abnormal mutation

Chapter 72 The Seventh Apostle
He turned and went back to his room in the small building, closed the doors and windows, and the feeling of being watched disappeared at the same time.

With his right hand clenched, a glimmer of spiritual light appeared out of thin air, then was drawn by a force into the Eye of Pro and disappeared.

Pro squinted, his metallic eyelids trembling slightly, giving him a captivating and eerie look.

"Very pure."

How pure?

"Near-psychic!"

Roland was startled. He had suspected it before, but he hadn't expected the chessboard to be so powerful. He seriously suspected that the slow energy aggregation was due to the excessively high requirements.

'How much is this purity of spiritual glimmer worth?' He dared not think about it; quantity was meaningless because it was extremely rare.

Those extraordinary second-generation rich, officials' children, and wealthy children would certainly be willing to spend a lot of money to buy them, and they could also use them as important bargaining chips to exchange for magic potions or extraordinary materials.

He calmed himself down and returned to the previous topic: "Who is spying on me?"

"The Seventh Authority," Pro answered crisply.

Roland was startled; this was the second time he had heard this name, the first time being in the old priest's diary.

"What kind of organization is this? Why are they targeting me?" He was full of questions. Could it be that the old priest's plan was not a coincidence?

Pro blinked and stared at Roland without saying a word.

"How many?" Roland asked, understanding the question and feeling a pang of regret.

"That's two issues. There are 20 coins in total. You can pay in installments, and there's no interest." Pro's words gave off a very mercenary vibe.

"Why don't you just rob them?" Roland glared at him fiercely; this was more than just financial pain. Not counting hunting and simulated battles, he only managed to collect three or four a day.

But he knew perfectly well that even if he exchanged 20 spiritual glimmers for money and hired the best detective, he might not be able to figure out these two issues. Whether it was worth it was a very subjective question.

“The Seventh Authority is an extremely powerful secret organization; you won’t lose out.” Pro seemed very patient this time. “Without me, you wouldn’t even know how you died.”

“Deal, one per day.” Roland simply didn’t want the other party to know his financial situation. As he spoke, he drew another wisp of spiritual light from the chessboard.

Pro swallowed it whole, his eyes half-open and half-closed, his eyeballs trembling, looking almost exactly like someone on drugs.

After a long while, it turned its eyes, its blue pupils fixed on Roland, and exclaimed, "This feeling is amazing, you'll never understand. Let me tell you a secret: extraordinary beings don't directly absorb spiritual glimmers not just because of pollution, but also because they're afraid of addiction!"

Roland was slightly taken aback. Could it be that the glimmer of spiritual light had a fatal attraction to the soul? But the two wolves seemed to be behaving normally, even though their way of being was completely different from that of the extraordinary.

He suddenly remembered a term: magic addiction! In a fantasy game world from his previous life, the high elves were extremely dependent on magical energy. After the Sunwell was destroyed, the race descended into madness and decline. To alleviate their magic addiction, they even dared to consume fel energy.

Pro, unaware that Roland had made such a connection, began to speak on his own: "The origin of the Seventh Authority is untraceable. The most reliable theory is that it developed from the Moon Goddess Church, which was the predecessor of the Obscure Moon Church. Now they are developing independently and don't get along with each other..."

The seventh authority refers to the mind, and the powers of the goddess Oborozuki, "lies" and "forgetting," fall under the category of the mind. These people are fond of manipulating people's hearts to gain power, and they especially like to cause trouble in secret. Peace and prosperity are not what they want.

The Hid Empire suffered losses at their very beginning, but unfortunately they were unlucky and encountered the extraordinary Emperor Olmeda. With the emergence of the Law Enforcement Spirit Domain, the laws were strict, the people's hearts were united, and the strength of the Seventh Authority declined significantly.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Sid Empire allied with other kingdoms to hunt down the Seventh Authority, causing the organization to disappear for a time. This fueled the deep-seated animosity between the two, and the decline of law enforcement to such an extent was largely due to the influence of the Seventh Authority.

They remain secretive because they never confront others directly. Their forte is scheming, hinting, inducing, bewitching, and provoking. Being discovered is considered a failure.

The Seventh Authority has a unique and extraordinary pathway known as the Seventh Apostle. Its core traits are similar to those of the Mourners, and it enjoys creating turmoil and conflict. It is adept at bewitching people, confusing concepts, erasing memories, and even rewriting history.

"There are two possibilities for them targeting you. First, their goal is the Law Enforcement Spirit Realm, and you... are in their way. Second, a Seventh Apostle is about to advance to a higher sequence, and Ice River Town... is also within the scope of the advancement ceremony!"
"You can sense them not because they're incompetent, but because you're special. See? My intelligence is valuable, isn't it? You couldn't buy that with money," Pro laughed.

"What are they planning?" Roland took a few deep breaths to ease the invisible pressure in his heart. "I'm not their eyes, how would I know what they're plotting?" Pro said matter-of-factly.

"Then how am I in the way? What is the ascension ceremony for the Seventh Apostle?" Roland asked in a different phrasing.

Pro glanced at him sideways: "Why do you think you're in the way? You should have died. Maybe you're the key to some central event. The Seventh Apostle's ascension ceremony is very complicated. In short, it's about creating cognitive dissonance among the masses, covering at least an entire prefecture. Do you understand?"

Roland nodded, rubbing his face vigorously with both hands. The stubble was prickly, making the enemy even more troublesome.

The so-called group cognitive dissonance is very similar to the Mandela Effect from a past life. It refers to the false memories that a group of people have about a certain event or thing that are inconsistent with the facts. It sounds a bit scary.

"Is the Seventh Apostle that strong?" His voice was hoarse.

"Don't be scared. The power of the Law Enforcement Spirit Domain is still there. The ritual is likely composed of a series of closely related small events, which will be very difficult to break."

"But as long as you escape this area and get out of the situation, they'll have no choice but to give up, even if you're a central figure in some event," Pro reassured.

“Escape…” Roland remained silent for a long time, “How long will this advancement ceremony take?”

“That’s hard to say; it could last for several years,” Pro replied. “But you probably don’t have much time left; many events have time limits.”

"Ah."

After much deliberation, Roland decided to leave once he reached Sequence 9 and go somewhere else to lay low for a while. As for the others, he could only advise them that since he was a key figure, those around him would actually be safer after he left.

'Am I that fragrant? Why is everyone staring at me...' he said helplessly.

…………

Almosid County, Sogattak.

This is the second largest city in the North, after Almosid, but in the eyes of the Solon people, it is the core of the North and the oldest city in history.

The headquarters of the Northern Union Chamber of Commerce is located here. It is because of their existence that Sogattak, which is not good in terms of geographical location, living environment and natural resources, has not been abandoned by history.

At this moment, people were coming and going in a hurry in the majestic headquarters building, and dozens of steam snowmobiles gathered.

On the top floor, Suleiman stared at the bustling scene below, his expression worried.

“Sayid sent word that Yulia is in good condition, so you don’t need to worry too much.” A burly middle-aged man suddenly spoke from behind Suleiman. His expression was stern, and his short, gray hair stood up like steel needles.

“I shouldn’t have let my own selfish desires hold her life hostage. She has no interest in these mundane matters. Sigh…” Suleiman said wistfully.

“This is her own choice. She has a strong personality, and no one can force her if she doesn’t want to,” the cold-faced man advised. “The Chamber of Commerce has been losing talent in recent years. If she backs down, the Katu family line will end.”

“It’s time to make some changes.” Suleiman’s gaze was deep. “Some people are only concerned with infighting and clinging to tradition. We need more talent, regardless of background or ethnicity.”

If this continues, the Northern Union will be completely replaced by the Southern Union; the steam revolution demands embracing change!

"Easier said than done." The stern-faced man gave a bitter laugh. "The committee is firmly controlled by Hussein's faction, and we..."

Suleiman turned around and said coldly, "Bag, the struggle for power has made you lose yourself and sink you into a quagmire. Committee? Voting? What are those things, and why should they bind me?"

Have you forgotten that in Orencia, the strong rule?

Bagg's expression changed drastically: "Suleiman, you..."

Thank you to readers like Hero Stay A and New Moon's Words for the generous donations. Thank you to all readers for your support. I am deeply grateful and will only continue to write with all my heart!
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(End of this chapter)