The square was silent, except for Geliwusi, who lay on the ground, panting heavily.
The fat cardinal had realized what had happened to him.
Symbiotic plants deprived!
What terrifying power!
This must be the real Son of God of God!
It's important to understand that, aside from a few very special plants that possess similar characteristics, the only way to remove symbiotic plants is through forced removal.
The forced removal of symbiotic plants is usually only used on heinous criminals like Cuiske, and it is often accompanied by death.
Although I am in pain now, my life force is still strong, and I am not really close to death.
He tilted his head slightly, looking at the dying Symbiotic Mistletoe on his shoulder and neck, and a few tears welled up in his eyes.
He knew that it was this plant that ultimately protected him.
Ed glanced at the nearly dead Symbiotic Tree on Geliwusi's shoulder, then at the fruit in his hand that resembled a red jewel, and felt a pang of emotion.
As expected of High Tier?
When Ed first extracted the plant, he actually sensed a slight resistance.
Although this was nothing compared to the World Tree's powerful influence, Ed could still roughly sense the parasitic plant's vague thoughts.
This plant has been with Geliwusi for a century, accompanying the cardinal as he climbed from a lowly clerk to his current position.
Its infancy was very weak, but Geliwusi did not underestimate it in any way. Instead, he devoted himself to developing its new abilities.
Now that both have prospered together, Ed suddenly wants to separate them. Although the plant cannot resist, it is somewhat unwilling.
It's important to understand that while the symbiotic plant can continue to survive under Ed's control after separating from Geliwusi's body, Geliwusi might not be able to.
The two sides, having been together for a century, still have some affection for each other. One side is the Supreme World Tree, and the other is its symbiotic partner. This symbiotic plant, which has grown up with it, is also finding it difficult to make a decision.
Ultimately, it chose to gather all its nutrients and form a single seed to offer to Ed, thus demonstrating its loyalty.
After sensing this emotion, Ed left behind a tiny amount of nourishment, which prevented Geliwusi from dying and allowed him to continue in his state.
Looking at the obese cardinal who was still convulsing, Ed felt a mix of emotions.
Geliwusi could cultivate affection and loyalty in plants, yet he was two-faced and often kept an eye on others.
In comparison, symbiotic plants clearly hold more weight in his eyes.
As the crimson pearl fruit melted into his palm, Ed also saw the types and basic abilities of Geliwusi's symbiotic plants.
Looking again at the plant puppets that imprisoned the Stained Ones, Ed suddenly felt a pang of emotion.
" Symbiotic Mistletoe? That would suit you quite well."
He said in a low voice with a smile:
"Get up, Geliwusi. This is merely a punishment. Your future will be decided separately."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Geliwusi suppressed his trembling body and slowly got up from the ground.
He wanted to help Ed by pulling the stirrups, but Ed's mount was a giant dragon, tall and mighty, and it didn't even have reins, leaving him no room to maneuver. So he naturally walked to Ed's side and behind, like a subordinate who wanted to report to his superior.
Having temporarily finished dealing with Geliwusi, Ed looked down and swept his gaze over the hundreds of thousands of people in the Holy City Square, which covered most of the area.
He turned to Geliwusi and asked:
"Have all the Stained Ones been caught?"
Geliwusi bowed again:
"Reporting to Son of God Highness, the sinner's abilities are limited; he only managed to break the illusion in the southern half of the Holy City and capture a large number of the scattered and resisting Stained Ones."
"As for the northern half of the city, the sinner was just about to gather his men to retake it when the Son of God soldiers arrived so quickly and captured the north gate in an instant. The sinner is truly ashamed."
"In addition, there is something else I need to report to you..."
Geliwusi lowered his head even further, as if in apology.
"What else? Tell me."
The fat cardinal steeled himself and said in a low voice:
"And also, the sinner captured... Sailesi's double."
"Substitute?"
Ed savored the word:
" Sailesi ran away?"
"Yes, the sinner is incompetent; he failed to discover his scheme immediately..."
Ed neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement, but instead began to think about Sailesi.
From the moment Luorui'er Fitz escaped, Ed knew that Sailesi was not as simple as he seemed—he was Soul Returner under the command of Duma, and theoretically, there should be no way he would make such an obvious oversight.
Luorui'er's successful escape only proves one thing: Sailesi's symbiotic plant ability can indeed achieve a certain level of power, like a brick flying through the air.
And someone who can pull together such a massive network of Stained Ones is certainly not simple-minded.
Moreover, this person is not only meticulous, but also possesses terrifying symbiotic plant abilities. Without reaching High Tier, I might not have a 100% chance of winning in a direct confrontation.
Even now, Ed still doubts that Sailesi can make his Soul Returner temporarily out of control.
Fortunately, this person was smart; knowing the situation was hopeless, he simply ran away.
It's just unknown which foreign power he'll side with, or whether he'll become a band of outlaws causing trouble in the Theocracy.
However, Ed thought the latter possibility was very low, since doing so would make absolutely no sense.
Thinking of this, he then asked Geliwusi:
"So Sailesi ran away, and you came here to greet me. What about Luxiusi?"
Seeing that Geliwusi remained silent, Ed frowned slightly:
Why aren't you talking?
"There are other details to this matter, I... I request to speak only to His Highness the Son of God."
Ed raised an eyebrow and casually tossed out a seed for the " Green Tooth Headphones ".
Geliwusi was clearly also familiar with this symbiotic plant; after fiddling with it for a while, he made it sprout quickly and then inserted it into his ear canal.
" Son of God Highness, Luxiusi invited me to meet an hour ago and said some unclear things to me."
Geliwusi recounted to Ed everything that had happened during his conversation with Luxiusi.
Of course, he emphasized Luxiusi's guarantee that Ed would spare his life, subtly pleading with Ed not to kill the old man.
However, Ed's attention was completely elsewhere; at that moment, only one question occupied his mind—
What could possibly hold Luxiusi back at a time like this, even prompting him to utter the words that he would surely die today?