Aoda rode his Hoofed Beast slowly along the main road of White Wax Town. In addition to delivering a message, he was also entrusted by Duolin to draw a simple map of White Wax Town and observe the situation of the local residents.
Therefore, he specially changed into that tattered robe and smeared some ash on his face and body to show that he was very tired after the battle and could only slowly make his way to the church.
As Aoda swaggered around, a priest outside the church quickly noticed him. A fleeting look of panic crossed his face as the priest darted through the side door of the church.
Aoda turned a blind eye to this; he had to remain silent now, and even if he discovered something, he had to report it first rather than act on his own.
This was completely contrary to his original character; after all, he was a hot-tempered man who, after being captured, was already furious upon hearing that corruption had broken out within the Holy See.
But for the sake of the Second Holy See's grand plan, he believed he could endure any hardship.
On the other side, the priest who had entered the church walked up to the altar and came before the statue of the World Tree.
By turning an inconspicuous branch, the icon reveals the deep cave hidden behind it.
The priest quickly crawled inside, and then the heavy icon closed again, letting in no sunlight.
As the sunlight disappeared, a series of screams reached his ears.
The priest strode forward in the darkness; he knew the layout of the place by heart.
Soon, he arrived at a basement with brick walls. After knocking on the wooden door, the piercing howl, now unhindered, began to relentlessly penetrate his ears.
In the center of the basement stood a stone platform, upon which human remains and plant fragments were scattered haphazardly. Yiden ignored the screams and continued cutting something away.
"Fu... Your Excellency, the tax collector has arrived; it's that one under Duolin."
"Oh, I see. I understand."
The bishop, illuminated by the candlelight, turned around. The hooks and thin blades that had Alienation from his hands reverted to fingers. He then clenched his fists slightly to alleviate the numbness.
"Let's go, we'll go up now."
The priest assisting on the other side of the stone platform looked at Yiden upon hearing this:
"Your Excellency, about this..."
"Get rid of it."
"Yes."
Two minutes later, Aoda entered the church. Yiden, hunched over, was smiling at him from before the icon altar, dressed in a clean, dark green robe.
"Long time no see, Your Excellency Tax Official."
You're too kind.
While feigning politeness, Aoda pulled Yiden down to sit. He slumped there, looking utterly exhausted, and reached into the inside pocket of his robe, handing Yiden a slightly crumpled letter.
"This is Bishop Duolin's recent action report. Please help seal it and send it to the Holy City."
Yiden was somewhat taken aback, because the letter wasn't sealed at all; there was no sealing wax, not even an envelope.
This is blatant dereliction of duty!
But he likes it.
Seeing Yiden's expression, Aoda said with a sly smile:
"You wouldn't refuse to help us with such a small thing, would you?"
Of course not.
Yiden casually pocketed the letter, indicating that he would seal it shortly and send it to the Holy City without delay. He then asked:
"I wonder where His Holiness the bishop and the others are..."
"Yes, the alchemical golem is partially damaged, so we can now bypass its defenses and explore. It's a baron's castle; there must be some good stuff there."
"As for the specifics..."
Aoda once again reached inside his robes as if scratching an itch, and pulled out an even more crumpled piece of paper:
"Pastor Yiden, this is a letter from Bishop Duolin written to you privately..."
Aoda put his mouth to the old man's ear:
"The bishop said he wants you to manage it for a while longer; once he finds the baron's inheritance, you'll definitely get your share."
A fleeting look of desire and greed crossed Yiden's eyes, but it did not escape the notice of Aoda, who had been observing him the entire time.
As expected of a corrupt apostate, he is completely indifferent to such sordid matters. A true Tree Worship Church priest should have firmly refused or reported it immediately upon discovering any suspicious activity...
Aoda had already sentenced Yiden to death in his mind. He stretched and said:
"I'll rest here for a while. Bishop Duolin said it's not a good place to rest at night, so I need to get some more robes."
Yiden beamed with smiles:
"Of course, of course, I'll go and count the inventory right now."
Aoda's head was already tilted to one side, Yiden quickly walked into the storage room at the back of the church.
He slammed the door shut and then, in the dim light, began to read the two letters Aoda had given him. After promising to send the letters away immediately, this was his only chance.
Duolin, true to his background as a native of the Holy City of the Old Tree Worship Church, was remarkably precise and articulate in his official writing. He succinctly and clearly articulated the results of their investigation, summarizing them as follows:
The apostate bribed Black Dragon named " Nige Ganhuo " to kill the five priests. Afterward, the apostate and the sacred object disappeared without a trace. This scene was accidentally discovered by several villagers from the Upperstream Village. After being interrogated separately, their testimonies corroborated each other, basically ruling out the possibility of lying.
The dragons' fees are always exorbitant. The apostate might not have simply disappeared but rather become a dragon's meal. However, this matter still requires investigation. It is hoped that the Holy City will record the Black Dragon " Nige Ganhuo " and begin searching for his whereabouts.
Once this letter is delivered to the Holy City, the Black Dragon named " Nige Ganhuo " will be blacklisted by the Holy See and become the common enemy of all parishioners of the Tree Worship Church.
Yiden looked at the letter Duolin had written to him again. The content about the investigation was exactly the same, except that the wording was more casual and it briefly described the progress of the exploration of the castle, just a small promise to Yiden.
With both pieces of evidence corroborated, Yiden was basically certain that Duolin was simply foolish and not harboring any ill intentions towards him.
That's good. Since it's just that he's not using his brain enough, then I'll just help him out more...
Soon, Yiden counted out twenty-five brand-new uniforms and handed them to the fast-sleeping Aoda, then sent a messenger rider to deliver the message in front of him.
The sleepy tax officer was very satisfied with Yiden's performance, except that he himself seemed to be drunk and completely unable to walk in a straight line.
Yiden had no choice but to kindly escort him to the door, and only after seeing him onto his horse did he return to the church amidst the other's gratitude.
The gate closed, and a priest with blood still on his hands began his report:
"Your Excellency, everything has been taken care of."
"Hmm, he was just sleeping?"
"Yes, he's just sleeping. His breathing is very even, and you can't wake him up."
"Sigh, how can such a useless person be a tax official? The world is going to the dogs..."
Outside the church, Aoda, perched on the back of the Hoofed Beast, still looked sleepy, but his mind was racing:
"There seems to be a bloody smell inside the church..."