NOVPUBChapter 165: Chapter 164: Astonishing Discovery
Chapter 165 -164: Astonishing Discovery
The next morning, Ge Wei arrived at Yeni Temple, tasked with a mandate from the Commander of the City Guard.
Today, there were no protesting crowds; people hurried to work, only occasionally pausing to gesture towards the temple doors and exchange a few words.
She had just stepped onto the staircase when the Ouroboros on her back began to vibrate intensely, signaling the detection of hostility!
Ge Wei hesitated for a moment before noticing someone dashing out from the opposite side.
It was a woman wearing a hood and a long robe.
Beneath the shadow of the hood, her eyes seemed to emit flames. The stranger pulled out a dagger from her waist and viciously stabbed towards Ge Wei’s chest!
Ge Wei had no choice but to step back, unloading the cross to shield herself at her side, like a shield.
Clang!
The dagger struck the steel shell, sparking a shower of sparks.
“Haiqi! What are you doing?” someone shouted in alarm.
“I’m going to kill this bastard, she’s the one who killed so many of our brothers!” The attacker didn’t stop, instead ramming her shoulder against the cross, the tremendous force causing Ge Wei to lose her balance and forcing her to leap backwards again!
Such strength!
This person was definitely not ordinary!
The Ouroboros was showing a desire to activate.
But Ge Wei hesitated, as this was in front of the Temple doors, and she had heard that the people of Paradise were permanently stationed here. Additionally, there was the passerby traffic outside; killing someone on the spot would be indecorous.
Fortunately, several people immediately lunged forward, grabbing the hooded woman and restraining her forcefully.
“What’s going on, all this noise and commotion?” At this moment, another man walked out from the main hall.
Upon seeing this man, Ge Wei’s heart started pounding, the sound so loud she could feel it herself!
Who was he?
In him, she sensed a familiar aura, strong yet calm, with an indescribable oppressive feeling, just like when she prayed to the God of Mechanism in her own Temple!
His strength wasn’t the typical worldly comparison of who’s stronger or weaker.
It was more like a different level of strength altogether.
In terms of the church, his very existence was a miracle.
And such an extraordinary “figure,” unnoticed by Shandela?
Ge Wei dusted off her dress, then lifted the hem and knelt on one knee before him, her hands once again joined in front of her chest, “Mechanical Sect’s Executive Priest Ge Wei, I pay my respects to you.”
Everyone present was stunned.
Only Chaoyang’s heart skipped a beat, realizing that something was amiss—after all, he was now acting in his true form!
“She seems to have discovered your identity,” Ailuodi spoke to him telepathically.
“Don’t worry, we have numbers on our side,” Chaoyang changed to a look of confusion, “Um… please stand up and speak. What brings you to Yeni Temple, Priestess?”
So that was it, this “existence” was mingling among mortals under the guise of a common man. Ge Wei, with her extensive knowledge of theology, immediately made this assessment. It was difficult to say what divinities should look like; they were born from prayers and resembled human beings, thus each deity had its own traits. As priests, the only thing they could do was to respect the other’s wishes.
Moreover, she deduced that this one might be an avatar or a fragment of a deity’s soul.
The most obvious clue was that it seemed like he was lacking something, not as complete as the presence The God of Mechanism conveyed. But no matter what, he was a being out of the ordinary, and the matter even involved church diplomacy.
She immediately went along with him, “It is Commander Shandela of the City Guard who sent me to discuss some matters with you, regarding a secret issue. Could we find a private area to speak in?”
Of course, the reality wasn’t like this—Shandela had tasked her with locating Mr. Zhao, founder of Gate of Destiny Pharmaceuticals, and then through Mr. Zhao, to meet an envoy from Paradise. But the issue now was that the true person of interest was present, making the meeting with any envoy redundant.
“Sir Zhao, are you really going to cooperate with the Mechanical Sect? They are the company’s lapdogs, and this person and us… share a sea of blood enmity!” Haiqi was still struggling, her hood slipping down to reveal the characteristic features of a Seaguardian.
Ge Wei immediately understood where this grievance originated from.
“Believers only follow the divinities; the company’s money is worthless to me. Enforcing against the abandoned mines was also to trace the tracks of heretics; it has nothing to do with Seaguardians themselves. I indeed went to the mining area and killed those rioting miners, and I found no evidence of sinister entities there. So if you want to kill me, I welcome it anytime, but I won’t surrender without a fight. Resistance is certain,” she declared.
“You wrongfully killed so many of us, don’t you have any regrets at all?” another woman shouted at her. Though she was much more restrained, holding onto Haiqi’s arm, her eyes were filled with the same rage and hostility.
“If I hadn’t killed, how would I discern whether you were involved with the Heretical Cult or not? Would you honestly submit to interrogation? When dealing with enemies beyond common sense, such sacrifices are inevitable. I can understand your anger. Should I die by your hands, I will not harbor any resentment.”
“Then why don’t you stand still and not run away!” Haiqi growled.
“There are too few Executive Priests. Alive, I can use this body to fight against the heretics, so please understand that I cannot allow myself to be killed just so you can have your revenge,” she responded.
“Sir Zhao, have you been in contact with the church all this time?” Haiqi turned back to ask Chaoyang. 𝘯𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
Before Chaoyang could deny it, Ge Wei had already preemptively answered, “No, this is the Mechanical Sect’s first visit to Gate of Destiny Pharmaceuticals, and the matter is of utmost importance, relating to the safety of the entire city. In fact, this is also beneficial to you. The four major companies have now become high-suspicion targets for heretic hideouts, and they will be preoccupied for a good while without troubling you.”
“What if GaoTian Mining Company is also harboring heretics like Heigang Security?” Chaoyang, guessing the other party’s intentions, deliberately asked.
“I will exterminate them all, sparing none,” she stated unequivocally.
“I will never cooperate with a priest whose hands are stained with the blood of the innocent! You will fall into my hands one day!” Haiqi cast a cold glance at Ge Wei then shook off the hands of the people around her and strode out of the Temple.
“I’m sorry for the discourtesy,” the other woman, Luowei Siya, bowed respectfully to Chaoyang before following Haiqi out.
Chaoyang couldn’t help but exhale. This was too much of a coincidence. Haiqi and Luowei Siya had come to the Temple in the morning to confirm the news of Black Steel’s demise—after all, the Miners’ Brotherhood was often active in the outskirts and was particularly sensitive to battles occurring outside the city. Learning that Black Steel’s camp had collapsed overnight and that it was the work of Paradise, they showed considerable hope that a similar fate would befall GaoTian Mining Company soon, and for this reason, the Brotherhood was willing to cooperate fully, regardless of the cost.
Chaoyang had plans of his own.
The mining fields held by GaoTian Mining were indeed attractive, their output of Glowing Stones significant enough to be a bargaining chip to drive national mechanisms, hence it was preferable to keep the mines under his control. A company may be easily destroyed, but running a mine was not that simple. The Brotherhood, made up of former miners, was surely the ideal successor—if they were willing to join forces with Paradise, the mines wouldn’t fall into disuse. As for the compensation… as long as the wages, bonuses, and insurance were all maximized, he believed Ailuodi wouldn’t object.
The discussion had been going well, but unexpectedly, they ran straight into a Priestess from the Mechanical Sect upon leaving. Although he was unclear what exactly had transpired during the clampdown on the Misty Zone, judging from Haiqi’s reaction, she must have been one of the key forces breaking through the miners’ defense.
