A Traitor Among Us

The Church of Nature, Windsor Branch, Londan Headquarters. The headquarters was situated in Central Londan, within Inner Londan—the political and cultural heart, as well as the most economically prosperous part of the city. From the outside, it appeared to be a public library open freely to the populace, preserving literature and offering citizens inquiry and lending services. Its architectural style was classical, though its facilities were slightly aged, making it far from Londan's premier library. Yet hidden within was another world entirely. The office complex traversed by the church headquarters' members was equipped with three teleportation portals, marked in sequence by a hexagram, a cross-star, and a tri-star. Passing through the cross-star in the middle led straight to the grand cathedral of the Church of Nature's headquarters. The cathedral was situated within a vast valley. Its architectural vision centered on blending harmoniously with nature, the overall structure dominated by organic elements while subtly incorporating human aesthetics. Soaring spires rose like stately peaks, and lush lawns encircling the cathedral spread out like an undulating mountain range. The walls were adorned with lifelike carvings of countless plants, which, sheltered by the Goddess of Nature, pulsed with vibrant, flourishing life. The interior similarly integrated natural features. Towering ancient trees served as pillars supporting one tier of the complex after another, their magnificent canopies shielding the vaults, while sunlight filtered through multicolored stained glass to cast a dazzling, mystical display of light and shadow across the interior. In every other quarter, elegant flora grew in abundance. Bursting with vitality, each served its own distinct purpose to assist the disciples of Nature within the cathedral. There was a clear distinction between the faithful and disciples. The ordinary faithful who filled the streets were forbidden from setting foot inside the cathedral; only on designated festival days, guided by disciples, were they permitted to gather upon the lawns encircling the cathedral in prayer and worship. Disciples were the purified elite among the faithful. In addition to a firmer devotion, they were required to be mages and to have rendered notable service to the Church of Nature. Even so, not every disciple was granted entry to the cathedral. The Londan headquarters was an administrative hub, the very nerve center of the Church of Nature within the Kingdom of Windsor, regulating and steering the entire Windsor Branch through its far-reaching tendrils. Under normal circumstances, only administrative personnel of the Londan headquarters could freely enter and leave the cathedral. All other disciples were barred from setting foot inside without explicit authorization. Not long ago, pressured by circumstances, Xifei had sent an urgent plea for aid to the Church of Nature's high command. With both the Death Knight and the Dark Knight active in Londan, she had requested that the upper echelons dispatch formidable permanent reinforcements to safeguard the interests of the Windsor Branch. After stalling for several days, the high command had finally dispatched a detachment. They were few in number—fewer than ten in total—yet every single one was the elite of the elite. Foremost among them was their leader, Flora Evelina: the Church of Nature's former Holy Maiden, a priest of the central headquarters, and an illustrious Golden mage. Flora was Frankish. She and Xifei shared a past comradeship; having worked side by side, they held mutual respect and regarded one another with the highest esteem. Headquarters hoped that by joining hands, the two could help the Windsor Branch recover its strength as quickly as possible. Inside the conference room. Sunlight streamed through a long row of floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the long conference table in brilliant light. Xifei pressed a hand to her chest, bowed slightly, and offered her old friend a radiant smile. "Lady Holy Maiden, after so many years apart, your beauty hasn't faded in the slightest. It truly fills one with envy." Flora, dressed in an elegant pale green gown, bowed gracefully in return. "High Priest, I have come to Londan under headquarters' orders to assist you. If you continue with such stiff courtesy, I won't even know how to respond." "It is only proper. After all, you are the Holy Maiden." "I stepped down from that role last year. Now, I am merely an ordinary priest at headquarters, tending to flowers, watering plants, and doing quiet work in anticipation of retirement. In rank, you are the High Priest, and I am merely your subordinate." One woman radiated gallant poise, while the other exuded gentle grace. Their temperaments complemented each other seamlessly, forming what looked to be a golden partnership—a testament to the discerning eye of the Church of Nature's high command. Taking Flora's hand, Xifei warmly guided her to a seat, the smile never leaving her face. "We once served together in Paris and have shared years of friendship. Even if you no longer serve as the Holy Maiden, you remain my dearest friend. I have never seen you as a subordinate..." Flora smiled in response, and the two reminisced over the past, speaking at length of their fond sisterhood in those early years. It had been roughly twenty years ago when Xifei and Flora first met. Back then, they were rivals—the former from Londan, the latter from Paris—both competing for the position of Holy Maiden, an appointment chosen only once every two decades. In truth, there was also the title of Holy Son. The Goddess of Nature was not particular about gender restrictions; a woman chosen became the Holy Maiden, and a man became the Holy Son. Yet, after all, the deity was the Goddess of Nature. The image promoted by the church was an elegant, noble, and ethereal goddess; had a Holy Son been selected, the descent of her divine will might have proved rather awkward. Consequently, through all these years, the Church of Nature had never once produced a Holy Son. From antiquity to the present day, the role had been filled entirely by Holy Maidens. The competition in that cycle had been exceptionally fierce, primarily contested between Xifei and Flora. As fellow God-favored, their starting point was the finish line for everyone else; the contest was theirs alone, while all other contenders merely tagged along to watch the spectacle. Among them, blessed with dragon blood, Xifei had been heavily favored by the central leadership. Barring any surprises, the title of Holy Maiden would undoubtedly have been hers. Inevitably, the unexpected arrived. It came in the form of a slick, fair-faced pretty boy named Auston Landau. Showering her with lavish flattery and wielding staggering wealth alongside effortless charm, he swept the beauty off her feet and abducted her into marriage. Flora took the Holy Maiden seat unchallenged, and Xifei found romance. Both seemed to have a bright future ahead of them. Love blinded, however. Xifei had voluntarily forfeited the selection for Holy Maiden, deeply offending numerous superiors who had placed high hopes in her. As a result, she was subsequently reassigned to the Scalpel agency, spending years on the front lines of combat handling the church's dirtiest and grittiest tasks. To make matters worse, her married life proved far from blissful; it was as dead and suffocating as a graveyard. After marrying, Xifei discovered her husband was an unbeliever who had no interest whatsoever in her faith in Nature. Worse, he imposed strict rules on her daily life, demanding that she become an elegant aristocratic lady rather than bury herself in work each day. *Why didn't you say that before we married? Did you lose your tongue while we were dating?* *Who do you think you're smiling at? If you'd been honest back then, would I ever have married you?!* The two quarreled ceaselessly over it, to the point where Xifei eventually resorted to domestic violence. Only when the fruit of their love was born did their relationship ease somewhat. Xifei thought this was a hopeful sign, believing her stubborn husband had finally come around. Little did she expect it was merely the beginning of his escalating demands. With a daughter in the picture, he tightened his constraints, even demanding that she resign from her post in the church. In the end, they parted in bitter acrimony and entered an extended period of estrangement. Xifei's husband, Auston Landau, held considerable influence in Londan. He enlisted the Windsor royal family to pressure the Church of Nature's Windsor Branch. At the time, having abandoned her claim as Holy Maiden, Xifei was a nonentity in the church hierarchy; the Windsor Branch was more than happy to accommodate Auston in exchange for political and financial backing. A classic win-win! Infuriated, the formerly ignored woman departed straight for Paris, working her way up from the grassroots. The camaraderie between Xifei and Flora had blossomed during that very period. Shifting from competitors to affectionate sisters, their bond had flourished splendidly, drawing the envy of onlookers. Later, Flora was summoned back to the Church of Nature's central headquarters to serve the goddess as the Holy Maiden, occupying a position of supreme reverence as her divine voice. Xifei possessed no such backing; she had to rely entirely on herself. Slogging her way up through bloodshed, she rose to lead the Scalpel agency and carved out her standing as a regional priest. Twenty years later, the higher-ups could no longer keep this exceptional disciple sidelined. Relying on sheer capability, Xifei seized the post of regional high priest for the Windsor Branch and made a triumphant return to Londan. The two women talked at length, reflecting on past and present, until two hours had slipped by unnoticed. "Flora, you must be weary from your long journey. I've already had accommodations prepared for you. We won't discuss official business today; take the day to rest well." "Thank you, High Priest..." "Just call me Xifei. As I said, I don't look upon you as a subordinate." "Very well, Xifei. Until tomorrow." The two shared a warm embrace. Flora stepped out of the conference room with a pleasant smile, leaving Xifei watching her with an equally composed expression. The instant the office doors shut, however, Xifei's expression turned frigid. Wiping her hands in distaste, she muttered under her breath, "Pah, utterly nauseating. Why did it have to be her? That little vixen is no harmless creature. Her head is full of schemes—I don't believe for a second she's here just to meekly assist me." Returning to her desk, Xifei stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out over the sprawling mountains and meadows. Flora possessed formidable strength; as the former Holy Maiden, she had frequently received the teachings of the Goddess of Nature directly. She was undeniably a powerful reinforcement. With Flora assisting her, Xifei felt optimistic about repelling the Dark Knight. So long as the Dark Knight and the Death Knight did not strike in tandem, their odds of victory were at least fifty percent. Yet Flora was ambitious and relentlessly competitive. If she took a position, she had to be the one in charge; she would never content herself with remaining subordinate as a mere regional priest. A regional priest might appear equal in rank to a headquarters priest, but the difference in real prestige was vast. Flora certainly had not traveled thousands of miles to Londan just to take things easy. "She wants to become the High Priest..." Xifei murmured to herself. Flora had already reached the ceiling of her advancement at headquarters. To rise any further required accumulating years of seniority, which hardly aligned with her expectations. An ambitious soul would never accept obscurity, so she had volunteered for an external posting to build political capital. Coincidentally, her relationship with Xifei was purely fair-weather, and Xifei had only recently assumed the mantle of High Priest, leaving her position far from secure. Sorting through the underlying currents, Xifei closed her eyes in silence. Flora had brought trusted subordinates, all of them seasoned elites she had groomed for years. Meanwhile, Xifei's loyal retainers were still in Paris. Without capable lieutenants at her disposal here, her authority would only be chipped away piece by piece. "Fine then. I'll cede a portion of power to you, and from now on, you can bear full responsibility for handling the two knights." *** "It's massive!" In the West District of Londan, on Manor Long Street. Staring at the mansion, which was almost on par with the grand estate in Enrold Town, Wayne marveled at his teacher's wealth. To be this rich and still work late every night—was this what success looked like? Considering further that she was not only wealthy but also a formidable mage, Wayne clenched his fists in sheer envy. *Wait, she's my teacher. Never mind then.* With a single phone call, Xifei had reassigned every servant in the manor, sending everyone, including the butler, on paid leave for the time being. The mansion was entirely deserted and peaceful, perfectly meeting Wayne's desire for privacy. He toured the premises to familiarize himself with the layout so he could beat a swift retreat if an emergency arose. Down in the basement, Wayne discovered a subterranean tunnel. Built to the standards of a fallout shelter, it was stocked with abundant daily necessities. Its structure and storage bore an uncanny resemblance to the Landau family's underground tunnel in Enrold Town. Wayne switched on the wall sconces, musing that the wealthy truly valued their lives above all else. If he had guessed correctly, the tunnel was bound to connect to the city's sewers. The wealthy did not disappoint him. After barely two minutes of walking, he opened a concealed mechanism gate and successfully stepped into the sprawling subterranean transport network. "Fellow countrymen, what a coincidence—you're here too!" Wayne beamed with delight. Spreading his arms wide, he unleashed dense clusters of tentacles to pull his "countrymen" into his embrace. As someone once said so well, strangers far from home share a special bond, and meeting a fellow countryman calls for mutual care and understanding. Since his life essence was not yet fully saturated, he could only trouble his dear countrymen for a little more care and understanding. The fire element grew immensely thrilled, eagerly pledging its loyalty and showing ample care and understanding by pinning down the other three elements so Wayne's tentacles could sweep them up in one fell swoop. The fire element represented desire. Wayne suspected his recent lapse into overconfidence was primarily due to absorbing too much fire element. Even though the fire element within him was exceptionally tranquil and lacked any prior record of wrongdoing, the principles in books did not lie; the blame had to fall squarely on the fire element. "If you hadn't been banging drums and clashing cymbals everywhere, clouding my intellectual high ground, how could someone as mature and steady as me ever get carried away?" Having found his scapegoat, Wayne immediately launched a barrage of criticism against the fire element. The fire element protested its innocence vehemently, and to win back Wayne's favor, it redoubled its efforts to hold down earth, water, and wind. The three elements: *There is a traitor among us!* Wayne absorbed his fill, marveling that the basement of a wealthy estate was indeed something special—even its reserves of the four elements were richer than anywhere else. Were he in the sewers, he would have cleaned out the area by now and moved on to torment the next batch of countrymen. Here, he had only drained ninety percent, yet a steady stream of elements continued to replenish the void. "Wait, replenish the void?" To his astonishment, Wayne noticed that the fallout shelter possessed a peculiar force field that automatically gathered the four elements. While it could not match the frantic pace of his plundering, this automatic replenishment was entirely different from the sewers. Whenever the four elements in the sewers were drained, it took several nights for them to refill, which felt rather like draining a pond to catch all the fish. This mansion was different: here, one could practice sustainable overfishing. Since this was his teacher's residence, Wayne deduced that a magic array had been laid down, beckoning the four elements from all directions to pay a visit. "Why didn't she tell me sooner? If she had, I'd have moved in long ago. Why would I risk stepping in filth just to wander through the sewers?" Wayne grumbled. His teacher was wonderful in every way, save for her fondness for messing with her student. Studies came first—was this something to joke about? *I'll forgive you this once, but don't do it again!* Wayne's meditation had already reached a stage where it operated around the clock, functioning entirely on its own. Even while asleep, he would instinctively plunder the ambient four elements. With such a sacred cultivation ground available, Wayne firmly decided he was never leaving. He fetched pillows and sheets from a guest bedroom, lay down on a bench to catch up on sleep, and let his invisible tentacles move on their own, corralling any stray elements into confinement. *** That night, his sleep schedule thoroughly inverted, Wayne received a phone call from Xifei. He expressed utmost satisfaction with his new lodgings and promised to stay indoors so as not to cause her any trouble. This was the best news Xifei had heard all day, and she praised her student lavishly before hanging up. With time to spare, Wayne released the snowy owl and the white pigeon to feed them. The two carrier birds got along harmoniously—perhaps because their differing species eliminated any sense of competition, or perhaps because the snowy owl was simply so large that the white pigeon weighed the odds and dared not act up. In short, no fight broke out, and with an ample supply of mouse strips, Axue showed no interest in treating the pigeon as prey. "I'm warning you, boy: if you dare eat it, I'll butcher you and turn you into chicken stew." Wayne tossed out the stern threat, selected a few literary classics from the study, and prepared to take them down to the fallout shelter to pass the time. Emboldened by Wayne's backing, the pigeon cooed and hopped provocatively in front of Axue. The moment Wayne left the room, Axue pinned the pigeon to the floor with a single talon, leaned down, and tore out several mouthfuls of white feathers. Terrified out of its wits, the pigeon gave a feeble coo and played dead, frozen still. It was fine enough—at least in Wayne's presence, they maintained the appearance of getting along. Meanwhile, several figures approached the front of the mansion under the cover of night. "This is the place..." "The kid is certainly alert, knowing we had our eyes on him." "So what if he knows? He's just a mere apprentice mage. Could he actually resist?" "Fair point. The world of mages is cruel. Tonight, let's teach him a proper lesson on what magic truly is!" "Hahaha—!"