Luo Wei had no idea that shortly after she departed from the Royal Bank of York, thirty thousand Krone had been wired directly into that bearer account—a sum significantly higher than even her own most optimistic estimates.
At this moment, she was multitasking across two fronts. On one side, she was strolling with Clecia through the street corners of downtown, enjoying a rare moment of sisterly bonding.
On the other, her soul had already submerged into the Resonance Lullaby, stepping once again into the Shelter.
The crushing defeat the Dream Sanctum had suffered just a few days ago was still fresh in everyone’s minds; the cult’s vital energy had been severely depleted. To rescue Hume from the enemy’s clutches, an untold number of hidden outposts had been exposed and subsequently rooted out by the Enforcement Guards in one fell swoop.
As a result, most of the Priests were now occupied with rebuilding their strongholds amidst wave after wave of sweeps by the Enforcement Guards. The entirety of the Shelter felt cold and deserted.
Fortunately, Brother Mura—the man Luo Wei had enjoyed a pleasant conversation with last time—was still within the Shelter. His duty was to guard the Prayer Hall, standing by at all times to receive the oracles of the Lord of Ravings.
Had it not been for the desperate mission to save Hume, Mura would never have easily left the Shelter. In a given year, the number of times he woke up in the physical world could be counted on one hand.
Regrettably, Mura hadn’t been of much help during that operation.
Not long after he had awakened, an enforcement squad had appeared as if possessed by foresight, moving in directly to apprehend him. This squad was armed with firearms etched with Holy Incantations and equipped with Demon-Hunting Bullets—the fruits of Chief Executive Best’s hard-won decision to slash a third of the quarterly budget to procure equipment specifically designed for hunting Transcendentalists.
Mura hadn’t dared to face them head-on and could only flee as fast as possible, sustaining several injuries in the process. By the time old Hume had already escaped back to the Shelter, Mura was still outside, leading the Enforcement Guards on a wild goose chase…
“Lord Mura.”
The moment Luo Wei appeared, she respectfully performed a prayer salutation toward Mura, who was kneeling before the preaching platform.
Hearing the familiar voice, Mura turned his head. A look of joy surfaced on his face.
“So it is you, Ms. Claudia.”
Their last conversation had been cut short before they could truly enjoy it, as he had been summoned to assist in Hume’s rescue. Upon seeing “Claudia,” Mura seemed exceptionally delighted, pulling her aside to resume their previous topic.
However, Luo Wei hadn’t come here to shoot the breeze today. After a few brief pleasantries and a joint session of cursing the Enforcement Guards—a moment where Luo Wei felt a rare spark of genuine sincerity—she got straight to the point.
She was here to borrow money.
Hearing that his little admirer was tight on cash, Mura waved his hand dismissively and directly handed over two hundred Krone to Luo Wei.
Luo Wei was moved to the point of absolute chaos internally. When the time comes to wipe out the Dream Sanctum’s entire nest, she thought, I’ll definitely make sure to leave Brother Mura an intact corpse.
Not only that, but Mura even began teaching Luo Wei how to make money, explaining how she could utilize the Dream Sanctum to amass wealth. As a Sequence 8 Priest, Claudia already possessed the ability to establish an independent outpost and display “miracles” to gather followers, no longer needing to rely on other Priests.
By using Transcendental abilities and rituals of the Lord of Ravings to grant false hope to the dull-witted masses of the lower class, she could do more than just make them willingly bankrupt themselves for the cause; she could also use them to shoulder the “price” of the rituals. It was, quite literally, killing two birds with one stone.
After listening to Mura’s “selfless” lecture, Luo Wei silently erased her previous thought about leaving his body intact.
Compared to the Enforcement Guards who simply withheld her pay, the Dream Sanctum—which specifically targeted the poor to crack their bones and suck their marrow—was far more detestable. Even the two hundred Krone currently in her hand was likely the accumulated savings of several Lower District families over many years.
I’ll take a little bit to treat Clecia to a meal, and the rest… I’ll give it all away, Luo Wei sighed inwardly. She found it difficult to convince herself to spend this tainted, sinful money with a clear conscience.
Once Claudia’s soul left the Shelter and returned to her body, a coin purse containing two hundred Krone appeared in her hand. However, before Luo Wei could even take it out to show Clecia, a short, small figure suddenly slammed straight into her.
“Sorry.”
The person mumbled the single word and then hurried off, merging into the flowing crowds of the busy street. Immediately, Luo Wei realized Claudia’s hand was empty.
“A pickpocket!”
Luo Wei’s eyes widened in disbelief. Having lived in a modern society, she couldn’t remember the last time she had encountered such a thing; consequently, her guard had been non-existent. In this era, however, pickpockets were rampant.
Even if one walked down the street with a leather bag on their back, it was possible for someone to silently slice open the leather and steal the contents without the owner ever knowing.
But there was no need to worry. This pathetic pickpocket had clearly chosen the wrong target. A Sequence 8 Transcendentalist was not a suitable victim for theft.
In a mere instant, the Chrysalis Curtain spread soundlessly. The pickpocket, who was currently gloating over the stolen coin purse, suddenly noticed a bizarre shadow loom over his head. He looked up instinctively, only to see a flowerpot filled with soil falling from the sky.
With a loud crash of shattering ceramics, the pickpocket was knocked unconscious, instantly causing a stir among the crowd. Amidst the chaos, Luo Wei pulled Clecia along as she walked over, casually retrieving her coin purse. She then deliberately kicked the rest of the pickpocket’s stolen loot, scattering it across the ground.
Very quickly, people began to recognize their own belongings among the scattered goods, triggering a scramble of opportunistic looting in the heart of downtown.
Having accomplished her goal, Luo Wei was quite satisfied. She turned to speak to Clecia, only to see that the girl’s face had somehow grown several shades paler. Large beads of sweat were sliding down her forehead, and even her lips had lost their color.
“Cleo, what’s wrong?” Luo Wei asked hurriedly. “Are you feeling unwell again? Do we need to go back to the Sanatorium to rest?”
She was genuinely nervous. I can’t have broken someone’s sister just by taking her out for a walk… Furthermore, Luo Wei had actually grown quite fond of this younger sister.
“No, it’s fine…” Clecia shook her head. She looked up at her “sister” and forced a relaxed smile, though her tone couldn’t hide her extreme weakness. “It’s just… a little bit of pain. It happens all the time; I’m used to it. It’s not serious…”
Luo Wei frowned. She couldn’t get a clear read on Clecia’s current condition. …What a pity I don’t have an Information Stream.
Of course, Luo Wei wouldn’t dare hold a “study session” for Clecia. She didn’t even dare let the girl have the slightest contact with the Grimoire of Forbidden Curses. For someone so weak and merely a normal human, never mind chanting the incantations within, even a single glance at the book would likely result in her head exploding.
“Let’s walk a bit further, Sister.”
Clecia looked directly at Luo Wei, her previous inexplicable reservations now vanished. She reached out and gently stroked Claudia’s cheek, her clear eyes filled with an intense attachment to her sister. “I… I want to stay with you a while longer. If I fall asleep, I won’t be able to see you again.”
What is the release date for chapters.