Path of Desire

"The glory of the Light... has been completely disgraced by you!"

Deacon Wallace kept his head bowed, receiving the reprimand of the Bishop of Light at the Bress Cathedral of Light.

In the eyes of the world, a bishop is a lofty position, a sacred member of the clergy.

Within the hierarchy of the Orthodox Church, a bishop is a divine official of the faith system, ranking above servants of God, deacons, and priests.

Equivalent to a Sequence 6 mid-sequence transcendent, their actual power and influence are even higher.

Casimo Roberts is the Bishop of the Cathedral of Light, and at this moment, he was angrily berating the incompetent Deacon Wallace and the oblivious Father Roberto.

Compared to the irritation of the Church of Light, the atmosphere of the Church of Night was relaxed and pleasant.

"Bishop Anka," who had arrived at the same time as Bishop Casimo, was currently comforting the warriors of the Night.

Arthur, the core target of the Black Devil Order's ritual, sat on a sofa in the Blue Bay Private Tavern, undergoing scrutiny from both parties.

Bishop Casimo stroked his white, yellowing wig, having rushed from Bress Port to Blue Bay Island without any protective measures.

He watched his precious wig turn yellow in the sea breeze, his eyes fixed on the hair while his peripheral vision swept over Arthur.

Three purifications of Light had not touched upon any anomalies, indicating that Arthur was very clean.

Clean on both a transcendent and physical level.

"Why would He want to kill this person?"

Casimo checked again carefully, yet still found no abnormalities.

Bishop Anka of the Church of Night was a kind old lady, wearing a long purple robe embroidered with golden crescent moons.

The scepter in her hand was inlaid with a black opal the size of a pigeon's egg, and she wore a stole embedded with pearls.

Bishop Anka was full of smiles; their Church of Night had gained great prestige in church circles this time!

In the Tudor region, where the Church of Light was most dominant, the Church of Night had crushed the evil conspiracy of the Black Devil Order and saved the believers of Blue Bay Island from fire and water.

How many believers were on Blue Bay Island didn't matter; what mattered was that a corpse had been left behind.

The corpse of Buck, whom Arthur had killed with his own hands, had been carefully verified by multiple parties and confirmed to be a member of the Black Devil Order.

"Lord Arthur, since you personally killed a member of the Black Devil Order, according to custom, I will apply for church gold coins for you."

"Bishop Anka, you are too kind. Thwarting the conspiracy of a cult is the duty of every believer!"

Bishop Anka was a bit curious upon hearing this and asked, "Are you a believer of the Goddess?"

She had already mastered all of Arthur's information: a servant of the Stuart family, yet still entangled with the Shadow Temple.

The credit for his previous ennoblement as a Lord was also closely related to the Church of Light.

Arthur revealed an honest smile: "I believe in every deity and pray for their protection."

A pan-believer equals no faith.

The corners of Bishop Anka's mouth twitched slightly, but the credit and honor belonged to their Church of Night, and she still had to thank this heroic Lord.

Arthur took the opportunity to ask some questions that had been bothering him for some time.

"May I ask Bishop Anka, could you inform Arthur about the abilities of the Black Devil Order?"

Bishop Casimo took the opportunity to interject, "Transcendent knowledge is taboo, especially when it involves cults."

"However, since you have merit and are wanted by Him, it wouldn't hurt to tell you."

Those wanted by the Black Devil were naturally friends of the Orthodox Church, provided there were no conflicts of faith.

"The transcendent sequence of the Black Devil Order is the 'Path of Desire,' representing the original sin that humans crave most."

Bishop Casimo's voice was heavy, and just as he prepared to show off his profound knowledge, he was interrupted by Bishop Anka.

"Casimo, I think the most urgent thing for you right now is to go back and explain yourself to your Archbishop."

Bishop Casimo's face turned red; he glared viciously at Anka, then turned and left the Blue Bay Private Tavern.

"Wallace!"

"Roberto!"

"Now! Immediately! At once! Get to work!"

The Bishop's anger was vented on Deacon Wallace and Father Roberto.

The two lowered their heads and followed the Bishop's pace.

Bishop Anka said in a low, rapid voice: "The Sequence 9 of the Path of Desire is the 'Rogue'."

"Its specific ability is to delay or advance one's own desires."

Delay or advance desires?

Arthur carefully recalled the Buck he had encountered, whose combat ability was top-tier.

But there were some performances that defied common sense, such as sacrificing an arm to gain an opportunity to kill him.

Pain or bleeding did not seem to affect Buck.

Could pain, wailing, and bleeding also be delayed? Or was it a matter of overdrawing the desire for battle in advance?

"The Sequence 8 of the Path of Desire is the Priest of Fury, capable of igniting the flames of rage within a person's heart."

"They most enjoy operating in crowded areas, stirring the desires of those already prone to anger to incite impulsive actions, leading to regional riots."

Bishop Anka provided a brief introduction; she did not disclose much information regarding Sequence 9 and Sequence 8 of the Path of Desire.

She believed this was sufficient for young Arthur.

She stood up and said, "Do not worry about being targeted by the Black Devil Order for the time being; the traces left by the two bishops are enough to keep them in hiding for a long time."

After communicating with the Church of Night squad, Arthur learned an important piece of information.

The reason the Black Devil Order is so notorious is that they frequently launch attacks in places where the Church's influence is weak.

The heartland of the Tudor Dynasty had also suffered such an attack in the past.

On that occasion, the regional bishop and the priests were all immediately called away to an important meeting, giving the Black Devil Order an opportunity to strike.

Simply put, the Black Devil Order is a group of rats. Wherever strength is lacking, that is where they will appear.

"Safe travels, Bishop Anka."

Watching Bishop Anka depart, Arthur let out a sigh of relief; no abnormalities had been detected in him.

The bonuses from the various churches would be distributed soon, and the Tudor Dynasty would also provide their own rewards.

He would soon receive a substantial sum of funds.

Combined with his friendship with the Church, purchasing a batch of books would not be a problem, and it would be best to have them sent to Rhine Island, where it is relatively safe.

The next morning, an invitation from Rhine Island arrived.

Hisoka, acting as a messenger for Governor Drew, invited him to Rhine Island to attend a victory banquet specially prepared by the governor.

Arthur returned to the Great White Shark and raised the flag to summon his sailors.

Eight sailors crawled out from the bottom of the ship's hold; the gunnery chief, Thorn, had led the gunners to hide in the bilge.

Kaia and ten sailors had returned, as the incident had occurred during the night.

After having a few drinks, they had been too impatient to wait and had gone to lie in the compartments of the pastry shop, enjoying the hospitality of the girls.

Only two unlucky, alcohol-loving fellows had stayed at the Scimitar Bar and were killed.

"I am announcing a temporary rest period at Blue Bay Island. I will notify you of the specific duration later. Kaia, you are responsible for arranging the watch schedule."

"Yes, Captain!"

After arranging matters for the ship, Arthur returned to the captain's quarters and asked Parrot Gro with a grave expression, "Was there any situation last night?"

"There was!"

"Respected Captain, the evil dream appeared again, just late last night."

Parrot Gro looked certain.

The Black Devil ritual had been held on the night of October 18th, and yesterday, two bishops had arrived at Blue Bay Island to conduct a rigorous search.

Yet, on the night of October 19th, the evil dream had appeared once more.

Arthur tapped his fingers on the table; there was a hidden cultist who had not revealed their identity.

Blue Bay Island was no longer safe!

His eyes flickered; who could it possibly be?

"Continue to observe Blue Bay Island tonight, and report to me if there are any abnormalities."

"I follow the Captain's will! Your most loyal navigator, Parrot Gro, will keep a constant watch!"

Having settled everything on the Great White Shark, Arthur took Mickey with him and sailed a small sailboat toward Rhine Island.

Governor Drew's victory banquet was held specifically for him, signifying a considerable rise in his reputation.

He would have the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Rhine Island's coastal defenses; it would be best if he could obtain a structural map of their military layout.

The Black Devil's bounty gave Arthur a sense of urgency; he truly could not use this identity any longer. Changing his identity was an imminent necessity.

"I am still missing a replacement for my old shell."