Bellringer 125

The ridge slowly crumbled apart. Yuhelai raised his head, his armor burned and destroyed, while snowflakes fell one by one, landing quietly on his wounds, like being pricked by needles, followed by a soft, numb sensation.

Even ordinary citizens can die.

He shifted his body slightly, opened his mouth wide, and breathed rapidly and deeply. The Blood of Ether within him quickly became active, providing him with enough power to allow Yuhelai to open the armor on his chest, take out a dose of Ether Concoction, and pour it into his mouth.

"Gurgle... gurgle..."

The ether rapidly molecularized, fusing with the cells throughout his body that had been assimilated by society. As a newly forged powerhouse, especially a jury-level White Knight, he was not about to be destroyed by the power of mortals.

As the ether gradually healed his wounds, Yuhelai suddenly sensed something, and his blood surged. He looked up and immediately saw a middle-aged man dressed like a priest.

"How pathetic, [White Knight]."

His jet-black buzz cut and rugged features left a deep impression, not to mention his massive muscles that made the priest's robes bulge out—he was practically a muscle monster.

The man arrived alone in the Outland, facing the onslaught of ice blades and snow swords, yet remained unmoved. He carried no equipment, as if he had come not to this cruel and harsh Outland, but to go on vacation.

"Horst, the Bellringer, I never expected you to find me..."

Yuhelai spoke with considerable respect to the Bellringer, who was also a member of the jury.

He still remembered how this bearded priest in front of him transformed himself into a citizen of the Hidden Society, turned Zonia into a ' Social Institution,' and how he easily turned a small mountain into a sand dune.

Both morally and logically, one must show some respect to the Bellringer.

"[The Death Knell Intertwining] allows me to see your soul and leave a tracking mark."

Horst stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent. "If it weren't for the Blood of Ether, you would have died twice already. The armor of the White Knight has no defensive capabilities; it's just biological tissue that enhances physical abilities."

"Heh, it can still block Barbarian's weapon."

Yuhelai slowly sat up and asked curiously:

"Speaking of which, didn't you go looking for our 'Tailor' councilor? Didn't you find him?"

"Something went wrong."

Horst turned his head to look at the plains and sand dunes beyond the snow-capped mountains:

"The traitors who had been on the run have fled into the Star Abyss and are scattered throughout the universe."

"I even suspect that their hidden forms must exist not only in the first layer of the 'Abyss', but also in Narrative-level Civilization, either themselves or their descendants. To this day, they continue to defy Mother Gaia's will."

"I understand, you mean someone intercepted it!" Yuhelai had a natural aversion to riddles and immediately waved his hand. "It's no big deal. With your abilities, you can just call out a ghost to answer your question."

"The senator herself is a psychic, and she has a ghost that is shielding her from view... I don't know who did it, but he did take our senator away."

Horst sneered, "This won't stop the progress of the Hidden Society. These traitors all escaped during the gap in the battle for the Speaker. When the councilors and the Speaker meet and Mother Gaia arrives, they will pay the price sooner or later."

"Does every society have to go through this process to arrive?" Yuhelai asked curiously. "Using citizens to invade civilization, pollute and assimilate it, integrate the locals into the society, and then gather a speaker and members of parliament to achieve the arrival of a society—isn't that too complicated?"

"This is how it is during the infiltration phase. If you go straight to the point, the Narrative-level Civilization will notice and cut you off completely. Besides, only by constantly eroding a civilization can it provide rich diversity to society. Otherwise, it is impossible to completely devour a complete and useful civilization."

Although Horst's words are always full of inexplicable events and metaphors, he never makes a mistake in the details.

"So, we're not going to talk to the councilors?" Yuhelai asked.

"Keep searching. But the situation remains the same across the entire planet." Horst rubbed his forehead. "Sometimes I really miss that planet... Haynes. It was full of C3 'Luca' type Cosmic Human Race. Over thousands of years, they were able to build up the Secret Council completely. If it weren't for that guy..."

"That guy?" Yuhelai noticed this detail. "You've said 'that guy from Haynes ' several times, but you never say who that guy is. Can you explain? I can't stand this ambiguity. Can't you just give me a straight answer?"

"[The Overlord Willpower] —Morphedria's agent, also known as the terrifying deity of the God of Reality."

Horst's expression always changes when he talks about "that guy," revealing a look of lingering fear and apprehension, and he is unwilling to say more, "He is someone whose name is best left unmentioned. He inflicted the greatest damage on our Hidden Society. When that guy existed, all societies became timid and cautious under his methods."

"Is it really that scary? It's just a god. How many gods have society killed?"

"No, He is different, different from other gods. If you have to say, that guy... is completely society, a society among gods."

Horst shook his head, not wanting to bring up the topic again.

"Let's not talk about the past anymore. Even for Gaia's mother and the speakers, that history is a topic they don't want to mention. Remember, don't keep dwelling on the dark history, or you might become part of it."

Horst's warning surprised Yuhelai greatly. He was silent for a moment, then said:

"This makes me even more curious, but I also know my limits."

"It's good that you understand."

"However, since there are only a few C3 Luca-type Human Race on this planet, why not go and find similar planets?"

"We would like to look, but the C3 Luca-type Human Race in the Star Abyss are busy fighting and never live in groups. Finding someone with the potential to become a councilor is like finding a needle in a haystack."

"I'm curious, if you and I, as the ' White Knight ' and ' Bellringer ' on the jury, are already so powerful, then what kind of beings are the councilors and even the speaker?"

"Much stronger than you and me."

Horst said:

"Just focus on your own business and remember that your mission is Gretwar Night Song."

"Whether we awaken him as a [Black Knight] and recruit him into the Hidden Society, or eliminate him, take away his profession, and reassemble him into a [Knight], it is a very important matter for the secret society."

Don't worry.

Yuhelai pulled up his tattered hood, grabbed the cane made from Zonia's spine, and chuckled:

"The Heavenly Ring People and I have already discussed it. Taking revenge on Li Aoz is just a side thing... So what if I am defeated by Li Aoz? With the Blood of Ether, I am immortal, while he has great power but can't use it."

"... Don't mention that name again."

"What?"

"I don't like that man's name." Horst frowned. "That name always reminds me of disgusting things."