Dressed in black robes, Bishop Hall returned to his bedroom at his usual pace.
Suddenly, surprise flashed in his calm eyes. He whipped his gaze toward the Oil Painting above his bed. The painting looked unchanged, but the divinity within it had become somewhat disordered.
This Oil Painting had been created using his own body as its foundation, then taken to the Shenchuan Family, imbued with divinity, and finally shipped back.
Father Hall narrowed his eyes, crouched down, and opened the Safe. There was no sign that the Ledger inside had been moved.
Still uneasy, he went to the Prayer Room and lifted the heavy carpet. The Mystic Patterns on the floor were still perfectly intact.
Phew...
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
It hasn't been discovered, but someone broke in. It probably wasn't my rival. I was fighting him just now.
Could it have been someone from the Federation Bureau of Investigation, here over my taxes?
But I've bought off everyone at the tax bureau over the years. They're most likely turning a blind eye.
Or could someone from the family have come to inspect my work?
That's possible.
Father Hall straightened up and thought no more of it. He knew the family was extremely sensitive about loyalty. Once someone was exposed as disloyal, they would be made to slit their belly in no time.
Anything less than absolute loyalty was absolute disloyalty.
Fortunately, he now possessed the Black Key and was a participant in the Holy Grail Contest. That status alone was enough to make the family take him seriously.
As he pondered, he approached the candle stand, lit three White Candles, and offered a prayer toward the distance.
A moment later, the candles went out, as though his prayer had been answered.
He smiled