Daughter of an Old Friend

Bai Wei opened his eyes in a dilapidated house, stretched his somewhat stiff body, and was met with a series of grinding bones, like an old machine on the verge of breaking down but still running.

Tsk. This body really was nearing its limit. As things stood, it probably could not even sustain one more high-level battle. It could barely maintain basic mobility.

Fortunately, the first stage was already complete, and everything was developing according to his plan.

What Bai Wei needed to do had always been clear: use the information gap to pressure both sides.

The intimidation and attraction that multiple corpse fragments exerted on someone holding a single fragment were self-evident. Bai Wei's job was to amplify that—again and again. The moment Isaiah obtained that finger, the pressure reached its peak.

For Isaiah, the price of obtaining the finger was exposing his identity. He did not possess the other corpse fragments, and Bai Wei had also "cut him off," leaving him no choice but to grit his teeth and become the first to stick his head out.

For Diana and Bishop Luo Qi, Isaiah, that first bird, was simply too powerful. They had no choice but to find a way to band together and use every means at their disposal to bring him down.

And those "every means at their disposal" were Bai Wei's true objective.

That was why Bai Wei had proposed making use of Abyss Prison. If events had not reached this point, they would never have touched Abyss Prison, because it was too sensitive and too dangerous.

No matter who proposed it, the others would become wary and suspicious.

Even now, although Bai Wei's reasoning sounded perfectly righteous, he knew he had definitely aroused Diana's vigilance. Otherwise, she would not have refused immediately.

But that did not matter. Bai Wei had never intended for Diana to agree on the spot. He only wanted her to know that this method was viable. If she truly ran out of options, she would consider it eventually.

And that was what Bai Wei intended to do next—continue applying pressure.

Yes, the pressure was still not enough. He needed to keep raising the stakes, and he needed to do so in both directions—not only for Diana, but for Isaiah as well.

Bai Wei had thrown the finger to Isaiah for more than merely making him take the hit.

After all, that finger contained Bai Wei's soul. Every time he snapped his fingers, Isaiah's body would be "devoured" by Bai Wei bit by bit.

Of course, Bai Wei had no intention of using this to seize Isaiah's body. This man was not Ulu. The strength of his soul meant that silently completing the erosion without Isaiah noticing was nearly impossible. Once the erosion reached a certain point, Isaiah would definitely discover it, and that would introduce too many variables.

But that did not mean Bai Wei could do nothing. A goose feather might be light enough that its weight could not be felt in one's palm, but when it fell onto a balanced scale, things became different.

Bai Wei smiled.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the house.

Before long, a young woman pushed open the door. Outside lay a sky full of yellow sand.

This was No Man's Land.

The woman looked around and only hurried inside after confirming that no one was paying attention to the place.

"You really do not need to be so nervous," Bai Wei said leisurely. "No one knows who I am."

"And that 'no one' includes me," the woman said quietly.

"But I know you." Bai Wei smiled. "Good evening, Ina."

Yes, the woman before him was named Ina, one of the Lyra Church's upper-ranking members.

Of course, to Bai Wei, her other identity was more important—Jie La Er's daughter.

After matters in Nameless Town had concluded, Bai Wei's next stop was naturally the gathering point in No Man's Land. What happened here was important, and he could not simply operate remotely as before. He had to come in person.

So he entered No Man's Land, originally intending to find any church delegation and infiltrate it using his domination ability. Yet the moment he entered, he found the Lyra delegation, which had been waiting in No Man's Land for nearly half a month.

What a coincidence. He did not even need to use domination.

Thus, Bai Wei approached Ina and casually asked if she could take him in.

But for Ina, this was hardly something to take lightly.

Ina looked into Bai Wei's eyes. She was certain that she did not know the man before her, yet he gave her an oddly familiar feeling.

Naturally, she had not agreed to "take in" Bai Wei based on a feeling. Bai Wei had revealed his identity, claiming to be her father's friend and the person behind He Wei Ni Ya's delivery to Lyra.

Very few people knew He Wei Ni Ya's origins. He could not possibly have fabricated that, so Ina immediately settled Bai Wei somewhere out of sight. She did not draw anyone's attention. Only after sending away the Contract Land envoy stationed here did she return.

And perhaps Ina had not realized that this already showed her trust in a suspicious stranger she had only just met.

"Why have you come here?" Ina asked.

"I need to handle some matters at the gathering point."

"You actually know about the gathering?"

Bai Wei smiled. "Why else would I have come here?"

Ina realized she had asked a pointless question, and her brows furrowed slightly. "If you will not tell me your real purpose, why should I help you? You cannot expect me to trust someone I know nothing about. What if you have malicious intentions? I..."

"You need to be responsible for Lyra. I know," Bai Wei said with a smile. "Your father was just as guarded against me back then."

At the mention of her father, Ina's stern expression suddenly shifted. She stared blankly at Bai Wei as an absurd thought that had been lurking in her heart resurfaced.

So Ina asked, "Have we met before?"

"Of course," Bai Wei said. "I was your father's friend."

"But I have absolutely no memory of you," Ina said. "Do not tell me it was when I was a child. Leaving aside the fact that you are about the same age as me, even if it was when I was young, I would not have..."

"'You do not need to care who I am. You only need to know under what circumstances your father met me.'"

Ina's expression froze completely.

She knew those words too well. So well that she had nightmares about them countless times afterward. In those nightmares, her father stood inside a burning refinery, wearing a teasing smile that felt utterly unfamiliar to her.

"You were there then..."

"Yes, it was me." Bai Wei admitted it with a smile. "That is why I said we had met long ago."

Ina's breathing gradually grew heavier. "So Father's mind was never broken."

"Yes, his mental state had always been quite good," Bai Wei said leisurely. "He was just under a great deal of pressure at the time. He had to face all of you while guarding against me, but overall, he was normal."

Ina pressed her lips together. Learning that her father's mind had never truly broken filled her with an indescribable emotion.

It hurt a little. She felt a little lost. And there was also... some relief.

But she quickly restrained those emotions, looked at Bai Wei again, and asked word by word, "Then... who exactly are you?"

The atmosphere became heavy once more.

After a long while, Bai Wei asked, "Do you truly have no guess in your heart as to who I am?"

Ina said nothing. She only looked at Bai Wei.

"Though I would like to tell you the answer, I promised your father back then," Bai Wei said with a smile. "I would not drag you into this."

Hearing that, Ina unconsciously clenched her fists.

"Again," she murmured. "My brother was like this. My father was like this. Everyone says they do not want to drag me in, and in the end, I am the only one left behind."

Bai Wei looked at the daughter of an old friend before him and asked, "Do you think they wronged you?"

"Of course not. Those who survive can never blame those who sacrificed themselves for them." Ina shook her head and spoke softly. "But I do not want to always be the one left behind."

After saying that, Ina realized she had misspoken. She immediately stood up and regained her earlier brisk, capable demeanor. "That was inappropriate of me. Please do not take it to heart. Since you are Father's friend, then I..."

"What if I told you your father has not left yet?"

Ina's newly restored expression froze again. She stared at Bai Wei. "What did you say?"

"Oh? You really have not noticed?" Bai Wei propped his face on one hand and looked at Ina with a faintly amused smile. "Or has his presence become that weak?"

Ina opened her mouth as the Sword of Order standing atop the ruins surfaced in her mind.

Although she had sensed something long ago and had her own suspicions, she had never dared to be certain. Until now...

Ina took several deep breaths before finally steadying her slightly trembling body. When she looked at Bai Wei again, there was something more in her eyes.

"I understand." Ina gave a slight nod. "Thank you for telling me."

"Just the ravings of a stranger of unknown origin," Bai Wei said with a shrug. "I am not responsible for what I say."

Ina smiled. Only now did she truly let down her guard around Bai Wei. At the same time, she became increasingly certain of her guess regarding his identity.

Other than that legendary individual, Ina truly could not think of anyone else capable of doing such things.

"Other than concealing your identity, is there anything else I can help you with?" Since that was the case, Ina could persuade herself to do more.

"You only need to take me to the gathering point." Bai Wei could naturally sense the change in Ina's state of mind, but he did not intend to implicate Lyra. Before recovering his body, he still needed to exercise some restraint. "I will handle everything else myself."

"But we have already been here for nearly two weeks, and Contract Land has not sent us any word," Ina said. "We do not know when the gathering will begin."

They had actually waited in the same place for two weeks? As expected of Lyra's people. Even though their god was gone, they still valued order and rules so highly.

Was that Jie La Er's influence?

Bai Wei joked inwardly but did not say it aloud. He merely smiled and said, "Do not worry. They will arrive soon."

Soon? How soon could that be? They had not received even the slightest hint...

"Lady Ina." A guard suddenly called from outside. "The Contract Land envoy has asked us to depart immediately. The gathering is about to begin."

...That soon?

Ina looked astonished, but she did not ask Bai Wei how he knew. After briefly replying to the guard outside, she said to Bai Wei, "Then I will make preparations for you immediately. I will arrange an official identity for you and ensure the Contract Land envoy does not notice."

"Actually, there is no need to make it so troublesome."

"Hmm?"

Bai Wei smiled. "Contract Land's attention is not on us right now."

Isaiah walked out of the inn, and Mina immediately came up to him, looking nervous. "Teacher..."

"No need to say it." Isaiah interrupted Mina. "I know."

Then Isaiah looked past Mina and toward the area behind her.

Overnight, the Nameless Town that had originally been destroyed became "lively" again. Hundreds of uniformly dressed Contract Land Guardians surrounded the inn tightly, creating an indescribable pressure. The Star Relic Delegation Sorcerers trapped in the middle felt like lambs awaiting slaughter, unconsciously softening even their breathing.

Only Isaiah's expression did not change much. He swept his gaze over the Guardians present before finally settling it on an envoy who walked up to him.

"Mr. Isaiah." The envoy spoke first, his tone somewhat stiff. "We have been ordered to inform you that the gathering is about to begin."

"Is that so? You are only here to inform me?" Isaiah said calmly. "Seeing this display, I thought you had come to declare war on me."

"Listen to you." The envoy gave a smile that did not reach his eyes. "You are not Contract Land's enemy, so why would we declare war on you? We are here to ensure your safety. After all, as you know, that Wanted Criminal with four corpse fragments is still at large."

Isaiah caught the implication in the envoy's words, but he did not point it out. He merely nodded slightly. "Very well. Lead the way."

"Fine, follow me." The envoy turned and left. His attitude was not that of someone receiving an honored guest, but of someone dealing with a prisoner.

Mina stepped forward and whispered beside Isaiah, "They came overnight, and they were extremely discreet. By the time we discovered them, we were already surrounded."

"Contract Land's elite. That is normal," Isaiah said calmly.

"But were they not too fast?"

Isaiah gave a soft laugh. "Perhaps my Corpse Friends could not sit still any longer."

Then he turned to look to the other side. If he remembered correctly, Rhine's forces had been stationed not far from them.

Yet now, the place was completely deserted.

"Teacher, I already asked around," Mina said. "That Bishop Luo Qi from Rhine fled overnight."