Chapter 263
Chapter 263
Chapter 263
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 263 – Lan Qi and Wilfordism
In the lonely cold winter, the natural light of the Imperial Capital Helrom seemed far weaker than in other seasons. It filtered softly through the thin clouds, bringing a trace of warmth to the frosty land.
Lan Qi walked alone along the wide streets.
Today was a working day.
He didn’t need to go to the Protos Royal Academy to tutor Zesstira, spending his days in a nearby inn, living a retirement-like life.
After receiving the notice of passing the written exam in the morning, he finished lunch and set off toward the Annihilation Knight Order Temple. He wore his diamond-patterned vest and a dark gray long coat that resisted the cold, looking neat and orderly.
His green eyes appeared even clearer in the sunlight, like a jade-green lake.
As he walked, the pedestrians in the Imperial Capital gradually thinned out.
Most avoided the area near the Annihilation Knight Order, as if it were a forbidden zone on the map.
Those walking in the opposite direction couldn’t help but glance curiously at Lan Qi, wondering why such a gentle-looking youth was heading that way.
“Lan Qi, are you really acting, nya…”
A timid, youthful voice came from the shadows.
When no one sensitive to magic was nearby, the Cat Boss’s telekinetic voice could reach Lan Qi’s ears directly, though its control over magic was still crude. Any nearby skilled magic-user would quickly notice something off about the shadow.
Cat Boss felt that when Lan Qi had mingled with the Ba'tian Branch priests in the southwest province, it had been extremely dangerous.
He hadn’t expected that Lan Qi, having finally secured the identity he wanted and freed himself from the Resurrection Church priests, could now quietly live as a tutor in Helrom—yet he voluntarily sought to join the Annihilation Branch!
Cat Boss could only think: this guy is insane!
“Don’t worry, Cat Boss. My faith is strong. It’s normal to have a spy embedded in enemy territory,” Lan Qi whispered with a smile, like sharing a secret.
“…That’s good.”
Cat Boss realized that after Lan Qi’s operations in Lilorom City, the nightmare beginning had returned to a normal trajectory. Now, it even seemed a bit dreamlike that he was living a peaceful and beautiful life in Helrom.
It remained silent, deciding to observe how Lan Qi would act before meeting Hupe.
Lan Qi approached the Annihilation Knight Order building.
By now, apart from faint drifting snowflakes, the streets were nearly empty.
In the distance, the magnificent building of the Annihilation Knight Order gradually came into view.
Though he had visited once before, seeing the legal Resurrection Church temple again struck a chord with Lan Qi.
This is the North Continent.
The difference from the South Continent was striking.
It was always at times like this that one felt truly in a foreign land, far from familiar towns and home.
Shaking his head, Lan Qi walked calmly to the heavily guarded gate.
A knight in dark gray heavy armor scrutinized him, checked his documents, and finally nodded, signaling him to enter.
Lan Qi put away his retest notice and stepped into the vast, bottomless building.
Following the directions in the letter, he took the left corridor and quickly found the retest exam hall.
At the end of the corridor, two massive metal doors were closed. On either side, priests stood silently guard, their eyes cold, ready for battle at any moment.
“Go in.”
Without Lan Qi showing his letter again, the priests opened the doors to the exam hall.
Inside was a spacious hall with a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.
Tall chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a faint light. The walls bore intricate murals depicting the Northern Continent’s Holy War—twisted and bizarre. Heroes and demons’ faces flickered in the shadows, as if ready to step out and join the hall.
The thick silence made the air feel thin. Most areas were dim, and every examinee’s face seemed swallowed by deep shadows, with black silhouettes stretching behind them.
Compared with Lan Qi, who arrived later, over twenty examinees were already gathered, scattered around the hall, keeping distance. Some closed their eyes, some pondered quietly, while others muttered incantations under their breath—lips moving quickly in the dim light, like silent curses.
Most of these individuals were dangerous malefactors; the few most conspicuous ruled this malicious gathering, deterring others from approaching.
Lan Qi scanned the hall. Shortly, the door behind him slammed shut with a resounding bang.
Above the door, the massive pendulum clock ticked. Each gear’s click announced the imminent trial of fate.
Once here, there was no turning back.
Lan Qi’s presence briefly attracted many eyes.
Occasionally, glances tracked his movements, assessing his every subtle motion.
At this moment, the seemingly gentle and harmless black-haired, green-eyed youth looked like a pure white lamb among a pack of dark wolves.
Perhaps in the first written exam, there were still candidates who seemed orderly and rule-abiding.
But those who had completed the exam knew: passing the written test with high marks required not only detailed knowledge of the Resurrection Church and Annihilation Branch, but also a mind of extreme malice.
By all appearances, he was weak, completely non-threatening.
Even if he passed, it would be by leveraging solid theoretical knowledge to barely surpass the passing line on objective and conceptual questions.
Lan Qi sat in an empty seat at the side, hands folded on his lap, eyes calmly fixed ahead.
Time passed, and the hall’s atmosphere grew tense.
Lan Qi remained unflustered, but Cat Boss in the shadows shivered from the dense malice.
If it could run, it would. It regretted following out of curiosity.
Everyone here was a heavyweight.
Compared to other pure malefactors, a clean-resume youth like Lan Qi was on a completely different level of danger and chaos.
Ding, ding.
The hourly bell above the metal doors rang.
Even from the corner, Lan Qi could hear the echoes. Each chime felt like a drumbeat on every heartbeat, reminding all present that the danger was mounting.
A faint light from the far corner of the hall corresponded with the chandelier. The frigid air seemed to freeze. As the chimes faded, a faint whispering sound slid in from the darkness, like a spell freezing time. Every corner, examinee, and ornament seemed suspended in this moment.
Footsteps.
Though quiet, in this tense atmosphere, each step echoed like a drum on everyone’s pulse, guiding their attention toward the unknown.
Through the inner iron doors, a cold wind swept through, lifting faded drapes that hissed softly.
Lan Qi’s gaze, like the others’, followed the shadows, awaiting the approaching figure.
Gradually, a dim light revealed a figure in deep gray robes, emerging from the hall’s darkness.
He walked slowly, his face showing age and sternness. Deep-set eyes radiated cold dominance. A hooked nose and thin lips added to the imposing presence.
What stunned the examinees was the purple holy seal on his chest, emitting faint light over his robes.
No malefactor dared underestimate him. Wearing a purple holy seal signified not only a notorious villain but also a renowned High Priest in the Annihilation Branch, a high-ranking member of the Resurrection Church and a feared figure in the North Continent’s dark underworld.
Thus, Caius, the chief examiner, stepped to the front of the hall.
“I am Caius, the chief examiner for this retest and final assessment,” he announced.
In the faint light, his stature seemed taller. His voice, deep and resonant, spread throughout the hall.
“To prove your basic yet crucial loyalty to the Resurrection Church, you must complete one task. This is the content of the retest.”
His eyes swept over each examinee. Silence blanketed the hall.
Many showed confused expressions, unsure how loyalty could be tested.
Even with magic capable of reading minds, it would require an eighth-tier expert specializing in soul and mind—a level not feasible in this retest setting.
“Some time ago, the Church of the Goddess of Fate in Aisethalan Kingdom popularized a method to test Resurrection priests. While not perfect, it did filter out some of ours. This wave of ‘first suspect, then require proof’ became known as Wilfordism among their clerics.”
Caius explained to the hall calmly:
“Now, in the Protos Empire, our stance is reversed with the Church of Fate. Thus, this Wilfordism can serve us.”
“I will consider you all as potential spies of the Goddess of Fate Church. You must prove to me that you are not.”
“The retest is simple: transform the Goddess of Fate statue.”
“Each of you will receive a statue. You may imagine freely, destroy, even desecrate it, to demonstrate your loyalty to the Resurrection Church. Submit your work, and I will evaluate your stance, style, and artistic alignment with the Annihilation Branch.”
With that, Caius concluded the explanation of the exam’s theme and rules.