Chapter 399
"Tsk."
The Rhodes Island members saw that the body was dressed in Victoria military uniform and wanted to search for any clues on it.
He raised his dagger and stabbed the white worm, but the blade broke off as if it had struck steel.
In other words, the worm's exoskeleton is very hard.
"Damn, it's so hard! Hey, Red, over here, come take a look!"
Just as the Rhodes Island members were calling to their comrades, a white worm that had been peeled off a corpse suddenly attacked.
"Careful!"
Seeing that things were going badly, Red immediately rushed over.
With a flash of red light, the worm was cleaved in two, falling to the ground convulsing. The remaining flesh and blood in its intestines emitted a foul stench.
"Thank goodness, you saved my life again."
Red looked at the strange scenery of the area, his eyes above the scarf unusually serious:
"Let's retreat first, something's not right here."
Meanwhile, Talulah was burning the Blood Altar and swarms of white worms in front of her with flames.
The flames she unleashed were like sacred fire, burning away all evil. They reduced the flesh, grotesque worms, and bizarre creatures scattered on the ground to ashes, leaving only a dark, scorched mark on the stone.
The empty streets were silent.
A gentle night breeze carried a fishy smell.
Talulah estimates that all the residents living here, as well as the Victoria soldiers, have perished.
Nine, standing to the side, asked:
"A senseless massacre, this must be the 'masterpiece' of that Blood Demon Great Lord, right?"
Talulah didn't know much about the Royal Court Army; she only knew bits and pieces of information from when she was at the Duke Koschei's mansion.
"I'm not sure, but it feels very similar. I've heard that the Blood Demon Great Lord is raising a large number of blood descendants, and we probably wouldn't be a match for them in a direct confrontation."
Nine removed his gray hood, staring at the devastated hell on earth, his brow furrowed deeply:
"It's okay, just stay away if you see them. We will unite and absorb all infected people who refuse to succumb to their fate. This place should not become the next Chernobyl."
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June 24, 0:15 am
Shining and Nightingale, who had set off before Kal'tsit, arrived at the heart of the Central City District of Londinium.
Given Sarkaz's identity, and her distinctive features such as black robes, white horns, and white hair, the City Defense Army at the outpost recognized her as Confessors and dared not obstruct her.
The two arrived at a temporary outpost only 800 meters from the Shard Building, with the exclusive mark of the Confessors engraved on the entrance.
The guards' legs trembled the moment they saw Shining. He ordered the other soldiers to hold their ground while he slipped inside to warn their leader.
"You should have heard of this woman to some extent and know who she is. Don't take your eyes off her right hand, because she could draw her sword at any moment. Once you enter her attack range, you will all be dead."
After saying that, the guards turned and ran inside.
The Sarkaz City Defense Army were left completely bewildered, as if they had been ordered to capture Tang Sanzang and his disciples:
"Ah?"
"..."
Seeing Shining, Shining remained silent. She pushed Nightingale's Wheelchair with her left hand and held the black longsword in her right.
This circling posture is not suitable for drawing a sword.
But every time Shining took a step forward, the other fully armed Sarkaz would unconsciously take a step back.
Silent advance, and frantic retreat.
The Sarkaz City Defense Army were extremely tense. One of them bumped into a soldier behind him and accidentally fell to the ground.
His face was contorted with despair, and even as he sat on the ground, he unconsciously shifted backward.
Seeing their disheveled state, Shining stopped and then pulled a slip of paper from his black robes:
"There's no need to be so afraid or on guard. I'm just here to keep my appointment. You can all just make way."
"..."
The Sarkaz City Defense Army swallowed hard; they were caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat, for if they retreated any further, they would be trapped inside.
Seeing that the atmosphere at the scene had become extremely cold, a warm welcome came from inside the hall:
"The Shining!"
"What are you all doing blocking the doorway? Move aside! Didn't I tell you beforehand that I'm hosting a family gathering soon?"
Even before Ascalon's whereabouts were revealed, the Confessors Leader knew that the Shining would be coming soon.
After all, Rhodes Island, which she joined, was the organization of the Exotic Demon King Amiya.
Shining stared at the masked young man before him, his expression remaining as calm as still water.
"Salus, I'm here, I'm not late."
"Oh dear, I know I'm not late. Come in with me, dinner has been reheated several times. You look so travel-worn, have you not been eating well since you left Londinium? The chief said he'll treat you to a dinner according to the standards of the Royal Academy of Sciences."
Seeing that she remained silent, Salus, still with his usual enthusiastic demeanor, led the two inside:
"Shining, it's been so long since we've sat down at the table and had a proper chat like we used to. You have to tell me about what you've seen and heard along the way."
Once inside the hall, he acted like a younger uncle welcoming relatives home on New Year's Eve, shouting loudly into the hall:
"Chief, Shining is back!"
The Confessors Leader spread his hands, extending an invitation:
"Sit down. This seat was originally yours. It has been vacant ever since you killed those people and escaped with this Experimental Subject."
As he said this, he glanced at Nightingale in the Wheelchair, her face masked so that his gaze wouldn't be too obvious.
"Your betrayal back then chilled the hearts of your Tribe Members. But I don't blame you. Please sit down."
Seeing that Shining remained silent, Salus sat to the right of the leader, attempting to ease the tension:
"I've been busy until the early hours of the morning lately and haven't had time to eat. I'm going to enjoy myself today."
Shining didn't reply, but pushed Nightingale toward the only empty black chair at the Long Table.
Then came a long silence.
It looked like a family feast, but the only sounds during the meal were knives and forks cutting meat and the crisp sound of them hitting Porcelain Plate.
This awkward silence can't go on.
The Confessors Leader broke the deadlock, turning to Salus, who was ostentatiously displaying his meat, and asked:
"How are the recent experiments progressing?"
"Huh? Are we really going to talk about work over dinner?"
Seeing that the Confessors Leader remained silent and didn't seem to be joking, she had no choice but to compromise:
"Well, there's not much to say. The purpose of the whole experiment was to extract as much emotion as possible from memory, but most people couldn't last long."
To be honest, they might have hit a bottleneck. Those old guys simply can't hold on for more than a few days, let alone retrieve those distant memories and bring them back to the present.
The Confessors Leader didn't seem to care about the leak of Sarkaz's Core Secret Information. It appeared he was saying it intentionally to Shining, with a hint of boasting.
"Salus, let's call this experiment a day and focus on other projects. Right now, only the Demon King is truly unique. Those ancient knowledge and skills are like a vast ocean; we need a large enough container to draw water from them."
"Okay, I understand."
Shining remained silent, leading to another awkward silence.
Seeing that she showed no sign of distress, the Confessors Leader gave Salus a sharp look, signaling her to start the conversation.
The latter hesitated for a long time before finally speaking:
"Um, Chief. Has His Highness been planning something big lately? He's rarely at the Shard Building lately, and he hasn't come to my lab either."
The Confessors Leader considered for a moment. Although this was a more confidential matter, there was no harm in revealing it:
"Your His Highness's plan has reached a critical moment, and we will know the outcome in the next two days."
Shining raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this, seemingly showing some interest, but remained silent.
The Confessors Leader carefully observed the subtle expressions on Salus's face and continued to signal him to bring up more topics. This greatly annoyed the latter; having to use his brain even while enjoying a family dinner was quite a hassle.
"Speaking of which, why does the leader support His Highness? He's been gathering intelligence for him for so long that now the Sarkaz think we're his personal guards."
The Confessors Leader thought the question was terrible, and it was uncertain whether Shining would even respond.
"Salus, I told you before. Power comes from bloodline, bloodline inherits memories, memories accumulate sins, and sins form Shackles. Only those who are not bound by history can completely liberate power from these Shackles."
"All right."
Seeing Salus's perfunctory reply, the Confessors Leader knew she couldn't come up with a new topic. She had no choice but to swallow her pride and talk about something the Shining could handle:
"By the way, what should we call this Experiment Subject Miss took away, Lisa or Liz?"
Shining finally spoke, but his words were brief and to the point:
"Liz".
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Salus brought up a topic that interested her, asking:
"Has her Originium-related illness infection worsened or lessened? As you know, her body is very special. Even with Lord Kal'tsit around, it's not certain they can really help her. My lab still has it; you can take a look at her anytime if you need it."
Shining shook his head slightly, without saying a word.
As for Miss Liz, codenamed Nightingale, her Originium-related illness symptoms have indeed worsened. No matter how many inhibitors she takes, there is no sign of relief or improvement.
After fulfilling her promise to the Confessors, she planned to take Liz with her to Liyue City.
According to Scout, Rhodes Island's number one bell-blower, Doctor Zhongli has successfully cured Originium-related illness.
The truth of this matter does not need to be verified by outsiders.
Just look at how energetic Broca was once terminally ill, is now. That's enough to know that Scout's words were true and not an exaggeration.
Doctor Zhongli is kind and compassionate, and he most likely wouldn't refuse to help treat her. Perhaps he's truly the only one in the world who can solve the problem that has been troubling Shining.
The man was shrouded in mystery. Every aspect of him was something she didn't know.
And then there's Doctor Kal'tsit; I don't know why, but I always feel like I don't get along with her.
Fortunately, Doctor Zhongli had a good relationship with the Doctor and Amiya, so she wouldn't be neglected when she went to seek refuge with them.
Seeing that Shining was inexplicably distracted at such an important gathering, the Confessors Leader suppressed his anger:
"Is the food not to your liking, sister?"
Seeing that the anger was turning sour, Salus chimed in:
"That's right, don't stay silent all the time. We've finally managed to put on a family dinner, there's no need to be so cold, is there?"
If you're upset because of the experiments you did on Liz, then I sincerely apologize. You should know very well that she's not an ordinary infected person. And she's not our family, so you should..."
It was rather impolite to say that in front of the Nightingale. Shining, displeased, immediately interrupted:
"No, she is my family."
"Okay... alright."
Salus was speechless at the other person's words. She shrugged slightly, looking like she was giving up and lying down.
Knowing they couldn't count on it, the Confessors Leader echoed what Shining had just said:
"Sister, you know some secrets. That's why you answered my invitation, isn't it? This Experiment Subject is just an old cage; if necessary, we can easily weave a new one..."
"Enough!"
Her anger surprised Salus:
"Hey, that's really interesting. Even when you injured countless colleagues and took this Experiment Subject away, we never saw you this angry. You seem to value these outsiders more than your family."