Fleur-de-lis Emblem

The candlelight flickered, the last of the candle about to burn out.

A faint candlelight struggled to cast a small circle of light in the cramped, dim basement of Francis Church, illuminating three solitary figures.

Princess Valentine lowered her gaze, her expression serene. Her slender fingers held a seal bottle bearing the symbol of a tooth ring, a wisp of smoke swaying and rippling within the bottle.

"Your Highness, it is time to consume the characteristic."

Behind Princess Valentine stood a gaunt old man, clad in a richly ornate, pale yellow courtier's noble attire.

His demeanor was humble, his etiquette impeccable, yet beneath this flawless conduct lay an infinite coldness.

Before them, Bishop Byron, robed in red, tilted his chin slightly, his face devoid of expression.

A self-deprecating smile touched Princess Valentine's lips.

She held the bottle by its neck with one hand and supported its base with the other. Under the intense gaze of the gaunt old man, she downed it like a draught of oblivion, in one gulp.

As the characteristic entered her throat, originating from the mental imprint of the previous master, Princess Valentine couldn't help but raise her forehead, close her eyes, and endure the mental shock with a deathly pale face.

After a long moment, she slowly opened her eyes, her expression still betraying an unconcealable pain.

"Thank you for your trouble, Bishop Byron!" she said, lowering her head and performing the Dawn Rite.

"All for Dawn!" Bishop Byron responded indifferently.

"Since Your Highness has consumed the transcendent characteristic, we shall not disturb you further!" the gaunt old man said, bidding farewell. He visibly relaxed, his eyes betraying unconcealed excitement.

Bishop Byron remained silent and gestured for them to proceed.

After leaving the Church's underground vault, Bishop Byron escorted them to a luxurious black car bearing the fleur-de-lis emblem. He watched them drive away before calmly returning to his office.

"The Church has never interfered with royal successions, why the sudden involvement this time?" a faint voice echoed in the office.

"This is not something for you or me to concern ourselves with. Guarding Francis is our duty," Bishop Byron said, sitting at his desk and picking up a piece of sealing wax, heating it over the candlelight.

On the desk, a knight's fountain pen automatically wrote a report; it was being penned by a ghost.

"The Old King's health deteriorates daily, yet Princess Valentine, the first heir to the throne, has consumed the Beast Listener. She will be unable to leave the forest for at least the next two years. Sigh, I truly cannot comprehend His Eminence the Pope's actions."

The Harrington Kingdom was nominally ruled by the Harrington family.

In reality, the Copeland region, including the Harrington Kingdom, had always been truly governed by the Church of Dawn.

Every king had to be crowned by the Pope to obtain legitimate rule.

However, even so, the Church had rarely interfered with royal successions. Secular power, to transcendent beings, was like malt candy in a child's hand – sweet and easily obtainable, but ultimately dispensable.

Therefore, such direct interference was exceptionally rare.

"What worries me more is that Linley was killed by the royal family..."

"Enough!" Bishop Byron abruptly interrupted the faint voice. "Every transcendent characteristic we consume comes from our fellow pioneers. Must every characteristic carry conspiracy and bloodshed?"

"I have already summoned Linley's residual spirit to inquire. This was an accidental loss of control case. Do not continue to speculate with a conspiratorial mindset."

"Sigh!" The faint voice sighed. "I was merely reminding you."

Reminding him of what?

Reminding him that the royal family might have infiltrated the Church?

Or reminding him that His Eminence the Pope might have become corrupt?

Bishop Byron pursed his thin lips and remained silent. The office fell into a sudden quiet.

At this moment, the sealing wax had been heated and melted.

Bishop Byron, his expressionless, sealed the ghost-penned letter into an envelope, applied sealing wax, pressed his personal seal, and placed a spiritual seal upon it. He then summoned the Hell Bronze Gate and handed the letter to the Undead Messenger.

At this time, Princess Valentine's black car had not yet left Francis City, but the news of her consuming the Beast Listener had already spread throughout the kingdom.

In the twilight, a night owl streaked across the night sky, its round pupils suddenly transforming into horizontal pupils.

The fleur-de-lis emblem? That's the royal symbol!

Ning Xiuyuan, using the night owl's eyes, watched the receding car, his expression fluctuating.

The Heart of the Beast was a gift from Linley.

In essence, it was an ability stripped from the transcendent characteristic of the Beast Listener.

Once Linley's mental imprint was completely erased, it would mean that the current master had successfully fused with the Beast Listener.

At that point, she would inevitably notice the absence of the ability and sense his presence, reclaiming the bestowed power.

This was something Ning Xiuyuan absolutely could not accept!

For losing the Heart of the Beast would mean losing control over the striped goat pupil!

The implications of this needed no further explanation.

"Linley, could this be your intention? Are you asking me to watch over your successor to see if they are the murderer?"

Ning Xiuyuan exhaled, his gaze flickering. A cruel thought took root and began to brew in his mind.

The next morning, Ning Xiuyuan, as usual, inspected the church, had breakfast, and then headed to the Church Hospital.

Under the guidance of a Pigeon Sentinel, he happened to meet Angela on the way.

"Good morning, Ms. Angela!"

"Morning!"

They greeted each other and walked side by side.

"I heard you successfully delivered a sow yesterday. Is that true?" Angela asked curiously.

"Yes, that happened."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Angela's eyes lit up. "Is there a trick to it? I've helped many sows before, but sometimes I'm helpless even after toiling until midnight."

"Haha, it was just luck. It's also my first time doing something like this, so I still need to explore and research it. If I have any breakthroughs, I promise to share them with you immediately," Ning Xiuyuan said with a smile.

"Really? That would be wonderful." Angela was overjoyed.

"By the way, I have some medical research that might require some special materials. Does Francis have a market for such things?" Ning Xiuyuan asked frankly.

"What kind of materials do you need? You can completely entrust other priests to help you collect these things," Angela said.

Generally speaking, special materials that transcendent individuals bother to seek out are mostly produced in other worlds.

Only those who possess special transcendent characteristics have the ability to enter and search for them.

Although others can enter with the help of some supernatural items, the risks would undoubtedly increase significantly.

For example:

Hell, the Abyss, the Dreamland... and so on.

"That might be rather inconvenient. You should understand that my appearance puts me in a very disadvantageous position, and entrusting such matters might be difficult for me," Ning Xiuyuan said.

"I'm so sorry!" Angela realized, her face filled with apology. "Then tell me what materials you need, and I'll help you seek them out."

"Actually, I'd rather experience the wonders of the transcendent world," Ning Xiuyuan added.

"This..." Angela hesitated slightly. "It's not that I don't want to tell you. Francis does have an underground exchange, and I've only been there once. To be honest, I don't recommend you go there."

"Why?"

"It's very chaotic there. Corrupt inspectors, wandering transcendent individuals, Outer God believers, occultism enthusiasts... they all gather there. Honestly, sometimes I can't understand why the Church doesn't just level the place," Angela said, a hint of trepidation in her eyes.

"You've been there?"

"Yes, I had only recently become a transcendent. Curious about the Flower of Dreams, I begged Priest Bulwo to take me once," Angela nodded.

"Where is that place?" Ning Xiuyuan asked seriously.

"In dreams."

"What?"