absurd deduction game.

Fernail descended step by step into the depths of the underground via a hidden, spiraling stone staircase behind the side of the church.

The sound of boot heels striking the cold stone steps echoed in the narrow, enclosed space, almost too clearly.

The further down you go, the thinner the light becomes, with only the dim wall lamps spaced far apart providing illumination, mixed with dust and a faint, stale, and chilly aura from deep underground.

She didn't encounter anyone along the way.

There were no guards on duty, no priests passing by, and not even a trace of human presence could be sensed, which was very unusual.

Even if Tian had impersonated the archbishop and the church's daily security had been relaxed, the underground area—especially the entrance to the sealed land—should not be so empty. The security level here should theoretically be second only to the archbishop's residence and the inner sanctuary where relics are kept.

A clear sense of vigilance crept onto her beautiful face. She didn't stop walking, but her emerald eyes had already scanned every shadow and corner along the way.

Finally, the stairs came to an end, where a heavy, dark metal door of indistinguishable material stood before them. Engraved on the door were purification runes and sealing spells belonging to the Mother Goddess of Harvest, which shimmered faintly in the dim light.

She had been here before, of course. Fernail had managed to sneak in, causing some commotion, and then left behind the triggering material for the suppression array in the chaos, so the underground sealing layer was not unfamiliar to her.

Looking at it now, it looks no different from before.

She stopped in front of the gate, stretched out her hand, her palm about to touch the cold metal surface.

At that instant, Fernail's movements stopped.

Her gaze fell on the edge of the door crack and the surrounding air. Wisps of extremely fine, faint blue mist, almost invisible to the naked eye, swirled around the door frame like a thin veil, blending seamlessly with the shadows and the already dim light.

The mist flowed slowly with an indescribable rhythm, vaguely forming the outline of some kind of trap.

If she weren't the "nest" with a perception of energy and matter far beyond that of ordinary people, and not in a state of extreme vigilance, it would probably be difficult for her to detect it immediately.

Furnel's hand remained suspended in mid-air, not falling.

Instead of trying to break free from the trap, she turned her head slightly to face the empty, dimly lit, and silent corner of the staircase, her red lips curving into a half-smile.

"who are you?"

Her voice rang out in the silence, not loud, but with a penetrating quality, clearly reaching every corner.

There was no response in the air, only her own voice echoing faintly between the stone walls.

Fennell was not in a hurry. She even withdrew her hand that was about to touch the door, turned around leisurely, turned her back to the sealed door, and after a moment of hesitation, her gaze fell on a non-existent "figure".

“Stop hiding,” she continued in that languid yet unwavering tone, “I know you’re here. The residual energy can’t hide from me… This trap, you set it?”

She tilted her head slightly, as if sensing something carefully: "A very peculiar form of power... It has neither the life force of a living person nor the resentment of an ordinary undead... You are an 'undead'?"

She took a small step forward, her high heels clicking crisply on the stone surface.

"Whose spirit are you?"

There was a brief silence.

Then, a very soft, almost amused hum came from the shadows to Fernel’s side.

Immediately afterwards, the air seemed to be stirred by an invisible hand, slowly distorting and finally outlining a clear human figure.

A faint bluish light rippled, like ripples spreading across a deep pool under the moon.

Fennell's pupils narrowed slightly.

A figure dressed in a simple blue robe appeared there without warning. He was tall and slender, with a relaxed demeanor. He held a closed folding fan in his hand, tapping it lightly against his palm. Several uniquely shaped and crystal ornaments on the front of his robe swayed gently with his subtle movements, making a few unusually crisp and ethereal "tinkling" sounds, which were particularly eye-catching in the dead silence of the underground space.

He stood there casually, yet he seemed to possess his own world, dispelling some of the surrounding darkness and oppression.

Fernal turned around, facing the uninvited guest directly.

She narrowed her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the other person, from his oriental attire, so different from the local style, to his handsome yet inhuman face, and then to his deep blue eyes that seemed to absorb all light.

Experience told her that the "spirit" before her was both special and dangerous.

“I haven’t seen you before.” Fernail spoke slowly, her tone devoid of much emotion. “You are also… from the East?”

A name flashed through her mind, connecting with the deduction she had just made in the prayer hall.

"So, the purifying power in the bread, and the arrangement here..." She stared at Yi Qing, her voice low, carrying a hint of cold understanding, "was all arranged by Carlos, wasn't it? He discovered Tian's problem, then bypassed my spies and rescued that old man?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Qing's lips curled up slightly, forming an enigmatic smile. He neither admitted nor denied it, but simply looked back at Funer with his deep blue eyes, noticing that there were many blue elements on her that he liked. He then tapped his folding fan lightly in his palm.

“Instead of listening to my empty words here,” his voice was clear and melodious, with a unique rhythm, “why doesn’t my lady go and see for herself?”

Before she finished speaking, Yi Qing's figure swayed slightly like a reflection in water, then took a step forward—drifting straight toward the heavy metal door covered with sealing runes.

The moment his body touched the door, it encountered no resistance and passed through it like smoke, lightly and silently!

The seal on the door and the blue mist trap were useless to him.

Fennell narrowed her eyes slightly, but a strong sense of interest appeared on her face.

"interesting."

She commented softly, without trying to force open the tampered door, but instead raised her right hand.

Without warning, a crack appeared in the delicate skin of my palm, but no blood flowed out.

A butterfly, about the size of a palm, with a body that appeared ethereal and translucent, and wings that shimmered with a dark green glow, struggled and trembled as it emerged from the crack.

The butterfly paused briefly in mid-air, then flapped its wings and flew towards the metal door as well.

Its body, like Yi Qing's, was not physically blocked and transformed into a flowing stream of foul energy that seeped in.

Behind the door was a dark and oppressive corridor.

On both sides, heavy, tightly closed doors were painted with different sealing symbols and numbers in dark red paint. A faint, chaotic aura could be sensed coming from behind the doors, and the air was filled with an inescapable, sweet, and sinister smell.

The dark green energy that seeped in rapidly gathered and shaped in the corridor, like a reversed image, and in the blink of an eye, it reformed into the likeness of Funel. Her light gold silk dress, her light gauze shawl, and even her high heels were intact, as if she had always walked out of there.

The heel of the high heel landed on the cold floor of the corridor with a clear, chilling thud.

Her gaze immediately locked onto the figure ahead—the one in the blue robe was walking slowly and deliberately towards the depths of the corridor, with a clear objective.

This undead creature really knew where that old thing was imprisoned.

Fernail's eyes grew colder, and without further hesitation, she quickly followed.

The door to the sealing chamber at the end of the corridor was ajar.

Yi Qing paused for a moment in front of the door, stepped aside, and made a "please" gesture as if he were a gentleman.

Fernal walked to the door and looked inside.

The room was dimly lit, with only a faintly lit holy emblem fixed to the wall providing illumination.

In the cramped space, an elderly man with gray hair, wearing an old priest's robe, knelt with his back to the door, his head bowed low, his shoulders slumped, motionless, like a frozen sculpture.

Judging from his back and clothing... it must be the true cardinal imprisoned here?
The scene before her eyes surprised Fennell. She couldn't quite figure out what the blue-robed undead meant, and she couldn't even tell if it was malice or goodwill.

She didn't immediately step into the room. Standing at the door, her sharp gaze swept across every corner of the room, finally settling on the kneeling figure.

Fennell stretched out her hand, her fingertips splitting open, a few drops of dark blood gushing from her veins. She drew a tantric symbol in the air and touched the shoulder of the figure from afar, trying to sense its state.

Just as her "power" was about to touch the hem of the other person's robe—

The kneeling "archbishop" trembled violently, and without warning, a blazing, pure white flame burst forth from within!
The flames emitted a strong aura of purification and holiness that Fennell found utterly repulsive. Like dry tinder doused with oil, they instantly engulfed the figure completely and, following the thread of power she had extended, lashed out like living vines, rapidly wrapping themselves around her fingers!

"what--"

Fernail cried out in pain and abruptly withdrew her hand.

The white flames, like a persistent leech, clung tightly to her skin, burning wildly and causing excruciating pain. They also continuously purified and dissolved the dark green energy and flesh on her hands.

She repeatedly shook her hands, even using the chaotic power within her body to try to extinguish the flames, but the flames were exceptionally stubborn, only their momentum slightly diminished.

After a while, the figure in the center of the room, engulfed in flames, gradually deformed and shrank in the blazing white light, eventually turning into a small pile of burning ashes. In the ashes, the edges of charred paper scraps that had not been completely burned could still be vaguely seen.

paper man!

It's paper figures again!

Fernail understood instantly.

Her reaction after noticing the anomaly was exactly what the other party expected. So the Eastern undead deliberately acted ambiguously to pique her curiosity, thus using such a low-level trick to hurt her body.

“Carlos…” Fernail coldly squeezed out the name, her voice filled with the anger and hatred of being mocked, “I should have… killed him long ago!”

In the one or two seconds she was distracted, the purifying flames on her hand eroded a significant portion of her energy.

Her face darkened, and she forcibly suppressed her anger. Under the skin of her arms and the backs of her hands, dark green veins suddenly bulged and wriggled like living things, quickly intertwining and combining to form twisted and eerie esoteric symbols.

These symbols emanated a foul and chaotic power, fiercely resisting the purifying flames and emitting a hissing, teeth-grinding sound.

Finally, under the continued encroachment of the dark green symbols, the troublesome white flames gradually dimmed and went out.

Fernal withdrew her hand and looked down.

The skin on her right index and middle fingers, as well as part of the back of her hand, was charred, cracked, and lifeless. With a blank expression, she rubbed it with her left thumb, and the charred skin peeled off in pieces like dry tree bark, falling to the ground.

The detached skin and flesh fragments transformed in mid-air into thin, dark green flakes with curled edges and a dull color, resembling the broken wings of insects.

After treating the injury on her hand, Fernail slowly raised her head and looked back at Yiqing, who stood calmly on the other side of the room, as if she had just watched a good show.

Her aura grew colder and thicker, and the shadows in the corridor seemed to writhe and deepen. An invisible sense of oppression, originating from the "nest" itself, spread out, as if the entire space was surrendering to her and becoming hostile.

"Where is he?" Fernel stared at Yi Qing, asking each word slowly and deliberately, each syllable like it was being chilled by ice. "Carlos, and that old man...where are they?"

Despite the oppressive feeling that would terrify an ordinary person, Yi Qing didn't even flinch.

He even leisurely unfolded his folding fan with a "whoosh" and gently shook it, and there seemed to be a hazy landscape light and shadow flowing on the fan surface.

Hearing Fernail's question, he raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of mischievousness flashing in his deep blue eyes.

"Guess what?"

Fernail sneered and said quietly, "Even if you don't tell me, I will find them. There's no place in Yolikf that I can't see... Besides, even if that old man is free now, he won't be able to stop us in time."

"And you, the undead of the East, I can sense your power, but you should have stood on our side."

“After the divine kingdom descends, humanity will cease to exist, and their contract with you will naturally become invalid. How about this—”

Yi Qing tilted her head, wanting to hear what Funer was going to say. If nothing unexpected happened, it would be a brainwashing package about the natural antagonism between humans and monsters.

He was a little curious.

When the archbishop learned that the cult was trying to harm the townspeople with purification prayers, he was willing to immediately expose his escape to save everyone. This was actually quite risky, as the cult's high priest realized that the greatest threat was out of control and might take an unexpected action.

But at this moment, Fernal was clearly only angry for a moment.

Knowing that the plan had gone wrong, instead of immediately looking for someone, she wasted time trying to win him over?

Fernal smiled: "I know what you're thinking, your expression is quite amusing."

"No doubt about it, I really want to say that you should betray your contractor and I will reserve a pretty good position for you in the new world."

"Because I deeply love all species other than humans. If only all humans could disappear... do you understand?" (End of Chapter)