Who hid my body?

"That's the main point, actually." Kud said, "We all know that something went wrong with Tianqin, but the key point is to know exactly where the problem is. No matter where the problem is, we can see that the position of the bishop is the most critical part, which is why I said that we must go find Bishop Holman."

Gerald looked at Kud and said, "But you just said that you think there is nothing wrong with Holman."

"At least nothing went wrong. The evidence is... you're still alive." Kud said seriously, "Because the bishop can make rules. If the bishop wants you dead, he can kill you by making new rules. Although it's not easy, ten years is enough. But in these ten years, nothing like this has happened. This is enough to prove..."

Gerald finally understood what Kurd meant, and he gently added the second half of the sentence: "He is still on my side."

Still on my side.

A simple sentence, but not simple in Gerard's heart.

This shows that he has not been alone in the past ten years.

Such thoughts naturally caused huge ripples in Gerard's heart, and such ripples were naturally noticed by Bai Wei.

...Interesting, do you think you haven't lost everything yet?

Bai Wei thought about it in his mind, but did not say it out loud. He just observed quietly.

"But if nothing happened to him, why hasn't he shown up in the past ten years?" Gerard asked again.

"This is what we need to find out, because not only Bishop Holman, but also the five major bishops including Bishop Babel have not shown up in the past ten years. This can only mean..." Kud stretched out his hand and pointed at the circle representing the God of Lyra with a heavy face, "Something went wrong here, so that the five bishops had to focus more on 'carrying on the past' and relax 'initiating the future'. So, this can explain the problems that have occurred in Lyra in the past ten years."

Kud raised his head and looked at Jellal again, and Jellal understood what he meant.

The "top" is still stable (the underlying rules are still there), but the "bottom" is chaotic (there are various changes).

"I see." Gerard nodded, "So the bishop is the key... Then I'll go with you."

"No." Cooder refused again, "That's too risky."

Gerard frowned, "You just said that you thought there was nothing wrong with the bishop."

"Yes, but this is just 'I think'. Even if Bishop Holman is really fine, the situation is getting worse and worse. Although it is not yet time to make new rules, those who want to kill you can blatantly cross the rules." Kud said, "So no matter what, you should not show up. Besides, this is my job."

"What's your job?"

"Yes." Kud smiled. "The job of the Skeleton Troops is to maintain stability. Maintaining stability is not just about stopping any violations. When the lower levels are out of control, they have the responsibility to directly contact the bishop or even Tianqin. This is the real purpose of this key. Of course, it should have been done by my old boss, but he has obviously thrown this responsibility and the previous rules out of his mind. Then I have to do it. This is a must."

Gerard was silent for a while, then said, "I am also a member of the 'Skeleton', so you can let me do it."

"Don't be ridiculous, Gerald. You and I both know that your destiny from the beginning to the end is Eve Star."

"Evestar is gone."

"Aren't you still alive?" Kud smiled again, and then his expression gradually became serious. "I'm not joking, nor am I trying to show off. I have thought about it carefully. This job must be done by me, not only because I am a member of the Skeletons, but also because... you are more suitable to stay."

"What do you mean?" Gerard asked, "You went alone, what am I going to do here?"

Kud did not answer the question directly immediately. Instead, he was silent for a moment, and then said softly: "Jellal, I can actually feel that your series of actions after returning to Tianqin are somewhat like... self-destruction."

Jellal's pupils narrowed slightly.

"Whether it's your clear actions these past few times, or the time you put the chainsaw sword on that Skeleton unit colleague today to force him to tell the truth, this is not what you would do before, and it's also different from the order and rules you have always advocated. Your methods are becoming more and more radical and crazy."

"Of course, I can't blame you for this, because it wasn't until today that I understood what you've been facing for the past ten years. I'm surprised that you've been able to stay sane for ten years."

"So I'm also wondering, has the situation really reached that point, where the former lawful ones have to become even crazier and more radical, and operate in a self-destructive manner to save the situation?"

As Kud spoke, he held up the oddly shaped key.

"So I decided to prove it. This is the last insurance that Tianqin set up for the Skeleton Army. It gives every member of the Skeleton Army a chance to meet the Bishop and face Tianqin directly, and then let the final order end everything. If I succeed, it means that the order is still in effect. In that case, Gerard, you can also end the pain of the past ten years. All the injustice and darkness you have encountered will disappear, and the order will return everything to you. The world we advocate and are proud of is still operating normally as we wish."

Kud paused, he raised his head and looked directly at Jellal.

"But if I fail, it means that the last lock of order is also broken. I don't know what that situation is like, and I don't know how to face it. All the education I have received teaches me how to act according to rules and order... But I don't need to worry so much, because if that happens, I will definitely be gone, because I am the last broken... lock of order."

Gerald looked at Kud quietly, and he finally understood that Kud's decision was not a whim, but he had already thought through everything, but still decided to do it.

He wants to use his life to verify the final order.

"Don't look at me with that expression, Gerald." Kud said, "If that day really comes, I won't be the worst, because I'm already dead. And do you know what you are going to face? The old order collapses, the old rules become invalid, your enemies will use new rules to target you and kill you, and then the whole of Tianqin will be your enemy. The difficulties you will face will be greater than now... So I want to know, when that time comes, will you still try to stop this out-of-control train?"

Two men, one old and one young, stared at each other in the darkness. The only light around them was the oil lamp in front of the door. They looked at each other in the faint candlelight, and each other's figures swayed like candlelight in the reflection of their pupils.

Gerard was silent for a long time, then said softly, "I will."

Kud smiled. "That's why I said you should stay. The Evening Star used to roam in the deepest part of the polluted land. There were no rules or order there, but there was no way to kill you. That's why you know how to face such a situation. But I can't. I don't have the courage to face such a world... I am a member of the Skeleton Army. I was born to maintain order, and I should die for the final order. So, we should all do what we are best at."

After saying that, Kud stood up and stretched as if relieved.

"Okay, I have to go. If we continue talking, it will be dawn. I have to go back to get my axe." Kud waved his hand, turned around and left. "I will go to the bishop at about the same time tomorrow... Maybe there is nothing wrong, but the bishop overslept. We can talk then and everything will be solved, ha."

Gerald didn't say anything, he just watched quietly as Kud walked away and stopped.

Then he turned around, looked at Gerard deeply, and his lips moved slightly.

"Take care of yourself."

Then he turned and left, walking alone into the darkness that the candlelight could not reach.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 102: Is the Thirty-three Night Stars back? (Key chapter!!)

After Kud left, Gerald didn't sleep for another night.

In this half-destroyed house, he searched for all the still usable things, such as rusty daggers and masks used to isolate pollution. He lined up these things that were almost scrap metal, and then refurbished, polished, and rusted them, just like an old hunter preparing for a hunt after many years.

After refurbishing all the items, he stuffed them into every corner of his body one by one, making himself fully armed.

When everything was done, it was already daybreak.

He opened his pocket watch and put it aside. Amid the ticking sound, Gerard sat on the ground, then slowly closed his eyes and began to rest.

According to the rules of Xiaoxing, three conditions must be met to enter the polluted area.

1. Excellent equipment and sufficient supplies.

2. Abundant energy.

3. Comrades who can be trusted.

If any of these three conditions is missing, you are not allowed to enter the contaminated area.

Now, he no longer had sophisticated equipment, but only old stuff that hadn't been updated for ten years, not to mention supplies. In terms of energy, he couldn't compare to himself ten years ago. Time had left too many marks on him, and now he looked like an old man.

As for the comrades who could be trusted, they had already been sleeping in the deepest part of the polluted land.

But what he has to face is something that is likely to be more dangerous and complicated than the deepest part of the polluted land.

But he said nothing, just waited quietly.

He waited for the rising sun to hang high in the sky and then slowly descend, causing his shadow to make half a circle like a clock hand on the ground covered with blood and flesh, but he did not make any movement.

It was not until the pocket watch began to tick louder that he slowly opened his eyes.

"Are you really going?" Bai Wei's lazy voice sounded, "I think that kid would rather you wait for news at home."

Jellal slowly stood up and put the fully charged chainsaw sword on his back: "I have waited long enough. I don't want to wait any longer."

Bai Wei asked: "Do you think that kid will succeed?"

"I don't know." Gerald shook his head, "But no matter what, I want to witness it with my own eyes."

Do you want to witness it with your own eyes no matter what?

Bai Wei seemed to be thinking about something, but he did not stop Jellal.

Because his fingers were already on Jellal's body.

So Gerard went out and arrived at the fourth district branch tower where he had been yesterday before the sun set, but he did not go in. Instead, he sat down in a cafe opposite the branch tower.

From here you can clearly see the people coming and going in the branch tower. If Kud wants to enter the branch tower, he will definitely be able to see it.

While staring at the entrance to the branch tower, Gerard heard the conversation between an old man and a young man coming from the next table.

"Grandpa, don't hesitate, replace your finger quickly, it's too old to be used anymore."

"No, absolutely not. This is a gift from your grandmother."

"But grandma is no longer here, and this is just a prosthetic limb that should be replaced."

Jellal subconsciously glanced at the next table.

The white-haired old man pressed the mechanical finger that looked very old and shook his head firmly: "No, except this finger. Absolutely not. This is the last thing your grandma left me."

Gerald was in a trance for a moment.

At this moment, he heard Bai Wei's voice ringing in his mind.

"The boy went in."

Gerard immediately turned around and saw Kud's back disappearing at the entrance of the branch tower.

……

Yongxin stood on the top floor of the branch tower, with a huge door in front of him.

The person standing in front of the door is Zamen.

When he saw Yongxin, he immediately bowed and saluted: "Master Yongxin."

Yongxin asked calmly, "Bishop Holman, are you going to wake up?"

"Yes," Zamen answered, "a few minutes."

"Very good." Yong Xin smiled. "You can leave now. Let me talk to the Bishop."

Zamen nodded and then quickly retreated.

Soon, Yongxin was the only one left in the corridor on the top floor.

He walked forward alone and pushed open the heavy door.

Behind the gate is a huge amber, in which sleeps an old man in luxurious clothes.

The old man looked very painful, as if he was having a nightmare.

Yongxin walked forward, and then stood quietly in front of the amber, while the old man in the amber was also moving closer to the outside of the amber little by little.

……

Zamen walked quickly towards the office.

He just heard the front desk report that a team leader from the Skeleton Corps came to investigate the cause of death of the previous two secretaries and was now waiting for him in the office.

This made Zamen feel a little strange.

Why are you still investigating these two things? Isn't it enough to just kill Gerald? Lord Yongxin should have communicated with the Skeleton Army.

If possible, he really wanted to ask Lord Yongxin, but he didn't dare to disturb him in this situation, so he had to bite the bullet and deal with it alone.

He pushed open the door of the office, and then smiled at the figure waiting inside: "Hello, Sir Knight, I am late, I am..."

Before he could finish his words, Zamen saw that the other person was holding a strangely shaped key in his hand.

"Kude, the captain of the 10th Squadron of the Skeletons." Kude interrupted Zamen and said calmly, "I suspect that there is a huge uncontrollable problem in the Fourth Division, so I will use Article 37 of the Lyra Emergency Response Act. I want to see Bishop Holman. This is the Key of Order. You are now obliged to cooperate with my investigation... In short, take me to see Bishop Holman, immediately."

Zamen was stunned for a moment. He realized that something might have happened, so he subconsciously wanted to retreat.

But the next second, the folding battle axe in front of Kud unfolded instantly.

Before Zamen could leave, he felt a chill on his face.

He subconsciously touched it with his hand and felt a large amount of blood.

Kud held the chopping axe, which was almost as long as he was, in one hand. The tip of the axe was hanging just above Zamen's head, and drops of blood were falling down.

"Do you think I'm negotiating with you? The 'Key of Order' has already unlocked my 'body lock' and 'heart lock'. I can chop off your head right now." Kud said coldly, "So, you only have two choices now. One, your head falls off, two, take me over."

……

Holman's cheek was emerging from the amber little by little.

When half of his body was completely out of the amber, his tightly closed eyes suddenly opened.

Then, like a drowning man floating on the shore, he began to cough violently, with pain, confusion and urgency in his cloudy eyes.

"Cough, cough, cough..." He wanted to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth, his coughing became even more violent.

Yong Xin, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately stepped forward and patted him on the back gently: "Don't worry, Lord Holman, relax."

Holman did not relax. He raised his head suddenly, stared at Yongxin, and asked while coughing, "Now, now, what time is it now..."

"236 years, Your Excellency." Yongxin replied with a smile.