Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 138: Oracle Sacrifice

[A quest suddenly popped up. How about you?] The first thing Nol did after confirming the quest was nudge Teest beside him.

[Same.] Teest quickly shared the mission details with Nol telepathically.

Teest also received “The Demons’ Conspiracy” quest, but there was a decisive difference between his and Nol’s quests. In the “Rejection/Failure Penalty” section, Teest’s quest stated “None”.

Yet, Teest clearly had [King of Eternal Sleep] that was a transcendence of the law.

Both were skills that transcended the law, so why was Teest’s so special?

[Hmm…] Upon learning of the difference, Teest twirled a lock of hair and pondered for a moment. [When I first acquired this skill, the system indicated, ‘Skill exceeds system management authority’. It seems it can’t freeze my skills, only play dumb.]

[Besides, even if I don’t have a penalty, we would act together anyway. It just needs to keep you in check. What a cunning guy.] As he said this, Teest pressed his cheeks against Nol’s shoulder, his movements so natural it was startling.

It was without pretense or shyness, as if he truly was a teenage girl. No wonder Eugene couldn’t see anything amiss.

Nol had already disregarded Mr. Eugene in the distance, focusing instead on the issue of the skills—

Theoretically, as the creator of this world, his system permissions should be absolutely higher than Teest’s. Yet, his two skills could be controlled by the system.

This clearly didn’t make sense.

Could it be because Teest merged with the previous Demon King’s magic circuit, or…

Noticing Nol’s lack of response, Teest moved even closer. [Still thinking about the difference in the quests?]

[The requirements for our quest have always been consistent. This concerns both of us.] Nol frowned. [The system’s stance has always been ambiguous. I can’t ignore obvious issues.]

Teest hugged Nol’s arm, quietly looking at him for a while. [You really don’t have the consciousness of a Creator.]

[Hm?]

[Maybe it’s very simple.]

In the golden morning light, Teest’s golden eyes were covered by the shadows. [I received the legacy of the Demon King, a relic of the old world. It’s normal that the system can’t control it.]

[And since you possess the system itself, since it’s all your own power, of course, they can influence each other.]

[Maybe you should be more curious about another question—]

Teest’s face drew close, his lips lightly pressing against Nol’s shoulder. His actions were gentle and harmless, but his thoughts carried a hint of bloodthirst.

[—Why doesn’t the system have ‘absolute obedience’?]

……

Nol left the matter of Eugene to his godfather to handle. He rushed back inside first to contact Fischer.

As it turned out, Fischer was perfectly fine—early in the morning, he had contacted four Eternalists, heading towards Ice Rock City ahead of them. He was currently drinking on a carriage, oblivious to any anomalies.

Despite expectations, Nol still breathed a sigh of relief.

They all knew, from the start, there was no “Sister Fischer”. As long as they reunited with Fischer according to plan, “The Demons’ Conspiracy” would meet the basic condition.

Rounding up, the system essentially stuffed a bunch of experience points into their hands.

But was it really that simple?

Nol turned his head, looking at Teest, who was mixing minced meat into his sheep’s milk porridge.

Teest was right; the system isn’t entirely under the control of him, its creator. The help it provided has always been very covert, perfectly in line with the logic of Tahe’s quests, with no use of golden fingers to leapfrog through levels.

The more dangerous the quest, the higher the reward, and vice versa.

At the moment, they were on the path to uncovering the truth. They could accumulate experience points easily; the system had no need to stuff such an easy quest. Unless… This was a hint.

It was subtly hinting that the “secret operations of the Eternal Church” had a higher priority than the “journey to the dragon’s lair”.

Understanding this, the rest was simple—they didn’t have time to dawdle with Eugene; they needed to leave White Salt Village and head to Ice Rock City as soon as possible.

“Teest.”

“Hm?”

“We have to do something bad.”

Nol pinched his brow, his gaze sweeping outside—Eugene was talking seriously with Knight Saint Bernard. “To perfectly complete the mission, I need to make use of Mr. Eugene.”

Teest sipped his spoon, his smile growing sly.

“What a coincidence, honey. I was thinking the same.”

The Mad Monk said lightly, “To investigate the secrets of the Eternal Church, there’s no better tool than an Investigation Knight. Once it’s over, we can give him a little…”

“…Compensation,” Nol said.

“…Lesson*,” Teest said.

*Color to see (颜色看看) Colloquial phrase referring to teaching someone a lesson.

They silently looked at each other.

A few seconds later, Teest averted his gaze, pretending he hadn’t said anything. He calmly swallowed a spoonful of porridge, then was scalded, puffing in response.

Nol formed a small ball of cold water on his fingertip, pressing it against Teest’s lips. Mr. Teest swallowed the water ball in one gulp, his tongue lightly sweeping Nol’s fingertips.

Nol: “Anyway, let’s leave Eugene to Painter. Painter seems to understand him well and knows how to deal with him. This is the most…”

“…Brilliant torment,” Teest said.

“…Friendly plan,” Nol said.

They looked at each other silently again.

Nol expressionlessly moved the porridge bowl closer, taking a spoonful for himself.

Hmm, not too hot.

High Priest Fischer was incredibly efficient.

As the sun rose, everyone was running through the snow, searching for Sister Fischer. By sunset, they began loading goat cheese and sausages onto the carriage.

The Caucasian merchant happily watched his goods sell out, his tongue puffing white steam.

“Thank you for your help.” Eugene gave it a solemn bow.

“No need for that.” The Caucasian dog-headed beastman waved his hand, his brown-black face full of restraint. “The missing one is a guest of Sheepskin Ball Village. Helping a guest is the right thing to do!”

When Nol contacted Fischer, Teest also gave instructions on the side, asking him to leave some clues—preferably ones that only non-human races could find, so it wouldn’t be too conspicuous. Consequently, Fischer instructed the Eternalists to leave some scents behind, and with the help of the Caucasia, the two dog-headed beastmen soon discovered these subtle scents.

“The scents of four strangers, including Sister Fischer’s scent. That’s what Caucasian Polo and I believe,” Knight Saint Bernard assured solemnly. “I also smelled Siter Fischer’s tears and blood; they headed north.”

‘As expected of a High Priest, to cry on command,’ Nol thought.

North was exactly the direction of Ice Rock City. The nearest towns were one to the west and one far to the east, leaving only one destination for them.

“The movements of the Demons in the Realm of Shiva are suspicious,” Eugene murmured softly as he petted the Caucasian merchant’s head.

“Attacking a group has no benefits for them… Invading the border… Dispersing the knights… Abducting a nun…” His brow furrowed more deeply, while the Caucasian seemed about to melt under his touch.

“Could it be related to the Temple?” Painter coughed significantly. “I’ve heard from the merchants that the Temple suddenly increased patrol controls. Those Demons might have been provoked.”

Eugene’s petting paused abruptly.

“Thank you for the reminder.” His lips pursed, a layer of worry appearing on his face. “Those people taking Sister Fischer might indeed be for an Oracle Sacrifice.”

“Oracle sacrifice?” Sister Noli looked up with a face full of genuine confusion.

Eugene sighed deeply, explaining softly, “Those cultists hold evil human sacrifices to call back the oracles of their evil God.”

“As far as I know, they cross the Cold Sea Strait, proceeding through the Kingdom of Alka on the east. Most of the sacrifices are held in Alka.”

“Recently, Investigation Knights have been active in Alka’s territory. I guess they temporarily took a detour through the Realm of Shiva… This would necessarily mean abandoning some of the sacrifices, so they temporarily abducted Sister Fischer. Otherwise, according to the cultists’ behavior, they would only torture her to death and then display her in a prominent place.”

“If it’s a ceremony that’s not fixed in time, why didn’t they just postpone it and avoid the temple? Why take such a risk?” Sister Teesti asked nasally.

“I think they also have something urgent they need to know,” Eugene said with a hint of disdain in his voice.

‘It seems the Eternal Church is also very curious about the new mainline quest “Demon King’s Subjugation”,’ Mr. Demon King thought to himself. ‘In this case, things related to “Sister Fischer” and “the secret operations of the Eternal Church” are likely to be—‘

“Do you know the location of the ‘Oracle Sacrifice’?” Sister Noli asked again, her face full of guileless hope.

“The location of the ‘Oracle Sacrifice’ has always been a mystery, and that’s exactly what I wanted to discuss.” Eugene showed a reassuring smile. “If possible, please hand over this missing person case entirely to the Investigation Knights. This is not an investigation you can handle.”

“I will escort you to Ice Rock City and then arrange for our people to take care of you. As for Sister Fischer’s case…”

“I cannot accept that,” Painter interrupted directly. “Once I’ve made a decision, that child is my responsibility. To give up because of a little difficulty and hand her fate over to others, then I have no face to be an elder, and the Goddess would not permit such cowardly behavior.”

Eugene looked at Paint for a long while.

“You need to think about the other children.” His tone was a bit stiff. “I warned you before you came here—now you see. Being overly stubborn often does not yield good results. Are you still going to insist this time?”

“My children are stronger than you think.” Painter stood his ground. “Compared to the conspicuous Investigation Knights, some investigations can only be done by us. Please let us assist you. The Goddess has brought us together here for a reason…”

Nol was fascinated, almost ready to take out a notebook to jot down lines for acting practice. Teest snorted disdainfully, muttering to himself about “the big charlatan playing the little charlatan.”

After several exchanges, Knight Eugene fell silent.

“Your devotion is admirable.” In the end, Eugene squeezed this out somewhat uncomfortably. “Let us proceed together then and see what guidance the Goddess will give us.”

Painter straightened his back and gave Nol and Teest a victorious wink.

The religious debate ended, and the sky had completely darkened. Inside the carriage, Knight Saint Bernard was already asleep next to a pile of cheese, drooling a little puddle. Outside the carriage, the Caucasian merchant rubbed his eyes and let out a huge yawn.

“Make sure you come back safe!” As the carriage wheels began to turn, he shook his head and tail even more vigorously. “Have a nice trip, guests of Sheepskin Ball Village! Goodbye, goodbye!”

He ran alongside the carriage for a short distance before reluctantly disappearing into the darkness.

The carriage cut through the wind and snow, heading in the direction of Ice Rock City.

On the system’s assistive map, the geographical marker representing “Dragon’s Lair” slowly extinguished, while the mission marker for “The Demon’s Conspiracy” slowly lit up.

It quietly hovered above the line of small text for “Ice Rock City”.

……

Ice Rock City, the Holy Land of the Eternal Church.

High Priest Fischer Reginald returned to his usual attire.

He wore a wide black robe adorned with ancient silver embroidery and donned a faceless mask.

This metal-cast mask radiated a peculiar flesh-like tackiness. Besides the small holes for breathing, it bore a bizarre pattern resembling flattened insect entrails.

Fischer skillfully secured the mask and picked up the High Priest’s scepter, adorned with intricate carvings.

Throughout, he never glanced at the statue of the Eternal Son within the room.

“I request an audience with the Pope,” he said towards the door. “I have found the Chosen One.”

No one knew how old the Eternal Church’s Pope was—before the infamous defector Pope Godfrey Painter took his position, the Pope of the Eternal Church was the same person. To this day, as the Temple of Life selects its next Pope, the Eternal Church’s Pope remains unchanged.

Certainly, the “Age Reversal” Blood Potion played a significant role. As a human, the old Pope shouldn’t have such a lifespan.

His caution matched his age; he usually only met with his close attendants and two High Priests. Anyone else wanting to contact him had to do so in writing.

Everyone knew that in the Eternal Church, which chooses zealots from among zealots, the top High Priests could never be traitors.

…Unfortunately, this truth had been broken.

Behind the mask, Fischer lowered his gaze. He respectfully bowed his head, watching the blood-red floor that could reflect one’s image. He knew that beyond the protective magic of the steps in front of him, the mysterious Pope sat.

Even if he raised his head, he would see nothing.

“My Lord, I have found the whereabouts of the Chosen One.” Fischer maintained his usual reverence. “I was in seclusion in the Black Forest, worshiping God, when God bestowed upon me the truth.”

“Oh?” The old Pope’s voice was hoarse and ethereal, indiscernible in age or distance, as if pressing in from all directions of the hall.

Fischer licked his lips, delivering the carefully planned excuse.

“The person indicated by the oracle is the ‘Mad Monk’ who has been active recently. He survived the Grape Collar’s fire incident and began hunting our church’s high-ranking officials.”

“At present, the ‘Mad Monk’, under the guise of a Supplement Demon, nominally submitted to Paradise. I suspect this is just a way to satisfy his curiosity; given this man’s past behavior, he couldn’t possibly submit to anyone… except God.”

Partially revealing the truth was Teest’s clear instruction.

The Eternal Church had existed for so many years, and this old Pope wasn’t naive. Regarding the Mad Monk’s situation, no one knew how much he understood.

If Fischer arbitrarily chose someone to fulfill the “Chosen” mission, he might lose his current position. It was better to provide a small portion of the truth directly.

The Mad Monk was in Paradise, which both parties definitely knew. Paradise had issued a server-wide announcement, and the Temple had been searching extensively for the team of heroes.

At this juncture, as long as the old Pope had a bit of sense, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to fall out with Paradise over a Chosen One.

“Indeed, worthy of being a witness of God.” As expected, the old Pope responded calmly. “It doesn’t matter. Let him be. What belongs to God will return to God eventually. There is no rush at the moment.”

Fischer’s heart tightened.

The old Pope didn’t even ask how he had come to his conclusion, which meant the old man must have already had an idea. If Fischer had actually lied, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

“May everything be eternal.” Fischer tried to infuse emotion into his voice.

“More important than that Chosen One—have you had any contact with ‘Hero Drake’?”

‘Oh, more than just contact,’ Fischer thought to himself without changing his expression. He had even supported that gentleman’s venture into cross-dressing. That gentleman was always sticking close to the “God of Darkness and Destruction”, looking like two dubious blobs of syrup.

“God hasn’t yet given me guidance.” Though he thought it, Fischer diplomatically fibbed.

“That man defeated the Demon King.” The old Pope said slowly, “This glory belongs to Lord Anstis, and I have decided to hold an ‘Oracle Sacrifice’.”

Well, He was also there at that time too.

Fischer widened his eyes, pretending to hear it for the first time. “Defeat the Demon King with His own strength?”

The old Pope chuckled twice. “The ancient Demon King was nothing but dregs, so there’s no reason to be surprised. We must confirm his allegiance early, not allowing the Temple of Life to steal the glory again.”

“Yes.” Fischer frowned. This was about questioning “Drake’s” Chosen status.

Fischer wasn’t interested in the Oracle Sacrifice. At most, he would be an attendee, arranging the sacrifice-related matters. Over the years, only the Pope himself had the privilege to bring back the oracle.

But the old man’s words were a bit strange, as if he knew “Drake” would definitely belong to the Eternal Church. Surely Anstis couldn’t have given him a heads-up?

“My child, your heart is still confused,” the Pope continued leisurely.

“Glory to the Eternal,” Fischer answered cautiously. “I am just…”

“You just doubt why I am so certain.”

The old Pope’s voice echoed under the dome, so ethereal that it no longer sounded human. “If one day God favors you, you will naturally understand.”

“Yes!” Fischer didn’t wish to continue the topic.

The old Pope had outlived two High Priests, so he didn’t want to jinx himself.

Where could his God be now?

With the Chosen One’s mission handed in, he could get some time off. With the old bag going out, as one of the highest leaders here, he could better assist his God…

“For the glory of our God.”

The old Pope’s voice brought the distracted Fischer back. “This time, for the ‘Oracle Sacrifice’, I designate you to assist in its execution, Witness of God.”

Fischer: “……”

Beneath his robe, he decisively gave the old bag the middle finger.

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The author has something to say:

Fischer: I’ve found a new job. I’m already a salted fish*. I don’t want to work overtime.jpg

*Metaphor referring to someone who wants to be lazy and has no great ambitions.

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