Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1452 The Tourist Who "Awakened"
The church library has never been a place that can be entered and exited at will, especially the part of the records that the pharmacist needs to borrow.

The contents of the dossier were not as harmless as what she taught Veronica and Vanessa. The officially included dossier, whether it was the Plague Records or the Plague Apostles, contained extremely powerful magic. Suppressing and purifying what was inside was one of the main tasks of the Sacred Nexus. In other words, anyone who lacked the strength to enter would likely be severely beaten by the knowledge and then need someone to rescue them.

However, Father Petrov and the pharmacist were naturally excluded, since some of the items inside had been brought in after the two of them had severely beaten them.

As the two headed towards the deep underground library, they encountered a cultivator carrying a lamp. This cultivator was nearly two meters tall, with gray-white hair, sharp eyes, and the markings on his body clearly identified him as a member of the Oath-Taking Center.

“Hello, Brother Bavotley.” Father Petrov nodded to the man, but the man did not return the greeting. Instead, he squinted at the apothecary.

“Father, this is a monk from the Sacred Heart who wishes to examine the files in the library.”

“Oh? You have the same goal as me?” Bavotley spoke, his tone cold and firm, but not particularly aggressive, as he looked at the pharmacist with a scrutinizing attitude.

“Exactly. Along my journey, I happened to encounter a plague apostle who dared to leave his name. I estimate that his target is most likely Violet City, so just in case, I must have some understanding of the recent situation in Violet City.”

“It’s good that you understand, but you two should think carefully after you’ve seen it. There are many church members in Violet City, so be careful not to be seen by someone with ulterior motives when you’re doing things.” Bavotley snorted and gave only one reminder before taking the lamp and continuing upstairs.

After he left, Father Petrov said somewhat apologetically, "Brother Bavotley meant well, but perhaps because of his job, he wasn't very good at speaking tactfully."

“That’s understandable. The most taciturn people in the entire church are probably the cardinals of the deceased and the cardinals of the oath-taking. Father Petrov, I have no prejudice against Brother Bavotley. But from what you’ve said, he only recently arrived in the city?”

“Father Bavotley arrived about ten days ago. Since he’s not one of our cardinals, I don’t know the exact time. He’s young, like the other young people in the cardinals, sharp, decisive, and with some youthful impulsiveness. I can’t judge whether it’s good or bad, but I trust this young man,” Father Petrov said with a smile.

"Why?"

“Because just five days ago, he conducted a trial. A believer who was almost falsely accused of treason finally received a fair trial, while those who tried to smear him were caught red-handed by Brother Bavotley and sent to jail—this was not a case of treason, but just vicious business competition. But this trial was enough for me to see that this young monk is not just doing things out of passion.”

Yes, and they might also be tourists.

The pharmacist knew exactly who the other person was.

This is one of the three major risks of "awakening" in this scenario: tourists in an "awakened" state will be immediately recognized if they are seen by other tourists.

If you're on the same side, it's fine, but when the nature of the scene is unclear, doing this puts yourself in plain sight. If other tourists take this opportunity to ambush you, you'll just have to suffer the consequences. And if a tourist joins the villain's side, they'll basically be as obvious as a third wheel to other tourists.

However, from another perspective, daring to show himself like this means that Bavotley doesn't care about this issue at all. Is he not afraid? Or... does he just dare to?
The pharmacist merely considered it, without trying to guess the person's thoughts. She didn't choose to maintain the "awake" state, but she still held a certain amount of respect for the person who dared to do so.

Descending the spiral staircase, below countless indistinguishable levels, lies the library.

The solidified spell "Path of Cycles" is embedded in this path; without the right of way, one would likely be trapped on this staircase forever. The various safeguards of the library are the masterpieces of the cardinals; the very existence of Cardinal Kiss alone is enough to make any magic-insensitive thief or phantom thief perish.

"Here we are."

Father Petrov stood in front of the iron gate, looked at the locked door, and then at the pharmacist.

"Permissions are not the problem?"

"Don't worry." Father Petrov ignored the lock, rammed into the gate, and then disappeared into it.

The pharmacist sighed, then followed suit and barged into the room.

The "spiritual barrier" of the Heart-Shock Pivot is a door without a key. Those without the authority who attempt to unlock, break down, or even imitate the act of ramming the door will understand what it means for the spirit and body to separate.

=
Liu sat on the edge of the training ground, watching the new recruits of the Burial Ground being trained to the point of near death by the instructors, with a rather amused and entertaining attitude.

Celine.

An aged voice sounded behind her. Liu quickly stood up, smiled, and bowed slightly to the white-haired old man standing behind her: "Your Excellency Remington."

"The belongings of your comrades that you recovered have been sent to the capital. They will be buried in the ossuary, and their stories will be etched in history," Remington said to Liu. "I can give you a portion of the reward first, and you can ask for it. However... although it is beyond my authority, I still want to ask, the Inquisitor came to Violet City, probably not to deliver the belongings; this must have been something you stumbled upon."

“That’s right, Your Excellency Remington. If it’s a reward, I need to replenish some special warheads to deal with potential crises.”

"Crisis? Is that the other thing you mentioned—the Plague Apostle?"

"Yes, Rosemerada. I don't know if news has reached Rosetta. The small-scale outbreak of plague there is really strange, at least it's not what I've seen or read."

“What makes you feel different?” Remington asked.

"If I were to put it simply, it's not intended to kill... but that's not quite right either, because many plagues aren't about killing, but about tormenting people. Um... I'm sorry, I might not be that eloquent, and this is just an intuition. I think you, as a fellow monk of the Burial Pivot, can understand what I mean."

Remington nodded.

Those who live on the edge have an instinctive sense of danger; their bodies react instinctively even before their minds can process it. Those who survive fieldwork in the burial grounds possess some corresponding skills, and for senior personnel, instinct precedes thought.

"Then I'll make a note of this. Give me a list of the special warheads you need, but let's make it clear beforehand, a maximum of ten of each type."

"Don't worry, otherwise I'll exceed my weight limit again." Liu smiled and thanked Remington, then quickly left under the pretext of making a list. How could she not see that her watching the training was distracting the newcomers, causing Remington to deliberately come and talk to her about this? He was just trying to persuade her to leave.

"Sigh, but the problem is really serious, isn't it? A Plague Apostle, just hearing that name makes you think he'll be tough to deal with... Wait a minute, why did Remington just call me by my real name?" Liu suddenly slapped her forehead. "That's not right, someone with his seniority wouldn't make that kind of mistake, so was he deliberately reminding me? Reminding me of what? That my identity as Liu is no longer safe?"

In an instant, a golden hue appeared in Liu's pupils. She abruptly turned her head, looking down from the hillside where the Church of St. Ist was located towards Violet City. As the city's scenery came into view, a sense of being watched instantly crept up her spine. "I see it."

In an instant, the two tourists confirmed each other's presence.

Liu's face was as still as water. Although her identity was a false one, it was indeed public knowledge. The routes she took to enter Violet City and the Church of East were traceable. Even if you didn't recognize her, you could probably find the name of this identity in some recent entry and exit records.

Remington probably never imagined that his suggestion would become the very thing that exposed him. It's truly...

She's not like Bavotley, who dares to openly declare "I'm just a tourist." Once she's targeted, who knows what kind of tourist she is?

Knowing that complaining wouldn't solve the problem, Liu had already begun to take action. She had also spotted the other person's location, in the Eastern Parish, but there were large clusters of buildings there, and at such a distance, even if they were "staring at each other," the other person probably wouldn't have seen her clearly.

First, investigate—that's the best thing about having a public identity; she also has the ability to mobilize the resources of the Funeral Center to investigate this person!
Meanwhile, outside Violet City, in the Plague Apostles' secret stronghold, the Gatekeeper locked the door tightly, then pulled a letter from his sleeve and placed it in front of Pan De'ang, who was sitting at the table.

"Time sent back a message that he believed he should take action."

“He did not respond to the seeds I gave him.” Pan De’ang did not pull out the paper from the envelope. “He is acting only as a traitor, so he will not be targeted by the methods used against the plague apostles.”

“Yes, time is still not on our side,” the gatekeeper said. “If that’s the case, we still have too few people.”

"Yes, if we absolutely have to consider using those rabble..."

After thinking for a moment, Pan De'ang asked, "Try to contact that kid who calls himself 'Lucky Star'."

"Should we plant one for him?" The gatekeeper nodded and prepared to leave.

"No need. 'Hanging Sun' will naturally find the right person. That kid and that group are just there to prepare a warm bed for them... By the way, what did those newcomers do that day?"

"They seemed to quickly reach a unified action plan."

"Oh? So who became the team leader?"

“You know her—Rosmerada. But you can’t call her the leader; rather, they chose this apostle as the one to actually spread the plague.”

Pan De'ang frowned, but said nothing, waving his hand to let the gatekeeper go about his business.

He closed his eyes slightly and began to pray. The Plague Apostle's prayers were naturally directed only at the Plague Lord who had granted him power.

=
After passing through several security measures set up by various cardinals, the pharmacist entered the underground library with a somewhat creepy feeling.

“Father Petrov, who arranged for the Salvation Cabinet? Was it…”

"It was the Cardinal. When the Church of East was changing its protective measures, the Cardinal happened to be there and personally designed a protective mechanism."

"Oh." Then she had nothing more to say.

Inside the underground library, there weren't many measures to defend against external enemies, but there were more internal defenses. After all, it was still their own territory, and they always had to prevent cultivators who overestimated their strength but felt the need to come here to retrieve information from from being killed by knowledge.

Although the library looked as quiet as a graveyard, it immediately erupted into chaos the moment the apothecary picked up a book. All the books began to stir, and if it weren't for the magical restraints on the shelves, they would probably all have jumped down.

The book the pharmacist opened instantly spewed forth countless black needles, hurtling straight at her face. But in the blink of an eye, these needles were swallowed up by a dazzling sphere of light.

“Three years ago… the poison needle incident,” she said.

Father Petrov nodded: "At that time, someone placed small sharp objects as a source of transmission in inconspicuous places, such as under stools, inside doorknobs, and under plates—places that people would not see but would touch. These were mostly needles. The bones of the infected person would begin to grow needle-like bone spurs that would pierce the skin and internal organs, and they would usually bleed to death in extreme pain."

"Crude methods," the pharmacist commented.

"After all, the Plague Apostles have a natural talent for creating plagues, but spreading them requires their own skill. Many of the apostles we've captured have run into problems at this stage."

For a plague to spread, it must be transmitted covertly. However, most plagues created by plague apostles have very high morbidity and mortality rates. They are usually discovered after infecting only a few people, and then the church will swiftly suppress them, making it impossible for them to spread.

No matter how covert the method of using poison needles may be, it is ultimately just a matter of investigation.

The pharmacist then looked through several more case files, but they were all rather unremarkable. Violet City could capture a few Plague Apostles every year, and these apostles were usually executed quickly, and their confessions were only disappointing.

After gaining power by chance and expanding their influence, they began to follow the call of the Plague Lord and do these things in the same way.

After a long period of review, the pharmacist closed a file and looked at Father Petrov.

“Father, I’ve looked at the past five years, and there haven’t been any famous plague apostles. Their numbers have been increasing year by year, but it’s still within an acceptable range.”

“That’s right. Although I haven’t handled all of these cases personally, I’ve seen at least half of them. Violet City has never experienced anything major because of the Plague Apostles. The Church’s response has been very timely.”

"Then why did Brother Bavotley issue that warning? Father Petrov, you should know that the cardinals of oath never issue warnings to others casually. After all, warnings are usually given by the cardinals of oath."

"Has he discovered something?"

"I don't know, but in my cursory glance, I did find some problems... Moreover, I don't believe that such an important city as Violet City would not have had a single slightly powerful Plague Apostle committing crimes in the past five years."