All Pieces in Place, the Advantage Is Mine

The three priests stepped out of the meeting room, their faces dark as thunder. Xifei had issued an ultimatum: find the Death Knight's warhorse and sword within ten days. If they found them, they could keep their priesthoods; if they failed, they could go home and twiddle their thumbs. Finding them was impossible. The Death Knight's warhorse came and went like a phantom. Legend had it that the Goddess of Death had personally created this magical creature as a reward for the Death Knight. The steed was born with innate spatial magic, and unless it chose to reveal itself, no one could ever track it down. Even if they got lucky and stumbled across it, they possessed no means to hold it. All three priests were Silver mages who had climbed the ranks by biding their time. They were church politicians, adept at administration rather than combat, and their personal strength lagged far behind Xifei's, as well as that of the candidate for High Priest, Sidney. In the entire Windsor Church of Nature, the only person currently capable of going toe-to-toe with Xifei was Sidney. Even Sidney wouldn't dare claim he could capture the undead warhorse. The Death Knight and his mount were one entity. If the undead warhorse had appeared in Londan, the Death Knight was undoubtedly close by. Not even the finest elites of Windsor's Church of Nature had ever beaten the Dark Knight, let alone the far more established Death Knight. With the previous High Priest lingering half-dead as a cautionary tale, Sidney lacked the courage to face the Death Knight alone; he would have to be insane to go looking for trouble with that horse. The three priests couldn't bring back the undead warhorse, and they certainly couldn't recover the Death Knight's sword. Shadow Nightmare held a terrifying reputation, carrying a curse of death: any living soul who touched it would inevitably be eroded and corrupted by necrotic power. Flesh would collapse, thought would grind to a halt, and even the soul would be lost, completely devoured by Shadow Nightmare and cast into the divine realm of death for eternal freezing. Shadow Nightmare was a wicked sacred artifact that one couldn't even brush a finger against. It was far too terrible to exist on the God-favored Continent. Thus, while Xifei had outwardly granted them ten days, in truth she had already passed down their sentence: pack their bags and clear out on their own after ten days. And if they refused to leave, she would see them out through administrative procedures! "Damned wretch! Who does she think she is? A Scalpel operative built solely for butchery, lucky enough to scramble up into a priest's seat," Lawrence said, his face cold. "The higher-ups transferred her to Londan and appointed her as the new High Priest so she could assist us and placate Sidney, not to let her seize power and play petty politics." "Accusing us of graft and bribery—how laughable! As if she's never lined her own pockets!" Dana ground his teeth bitterly. Nothing disgusted him more than double standards. The female priest, Simone, murmured in a meek voice, "I heard her family is quite wealthy..." "Her husband is wealthy, that's all. Auston Landau—you know, the banker?" Lawrence sneered dismissively. "Auston's reputation precedes him. A notorious playboy who has never lacked women. Those two ending up together certainly wasn't out of love. One is lustful, the other greedy—nothing more." Dana chimed in with sour venom, "She truly doesn't need to embezzle. Whenever she wants money, all she has to do is spread her legs—and it's completely legal!" Simone chose not to reply. Her two colleagues' assessments of Xifei were steeped in disparagement and contempt, which made her deeply uncomfortable as a woman. Shifting the subject, she asked, "What do we do now? Issue an order for a city-wide manhunt for the undead warhorse?" "And if we find it, what then?" "..." the three fell silent. Finding it truly wouldn't solve anything. Simone sighed and said, "The High Priest is only doing this to force us to yield. Sidney was dragged down by his teacher, and although he lost his authority, he still commands vast support across Windsor. Plenty of people are watching from the shadows. The High Priest needs our backing." "What, are you thinking of becoming her dog?" Lawrence mocked, "After several months, you ought to know what kind of person she is. Being her dog won't buy you any freedom." *Plenty of people would love to be her dog and can't even find an opening!* Simone sighed inwardly. Bidding the two farewell, she left on her own to issue the orders for locating the undead warhorse. Her two colleagues had held their positions for years, growing drunk on the pleasures of power. Swollen with pride, they had long forgotten the vows they made upon joining the church, as well as their original reasons for pursuing authority. Dana watched Simone's retreating back with cold eyes. "Simone has already folded. She's even calling that woman High Priest now. From what I hear, that woman took her out for a meal." "Hardly surprising. Among the four priests, she had the least authority. Now that a power vacuum has opened, she naturally scrambles to wag her tail before the new master." Lawrence chuckled derisively. "Pathetic creature. Sitting behind an office desk has rotted her brain. She honestly thinks an enemy will spare her? Without us, she's nothing." "What should we do?" Dana asked with a frown. Lawrence went quiet. Yielding was out of the question. From the very first glance, he had found Xifei an absolute eyesore. The mere thought of her becoming his superior filled him with an indescribable revulsion. Dana felt the same intense distaste for Xifei. It had nothing to do with personal grudges; it was purely the territorial instinct of power. Whomever they parachuted in as an iron-fisted High Priest, the two of them would have resisted just as fiercely. The two strolled along the garden pavilion, silent, each nursing his own thoughts. A moment later, they halted at the same instant, exchanging a meaningful glance and a nod. Go find Sidney, and let him deal with Xifei! When it came to grievance, their discontent was nothing compared to Sidney's—in all of Londan, no one resented Xifei more than he did. In terms of strength, achievements, status, and prestige, Sidney was the rightful heir to the seat of High Priest; he had only been barred from immediate succession because his teacher had ruined him. Furthermore, the person who had purged the Church of the Earth's Core and driven him out of office was none other than Xifei. With all those old and new scores tallied up, Sidney might very well be preparing a move of his own. "Shall we go test the waters?" "It's just an afternoon tea. What's the harm?" "Tell me, did Sidney really have any ties with the Church of the Earth's Core? Could he have been suppressing the intelligence all along?" "Doubtful. Back when the legendary mage was still around, Sidney was his most loyal pupil. But once that legendary mage became the Lord of the Void, Sidney despised his teacher more than anyone else. He avoided him like the plague; there's no way he was tangled up with the Church of the Earth's Core." "True enough. Unless he went mad." "Hahaha—" both chuckled. "..." "Say... is it possible Sidney actually did go mad?" "Stop being paranoid. Sidney is one of the attending physicians at the Red Leaf Forest Asylum. If he had gone mad, he'd have been locked up long ago." "Fair point." "Come on, let's pay him a visit for afternoon tea." *** Londan, West District. A black motorcar pulled away from the villa as the two priests departed in disappointment. Throughout the entire meeting, Sidney had spoken of nothing but black tea. He voiced no dissatisfaction toward the new High Priest, Xifei, claimed he was thoroughly enjoying his retirement, and even urged the pair to listen to the High Priest and put aside any wild notions. They were all faithful believers; struggles for power could be set aside, as serving the Goddess was of paramount importance. Lawrence and Dana hadn't bought a word of it. If that old rascal could really let things go, he would have relinquished power three months ago. Why wait until now to preach high-minded platitudes? Having gained nothing from the visit, the two priests decided to return for afternoon tea tomorrow. By convention, after three visits—today, tomorrow, and the day after—Sidney would surely change his tune. Back within the tree-encircled estate, the three-story manor was originally beige, but extensive peeling paint revealed the stone and brick masonry beneath. Traces of time's wear were visible across all four facades, giving the structure the air of a decadent oil painting. Looking closer, one would notice that the peeled patches formed several irregular patterns, outlining hexagrams, cross stars, and triangular stars on every wall except the main entrance. The three-story manor was Sidney's ancestral home, which he had transformed into an impregnable magical fortress. Standing on the balcony, Sidney watched the departing black motorcar past the tree canopy and shook his head. "Fools. Why would I need to make a move against that woman myself? She's desperate to rack up achievements. Sooner or later, she will cross paths with the Dark Knight." Sidney wore an immaculate, sharp suit. He appeared between forty and fifty years old, built with a robust frame, broad shoulders, and thick arms, his silhouette radiating sheer physical strength. He kept a meticulously trimmed beard. His temples were dusted with white, and gray heavily streaked his beard and slicked-back hair, framing a pair of remarkably sharp eyes. Years of wielding great authority gave his features a stern, natural gravity, exuding the heavy pressure of a high-ranking ruler. Placed in the same frame alongside Lawrence, Dana, and Simone, he was undeniably the central figure. He couldn't help it—the underling aura of his three colleagues was far too conspicuous. And indeed, reality matched the appearance. Sidney had maintained an exceptionally close relationship with the previous High Priest—so close they practically shared a single pair of trousers. The three priests' steady rise through the ranks had more or less relied on Sidney's guidance. His sole aim had been to consolidate absolute power and make any newcomer understand who truly ran the show. All pieces in place, the advantage was his—all that remained was for the newcomer to yield! Never in his wildest dreams did he anticipate his teacher being such a disaster, not only cooking up a Church of the Earth's Core, but stirring up such massive turmoil. Worst of all, the man had failed, leaving behind an ironclad mountain of evidence! "The world is so big—why did you have to fixate on Londan? Couldn't you have gone somewhere else?" Sidney felt thoroughly stifled. He had done everything in his power to distance himself from his teacher, yet it proved impossible. Everyone knew his teacher, Marshall, had betrayed the Church of Nature, an utter lunatic and a sinner beyond redemption. So when Xifei produced the evidence proving that the Church of the Earth's Core worshipped the Lord of the Void, Sidney was left utterly powerless. He was forced to comply with every directive from above, lest he be branded a traitor himself. As for the new High Priest, Xifei, Sidney had made discreet inquiries with colleagues in Paris. She was a ruthless figure—a God-favored individual and former peak combatant of the Scalpel organization. Sidney was a Golden mage, and so was Xifei, but her status as one of the God-favored set her entirely apart from the ordinary realm of Golden mages. When he was stripped of his authority pending investigation, Sidney had weighed his options: nursing fury would only ruin his health, so going home to stare at owls wasn't the worst outcome. Just as he was brooding, Sidney's expression suddenly twisted. He ordered the servants to clear the dining table and strode briskly into his study. Opening the hidden door behind the bookcase, he stepped into the eerily quiet, dark void. After navigating a labyrinthine expanse, Sidney stared grimly at the golden idol before him. After a long silence, he forced out the words: "Teacher, you promised you would never contact me again." "Sidney, my beloved pupil, this is the final time." "What is it?" "Find someone for me!"