Chapter 40: Prophecy

Several High Priests looked upon the still-agitated Hume with eyes full of pity, while the other priests watched “Claudia” with blatant schadenfreude.

So, you like kissing up, do you? Well, it looks like your sycophancy has finally backfired!

Mura patted “Claudia” on the shoulder and sighed softly. “Little sister Claudia, I didn’t expect you to be willing to go this far for your teacher…”

“Eh?”

Luo Wei blinked, then immediately puffed out her chest, declaring with righteous indignation, “The Divine Envoy’s cruel punishment of Teacher Hume pierces my heart like a blade! Let alone sharing half of it—even if I had to bear the entire punishment myself, as his student, I would not hesitate!”

Luo Wei’s high-minded words caused the other priests, who were eavesdropping with perked ears, to nearly lose their balance in shock.

Who the hell is talking about punishment?

It was just house arrest! They weren’t even confined to the “Shelter’s” lockdown zone; it wasn’t even as bad as a stint in jail!

A flicker of strangeness passed over Mura’s face. He coughed twice and said, “It’s certainly not the house arrest I’m talking about. I’m referring to… the ‘Crimson Troupe.'”

“Is there a problem with that?” Luo Wei asked.

In her eyes, they were all just cult organizations. The Dream Sanctum wasn’t exactly a charity either.

“The problem is quite significant…”

Mura looked troubled. He had intended to explain the danger of the “Crimson Troupe” to “Claudia” so she might give up on the mission. After all, the girl was a newcomer, a student under Hume—an old pedant who focused solely on the Lord of Ravings. It was normal for her to be ignorant of other divine sects.

However, the High Priest beside him, Ayne, immediately interrupted Mura. He looked at “Claudia” and said with a beaming smile, “Claudia, was it? I’ve memorized that name. This mission… is of the utmost importance to the Dream Sanctum. Do not disappoint the Divine Envoy.”

“It is rare to see the Divine Envoy praise one of our brothers or sisters,” Lucius added, looking at “Claudia” with a similarly ambiguous smile. “If you fail his expectations, I’m afraid…”

Lucius didn’t finish his sentence, offering only a smile pregnant with meaning.

These two old foxes among the High Priests had no intention of letting Mura pull “Claudia” out of this muddy water. Doing so was also for their own benefit.

Collaborating with the “Crimson Troupe” was a task none of the High Priests wanted to touch, and even the Low Priests avoided it like the plague. By binding “Claudia” to this sinking ship, they could prevent other priests—specifically their own subordinates—from being dragged into it.

One had to remember that Hume’s subordinates had mostly perished in the previous battle. After all, they had been the ones fighting to rescue their superior, putting everything on the line. Yet, the result was that after sacrificing so much to save Hume, they watched him turn around and give the most precious reward to “Claudia,” who hadn’t contributed a thing.

Consequently, Claudia had attracted a fair amount of resentment, and the remaining priests were becoming alienated. At this moment, only by pushing Claudia into this “mountain of blades and sea of fire” could the public’s rage be quelled.

Wherever there are people, there are politics. Even in the Dream Sanctum, dedicated to connecting to a single Eternal Dream, the members needed to huddle together for warmth, fighting for resources and self-interest before they ever reached the dream’s distant shore.

Mura knew exactly what the two High Priests were up to, but since the words had already been spoken, he could only sigh. He patted “Claudia” on the shoulder and said, “Whatever happens, little sister Claudia, you… must be extremely careful.”

“Understood…”

Luo Wei merely nodded with a dazed expression, appearing as if she didn’t understand the gravity of the situation.

In reality, even if Luo Wei had known nothing beforehand, she could guess what kind of trash the “Crimson Troupe” was just by looking at the priests’ reactions. The reason she was distracted now was that she was currently manipulating the “Claudia” in reality to cast the Hand of God.

With a flick of her finger, it was time to report!

The last time she went downtown, Luo Wei had conveniently bought a new fountain pen and a bottle of ink. She couldn’t keep using the quill from the Grimoire of Forbidden Curses forever; after all, anything stored with that book likely carried some bizarre price, and the writing feel was much worse than a fountain pen.

At that moment, after Hume had piously performed a full prayer ritual toward the statue of the Lord of Ravings, he turned to look at “Claudia” with a kind expression.

“Come, Claudia. During these days of house arrest… I shall properly teach you the knowledge of Our Lord.”

If anyone else had said those words, they might have sounded suggestive, but coming from Old Man Hume… he really just wanted to teach! Those words also meant he had truly accepted “Claudia” as his student.

Under the jealous gazes of the other priests, a seemingly oblivious “Claudia” followed Hume toward the library.

Their jealousy wasn’t without merit. Despite Hume’s low emotional intelligence, the fact that he could remain a High Priest wasn’t based on fanatical faith alone. Among the three High Priests, Hume understood the “Dream” Sequence Pathway most deeply. The reason priests followed him was largely in hopes of receiving his full inheritance of knowledge.

Yet now, a Claudia who had appeared out of nowhere had plucked the fruit they had long desired… The priests’ moods could be easily imagined.

***

Meanwhile, at the Supreme Tribunal.

A civil servant tremblingly carried a Holy Flame candlestick and a folded wanted poster. Escorted by two Enforcement Guards, he cautiously entered the Inquisitor’s office.

Eliana was currently resting with her eyes closed. Her pale face betrayed a hint of weakness, and there was a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth that hadn’t been wiped away; it seemed she had coughed recently. When possessing extraordinary power, Transcendentals often had to endure illnesses unlike those of ordinary people, and Eliana was no exception.

After placing the candlestick and the wanted poster on Eliana’s walnut desk, the official let out a sigh of relief. “Lord Inquisitor, this is a ‘Prophecy’ delivered to the Sixth Tribunal twenty minutes ago.”

Currently, the Enforcement Guards of Kolun County referred to these tip-off letters written on the back of wanted posters as “Prophecies.” Their effectiveness was, indeed, nearly identical to a real prophecy.

“Understood.”

Eliana opened her eyes, her deep pupils seemingly flecked with starlight. After the official left, she opened the wanted poster and waved her hand to extinguish the Holy Flame. She was surprised to find… that she did not fall into the madness resembling “drowning.”

“Hmm?”

Could it be a fake letter? No…

The familiar handwriting, the valuable content, and that final sentence… all of it confirmed without a doubt that this was a “Prophecy.”

“In five days, the ‘Crimson Troupe’ and ‘Dream Sanctum’ will reach a dangerous cooperation; objective unknown.”

“Remember to send the money. — The Omniscient Being.”

Eliana dared not be careless. She first instructed her subordinates to transfer one thousand Krone to the bearer account before she began to carefully scrutinize the “Prophecy.”

“Why is there no drowning symptom?”

She studied it for a while, trying some common occult techniques, but could get no further results from the “Prophecy.” Perplexed, Eliana could only sigh and murmur to herself.

“Forget it. I’ll just take it to Hai… hmm?”

“Wait, Hai-what was his name again?”