Chapter 29: The Pseudo-Sages

Four in the afternoon.

As the final school bell rang, Mel packed her bag and, taking advantage of Vilnia Randell's absence, fled the school as if she were escaping.

The girl didn't go straight home.

Instead, she went directly to Saint Margaret's Church.

After greeting the priests of the church with the Red Moon salute, Mel walked unimpeded to the reception room.

Just as she was about to step onto the familiar corridor, Mel suddenly stopped.

Looking at the corridor that was about twenty to thirty meters long, a thought inexplicably came to her mind.

Can I take this opportunity to practice Void Walk?

Since learning Void Walk until now, she had only used it twice—once passively and once actively.

The only time she used it actively, according to what the white dove had said, she had walked through the gates of hell.

If she didn't get familiar with how to use it properly, she might not even be able to make a proper getaway when the time came.

With this thought, Mel looked left and right with a sense of stealth.

After making sure no one was around, she took a deep breath and took a copper coin out of her pocket.

After injecting Quintessence into the copper coin, the girl threw it forward, letting it fall in front of the door to act as an Anchor Point.

The copper coin fell to the ground.

A light sound sent ripples through the silent corridor.

Mel stared at the Anchor Point about twenty meters away, her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she began to chant.

Quintessence climbed up her spine, and the scenery in her vision began to blur and overlap, like a photo that hadn't been focused properly.

Just like last time, she felt as if she were in three places at once.

The corridor, the Void, and the front of the guest room door.

The moment the last syllable left her mouth, a sense of falling enveloped Mel.

Reality was replaced by nothingness.

The light representing the Anchor Point gave off a dazzling glow not far ahead.

Mel concentrated, then took a step forward.

"Snap!"

In an instant, the whole world seemed to turn upside down.

Mel felt her body being torn, stretched, and then suddenly compressed.

Countless distorted light and shadows flashed before her eyes, as if in that instant, she had traveled through countless parallel worlds.

The next moment, accompanied by a sense of relief like breaking out of the deep sea, Mel opened her eyes and took large gulps of fresh air.

She was now standing at the entrance to the reception room.

And the copper coin was lying at her feet.

This time, it didn't melt.

"I succeeded....!"

Mel gasped, and happily bent down to pick up the copper coin, but as soon as her fingertips touched it, she immediately pulled back.

"It's so hot...."

"Clink—"

The copper coin slipped from Mel's hand, bounced a few times on the marble floor, and made a crisp sound.

She looked down.

The surface of the copper coin had an unnatural red glow, as if it had just been taken out of a furnace.

"It seems that every use of Void Walk puts a huge burden on the Anchor Point."

Mel looked thoughtfully at the copper coin on the ground.

She only picked it up and put it away after its temperature had dropped.

It could still be used, so it couldn't be wasted.

The girl stood at the entrance to the reception room, tidied her appearance, and then gently knocked on the door.

"Bishop Oliver, it's Mel."

Mel said softly.

"Are you free now?"

"Please come in, Miss Mel."

Oliver's voice came from inside the door.

Hearing the response, Mel pushed the door open and entered.

Oliver, dressed in a red divine robe, was sitting behind the large wooden table, a copy of "Hymns to the Red Moon" in his hand.

Seeing Mel enter, he looked up and showed a kind smile.

"Good afternoon, Miss Mel."

Oliver's voice was gentle and calm.

He reached out, motioning for Mel to sit in the chair in front of him.

"The corridor is indeed a good place to practice, but you need to be careful of whether there are people around. It would be bad to scare the ordinary believers."

Hearing this, Mel was slightly stunned.

"How... how did you know?"

"The Quintessence in your body is in disarray. It's obvious that you used some kind of mystical art that consumes a lot of Quintessence. It's like a person who has just run fifty meters at full speed. No matter how good their disguise is on the surface, their breathing and heartbeat will still betray them."

Oliver's explanation made Mel breathe a sigh of relief, then she felt her cheeks flush.

"I'm sorry.... Bishop, I just wanted to practice...."

Seeing this, Oliver let out a light laugh.

"No need to apologize, child. Curiosity and the thirst for knowledge are the most valuable qualities of young people."

He stood up, picked up the teapot, and poured a cup of soothing tea for Mel to replenish her Quintessence, then sat across from her.

"So, this time, is there anything I can help you with?"

Mel's fingers gently rubbed the teacup.

The silver-white teaspoon cast a long shadow in the deep red tea.

"The Fifth Department came to find me."

Mel said. "They told me about the Omniscience Society."

The girl slowly recounted the white dove's warning, Jessica's death, the Omniscience Society's intentions, and the thirty portions of Quintessence, including the abnormalities with the ancient books Veronica had brought home.

Oliver listened to Mel's story quietly, his relaxed brows gradually furrowing.

He pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke: "Those crazy people who chase knowledge, in the end, they still haven't given up on that insane plan."

Oliver's voice was low, with a hint of anger.

"Those ancient books were likely copied with ink made from living people's spinal fluid. They are not the originals."

Hearing this, Mel's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Then big sister—"

"Don't worry. The books themselves are not harmful."

Oliver reassured her.

"They are just props for the ritual. Those pseudo-sages think that by doing this, they can win the attention of a deity. Little do they know that it's just a disdainful glance from a superior at a jester's trick."

Mel felt a little more at ease after hearing Oliver's explanation.

She took a small sip of the soothing tea, feeling the warm tea slide down her throat, opening a path in her body and nourishing the more than half-consumed Quintessence.

"So, Bishop, do you have any suggestions?"

Mel asked cautiously.

"I'm worried something will happen to Veronica."

"If Mr. Blake—oh, Blake is the owner of that white dove. If what he says is correct, the Omniscience Society's goal is the Quintessence inside you. From their perspective, you alone contain thirty people's worth of Quintessence. And as a Shepherd in the Stress Phase, you clearly don't have the power to use that Quintessence, so the Omniscience Society is most likely treating you as a piggy bank."

Oliver analyzed.

"Their main target is you, and your sister is actually dispensable to them. But from the fact that they sent books to the library, I speculate that they might want to use the library as the stage for their ritual. If that's the case, your sister might also be affected."

Hearing Oliver say this, Mel's heart, which had just calmed down, became tense again.

"Then—"

"Don't worry. The Omniscience Society won't be foolish enough to threaten you with your sister's life."

Oliver pressed his hand down, motioning for Mel to relax.

"Although they are a bunch of pseudo-sages, that doesn't mean they are all fools. If I'm not mistaken, your sister is very important to you, right?"

"Veronica is my only family...."

Mel nodded.

Seeing her say this, Oliver smiled slightly.

"Then she is likely safe."

"Why?"

Mel didn't understand.

"Because if Veronica dies, it will be a considerable stimulus for you."

Oliver explained.

"Entering the Development Phase from the Stress Phase doesn't necessarily require listening to a divine oracle. That's just a fallback. Many Shepherds didn't enter the Development Phase through this method, but rather by experiencing various kinds of stimulation."

Oliver's fingertip gently tapped the desktop.

The red agate ring clinked against the walnut wood.

"Such as witnessing the death of a loved one, or"

The bishop's voice suddenly became like melted beeswax.

"Killing a loved one with your own hands."

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