Assistance

Liao Ji was awakened by the sound of the door being kicked open.

Before he even opened his eyes, he felt the warmth of a soft body pressed against him. Once his vision cleared, what greeted him was a small figure curled up beside him like a kitten, a nun wearing only a thin camisole on her upper body and nothing but white silk stockings on her lower half.

"Uh."

Before Liao Ji could even react to the situation, the kicking at the door had already reached its conclusion. With a loud "bang," the poor security door—which had already been kicked in once before and was only held shut by Liao Ji jamming something into it—was kicked open for a second time. Looking at the mangled lock, it was likely completely ruined.

The figure appearing in the doorway was, unsurprisingly, Irin.

Because the young girl was bound by a Contract with Liao Ji, she could sense the young man's location within a certain range, provided he didn't actively block her.

After Irin had fallen unconscious, she didn't wake up until six or seven in the morning. After rushing to Brian, who had been guarding her all night with dark circles under his eyes, and learning about what happened last night, the girl had come straight to Liao Ji.

"Old Antique."

Irin, burning with anxiety, had just rushed in, but before she could even finish calling his name, the scene of unbridled intimacy in the room forced her to stop in her tracks.

And as luck would have it, perhaps also disturbed by Irin, the nun in Liao Ji's arms, Maria, slowly stirred awake at that moment. After blinking her eyes in a daze, she knelt beside the young man with her legs in an M-shape, finding herself face-to-face with Irin at the door.

"."

Well.

Just as Liao Ji thought he would have to go through the trouble of explaining himself, the girl's next move was completely unexpected.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Irin didn't launch into the fierce, rapid-fire "telegraph machine" outburst he had imagined. Instead, she let out a long sigh, and her entire demeanor seemed to relax significantly.

".?" This left Liao Ji completely baffled, causing him to swallow the words he had on the tip of his tongue.

Maria, on the sofa, seemed to have finally fully woken up. Realizing that she had "actually" been sleeping in the young man's arms and had been caught red-handed by someone who looked like the mistress of the house, the nun scrambled up from Liao Ji's side in a panic, shaking her head and apologizing to Irin incessantly.

"I-I'm sorry! It's not like that, I was the one who initiated it last night. Ah, no! I, I mean, I begged Mr. Liao to bring me home. We didn't do anything last night. No, wait, we did do some... we did do some..."

Liao Ji felt that if he let the panicked Maria continue, even if they were innocent, she would make it sound like something scandalous.

He waved his hand at the nun, signaling for Maria not to be nervous, and that he would handle it from here.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes."

"That's good."

Liao Ji then briefly recounted to the girl what had happened after Irin fell unconscious last night, including Maria's background and the information about Nolan that he had obtained through the nun's "Divination."

Irin didn't interrupt once throughout the entire explanation, simply listening quietly and attentively by his side.

"That's about it. After the Divination, Maria must have been exhausted and passed out, so we stayed at your place for the night. As for why she was sleeping next to me when she woke up..."

Liao Ji glanced at the nun beside him, who looked like she was about to cry after realizing she had made a mistake.

Maria immediately bowed and apologized to the young man repeatedly.

"I'm sorry! I-I am truly very sorry! The rainstorm last night was just too heavy, and I... I'm afraid of thunder, so... so I unconsciously..."

However, it was clear that Liao Ji was not very satisfied with this explanation.

After all, his concern wasn't that Maria had come over to sleep with him, but that he hadn't noticed it at all. This meant that if Maria had gotten up in the middle of the night not to "cuddle for sleep," but to do something else, he would have been completely unaware and defenseless.

This was too strange.

The reason Liao Ji dared to sleep under the same roof as a strange nun was that his greatest assurance was the "Contract." Since she was a Corrupted, his Contract should have awakened him the moment she made any suspicious move; that was part of the power of the "Contract."

But why?

Why did the "Contract" show no reaction last night when Maria quietly approached him and even lay down with him?

Was it simply because she didn't harbor any "hostility"?

Or was it...

Liao Ji stared thoughtfully at the apologizing Maria, his brow slightly furrowed.

"Alright, Old Antique, stop making things difficult for her!" It was actually Irin who stood up for her at this moment.

Seeing Liao Ji staring fixedly at the nun, she took a step forward, actively shielding the trembling nun behind her.

"You don't understand. We... those of us who grew up without parents, we are born with a special fear of thunder and strong winds. Whenever the weather is this bad, I..."

"Hmph! I would also sneak into my mom's bed! So what!"

Irin stood with her hands on her hips. Whether she saw a reflection of her former self in the timid, fragile nun, or because Maria had helped her get news of her mother, she was now acting like a mother tiger protecting her cub.

Liao Ji was left speechless by this. According to the script, even if Irin wasn't going to be jealous or confrontational, she should have at least shown some anger or resentment. Especially at the very beginning, from Irin's perspective, she had entrusted her most important mother to him, yet he had turned around and was found sleeping with a nun in his house?

Seeming to read the young man's thoughts, the girl snorted again.

The explanation she gave was simple—so simple that Liao Ji couldn't even refute it.

"Because I believe that someone who dares to compare himself to that 'Great Emperor'—someone as powerful as you—how could you easily break a promise? As long as it's something you've agreed to, you will definitely fulfill it!"

The girl looked incredibly proud as she said this; one might have thought she was talking about herself.

"So when I saw that you could still sleep soundly while holding a woman, I knew my mom must be safe. At least she's safe for now, otherwise, with your personality, Old Antique, there's no way you'd be able to sleep!"

Hiss.

Could it be that after ranking up to Danger Rank, even her brain got an upgrade? Why has she suddenly become so articulate? Don't tell me she's been swapped out?

To verify this, Liao Ji decided to run a simple experiment: "Then aren't you jealous? Watching me sleep with other women?"

"Hah!? You, you, you! What the hell are you talking about! I'm not jealous of your damn head! It's just sleeping with women! I-I haven't done it before, but so what! Besides! We, we are brothers! What the hell does it have to do with me, Irin, how many women you sleep with!"

Watching the flustered girl descend into incoherent rambling and her classic foul-mouthed tirade, Liao Ji felt much more at ease.

OK, the experimental results were spot on.

Now he was certain she hadn't been swapped; it was definitely her.

Between their back-and-forth, neither Liao Ji nor Irin noticed that Maria, the nun watching silently from the side, had lowered her head slightly. The cowardice and fear were long gone from her face, replaced only by

a twisted gloom.

However, as soon as Liao Ji shifted the topic and brought things back on track, the nun's expression instantly reverted to its original state.

"Alright, Maria. You passed out last night so I couldn't ask, but do you have any good ideas for what comes next? For instance, like you said, can you weaken the Corrupt Calamity there?"

"No, it won't be that much trouble," Maria suddenly spoke up.

She shook her head, then stared at Liao Ji. Perhaps it was the display between the young man and the girl that made the nun change her plan, as she said to them, word by word:

"After resting last night, I... I feel much better. I think I should have a way to teleport us directly there."

"Tele-teleport?" Irin wondered if she had misheard.

The answer the girl received was:

"Yes, my Divination ability is not limited to foresight; it can also teleport us directly to the coordinates I've divined—that is, to the underground area where your mother is."

"Wha—that's so amazing!!?"

Seeing that there was no hint of a joke on Maria's face, Irin's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but let out a cry of surprise, as if she'd just hit the jackpot.

It felt like something out of Saving Succubus, where the protagonist is sent straight back to the Demon City by a magic circle on the very first day.

Saving Succubus was a short film co-produced by the Demon City and the Mechanical Alliance, telling the inspirational story of how a young succubus returns to the Demon City from a bionic hellscape devoid of any juice to squeeze.

Irin immediately turned her gaze toward Liao Ji.

Clearly, even the girl felt that this was perhaps a bit...

Liao Ji: "Maria, I'm a bit special. I might trigger a riot of the Relics the moment I arrive. Can you help me mask my aura?"

"I can, sir."

"Is that so? Then without further ado, please, Miss Maria, start the teleportation now."

Having received the answer he wanted from the nun and dispelled his final concerns, Liao Ji nodded and requested to begin immediately, which made Irin anxious.

She kept winking at Liao Ji. Irin's intuition told her that something was very wrong; it was all going too smoothly, too strangely. Were they really just going to let the nun teleport them away like this?

However, Liao Ji gave the girl a look of "reassurance," telling her not to overthink or worry.

And so.

After Maria made some simple ritual preparations, Liao Ji and Irin stood on either side of the nun. Accompanied by a flash of holy light, the figures of the three instantly vanished from the room.

And at that very same moment.

On the other side.

The Church.

The Sacrament Library.

As the only official institution of the Holy Kingdom, it naturally bore the responsibility of educating the public. Every church had a library, and the three floors open to the public were free for all citizens of the Holy Kingdom to enter and browse as they pleased.

However, the two additional floors located beneath the Sacrament Library were the Archive Room, which was not open to the general public. Only internal church personnel and specially invited individuals were permitted to enter and browse.

Early in the morning, Dulin strode in. At the entrance leading to the underground library, four knights clad in Holy Armor stood guard.

Holy Armor was the high-level armament of the Knights Order, combining exoskeleton machinery from the Mechanical Alliance with the power of the Saintess Cross. Once equipped by well-trained members of the Knights Order, their capabilities would see a leap in performance.

The machinery provided immense strength, while the Saintess Cross at the center provided energy and the power of holy light, which was highly effective at suppressing Corrupt Calamity. A Paladin equipped with both could easily subdue a Common Rank Corrupted single-handedly, and when organized into a team, they had many records of containing even Danger Rank Corrupted.

"Captain Dulin!" The four Paladins stood at attention the moment they saw Dulin arrive, waving their mechanical arms in a salute.

They assumed Dulin was there to enter the Archive Room, so they cleared the path, and one of them prepared to register Dulin. But to their surprise, Dulin waved a hand at them, shaking his head to indicate it wasn't necessary.

"You lot, starting today, you'll be joining us on our patrols for the next week."

"What are you standing there for? Take off your Holy Armor."

Faced with Dulin's urging, the four Paladins finally reacted and hurriedly said, "Bu-but Captain Dulin, the Father's instructions were that the Archive Room must be guarded at all times..."

"You must have heard about the major incident last night. The leader of Kalleva is dead, and the Black Cave Settlement is in total chaos. The usual patrol forces aren't enough. The Saintess's teachings are for us to protect the people, not for you to guard some goddamn broken Archive Room that no one has visited in eight hundred years!"

"Under-understood!"

Under Dulin's stern reprimand, the four Paladins were persuaded. It was clear that Dulin's authority among these knights was truly high; they didn't harbor a shred of doubt.

After removing their Holy Armor and handing them over to Dulin, they saluted and hurried toward the Knights Order's quarters to join the patrol team that was about to depart.

Just like that, the entrance to the Archive Room became completely quiet, leaving only Dulin behind.

The captain of the knights cast a cold, disgusted glance toward the dim staircase leading to the basement of the Archive Room. He drew a dagger from his belt and skillfully pried out the Saintess Cross, which served as the power source, from the center of the Holy Armor. Only then did he return the armor to its original position and prepare to turn away, leaving the Archive Room unguarded with its doors wide open.

This way, even if other members of the Knights Order came to stand guard later, the core "Holy Armor" would already be unusable.

He had fulfilled what he promised.

The rest was up to...

Dulin recalled the young man from the cafe last night.

However.

Before Dulin had taken more than a few steps, a figure stepped out from the shadows behind a pillar, as if waiting for him for a long time, and blocked his path.

He wore a black robe with a prominent cross hanging at his chest; his hands were crossed and hanging down, holding a Holy Scripture in his palms.

The first rays of the morning sun shone through the window onto the man, adding a sense of benevolence to his already peaceful face. It made one feel an urge to draw close and trust him, as if one were willing to confess every sin they had ever committed to this man.

Yes.

In this settlement, only one person could achieve such an effect: the leader and ruler of the Black Cave church, the priest, Gelong.

"As expected of Captain Dulin. It is the honor of the people of Black Cave to have a knight like you."

The priest clapped, a kind smile on his face.

He walked step by step toward Dulin, who stood frozen in place.

"You deliberately concealed the clues regarding the culprit who killed Falmu last night and the mastermind behind the destruction of the factory in your report. And now, you have suddenly pulled away the guards I placed at the entrance of the Archive Room, and even..."

Gelong circled behind Dulin and retrieved the four energy crosses Dulin had just pried from the Holy Armor, which he had been hiding behind his back.

The priest shook his head.

"Dulin, I am so disappointed in you. I had hoped you could become one of us, but now it seems..."

"Not only have you given up your chance for promotion, but you have even abandoned your wife."

At the mention of the word "wife," the veins on Dulin's forehead bulged. The knight captain, unable to endure any longer, suddenly lunged forward, attempting to tackle the priest before him. But unfortunately...

The priest didn't even move, yet a massive rebounding force sent Dulin flying.

The kind old man from before had vanished, replaced by a priest with a twisted, wrinkled face, shrouded in a red mist of Corrupt Calamity.

A Corrupted, and judging by the fluctuations of the Corrupt Calamity, he had already surpassed Common Rank and reached Danger Rank!

"Pah! You piece of ***! One day, the true Church will wipe out filthy, low-life maggots like you!" Dulin, pinned to the ground by the priest's foot, cursed fiercely as he struggled.

Instead of getting angry, the priest seemed even more intrigued.

"Dulin, actually, I used to hold the same thoughts as you. I was terrified that the higher-ups in the Church would come, discover my heretical actions, and find out I was conducting forbidden experiments. But..."

"Just yesterday, a big shot from the Church actually came. And they came directly to me. That was a true big shot, someone who stands even above the bishops. A Light Bearer."

As the priest spoke, his face was filled with fanaticism and reverence. Then, in a mocking and sarcastic tone, he crouched down and whispered word by word into the ear of the glaring Dulin:

"But do you know what that Light Bearer chose to do after learning everything about me?"

Even now, the priest found it incredible, but that did not stop him from stating the facts. With an arrogant and wanton tone, Gelong spread his arms, as if the Light Bearer from last night had appeared before him—so beautiful, so moving, and so perfect, a figure that made him infatuated. Even enamored.

After all, only such a Light Bearer, who possessed both beauty and wisdom, could understand him, and would...

"She chose to..."

"Assist me!!"