The last trace of the setting sun was swallowed by the graveyard of mountains. There was no moon or stars tonight.
The gray night sky seemed wrapped in a heavy layer of lead. The clouds hung so low they seemed ready to fall from the heavens, while occasional silver lightning tore through the gaps between them.
On a deserted path.
A lacquered carriage rolled over the frost on the road, letting out strange creaks.
The carriage had departed from the Queen's District of Border City, swiftly passed through the border checkpoint, taken a detour along the back roads, and headed into the wilderness. Concealed by the night, it traveled as though no one else existed.
Maca knew he had struck it rich today.
He had landed a huge job.
On the surface, he was a carriage coachman, but in secret, he was a Second-tier believer of an Esoteric Cultist sect—the Mother God of Life Cult.
Border City was far from the heart of the nation and sat at the junction of two countries, beyond central control. It was therefore also a place where Esoteric Cultists flourished unchecked.
Belief in the Mother Goddess of Life was especially widespread along the border, and Esoteric Cultist hideouts were scattered like stars around the city.
One third-tier or Second-tier Esoteric Cultist serving as the ritualist, along with over a dozen ordinary first-tier followers—that was the usual setup for a Mother Goddess Cult hideout.
It was not that the Holy See was unwilling to eliminate them.
Rather, each Mother Goddess Cult hideout operated independently. Small yet tightly organized, they did not communicate with one another. Even if one hideout was eradicated, new ones would spring up like mushrooms after rain.
Moreover, they concealed their movements well, making it difficult for the Holy See to locate their hideouts.
Wrapped in a cloak, Maca wore a crazed smile as he repeatedly whipped the horses beneath him. He was already imagining how his Goddess would reward him.
Inside the carriage compartment was a noble youth, bound tightly.
—The Child of Curse, Ansu Morningstar, who had recently received the Holy Light Blessing.
The Mother Goddess of Life liked two kinds of dishes best.
The first was saints of the Holy Light Holy See. The second was Children of Curse, born into darkness.
And this kid Ansu happened to possess both.
He was a Child of Curse, had been granted a title by the Holy Light, and was even an Acolyte Saint!
To Esoteric Cultists, he was as eye-catching as a beacon in the night. Coupled with the newspapers' relentless publicity, who knew how many pairs of eyes had begun craving Ansu's body.
If he could be sacrificed, Mother God's Blessing would at least be a high-tier blessing.
Thinking of this, Maca could not help but marvel at how easy this operation had been.
Thanks to the shameless promotion from that trashy gossip paper, Maca knew Ansu's daily routine like the back of his hand.
A bookworm like him was the easiest sort of kid to kidnap.
He got up at six every morning, ran three laps around the Queen's District for exercise, ate breakfast, then went to the Holy See library at seven to study until noon.
After lunch, he attended tutoring on Pitt Avenue, then returned to the Holy See to study law until it closed at eleven at night. Finally, he walked home alone.
Sometimes he was accompanied by his family's Maid. That little girl looked frail too.
The path he took home was remote, secluded, and deserted. It was simply the perfect place for robbery, kidnapping, and murder.
Maca had watched Ansu for several days and confirmed that today was the perfect opportunity—the Maid was absent as well.
He was a decisive believer. The moment he decided to act, he acted. He immediately pulled on a hood, rushed in, knocked Ansu out, bundled him up, and swiftly left the city.
Thinking of this, Maca felt even more pleased with himself. He lashed the horses onward, racing into the distance. He had already instructed his subordinates to prepare the altar and ritual tools beforehand. The moment they arrived, they would sacrifice this kid—best not to let trouble brew overnight.
The clouds pressed lower and lower. The lake that had accumulated across half the sky finally came crashing down, rain pounding against the wheels and the muddy mountain path, splashing up murky water.
What Maca had not perceived was that within the mist of rain, a figure stepped through the shadows and followed behind the carriage like a festering wound clinging to Bone. That figure had amber eyes.
"My head hurts. Couldn't you have been gentler when kidnapping me?"
When Ansu awoke, he had already been placed in the center of an altar, his nose filled with the bloody scent of blood.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and surveyed his surroundings. More than a dozen Esoteric Cultists knelt densely around him, wearing brilliant gold masks that symbolized the Mother Goddess of Life.
Ansu was somewhat disappointed. Why was the quality of this batch of Esoteric Cultists so low?
Looking around, most of them were first-tier followers, with very few Second-tier believers.
It seemed this was merely a small hideout, a full tier below the Esoteric Cultist nest from last time.
Even if he sacrificed all of them, he could only obtain a Low-tier blessing. Ansu felt a little regretful.
Still, he could claim another Low-tier blessing from the Holy Light Goddess. Combined, they would be worth a mid-tier blessing. Thinking of that, Ansu felt satisfied again.
It was fine. Small gains added up.
If this batch of Esoteric Cultists was no good, there would be another batch.
That's right, this was his leveling plan.
Other people fished. He fished for Esoteric Cultists!
He had deliberately hired a trashy newspaper to expose his information and publicize it everywhere, luring crazed Esoteric Cultists into kidnapping him and taking him back as a sacrifice.
The border lacked everything except cults. Miss Enya had told him that several ill-intentioned gazes had already fixed themselves on him.
That was simply wonderful.
Of course, Ansu had not failed to prepare an insurance measure.
It would be terrible if things got out of hand.
At this very moment, within the shadows of the night, those amber eyes quietly watched Ansu, waiting for his command.
Enya Morningstar was already a Fourth-tier assassin at the age of seventeen, a genuine top-tier genius. Unfortunately, she had died too early in the Original Work, and the details of her background had never been fully revealed—there was probably a major hidden plot there.
In Border City, she was among the strongest.
She was also a death warrior trained from childhood. She would carry out his orders with absolute loyalty and without the slightest hesitation. That was why Father had felt safe letting Ansu leave home. With Enya around, no one could hurt his son.
If he truly encountered danger, Miss Enya could instantly wipe out this entire group of Esoteric Cultists.
Of course, then Ansu would not receive any blessings.
The Holy Light Goddess required him to eliminate Esoteric Cultists alone, while the Mother Goddess of Life wanted living sacrifices. She did not like dead corpses.
"Child, feel joy and happiness."
The Esoteric Cultist's hoarse deep voice interrupted Ansu's thoughts, and he frowned in annoyance.
A crazed smile hung on Maca's lips. He crossed his hands over his head and clawed at his scalp, bloodshot eyes flashing beneath his golden mask. "You are about to return to the Mother Goddess's embrace."
As he spoke, he smeared crimson blood across the altar. The altar was built from human Bone, and the empty eye sockets gave off a dim, eerie glow.
The sight before him was enough to terrify anyone, yet Ansu merely gave a soft hum. "Using human Bone to build an altar. Not a bad idea."
"You think it's good too?" Maca was somewhat surprised that Ansu was not afraid. "I have excellent taste."
"But your professional standards are terrible."
Ansu said regretfully,
"These bones are too old. The Mother Goddess of Life prefers the bones of newborn babies. Do not know which grave you dug that skull out of, but it already stinks. It's filthy."
"The Mother Goddess likes fresh life most, not decayed death. One can tell a person's standards just by looking at how they set up their altar."
Maca had always considered himself an artist in the field of sacrifice. Now, he was being questioned about his professional standards by a child, and he was thoroughly angered.
"Of course I know infant skulls are best, but so what? These are good enough!"
"But this will reduce the return rate of the sacrifice."
Ansu said calmly, "The bones of the elderly will not only fail to please the Mother Goddess, they will make her angry instead. According to my experiments, it will reduce the reward by at least ten percent—this alone is something I cannot endure."
As a Speedrun Player, inefficiency was something Ansu could never endure in his life.
When he said this, his expression was extremely serious, and his gaze was sincere and confident.
Somehow, it was very convincing.
Damn it, whose altar was this anyway?!
"Then what do you think we should do?" Maca asked.
Happy New Year, everyone!
New author, new book—please keep reading and send recommendation votes!
Before you continue