Miss Witch's Forbidden Book Secret

Chapter 326 Tia's Gift

The flare was captured by Avalon in New Orleans the instant it shattered.

Although outsiders often describe Avalon as some kind of indescribable behemoth, Roman knows very well that Avalon is nothing more than a massive united ritual composed of tens of thousands of Sequence 7 rituals called "Eyes of the Gaze".

The "Eye of Gaze" ritual is a core ritual of the King's branch of the Watchers.

Roman is a Sequence 5 Watcher, and in his youth he sacrificed almost all of his sense of smell and taste to gain the extraordinary ability to find spirituality through scent.

This made him adept at his role as an inspector, and was the main reason Albert sent him to Newport to oversee the operation:

This extraordinary characteristic known as "the pack of wolves" overlaps to some extent with the Eye of Spectrum. If Roman is willing to "sacrifice himself," he can withstand the intense pollution of hundreds of rituals, transform his physical body into the control center of the Avalon system in Newport, forcibly reorganize the self-repairing Avalon system, and operate it under load in a damaged state.

Roman brewed a pot of black tea, filled it with saccharin and sugar, and drank seven or eight cups in a row to suppress the negative effects of his extraordinary abilities. He then took out his notebook and quickly sketched it out with a pen.

He skillfully sketched out a general overview of Newport News. As a special agent of the Anti-Suppression Bureau who had been sent to Newport News several times to carry out important missions, he knew the terrain and waterways of Newport News very well.

Immediately, the thousands of pieces of information monitored by Avalon were rapidly integrated in his mind, and then the information about signal flares and unusual missions was extracted and turned into red dots on the notebook.

However, figuring out how to take down each of these red dots is beyond the capabilities of the exhausted Roman at the moment.

Without hesitation, he told the Basilica of Our Lady of the Church everything he knew.

Inside the Cathedral of Our Lady, Marshall was also troubled by Tia's abduction—but even more troubled was dealing with the eldest daughter of the Mercury family.

She was furious when she learned that someone had forcibly broken into her house and taken Sulph away. She first used an extremely strange holy flame to force out all the dozen or so bandits hiding in the Mercury house.

Just as the knights were about to wipe out the terrified bandits who were engulfed in flames, Vera, who had just gotten up to urinate, encountered a few lone individuals. In a moment of panic, she tore down the toilet door, killing two Sequence 9s, knocking out two Sequence 8s, and leaving a Sequence 7 begging for mercy on the ground as Vera smashed him.

They're practically goddesses of war!

Vera was alright; the red-haired little nun was carefree and could guess Tia's background—especially since she had found the Book of Hearthfire while flipping through books in the Upside-Down Temple recently, and stopped pretending, which made her even more certain that Tia was definitely connected to the Temple.

After chatting with Eleanor for a bit and learning that it was Eleanor who told Marshall about Tia's accident, she felt that there was something strange about the relationship between Eleanor and Tia—how come you two are so in sync! But she didn't think about it too much; she didn't care about that!

The red-haired ball of fur fell asleep leaning on Eleanor's shoulder.

But Anne was very anxious, especially after Bishop Marshall relayed Roman's information.

"The traitors in the Northwest Mountains, the apostates, the cultists of Muma City, the murderers, the scientists who have broken ethics! And the prophets of the Palace of Wisdom!"

Anne clutched the small cross on the necklace, worriedly saying, "Traitors and apostates are fine, but I remember there are still remnants of the Twin Serpents among the cultists."

Marshall nodded helplessly and said, "That's right. Muma City was relatively backward to begin with. The rebels in the Northwest Mountains are for similar reasons."

Anne said worriedly, "But they arrested Tia, and the prophets too. It seems Tia has a grudge against the prophets!"

The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.

Marshall could only reassure her, "Roman has already made arrangements. Grand Knight Commander Yehfa, stationed in Newport, has begun mobilization. Little Anne, don't worry too much. Go and keep Eleanor company; her ceremony has just ended."

Anne pursed her lips, nodded in agreement, and jogged off to the side hall to find Eleanor.

But after exchanging a few words with Eleanor, the conversation inevitably turned to Tia. As she spoke, she closed her eyes, clutched the small crucifix, and began to pray softly.

Eleanor patted her head and said, "Oh, Tia is fine, don't worry!"

Annie said, confused, "Eh—"

On the other side, two elves were very bold, squatting in the harbor despite Avalon's surveillance.

Tia is now considered a significant figure in Ansu. Starting at four o'clock, the number of police on the streets increased significantly. The church's armed priests and tactical nuns were awakened, put on raincoats, and participated in patrols, focusing on checking carriages that were still in operation and several suspicious outposts.

Tia couldn't be found, and the underground forces in the Great Harbor and North Harbor districts suffered. Presumably fearing that Tia would be torn to pieces, the priests, clad in heavy armor, stormed into the outlaws' stronghold, smashed cabinets with chain hammers, removed their backpacks, and inspected them one by one.

The city hall also activated the emergency plan, and an entire cavalry brigade of the army outside Newport News quickly took control of the port and streets, galloping through the city streets, kicking up mud and water.

Several small airships took off in the heavy rain and conducted high-intensity patrols at low altitudes with searchlights on.

Under the spotlight, both Branna and Freya had to retreat hundreds of meters and hide in the shadows, fearing that they would be caught by the searchlights that were inscribed with countless Holy Grail rituals.

When Ye Haifa arrived at the port with a large squadron of about a hundred powered knights from the Golden Furnace, the two of them quickly left and boarded a fast sailboat that had already sailed two nautical miles out of the port.

"My lord, the knights of the Order have boarded the ship, escorted by the Navy's Seventh Fleet. Meanwhile, there are some unusual movements in the deep sea."

Brenna emerged from the shadows and whispered in Tia's ear, "Shall we continue to remain in the material world?"

Tia asked, puzzled, "The Seventh Fleet...that's quite a show of force! But what's going on in the deep sea?"

After she boarded the ship, she was locked in the lower cabin and kept on high alert. Two elves could come over to let in some air, but the ravens were easily detected by the prophet and could not follow her. Tia did not dare to dive deep without permission.

Freya said, "It's the prophets of the Palace of Wisdom! They're still near Her Highness the Princess's sanctuary."

"Tsk, they're really bold. They probably think they've caught Eleanor and want to try again."

Tia asked Freya to untie her ropes, rubbed her breasts, and said simply, "Since they want to do this, let's give them a push."

Branna lowered her head and said, "Then what should we do..."

"Did you bring the pigeons?"

“Right here, my Lord.”

Branna took out the pigeons she had caught on the road and set up a pigeon ceremony.

The girl narrowed her eyes slightly, her eyes curving into a half-smile, like a mischievous little fox. She said softly, "It just so happens that Silver Door is short of some offerings."

"Let's also give the prophets a big gift while we're at it, charge!"

Chapter 327 A Double Gift, A Double Joy

"Cherubim, my brother, well done!"

Amir gave a heartfelt exclamation as a conclusion, then stroked the crystal ball to sever the communication ritual. The light screen before him vanished, turning into countless points of light.

He looked up again at his fellow church brother who had helped them in their time of need, a clerk from the Mist Moon City Hall with a dark brown wig, a deep-set face, prominent cheekbones, and a hooked nose.

This prophet, named Abdullah, was a student of the famous "stonemason" Ibn Musa. Thanks to the stonemason's influence, he obtained a position in the city hall—at least that's what he said.

The nearly three-and-a-half-meter-tall Amir shook hands with Abdullah in a simple manner. Abdullah was only up to Amir's belly, and Amir had to bend over to shake hands.

“Brother Abdullah, it’s really kind of you to find me such a safe haven in Mistmoon City.”

"It's no trouble at all."

Abdullah's voice remained calm as he said, "I'm glad I could help you. By the way, you're going on a deep dive, right? The police have recently strengthened their surveillance system, and I also have work at the city hall, so I can't keep an eye on you all the time."

"You'd better take precautions. Also, there's a tunnel under this building. If there's a problem, you can evacuate directly through the tunnel."

This was a very thorough consideration. The prophet, who was known as the "Golem," was a giant of the Great Icefield known for his carelessness—plus Ibn Musa's reputation as a guarantor, and his mind and attention were all focused on the deep sea at the moment—did not think much of it. He only left four or five potential monitoring rituals on Abdullah, and had two spirits follow Abdullah closely to prevent him from rebelling. Then, he honestly had two subordinates follow him and monitor him all the way back to the city hall.

That's where Amir's cunning lies.

It is true that he trusts Abdullah; this feeling is so real that even mind-reading techniques could not detect it.

However, his definition of trust, partners, and allies is a little different from that of normal people. This kind of defensiveness is indiscriminate and is based entirely on instinct—this comes from the hunting tradition of the Great Icefield. On the resource-scarce icefield, no one can entrust their back to another person, even if that "other person" is their own parents.

That's why giants have the custom of killing their own parents.

After seeing Abdullah off, Amir closed his eyes and meditated, preparing for a deep dive.

After the water pressure hit, he quickly descended at two jump ceremonies set up at 10,000 meters and 20,000 meters respectively. The water pressure at 20,000 to 30,000 meters was similar to that of air and had little effect on him.

We continued our dive to around 28000 meters, where we met up with twenty or thirty prophets who had been waiting for us.

When the prophets saw Amir arrive, they bowed their heads respectfully and said, "Teacher!"

Amir said, "The Cherubim have taken the princess's body. Prepare to make your move."

"Shall we do it now?"

Amir urged, "If we don't act now, are we going to wait for the Ansu Holy Church and the Anti-Suppression Bureau to react? Hurry up and prepare the ceremony! Set up the nodes where needed, and seize the sanctuary where needed!"

The prophets were also alerted and quickly prepared for the ceremony.

The usurpation of the Sanctuary is indeed urgent; to formally separate Eleanor's soul from the Sanctuary, we must wait for her physical body to arrive. However, the ritual must be prepared in advance; waiting until the body arrives will be too late.

As for how their colleagues died—they weren't really worried about that, because they discovered that the laurel had actually risen to the surface!

Although they only surfaced 3000 meters, it was just that—surfacing. It didn't affect their work at a depth of 28000 meters. Without the harassment and threats from the ravens, the prophets could work more boldly and act freely.

Unbeknownst to them, all of this was being watched by Tia.

On the altar, Tia, suspended upside down, slightly raised her hand. Two elves led the way, while Little Red pulled the temple along behind. The temple moved unhurriedly, unlike its usual rapid advance; instead, it moved gently and quietly, without creating much of a splash.

On the contrary, the two elves, Brenna and Freya, seemed to completely ignore the presence of the prophets and charged straight ahead.

Generally speaking, weak things are not worth mentioning, and even their threats and shouts are quite endearing.

When Amir noticed the two elves, he was only slightly taken aback, but didn't pay much attention to them. He then ordered the two prophets to drive away the wandering spirits.

The two prophets gave chase, but Branna and Freya turned and ran.

They didn't know how far they had swum, but just as they were about to catch up with the two spirits, they hadn't even captured them yet.

Suddenly, a thick tentacle attacked from behind, slippery and wrapped around my waist!

Looking up again, the two prophets were stunned and nearly lost their minds.

trap!

This is fucking bait prepared for them!

The magnificent, glorious, upside-down temple was being slowly dragged along, led by a red deer thousands of meters tall, shielded by a massive spiritual whale, and brought up the rear by toads carrying countless cities on their backs.

A godless giant entangled with steel bars and wires, a broken-armed stone statue covered with stars, a noble boot from which countless sheep fly, a wriggling inchworm spewing muddy crowns... Countless spirits and false gods follow it from all sides!

Before the prophets could cry for help, spiraling steel spears crackled with electricity pierced their skulls.

But this level of attack only severely injured the prophets. The wires wrapped around the spiral steel, like the snakes on Medusa's head, then bound their bodies, and intense currents exploded into sparks in the deep sea.

Soon the two prophets stopped struggling.

The silent, massive procession continued its slow advance.

Only Little Red cried out a few times, clearly not happy, and then tore it in two with its tentacles, rolling up its head and throwing it into the temple.

Tia glanced at the altar, raised her hand, and offered her head as a sacrifice to Silver Door, thus making a deal with him.

The silver door, like rain after a long drought, directly delivered over a dozen pages of the Black Sea Book's essential knowledge into Tia's mind.

......................

......................

The sea off Ansu was not as quiet as the deep sea; dark clouds covered the harbor, obscuring the rising sun.

Thunder rumbled incessantly, and raindrops pattered against the portholes of the cabin.

Including the Madeline, which was undergoing repairs in port, two light cruisers, one heavy cruiser, and six escort ships carrying a total of 320 Power Knights from the First, Third, and Seventh Divisions of the Golden Forge Knights have been assembled.

Perrick Mercury ordered a rapid approach to the fleeing fast sailing ship, while simultaneously receiving instructions from Roman to prepare all the shore guns at the naval base along the enemy's inevitable route.

To be honest, Peric felt that the firepower was a bit excessive... He was worried that Tia would be blown up, but Roman assured him that she wouldn't die.

But Perrick was still soft-hearted, fearing that Tia would be blown to pieces and then Annie would cry as she pieced her back together. So he didn't agree to Roman's outrageous order to send the entire Seventh Fleet, including its flagship.

Although this configuration is still quite outrageous.

The priest at the ship's altar reported to him, "Your Excellency! All the priests at the altars are ready, have performed three blessings, and the positioning is complete. The guns of the Madeline, Field, and Howard have all been calibrated. Shall we proceed with the firing?"

Perrick asked, "Where is the Knights?"

The priest said, "The Knights' escort ships have also approached within two nautical miles and are ready to launch attacks to eliminate the remaining enemies at any time."

"Prepare for two rounds of saturation bombardment, after which the Knights will prepare to move out."

"understand!"

Not long after the priest left the command center, Peric frowned and unfolded a letter from the Imperial Coldwater Harbor. His expression turned uncertain when he saw the signature.

But before he could turn the page again...

—Whoosh!

The hatch, which wasn't closed properly, was suddenly blasted open by a powerful burst of air pressure. Like the hammer of the forging god, it slammed heavily onto the stern. The deck beneath Perrick's feet trembled violently, the letter in his hand flew up, and he nearly fell to the side, tumbling forward and backward.

Outside the porthole, the flames from the cannons illuminated a large expanse of sea, and a huge orange fireball surged forth from the billowing black smoke, crashing down with a terrifying, world-destroying force onto the fast sailing ship eleven nautical miles away!

Chapter 328 Roman's Conjecture

Half an hour after the bombing.

In the emergency room of the Madeleine, the nuns' battlefield first aid backpacks and various surgical instruments were laid out on the operating table.