CHAPTER 972: CHAPTER 165: STARTING WITH COMPANIONS

Strictly speaking, the founder of the Shadow Church is not Anna.

The true founder is Bishop Jon.

Rules, status, faith, all are governed by Jon.

Even the connection between "God and followers" is not very close; among thirty-six core followers, one hundred six retinue members, and over a thousand believers, few have seen Anna in person.

Because Anna does not require their faith.

It is merely that Bishop Jon’s faith in the Shadow of the Maiden is devout enough to extend onto Lu Li.

Because of Anna, they too are followers of Lu Li; more and more threads entangled around Lu Li attest to this.

The lair of the Shadow Church is located on the Ailen Peninsula, or perhaps one might say the Main Affinity Continent.

Although the Barren Lands are more hospitable to these heretics, the Shadow Church struggles to enjoy this hospitality — because their god has disappeared.

In the Barren Lands, a church without a god can only take shelter under Midnight City or other small towns, and as time passes, devout believers fall into madness questioning the divinity, while shallow believers gradually convert.

Therefore, they retain only a symbolic stronghold in Midnight City to spread news, significance outweighing reality.

This caused the Shadow Church to be excruciatingly slow to learn of Lu Li’s return. Only when the newspapers in Vena Ice-Free Port spread the news extensively did they become aware of it.

Then, because Lu Li was under protection upon arriving on the Main Affinity Continent and began running around everywhere, they found it difficult to track Lu Li’s movements, requiring Lu Li to seek them out instead —

However, they did not entirely lose face. Because after Lu Li arrived in Watch Town, it was under the guidance of Bishop Jon Lu Li that Lu Li was led to the Stone Forest.

Apart from the symbolic significance of the Midnight City stronghold, there is also the Sacred Stone Forest; the Main Affinity Continent is truly their lair. Strongholds are distributed among many towns, and some gatherings have even been converted into church strongholds.

[It is known there are strongholds in Midnight City, Tafeng City, and Vig Town; we are still interrogating further.]

Swish—

One-eyed Vic angrily tore open the parchment.

"Is this all?"

On the upper level of a dark, damp dungeon, he approached the black-uniformed figures standing in a line before him, tauntingly questioning.

"A team of the Inquisition’s finest interrogators, interrogating for so many days, yet failed to extract the locations of their hideous insect strongholds, let alone their lair, or even learn the name of a single insect!"

"Main Affinity Continent..."

A faint voice of retort sounded.

One-eyed Vic suddenly turned, limped towards the young black-uniformed retort speaker, pressed his forehead against his, and taunted while staring into his evasive eyes: "So, I guess I also know that you were born of a mother rather than a father, right?"

Ignoring the idiot, One-eyed Vic returned to his original position, surveyed the room, and spoke in a deep tone: "You have one last day. If you still fail to pry open their mouths..."

Everyone knew the unfinished words meant dire consequences.

Suddenly, stumbling footsteps echoed on the stone steps, accompanied by an elongated shout.

"Mayor Matthias is here!"

Surprised, murmured whispers rose.

"Quiet!"

One-eyed Vic snapped impatiently, demanding silence.

"That bootlicker? I can’t believe he would come to the dungeon..."

Clamping a pipe from the pocket of his inquisitor’s uniform, he let his subordinates disperse and stood alone in the hall to wait.

Footsteps more hurried than anticipated echoed, and soon Mayor Matthias, frequently seen in recent newspapers, entered the shadowy hall surrounded by guards.

His young assistant approached One-eyed Vic, speaking in an official tone: "Vicar Interrogator, where are the two Shadow Church followers you detained?"

"Followers? What are you talking about?" The lit pipe emitted smoke, obscuring One-eyed Vic’s narrowed eye.

Assistant Valendo diverted his gaze from the terrified interrogators to the mayor, and after receiving a nod, he moved closer, nearly feeling the pipe’s heat.

"I speak of."

Assistant Valendo stared intently at the single eye with its ugly nasal scar.

"Where are the followers unjustly detained, captured privately, and interrogated against regulations?"

"...The third level of the dungeon... the bottommost."

In the eyes of the other interrogators, One-eyed Vic, representative of righteousness, begrudgingly yielded.

Ugly politics and power, even on the brink of death, a ravenous few cling to them doggedly...

"Thank you; we’ll discuss your unauthorized interrogations later. Please lead the way for us now."

Assistant Valendo returned behind Mayor Matthias.

One-eyed Vic surveyed the room, with a dark expression, leading the mayor and others into the dungeon.

Not far away, tipped-off subordinates turned and ran towards another dungeon entry.

...

The taken worm returned to the long Insect Path connecting Watch Town and Himfast.

"You actually cooperated with the Eye Demon Worm..."

Jon admired Lu Li’s abilities.

This rendered their "safe arrival at Stone Forest trial path" for Lu Li useless.

Not only was Bishop Jon there, but all followers in the Stone Forest accompanied Lu Lili, consuming Yellow Plum Grass and diving into the Insect Path.

Their destination was Watch Town.

As Ophelia suggested, they first needed to rescue their companions.

Bringing the Shadow Church was part of rescuing their companions.

Apart from searching for Anna, Lu Li instructed the Shadow Church to contact believers in other regions to find the missing Katerina and Andrea.

After crossing for several minutes, reaching Watch Town, they headed straight to Hades’s abode.

The Shadow Church followers stayed on the surface while Lu Li and others once again melted the cooled rocks to enter the underworld.

Passing through two of Hades’s deceiving checkpoints, they emerged on the surface. The distorted view of a scorched wasteland in red and yellow stretched, and in the distance, Inferior Demons were building walls, while under a sunshade, Hades leisurely tossed a stick for Puxiu to retrieve.

"You arrived just in time; I’ve been exercising Puxiu’s body."

Noticing their return, Hades waved to the approaching Lu Li.

"You look like you haven’t woken up yet."

Even Hades, disconnected from humanity for twenty years, noticed Lu Li’s change.

Then he seemed to finally recognize Ophelia: "Anna? The way you look now... Of course, I mean you’re as beautiful as ever now."

"She’s Ophelia."

"Oh well, you always have these quirky... friends." Puxiu shrugged, muttering "no, no," and picked up a water basin to call Puxiu back for a drink.

"The little one woke up shortly after you left."

In the distance, Puxiu, spotting Lu Li and the others’ arrival, dropped the stick, frantically wagging its two tails, dodged past Hades, and rolled over to show its belly at Lu Li’s feet.

The hellish environment made it look no longer damp, and the enticing whispers of consciousness had ceased.

"You’re back! Did you find Miss Anna?"

Lu Li and Ophelia remained silent, and the leader emerged from the hood, answering, "No."