Chapter 198: Lin Qi’s Assistance

Elham fell, Tolin fell, the brothers Yan and An fell, Ya and Ling ignited the Divine Flame to purify themselves, and they also fell.

The simultaneous fall of six Divine Descendants in the Imperial Capital of the Gaul Empire shook the entire Western Continent. If other high-ranking church members were assassinated, there might have been ways to cover up the news. However, the soaring golden light when Divine Descendants fell could not be concealed. Within just one day, almost everyone on the Continent knew about it.

The Church’s special delegation rushed over like bulls that had been kicked. The Imperial Emperor, who had been avoiding the cold in the south and originally planned to return to the Imperial Capital in seven days, hurried back urgently.

That night, Ye Jiu and his group of Knights of the Night, who had been serving Elham and the others, were formally detained by the Church’s Penitentiary. Their powers were sealed, and they awaited the Church’s internal investigation and handling.

The only thing that gave the Church a headache was that Elham and the others had been secretive. They hadn’t even reported to the Radiant Cathedral when they entered the Imperial Capital. Who they had encountered and what had happened to them beforehand were all mysteries. With the fall of all six, the Church didn’t even know where to start looking for suspects.

Lartus, Marrs, Tixiang, and others were placed under 24-hour surveillance by the Church. No matter what they did, even when they went to the washroom for personal hygiene, Church clergy would closely accompany them.

Church clergy, the Imperial Capital’s Dragoons and Copper Helmets, along with the Emperor’s personal court spies, filled the streets and alleys of the Imperial Capital like rats in a sewer, sneaking around to gather information from all sides.

Because of the deaths of the six Divine Descendants, even the incident where the owner of the Hunchback’s Shop, The Hunchback, and his entire family were killed went unnoticed. It was merely the death of a commoner family—why would the big shots in the Imperial Capital bother with such a trivial matter?

Now, the most uncomfortable were the young Nobles who had attended the party at Tixiang’s club that night. They were repeatedly questioned by their elders, their clan members, Empire officials, and Church clergy about what had happened that evening. In the end, even how much wine those young Nobles had drunk and how many romantic affairs they had engaged in that night were thoroughly investigated.

Poor young Nobles—their privacy vanished, and everything about them was exposed to the world.

During these days, aside from discussing the fall of the six Divine Descendants, people in the Imperial Capital also eagerly spread the romantic affairs of those young Nobles that night. Because of these rumors, more than a dozen engagement agreements among the major Nobles in the Imperial Capital were canceled, while dozens of new ones were formed. In short, everything became chaotic and out of control.

But Lin Qi miraculously remained completely unaffected.

No one thought Lin Qi had the ability to harm the six Divine Descendants. He was merely a newly recruited helper for Tixiang, a minor figure with a small background. He had no reason to cause trouble for Elham and the others. So, during the initial investigation frenzy, Lin Qi wasn’t disturbed at all.

To protect themselves, Lartus, Marrs, Tixiang, and others intentionally or unintentionally directed suspicion toward the Alien Races from the Five Great Archipelagos and the Odin Ice Plain. Even more perfect was that, just after Lartus and Tixiang suggested the Alien Races might be responsible, several great Shamans from the Odin Temple suddenly appeared, eagerly and impatiently claiming they had killed the six Divine Descendants!

Things became clear and straightforward—this was a counterattack by the Odin Temple against the Church! Of course, some details were worth discussing, but since the culprits had stepped forward to confess to the crime, what more could the Church say?

Whether it was organizing a crusade army to attack the Five Great Archipelagos or having high-ranking Church members confront the great Shamans of the Sanctuary, this matter no longer concerned the Gaul Empire. After the Imperial Emperor personally expressed sincere apologies to the Church and gave unspecified secret compensations to the Dawn Sanctuary and the Flame Temple, Lartus and the others smoothly extricated themselves from this major trouble.

“So, sometimes we have to admit that those religious fanatics from the Odin Temple are quite lovely!”

Sitting in a private room on the second floor of the Old Rooster Inn’s steakhouse, Lin Qi contentedly cut a piece of medium-rare veal. Slightly bloody, paired with a rich sauce made from black truffles and black pepper, the tender veal released an enticing aroma with every chew. Lin Qi squinted his eyes and leaned back comfortably against the cushion.

Long Cheng squinted his eyes, quickly finished his portion of beef, and then cleared all the edible items on the table. Satisfied, he patted his belly, picked up a glass of wine, and drank it in one gulp. Then, he looked through the frosted glass window beside him at the entrance of the Victory Palace, which was just a stone’s throw away.

Over a dozen Court Guards in red-striped uniforms, golden armor, and red-tasseled helmets, flamboyant like peacocks, stood at the entrance. One who seemed to be a squad leader slowly paced in front of the door, swinging a small horsewhip. A few idlers lazily squatted across the street, sneakily looking around. From the thief-like aura they gave off, Lin Qi knew they were spies sent by the Garrison Office.

Someone had voluntarily taken the blame, firmly placing it on their own head, which allowed the entire Gaul Empire to breathe a sigh of relief. The evidence was solid, absolutely solid. The great Shamans from the Odin Temple had even loudly shouted the names of Elham and the others, as well as which Divine Descendant Clan they belonged to.

One of the great Shamans from the Odin Temple even produced a Dawn Family emblem!

Without a doubt, Elham and the others were killed by the Shamans of the Sanctuary. The dark clouds over the Gaul Empire dispersed, and all responsibilities vanished. Even the details of Tixiang and the two women’s encounter that night were buried deep in history. Lin Qi felt completely at ease and suddenly thought those religious fanatics from the Odin Temple were truly adorable.

Grabbing the wine bottle, Lin Qi poured himself another glass. Long Cheng snorted coldly.

“You said they are religious fanatics, but not religious fools. Why would they voluntarily take the blame?”

Long Cheng, having seen much in The East, had witnessed all sorts of unbelievable things, but the behavior of the Odin Temple still left him stunned and baffled. In The East, Long Cheng had only seen murderers use various means and evidence to evade guilt. He had never encountered such utterly pointless people—originally innocent, why would they pin a murder charge on themselves?

“Well, you know, just like there are struggles of faith within the Church!” Lin Qi smiled strangely. “There are also various schools and factions within the Odin Temple. They must compete for the faith of the Alien Races.”

“The Alien Races of the Five Great Archipelagos and the Odin Ice Plain believe in violence and powerful strength. For the great Shamans of the Sanctuary to gain the faith of the Alien Races, they must demonstrate strength surpassing others.”

Lin Qi looked at Long Cheng and said leisurely, “Nothing showcases one’s power more than killing the direct descendants of Divine Descendant Clans.”

Long Cheng rolled his eyes; he was truly speechless about the great Shamans of the Odin Temple.

“Not to mention such a major event as killing six Divine Descendants—even if the current Pope of the Church had a headache or a cold, someone would pop up claiming their curse made the Pope sick. If the Pope unfortunately suffered from constipation one day, it must have been because some great Shamanic pharmacist from the Sanctuary poisoned him to cause it. If the Pope accidentally died one day…”

Long Cheng widened his eyes. “Then what would happen?”

Lin Qi shrugged. “Then those great Shamans would turn on each other and fight fiercely. The final victor would earn the honor of ‘having killed the Church’s Pope with his curse,’ and the number of his followers would surely skyrocket dozens of times!”

Long Cheng fell silent, simply staring at Lin Qi in utter astonishment.

Smiling, Lin Qi refilled his glass and lowered his voice. “So sometimes, those great Shamans from the Odin Temple are really good people!”

Long Cheng nodded. Yes, those great Shamans of the Sanctuary were good people, absolutely good people. Otherwise, with such a major trouble, not only would the Gaul Empire be in trouble, but if the Church investigated further, even Lin Qi wouldn’t be able to escape involvement. But now, with the Sanctuary speaking up, the Church’s attention shifted entirely to them—they truly were good people!

Sighing softly, Long Cheng turned his head to look at the entrance of the Victory Palace. “So, your Emperor has returned!”

Lin Qi suddenly clenched his hand, cutting both the veal and the porcelain plate beneath it in half. Staring blankly at the tablecloth stained by the black sauce, he nodded slowly. “Yes, he’s back! But according to Tixiang, there are four permanent Celestial Knights in the Victory Palace!”

Long Cheng smirked mockingly and rubbed his hands vigorously.

“Only four Celestial Knights? That’s no problem at all.”

Lin Qi looked at Long Cheng and reminded him out of goodwill. “But our Emperor himself is a Grand Celestial Knight!”

Long Cheng frowned, thought for a moment, and shook his head. “So what? I’m not here to assassinate him; I just want to steal his things. Alright, don’t worry, it’s fine. I won’t be that foolish.”

Staring deeply at Long Cheng, Lin Qi stood up and began to take off his clothes.

Long Cheng was startled and was about to exclaim when Lin Qi handed him the soft armor he had been wearing underneath.

“A Magic Soft Armor—put it on!” Lin Qi said seriously, looking at Long Cheng. “You suit my taste; we’re friends. So, I don’t want you to die in there.”

Long Cheng looked at Lin Qi with some emotion, but then Lin Qi spoke again.

“If you die in there, please destroy your face before you die! Whatever you do, don’t cause trouble for me!”

Long Cheng’s small moment of emotion instantly vanished. He snatched the soft armor from Lin Qi.