Chapter 528

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Chapter 602 You Picked It, Idol (4K)

Halfway there, Oren's phone suddenly rang.

The Pope's task for him today is to serve as a guide for Zhongli, the leader of Liyue. This task takes much higher priority than other ordinary missions.

Only by keeping Zhongli in check can the national representatives who came because of him be appeased. Even if Laterano encounters a huge problem, they won't ask Oren to handle it.

In other words, this call could not possibly have come from the Pope's side; it was most likely from the organization behind the scenes.

Having figured this out, Oren took out his phone, glanced at the caller ID, and then said apologetically:

"Excuse me, Mister Zhongli, you can go ahead. I need to take this personal call, I'll be right back."

Upon hearing this, Shi Lei nodded to indicate that he understood. He then continued on to their destination with the rest of the group.

He had originally wanted Yuya to hold Cecilia's hand and encourage her to interact with outsiders more. Otherwise, it wouldn't be good for her to always hide behind him in social situations. But she seemed somewhat resistant, so he had to give up on the idea.

Noticing that Cecilia was looking around curiously, seemingly unfamiliar with the road conditions, Shi Lei asked her:

"What, you rarely go out?"

"Yes, Mom said it's dangerous outside. Unless it's something very important, stay home as much as possible. She also told me to be careful of the bad guys at the Notary Office, and to stay away from them if I encounter them, and definitely not to get caught."

Aizel, an intern at the Notary Office, gave an awkward smile upon hearing this, feeling as if he had been directly attacked.

Cecilia immediately realized she had misspoke and quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry, big brother. I know you're not a bad person, and I didn't mean anything by it."

Aizel couldn't possibly argue with a child, so he could only remain silent and wait for the topic to change.

Before long, Oren caught up with them:

"I'm so sorry, Mister Zhongli. I have some personal matters to attend to at home and need to return immediately. I apologize that I cannot continue to be your guide. I will inform the Papal Hall to send someone else. I'm truly sorry."

Seeing his anxious expression, Shi Lei didn't think much of it:

"Oh? Is someone injured? Actually, I'm a Doctor. I can save anyone who can breathe."

"No, no, no, how could I trouble you with such a thing? I can handle it myself, I'm so sorry."

Seeing that Oren was determined to leave, he did not press the matter further.

"Okay, you can go ahead. Also, there's no need to arrange a guide; I think this one is quite good."

After saying that, Shi Lei pointed at Aizel. The latter was taken aback and looked completely astonished.

I?

Oren had to deal with matters behind the scenes and couldn't stay by Zhongli's side all the time. Seeing that Zhongli had appointed an employee from the Notary Office, he apologized again and turned to leave.

Aizel felt immense pressure, fearing he would mess up the mission. Fortunately, Shi Lei reassured him, saying that leading the way was no difficult task and he shouldn't be so nervous.

After this brief incident, the group arrived at the Requiem Church about twenty minutes later.

Cecilia gazed at the Guo Luo- style architecture, craning her neck to see further:

"Did Mom come here?"

Aizel scratched the back of her head, unsure how to explain to a child that her mother had passed away.

"She is indeed inside, but in a way, she isn't. I can't let you see your living mother; at most, you can say goodbye to her."

This explanation caused Cecilia's CPU to overheat, and her big eyes flashed with great confusion:

"What... what are you talking about? Why is Mom inside, and yet not inside? If Mom isn't inside, then where did she go?"

Announcing someone's death is indeed difficult to say. But weaving beautiful dreams can easily backfire.

If you lie to Cecilia and say that her mother went to a very, very far place, it will create a sense of anticipation in her, making her feel that her mother will eventually return. When this anticipation is shattered, the resulting negative emotion is called despair.

Seeing that Aizel didn't know what to say, Shi Lei squatted down and looked at him with unusual seriousness.

"The truth that follows is cruel. Are you sure you want to know now? If you're not mentally prepared, you can ask an adult to tell you later."

Cecilia was startled by his words and was momentarily at a loss for what to do.

Meanwhile, the agonizing wails of women echoed from the Requiem Church, a lament from the living for the dead.

Amid solemn music, a middle-aged Liberi woman lay on the coffin and wailed.

"Before my father passed away, he always hoped that his funeral would be filled with laughter and devoid of tears. But, monk, do you understand? I couldn't hold back, I really couldn't..."

Standing beside her was a Sarkaz man dressed in black monk's robes, with an incomparably holy halo above his head:

"I think your father would have hoped that you wouldn't be saddened by his passing. Whether you cry or laugh, if this is your farewell, he would likely accept it gladly even if he knew."

"Oh, thank you, thank you so much..."

Cecilia stood at the entrance of the Requiem Church, staring blankly at the scene unfolding inside.

She opened her mouth as if to say something. For a moment, she felt a deep sadness in her heart.

Warm tears streamed from her eyes, falling into the young girl's palm and pooling into a small puddle.

"My mother... is she dead?"

Shi Lei gently stroked Cecilia's hair, nodded solemnly, and offered words of comfort:

Yes, you can see death as a kind of parting, it's just that sometimes there's no time to say goodbye in advance.

The monk who had previously comforted Liberi approached him upon seeing him and took over the conversation:

"Then, separation itself is an overcoming of death. The living are here, the departed are there; only then can there be separation. Separation is the living's remembrance of the deceased, and also proof of the deceased's existence. The significance of the Requiem Church is that it compels us to learn here to say goodbye to the departed."

The Sarkaz monk approached, bowed slightly to Shi Lei, and said very respectfully:

"Mister Zhongli, I am Monk Andon from the Requiem Church, and I have been waiting for you here for some time."

It wasn't surprising that Shi Lei was recognized; what was surprising was that the other person said they were waiting for him. Was rescuing Cecilia originally an accidental act, or was it all a setup?

Come to think of it, the guys who tried to take Cecilia away from the Central Hospital were obviously lackeys. There must be someone behind them directing them.

Shi Lei had reason to suspect that this person was in cahoots with those henchmen, but he had no evidence at the moment. Instead of using his power to intimidate them, he countered with a question:

"Wait for me?"

Andon nodded, a gentle smile on his face.

"Even if you hadn't come here, I would have paid you a visit before the summit began. Because I have a question that has puzzled me for a long time, and only you are qualified to answer it."

After reporting the information over the phone, Mostima rushed to the Grand Cathedral in the core area as ordered.

As the leader of the Laterano, Pope Evangelista XI was not someone to be trifled with.

As she and Fiamma passed through the chapel, they encountered Cardinal Willif, who guarded the place:

"Hehe, it's rare to see you. Why are you back in such a hurry? Did you capture Andon?"

Mostima's lips twitched upon hearing this, clearly reluctant to mention the man's name.

Eight years ago, she and Andon were comrades-in-arms.

During an operation to eliminate Sarkaz raiders, he was manipulated by 'Black Lock' and 'White Spoon' to use Originium Arts on Lamyuan and severely wound her.

Enraged, Mostima retaliated severely with her Guardian Gun, thus falling into Andon 'Fallen Angels' state.

Later, Mostima subdued the Black Lock and White Spoon containing fragments of the Great Beast. However, the unconscious Andon disappeared without a trace, as if he had vanished into thin air.

She and Fiamma had traveled the world, searching for eight long years without any news. Now, hearing Willif say it, she felt as if she were being mocked.

"I didn't catch him, but as long as I have the Lock and Key, he'll come looking for the answer sooner or later."

"If I remember correctly, you said the same thing last time, right? You and Fiamma searched for so long, did you not find it or did you not even look for it at all?"

Mostima glared at Willif upon hearing this, but did not refute it. It was an undeniable fact that Andon had not been found for eight years, so it was no wonder that this would cause dissatisfaction.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Fiamma quickly spoke up to end the unpleasant conversation:

"His Holiness has summoned us for something very important. We can chat another time when we have more free time."

They had just passed through Willif when the amiable Pope pushed open the inner door to greet them.

Mostima's eight-year quest to capture Andon had been unsuccessful, drawing considerable criticism within Laterano. Seeing Cardinal's stern expression and silence, the Pope immediately intervened to smooth things over:

"Children, did Willif say something nasty? Ignore her, it's not your fault."

Mostima didn't want to delve deeper and continued walking with the Pope into the Grand Cathedral. Glancing sideways at his hesitant expression, she stopped and asked:

"What, Your Holiness the Pope, would you like to offer me some advice as someone who has been through it all?"

"If you allow me, I can enjoy this little privilege that belongs to elders."

"Your mouth is your own, so speak."

As they spoke, the three walked through rows of wooden benches. A beam of bright light shone through the shutters and fell on the white statue in the center of the Grand Cathedral.

Do you remember what I said eight years ago?

"Although I really want to say I remember, I've completely forgotten everything. Could you perhaps give me a reminder?"

The Pope, still smiling, stopped in front of the statue.

"When you set off, I said it was very likely that we wouldn't be able to bring Andon to justice. If you ever decide to give up, you can always come back to me."

Mostima suddenly turned around upon hearing this and looked at Fiamma behind him:

"Lamyuan and I have both come to terms with what happened eight years ago, but some people haven't. Even if I wanted to give up now, Fiamma wouldn't agree."

When Fiamma saw that she wanted to give up the mission, her anger flared up instantly:

"Of course I disagree! Why should we abandon the capture mission? Eight years! Eight years! Do you know how I've survived these eight years? Do you know?"

Don't think you can cancel the capture mission just because you've done your best. For the past eight years, we've been traveling everywhere, enduring hardships and sleeping in the open—who's to blame for all this?

What was the purpose of our journey together, from Victoria to Sargon, to Sargon, and to Yan?

I don't care what Andon's reasons were, what right did he have to betray our squad's trust? What right do you have to understand him? And why should I understand him?

Andon made Remuan Wheelchair, so are you just going to ignore the victim saying she's alright?

They vowed back then to bring Andon to justice, but have they given up after only a few years?

You chose him, idol!

You initiated the arrest mission, and you also canceled it. So what am I?

No pay, no days off. I've been your bodyguard and nanny for eight years, and you're just going to cancel me like that?

Mostima, I've got Andon! Even His Holiness the Pope couldn't protect him, I said it!

Laterano City, Requiem Church.

"Am I the only one qualified to answer this?"

"That's right."

Shi Lei is currently unable to determine whether Andon is in cahoots with the henchmen at the hospital, so he has agreed for now:

"Alright, as long as it doesn't involve classified information, I can answer one question for you. But before that, could you take this little girl to see her mother's body?"

"Of course, do you have a placement number? If not, the name and the time of encoffining will also be fine."

Aizel knew La Signora. Felia's name and quickly found her location after entering it into the tablet terminal.

"Gentlemen, please follow me."

Watching the monk walk ahead, Cecilia hesitated for a long while before asking:

"Big brother, I want to say goodbye to my mother and hold a funeral for her. But it's going to cost a lot of money. Can I borrow some from you? I promise I'll find a way to pay you back later!"

Shi Lei smiled and patted her head. The next second, as if by magic, he produced a piece of high-purity Pure Gold.

"Take it, child. You'll need the money for many things in the future. Pay it back when you're able to."

He had plenty of experience with being thanked, and knew that saying no was easy to backfire. In short, he should keep Cecilia calm for now and deal with it when she was older.

Aizel knew that Mister Zhongli was attending the Summit of All Nations at 2 PM, so he volunteered to take on the task. Moreover, this was a task that would help him get a permanent position, so he had to do his best.

"I'll help with the funeral arrangements."