Chapter 564
Zuo Le, covered in blood, sighed.
"Just like before, these people see themselves as the sole ones carrying out the mission, but they have absolutely no idea how to perform the ritual."
Zuo Le has a headache.
For the past two weeks, they have been conducting a full-scale manhunt.
But the result was always the same.
Whenever they thought they had found the other person's core, they would send someone in to check, only to discover that these people all regarded themselves as the most important part of the entire ritual.
In reality, however, it would be meaningless for them to capture Gordan and all the members of the Mountain and Shanhai Assembly within the Great Yan.
The real enemy always lurks in the shadows... to the point that Zuo Le began to doubt whether these people were truly here to cause trouble.
They look like a mob.
"Um..."
Maria nodded slightly, appearing remarkably calm about everything.
She had infiltrated quite a few places during this period, and the results she got each time were almost the same as those she got this time with Zuo Le.
"However... there does seem to be one person in this group who is a little different."
After sighing a few times, Zuo Le suddenly spoke up.
After seeing Maria turn around, he told her about the man with the strange hands.
"His hands were a strange color and shape; they didn't seem like normal human hands..."
Zuo Le spoke, but her words were somewhat unclear.
Maria frowned, said nothing, and turned to go inside to check.
A few moments later, she walked out carrying only one of the severed hands.
"Huh?"
Zuo Le was taken aback, a look of surprise on his face.
But after looking at it for a while, Maria simply tossed the arm to Zuo Le.
"Huh?"
Zuo Le instinctively caught it, then his expression became subtle again.
Although he had seen many corpses as Candleholders, suddenly being caught holding a severed arm still made him feel somewhat nauseous.
"Give this to the Old Celestial Master; she should know what it is."
Maria's voice remained calm as always, but her eyes flickered slightly.
On this arm... she felt a very familiar sensation...
It's like... the feeling of the first batch of Mixed-Breed Warriors created by the Great Yan a long time ago.
But it appears somewhat rougher.
It's like a child piecing together a rough model using a meticulously detailed plan.
This plan is undoubtedly the initial version of the Hybrid Warrior Project Plan.
The Old Celestial Master was right; the fact that they could get their hands on something like this meant that there were indeed people from Hundred Stoves among them.
His status and position are likely quite high!
When it comes to this aspect, it might be necessary for the Old Celestial Master to step in and resolve it.
Maria herself is certainly qualified, but only if she reclaims her title Exorcist General...
"Ah... yes..."
Although Zuo Le was stunned, he still nodded instinctively to show his approval.
For some reason, Maria's every move was filled with a very subtle military air, and in her presence, Zuo Le always felt like a greenhorn.
After hearing Zuo Le's answer, Maria did not linger and turned to leave.
Zuo Le suddenly came to his senses at this moment, and after hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke.
"Please... please wait a moment!"
"Um?"
Maria looked over in confusion.
Zuo Le could only manage a helpless, bitter smile at this moment.
"Um... I... I might not be able to see the Old Celestial Master..."
Although the Zuo Family was considered a prestigious clan, it was clear that compared to the old monster who had lived since the time of Exorcist General, he, as a junior, was not qualified to meet him directly.
If he were a high-ranking member of the Zuo Family, then perhaps...
This was indeed Maria's oversight.
However, after only a few moments of thought, she casually tossed her sword to the other person.
"Consider this my token; you can use it to go directly to the Old Celestial Master."
Zuo Le instinctively reached out and caught the weapon.
He thought the weapon Maria had tucked into her waistband wouldn't be too heavy, but when he reached out to catch it, he almost stumbled and fell to the ground!
"Woo!"
Hands hanging down...
Although the longsword felt weightless in Maria's hands, Zuo Le's face flushed red, and he struggled to lift it with both hands.
Upon witnessing this scene, Maria sighed helplessly and shook her head slightly.
"You still need to practice more..."
"Waaah..."
Zuo Le's face turned bright red, and she couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal.
After leaving the scene, Maria quickly returned to Yharnam.
The Doll had been waiting there for quite some time.
"Hunter..."
"Um."
Maria nodded, her expression softening slightly.
You look a little tired... Are you alright?
The Doll stepped forward and gently straightened Maria's collar.
I don't know if it's just Maria's imagination, but the Doll seems bolder since the last time...
Although she still occasionally restrains herself.
"Um..."
Maria shook her head slightly.
But the Doll could tell that Maria was just hiding her weakness.
Last time, for the sake of Logos, Maria took the initiative to approach Gordan, who was still in hiding, elevating herself to Great Ones position before suppressing herself again.
It's impossible for nothing to be gained without some effort.
Her body had become alarmingly fragile.
Moreover, this fragility did not heal with the passage of time; on the contrary, her body seemed to have developed some kind of damage, and her life was constantly slipping away within it.
To heal this wound, Maria needs to enter a period of slumber.
But... Maria doesn't want to fall asleep yet.
"Have the results come out yet?"
What Maria was asking about was, of course, the experiment she had conducted to determine the maximum number of times she could travel through time.
"They're out."
The Doll let out a barely audible sigh, then nodded slightly.
"Given your physical condition, we can only perform a maximum of three consecutive crossings... According to your plan, after Gordan is pulled to the ground, his body will be divided into five parts. Your original plan may have been..."
The Doll's words remained calm as always, but the meaning behind them made Maria frown involuntarily.
According to the ritual plan, Gordan's body will be divided into at least five pieces after his descent.
According to the Doll's meaning.
She can handle a maximum of three pieces...
"No..."
Maria lowered her head, her brows slightly furrowed. "Ideally, in our current era, there would be a moment when the moon aligns... In that case, combined with the three time travels, I could handle at least four aspects..."
"But one aspect is still missing, isn't it?"
The Doll understood Maria's meaning, but she could only sigh.
Maria is just too stubborn; she always thinks she can handle everything on her own.
But the truth is, even though Maria is unwilling to abandon her human body, she still falls short in her ability to fight against Gordan.
The most suitable solution is still the one they mentioned before.
The idea of Artificial Hunter.
"The appearance of the Deep Sea Hunters proves that you've made your decision... doesn't it?"
The Doll spoke slowly, calmly reassuring Maria.
Maria also lowered her eyes slightly.
"I'll go... and think about it some more."
Maria did not answer directly, but instead beat around the bush.
The Doll didn't dwell on the issue any further, but simply took a small step back.
"The bathhouse on the second floor is ready for you..."
"Um..."
"Did she ask you to give this to me?"
Meanwhile, inside the Hundred Stoves conference room.
The Old Celestial Master looked up at the knife blade and arm laid out on the table.
Right at the doorway, Zuo Le's face was flushed, and his chest was heaving.
The Sui Family members were also on both sides.
They were still in a meeting, considering how to find the enemy within Hundred Stoves.
Then... Zuo Le came over with Maria's keepsake.
Maria clearly underestimated the weapon's weight and overestimated the Terra's strength...
After being driven all the way back to the conference room from the outskirts, Zuo Le felt like he had been forced to do extra training... He almost fainted from exhaustion several times!
"Yes... yes."
Zuo Le opened her mouth, her words coming out breathlessly.
The Old Celestial Master also lowered his head, carefully examined his arm, and then reached out and cut a small wound on his hand.
As she watched the blood flow, she dripped it onto her arm.
Then...
"Gurgle~"