On my second playthrough, they were full of malice towards me.

Maria, who was on the sofa, seemed to have finally woken up completely and found herself "actually" sleeping in the young man's arms, and was caught in the act by what appeared to be the lady of the house.

The nun hurriedly got up from beside Liao Ji and then shook her head repeatedly to apologize to Irene.

"I'm so sorry! That's not how it is. Last night I was the one who initiated it. Oh no! I, I mean, I begged you to take me home. We didn't do anything last night. No, we did...we did something."

Liao Ji felt that if he let the flustered Maria continue talking, even if she was innocent, she would be portrayed as innocent.

He waved to the nun, indicating that Maria shouldn't be nervous and that he could handle the rest.

"Are you alright now?"

"Ah."

"That's good."

Liao Ji then briefly recounted to the girl what had happened the night before after Irene fell into a coma, including Maria's origins and the information about Nolan that he had obtained through "divination" from the nun.

As for Irene, she didn't say a word the whole time; she just listened attentively and quietly from the side.

"That's about it. Maria must have been too exhausted after the divination and fainted, so we've been staying at your place for the night. As for why she was sleeping next to me after she woke up..."

Liao Ji glanced at the nun beside him, who looked like she was about to cry after realizing she had made a mistake.

Maria immediately bowed repeatedly to the young man in apology.

"I'm so sorry! I'm truly so sorry! The rain was so heavy last night, and I was afraid of thunder, so... so I unconsciously..."

However, Liao Ji was clearly not satisfied with this explanation.

After all, his focus wasn't on Maria coming over to sleep with him, but rather on the fact that he hadn't noticed at all. In other words, if Maria got up in the middle of the night not to "crash a nap" but to do something else, he would also be completely unaware and unprepared.

It's so weird.

Liao Ji dared to sleep under the same roof with a strange nun because of the "contract," since the other party was a cursed being, and any slight movement should wake him up immediately according to the contract, which was part of the power of the "contract."

But why?

Last night's "contract" was quietly approached by Maria, and they even lay down together, yet there was still no reaction?

Is it simply because the other party did not show any "hostility"?

Or

Liao Ji stared thoughtfully at Maria, who was apologizing, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Alright, you old fogey, stop making things difficult for her!" It was actually Irene who stepped forward at this moment.

Seeing Liao Ji staring intently at the nun, she took a step forward and shielded the slightly trembling nun behind her.

"You don't understand. Those of us who lacked parents growing up are born with a special fear of thunder and strong winds. Whenever there's bad weather like that, I..."

"Hmph! I also sneak into my mom's bed sometimes! So what!"

Irene stood with her hands on her hips, and it was unclear whether she saw a reflection of her former self in the timid and weak nun, or whether Maria had helped her get news of her mother, which was why she had become like a fierce mother tiger protecting her cubs.

Liao Ji was speechless about this, because according to the script, Yilin should at least show some anger and resentment towards them, even if she wasn't jealous or competitive. Especially at the very beginning, from Yilin's perspective, she had entrusted her most important mother to him, but he turned around and slept with a nun at home.

Seemingly sensing the young man's thoughts, the girl snorted again.

Her explanation was so simple that Liao Ji couldn't refute it.

"Because I believe that someone as powerful as him, who dares to compare himself to that 'Great Emperor,' would never easily break his promise. He will definitely keep what he has promised!"

The girl said this with a proud look on her face; anyone who didn't know better would think she was talking about herself.

"So when I see you still able to sleep soundly while holding a woman, I know my mom is definitely safe, at least for the time being. Otherwise, given your old-fashioned personality, how could you possibly be able to sleep?"

hiss

Did its brain also upgrade after advancing to the "Dangerous" level? How did it suddenly become so eloquent? Could it have been switched with another person?

To verify this, Liao Ji conducted a simple experiment and asked, "Aren't you jealous? Watching me sleep with other women?"

"Huh?! You, you, you! What the hell are you talking about?! I'm jealous of you, my foot! So what if you sleep with women? It's not like I haven't slept with them before! Besides! We're brothers! What does it matter to me, Irene, how many women you sleep with?!"

Seeing the girl's exasperated outburst and her incoherent, foul-mouthed speech, Liao Ji felt much more at ease.

OK, the experimental results are quite satisfactory.

Now it's confirmed that the person wasn't switched; it's really me.

In the midst of their back-and-forth, neither Liao Ji nor Yilin noticed that the nun Maria, who was silently watching from the side, lowered her head slightly. Her face no longer showed any weakness or fear, only...

A distorted gloom.

However, as Liao Ji quickly changed the subject and brought things back on track, the nun's expression instantly returned to normal.

"Alright, Maria, you were unconscious last night so I couldn't ask. Do you have any good ideas for what to do next, like what you said, to weaken the evil there?"

“No, there’s no need for that,” Maria suddenly said.

She shook her head, then stared at Liao Ji. Perhaps the young man and woman's behavior had changed the nun's plans. She spoke to them, word by word:

"After resting last night, I feel much better. I think I should have a way to teleport us directly there."

"Teleport?" Irene wondered if she had misheard.

The answer the girl received was

"Yes, my 'divination' ability is not limited to precognition; it can also teleport us directly to the coordinates I divined, which is to the underground area where your mother is."

"What?! It's that amazing?!"

Seeing that Maria's face was not joking at all, Irene's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but let out a surprised cry as if she had been hit by a big prize.

It felt like something out of a movie, like the protagonist of "Saving the Succubus," who was sent back to Shanghai by a magic circle on the very first day.

"Saving the Succubus" is a short film co-produced by "Magic City" and "Mechanical Alliance". It tells the inspirational story of how a young succubus returns to Magic City from a hell of androids where there is no juice left to be extracted.

Irene immediately looked at Liao Ji.

Clearly, even the young girl felt that this was a bit...

Liao Ji: "Maria, I'm a bit special. If I get there, I might cause a riot among the 'relics.' Could you help me conceal my presence?"

"Yes, sir."

"Is that so? Then let's not delay. Miss Maria, please begin the teleportation now."

Having received the answer he wanted from the nun and dispelling his last concerns, Liao Ji nodded and immediately requested to begin, which made Irene anxious.

She kept giving Liao Ji meaningful glances. Irene's intuition told her that something was wrong. It was happening too smoothly and too fast. It was too strange. Were they really going to be teleported away by the nun like this?

However, Liao Ji gave the girl a reassuring look, so that she wouldn't have to worry too much.

that's it.

After Maria made some simple ritual arrangements, Liao Ji and Irene leaned against the nun on either side. Accompanied by a burst of holy light, the three of them instantly disappeared from the room.

And at the same time.

the other side.

church.

Sacrament Library.

As the only official body of the Holy Kingdom, it naturally bears the responsibility of educating the people. Each church has a library, and the three floors that are open to the public are free to all citizens of the Holy Kingdom, who can freely enter and read the books.

The two additional underground floors of the Sacrament Library are designated as "library rooms," which are not open to the general public. Only church personnel and invited special individuals are allowed to enter and browse the materials.

Dulin strode in early in the morning and saw four knights in "holy armor" guarding the entrance to the underground library.

【Holy Armor】is the advanced weaponry of the Knights, combining exoskeleton machinery from the "Mechanical Alliance" with the power of the goddess. When well-trained members of the Knights are equipped with it, their abilities will be dramatically enhanced.

The machinery brings immense power, while the central Goddess Cross provides energy and the Holy Light that greatly restrains the Evil Spirit. With the combination of the two, a Paladin can easily subdue a "normal" Evil Spirit on his own, and as a team, he has a number of records of containing even "dangerous" Evil Spirits.

"Captain Dulin!" Upon seeing Dulin's arrival, the four paladins immediately lowered their guns, stood at attention, and saluted with their mechanical arms.

They assumed Dulin was going into the library, so they made way for him. Another person went to register Dulin, but to their surprise, Dulin waved his hand and shook his head, indicating that it wasn't necessary.

“You guys will be working with us on patrol this week, starting today.”

"What are you still standing there for? Take off your Holy Armor."

Faced with Dulin's urging, the four paladins, only then realizing what was happening, quickly said, "But Captain Dulin, the priest's instructions are that the library must be kept open at all times."

"You've all heard about the major events that happened last night, right? Chief Kaleva is dead, and the Black Hole settlement is in complete chaos. The usual patrol and security forces are simply not enough. The goddess's teachings are for us to protect the people, not for you to guard a dilapidated library that no one will ever come to in eight hundred years!"

"Received!"

Under Dulin's stern rebuke, the four paladins were persuaded, and it was clear that Dulin's prestige was very high among the knights; they had no doubts whatsoever.

After removing their holy armor and handing it to Dulin, the four of them bowed and hurried towards the Knights' position to join the patrol on horseback behind them.

And so, the entrance to the library fell completely silent, leaving only Dulin there.

The knight captain glanced coldly with disgust at the dark staircase leading to the basement of the library. He took out a dagger and skillfully pried out the goddess cross, the energy source, from the center of the holy armor. Then he put the holy armor back in its original position and prepared to leave, leaving behind an unguarded library with its door wide open.

Even if more knights come to help, the most crucial "holy armor" will be unusable.

He has kept his word.

The rest is up to you.

Dulin recalled the young man in the coffee shop last night.

however.

Before Dulin could take more than a few steps, a person who seemed to have been waiting for a long time emerged from the shadows behind a pillar and blocked Dulin's path.

He was dressed in a black robe with a conspicuous cross hanging on his chest. His arms were crossed and hanging down, with a holy book in his palm.

The first rays of the morning sun shone through the window onto the man, making his already serene face even more benevolent. It inspired a sense of closeness and trust in people, as if they were willing to confess all the sins they had committed to him.

Yes.

Only one person in the settlement could do this: the leader of the Black Hole Church, Father Grom.

"As expected of Captain Durin, the people of Black Hole are honored to have a knight like you."

The priest clapped, a kind smile on his face.

He walked step by step toward Dulin, who was frozen in place.

"The report deliberately concealed clues about the murderer who killed Falm last night, the mastermind behind the destruction of the factory, and now they've suddenly removed the guards I placed at the entrance to the library."

Gron circled around behind Dulin and retrieved the four energy crosses that Dulin had just pried off the Holy Armor, which he had hidden behind him.