Ice Vapor Goddess

Chapter 103 Secret Meeting
"he died."

"Yes, he's dead."

"It's nothing, just an ordinary ascendant..."

"That's all."

"The person who killed him will pay the price."

"Soon, everyone will become an Ascended."

"It'll be soon...it'll be soon..."

"He will descend soon..."

"Ah, the homeland of white mist, the white wasteland..."

Inside the dark room, people wrapped in dark cloaks or felt blankets gathered together, and candlelight burned at the far end of the room, casting deep shadows.

"Oliver, will anyone bother us?" someone asked, their voice hoarse like a tattered sack, each sound bursting forth from hard ice crystals, carrying a chilling aura.

“No, Disciple,” he said.

Where are the people next door?

“Only the left side has people living there, an old woman who can’t recognize people. I just gave her a few pieces of bread and she started calling me her son,” Oliver said with a sneer.

"Hopefully she won't cause any trouble."

“If she weren’t so old, this batch of ascendants would have taken her along.”

“Alright, if the leader has already observed it.”

"I promise, let's get started." A greedy glint flashed in his eyes.

This is an ordinary residential building with three underground floors. The narrow room is filled with seven people. At the far end of the building, on the iron bed frame, an ancient and complex ritual circle is drawn in blood. Six candles are lit around it, and people dressed in black robes are chanting incantations.

Ice crystals transformed into thorns that entwined the bed, turning it into a terrifying cage. An upside-down cross lay scattered on the floor, smeared with excrement. Poisonous plants and mushrooms lay quietly on several nodes of the runes, everything exuding an aura of blasphemy and eeriness.

Within that complex circular array of runes, a brown-haired girl was bound, her jaw dislocated from being stuffed with an oversized wad of cloth, and blood still flowing from the knife wounds on her body, pooling on the cast-iron bed frame. Tears streamed from her light gray eyes.

“An inverted cross, feces, shadow, non-virginity, that should be enough,” someone said.

"I think so."

"It's so annoying, I have to do this ritual every time."

"Yes, it's different on the snowfield."

"Stop complaining, the work here is also part of a great cause."

"Yes, hurry up, don't keep our qualified candidates waiting."

Amidst the smiles of the crowd, three somewhat reserved men in black robes stepped forward.

"Today, you will join us," the first man sang, slowly picking up the alder stake placed to the side.

“Today, you will be one of us,” the second man sang, taking the pointed wooden stake.

“Today, you will unveil a corner of the world,” the third person sang, handing it to Oliver.

"Today, you will be promoted!" the fourth person said joyfully, fanning out the candles beside him.

The room fell into darkness, with only the faint sound of a girl sobbing and Oliver's increasingly heavy breathing. Alder was a noble wood; if used to perform a blasphemous ritual, it could shield against those damned distractions.

The buzzing is especially annoying in cities like Speyside.

She was quite pretty; I even had a crush on her once when we were all called to the tower together.

I can't see anything anymore, but those light gray eyes are still shining.

Countless chaotic thoughts surged within Oliver's mind, jumping here and there like a wild horse galloping freely.

"Oliver, what are you waiting for?" someone asked seriously.
-
"I've been waiting for you for so long! My son!" the old woman shouted, while the young man in front of her looked embarrassed in front of his colleagues.

"Alright, alright, Grandma Lisa, we're here." The young man patted the old woman's back helplessly. "Are you sure those people are next door?"

By this time, the knights had quietly arrived. Logan, now recovered from his injuries, made a gesture, indicating that they should begin the encirclement.

“I’m sure! It’s that liar Lyon!” Grandma Lisa shouted. “He said he was my son and gave me two pieces of black bread, but my son always brings me eggs!”

“Grandma Lisa, I am Lyon…” the young man said helplessly, “Are you talking about Oliver?”

"Oh?" Grandma Lisa looked at him suspiciously for a while, then nodded with a hint of doubt. "Perhaps, but you mustn't lie to this old woman."

“Don’t worry, I won’t lie to you,” Leon said earnestly, patting her on the shoulder. “Thank you so much, you provided a very important clue.”

“Hey!” Granny Lisa immediately perked up. “Of course! Let me tell you, I was a witch when I was young, and no one could fool me! Once, a pretty girl tried to sell me a bouquet of flowers for a gold pound, and I just made her bury her head in the ground!”

"Yes, right. Did you fly away on your magic broom afterwards?" Leon looked outside, where people were bustling about, and the church's knights were mostly in position.

"Who said that? It must have been one of my old buddies who said it... We've got the magic steam engine running now!"

"Is that so? How did you drive it?" Lyon asked with a smile.

“This is how you open it, sir.” A knight snatched the thin wire from Ron’s hand and easily pried open the lock.

"Everyone down! Kill those higher than the wheels!" Logan slammed the door open and shouted.

The slogan the bishop taught him was indeed very powerful; it sounded like the voice of a murderer.

Inside the door, the seven people looked blankly behind them as knights in white and gold plate armor filed in. Logan punched one of the standing men to the ground.
-
Siren sat in his spiritual dwelling in the living room, looking at the three rows of megaphones in front of him, silently waiting for news.

This operation was a joint effort between the governor and the church, with the Knights, the Royal Guard, and the police all mobilized. More than a dozen Royal Knights participated in the battle, and Renn was also closely monitoring the situation, so his personal combat power was not needed.

All he could do was wait here for news, for the news he was hoping for.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and the guard on duty whispered, "Your Excellency, a believer who made an appointment with you has arrived."

Xiren then slapped his forehead, realizing he had completely forgotten he had a patient today; murder and missing persons cases occupied his entire mind.

"Let him wait a moment... never mind, let him in." Xiren thought for a moment, considering that it was only 5:30 pm and he might come straight here after work, so he didn't want to dampen people's enthusiasm, and thus gave this instruction.

Since the Spiritual Dwelling began receiving believers, few have actually come seeking comfort. Most people bring homemade local specialties to express their gratitude for Siron's contributions, and only a handful of believers mention their own difficulties.

Therefore, this was the first patient he had ever booked an appointment with in this world.

Xilun glanced at the still silent megaphone, stood up, and walked to the door.

"Nice to meet you, Your Excellency the Bishop." The man was covered in snowflakes, which adorned his black overcoat.

He removed his black silk top hat and bowed gracefully: "I am Professor Russell, who taught next door to you."

(End of this chapter)