A Different Choice

"Don't worry, everyone, drink up. I have plenty of wine."

"Oh!"

Everyone cheered instantly.

The first ten people to receive the wine glasses drank it all in one gulp without hesitation.

Their thinking was simple: although Suika said there would be plenty of wine, who knew exactly how much wine she could pour out of her gourd?

If I don't drink now, what if there's no more alcohol later?

And even if the leader blames them, they will have a reason to do so.

After all, Suika herself said there would be plenty of alcohol, which is why they finished it all.

Even if there isn't enough wine in the end, it's not their fault.

On the contrary, I was quite full after this round of drinking. As for what comes next, I can only go to the church to pray for them. The wine here at Suika is really plentiful.

Everyone else was well aware of this; these guys were usually honest and simple, but at this moment they were as cunning as devils.

Although we're not exactly big drinkers, we've rarely had any alcohol to drink here over the years, especially this strong liquor that Suika poured. One sip and it's like fire rushing down your throat and into your stomach, then spreading to every part of your body.

I haven't felt this comfortable in a long time.

After the first batch of drinks was finished, Suika opened her magical wine gourd in full view of everyone, and then ten cups of wine appeared in front of everyone.

"Wow!" This time the cheers were even louder.

Everyone stared eagerly at Suika's magical little wine flask.

With Suika pouring glass after glass of wine, everyone got quite tipsy.

The group gathered around the fire, singing songs they couldn't understand and dancing the Sarkaz War Dance.

Upon seeing this, the Sankta rushed over, eager to engage in a dance-off with the Sarkaz.

Suika sat in the middle, drinking and singing with the old bishop beside her, while shouting...

"Keep your distance, don't jump into the fire!"

The old bishop chuckled as he watched the boisterous crowd below, and Shanghai, wielding a Suika Ibuki Gourd, weaving through the throng to pour drinks for people.

"Since the Great Silence, the people in the church haven't been this happy in a long time."

I have to thank you.

"No need to thank me, I was just joining in the fun."

"If the canyon to the north hadn't been opened up, ensuring a food supply, I wouldn't have dared to let everyone indulge like this."

Suika finished speaking, the old bishop looked at her with even more affection.

There are very few people who are strong, insightful, and know how to conduct themselves properly. If it were Sankta, he would definitely spare no effort to groom him as the next bishop.

Unfortunately, the opponent is Oni from the Eastern Country.

The next morning, Suika got up early to prepare for departure.

Although she did want to stay there for a couple more days.

But considering what happened in that small town, he was certain he was now officially on the Iberia authorities' radar.

If they don't show up for most of the day, the other party will definitely investigate this area.

Once they discover the church, no one can guarantee that nothing will go wrong.

Therefore, the best approach is to proactively appear in their line of sight and attract their attention.

This way, the church can remain hidden.

I had just reached the main gate when I saw Gerald and the old bishop standing there.

"Oh dear, didn't I tell you not to see me off?" Suika walked over with a grin.

"You've done us such a great favor, it's only right that we see you off," the old bishop said kindly.

"Forget about helping or not, as long as everyone is doing well, that's all that matters. I'll be going now."

Suika waved her hand, preparing to continue on her way.

"Let me see you off!" Gerald hesitated, then walked over before Suika left.

"Alright."

Under the watchful eye of the old bishop, the two walked westward.

"Is there something you need?" Suika asked after they had moved away from the direction of the church.

"Hmm, why are you helping us?" Gerald never quite understood Suika's reasons for doing these things.

Why? Perhaps it's because they don't want to see a destined tragedy unfold.

You are a good person, the old bishop is a good person, and everyone here is a good person.

It's a bit too cruel to make a group of good people act out a tragedy.

By the way... Rhodes Island is its current name; it used to be called the Babel...

Chapter 518 A Different Choice

Gerald was stunned upon hearing this.

Suika didn't turn around, but waved her hand.

"If Your Highness were alive, you would surely not be able to bear seeing the Sarkaz living such a lowly and subservient life just to survive and maintain their so-called home."

As I said before, if this place is no longer your home and you're truly desperate, why not go back to Kazdel?

Goodbye then!

The figure, back to the sun, grew farther and farther away, but in Gerald's heart, it grew incredibly tall.

He seemed to see that prince standing beside Suika, gently watching her carry out her will.

"I will!"

Gerald said in a low, affirmative tone.

After leaving the monastery, Suika did not head directly west but instead turned south and traveled for a day before continuing westward.

On the evening of the second day, she arrived at a small town.

Seeing the judge at the town gate, Suika didn't rush over recklessly, but instead transformed into mist and silently entered the town.

After entering the city, she first went to the Iberia bank, took out the bank card she had prepared beforehand, and exchanged a large sum of money.

Then he carried the box full of money out of the hall.

With money, she suddenly felt much more confident.

First, I found a hotel here and booked a room, then put the box and the doll in the room.

He then left with a sum of money in his pocket.

After she went outside, she noticed several pairs of eyes staring at her.

At first, she thought it was because of her box of money.

After all, such a large sum of money would make anyone envious.

Not to mention countries like Iberia, which went from rich to poor because of its Great Silence.

It's not surprising that people would take risks for money.

However, she quickly dismissed the idea, because she learned from the trail of Little Suika, who had been abandoned along the way, that these people were all informants of the judge.

Suika wasn't surprised that the judge discovered the matter so quickly.

It should be noted that in order to crack down on the Church of the Deep, which was committing crimes on the move, the Iberian Inquisition had secret spies in various places.

Besides observing whether the locals were behaving strangely, these spies also had an important task: to investigate the backgrounds of unfamiliar outsiders.

People like Suika, who are young and have distinctive features, naturally attracted their attention immediately.

Fortunately Suika had no intention of hiding it, so she didn't bother with them.

Furthermore, she also needed these people to pass on their information to the judges in order to attract their attention.

She walked into a restaurant that looked decent, ordered a special pork chop, and sat by the window, listening intently to the conversations of other diners while watching the crowd outside.

The situation is much better inland than along the coast.

At least there is some communication between the towns here.

For example, Suika overheard someone saying that something had happened somewhere nearby.

The most significant news was naturally from the east.

According to them, martial law has been declared in several eastern towns, and judges are conducting large-scale searches, seemingly looking for someone.

Although the continuous commotion indicated that the target had not been found, it was said that many heretics had been captured.

Many of them were executed on the spot by the judges, while the remaining ringleaders were taken back to the Inquisition.

At this point, everyone looked visibly shaken.

Many people are condemning the cult members as despicable.

After all, if one person is arrested, their family, relatives, friends, and everyone in the vicinity will be investigated.

Even if nothing goes wrong in the end, the time wasted and the fright experienced are considerable.

If there are problems, then things will get really interesting; a new batch of people will be arrested and interrogated one by one.

Moreover, the judges weren't exactly friendly to the suspects.

Once suspicion arises, severe torture is not just an empty threat.

In addition, judges are human beings, and they are bound to have some degree of personal bias.

This will naturally lead to wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice.

As a result, news coming from the east included stories of so-and-so's family being investigated, so-and-so's entire family being sent to the execution ground, and so on.

During this time, Suika also overheard a few pieces of news that caught her attention.

Saint Carmen abruptly abandoned his annual, unchanging coastal patrols and returned to the church.

The Iberian Inquisition shifted its focus from the coast to the interior, and so on.

She had reason to suspect that these messages were directed at her.

However, she wasn't flustered at all. It would be better if the judges who came were all as sensible and reasonable as Carmen.

At least there is still room for communication and dialogue.

I'm afraid two more lunatics will come along, always thinking of purifying everything with guns and swords, completely unable to understand human language.

Encountering this kind of situation would likely lead to several more bloodshed incidents.

After all, you've gone all out; you can't just leave me standing there taking the beating without being allowed to fight back.

After gathering enough information, Suika walked back to the hotel under the watchful eyes of a group of spies.

Upon entering, Suika wasn't surprised to see the several unfortunate souls collapsed inside.

She tossed the group out the window like trash, then closed it as if no one else was there.

Only after the lights in the room were turned off did someone come and drag the people away.

They were found to be alone, or someone woke them up and asked them what had happened inside the house.

The men said they saw a dark shadow flash by as soon as they entered the house, and then they lost consciousness.

As for what ambushed them, they had no idea.

They suspected this person was suspicious, so they forwarded the information to the Inquisition.

When the judges received the information, they initially thought it was some kind of smuggler, as there are quite a few people like that who travel around Iberia making a profit from price differences.

But after hearing the description of Suika's appearance, the judge suddenly felt a cold sweat creep up his back.

After all, the news from the Inquisition indicated that he possessed the power to instantly render an entire town unconscious.

Furthermore, they dismissed a veteran judge.

In other words, the other party wasn't very bloodthirsty; otherwise, there probably wouldn't have been any survivors in that town.