Aduolin Province, Fir City Cathedral.
A young monk entered the archbishop's study.
"Why aren't they on guard duty on the city walls?"
"Your Excellency, I have something to report."
Antiya Lisi put down his pen and looked at the young man in front of him:
"Speak."
The young man looked at the broad-shouldered, dignified archbishop and reported:
"We have ample evidence that the activity of Blood Corpse has significantly decreased after winter begins."
Antiya Lisi's eyes held a hint of curiosity:
Tell me in detail.
"Firstly, the number of the attacking Blood Corpse has decreased significantly; secondly, their aggression and reaction speed have both declined."
The young monk summarized earnestly:
"The same goes for the count who revived yesterday; he's significantly weaker than the previous count. After discussion, we unanimously agree that winter has a clear weakening effect on Blood Corpse."
Antiya Lisi nodded, but asked in return:
"So? How do you think we can use this?"
The young cultivator paused for a moment and said:
"Sir, we have lost contact with the towns below for a long time. I think it would be better to take advantage of the winter to re-establish contact with them, even if it's just a few communications."
"Even in a large city like Fir City, the prolonged lockdown has caused emotional problems for many people; the situation in smaller towns must be even more severe..."
Upon hearing the young monk's words, Antiya Lisi fell into thought.
Lately, he has focused most of his attention on advancing the Stained Ones ' plans.
Although there was no Shadow the Tree God's resurrection, it was still a fruitful harvest, except that the issue of the Blood Corpse was somewhat overlooked.
The young monk before him was a Pure Ones, and naturally still regarded all the priests in the town as his own.
Antiya Lisi scoffed inwardly. He treated others as his own, unaware that when he himself arrived at the walls of those towns, he might not be allowed in.
However, what he said does make sense. Blood Corpse haven't appeared on this land for seventy or eighty years, and there are almost no people who know their living habits and weaknesses.
Even the internal reference encyclopedias that record various monsters only provide basic information on Blood Corpse, Blood Poison, and Blood Curse, without mentioning the fact that they are weak to cold at all.
Just as Antiya Lisi was about to let the young monk observe and record for a while longer, there was another knock on the study door.
"Come in."
Antiya Lisi turned his head, his gaze passing over the young monk and looking toward the study doorway.
A man covered in snow entered the study, accompanied by a gust of cold wind.
"Archbishop Antiya Lisi, here is your letter."
The archbishop, observing the newcomer's attire and having some guesses in his mind, asked:
Who wrote this to me?
"Written by Cardinal Sailesi himself."
Antiya Lisi made as if to kneel on one knee, but the Messenger quickly stepped forward and helped him up:
Sailesi Cyrus specifically instructed that this was a private letter and there was no need for formalities.
The archbishop took the envelope but didn't open it. Instead, he looked at the astonished young monk beside him:
"Please excuse me for a moment. I have some important matters to discuss. Come find me later."
"Yes, sir."
The young monk turned and left the study, making sure to close the door tightly behind him.
Seeing that there was no one else around, the Messenger no longer maintained his original demeanor, pulled out a chair and plopped down.
Antiya Lisi, however, was unsurprised by this and showed absolutely no interest in the letters in his hand.
As the leader of the Stained Ones, Cardinal Sailesi naturally wouldn't write important things down on paper.
Therefore, this letter was just a decoy; the Messenger in front of them was the real "secret letter."
As for what's inside the envelope, it's safe to assume it contains nothing more than the usual small talk.
" Fei'er, what brings you here, Professor Sailesi? You must have a lot to do, right?"
Antiya Lisi's tone was sincere, but the young attendant before him did not appreciate it:
"The officials in charge of personal guards do have many things to do, but none of them compare to what we are doing now."
It's as if I've committed some heinous crime...
Antiya Lisi, unconvinced, asked in a calm tone:
What did the teacher say?
"His Holiness the Cardinal asked me to ask you—"
Fei'er, a close aide, sat upright, glaring angrily.
" Antiya Lisi, are you unaware that a rebel army is entrenched in your Aduolin Province?!"
"What?!"
The usually composed archbishop instantly lost his composure, almost unable to believe what he had just heard.
Rebels? With the army of Blood Corpse pressing in, the towns are barely able to attend to anything else, so how could there be any rebels?
Besides, even in normal circumstances without Blood Corpse, who would raise a flag in rebellion? Who would choose to follow?
Having spent twenty years in the Aduolin Province, Antiya Lisi had an intimate knowledge of the province's internal affairs. He naturally knew what kind of lives the Tree Worship Church in the remote areas lived, and he also knew how much damage the forced harvesting of fruits to catalyze the Symbiotic Tree had caused to their bodies.
However, it was precisely because of this that he was able to be certain that the entire Aduolin Province simply lacked the conditions for rebellion.
A fully armed Holy Crusaders knight, given enough time, could drive away an entire village of villagers, while two Holy Crusaders knights could easily surround and wipe them out...
Rebellion? Why? On what grounds?
Although he couldn't figure out the reason, Antiya Lisi knew that the Cardinal wouldn't lie.
The three cardinals are all supreme beings, so it's not impossible that they could sense events happening thousands of miles away.
Watching Antiya Lisi's constantly changing expressions, the attendant Fei'er seemed to have truly become that aged cardinal.
He asked his question again:
"Do you know, or do you not know?"
Antiya Lisi was now completely in a bind.
Answering "I know" is a serious crime of withholding information, while answering "I don't know" is tantamount to admitting you are a derelict and incompetent person.
Faced with two evils, Antiya Lisi chose to yield.
A person can be incompetent, but they cannot be disloyal.
"I... really didn't know. The Blood Corpse cut off communication between Fir City and the various towns, and there has been no contact since I gave the order to hold Yuki City."
"However, I sent a knightly order to reinforce the various towns along the way, so the situation might not be so bad now."
"Not that bad... Antiya, how bad do you consider bad?"
The official murmured the words in a strange tone, but upon hearing them, Antiya Lisi's expression instantly turned to terror.
He looked up at the young man in front of him and slowly spoke:
"... teacher?"
"Hmm, it seems you haven't forgotten me."
The attendant, Fei'er, spoke again, but his tone was completely different from when he first arrived.