It was where [Philip's Legacy] was buried, and Viscount Pompey's estate was in Amber City.
So although Amber City was far away, it was somewhere Chen Lun had to go.
Dolly had also become the most promising of his many options.
What remained uncertain was whether Dolly was even in Amber City at this point in time.
Even if he was, there was no telling whether he possessed any [high-sequence flesh school mystical substance].
After all, that incident had happened a year after the public beta, more than two years from now.
"No point overthinking it. Nothing is ever a hundred percent certain. Trying is better than doing nothing."
Chen Lun made up his mind to set out that very day.
"But before that, there's one more thing I need to do..."
Earlier that evening, Chen Lun had paid a visit to the town's Silver Dragon Trade Association.
Using the Silver Dragon Coin, he had met Walsh again and commissioned a job.
Just thinking about it made his wallet ache.
"Five Gold Pounds! Half my assets, gone!"
He picked up the glass on the table and gulped down some water, trying to drown his misery.
Then he glanced at Froy, who was fast asleep on the bed, put on his cloak, and leaped straight out of the window.
After landing, he darted away and vanished into the night.
Once Chen Lun had left, Froy tilted her head slightly on the bed, "gazing" toward the window.
"I hope you come back safely..."
The alluring purple moon cast its light into the room through the window.
In the faint glow, a broad-backed figure reclined in the chair behind the desk.
Knock, knock, knock...
Someone knocked on the door.
"Come in."
The door opened, and a young man in a white uniform entered.
Without pausing, he walked up to the desk and placed a letter on it.
"Team Leader Ralph, this denunciation letter just arrived..."
"Mm."
The middle-aged man named Ralph sat up. Moonlight fell across his face, revealing rugged features framed by a full beard.
He picked up the letter and asked in a low voice:
"Who delivered it?"
"The investigator on duty identified him as Brother Stuarton of the Red Apple Church."
Poor Stuarton had thought nobody would discover his snitching. In reality, his every move had been observed.
Ralph sneered, then opened the envelope and began reading.
No wonder his subordinate had brought it to him specifically. Ordinary denunciation letters were reviewed by the investigators below him.
Since this one involved the Red Apple Church, it was probably no small matter.
After a while, Ralph put down the letter, the disdainful smile on his face growing more pronounced.
"He actually says a dangerous unaffiliated Beyonder has appeared in town and hopes I'll hunt the fellow down."
In the letter, Stuarton had fiercely condemned the unaffiliated Beyonder's brazen conduct.
He had also speculated that the man might be plotting something bigger, potentially bringing unimaginable harm to Jadeite Town.
The Containment Bureau was indeed the empire's official Beyonder organization, tasked with containing and suppressing [Mysterious Objects] and unaffiliated Beyonders wherever they appeared, nipping all sources of instability in the bud.
But Ralph could not quite understand it. The Red Apple Church was hardly an association of public-spirited citizens. Why would it offer this intelligence out of the blue?
"Either it's trouble even the Red Apple Church can't handle, or they want to use us to accomplish something."
Ralph lit a cigar.
He tapped the desktop twice with two fingers held together.
"Send a few investigators to stake out the area around the Red Apple Cathedral. Watch their every move."
"Yes, sir."
The young investigator in white pressed his left hand to his right chest, bowed slightly, and turned to leave.
"Remember, don't attract the attention of Father Carter from the Red Apple Church."
The investigator acknowledged the order again, left the room, and closed the door behind him.
Click.
Ralph turned his chair toward the purple moon outside the window, puffing out clouds of smoke.
"That old bastard even dares to slaughter followers of the Moon Church. He's a real lunatic.
"We'll observe for a while first. Let them tear each other apart."
Chapter 22: Tonight, we hunt the church
The solemn Red Apple Cathedral stood in silence.
Beneath the night sky, the profile of an angel carved into the spired building's outer wall overlapped with the purple moon, forming a halo of bewitching light.
A flurry of footsteps came from the far end of the street.
Two heavily armored guards bearing red apple emblems on their chests led the way toward the cathedral, torches raised.
A long procession of dozens of church wardens followed them.
Some wardens held leashes, with Rotting Hounds draped in red cloth obediently following the procession.
Upon reaching the cathedral, the long procession filed neatly through the main entrance, leaving only two wardens at the door.
Inside the cathedral.
The prayer room.
A young woman lay sprawled on the floor, her clothes disheveled. A deep cut marked her throat, and blood covered the ground.
She had clearly been dead for some time.
Stuarton's fat figure, clad in a monk's robe, stood a short distance from the corpse.
He held an ornate dagger, blood still dripping from its gleaming blade.
"Rose above, why is there still no answer...?"
Stuarton wiped his sweat with a handkerchief in his other hand, his tiny eyes fixed on a golden goblet atop the prayer altar.
The goblet was filled with blood, ripples spreading across its surface from time to time.
A long time passed.
An aged voice came from the goblet:
"Stuarton, this is the third time you've called me... I hope you have a convincing reason."
"Your Excellency!"
Overjoyed, the fat monk hurried closer to the goblet.
"When will you set out for Jadeite Town? The Beyonder who destroyed the Apple Orchard Prison is very likely hiding here right now...
"Once you arrive, he won't stand a chance of escaping!"
The blood in the goblet fell still for a moment. Just as Stuarton began to wonder what was happening, the aged voice spoke again:
"Will warned me about this before. Now it seems that sinner was most likely a Beyonder from the History and Ritual Association. He disguised himself as a sacrifice to infiltrate the prison, then struck and killed our Father Carter..."
"Their objective was clear: that potted sunflower [Mysterious Object]...
"The church's leadership made a preliminary assessment of it. It was most likely formed from the remains left behind by the Saint who caused the collapse of Tourmaline Royal City over a decade ago."
"If the Sun Church and the Containment Bureau hadn't both been pressuring us, Lord Rafa would never have secretly transferred it to a backwater like Jadeite Town...
"But how exactly did those wretched rats learn of this...?"
The aged voice barely contained its immense fury. Stuarton kept wiping away his sweat.
He wanted to remind the bishop, but did not dare, that he had no desire to know any of these secrets.
"Could there be a traitor within the church?"
Stuarton asked quietly.
The blood in the goblet froze.
"You truly are a pig-brained fool, Stuarton! Who among those who worship Rose would dare betray us?"
The aged voice berated him, then seemed to suppress its anger, gradually growing calm.
"Never mind. You wouldn't understand even if I explained...
"For now, you need to know only one thing: the sinner cannot escape. The church will turn him into fertilizer for the garden."
"With Carter dead, the church has no Beyonder forces left in Jadeite Town. Leave him alone for now...
"No matter where he flees, he will eventually take the stolen item to meet his accomplices."
"The church has now identified the mastermind behind this operation, so I cannot spare the time just yet... But their deaths are fast approaching."
"Lie low for a while. Unless something important happens, there is no need to call me again."
The aged voice faded away, and the blood in the golden goblet became perfectly still.
After hearing the bishop's words, Stuarton felt not reassured, but even more anxious.
Ever since the priest's death, he had felt desperately unsafe.
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