Chapter 1076: Chapter 45: The Same Outcome
Michael’s family perished in numbness, without the pain of a blade piercing their heart.
After escaping the final Death Retrace, the "murderer" Lu Li returned to his teammates.
Lingering doubts led the Holy Light Squad to check the shack once more, but they still found nothing. They left the shack and contacted the local police station to clean up the aftermath before returning to the Giant Tree Academy camp.
Lu Li shared his suspicions with Kiluat.
"Because of those churches. They’re competing for faith, offering help to the residents..."
Fundamentally different from the police stations.
The churches are more like farmers tending their fields. Annoying sparrows and wild boars ruin their crops, and when they appear, the farmers will drive them away with pitchforks.
There are three things the residents of Deep Sea City’s outer town can’t escape in their lifetime: churches, gangs, death.
Even as they were leaving, a believer blocked their way.
"Mother of Mud watches over you... her favored mortal," the believer, or rather the Mother of Mud behind them, sensed something special about Lu Li.
"Step back. We’re students of the Giant Tree Academy," Kiluat commanded the blocking believer.
"The great He knows everything..."
The believer retreated to the side, murmuring quietly as Lu Li passed by.
"Don’t mind it. They just want to absorb believers, no malice involved." Kiluat had seen similar situations many times: "Only when believers and faith accumulate enough can the divinity be hatched."
After a brief tour of Midnight City, they ascended to the Giant Tree Academy, returning to the trunk district.
Before heading to the task hall to submit their mission, they returned to the lounge to discuss a matter.
Kiluat left the fireplace, and the logs he added started to burn more vigorously.
"Continue or rest for a day?" Kiluat asked, standing beside the fireplace.
"Either is fine."
"It’s still early, and we hardly did anything for this task."
Naxi and Yege spoke simultaneously, then Kiluat turned to Lu Li.
"Continue."
The trials of Mysticology levels 4 and 5 require a lot of practical experience, which Lu Li was currently lacking.
"What type of task?" Kiluat asked again.
"What about another Midnight City task?"
"Maybe we should try a surface investigation?"
"We can’t go to the surface! There are countless anomalies up there wanting to kill Lu Li." Kiluat refuted Yege’s suggestion, and Lu Li replied that either would be fine.
So Yege and Naxi stayed in the lounge, while Lu Li followed Kiluat to the task hall to submit and choose a task.
The task hall felt like a hollow in the tree, without any barriers to the outside world. From the large windows, they could overlook the dim, dust-covered surface city. But considering the size of the World Tree, the hall beneath them was as insignificant as a worm-eaten hole.
Tasks in the form of parchment, resembling books on display shelves, covered the oval walls of the task hall.
A large unidentified material fur hung conspicuously on the wall, recording the rankings of intermediate squads. From time to time, teams would dim and shift places as if engulfed in flames.
Lu Li scanned the top squads, then skipped the middle to look at the bottom. The 100th rank was no longer yesterday’s score of 63, nor was it yesterday’s squad.
Kiluat submitted the task. The event with Michael’s family earned the Holy Light Squad 2 credits and 3 squad points. Kiluat still allocated half of the credits to Lu Li, while the rest was divided between her, Yege, and Naxi.
Task parchments were divided by regions, and Kiluat skipped over surface, restricted areas, and old sewer tasks, choosing one from the Deep Sea City region.
Lu Li silently observed the tasks on the parchment.
Rewards for tasks in the intermediate level mostly ranged between 1 to 2 credits and squad points. Kiluat informed Lu Li that tasks worth more than 3 points were rare for intermediate teams and were usually undertaken by senior squads or Lone Rangers.
Kiluat climbed a ladder, observing the higher-placed commission tasks, finally tearing down a basic task with 2 credits and 2 squad points.
[Midnight City - Outer City - Tongue District]
[A foreign believer recently moved into the Tongue District. He doesn’t interact with anyone and never leaves his house, seen only by neighbors occasionally leaving the district at night. On the third day of his arrival, a believer from the local Cloud Duke Church went missing. On the fourth day, two believers disappeared. On the fifth day, four believers vanished]
[Task: Investigate the disappearance issue at Cloud Duke Church]
[Advanced: Thoroughly resolve this task]
[Hint: There is no evidence pointing to the foreign believer as the killer; no evidence linking him directly to the believers’ disappearance. Suspicion originates from Cloud Duke Church believers, exercise caution in reference]
[Basic Reward: 2 credits; 2 squad points]
"I know of Cloud Duke Church, a small church that’s just beginning to hatch its divinity. Their creed is moderate and not militant." This was Kiluat’s reason for choosing the task.
After accepting the task, they returned to the lounge. However, upon leaving the task hall, a cloaked silhouette blocked their way.
"Even an Exorcist can make mistakes." The silhouette recognized them, approaching without concealment, clearly showing disdain and hostility toward Kiluat, whispering to Lu Li before leaving: "Your choice was wrong, the facts will prove it. The light will be buried, descending to dust..."
Kiluat fell into silence.
Almost all the students believed that Lu Li joining the Holy Light Squad was an unwise move. Including the Holy Light Squad itself.
It was like a prince undergoing trials not choosing a guard loyal to him, instead allowing a few farmers to accompany him—
This view seemed correct, but they overlooked one premise: Lu Li cared about reputation.
In fact, Lu Li never cared whether his prestige or fame spread. His actions were purely for justice, not for fame.
Returning to the lounge and gathering Yege and Naxi, the Holy Light Squad ventured back to Midnight City.
They first visited Cloud Duke Church, a building connected to a residence, without even a decent chapel.
The disappearance of seven believers in three days left the remaining believers anxious, excluding the devout and a few priests and nuns. The hall set in the style of "just lying in the hall" saw no more believers.
"Yes... we believe it was the foreign believer who did it. That heretic wants to compete with our lord for faith!" The eyes of a middle-aged nun blazed with anger and fear.
"Are there any other suspects?" Kiluat asked.
The nun replied no, because Cloud Duke Church’s moderate stance left them with no enemies or opposing churches.
The only current suspect was the foreign believer.
Led by the nun, the Holy Light Squad arrived in front of the foreign believer’s residence. After taking a potion, Kiluat knocked on the door.
After a long wait, no one responded, so Naxi picked the lock, and they followed Kiluat into the house.
A wooden chair was placed in the center of the living room, a body sat in the chair, its head drooped, dead for some time.
"It’s him! That heretic!" the nun shrieked, backing away in horror.
Kiluat frowned and looked around. Lu Li approached the chair, picked up the notebook lying on the corpse’s legs, and opened it.
[I caused the disappearance of the Cloud Duke Church’s heretics]
Kiluat, looking at the notebook, raised her head in shock.
Again!