The Three-Person Gossip Squad

"This is a spontaneous belief of humankind, what does it have to do with our Merlot Heavenly Court?"

"Besides, haven't you ever heard a saying while you're on Earth?"

"The higher the religious hierarchy, the less people believe in God, and the less they desire God's arrival..."

Hexi responded irritably, showing little desire to "manifest miracles" for the Church of Light, which had clearly become somewhat corrupt.

"They're just parasites who use God's name to seek personal gain. Do you really expect them to repent?"

"I think the alliance between that little girl in the military tent and the church is already dead in name only. She didn't have any good intentions in dumping this on us."

Hela's five fingers shifted, a slight sneer appearing on her face. Black death energy coiled and condensed like threads, then her gaze sharpened.

"Just kill all the disobedient ones!"

"Smack!"

Kevin slapped away Hela's right hand, which was about to materialize a weapon, and then cracked her knuckles.

"What are you killing for! After all this trouble, you still haven't changed your bad habits? Use your brain!"

Hela, who was used to using power to "reason" with others, dismissed Kevin's words with a cold snort and asked him a question.

"So, you have a better idea?"

Kevin swayed his neck, looking at the paladins on either side of the Church of Light who were taller than the roof, a sinister smile on his face.

"Of course, have you heard of—extortion and shifting blame?"

Upon hearing this, Hexi's lips curled into a strange smile. She looked at the paladins with pity, while secretly giving a thumbs-up to the scheming fellow.

Anixid clearly wanted to test the three of them's abilities, and Hexi even guessed that the Southern Queen and the Church of Light were testing each other for power.

However, these little tricks were nothing new to that guy.

It seems he intends to turn the tables, escalate the situation, and preemptively provoke a conflict between divine and royal authority, dragging Anixid into the fray.

When the time comes, the ones who will truly engage in a direct confrontation will be Anixid and the Church of Light.

And the pawns who have been thrown across the river can hide in a corner and watch the show.

Immediately afterward, the three exchanged ideas several times in their minds. Even Hela, who had originally wanted to charge in directly, couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth, showing great interest.

Just as a group of newly appointed treacherous officials plotted against the monarch and were secretly scheming to cause trouble, a humble cardinal arrived at the luxurious residence of the Southern Alliance.

"Doesn't the Church of Light worship the God of Light, Kyle (the native alias of Queen Holy Kaisa)? Why are you suddenly considering surrendering to me, Wang Hua Ye? Your motives are highly suspicious..."

Lying in the arms of several pale-faced women in the hall of Sumari, he swallowed peeled and seeded grapes, swirled his wine glass, and looked down at them, asking questions.

The silver light swirling above the cardinal's head sent a chill down his spine, causing him to instinctively bury his head even deeper and utter a dry laugh that pleased Sumari.

"Not many men enjoy being ridden by women, whether it's the god Kael or Queen Anixid..."

Sumari nodded in satisfaction, waved for a chair to be brought over, gesturing for the visitor to sit down, and then casually pinched the chin of a blonde woman, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"That's right, women are meant to be men's playthings; the more exquisite they are, the more fun it is to destroy them..."

"You're right, sir..."

The cardinal, recalling the scene he had witnessed in the backyard garden, wiped away cold sweat and hurriedly nodded in agreement.

The three naked, battered girls buried among the flowers as fertilizer were, in this god's eyes, women were merely consumables for gratifying his lust.

"Do what needs to be done, await my summons, Wang Hua Ye, and I guarantee the future of this world belongs to us..."

After a morning of private conversation, the highly stressed cardinal, mindful of the new oracle, meekly boarded the carriage and returned to his other egg basket.

Sensing that the visitor had already left the city gate, Sumari recalled his Silver Blade and slowly peeled an apple, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"You've done what you asked, Church of Light says they'll side with my king. Is that believable?"

A thin man with black snake-shaped markings etched on half of his pale face walked out from behind the door, his voice hoarse.

Sumari looked at the peeled apple in his hand, shook his head slightly, and sneered.

"I think he said the same thing to that girl in Yordle City..."

"A bunch of ant-like creatures, yet they dare to bet on various fronts in the war of the gods—they're utterly courting death..."

"Do you need me to kill him?"

The man with the snake-shaped mark on his face spoke in a cold tone, his vertical pupils opening and closing like those of a venomous snake eyeing its prey.

"Hunting dogs, it doesn't matter if we keep a few. As long as we give them enough, they'll eventually side with me, Wang Hua Ye..."

"I don't have an appetite for this, you can have it..."

Sumari smiled knowingly and casually tossed the peeled apple to the man behind her.

However, the moment the man grasped the juicy fruit, the black aura emanating from his hand caused the flesh to quickly fall off and rot, eventually turning into a pile of ashes.

Angel of Poison Raguel, I had him deliver a great gift to you.

Sumari nodded in satisfaction, a sense of anticipation rising within her for her reunion with her old nemesis, Hexi.

Chapter 1036, Section 992: The Three Gossipmongers

Yordle City, the seat of the Church of Light.

"So, they struck first?"

Queen Anixid, who had led the Southern Knights to quell the chaos, pointed at the paladins groaning in Affliction on the ground with a strange expression.

"Of course! They not only trampled on the laws of Yordle City, but also openly attacked their future superior."

"Moreover, tearing up the warrant you signed in full view of everyone is utter contempt for you!"

Kevin, his face filled with righteous indignation, showed the few remaining pieces of paper to Anixid for verification.

That being said, this guy has done plenty of these little tricks, like shoving and pushing to escalate the conflict and make the fragile warrant easier for the paladins to tear up.

Immediately, the bearded knight named Salayan rode up to Anixid's side, covered his mouth with his hand, and whispered something to the southern Queen.

In the courtyard, Hexi, the squire knight, and Hela, the accompanying wizard, lagged behind. Their eyes met, and a hint of suspicion flickered between them.

With their superhuman senses, they were naturally able to hear the middle-aged knight's words clearly.

"We've searched; the bishop isn't in town..."

Something was wrong. These paladins were using force to prevent them from entering the camp, without them even needing to provoke them.

Moreover, the cardinal responsible for liaising with Anixid was neither at the mansion nor in Yordle City.

With a major battle imminent, the mysterious movements of this church leader were indeed quite suspicious.

Even more strangely, Anixid reacted calmly to Salayan's report, as if she had expected it.

Just then, a slightly noisy sound arose on the street leading to the city gate, and a carriage engraved with a golden sun pattern slowly drove into Yordle City.

Once the carriage came to a stop, supported by several white-robed priests, a slightly plump old man with white hair and hands adorned with rings, stepped out.

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding. I was just going to a nearby village to hold a small mass to pray for the people suffering in the war..."

"Once I have appeased the believers and treated the wounded knights at the garrison, I will immediately pay a visit to your residence to apologize."

The cardinal, who possessed a somewhat gentle demeanor, immediately offered a wry smile and explained to Queen Anixid after gaining a general understanding of the conflict.

Then, the old man bowed slightly to the crowd that had gathered around him to express his apology.

Oh, so the archbishop went out of the city to give the poor a chance to pray and draw closer to God.

The crowd, having satisfied some of their curiosity, couldn't help but feel a slight sense of goodwill towards the humble cardinal.

Correspondingly, Kevin and his group, who broke into the Church of Light's territory, and Queen Anixid, who subtly forced the old man to submit, appeared aggressive.

Tsk, a strategic retreat? Old fox!

Kevin glanced at the gentle and amiable cardinal, secretly sneered, and didn't respond. Instead, he quietly retreated to Hexi and Hela's side, watching the show with amusement.

"Nearby villages? Are they near Yordle City, or near the Southern Federation, Your Lord Bishop?"

Salayan, standing behind Anixid, rode out of the ranks, frowning and snorting coldly.

"Light is everywhere!"

The cardinal narrowed his eyes, paused slightly, then spoke with a firm tone and solemn expression.

"Whether they are the villagers around Yordle City or the believers of the Southern Federation, they are all children of my god Kael."

"In the face of a great Just Order, life has no boundaries or distinctions of worth; these innocent people should be treated equally."

"Or at least, shouldn't we give them a chance to turn towards the light?"

The old man's voice was low and his expression was sorrowful, but the jewel-encrusted ring seemed somewhat dazzling as he made the sign of the cross on his chest.

Wow! A master! This Old Man speaks so calmly and methodically, without a single flaw.

Kevin leaned against a pillar next to the vendor's stall, nudged Hexi, who had a strange expression, with his elbow, and smiled teasingly.

Heh, if it weren't for the scouts reporting that your carriage crossed the battle line and lingered in the Southern Federation for a long time, I would have actually believed your nonsense.

Salayan, with a mocking expression, was about to expose the Old Man's alleged collusion with foreign powers when Anixid reached out and stopped him from behind.

"Since the God of Light is so loving and merciful, I would like to invite you, Bishop, to the city lord's mansion to offer some pre-battle prayers for the warriors..."

Anixid spoke in a cool, clear voice, extending an invitation to the composed bishop in a detached tone.

The cardinal had barely raised his hand to point at the fallen paladins when, before he could even speak, the Queen of the South cut off his excuse.

"Since it was a misunderstanding, then the blame should fall on my oversight. The knights of the Church of Light deserve our care and compensation..."

"Don't refuse, it's what we should do..."

Anixid raised her hand to signal, and the already impatient Salayan led a troop of cavalry into the Church of Light's encampment.

"I promise to use the best medicine and hire the best doctors..."

"Let's wait a bit, I'll go and make some preparations first..."

"If you need anything, someone will get it for you..."

The Queen of the South, whether intentionally or unintentionally, blocked the bishop's carriage. Her high-sounding reasons, coupled with the control exerted by the Southern Knights, left the cardinal speechless.

The old man tried to refuse, but Anixid's eyes narrowed and her voice turned cold.

"What? Don't these warriors who fight for Freljord deserve the blessing of the God of Light?"

Having said all that, the cardinal had no choice but to obediently follow the Queen and ride to the city lord's mansion.

"That tomboy Keisha actually chose such a sharp-tongued little girl, even using this old man like me as a pawn. Isn't that a bit too much of a show of respect for elders and favoritism towards the young?"

Hexi watched the departing group and the paladins whose camp had been "friendly taken in" and sighed in dismay.

Kevin and Hela were not surprised by the result.

All three of them are practically foxes who have been around for millennia. They can figure out the situation with a grain of salt; the cardinal who was asked to leave is definitely in a bad position.

However, since Anixid hadn't yet found any evidence against him, she chose to send Kevin and others to cause trouble for the Church of Light in order to verify the Lord Bishop's whereabouts from multiple angles.

Kevin's trio, who love to stir up trouble, not only escalated the situation but also indirectly exposed the cardinal's true colors.

Furthermore, the recent "misunderstanding" resulted in the deaths of nearly half of the paladins who remained behind.

As a result, the Southern Knights easily controlled the sand that the Church of Light had mixed in, and Kevin never expected that he would one day be used as free labor.

The man even suspected that sending the three of them to recruit soldiers at the Church of Light might have been a scheme by Anixid to divide and control the Cardinal's forces in advance.

Three extraordinary individuals managed to subdue the large contingent of paladins, and their subsequent "invitation" to the cardinal effectively prevented the conflict from escalating.

At this moment, Hela, who had been frowning and deep in thought, looked at the Southern Knights, flicked her nails, and spoke in a low voice.

Don't you think this is too much of a coincidence?

Upon hearing this, Kevin's eyes narrowed slightly, and as he pondered certain aspects, his brow furrowed.

Yes, what a coincidence!

P. S.: How many people know that the actress who plays Hela in Marvel is the same Elf Queen from The Lord of the Rings trilogy? Galadriel is truly captivating.

Book recommendation: I love the gospel of JoJo, <I, DIO, am a good father!>