Deep in the black forest, where the roots of thick, twisted ancient trees intertwined with moss-covered rock layers, a secluded area was naturally formed.
A simple concealment magic array was arranged nearby; this was the temporary stronghold where the remnant forces of the Hand of Passage took shelter.
Kruger, the strong Lizardman Priest of the Hand of Passage, carefully laid the unconscious girl in his arms flat on a crude soft couch paved with dry grass and several pieces of soft animal skin.
Muscles on his arms covered in fine dark green scales knotted, yet his movements were unusually gentle, as if holding fragile glazed glass.
The plain white long dress was now stained with dust and several dried dark stains. The bare feet exposed under the skirt hem possessed a sickly pallor.
Even possessing the virtue of "Spirituality," being able to listen to oracles and borrow power belonging to gods, the price was far beyond what a mortal body could easily bear.
First was continuously bearing the infusion of the Death God's power while presiding over the large-scale sacrifice ritual. The intense backlash brought by the forcible interruption of the ritual had already made her soul tremble.
Immediately after, to deal with that mysterious powerful enemy controlling slimes, she had to use the bestowed power of death.
Finally, in order to tear open a path of survival before the Empire's army completed the encirclement, she squandered the remaining divine grace in her body almost to the point of extraction.
At this moment, she curled up in the animal skins, her breathing so weak it was almost imperceptible. Her brows were knitted painfully even in coma. Pitch-black veins faintly emerged under her skin from time to time, then slowly subsided.
Three priests surrounded the couch.
Besides the Lizardman Kruger, there were Genie, whose face was equally pale, and another companion whose figure appeared slightly slender and small, always hiding their face in the shadow of a heavy hood.
A dozen or so cultists who luckily escaped with them gathered silently at the edge of the rock cave a little further away. Most of them were injured, armor and clothes damaged. Their gazes toward the soft couch were mixed with the rejoicing of survival and deep worry.
The High Priestess was the only bridge for them to communicate with the god, and also the core condensing this remnant team.
Genie knelt on one knee, hovering over the High Priestess's heart.
She didn't touch directly. Her fingertips were surrounded by an extremely faint gray halo. After carefully probing for a while, she withdrew her hand, her face becoming even uglier.
"Spirituality overdrafted excessively, body severely eroded by the power of death, slowly disintegrating from the inside." Her voice was dry. "Conventional healing spells or potions are not only ineffective but may stimulate the power of death to accelerate the backlash. Must formulate special potions rich in pure vitality capable of neutralizing death erosion to stabilize the situation first."
"What materials are needed? I'll go find them!" Kruger stood up without hesitation.
He was the only demon among the three priests, more suitable for moving in Empire-controlled areas than Genie, a human, or that cat-person priest.
Genie quickly listed several names: "Need at least root juice of Blood Weeping Vines over fifty years old, must be fresh... I still have regeneration potions here... best to get some bone marrow or heart essence blood from prime-age giant beasts..."
Kruger memorized them one by one: "I'll go to the Giant Beast Bone Field in the north to buy them. I'll go and return quickly. Before that, the High Priestess relies on you, Genie!"
He turned to that group of remnant cultists, pointing out two who looked less injured and were also demons: "You two, come with me. Others stay behind, listen to Priest Genie's orders."
"May the Goddess's protection be with you... be careful, meow." That cat-person priest who always hid under the hood said softly, voice thin and soft, carrying a trace of worry.
Kruger only nodded with an extremely small amplitude. His thick tail swept across the ground, then he turned and walked out of the hiding place, leaving only the sound of footsteps gradually fading away.
...
"Cult?" Inside the Count's study decorated with alien beast skull specimens, Count Bona, after listening to the purpose of the dust-laden Diamond-rank officer opposite him, laughed loudly as if hearing something absurd. "You must be joking. How could there be things like cults here with me?"
The officer remained unmoved by Bona's words, reiterating: "Your Grace the Count, we are not questioning your governance. Intelligence indicates that remnants of the Hand of Passage may have fled to nearby areas. This trip is merely to request Your Grace's assistance, cooperating with our side to conduct searches within the city and nearby areas."
"Oh... Oh! So it's like that!" Hearing they weren't here to catch him, Count Bona nodded hurriedly. "Cooperate, of course fully cooperate! Exterminating cults and maintaining Empire stability is the duty of us vassals! I will order right now, letting patrol teams and sheriffs everywhere listen to your dispatch. Need manpower, guides, just ask!"
"Thank you for Your Grace's cooperation." After the officer saluted, he left the study.
Just as the wooden door closed, the amicable smile on Count Bona's face collapsed like melting wax.
He almost bounced up from the chair, rushing to the huge oak desk in a few steps, scrambling to pull open a hidden compartment and taking out the Yellow Codex.
"Lord Holy Codex... th-this, what to do?" He lowered his voice, tone full of panic. "They aren't coming for us, chasing those stray dogs... but in case, in case they accidentally discover something during the search..."
Under long-term influence, Bona had completely become a loyal servant of the Yellow Codex, only he still worried about his own wealth and status.
Although externally, he claimed those magic arrays being arranged were a type of "large-scale reconnaissance magic array used for precise detection of deep-buried giant beast skeletons."
But Bona himself knew this rhetoric could only fool laymen.
As long as a decent array master came for field verification, it would be very easy to discover clues.
Even if not understanding magic arrays, if calculating carefully the value of magic materials transported in recently, it was also very easy to reach the conclusion that "the cost of this magic array is too high; it absolutely cannot be just for digging some skeletons."
On the page, text appeared:
[Can't let them investigate]
"Yes, yes! I think so too, but... how to stop it? That's His Majesty's people, having official warrants!"
[The higher-ups want a cult; we'll just give them a batch of cultists.] [As for those hunting dogs that have already started acting... pursuing vicious cult remnants is originally a dangerous matter of licking blood on blade tips. Unfortunately encountering an ambush, all members fighting to death, is also a common occurrence.] [And you, my dear Count, although rescue was a step late, you ultimately avenged them and killed all those cultists... Presumably, you can even receive some commendation.]
"I... I understand, Lord Holy Codex!" A trace of ruthlessness and decisiveness flashed in the depths of Bona's eyes.
...
Kruger, disguised as a mercenary and infiltrating, observed the city before his eyes calmly.
A weird feeling lingered in his heart but couldn't find the source.
Suppressing the uneasiness in his heart, he didn't have much time; the High Priestess was still waiting for him.
Found the market in the city, looked for required materials, but obtained a result terrible to the extreme.
"These materials were all transported into the Bone Field to arrange a magic array? What magic array needs so many precious materials?"
(Author's Note: Elliot scratched his head: "Weird, how come just letting her go out for a spin, she became a fanatic believer?" "I didn't preach either?")
(End of Chapter)
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