Chapter 105: The Child of God is Gone?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 105: The Child of God is Gone?
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city.
A man stood frozen in front of a stall in a certain underground black market.
"Boss, where did you get this necklace?"
Hearing this, the merchant, who was busy organizing his wares, immediately looked up.
"Oh? Has this customer taken a fancy to this item?"
"I just want to know where it came from."
"That won't do. In our line of work, confidentiality is paramount—unless, of course, the customer is willing to buy it."
"This... Fine. How much?"
"Six hundred and fifty thousand gold coins."
"How... How much?!"
For a split second, the thought of murdering the man crossed his mind.
However, he quickly suppressed the dangerous impulse.
The merchant didn't notice the subtle shift in the man's demeanor. Seeing his shock, he picked up the necklace with an air of indifference.
"I'm not swindling you, sir. Look, this necklace is no ordinary trinket. It’s imbued with an extremely rare Holy Enchantment. It’s incredibly useful against the undead and other foul things..."
"Enough. I'll buy it."
"Excellent. A pleasure doing business with you, sir."
With that, the merchant placed the necklace into the man's hand.
"By the way, regarding its origin, I can only tell you that a woman with long, jet-black hair sold it to me. If I recall correctly, there was a little girl in a white cloak with her. Beyond that, I know nothing."
Six hundred and fifty thousand gold coins for that tiny scrap of information. The man nearly lost his battle with the urge to beat the merchant senseless.
But considering the merchant was someone who could hold his ground in the underground black market, he likely had some sort of backing.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, he suppressed his anger once more.
Reflecting on the information provided, he could piece together a rough idea of what had happened.
"It seems she isn't simple at all. She actually saw through the tracking enchantment on this necklace."
At this thought, a wave of intense unease washed over him.
"I remember that Great One telling me a woman would come to receive the Child of God. Could it be her?"
If Elania had indeed been picked up according to the plan, then his mission would be considered a success. After that, he would only need to head to the designated destination to receive that Great One's blessing and extend his own life.
But if the woman who took Elania wasn't the one from the plan, he was utterly finished.
Not only would he face the eternal wrath of the Holy Church, but he would also be abandoned by that Great One for failing the mission.
He would have offended both sides, leaving him with absolutely no way out.
"But in this situation, I have no way of finding the Child of God. I can only choose to gamble..."
Just as the man was about to give up his search and return to the surface, a hand suddenly seized him.
"Cole, you've certainly grown a spine, haven't you? Kidnapping Her Highness the Child of God from the Church... even I wouldn't dare pull such a ridiculous stunt."
Hearing a familiar voice call his name, Cole spun around in a panic.
"Bi... Bishop?"
Seeing Cole's terror, the Bishop let out a cold sneer.
"So you still remember me. I thought that after defecting, you’d have forgotten all the care I’ve shown you over the years."
With a sudden movement, the Bishop slammed Cole against a wall, his voice devoid of emotion as he threatened him.
"First of all, I don't want to hear your excuses for betraying the Church. If you can't lead me to the Child of God, you can look forward to being dragged back and handed over to the Pope for judgment personally."
Faced with the Bishop's threat, Cole's mind went blank.
Setting aside the fact that he couldn't find Elania himself, even if he did find her, returning would mean an unavoidable death sentence.
In this life-or-death moment, Cole's mind raced, and he immediately struck upon a desperate plan.
"That... Bishop, the Child of God has already been taken by someone else. Even I... I can't get her back..."
"What did you say?!"
In an instant, the Bishop's grip tightened, crushing Cole's chest.
"Agh! Bishop... this is already set in stone. Besides, if you go back like this... you won't escape the Pope's judgment either..."
"You brat, you're trying to drag me down with you even now? Do you think I can't see through you!"
"Cough... cough... Bishop, I'm thinking of you. In the corners you can't see, at least thirty percent of the Church has already defected just like me. I'm just the first one to surface..."
As he finished speaking, Cole slumped down the wall.
Seeing the look of disbelief in the Bishop's eyes, Cole knew he had won half the battle.
"Bishop, do you want to know why so many people in the Church chose to defect?"
"Wh... Why?"
Seeing the Bishop begin to waver, Cole couldn't help but let out a weak chuckle.
"Because the one we defected to is a powerhouse who commands Death itself. With a mere wave of his hand, he can grant insignificant weaklings like us the privileges of the Long-Lived Species. Compared to begging the Pope for a measly blessing of longevity, this kind of direct transaction is clearly more profitable... And Bishop, I recall you've only ever received one minor blessing from the Pope. Besides, your rival is set to take your position next year. In such a situation, why stay in that stagnant, pedantic Church? With your abilities, you could receive far more respect than you ever did before..."
Faced with Cole's persuasion, a seed of doubt was planted in the Bishop's heart.
"Is what you say... the truth? Does such a powerhouse truly exist in this world?"
"Hmph... if it were a lie, why would I take such a massive risk to defect with the Child of God?"
While the two were locked in their confrontation, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
It was Cecilia, who had been secretly tailing them.
She had followed the Bishop all the way from the Lightless Outpost to this underground black market.
When she saw him stop, Cecilia had immediately halted as well.
Then, she watched as he slammed another man against the wall, muttered some unintelligible words, and then let the man down.
To Cecilia, this sequence of events was utterly baffling.
"What's going on? Did they have a falling out and then make up?"
Curious, Cecilia crept closer, attempting to overhear their discussion.
At that moment, a bright flash of white light caught her eye—it was the necklace in Cole's hand.
Because the Bishop had crushed Cole's chest earlier, blood had splattered onto the jewelry.
In the dim environment of the market, the blood-stained necklace looked exceptionally ominous.
And if Cecilia remembered correctly, that necklace was identical to the one she had seen on Elania.
Combined with the fact that Elania was nowhere to be seen, a terrifying thought surfaced in her mind.
"The Child of Fate I was supposed to meet... did they kill her?!"
In an instant, a massive wave of panic surged through Cecilia.
"I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead!!!"
"If that's the case, I'm truly finished!"
"Wait, that's not right. I didn't lose them. When did these people find the time to do the deed while I wasn't looking?!"
Before Cecilia could process it, she saw the Bishop helping Cole up.
Leaning in, she could faintly hear him say, "Since the Child of God can't be brought back, I suppose I have no choice but to follow your suggestion."
Hearing this, Cecilia's heart sank.
"Wait... what do you mean the Child of God 'can't be brought back'?"