Chapter 24: Enthusiastic Good Citizen 2.0

After Mura handed off his duties to the other Priests, he turned around to see “Claudia” casting frequent glances at the Priests passing by.

He didn’t find Claudia’s behavior suspicious. After all, even High Priest Hume had shown her special concern, personally granting her the Magic Potion for her promotion.

Furthermore, it was only natural for a Priest entering “The Shelter” for the first time to be filled with curiosity. This was, after all, a miracle left behind by the Great Lord of Ravings.

“Mr. Mura, why do I keep hearing the voices of the other Priests?” Luo Wei asked.

“Within the Dream of False Reality, there is no concept of distance, only the focus of one’s consciousness,” Mura explained softly. “Ms. Claudia, if you find the surroundings too noisy, you can try shifting your attention elsewhere.”

“Oh, I see. Understood.”

Luo Wei nodded and immediately began to experiment according to Mura’s instructions.

However, she didn’t try to block out the noise. Quite the opposite—she concentrated her attention specifically on the conversations between the other Priests.

Then, to Luo Wei’s pleasant surprise, she found that their talk became as clear as if they were whispering directly into her ear.

I didn’t expect it to work like this…

Almost all the intelligence being shared manifested clearly within Claudia’s Information Stream, incredibly complete.

“Walk this way, Ms. Claudia.” Mura dutifully led the way, introducing every aspect of The Shelter. “The place we just left was the Cathedral’s Presiding Hall. This area here is the Prayer Room where we petition the Lord of Ravings…”

The Shelter appeared to be a collection of roughly stitched-together cathedrals, seemingly cut from various other churches and piled together. It was a sight of dreamlike absurdity, yet it felt strangely cohesive. Perhaps this was the unique architectural aesthetic of the Dream Sanctum.

Luo Wei’s attention was almost entirely consumed by the Priests’ conversations, etching every scrap of precious intelligence into the Information Stream.

Meanwhile, she kept up a constant stream of nodding, clapping, and impressed exclamations to feign interest. Using generic phrases like “Wow,” “That’s amazing,” and “Can you tell me more? I want to understand everything,” she offered a perfunctory response to Mura’s tour.

When it came to flattering a superior, she had always been quite talented.

Mura watched her, failing to see through the act. Instead, he felt quite satisfied; he had seen plenty of young Priests overwhelmed by the grandeur of The Shelter. Moreover, since he had participated in the construction of The Shelter in the past, Luo Wei’s constant flattery puffed up his pride. He became even more enthusiastic in his explanations, completely unaware that this “junior” was currently acting as a mole.

Naturally, there was no way for him to know.

Unless one reached Sequence 7 “Dream Thief” or possessed a personal statue within the Presiding Hall, it was absolutely impossible to communicate with the outside world. The Shelter was fundamentally designed to prevent the existence of traitors or spies.

Except… “Claudia” was the exception.

Because of Luo Wei’s presence, she was the one “impossible” possibility.

True, a soul cannot send messages outside directly, Luo Wei smiled inwardly. But that doesn’t mean… the body can’t!

Inside the small hut in the Slums, the faint-breathing Claudia shakily opened her eyes. Her wooden gaze lacked any spark of spirit, yet she faithfully received the light from her surroundings, feeding it into the Information Stream.

She began to move. Although her movements were far slower than usual, she could move nonetheless.

The essence of the “Dream” Sequence involved the soul wandering through illusions. Ordinary “sleepwalking” occurred because the soul remained within the physical body. Generally speaking, when the soul projected out to enter The Shelter, the body became incapable of independent action.

But for Luo Wei, she was merely operating a set of Puppet Strings. Whether or not the body possessed a soul made no difference.

However, because of the “Deep Sleep” state, Claudia’s body was in a condition similar to hibernation. All her bodily functions were at about ten percent of their usual capacity.

It’s just writing a report letter; this is enough.

Luo Wei pondered for a moment before manipulating Claudia to walk toward the door.

The site of the “Terror Ritual” nearby had put The Tribunal on high alert, drawing a large number of fully armed Enforcement Guards. Although they hadn’t forcibly driven away the nearby residents, the people of the Slums were already fleeing in a panic. The scene was chaotic.

The reason was simple: the Enforcement Guards looked like they were ready for a full-scale war. Anyone staying behind to watch the show was likely to get themselves killed.

Luo Wei took the opportunity to blend into the fleeing crowd. Whenever she saw a wanted poster along the way, she tore it down, using the quill from the Grimoire of Forbidden Curses to write down the information she had overhead. One by one, she slipped them into nearby report boxes. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to use another pen—she simply didn’t have one.

In this era, pens and ink were luxuries. Since this quill could write without needing ink, she simply used what was available.

And so…

Within The Shelter, Mura looked with satisfaction at his new “fan-girl.” His topics had shifted to his glorious past, such as the time he joined the Divine Envoy in an audience with the Great Lord of Ravings and received a personal blessing.

Luo Wei marveled repeatedly, her face the very picture of adoration. The two of them talked harmoniously, sharing heart-to-heart secrets as if they were lifelong confidants.

Meanwhile, in reality, “Claudia” said nothing. She simply reported, over and over again.

***

Eliana was going insane.

The progress of the assault on “The Assembly” was not going well.

Initially, when they began the attack, the resistance hadn’t been very strong. The “Steam Armor,” Abyssal Sealed Artifact 4-361—ranked 361st in the “Danger Class” of the Abnormal Archives—had easily sliced through The Assembly’s defenses. Cultists who couldn’t escape in time were crushed into meat paste under the weight of the steam-pressurized heavy armor.

It was so easy that Eliana had briefly questioned if she had made the wrong call. Was “The Assembly” just an ordinary cultist gathering spot?

One had to understand that the cost of deploying Steam Armor was extremely high. The pilot required immense willpower to resist the mental pollution inherent to the armor. Even with full protection, there was a fifty percent chance of falling into a state of “Mechanical Ascension” madness, where the pilot would attempt to replace their entire body with mechanical components. Even if they eventually woke up, they could never pilot Steam Armor again.

There weren’t many Enforcement Guards in Kolun County qualified to pilot it; every one that went mad was a permanent loss.

But soon, the disturbances erupting across Kolun County and the constant arrival of reinforcing cult Priests confirmed for Eliana that even if “The Assembly” wasn’t The Shelter itself, it was an incredibly important location.

Eliana made a split-second decision to intensify the attack.

However, just then, an urgent report arrived from the rear that nearly drove Eliana to the brink.

“We have received thirty-seven report letters similar to the previous ones! A total of forty-three civil officials and Enforcement Guards have fallen into madness… Wait, it’s forty-one letters now, and fifty-two victims… Wait again, Tribunal No. 6 just received another one…”

Eliana felt like she was about to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Are you serious, man?

Oh Great Omniscient Being, do you absolutely have to report people at a critical time like this? And you’re doing it this many times in a row?!

“Inquisitor, what should we do?” Sorensen asked beside her, looking troubled.

“What else can we do?” Eliana gritted her teeth. “Keep the pressure on here! I’m going back to check on the situation!”