The Villain Saint is my secondary account

"I thought His Highness simply disliked speaking, but now it seems there's another reason."

"Due to some special reasons related to my personal health... the main reason I came to see the Holy Maiden this time is about my younger brother, Raymond."

Ella lightly touched her lips with her index finger and smiled, "Is there anything I can do to help Your Highness?"

"Has he... already told you everything?" Leonard asked expressionlessly.

“Hmm, I’m not sure what Your Highness is referring to.” Ella tilted her head. “If it’s about the royal selection and political cases, Prince Raymond did discuss a lot with me.”

“Besides those directly involved in the assassination plot, only Raymond knows about tonight’s operation.” Leonard stared at Ella, tapping his finger lightly. “Your Excellency, there’s no need to keep trying to fool us.”

"Hmm." Ella narrowed her eyes slightly, her smile deepening. "So it really was your trap?"

While listening to Prince Raymond's story that morning, Ella also made him reveal the assassination plan.

Although Prince Raymond was not involved in the plan, he knew that it was an event orchestrated by his "teacher" and elder brother, Prince Leonard, and therefore confronted Prince Leonard before coming to find Ella.

That's why Ella rushed to the scene immediately when the Marquis was assassinated tonight. However, the attackers' fighting ability was unexpectedly weak, which made Ella notice something amiss and thus realize the Marquis's problem.

Prince Raymond was unlikely to lie to her, so Ella immediately deduced that the problem lay with the source of the information.

“If the Holy Maiden did not intervene, then this was not a trap set for the Holy Maiden.” In the air, the azure fluorescent light wrote word by word, “But since the Holy Maiden has intervened, I have no choice but to seek your guidance.”

"Your Holiness, what is your purpose in approaching Raymond?"

Ella picked up her teacup, took a sip, and asked, "Is this the question Your Highness wishes to ask, or is it a question Your Highness is asking on behalf of the person behind you?"

"Is there a difference?"

“Of course, it depends on whether I want to tell Your Highness the truth.” Ella smiled, but Leonard couldn’t discern anything from the girl’s upturned lips.

"Both."

"Well, my purpose is for the peace of the empire."

"..." Leonard tapped his fingers on the table, a hint of helplessness on his face. "Your Holiness, now that things are out in the open, I have come to talk to you with sincerity. If possible, I hope we can have common interests instead of mutual suspicion."

“I’ve already garnered so much noble support for your faction,” Ella waved her hand. “Isn’t that enough of a show of sincerity?”

“Your Grace, we prefer to view unknown factors as potential threats rather than their survival.” Prince Leonard sighed softly. “The Church of Life has already anticipated the methods that Samuel Clinic might use. All the reformist nobles have martyr followers like the ones you saw tonight.”

“Even we are unwilling to accept a completely chaotic empire, so we do not want to use this plan unless absolutely necessary. But Your Grace, the nobles you have won for Prince Raymond are still truly focused on you.”

"Therefore I must confirm with you once again, Your Excellency, what exactly is your purpose?"

That's clever; it seems the other party can see through my move regarding Prince Raymond.

However, Ella estimated that "all the nobles" was probably an exaggeration, but it was likely true that the Martyr assassins covered the sides of most of the nobles.

The Marchioness and the Marchioness had been married for nearly seven years. If it weren't for the strange magical flow they sensed when they got close, who would have guessed that she was actually an assassin belonging to the Cult of Life?

This hidden move by the Church of Life is a potential threat that could deal a devastating blow to the upper echelons of the empire.

Although these nobles were not exactly respectable, if they all died suddenly within a few days, it would definitely cause a terrible upheaval.

Now that the Third Prince Leonard has brought this matter up, it is clear that he is trying to force out Leonard's intentions.

The other side was not confident of taking it over by force, but neither of them seemed to have any intention of taking over a country in turmoil.

Order is evil—that was the conclusion Ella reached for the other party based on the above exchange.

But if that's the case, then something feels off...

Illa ignored Leonard's threat; what she cared about was the intention of the person behind the scenes, as revealed in his words.

Samuel's Clinic doesn't seem to be a sect that seeks chaos. Whether it's the Cult of Life or the teacher behind the Third and Fourth Princes, what they truly want is control of the entire empire, not a wasteland.

But she clearly remembered a scene she had observed with the Ring of Fate in Stormport: the sky above the Imperial City was obscured by the deadwood forest, streets and buildings had collapsed, and there were frenzied crowds and corpses everywhere—this did not seem like the kind of ending that a force seeking order could cause.

Could it be that there are still hidden forces that haven't surfaced yet?

Samuel Clinic, the Cult of Life, the Fourth Prince's tutor... Besides these, is there anything else that I have unintentionally overlooked?

The situation, which seemed to be gradually becoming clearer, was suddenly made to feel uneasy by Leonard's words.

Compared to the potential danger posed by the group of martyrs from the Cult of Life, the subtle sense of unease that emanated from this group made Ella even more uneasy.

Ella paused for a moment, then replied after careful consideration, "Alright, I understand what Your Highness and the person behind Your Highness mean."

“My purpose was actually stated during my first discussion with Prince Raymond… I need to take control of the Heville family.”

Leonard paused for a moment, "I thought that with the Duke's relationship with you now, the Heville family would be a piece of cake."

“A duke is a duke, and a family is a family.” Ella lowered her eyes and poured tea. “Although my father has been very kind to me, the family is not his sole authority. For my grandfather, and even for the elders in the family, Allen is still the most suitable successor.”

“So, you want to win over the imperial power to your side.” Leonard nodded. “That’s a plausible reason.”

Ella smiled without saying a word.

“Alright, regardless of whether Ning’s true intentions are genuine or not, since the Holy Maiden has expressed her opinion, I will also propose a formal cooperation to you on behalf of my teacher.” Leonard stood up, extended his hand to Aila, palm up, “Tomorrow, I would like to ask the Holy Maiden to come to the palace. My teacher wishes to have a formal meeting with you.”

Chapter 158 Underground Waterway

After bidding farewell to Prince Leonard, Ella yawned and went to take a bath and change.

Lilia, of course, wouldn't let this golden opportunity slip by. She sneaked off to the bathroom, where she was then given a good scolding by Ella.

Leaving aside the sweet chatter inside the villa, on the other side of the story, Ye Xiao was underground in the imperial city, pinching his nose and using a tree branch to poke at a blocked waterway.

"It stinks! It stinks!" Gladys, the kitten nestled in Ye Xiao's collar, shrieked. "Ugh! It's been days already, how much longer are we going to wander around in this awful place!"

"Hey, calm down. Anyway, other places don't need me now," Ye Xiao comforted the kitten. "But I didn't expect the underground water system of this imperial city to be so deep and complicated."

At first, he thought it was just a dumping ground built by the Samuel Hermitage below their stronghold for disposing of corpses and organs. However, after Ella sent some rat familiars through a portal to conduct a simple investigation, he discovered that the situation here was far stranger than he had expected.

This intricate sewer system is so vast that, based on the parts explored so far, the known area alone could probably cover the entire West District.

However, many interconnected waterways extend deep underground, and the paths currently explored are probably only the tip of the iceberg.

A massive sewer system lies beneath the imperial city, yet Ye Xiao has never heard anyone mention its history.

He had asked Li Cheng to consult Skadi, but Skadi was also unaware of the relevant matters. She only knew that the department in charge of urban construction would regularly maintain the surface waterways, but no one cared about the deeper ones, and there were no records of them.

Such a massive building structure, even with the help of elemental mages, would require an astronomical amount of manpower for construction and expansion. How could there be no record of it at all?

Ye Xiao originally planned to set up an anchor point in the sewers as a means to deal with the Samuel Order later, and then temporarily hide for a period of time and remain inactive.

But the strange and enormous underground waterway structure aroused his suspicion.

Fortunately, he doesn't have to live here all the time. With Ella's portal, he spends most of his time in the Loren Sanctuary, sharing the same view with the rat familiars to explore.

Most of the time, rats are needed to navigate those nooks and crannies that are difficult for a human to pass through, so he and Greta only teleport over when he really needs to observe carefully in person.

The clogged drain he was currently clearing with a twig was just like that. Although Greta, who was a germaphobe, was disgusted and covered her nose with Ye Xiao's collar, her eyes widened slightly after Ye Xiao scraped the grime off the drain. "This is... runes?"

“Hmm… Ella told me before that her familiar noticed some strange marks here.” Ye Xiao tossed away the filthy branch. “Can you tell what kind of runes these are? They seem to be subtly different from the spell runes I know.”

"It's normal that you don't know. This should be the rune system used by the Golden Bloodline."

"What kind of bloodline is this? Is it a species with gold flowing through its veins?"

“This is not the name of a single race, but a collective term for all the races that were born in that era.” Greta raised a cat paw, seemingly gesturing the number “five.” “The origins of most races in the present world can be traced back to the ancient primordial gods, such as the biological races created by the gods themselves to assist them. Angels are called mythical races, and also mythical bloodlines.”

"The reproductive needs of pure-blooded angels are extremely low, and theoretically they have an infinite lifespan like gods. However, some angels still conceive offspring for other reasons."

"But the bloodline originating from the gods cannot be inherited. Therefore, these descendants no longer possess the divine power, and their lifespan becomes limited, thus creating a need for reproduction."

"They spread across the land of the primordial gods. Although they did not inherit the power from the gods, they still had bloodlines similar to those of angels. Their affinity with the elements and their physical qualities were as strong as those of their parents. These races were known as the Diamond Bloodline."

"Following this pattern, tens of thousands of years after the Old Age of Gods perished, the New Age of Gods, also known as the Bronze Age, began, in which races of bronze blood, such as humans, orcs, and monsters, roamed the land."

After Greta finished her introduction, she examined the Golden Age runes on the waterway. "These runes seem to be some kind of sacrificial words, which translate directly into your Bronze Age language as 'great' or 'praise'."

What do you mean by "we're bronze"... I'm from Earth, not the blue planet.

But speaking of which, since Earth has no magic at all, theoretically speaking, shouldn't I be considered a black iron?

Calling me Bronze seems like an overstatement.

Ye Xiao stroked her chin. "Could this be a building from the Golden Age?"

"The race with the golden bloodline is rare in this day and age, but it is not entirely non-existent. There are always some races that can survive the violent upheavals of each era."

“So it could also be a sacrificial site built by that race in this era,” the kitten imitated Ye Xiao, scratching its round chin with its little paws.

"Is there any magic that can be used to identify it?"

“Spells that can be traced back tens of thousands of years must be from extraordinary mages in the realm of time, and I don’t know much about that.” Greta shook her head. “But aren’t you a miracle sorcerer yourself? Logically speaking, you should be able to figure it out yourself.”

"What kind of extraordinary level could I possibly have?" Ye Xiao curled his lip.

The lower half of the waterway was submerged in a huge circular pool of sewage. Several inlets around it constantly fed up with filthy water, but the dark water level remained at about three to four meters above the shore and never rose.

Therefore, Ye Xiao estimated that it was probably a cylindrical, deep structure with other drainage outlets at the bottom.

Ye Xiao was currently on the shore, and even after casting a fluorescent spell, he still couldn't see the full view of the section of the waterway buried underwater against the wall.

So he observed for a while, and then unbuttoned his shirt.

"What are you doing?!" Greta exclaimed excitedly.

"No, why are you so agitated? I need to go down and check."

The rat-like familiar had poor underwater vision, and it couldn't use its fluorescent magic to illuminate the dark environment below. Ye Xiao had no choice but to dive down into the sewage pool himself to investigate.

"Ah!? This water is deep, smelly, and black, it's terrifying! Are you crazy?!" Greta suddenly jumped out of Ye Xiao's collar, leaped onto a moss-covered rock, and circled around while meowing.

Of course, she placed a gravity array on the stone, so that her body was actually suspended above it.

Even so, she kept swinging her little feet, crying, "Ugh, so dirty!"

“There’s nothing I can do, this is the fate of adventurers. I have a feeling there’s something fishy about this place.” As Ye Xiao spoke, he had already taken off his shirt. “If you don’t like this environment, I can have Ella take you back to the sanctuary first.”

The kitten covered its face with its paws in embarrassment, but its eyes, still wide open like saucers, peeked out from between its claws. "No way! This place looks so creepy. What if something else comes along while you're underwater if I don't guard it?"

"Alright, then I'll trouble you, maid, to keep watch for me up there."

Ye Xiao smiled and began to warm up.

This cesspool was filled with foul-smelling water from who-knows-where in the imperial city. It was filthy, dark, and cramped, but for Ye Xiao, a lone wolf adventurer who had lived for decades in both his two lives, having waded through the lava rivers of Molten City and climbed the snow-covered peaks of the North, diving into a place like this wouldn't even make him blink an eye.

Therefore, after completing the preparations, he observed the water surface, knocked on a bottle of underwater compound medicine, and decisively jumped into the bottomless, huge sewage pool.

Chapter 159 Remains in Deep Water

The icy cold water submerged Ye Xiao's body, and all he could see was a dark abyss.

The underwater compound agent coated Ye Xiao's head with a thin bubble film, allowing him to open his eyes and breathe underwater for a period of time.

Then, he mentally activated the magic ring on his hand, and the glow from the gem on the ring illuminated the lower half of the waterway opening where the runes had been engraved.

The waterway opening is circular with a raised outer ring, resembling a hollow stone disc. The lower half of the disc appears to have several obscure and difficult-to-understand runes, but they are no longer clearly visible, likely due to years of erosion and scouring by the water.

So Ye Xiao took out a recording crystal from his spatial ring to record the scene before him, and then took out a brilliance stone and threw it into the water below him.

The pyroxene emitted a cold, blue light, like a shooting star slowly falling to the bottom of the pool.

The deep stone wall illuminated by the glowing light was not the straight structure expected, but rather had an outward tilt, making the overall outline of the sewage pool resemble a conical flask.

This might mean that the space below is much larger than what is seen above.

On the surrounding stone walls, there were more than one waterway openings with runes like the ones we had seen before, but they varied in size, and the deeper we went, the more numerous these waterway openings became, gradually becoming dense and riddled with holes like small holes in cheese.

In addition, there are chains that appear to be cast in bronze on the sloping stone wall, crisscrossing, but only one end of each chain is visible, connected to the stone wall, while the other end extends into the deeper part of the pool, as if restraining something below.

As the halo descended deeper into the water, wisps of black cotton-like floating matter could be seen drifting with the current, layer upon layer, gradually obscuring the light emitted by the falling pyroxene.

Ultimately, the light was swallowed by the seemingly tangible darkness, just as a meteor eventually sinks into the boundless night sky.

However, just before the faint light completely disappeared, Ye Xiao suddenly noticed a strangely shaped but huge shadow on the bottom of the water, its outline revealed by the fleeting glimmer of light.

This gave Ye Xiao a slight tremor. Submerged in the cramped and dark pool, he suddenly saw a colossal creature emerging from beneath his feet, occupying half the surface of the water. It was somewhat unsettling.

Monster?

Ye Xiao paused for a moment, then took out another brilliance stone and threw it downwards.

You bastard, show me your health bar if you dare.

The slowly falling brilliance stone happened to hit the huge shadow this time, allowing Ye Xiao to barely make out its appearance before its faint light disappeared.

Unexpectedly, it wasn't a monster at all, but just a giant statue.

The statue's features were not clearly visible due to the limited light, but it could be roughly discerned that, like the chains beside it, the statue's surface was also made of bronze.