Conversation at the Gathering

But the truth is, he knew that this person should actually exist.

With such power to bring this mysterious gathering to life, it's hard for Zhiyi'er not to have deeper thoughts about its background. Undoubtedly, given his current situation, he would never dare to inform the Holy See about his attendance at such a meeting.

"So, may I ask, how should we proceed with the formalities of this gathering? Can we simply sit here and chat?" the middle-aged man asked again.

"You can have a direct mental dialogue with others. Miss Dusk will show the images you imagine in your mind to the other person. Of course, you can also request your privacy. If it involves the transaction of items, you can use a sacrifice after the transaction to transfer the items directly to the target through the power of another being— the Dragon of End. Although Miss Dusk is unwilling to do this for you, her subordinates do not mind."

The girl had finished speaking.

Zhiyi'er's heart was in turmoil, completely unsettled.

Him?

This guy said... Him?

The other party actually used this word to describe the girl in the mist? And then, through a sacrifice, transferred the item to another person?

What the heck is this party?

Zhiyi'er suddenly felt like a husky that had wandered into a pack of wolves, and seriously doubted whether he had been mistakenly brought in.

Could this matter involve deities?

Could this Miss Dusk be some hidden being, unseen and ineffable? Is she actually some kind of Evil God, whose true form is something that would drive someone mad just by looking at her, but she deliberately uses this state to hold this gathering to accomplish some purpose of her own?

Amidst a jumble of chaotic thoughts, Zhiyi'er found herself unable to remain calm.

Today's events somewhat shattered his understanding. Having spent so much time within the Holy See, he knew perfectly well what the word "He" represented, to the point that he immediately felt a sense of skepticism upon hearing it. Yet, everything he witnessed now seemed genuine. Whatever the reason, he had inadvertently stumbled into this meeting and entered the sight of that being.

"Miss Dusk, I've never heard of that before. It shouldn't be His real name. No... it could be. I need to be careful. Even if He isn't a divine being, He's probably related to us. I can't show any disrespect."

At this moment, Miss Dusk is actually Ye Qian No. 2 in disguise.

She controlled her three disguised identities, using Mystic Thread to sense the inner thoughts of the "only two" people present, and secretly wanted to laugh.

That middle man is definitely going to be eliminated this time; he's just a filler. In the end, only Zhiyi'er will be brought in.

After all, the opponent possesses an exaggerated Mithril Rank strength.

Generally speaking, Ye Qian would never dare to casually bring in people from the Church, because if anything went wrong, it would eventually lead to irreparable consequences.

But Zhiyi'er was different. He had been observing him for a long time and finally decided that he was someone who could be approached.

And this proved to be true.

After the party ends, no evidence will be left behind. Everyone present has a disguised identity. Even if he reports it to the higher-ups, whether they believe him or not is another matter. Even if they do investigate, they will only be investigating a bunch of fake information.

If successful, Ye Qian would essentially become a temporary Mithril Rank henchman.

Using this henchman to deal with any potential sects under the "blood" faith, or placing him here as a tool to leverage the power of the Holy See to help one fight against opposing forces, would also be quite effective.

Just like how I used the Shadow Bureau.

"Miss Dusk, may the party begin now?"

At this moment, Ye Qian's disguised girl, Cannon Fodder No. 26, asked very respectfully.

"Sure," Miss Dusk said casually.

"So... how about I start?" Cannon Fodder No. 26 coughed. She definitely wanted to avoid using Ye Qian No. 2 to start the conversation, so as not to lower Miss Dusk's prestige. So this time she asked, "I have 20 Fireball Magic Scroll here. As you all know, Magic Scroll are good things from the Second Era. Even if you don't use these scrolls in battle, the patterns and such are very valuable for research."

Fireball? You wouldn't buy that kind of Zhiyi'er, would you, kid?

Zhiyi'er had no ideas, but he did become interested in things related to the Second Era.

"Something from that era? Although some are still around, this is the first time I've ever seen a scroll like this." He felt it was only natural that his opinion of the gathering would rise to a whole new level.

"Gentlemen, most of the people at this gathering are of relatively low strength. Our transactions even include those involving unranked Hidden One. If you have any low-level items that you don't need, you can sell them at the gathering without any problem."

"I understand, I'm... uh, the one who hasn't been promoted." The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "But... can I buy information about promotions here?"

"You mean the Black Iron Rank ritual? That's certainly possible," Miss Cannon Fodder No. 26 said with a smile. "I don't know what primary or secondary ritual you need, so I can't guarantee I have it all."

"My main attributes are resistance, followed by strength and agility." The middle-aged man was clearly excited.

"I do have a primary resistance attribute here, but unfortunately it's not secondary strength or agility. Is that acceptable to you?"

"Well... I'll think about it."

"Why does it feel like these people actually have access to more than one method of promotion?"

Zhiyi'er knew that the promotion methods in the Light Prayer Church were all based on intelligence. The higher-ups also had some other methods, but they would not use them under normal circumstances and would only keep them as reserves.

Chapter 112 Conversation at the Party

For any power, the method of promotion is a very important foundation.

Many societies have developed precisely because of one or two unique paths, and it is for this reason that Zhiyi'er was more or less surprised by this meeting where advancement methods could be traded so casually.

Several of the original members then made some more transactions.

Ye Qian herself didn't know what Zhiyi'er was interested in, so she could only keep probing.

The Mystic Thread cannot know what's in someone's mind unless they have many thoughts; all it can do is continuously monitor them.

"Do you want me to take out the Water of Purification? No, there's no need. This guy is still a member of the Light Prayer Church after all."

As Ye Qian was thinking this, she controlled the male team member who was disguised (actually, it was a cannon fodder female clone who had given herself a different voice and appearance) to start spreading information.

"I have some information about a secret sect... most likely Evil Cult. The details aren't very specific, but if you need it, I can give it to you for just one Purple Crystal Coin."

"What is the information about Evil Cult related to?" Miss Cannon Fodder No. 26 asked.

"Blood."

"Blood? Hmm, anyway, it's 1 Purple Crystal Coin, so I'll just listen. Miss Dusk, I beg you to create an environment where only the two of us can talk."

Then, to Zhiyi'er's astonishment, the two people's voices became completely undetectable.

Their deal was completed shortly afterward.

Zhiyi'er was tempted. He needed to wash away his shame, and the best way to do that was to report or take action against an Evil Cult to prove he had no disloyal intentions. But the process itself was dangerous. The higher-ups in the Holy See could believe they were genuinely cracking down on Evil Cult, or they could use it as evidence of a sinful connection between themselves and that Evil Cult.

This situation put him in a dilemma.

But... in the end, he decided to spend money to buy the information.

"I also spent 1 Purple Crystal Coin, can you tell me why?"

"Yes, that's fine." The man looked over. "Miss Dusk, please allow us to speak privately."

After saying this, a thought appeared directly in Zhiyi'er's mind the next moment.

"Hello, did you hear me?"

Zhiyi'er was astonished. "Yes."

He discovered that this was not a simple telepathic communication, but rather as if the information had been directly imprinted into his mind.

Is this Miss Dusk's power?

After stealthily glancing at the silent, mysterious figure on the high platform, Zhiyi'er quickly looked away, telling himself not to speculate.

To accomplish something like this, even if one isn't divine, is at least close to that level. This seemingly ordinary gathering was of a very high standard, unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Even within the Light Prayer Church, such a thing was unheard of.

Zhiyi'er began to listen attentively to the information provided by the other party.

"An unknown cult known as the 'Master of Blood' has spread its faith in the Konghai City area, and those who have been bewitched may include ordinary people. They become extremely fanatical, performing special rituals in which they collectively bleed. Some say that the god to which this ritual points is real and is being resurrected in some way. Of course, it is also possible that such a god does not exist, but in any case, the Blood Ritual certainly exist, without a doubt."

After she finished speaking, a scene from the ceremony that she had witnessed last time, featuring Jiang Ye's younger sister and her friends, was transmitted into Zhiyi'er's mind.

Of course, the entire ceremony venue was completely altered; the people inside were different, and the furnishings and the exterior of the house were entirely different—it was a completely fake scene.

However, because the arrangement of the items was reproduced so perfectly, the charm of the place was immediately apparent to Zhiyi'er.

"There's something wrong with this ceremony."

He almost immediately concluded that this was a high-risk ritual.

Unexpectedly, a single Purple Crystal Coin was used to acquire such valuable information at this mysterious gathering.

Hidden Evil God cults are things that are not easy to find even under normal circumstances.

"Sir, are you satisfied with the information I provided?"

"I am very satisfied." Zhiyi'er nodded with mixed feelings.

"Then let's end the transaction."

Both sides returned to normal dialogue.

By this point, the Mithril Rank expert no longer dared to underestimate the importance of this gathering. He was also preparing to sell an item he had used when he was in the Hidden One stage, which had been gathering dust after his advancement.

"I have a very special cane here. This thing has a strong stun effect. Basically, just tapping the target on the head with the cane will make them temporarily lose consciousness. Generally speaking... this effect lasts for about 2 seconds. Although it's difficult to achieve such a good effect on a Black Iron Rank Transcendent, if you can briefly disrupt their movements, you can sometimes gain a great advantage. I wonder if any of you are interested in this item?"

There is no doubt that Zhiyi'er has great confidence in his prop.

Among non-supernatural items, it is extremely cost-effective, mainly because of its ability to interfere with Transcendent. Although the effect is rather lackluster, it does give ordinary people the possibility of influencing Transcendent.

"Sir, please state the price you are willing to sell it for."

"I'm so heartbroken..." Miss Cannon Fodder #26 silently added in her mind.

"36 Purple Crystal Coin."

Grass, it really is expensive.

With so many amethyst crystals, it's not easy to convert them into traditional cash, because people who can sell that much generally don't care about cash; they only care about the Purple Crystal Coin themselves.

"Can I exchange it with extraordinary items?" Miss Cannon Fodder No. 26 asked tentatively.

"Yes, but I need to be sure if I need it."

Zhiyi'er had no expectations at all. He felt that exchanging it for money would be somewhat useful, but if it were other extraordinary items, they would probably end up gathering dust or being sold.

"I have a special magical consumable here, a ring that can be detonated with mental energy. The explosive power is similar to a hand grenade without shrapnel, and it is lethal to Transcendent. Would you be willing to exchange your rings for a sufficient number of rings?"

Zhiyi'er hadn't been interested in the items the girl wanted to trade, but when he heard they were explosives, he immediately became interested.

"A ring that can explode? If it can do exactly what you described, then it would indeed be somewhat useful."

No, it's not just useful, it's actually very good.

Although he himself is Mithril Rank powerhouse, sometimes in order to conserve his own power, it is quite good to throw such a supernatural item when dealing with some weaker targets.

"How about I trade 120 coins for your walking stick?"

If this price were offered in exchange for hand grenades, he wouldn't agree to it, not even for 120, let alone 12,000. Conventional technological items pose no threat to Transcendent, but according to the girl, they are magical items, so 120 is practically a very generous offer.

"120 pieces." Another female senior member next to her looked at her with great surprise.

This was Ye Qian's deliberate act, giving Zhiyi'er the illusion that she was "very generous".

But in reality, making the Explosion Ring is too easy for Ye Qian right now, of course, it's only easy for her.

"Okay, I'd be happy to make the trade."

"Then here are the specific methods of sacrifice; please take a close look."

The prayer related to the Dragon of End appeared in Zhiyi'er's mind.

Having read through this entire section, he was overwhelmed with shock. This was the first time he had encountered the prayers of deities other than the true gods, and what astonished him was that the descriptions were enough to identify the individuals within them.

"The Dragon of End, could it be the name of some Ancient Dragon?"

Dragons are recorded in the scriptures of the Light Prayer Church. They are truly mythical creatures. It is said that the latest dragons can be traced back to the middle of the Magic Era, and in the earlier First Era, also known as the Lost Era, dragons were incredibly glorious.

Some say that each dragon is incredibly powerful, with the oldest possessing unique titles, and each one comparable to a god.

"Could this Dragon of End be an ancient deity? Is it possible that He is willing to respond to this gathering? No, I'm afraid that's not the case. The reason He is responding to our sacrifice is probably because of Miss Dusk in front of us."

Deep Zhiyi'er began to feel extremely curious about Miss Dusk's mysterious identity.

However... even with a simple and approachable name like Miss XX, God is still a high and mighty deity, possibly a being from myths and legends from past eras. I must suppress this curiosity.

Ye Qian realized that Zhiyi'er seemed to have been fooled too much by her.

But precisely because of this, he would never tell the Holy See's higher-ups about the contents of the gathering.