Trade Competition

Bai Zhu left the inn, and the first thing he did was jam his earpiece in securely.

Milluki's voice immediately came through.

"Go left. Don't take the main road. There are two patrols ahead. The one on the right can use Gyo; the one on the left is just putting on a show."

Bai Zhu lowered his head and glanced at the snow on his shoes.

"You sure those little bugs of yours are reliable?"

"They're called Miniature Bee-Type Explosive Reconnaissance Devices!"

"Sure. Explosive mosquitoes."

"Call them that again and I'll make them return immediately."

"Don't mess around. Working people need professional ethics."

Milluki fell silent for half a second, then spoke through gritted teeth.

"You'd better not die out there, or Big Brother will think I helped some worthless trash."

Bai Zhu walked forward along the base of the wall.

In daylight, the church looked fairly convincing.

Snow covered its spires, light shone through its stained-glass windows, and a holy emblem hung over the entrance. If he had not personally seen those numbered women underground, an ordinary person coming here would probably have truly believed this was a place for repentance.

But the moment Bai Zhu approached, he sensed that something was wrong.

There were six people dressed as priests outside the door.

They moved in pairs, taking turns patrolling.

They appeared scattered, but every step tightly covered the side entrance, bell tower, backyard, and main hall entrance.

Their Nen levels were not particularly high. Even if they knew Nen, they would only be around the hundredth-floor level in Heavens Arena.

But they were disciplined.

Even disposable pawns came in good and bad varieties.

This batch from the Creation Society had clearly undergone mass-produced training. They were brainwashed pawns with a severe case of cult poisoning.

Bai Zhu circled around the outer wall, while Milluki continued directing him through the earpiece.

"Stop."

Bai Zhu stopped at once.

At the corner ahead, a black-robed believer came out carrying a wooden box filled with candles and prayer books.

Milluki lowered his voice.

"This one's alone, and he doesn't have Nen. You can use him to change clothes."

"You make it sound like we're playing a dress-up game."

"Quit talking and hurry up. My Bee-Type reconnaissance devices are being interfered with. The Nen fluctuations inside the church are chaotic. If I force the signal to stay active, they'll explode."

Bai Zhu froze.

"Those things can blow up on their own?"

"I told you not to use them carelessly! The Nen inside is like static noise. It can easily trigger a false reading."

"When you built bombs, did you ever consider user experience?"

"You're not a user. You're expendable material."

Bai Zhu could not be bothered to argue with him.

The black-robed believer had barely turned into the side corridor when he took a hit to the back of the neck.

Bang.

He crumpled to the ground.

Bai Zhu dragged him into a storage room and swiftly stripped off his robe before pulling it over himself.

The moment the clothes settled over him, he stiffened.

"Milluki."

"What?"

"Has this guy not bathed for a month?"

"How would I know?"

Bai Zhu lowered his head and sniffed his sleeve, nearly quitting the game on the spot.

"Are the Creation Society's benefits so bad they don't even hand out laundry detergent? This sour smell could fumigate rats."

Milluki sneered.

"Why don't you go back to the inn and change into a suit?"

"Forget it. Enduring humiliation is a required course for protagonists too."

He stuffed the believer into a cabinet and casually took the prayer book as well.

The cover bore the Creation Society's symbol, and the inside was filled with prayers.

Bai Zhu flipped through two pages, then shut it expressionlessly.

"I can't understand it, but it feels like it could fool plenty of idiots."

The sound of Milluki typing paused for a moment.

"Stop talking. Go into the main hall. The prayer procession is about to start. Blending in will be safest."

Bai Zhu lowered his hood and followed two believers into the main hall.

There were quite a few people seated inside.

Some were townspeople, while others were official members dressed in church uniforms. Everyone had their heads lowered and hands clasped, reciting the same prayer.

Bai Zhu found a spot near the edge and knelt down.

To his left was a tall, skinny believer who prayed with immense devotion.

"Great Creation God, grant us rebirth..."

To his right was an old woman still clutching prayer beads.

"May the holy infant descend, may flesh and blood return to the Lord..."

Bai Zhu mumbled along vaguely.

"Great Tiga, bless me with wealth, and while you're at it, bless these idiots... cough, bless them so they don't notice me."

The believer to his left suddenly turned his head.

"What did you just say?"

Bai Zhu immediately lowered his head.

"I said may the Lord not blame me. I got too excited and bit my tongue."

The tall, skinny believer stared at him for two seconds.

"Which district are you from?"

Bai Zhu opened the prayer book and pointed at a random line.

"District... thirty-seven."

The tall, skinny believer frowned.

"We don't have a District Thirty-Seven."

Bai Zhu raised his head and lowered his voice.

"We do. Your rank just isn't high enough."

The tall, skinny believer's body stiffened.

Bai Zhu continued, adding in a tone that said asking further would bring trouble.

"Brother, don't ask around carelessly. The last person who asked is already serving the Lord underground."

The tall, skinny believer's expression changed at once, and he hurriedly lowered his head.

"May the Lord forgive me."

Bai Zhu lowered his head as well.

"Mm. May the Lord forgive you."

Milluki had held it in for quite a while.

"You really can deceive people."

"Don't be jealous. It's talent."

The prayer ended, and the crowd began to move.

Following the route Milluki had given him, Bai Zhu began placing the six "explosive mosquitoes."

The first went at the turn in the bell tower staircase.

The second went beneath the choir platform.

The third went in a crack behind the statue of the Virgin.

The fourth went outside the underground elevator shaft.

The fifth went in the confession booth's ventilation opening.

For the sixth, he raised his head and looked at the chandelier in the center of the main hall.

"At that height, you expect me to fly up there?"

Milluki sounded impatient.

"Don't you know that Kidō thing?"

"I know it, but if I cast a spell in the hall, are you afraid no one will notice me?"

"Then think of something yourself."

Bai Zhu looked around and spotted a young acolyte nearby who was responsible for replacing candles.

He walked over and patted the other person on the shoulder.

"Little brother, who's in charge of the main hall chandelier today?"

The young acolyte immediately turned around, his attitude highly respectful.

"It's me. What are your instructions?"

Bai Zhu laughed inwardly.

This stinking outfit came with a bit of status bonus after all.

"There's dust up there. The Lord dislikes it."

The young acolyte immediately brought over a ladder.

Bai Zhu stood beneath it and waited until the other man had climbed halfway up, then gave a light flick.

The tiny thing slipped into the candle tray.

The young acolyte leaned down.

"Sir, where is the dust?"

"Perhaps the Lord was moved by my devotion and wiped it away personally."

The young acolyte froze.

Bai Zhu raised a hand and drew the Creation Society's strange symbol across his chest.

"Faith must be used with the heart, not merely the eyes."

The young acolyte immediately became solemn.

"I have been taught."

Milluki cursed quietly through the earpiece.

"When a cult runs into you, that really is trade competition."

Bai Zhu straightened his sleeves.

"Quit talking. Where do I go next?"

Just as he prepared to retreat toward the bell tower, his earpiece suddenly crackled.

Milluki's voice came through in fragments.

"Signal... interference is getting stronger... underground..."

Bai Zhu stopped.

"Speak clearly."

"I'm switching to Big Brother's view on my end. Don't move around."