Dave Sager was the sole survivor of that previous incident, and when he barely escaped back to Patou City, he was already critically injured, his body a mosaic of wounds. Seven or eight deep claw marks, visible to the bone, and a penetrating wound in his shoulder blade could easily have taken Dave's life. The Red Ridge Beasts's unique venom had practically kicked him into the gates of hell...
Yet, he was miraculously saved. According to a certain clergyman from the Holy Church United, Dave must have been God-blessed one. The divine spell, which should have only been able to do its best for him, somehow resonated, as if God Himself had lent a hand. Several wounds that should have been fatal instantly healed under that trace of divine power.
And that was absolutely not a divine spell that a mere High Priest could use!
This young man was pitied by God...
Soon, this news spread through the city as if it had grown wings.
Cole Shulen told Mo Tan this, and the Thieves' Guild's intelligence was no different.
But from Mo Tan's current perspective, this so-called 'Dave,' who was 'still severely injured but insisted on praying for his deceased companions in the Holy Church every day, only leaving after sunset,' was practically as healthy as could be!
"Heh heh~ If even such a careless idol can fool those Theocratss, it seems the so-called Holy Church United are just a bunch of highly nearsighted nobodies..."
Mo Tan sighed inwardly, subtly changing his angle to observe the movements within the room more comfortably.
By now, everyone has probably guessed that the character 'Tan Mo' had already infiltrated Dave's home before his last logout and made some preparations, such as carving a hole in the wardrobe.
Here, it's necessary to thank Mr. Bao De. The disposable lock-picking tools he provided to Mo Tan were of excellent quality. Even a seemingly ordinary anti-Thief door, whose lock cylinder contained rare Crimson Demon Gold, didn't last two minutes.
On a side note, there are lock-picking levels in Wu Zui Zhi Jie, but there is no 'Lock Picking' skill. After all, it would be too illogical if players could pick locks just by muttering a skill name with empty hands...
Lock-picking levels are determined by individual talent and background. If a professional locksmith played this game, their initial lock-picking level would probably be seven or eight. Conversely, if you raise your lock-picking level in Wu Zui Zhi Jie, you could be quite skilled at petty theft back in reality~
Just before Mo Tan logged out, after dealing with Dave's front door, he immediately heard a system prompt.
"Your Lock Picking level has been unlocked. Current Lock Picking level is 9. Cunning School level +3."
It's best not to delve too deeply into this, or this chapter will be all about it~
Getting back to the main topic...
Dave finally pulled off all his bandages. His naked upper body showed no injuries, but Mo Tan noticed a faint black flow beneath the skin in a few places.
"Another day of torment." Dave took several deep breaths, looking at the pile of blood-stained bandages on the floor with great disgust, and grimly pursed his lips: "Tedious, boring, disgusting!"
This twisted and resentful expression made it almost impossible to associate him with the straightforward and kind Dave.
Of course, in Mo Tan's eyes, this was far from surprising. He rolled his eyes, even feeling a bit bored...
Bang!
A flash of dark gray fire swept over, and the pile of bandages, which probably served as a costume, instantly burned to ashes. During this process, apart from a 'bang' that sounded little more than a fart, there was no temperature or energy fluctuation typical of fire, neither like a divine spell nor like magic.
Although Mo Tan didn't have our current omniscient perspective, he made a judgment immediately.
"Evil spell, huh..."
He raised an eyebrow slightly, narrowing his eyes at the ash-like pile on the ground, confirming his earlier suspicion.
"There are traces of corrosion, and although not very obvious, a chill seemed to have swept through the surroundings just now. Combined with the previous intelligence and his current demeanor, he's ninety-nine percent an Evil Cultist."
Mo Tan really wanted to whistle right now, but he held back...
Dave, who seemed to have vented a little emotion, was now foolishly grinning in place. He naturally didn't know that he wasn't the only one in the room; someone was also hidden in the wardrobe.
"If someone claiming to be his girlfriend rushed into the room right now, then pulled open the wardrobe and dragged me out, that would be a masterpiece~"
Mo Tan suddenly thought, and then...
Clang, clang, clang!
A knocking sound came from the door, and Mo Tan's perpetually upturned lips twitched.
"Who is it?" Dave politely asked the person outside the door, while swiftly drawing a finger across his body, instantly revealing a dozen hideous wounds that continuously seeped crimson blood.
But there was no trace of pain on his face, only a disgust and impatience that completely contradicted his tone.
"In the name of the God of Whisper! Open the door for me, you fool!!"
A cold voice suddenly echoed in the room. Both Dave and Mo Tan were startled, but the difference was that after his initial shock, Dave immediately donned his outer garment, sweat beading on his forehead, and rushed to the door, while a certain person in the wardrobe revealed an indescribable smile...
It was a smile so pure that it contained no emotion.
In a short while, Dave returned from the door, followed by a man completely hidden beneath a wide cloak.
Determining gender was too easy for Mo Tan. Without seeing his face, just by the person's walking pace, stride, and some extremely subtle details, he could make the deduction.
"Sir!" Dave respectfully invited the newcomer to sit at the table, bowing slightly: "I don't know why you suddenly came to see me in person... instead of on the Book of Whisper..."
The newcomer snorted, raising a hand to interrupt Dave, followed by a series of hoarse Whispers, sometimes near, sometimes far, echoing around: "Don't you know how many things you nearly messed up? And you still have the nerve to ask me why I came in person?!"
Dave trembled, stammering softly in response: "This subordinate... this subordinate doesn't know..."
"Don't know?" The person's slightly distorted voice was full of anger: "Then I ask you! Why didn't you deal with Ai Fan Ye on the spot that day! Why didn't you personally confirm Cole Shulen's death! Why didn't you go back to command those two Red Ridge Beastss to leave wounds on you, instead of arbitrarily abusing divine power to create a disguise?!"
Dave was stunned for a long time, then whispered in defense: "Cole Shulen facing those two Red Ridge Beastss alone should have been a certain death. When he decided to cover the retreat, I knew that guy was preparing to die for that girl Luo Na... Fan Ye, after being attacked by me, couldn't possibly have walked out of that area alive..."
"That small grove!?" The other party let out an extremely suppressed roar: "Then why, after I received your report and rushed there, did I only find a mound burying La Da Do Na and two patches of blood! But I couldn't find the body of that little clergyman or the one who had 'died for love'!!"
Dave's face instantly turned pale, and he swayed, almost collapsing to the ground.
He really hadn't expected such an unexpected turn of events in that situation...
Of course, what Dave didn't know even more was that the orchestrator of this series of accidents was leaning against his wardrobe, watching with interest as he trembled in fear of the 'Sir' in front of him.
"Hmph, don't panic." The other party said grimly: "Consider yourself lucky, it's just the most crucial moment of this stage of the plan. Otherwise, today I would personally let you experience the pleasure of soul-shattering Whispers!"
Hearing that the other party had no immediate intention of punishing him, Dave finally calmed down a bit, then looked horrified and said tremblingly: "Tha... Thank you, Sir... But if Fan Ye and Shulen didn't die, wouldn't I be..."
"Calm down, you waste!" The other party snapped, then gently shook his head: "Although Cole Shulen's body wasn't found, it's possible it was eaten by those two beasts. After all, the elf mage's body also disappeared. Even if he miraculously survived, he shouldn't know what you did..."
"Tsk tsk, just making conclusions based on assumptions, huh? Although it's certainly possible in theory, his thinking is too sloppy. Can such a person be an executive under that God of Whisper? A bit disappointing..."
Mo Tan thought sarcastically, while fully concealing his aura.
The 'Sir' paused slightly, then continued: "As for that little clergyman, she really should be alive, and she witnessed your actions firsthand. But there's no need to worry too much. She's quite seriously injured. If she really returned to the city in the past two days, there's no way I wouldn't know. I'll control her then, and secretly deal with her after the dust settles..."
"What exactly are you..." Dave looked at the other party with some confusion. He could understand the part about Cole Shulen, but the latter sentence left him a bit slow to react.
As if seeing through his confusion, the other party merely let out a sneer, then raised a hand and pulled down the hood of his cloak.
Revealing a face that was...
Extremely common!
"Sir Lang En!?" Dave exclaimed in a low voice, as if he had seen a ghost: "How could it be you?"
The middle-aged man named 'Lang En' sitting in front of him chuckled. His round face was truly benevolent, looking like a good-natured old man no matter how you looked at him.
"Oh, so villains these days aren't into the beastly or effeminate routes anymore, they've switched to the common-folk style..."
After immediately noting down the other party's appearance and characteristics, Mo Tan immediately complained in his heart.
"Do you understand now?" Lang En asked Dave with a smile: "I've already specifically instructed the people below. Starting today, whether it's Cole Shulen or Ai Fan Ye, as soon as they enter Patou City, they will be immediately brought to me for 'careful treatment.'"
"Hmm, good. It seems you haven't considered the possibility that they entered the city that same night. Who told you they absolutely had to return after your lackey?"
Mo Tan secretly rolled his eyes...
"The plan proceeds as usual." Lang En smiled at the completely relaxed Dave: "But this time, you must strictly follow the rules, okay? No more mistakes."
A hint of coldness in those seemingly gentle small eyes made Dave feel a prickling sensation on his back. He immediately nodded and said: "Don't worry, Sir. This time, I absolutely won't make any more mistakes. Tomorrow morning, I will have the Holy Church United grant me the title of temporary Holy Knight, and then I'll personally kill those two Red Ridge Beastss outside the city to avenge my 'companions'~"
When saying that last sentence, Dave smiled very happily...
Mo Tan also smiled very happily~
"Very good." Lang En chuckled and nodded: "After you return, you will be fully qualified to become a true 'Holy Church Knight.' To commend your achievements and everything you've done for Patou City, I will suggest to the Holy Church that you, this 'hero,' undergo the baptism of the Water of Gods. You will then use the divine power of my Lord's Whisper to make it seem real, and be recognized as a 'God-blessed one' as much as possible!"
However, Dave's face was filled with horror after hearing this, and he said in shock: "The... the Water of Gods!?"
"That's right." Lang En nodded: "The highest level of baptism we can perform in Patou City."
"But Sir!" Dave shook his head with a pale face: "When I first entered the church for baptism back then, I was almost scorched in the soul by ordinary holy water. If this time it's blessed by the Gods... wouldn't it be..."
Lang En shrugged: "Nothing will happen to you. That day, I'll find a chance to have someone swap that item out. You just need to conceal it well with my Lord's divine power, understand?"
Dave let out a long sigh, he didn't know how many times he had done it tonight. He nodded vigorously and said: "No problem!"
"Hmm... Oh, you probably don't know about the new stronghold the sect recently changed to, do you?"
"Stronghold~?"
"This subordinate does not know."
"I'd like to know too~"
"It's right at..."
"It's at?"
Mo Tan pricked up his ears, fully concentrated. He was very, very interested in Evil Cultists strongholds and such~
And then...
"You have been emergency disconnected. Please choose whether to reconnect."
"..."
"Reconnection starting..."
"Connection complete. Reading character information."
"Welcome back, chaotic evil Mo. Loading Innocent World. Good night."
...
Innocent Continent Southwest, within the Shavin Empire
Under the backdrop of countless stars, a continuous expanse of tents lay across the wilderness. Just then, a figure wrapped in a black cloak and wearing a half-mask slowly emerged from the most magnificent silver-patterned tent.
The hazy moonlight, hidden beneath a thin cloud, struggled to break through...
But still could not illuminate his appearance.
Chapter 32: End