint Weiyefu Church. As a Sequence 9 Arbiter, she could hardly be considered necessary combat strength by any measure. Moreover, the target of the operation was very likely an evil cult capable of attacking a church, an undertaking far more dangerous than apprehending a lone evil god's believer like Zhulian. A second later, she understood the reason. The intelligence had come through her, and she might have been influenced by some ability of Madam N's. If they left her behind during the operation, the Church would be unable to judge whether she was merely an informant or a decoy deliberately arranged by the Aurora Order. Voluntarily taking part in the operation would both prove her allegiance and make it easier for the Purifiers to observe whether there was anything abnormal about her. "All right, I understand." Xialuote nodded decisively, demonstrating her loyalty. *** Half an hour later, an unmarked four-wheeled carriage with its windows draped in black cloth departed from the back gate of Saint Weiyefu Church. Crossing the Sailunzuo River, it headed into the night toward Saint-Marre Prison, which stood like a silent giant in the dark.