Whispers in the Shadows

Dave... Sager had been the only survivor of the previous incident, and by the time he had barely made it back to Pato City, he had already been gravely wounded and was on the verge of death. The countless injuries covering his body had practically turned him into a mosaic. Seven or eight claw marks that went straight to the bone, along with the puncture wound in his shoulder blade, could easily have killed Dave outright. The Crimson Ridge Beast's unique venom had nearly kicked him through the gates of hell...

Yet, by some miracle, he had still been saved. According to a cleric from the Holy Church Coalition, Dave must have received the gods' favor. The divine art that should have been able to do little more than its best under normal circumstances had somehow triggered a resonance, as though a god had personally extended a helping hand to him. Several wounds that should have been fatal had healed instantly under that sliver of divine power.

And that was absolutely not a divine art that some mere junior high priest could perform!

This young man had been pitied by the gods...

Very soon, the news spread through the city as though it had grown wings~

That was what Cole had told Mo Tan, and the Thieves' Guild's information was exactly the same.

But in Mo Tan's eyes, this Dave fellow, supposedly "still recovering from severe injuries yet insisting on praying for his dead companions in the Holy Church every day, only leaving after sunset," was simply healthier than he could possibly be!

Heh heh~ Even those dim-witted idol types could fool those holy men. It seemed that the so-called Holy Church Coalition was nothing but a bunch of highly nearsighted weaklings...

Mo sighed inwardly. Without drawing attention to himself, he changed his angle so that he could observe the activity in the room more comfortably.

By now, everyone had basically guessed that before Tan Mo logged off again, he had infiltrated Dave's home and made some preparations in advance, such as cutting a hole in the wardrobe.

At this point, it was necessary to thank Mr. Bao De. The disposable lockpicking tools he had provided Mo Tan were of excellent quality. Even a seemingly ordinary burglar-proof door whose lock cylinder had been mixed with rare Red Demon Gold had lasted less than two minutes.

Incidentally, Innocent World did have lockpicking levels, but it did not have a lockpicking skill. After all, if players could pick locks just by muttering a skill name with both hands empty, it would be rather illogical...

A person's lockpicking level depended on their individual talent and foundation. If a professional locksmith played this game, their initial lockpicking level would probably be around seven or eight. Conversely, if you trained your lockpicking level high in Innocent World, you would be quite skilled at petty theft after returning to reality~

Before Mo Tan logged off, he had immediately heard a system notification after dealing with the door to Dave's house.

Your lockpicking level has been unlocked. Your current lockpicking level is 9. Cunning School level +3

It would be best not to delve too deeply into that, or there would be nothing else to talk about in this chapter~

Back to the matter at hand...

Dave had finally pulled off all the bandages covering his body. His bare upper body showed no injuries whatsoever, but Mo Tan noticed several places where a hint of blackness seemed to flow beneath his skin.

"Another agonizing day." Dave took several deep breaths. His expression was full of disgust as he glanced at the bloodstained pile of bandages on the floor and curled his lips gloomily. "Boring, tedious, revolting!"

That twisted expression, filled with resentment, made it almost impossible to connect him with the upright and kindhearted Dave.

Of course, this was far from unexpected in Mo Tan's eyes. He rolled his eyes and even found it somewhat boring...

Bang!

A flash of dark-gray fire swept past, and the bandages, which had apparently served a purpose similar to stage costumes, were instantly burned into a pile of ashes. Yet throughout the process, aside from the "bang" that sounded barely louder than a fart, not the slightest trace of the heat or energy fluctuations normally associated with flames appeared. It was neither divine art nor magic.

Although Mo Tan lacked our omniscient perspective at this moment, he had already reached a conclusion at the first opportunity.

Sorcery?

He raised his brows slightly and narrowed his eyes at the ash-like substance on the floor, confirming his earlier speculation.

There were signs of corrosion. Though not particularly obvious, a trace of chill had indeed seemed to brush past the room just now. Combined with the previous intelligence and Dave's current appearance, there was a ninety-nine-percent chance he was a cultist.

Mo Tan especially wanted to whistle, but he held himself back...

Having seemingly vented a sliver of his emotions, Dave was now standing in place, laughing foolishly. Naturally, he had no idea that he was not alone in the room. Someone was hiding in the wardrobe.

If someone claiming to be his girlfriend had burst into the room right now, then yanked open the wardrobe and dragged me out, it would probably have been a miracle~

For some reason, Mo Tan suddenly thought of that. Then...

Bang bang bang!

A knocking sound came from the door, and the corners of Mo Tan's perpetually raised lips twitched.

"May I ask who it is?" Dave asked politely toward the door. At the same time, he quickly dragged a finger across his body. More than a dozen savage wounds immediately appeared, oozing bright-red blood.

Yet his face held not the slightest trace of pain. There was only disgust and impatience that completely contradicted his tone.

"In the name of the Whispering God! Open the door, you idiot!!"

A frigid voice suddenly rang through the room. Both Dave and Mo Tan froze, though the difference was that after Dave recovered, sweat immediately appeared on his forehead as he threw on his outer garment and rushed to the door, while the person in the wardrobe revealed an indescribable smile...

It was a smile so pure that it did not even contain emotion.

Before long, Dave returned from the doorway, followed by a man whose entire body was concealed beneath a spacious cloak.

Determining the man's gender was far too easy for Mo Tan. He did not need to see the man's face. By observing his gait, stride, and several extremely subtle details, Mo Tan could make the determination.

"My lord!" Dave respectfully invited the visitor to sit in the chair beside the table, then bowed slightly. "May I ask why you have come to see me in person all of a sudden... instead of staying at the Book of Whispers..."

The visitor snorted coldly and raised a hand to cut Dave off. A hoarse voice, now distant and now close, rang out around them. "Do you have any idea how many things you nearly ruined? And you still have the nerve to ask why I came in person?!"

Dave trembled all over and stammered softly, "This subordinate... this subordinate doesn't know..."

"Don't know?" The man's slightly distorted voice was filled with fury. "Then I'll ask you! Why didn't you deal with Ai Fan-Ye on the spot that day? Why didn't you personally confirm Cole Shulen's death? Why didn't you turn back and direct those two Crimson Ridge Beasts to leave wounds on you, instead choosing to abuse the gods' power to disguise yourself on your own?!"

Dave was stunned for a long while before arguing in a low voice, "Cole should have been certain to die facing those two Crimson Ridge Beasts alone. When he decided to stay behind, I knew that fellow was preparing to die for that girl Rona... Fan-Ye couldn't possibly have survived after I attacked him. He couldn't have walked out of that..."

"That little grove!?" The other party let out a roar suppressed to the extreme. "Then why, after receiving your report and rushing there, did I find only a mound of earth burying Lada and Dona, along with two patches of blood? Why couldn't I find the little cleric or the corpse of the person who had supposedly 'died for love'?!"

Dave's face instantly turned deathly pale, and his body swayed as he nearly collapsed to the floor.

He truly had not expected such a change to occur under those circumstances...

Of course, Dave knew even less that the person responsible for this entire chain of accidents was currently leaning against the wardrobe in his own home, watching with interest as the "lord" before him frightened him into trembling all over.

"Hmph, don't panic." The other party spoke gloomily. "Consider yourself lucky. The plan has now reached its most critical stage. Otherwise, today I would have personally let you experience the pleasure of Soul-Crushing Whisper!"

Hearing that the other party did not intend to punish him immediately, Dave finally calmed down slightly. Then, with terror on his face, he said in a trembling voice, "Th... thank you, my lord... But if Fan-Ye and Shulen didn't die, wouldn't I..."

"Calm down, you useless fool!" the other party barked. Then he gently shook his head. "Although Cole Shulen's corpse was not found, it might have been eaten by those two beasts. After all, the elven mage's corpse was missing as well. Even if he happened to survive, he shouldn't know what you did, in theory..."

Tsk, tsk. You jumped to that conclusion just like that? Though that possibility does exist in theory, your thinking is far too careless. Someone like this can become a cadre under that so-called Whispering God? What a disappointment...

While concealing his aura with all his might, Mo Tan thought with undisguised mockery.

The "lord" paused briefly before continuing. "As for the little cleric, she probably really is still alive, and she may even have witnessed what you did. But there's no need to worry too much. Her injuries are rather severe. If she had really returned to the city over the past two days, there is no way I wouldn't know. When the time comes, I'll control her and secretly deal with her after everything has settled..."

"Just what are you..." Dave looked at the other party in confusion. He could understand the part about Cole, but the latter sentence had left him unable to process it.

As if seeing through the confusion in his heart, the other party merely let out a scornful laugh before raising a hand and pulling down the hood of his cloak.

Revealing a...

Remarkably ordinary face!

"Lord Lange!?" Dave cried out as though he had seen a ghost. "How could it be you?"

The middle-aged man called Lange, sitting before him, chuckled. His round face was so kindly and benevolent that he looked every inch the good-natured man.

Oh? So villains these days have stopped favoring the beastly route and the cross-dressing route, and switched to the down-to-earth approach?

Mo Tan immediately memorized the man's appearance and features, then complained inwardly.

"Do you understand now?" Lange asked Dave with a beaming smile. "I have already given specific instructions to the people below. Starting today, whether it is Cole Shulen or Ai Fan-Ye, as soon as they enter Pato City, they will immediately be brought to me for 'careful treatment.'"

Mm, very good. It seems you never considered the possibility that they might enter the city late that night. Who told you they had to return after going through your lackey's hands?

Mo Tan secretly rolled his eyes...

"The plan proceeds as usual." Lange smiled at Dave, who had completely relaxed. "But this time, you must follow the rules strictly. You cannot make the slightest mistake again."

A trace of chill in those seemingly gentle little eyes made Dave feel as though thorns were pricking his back. He immediately nodded. "Rest assured, my lord. I absolutely won't make another mistake this time. Tomorrow morning, I'll have the Holy Church Coalition grant me the temporary title of Holy Knight, then personally kill those two Crimson Ridge Beasts outside the city and avenge my 'companions.'~"

When he said the final sentence, Dave smiled very happily...

Mo Tan smiled just as happily~

"Excellent." Lange nodded with a chuckle. "After you return, you will be fully qualified to become a true Holy Knight. To honor your achievements and everything you have done for Pato City, I will recommend that the Holy Church baptize you with the Waters of the Gods. Then, using our lord's Whispering divine power to create a false appearance, you should do your best to be treated directly as a God-Blessed!"

Yet after hearing this, Dave's face became terrified. He said in horror, "The... the Waters of the Gods!?"

"That's right." Lange nodded. "The highest-grade baptism our Pato City can provide."

"But, my lord!" Dave shook his head with an ashen face. "When I received my first baptism after joining the church, I was nearly burned in the soul by ordinary holy water. This time, if it's water blessed by the gods... wouldn't that..."

Lange shrugged. "Nothing will happen to you. That day, I'll find an opportunity to have someone switch it out. You just need to conceal it properly with our lord's divine power. Understand?"

Dave had already let out a long sigh of relief for what felt like the umpteenth time that night. He nodded forcefully. "No problem!"

"Hm... Oh, right. You probably don't know about the new headquarters the sect switched to, do you?"

The headquarters~?

"This subordinate does not."

I would also really like to know~

"It's at..."

At?

Mo Tan pricked up his ears and focused completely. He was extremely, extremely interested in the cultists' headquarters~

And then...

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Welcome back, Chaotic Evil Mo. You are about to enter Innocent World. Have a good night.

Southwestern Continent of Innocence, within the Sand Empire

Under a sky full of stars, a seemingly endless stretch of tents stood across the wilderness. At that moment, a figure wearing a black cloak and half a mask slowly emerged from the most magnificent silver-patterned tent.

The hazy moonlight, hidden beneath a thin veil of clouds, struggled desperately...

Yet it still could not illuminate his features.