At the peak of Holy Mountain, the Holy Mountain Cathedral Chapel.
This was an astonishing space, emanating a sacred and solemn aura. White and golden halos flowed slowly within the space, like the wings of birds. Pillars over twenty meters tall stretched in rows across the exquisite and luxurious floor, like the spines of giants, supporting the immense arched dome. Above the dome were countless dense golden sculptures and resplendent dome paintings, depicting scenes and figures from mythology, dazzling the eyes. Along the walls at the edge of the dome, giant glass windows over ten meters high arched outwards. Outside the windows was a vast expanse of pure white mist, as if this place was suspended above the clouds.
Between every two walls of the chapel, there was a distance of tens of meters, an incredibly vast and peculiar space in terms of architecture. At the end of this overall rectangular space stood a towering mosaic stained glass wall, shining with dazzling multi-colored light. On the stained glass wall, a giant sun was depicted. Inside the sun was a young man with flowing long hair, a gentle face, hands slightly spread open, and wearing a plain white robe. He looked both gentle and majestic, both mundane and mysterious.
In the mosaic painting, the young man occupied the absolute central position. Below the sun where He stood were three figures: a woman, a warrior, and an old man. The woman was directly below the young man, facing forward, while the warrior and the old man were on either side of the woman, facing left and right respectively.
Before the giant mosaic painting of the Holy Mountain Church, altars for deities were placed, just like in other churches. However, these altars were even more luxurious and solemn, not only huge but also floating in mid-air. Among them, the Altar of the Blazing Sun occupied the most central position. Beside the Altar of the Blazing Sun were the Altar of the Blade, the Altar of the Rice Stalk, and the Altar of Thorns and Chains.
Before the altars was a high-backed chair decorated with Golden ornaments. At this moment, the high-backed chair was empty. In the vast indoor space in front of the high-backed chair, there were no rows of benches for prayer as in other chapels. Instead, there were six high-backed chairs, placed sideways, arranged in two rows of three, facing each other. On these slightly smaller high-backed chairs, figures were seated.
"The above are the reports sent back by Sister Evi Amerigo and Sister Vanya from Buserite. This is also the reason I urgently summoned you all. This unexpected emergency requires us to immediately formulate a countermeasure."
Standing before her seat, Amanda, dressed in a luxurious Cardinal's robe, finished her presentation. She then slowly sat back down, scanning her surroundings and waiting for her colleagues' responses. However, what she received was a period of silence. It seemed that everyone else present was still processing the content Amanda had just spoken.
After this silence lasted for a while, another voice finally spoke directly. It was a mature male voice.
"According to the Cardinal of Salvation... the great sinner who was personally executed by the Holy See four hundred years ago has returned, and has even become the leader of the cultists. This is truly unbelievable... There's nothing wrong with your subordinate's report, is there?" Sitting opposite Amanda, Hilbert, with short golden hair and stroking the chin of his handsome face, responded while thinking, revealing traces of doubt in his words.
Saint Hilbert, the Cardinal presiding over the Court of Holy War among the Seven Saints of the Shining Light Church. The Court of Holy War is the primary military organization of the Shining Light Church, almost solely responsible for overseeing all matters of war against external forces and heretics. Several elite Holy War Knight Orders within the Shining Light Church, as well as countless grassroots Church Army troops and the Church Navy, are almost entirely under the jurisdiction of the Court of Holy War led by Hilbert, making him the commander of the vast majority of the Church's armed forces.
The Court of Holy War controls the Paladin lineage. In local dioceses everywhere, various Church Army and Knight Order military bases and military ports are almost directly subordinate to the Court of Holy War.
"Hmph, the Holy See's sacred flame is unstoppable. No sin can escape the punishment personally bestowed by the Holy See... You're saying Unina Dotina is still alive? Are you questioning the Holy See's authority? Cardinal of Salvation?" After a cold snort, a middle-aged man beside Hilbert, wearing a Cardinal's robe, a crown, with streaked white hair, a square and solemn face, and wearing an eye patch with only one eye slightly open, spoke. His gaze towards Amanda across from him revealed a hint of disdain.
Saint Klama, the Cardinal presiding over the Court of Tribunal among the Seven Saints of the Shining Light Church. The Court of Tribunal is the immensely large and unwieldy internal disciplinary and judicial body of the Shining Light Church, primarily responsible for monitoring the millions of clergy members within the vast Shining Light Church, identifying heretics hidden within Church institutions and rooting out corruption, and also responsible for punishing those who violate Church rules.
The Court of Tribunal possesses the authority to investigate, arrest, interrogate, try, convict, and punish the vast majority of Shining Light Church clergy members. The vast majority of Shining Light Church clergy members are subject to the authority of the Court of Tribunal. As the Cardinal of the Court of Tribunal, Klama's power is even greater. Except for high-ranking clergy members above the Archbishop level, whom Klama cannot directly arrest, try, or convict, other clergy members cannot escape the influence of the Court of Tribunal. Even for those at the Archbishop level, Klama holds absolute investigative authority.
Within the Church, the Court of Tribunal controls the Inquisitor lineage. In local dioceses everywhere, various Inquisitions are directly subordinate to the Court of Tribunal.
"Indeed... it is best not to easily question the divine power judged by the Holy See, Cardinal of Salvation... Your report just now is difficult to accept. There are simply too many unexpected parts... With so many unconventional factors gathered together, it's hard not to doubt its authenticity. Perhaps you should have personally verified and confirmed it before bringing this report before us... If you find it troublesome, I can help you. Even the most trusted subordinate should not be fully believed."
Beside Amanda, an aged voice came at this moment. A withered figure was seen before the seat next to Amanda.
That was an old man. Unlike the other Cardinals present, who were wearing luxurious and solemn robes, this old man was only draped in a coarse linen robe full of patches. He was so thin that he was almost skin and bones, with veins bulging on his exposed arms. He wore a hood, and beneath the hood was a similarly thin and withered face with a few sparse whiskers. His squinting eyes were dull and lifeless. Unlike the other Cardinals, this old man was not sitting on his chair but was kneeling before it, silently bowing his head.
Saint Marco, the Cardinal presiding over the Court of Discipline among the Seven Saints of the Shining Light Church. Like the Court of Tribunal, the Court of Discipline is also a department within the Shining Light Church that focuses internally. It also has some aspects of internal review, but its direction is completely different from the Court of Tribunal.
The Court of Tribunal primarily examines whether clergy members within the Shining Light Church are otherworld, corrupted, or have violated Church rules. The Court of Discipline, on the other hand, primarily examines the situation regarding the virtues and self-cultivation character of Shining Light Church clergy members as advocated by the Shining Light Church, leaning towards moral review rather than legal review. At the same time, the Court of Discipline also evaluates the work results and performance of grassroots and various mid-to-low-level clergy members and clerical officials. Those deemed to have good results and performance by the Court of Discipline can be promoted, while others are demoted. The vast majority of personnel transfers, promotions, and demotions below the Archbishop level within the Shining Light Church are almost entirely under the control of the Court of Discipline.
In addition to personnel appointments and removals, for those clergy members who have improper conduct, impure faith, or have violated Church rules but with minor circumstances, the Court of Discipline also has the authority to punish. The punishments of the Court of Discipline are often various forms of mandatory penance, which, although very uncomfortable, are much better than falling into the hands of the Court of Tribunal.
Within the Church, the Court of Discipline directly controls the Hermit lineage of organizations. In local dioceses everywhere, various enclosed monasteries are their direct subordinate institutions.
"No... Upon receiving the application from the Cardinal of Salvation, earlier on, I had already sent people to North Wu to recover the damaged Coffin Core and ship of the Extinction Sister. I remotely surveyed the battlefield mentioned in the report within Buserite and assessed the damage on the Extinction Sister. That wasn't something ordinary Scarlet Extraordinaries could cause. Furthermore, within the surprisingly wide area of the scene, abnormal Spirituality reactions and traces of Extraordinary influence were found. Combined with the battle process provided by the Cardinal of Salvation in the report, it can be confirmed that Sister Amerigo and Sister Vanya indeed encountered an extremely powerful enemy belonging to the domain of """Cup""" in Buserite... Considering the records in the Court of Scripture in conjunction with the situation at the scene, I believe this report from the Cardinal of Salvation has credibility."
The one speaking at this moment was a figure located diagonally opposite Amanda, beside Klama. That was a tall man. Under his wide Cardinal's robe, he was wrapped in layers and layers of cloth strips. Dense scriptures were written on these cloth strips, completely covering his exposed head and hands, leaving only a pair of eyes visible outside. The voice that emerged from within the cloth strips revealed a subtle sense of pause and rhythm.
Saint Alberto, the Cardinal of the Court of Foundations among the Seven Saints of the Shining Light Church. The Court of Foundations is the department within the Shining Light Church specifically responsible for production, construction, and maintenance. The production of countless weapons and equipment for the Church's Holy War Knight Orders, Church Army, Church Navy, and Inquisitors is basically handled by the Court of Foundations. The ammunition used and various consumables similar to grenades are also basically produced by the Court of Foundations. Various war machines of the Church, such as the construction and maintenance of Church Navy ships, and the construction and maintenance of some Holy Steel Ships, are all within the scope of the Court of Foundations' functions. In addition, the construction and maintenance of churches and ritual sites of various sizes in dioceses everywhere, as well as various temporary ritual sites, are also done by the Court of Foundations.
The Court of Foundations is the guarantee of the Church's industrial capability and logistics, and also the department within the Church with the closest relationship to the White Stone Craftsmen's Guild. There exists a certain contract between the Church and the White Stone Craftsmen's Guild originating from ancient times, and the birth of the Court of Foundations is also a manifestation based on this contract. The Court of Foundations controls the logistics and the Engineer lineage of organizations. Holy Forge factories and ritual building maintenance departments in dioceses everywhere are institutions influenced by the Court of Foundations.
"According to the reports from various intelligence points in North Wu... the cultists in the South Wu region have indeed been quite active recently. Several intelligence points under my command located on the border of the North Wu region have lost contact recently, and several teams of scouts specifically sent to infiltrate South Wu have directly vanished without a trace. This includes Faith, whom the Cardinal of Salvation mentioned... whose identity was impersonated by the sinner. This is a situation that has never happened before, so I can also be certain that the cultists in the south are probably plotting something. I had originally intended to summon you all about this matter, but I didn't expect an even bigger situation to arise on the Cardinal of Salvation's side..."
Before this, the secret transmission I had planted in other tribal cities in Buserite observed astonishing natural anomalies appearing in the central region of Buserite from a long distance, so I immediately rushed to investigate. Through the testimonies of Sister Vanya's relief mission team and the locals gathered in Bastis, it can basically be confirmed that an extremely intense and grand Extraordinary confrontation occurred in the area hundreds of kilometers outside Bastis, with the confrontation level estimated to be above Golden.
At this moment, on Amanda's side, beside Marco, a young woman wearing a wide Cardinal's robe, who looked slightly younger than Amanda, appearing to be in her twenties but with a slightly petite figure compared to ordinary people, spoke. She had a beautiful face, short black hair, and dark green glasses, her expression revealing coldness and seriousness.
Saint Atrielle, the Cardinal of the Bureau of Secrets among the Seven Saints of the Shining Light Church. The Bureau of Secrets is the Church's external intelligence agency, specifically responsible for collecting intelligence on other Extraordinary organizations in the hidden world, investigating clues, and thus predicting events that could harm the Church, allowing for prevention before they occur. At the same time, the Bureau of Secrets is also responsible for monitoring and supervising the Royal Families and political leaders of various countries under the Church's influence, preventing the Royal Families and leadership classes of these countries, which once had their own beliefs and traditions, from breaking Church rules and secretly seeking restoration. It is an important chain used by the Church to control the leadership of various countries.
The Bureau of Secrets has its own secret transmission organization, controlling the various secret intelligence points deployed by the Church throughout the world.
"Cardinal Ji Shi and Cardinal of the Bureau of Secrets are very right. Judging from the anomalies coming from the Placenta cult, the battlefield remnants at the Buserite site, and the testimonies of the mission team members and Bastis locals, the joint reports of Sister Evi and Sister Vanya are substantial and highly credible. I hope the rest of you can have fewer unnecessary doubts and make a decision with us sooner... After all, such a thing is rarely encountered in centuries."
After the other Cardinals present had spoken, Amanda spoke again. Following her statement, the scene fell into a brief silence once more.
Saint Amanda, the Cardinal of the Court of Salvation among the Seven Saints of the Shining Light Church. The Court of Salvation is the Shining Light Church's main institution for carrying out normal missionary work. Various missionary teams are affiliated with the Court of Salvation, and they are the main force for proselytizing and maintaining faith. The Court of Salvation is also responsible for establishing and managing various charitable organizations in the name of the Church, carrying out various charitable activities. After various natural disasters or large-scale Extraordinary disasters affect the mortal world, the Court of Salvation department is also responsible for disaster relief and treating affected mortals and other official Extraordinary, including the Church itself, and also has the responsibility and obligation to prevent and foresee disasters.
The Court of Salvation is the department within the Shining Light Church, the world's largest Extraordinary supranational organization, that has the most extensive and close contact with mortal society and the general public. This is not limited to its missionary work, charity, and disaster relief. It also includes the Court of Salvation managing the Church's various assets in the mortal world, which are vast and unprecedented in scale. Besides the typical massive number of Church schools and hospitals, from finance to industry, from real estate to manufacturing, from resources to products, the Church's assets and investments are everywhere in the prosperous capitalist world of the Main Continent. In many countries, the Shining Light Church is the largest landowner besides the state. These enormous assets, except for hospitals and schools which lean towards public welfare, bring a colossal amount of funds to the Church. These funds are an important guarantee for the Church's continued operation, and these assets in the mortal world are basically controlled by the Court of Salvation, which has the most contact with mortal society.
Missionaries focused on social activities and medical monks and Sisters are the main directly affiliated organizations of the Court of Salvation. Church hospitals and Church schools in various regional Churches are the main influential institutions.
"Is that so... It seems what Sister Vanya and the others encountered is true? The sinner from four hundred years ago is actually reappearing now? Unbelievable, there are actually people in this world who can escape from the Holy See's grasp..." After Amanda finished speaking, Hilbert continued stroking his chin, seemingly saying with some astonishment, while Amanda immediately added.
"This is not me questioning the Holy See's power, Cardinal Saint War. We must know that no matter how powerful the Holy See is, he is ultimately not a god like the Lord. Four hundred years ago, the one who saved the sinner Yunina was the greatest evil god of the 'Cup', the Cup Mother... Under that powerful and evil fallen power, it is possible for the sinner to have survived."
Amanda continued speaking sternly, while Marco on the other side spoke again in a hoarse tone, as if he was about to die.
"Cup Mother... If I remember correctly... She hasn't had any significant activity for several hundred years..."
"Yes, but the Cup Mother's last anomaly was exactly four hundred years ago, during the Turbid Current War. It was the Cup Mother's anomaly that caused the alliance of the Taiyi Three Teachings and that tragic great Saint War. It is also reasonable that the Cup Mother ultimately saved the sinner Yunina during that period of activity. Now, after more than four hundred years, the Cup Mother has appeared anomalous again. This is very likely to herald the next great Saint War, the beginning of the next Turbid Current War."
With a serious expression, Amanda spoke to the people before her. After hearing Amanda's words, the Cardinals present couldn't help but collectively pause. After a brief silence, Klama spoke directly.
"Are you predicting the arrival of the great Saint War? Cardinal of the Court of Salvation, are you being alarmist here in the name of an evil god?"
"I am not being alarmist, nor am I predicting, but rather speculating. Everyone here has witnessed the recent anomalies in the Tayi Sect. From the Prit diocese being forcibly entered by the Wolf Blood Society not long ago, and the reappearance of cooperation between the Order of Rot and the Wolf Blood Society. To the recent investigation revealing the Sea Abyss Church's actions in re-establishing contact with the pirate Edward. All of these are sufficient proof that significant changes have occurred within the Tayi Sect recently, and the Cup Mother's renewed activity is entirely possible."
Amanda looked at Klama and continued speaking slowly, while Klama gave a stern reply.
"Even so, we cannot launch a great Saint War while the Holy See is absent. Only the Holy See has the authority to launch a great Saint War on the scale of the Turbid Current War. Are you trying to commit a great sin by overstepping?"
Klama continued speaking sternly. Listening to his words, Amanda paused for a moment, then continued speaking.
"I have no intention of overstepping to launch a great Saint War, but we must start preparing for the arrival of the great Saint War now. This way, we can prevent sudden attacks from cults. Secondly, we can also directly skip the preparation process after the Holy See returns and march south to attack proactively. What do you think? Cardinal Saint War, Cardinal Ji Shi."
Amanda said this, then glanced at Hilbert and Alberto. Regarding the specifics of the great Saint War, the departments led by these two Cardinals are the core.
Listening to Amanda's words, Hilbert fell silent in thought for a while, then slowly spoke with a solemn expression.
"Cardinal of the Court of Salvation is indeed right. If the condition of the sinner Yunina is confirmed to be true, then there is indeed a need to carry out preparations for a great Saint War now, but... a great Saint War is different from ordinary military actions. It's not as simple as the small skirmishes we are having with the Incarnationist otherworld in Iga now. It is a comprehensive... extremely large-scale form of warfare. Even just preparing for war involves a vast scope, immense scale of operations, and countless expenditures.
"To put it simply, preparing for a great Saint War is something that cannot be completed by the Saint War Court and the Ji Shi Court alone. It requires the full cooperation of all the Cardinals present. And in such a large-scale operation, the Saint War Court must occupy the leading position... I wonder if you all accept this?"
Hilbert said silently, then scanned the people before him, finding that the other Cardinals, including Amanda, were silent for a moment.
Hilbert's words seemed simple, but they subtly implied an exception. The preparation for a great Saint War requires the Saint War Court to lead, the Ji Shi Court to assist, and all other courts to cooperate fully. This means that during the process of preparing for a great Saint War, the Saint War Court's status will be transcendent, and its power will expand. To cooperate with the Saint War Court's preparation work under its leadership, other courts will inevitably have to cede some power in certain matters. This kind of concession is difficult to accept in the increasingly sharp power struggle within the Cardinal Council, so the various Cardinals suddenly fell silent for a moment.
"Cardinal Saint War is right, and a great Saint War is a major event. Even the preparations involved are very extensive. Without the Holy See issuing an order, this kind of decision is not something our two courts can make alone. There has been no precedent for privately undertaking preparations for a great Saint War before. What if the preparations for the great Saint War are not in line with the Holy See's wishes, and he comes back and assigns blame..."
On the other side, Alberto followed Hilbert's words and spoke. A great Saint War means a total war for the Shining Light Church, and preparing for a great Saint War also means total war readiness for the Shining Light Church. This level of major decision-making has never been confidently issued by the Cardinal Council in the absence of the Pope before. Without precedent, no one can guarantee how the Pope will view this action after he returns. Is it handled properly? Or is it an act of usurpation? No one present dared to gamble on the Pope's attitude.
Are they willing to cede power during the preparation process? Do they dare to gamble on the Pope's attitude after he returns? These two questions lingered in the hearts of all the Cardinals present for a moment, and no one said another word.
Looking at the silent scene before her, Amanda finally spoke. After letting out a slight sigh of relief, she spoke directly.
"The Court of Salvation is willing to fully support the Saint War Court and the Ji Shi Court's preparation work..." Amanda's words made the Cardinals present tremble slightly, and then they all turned their gaze towards her. Her words just now basically indicated that she was the first to be willing to cooperate with Hilbert during the preparations for the great Saint War, even at the cost of ceding some power.
"Furthermore, I am the one who proposed preparing for a great Saint War today, and I am the one who exaggerated the threat of the sinner and the evil god to you all. Everyone present merely made a decision based on my intelligence. If the Holy See is not satisfied with this decision after he returns, I am willing to personally confess my sin to the Holy See and bear all major responsibilities."
Amanda said this proactively. After she finished speaking, the gazes present couldn't help but gather on her again. After looking at Amanda, Hilbert spoke directly.
"Cardinal of the Court of Salvation, you need to think this through carefully."
"I have thought it through very clearly. I know what I am doing. I am willing to draft a record for today's meeting in the form of a contract, clarifying the responsibility for this decision, so that the Holy See can review it after he returns." Amanda said silently. She knew that at this moment, to get this group of people to agree with her decision, she had to take the initiative to bear responsibility and be the first to express willingness to cooperate.
As expected, not long after Amanda finished speaking, someone else at the scene spoke up. Atchely, who had been silent until then, said,
"I also support it. The Bureau of Secrets will fully cooperate with the Saint Court in the preparations for the Great Holy War."
Seeing Atchely's stance, Amanda slightly relaxed and nodded silently. At this moment, Marco also spoke in a hoarse voice,
"I see the determination of the Cardinal of Salvation. I also agree to prepare now to prevent future troubles. The Court of Discipline will cooperate as much as possible..."
"Since everyone has said so, I have nothing more to say. The Basic Court will do its best..." Sitting in his chair, Alberto also gave a definite answer after seeing the stances of his colleagues before him.
After Alberto finished responding, all subsequent eyes turned to Klama. Klama's brows furrowed under these gazes, knowing that now was not the time to refuse anything. He then relented and said,
"Alright, alright, we'll gamble with the Cardinal of Salvation here. These war preparations should be useful and in line with the Holy See's wishes. The Court of Tribunal will support it."
Upon seeing the stances of the five Cardinals present, Hilbert couldn't help but curl his lips slightly, then said,
"Since that's the case, the Saint Court will definitely go all out. The saint church hasn't mobilized for war in over four hundred years. This is a massive task, please assist as much as possible..."
After Hilbert finished speaking, the Cardinals discussed some details of the Great Holy War preparations, then concluded this topic and moved on to the next.
"The many unusual movements of the Taiyi Sect this time, and the renewed activity of the Cup Mother are worrying. If I remember correctly, the Wolf Blood Society attempted to seize a secret transmission from Sister Vanya's St. Yong Cathedral last year, even going so far as to dispatch and lose a Fearful Demonic Wolf of the Crimson Tier in battle. Fortunately, Sister Vanya and the Prit officials' efforts managed to preserve that secret transmission."
"That secret transmission has been sent to the Holy Mountain for deciphering for some time now, has there been any progress?" Sitting in her seat, Amanda said directly. Since that secret transmission was worth the Taiyi Sect's disregard for cost and such great effort to seize, its content must be important and special in some way, making the Taiyi Sect willing to take extreme risks to get it back. If the content could be known, it might provide some answers to the mystery of the Cup Mother's renewed activity.
Immediately after Amanda finished speaking, Atchely on the other side responded,
"I went to the Historical Scripture Department not long ago to inquire about this matter, and the response I received was that it has not been fully deciphered yet. This secret transmission, titled 'true crimson mother', is extremely difficult to decipher. It is written in multiple languages including Old Prit, Old Faloro, Old Iweig, Old South Island, Old Empire, etc. These languages are not only difficult to understand but also interwoven and encrypted, hiding the real content with various techniques. It's not something that can be understood just by reading all the languages on it."
"While the 'true crimson mother' is extremely difficult to decipher, it also has a very high Spirit Sight content, which means the Scholars of the Historical Scripture Department, even working in shifts, only make a small amount of progress each day. As of now, the main content has not been deciphered."
"Currently, we only know that the 'true crimson mother' fabricates and records early Holy Mother beliefs, with many bloody methods for Holy Mother worship that are only found in cults. This is an outright corrupt evil scripture," Atchely stated directly. Listening to her words, Amanda's brows furrowed slightly, while Hilbert on the other side continued to ask,
"So, has the source of this evil scripture been found?"
Hilbert asked this way. Since the content of the 'true crimson mother' cannot be fully deciphered for now, then the source should be found, and answers obtained from its origin.
The Taiyi Sect places extreme importance on this secret transmission, 'true crimson mother', while the Church does not pay much attention to it, merely including it in the secret transmission library as an ordinary secret transmission. This is very strange. How did the Prit Church obtain this secret transmission? Clarifying this question might also explain the secret of the secret transmission to some extent.
"Regarding the source of this 'true crimson mother', I had already sent people to Prit to trace its origin. Now we have made some progress," Atchely responded to Hilbert's words, stating slowly and directly.
"According to the investigation in the Tivian Church District, it can be confirmed that this 'true crimson mother' is a result obtained by the Prit Diocese's Historical Scripture Department during its collection of false scriptures in the Tivian Extraordinary market. This is something the Prit Diocese bought and recovered from the Craftsmen's Guild in Tivian," Atchely said. Shining Light Churches in various places collect scattered heretical and false scriptures from their respective Extraordinary markets for identification and archiving. And this 'true crimson mother' is one of the Prit Church's achievements.
"Collected from the Craftsmen's Guild? In other words, other Extraordinary sold the books to the Craftsmen's Guild in Tivian?"
After listening to Atchely's words, Amanda continued to ask curiously, while Atchely nodded in response.
"That's right, according to the Craftsmen's Guild's operating method, that's the case. Due to the Craftsmen's Guild's consistent stance, my people did not directly try to obtain customer information from them, but instead started by looking for the previous owner of the 'true crimson mother' directly from the hidden circles in Tivian. Because for actions like selling Extraordinary items including secret transmissions, the seller generally does not sell directly to the Craftsmen's Guild, but instead tries to sell at a higher price within their own Extraordinary circle. If the sale is unsuccessful, they then choose to sell to the local Craftsmen's Guild at a lower price. Therefore, it is usually easy to find clues in the trading circles of these scattered hidden practitioners."
"We used various methods to investigate in the hidden circles of Tivian for several months, looking for people who had an impression of the 'true crimson mother', but we had no success. At this point, we realized that the goods in the multiple strongholds set up by the Craftsmen's Guild in each country are mobile. Goods collected from smaller places and lower-level strongholds often flow to higher levels. Lower-level strongholds will transport seemingly more valuable Extraordinary items collected locally to higher-level strongholds."
"Therefore, I dispatched more people to Prit, letting them spread out to other counties and cities in the Prit area with White Stone Craftsmen's Guild donation points, to look for clues regarding the 'true crimson mother' in the lower-level hidden circles of these counties and cities. After spending several more months, we finally had some results."
"There are results? Where?" Listening to Atchely's words, Amanda asked curiously, and Atchely immediately replied.
"It's in the southwest of Prit, the capital of Igwin County, Igwinte. When we contacted the hidden circles there, we discovered that within the local hidden practitioner circle, there is a wealthy businessman named Richard Evans. He has been participating in hidden circle practice and Extraordinary activities in Igwinte for many years and is currently trying to become an Apprentice of the 'Cup'."
"According to the information provided by this Richard, he has an impression of our description of the 'true crimson mother'. Three years ago, there was an Extraordinary gathering in Igwinte hosted by someone who called himself 'Gray Hill'. He often attended the gatherings held by Gray Hill, where he bought and sold hidden-related items under the code name'Shepherd Dog'."
"At one gathering, Richard remembered someone with the code name 'Wolf Trace' who displayed an ancient book at the gathering that was almost identical to the description of the 'true crimson mother', claiming it was a secret transmission with mysterious and powerful knowledge, but it required sufficient wisdom to decipher it to obtain the secrets within. Since Richard couldn't understand the ancient book at all, and 'Wolf Trace' was asking a very high price, he didn't buy it. Ultimately, the book fell into the hands of the host of the meeting, 'Gray Hill'."
"Afterwards, we clarified the identity of that 'Gray Hill' by having the Prit hidden police agency, the An Yin Bureau's local branch in Igwinte, assist in the investigation. He is the person in charge of the stronghold dispatched by the Craftsmen's Guild to Igwinte, who seeks valuable hidden-related items by hosting hidden gatherings. The 'true crimson mother' should have been bought by him and then sent to the Craftsmen's Guild in Tivian."
In the Holy Mountain Great Chapel, Atchely, as the Cardinal of the Bureau of Secrets, continued to elaborate on the findings in the small border area of Prit to the other Cardinals, while Amanda, after listening to her previous words, asked directly,
"So, the person with the code name 'Wolf Trace' at the hidden gathering is the former owner of the 'true crimson mother'?"
"That's right. My people continued to review the archives at the Iggwente Secret Agency and investigate the identity of the so-called 'Wolf Trace'. Afterwards, they discovered that his name is Buck Stoller, and he was originally an investor in Igwinte. Later, he joined a small cult society called the 'Red Communion Society', which focused on the 'Cup', and became an Apprentice of the 'Cup'."
"This small society existed in Igwin County for many years, clashing with the local An Yin Bureau several times, and was finally wiped out less than two years ago. This Buck was a high-level member of the Red Communion Society, with a status second only to the leader, a Black Earth beast-shaper named Luer."
"According to the Iggwente Secret Agency, this Luer controlled a well-known local noble in Igwinte by disguising himself as a butler, and single-handedly established the Red Communion Society. Buck was his subordinate and seemed to have given him many hidden items. Considering that Buck's family was not involved in any hidden aspects in the subsequent investigation, the 'true crimson mother' should have been given to Buck by this Luer as a reward. Later, Buck might have sold it because he couldn't understand it. The source of the 'true crimson mother' should be with that Luer."
"So, what is the background of that Luer?" At this moment, Hilbert also asked curiously, and this time Atchely shook her head in response.
"It's not clear at the moment. We only know that the local noble controlled by Luer brought him back after a trip. Other than that, we have no idea about his experiences."
"Then where is that Luer now?"
"He's dead. He died in a series of strange events less than two years ago, dying during his own promotion ritual. And it wasn't done by the local An Yin Bureau."
"Who did it then?"
Hearing this, Atchely paused slightly, then her tone changed as she said,
"A... mysterious organization that calls itself the 'Rose Cross'."