Inner Destroyer

　"You can rest assured about that."

　A voice interrupted at this time and said, "It's not Qi Xing, nor is it

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　It was Elaine, not even Samael.

　Qi Xing and Yi Lian immediately turned to look. The main door of the villa was half open, the code screen of the main lock flashing, and a tall, thin old priest pushed open the door and walked in with a smile.

　He looked very old, with no hair and a completely gray beard. His loose black priest robe made him look even thinner.

　But he remained steady, like an old tree weathered but still standing tall, his back as straight as a church bell tower, his steps brisk yet steady.

　"Father!"

　At the first sight of the old priest, Elaine jumped up in surprise, surprised and happy, and seemed at a loss for a moment.

　"Good evening, Sister Elaine. Don't be so nervous."

　The old priest greeted his apprentice with a grin, his voice was low and hoarse, like he was reciting an ancient poem.

　"You seem to be under too much pressure."

　Qi Xing also stood up from the dining table and walked over to shake hands with his friend: "Long time no see, Amos."

　"Welcome to Rome again, wake up."

　The old exorcist still had a half smile on his lips and a humorous glint in his eyes.

　"Every time you come back from killing monsters around the world, you're always dreading how many new reports you have to write. That's even scarier than the monsters themselves."

　"Great."

　Qi Xing said calmly,

　"Sometimes, I really hope that the Association is more afraid of me than the monsters."

　This was probably not very funny. Even Elaine, who was standing behind him, looked a little embarrassed.

　But the old exorcist burst into laughter, his nostrils quivering slightly as he laughed, as if he had just heard a particularly funny joke. And his laughter was loud and contagious.

　Some say that the laughter of this old priest can dispel darkness better than holy water.

　Even Samael, who was floating behind Qi Xing, exclaimed "Oh" when he saw the old man, and seemed to be thinking about something.

　Because he is also a strong man.

　He is Cardinal Gabriel Amos, founder and president of the World Exorcist Association and chief exorcist of the Vatican. A veteran of World War II, decorated for his service against Nazism, and a lifelong warrior, he has performed over 60,000 exorcisms. This year marks the 100th anniversary of his passing.

　Qi Xing is "the strongest man in the world."

　Father Amos, known as the "Pinnacle of Humanity in the Christian World," is the mentor of Sister Elaine, the exorcist. While his health has declined with age, his exorcist skills and willpower have been honed to perfection. He represents the pinnacle of the exorcist profession.

　Although he is the chairman of the Exorcist Association, he is also a live-action person. Therefore, he has always had a good relationship with Qi Xing, who is running around the world killing monsters.

　"How did you unlock my door and get in?"

　Qi Xing asked.

　"I said hello, didn't I?" Father Amos laughed. "You did say you were home."

　Yes. Qi Xing didn't care about such trivial matters. He was more concerned about the old exorcist's first words: "What do you think I can rest assured about?"

　"I tell you, rest assured. No one in the entire Vatican would dare to truly trouble you, especially after seeing Elaine's report. Although some doubt the report's authenticity, at least the church's top brass knows the power of 'Judas's Thirty Pieces of Silver.'"

　Father Amos explained calmly,

　"Some may think the Roman Catholic Church is some kind of fanatic group, but in reality, it's very sensible. For two thousand years, it has never been foolish enough to confront the might of the 'Dendron Messenger' head-on. Especially when you're powerful enough to grab St. Peter's Basilica, lift it up, and throw it into the sea, the Vatican wouldn't be so foolish as to directly challenge you."

　This surprised Qi Xing, and he and Elaine looked at each other in surprise.

　Instead, Samael, floating behind him, couldn't help but laugh.

　This is actually quite normal. The "thirty silver coins" represent the authority of the evil god Samael, the Creator of the Earthly Universe, over the universe. To some extent, the human who receives the silver coins becomes the holder of "royal power," often becoming a great emperor, a powerful leader, a tyrant, or a despot.

　The Roman Catholic Church would never be foolish enough to confront such a group head-on. They understand politics, and they understand compromise. After all, there is no eternal monarchy, and more than 90% of "silver coin messengers" will eventually destroy themselves. Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church has survived for two thousand years. As long as human society exists, the Church is virtually indestructible. Politics is the art of compromise.

　Only the righteous and strong will not compromise.

　"Then why did they invite me back to Rome?"

　Qi Xing frowned.

　"Qi Xing, you have no imagination."

　Father Amos shrugged dramatically.

　"If you truly become the world's next tyrant, a dark emperor bestowed with earthly authority by the devil, then the most pressing issue for the church will be how to compromise with you, how much to compromise, and how to maintain our own religion and faith in a dark world dominated by you. After all, you can't remain tyrannical forever."

　No, I'm just trying to save you from the yellow world. Why are you starting to worry that I'll create a dark world? You're even thinking about how to kneel and how long to kneel?

　Behind his back, Samael laughed so hard his stomach hurt. Qi Xing was suddenly speechless.

　This plot development is not right?

　"Some people are definitely trying to collude with you to secure future benefits... and some are probably simply curious about the silver coins and the Holy Lance—but let's not discuss that for now."

　The old priest said this and suddenly changed the subject and looked at his favorite student.

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　.

　"Sister Elaine, there are some voices within the church that are questioning you and impeaching you."

　His expression was so serious that Elaine couldn't help but feel nervous.

　"What am I suspected of?" she asked, her mouth dry.

　The old priest sighed and said, "Some people suspect that you and 'Rep Master' have broken the nun's three vows."

　Broke...a nun's vows?

　The three vows of a nun are poverty (swearing to give up personal wealth), obedience (swearing to obey the orders of superiors), and chastity (swearing not to ××)...ah?

　028: Anyway, let’s throw the blame first

　"Someone suspected you of breaking the nun's three vows."

　Father Amos said so.

　Elaine, who usually appeared calm, froze when she heard her master say this, her eyes blank for a few seconds. Then, her cheeks flushed at a visible speed, even her ears.

　If her magic power was at the "inner circle" level, the shame would be enough to make her hair spontaneously combust.

　"Absolutely nothing of the kind, Cardinal Amos. I have absolutely not violated my vows."

　After a long pause, she finally managed to squeeze out a word, but her usual calm tone was no longer present, and she spoke so fast it sounded like she was running away.

　"I can tell."

　Father Amos glanced at his apprentice's rosy face, then at Qi Xing, who stood beside him with dead eyes. Although he had never been in love, he had lived for exactly a hundred years, so he was quite knowledgeable and immediately understood something.

　"It's a pity that not everyone in the church is so reasonable,"

　After a moment's silence, the old exorcist continued slowly,

　"Some people—it doesn't matter who they are—believe that the nuns were placed beside 'Rep Master', but they failed to properly monitor him. This led to the 'strongest man in the world,' the 'Association's' trump card, being possessed by Satan, and now the world is in danger. They will definitely hold you responsible, Elaine."

　"Furthermore, a certain Mother Superior—I won't mention her name—is concerned that you, Elaine, have broken your vows by indulging in illicit relations with 'Rep Master'."

　In fact, nuns do not have to be virgins.

　Many nuns were originally poor widows, or women who had experienced drastic changes and difficulties in life, so they took vows of renunciation and entered the monastery.

　As for this absurd pornographic world, there are many nuns who have been ██ in the past. Although they did not turn evil, they have since hated sex and have taken vows to become nuns.

　So nuns do not need to be virgins, but they must take a vow of chastity when they become nuns.

　If you were a virgin when you became a nun and suddenly two years later you weren't a virgin anymore - then there's obviously a problem!

　"She even suggested removing Elaine from her current position and replacing her."

　Having said this, Father Amos's expression became a little sad.

　Replace?

　Qi Xing couldn't help but laugh at this. "Replace Elaine, and then? Find an old lady nun to cook for me and help me?"

　"With the entire church being so large, do you think there aren't other young exorcist nuns with extraordinary talents?"

　Unexpectedly, Father Amos was very serious about this and said solemnly,

　"Not only are there nuns with talents comparable to Elaine's, but there are even blessed nuns with astonishing aptitudes. They only need to follow you to gain some practical experience, and they might even quickly ascend to the level of an Inner Circle superhuman."

　what?

　This is too ridiculous. Are the masters of your Roman Catholic Church cabbages growing in the fields?

　Qi Xing was about to complain when he suddenly understood - it wasn't the cabbage's problem, but that he was thinking in the wrong direction.

　There's a genre where players start out as a level 1 nun, barely able to defeat a goblin. But they're either in debt, or have dreams that require money to fulfill, or even face the task of saving friends and family, or even protecting the world.

　So players control them to go out on adventures, fighting and making their way through the plot, which takes no more than one or two months. Not to mention saving the world - before the end, they can at least defeat the big demons.

　As for whether the nuns will be drunken by demons during this adventure, or whether players will choose to engage in embarrassing events that allow the nuns to make money/become stronger faster by "falling down that path", that is another matter. The point is... many people have played this kind of game, right?

　Qi Xing had played this game in his previous life, but he definitely didn't want to do it again in this world!

　And when he turned around, he found that although Elaine didn't say anything, she was standing next to him very awkwardly, with an unconcealable look of depression on her face.

　The reason was simple: Elaine wasn't like that. She wasn't the kind of genius who could grow rapidly by simply going out and killing monsters for a few months and then accumulating experience. Most of the world's top young female geniuses—those who had reached the "Inner Circle" level, like the magical girl Artemina—nearly grew up this way.

　A gifted child who fights for a year or so and survives death, disability, transformation into a weapon, or a dark transformation is essentially a top-tier expert. Pretty convenient, right?

　However, Elaine has never had this qualification, and her strength has always been stuck at the end of the "outer ring".

　During the last cruise ship incident, the magical girl Artemina was able to fight Professor Vanstra for a short time without losing; while Elaine could only use her brain to fight, assist, and command. This is the difference in strength.

　listen

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　Hearing her master say this, Elaine would of course become even more embarrassed and depressed.

　None of her reactions escaped Qi Xing's eyes.

　"Amos, when you go back, tell those old nun mothers that I have no plans to replace them," Qi Xing said. "If they continue to bully my assistant, I won't care about respecting women and the elderly."

　"Oh, don't bother yourself with that. I've already scolded them today."

　Father Amos, founder and president of the World Association of Exorcists, said calmly,

　"I gave them all a good scolding, telling them not to be so foolish as to have any bad ideas about you, and not to think about inserting their own people here all the time. Don't worry, at least they shouldn't have time to bother you in the next few days."

　Oh.

　That's pretty impressive.

　"Then why did you break into my room so late at night?" Qi Xing finally felt puzzled. "Just to tell me about a problem that you had already blocked? In such a hurry?"

　"That's certainly part of the reason."

　The old exorcist hesitated to speak, raised his head thoughtfully,

　"If I don't come secretly, everyone will know that I visited you."

　"As everyone knows, we are friends." Qi Xing frowned. "Is there anything wrong with that?"

　This time, the old exorcist did not answer directly, but looked meaningfully at Qi Xing and the evil loli floating behind him.

　"I want to know what your next plan is as soon as possible."

　Ok.

　Qi Xing didn't intend to hide it anyway: "I want to find all the remaining 29 silver coins."

　This was one of the reasons why Qi Xing had come to Rome today. The Stupid Evil God didn't offer a map function that automatically tracked the next silver coin. Qi Xing had no choice but to come to the Vatican, seeking intelligence from the place that arguably housed the greatest collection of occult knowledge in the world.

　"You want to collect all 'thirty silver coins.'" The old exorcist frowned. "Something no one has done since two thousand years ago. Anyone who obtains a silver coin has the potential to become a hegemon, an emperor—and you claim to want to collect all thirty. You know how others will react when they hear that."

　Qi Xing shrugged and shook his head: "No emperor has ever truly changed the world. Why should I care about other people's reactions?"