Temporary Separation

Arthur walked toward the back door of the tavern, wiping the fresh blood from his face.

The intuition of the Moth told him that he was in grave danger and would be hunted down relentlessly by the Black Devil Order.

It was hard to imagine the behavior of followers after a secret entity who enjoyed peeking at low-sequence rituals issued an oracle.

From this ritual, Arthur could roughly discern that the rituals of the Black Devil Order were based on the principle of "equivalent exchange."

Setting aside the definition of "equivalent" for the moment.

Judging by the fact that the Black Devil granted power to followers after they offered a group of sacrifices, the "trade" held true.

"Damn it! May the God of Light be above!"

"To think someone would actually enjoy peeking at low-sequence rituals!"

The sound of heavy footsteps trampling the tavern's floorboards behind him made Arthur's heart tighten.

Combat was the most foolish choice; he opted to take a small sailboat and head to Rhine Island to weather the storm.

"Oh! I advise you to leave quickly!"

"Once the priests of the Church of Light arrive, you cultists will all be purified!"

Arthur jogged along the alley behind the tavern, throwing a "Fear" behind him toward his feet.

The [Ritual] still held one "Ease," and the Fear Musket had one bullet left; there was no time to reload the musket.

He still remembered how the opponent had suppressed Arena on the Jasmine; a head-on confrontation would mean certain death.

Fury flickered in Simon's eyes as he let out a disdainful sneer: "The Church of Light only has the Rhine Church and the Shadow Temple on the nearby islands."

"What does it matter if a deacon from the shadow faith system and a servant of the light faith system come to Blue Bay Island?"

He knew the layout of the Church of Light's forces like the back of his hand.

Given the suddenness of the situation, the Church of Light could not quickly mobilize mid-level priests from the nearby grand ports.

Arthur suddenly stopped, his lips moving slightly as he raised the Fear Musket.

A "Moth's Hum" suddenly erupted in Simon's mind; his body paused for a split second, and he was struck by the Fear Bullet.

Arthur continued to flee, and Simon continued his pursuit.

A swordsman from the Church of Night, having shaken off the whispers, followed to obstruct Simon, entangling him for a short time.

Simon pulled a hand axe from somewhere, swept it to knock aside the two men's swords, a sense of reluctance rising in his heart.

Recalling Arthur's words, the law enforcement squad of the Church of Night, the "Ghosts Under the Moonlit Night," was rapidly arriving at Blue Bay Island.

Once the news spread, the "Glory of the Blazing Sun" law enforcers, who were on daily standby at the nearest Bries Grand Port, would be the first to arrive to eliminate the cultists.

Given their status and influence, they would very likely mobilize the nearby Royal Navy to blockade the surrounding seas first.

The more Simon thought about it, the more unfavorable the situation seemed, and he took a deep look at Arthur's retreating back.

The Black Devil's oracle had been issued; killing Arthur would surely bring a rich reward, and he would always find a suitable opportunity later.

Taking a deep breath, Simon made his decision and broke through toward the port.

Arthur jogged to the Blue Bay Private Tavern; the people from the Church of Night were quite capable, having delayed that cultist.

Now, he only needed to wait here for Deacon Wallace's resources, then head to Rhine Island to accept the protection of Governor Drew.

"A lord who faces a cultist head-on, dares to draw his sword, and even slays a cultist—Her Majesty the Queen will surely have to show some appreciation."

"According to the Cultist Elimination Ordinance of the Tudor Dynasty, the head of a cultist is worth 1,000 gold coins."

"The Church of Light and other major churches will also provide a certain 'Justice Gold Coin' reward, usually 100 gold coins."

"The prerequisite is that the identity of the slain cultist must be verified by the Church of Light."

Arthur stood where he was, a cold sweat breaking out on his back as he turned to see the Royal Apprentice Painter, Hisoka, and the trembling scholar, Leo.

Behind them, there was quite a commotion in one of the rooms, as if many people were hiding inside.

He smiled without leaving a trace: "What a coincidence, I just happened to kill a cultist."

Arthur carefully observed Hisoka's expression, trying to read any abnormality or emotion on his face.

Hisoka was calm—too calm. The absence of any abnormality was, in itself, an abnormality.

To be able to face a cultist attack and the slaughter of dozens of people in a tavern, yet remain calm in the face of the situation—

Either he had the temperament of a natural detective, or he had absolute confidence in his own strength.

It was hard to imagine an artist with such a rich artistic cell being so calm under these circumstances.

Arthur didn't understand artists, but creation required passion and a flash of inspiration.

If an artist full of passion had the courage to face fear, perhaps everything could be explained if Hisoka had stood in the tavern and given a loud speech.

But the impression Hisoka gave him was that of a quiet scholar, as tranquil as the surface of Lake Baikal.

There was something wrong with Hisoka; Arthur could be certain of that now.

As for what exactly was wrong, he couldn't be sure yet; it could be the Black Devil Order, or perhaps someone from another secret cult.

The passionate, blood-pumping, and terrifying first half of the night passed, leaving the latter half exceptionally quiet.

The sound of combat boots trampling the stone slabs rang out as Arena led the priests of the Church of Night to the Blue Bay Private Tavern.

After the priests of the Church of Night thoroughly investigated everyone inside the tavern and found no issues, they spoke:

"May the Goddess of Night be above!"

"Under the witness of the Silver Moon, we have thwarted the conspiracy of the Black Devil Order!"

"The traces of the Black Devil Order have been sealed off. The Church will intervene in the follow-up investigation, and order on Blue Bay Island will soon be restored."

The priest's gaze lingered on Arthur for a moment.

"Miss Arena, I need to personally stand guard over the matters on that side."

"Please proceed, Priest Eugene."

Priest Eugene stayed only briefly before immediately rushing to the site of the ritual to safeguard the sovereignty of their Church of Night!

This was a victory for the Church of Night!

Arena leaned on her sword, tapping it against the stone floor to signal for Arthur to come over and discuss matters.

A faint sea breeze brushed against their cheeks as the two walked along the deserted beach, and Arena said in a low voice:

"I need to return to my family next. The matter regarding the Black Devil Order has crossed the line this time."

The "Whisper of the Black Devil" appeared in a small-scale ritual on Blue Bay Island.

If not for the fact that the sequence of the ritual was too low, that there were no high-level sealed artifacts, and that even the sacrifices were scarce, the Whisper of the Black Devil could very likely have evolved into a catastrophe, turning Blue Bay Island into a "God-Forbidden Zone" where the power of an evil god erupted.

Arena paused, then suddenly asked, "Who exactly was He referring to when He spoke of 'him'?"

Arthur knew this matter could not be hidden; the two swordsmen of the Church of Night had seen Simon pursuing him relentlessly.

"Me."

"This is a good thing. Being targeted by the Black Devil Order means you are on the whitelist of every church."

"Of course, you must also be careful; some people might make a big fuss about this."

Arthur shrugged and said, "It doesn't matter. Once this is over, my plan will begin to be executed."

Arena was clear on Arthur's plan: to abandon the identity of Arthur and head to England University to become a scholar.

She did not know the details of how he intended to execute it.

"We will part ways this time, and the next time we meet will be in the Fog City. I will prepare a letter of recommendation to open the doors of England University for you.

Have you thought about the name you will use after changing your identity, so I can prepare in advance?"

Arthur had long been prepared for this, both the surname and given name for his new identity.

"Sherlock Albert."

Arena repeated the name "Sherlock," feeling momentarily that it sounded somewhat familiar.

Suddenly, she recalled that at the auction, Arthur had mentioned he had a friend proficient in the Sea Race Language named Sherlock.

Had Arthur been laying the groundwork for his new identity even back then?

"Then... beautiful Miss Arena, I hope you won't be surprised when we meet next time."

At the port of Blue Bay Island, Arthur watched the departing ship against the morning light.

At this moment, Deacon Wallace arrived at Rhine Island by speedboat, his face dark.