“Qiansitelin, there shouldn’t have been any problems just now, right?”
Muxuan finally came to a halt once they were far from the Mage Tower.
His tensed body immediately relaxed.
During the meeting just now, his mind had been nearly blank, and several of his pauses had occurred simply because he wasn’t sure what to say.
Fortunately, he had managed to maintain the dignity of the Pope.
“Didn’t I tell you, Your Highness? When you’re unsure, just lower your voice and ask them a question in return,” Qiansitelin said from beside him, giggling as she covered her mouth.
“The value they can provide us is much higher than the value we provide them.”
Muxuan nodded in deep agreement with Qiansitelin’s words.
Forging technology was what he valued most; this way, they could arrange for craftsmen to learn and mass-produce standardized equipment.
However, they had not mined much iron ore so far.
Common minerals like iron and copper were scarce, while rare minerals were surprisingly abundant.
‘I need to get a batch of standardized equipment as soon as possible…’
After all, Lightforce could not completely replace physical armor.
While it might block some Corruption, it offered no resistance against true physical attacks.
If the knights wore standardized equipment covered with a layer of Lightforce, their combat effectiveness would be greatly enhanced.
Not only could it arm the knights, but it would also give the recruited guards greater combat power, allowing them to better maintain order.
It was just a pity that Wonder Buildings were so much trouble.
Seeing Muxuan shake his head with a trace of regret, Qiansitelin simply smiled.
“What is there to be disappointed about, Your Highness? A Wonder Building is indeed not as easy as you imagined.”
She had some knowledge of the Wonder Buildings constructed by the Dwarf Tribe.
When those attributes were stacked together, they were nothing short of terrifying.
The Fortress held by the Dwarf Tribe in the mountains was something almost every faction feared, yet none dared to truly wage war against them.
Unfortunately, even the Dwarves had not anticipated the sudden arrival of the Eerie Calamity.
Lacking the corresponding attributes, their Wonder Buildings could only fall when faced with the pervasive Black Mist and endless Corruption.
“Besides, trying to roll for the attributes Your Highness wants is a massive drain on resources.”
If the Dwarf Tribe hadn’t made their fortune from ore and equipment, becoming the largest weapon wholesalers on the continent, they wouldn’t have had the resources to roll for attributes.
Even the original Cathedral, despite being a Wonder Building, didn’t have a single useful attribute among its three.
“But…”
After hesitating for a moment, Muxuan gave up.
Indeed, where would he get so many resources to build a Wonder Building?
Even if it were completed, those attributes weren’t something he could afford to roll for.
‘This speechless feeling of a low-quality pay-to-win online game…’
Furthermore, based on the current situation, the Great Artisan God didn’t seem to trust the Church very much.
According to Lutherch’s words, it seemed more like he didn’t even believe in the Church’s existence.
Burying these questions in his heart, Muxuan looked at Qiansitelin and smiled.
“Let’s go. There are still things to be done.”
“Your Highness… are you sure you want to go?”
The smile on Qiansitelin’s face faded slightly as she looked at Muxuan.
This matter was far too coincidental, giving her a faint sense of unease — a heavily injured Archmage had been unexpectedly discovered by a knight, and it even involved Goblins.
Thinking of that underground Goblin palace she had visited not long ago, she felt that something wasn’t quite right.
“But I have to go see for myself.”
Since the news had reached him, Muxuan naturally had to handle it.
Besides, the person was an Archmage — Lutherch had already complained to him that Mosen was always saying the Mage Tower was short-staffed and needed reinforcements.
He wouldn’t refuse an Archmage who delivered himself to their doorstep.
“I hope it won’t be anything too terrible…”
After Qiansitelin’s strength had declined, her perception of many things had become blurred.
She couldn’t judge whether this matter was ultimately good or bad.
Watching Muxuan’s retreating figure, she could only silently pray for everything to go smoothly.
***
“Naar!”
Buzhaqi ran through the streets in a panic, constantly calling Naar’s name.
He had originally told Naar to go directly to the Church and wait after notifying His Holiness, and not to wander off.
Given his relationship with Beikeze, the man would surely have sent someone to look after her.
But when he arrived at the Church, he was told that Naar had never arrived.
‘But… where else could Naar go?’
In addition to Buzhaqi, thirty guards were conducting a search through the streets, constantly looking for her.
Naar was small and thin, and many people had seen her before, yet they had searched nearly half the base and still hadn’t found her.
Buzhaqi became increasingly agitated, requesting the guards to search the vacant lots where construction had not yet begun.
However, they still found nothing.
‘What happened… why didn’t Naar listen to me?’
‘Or perhaps… Beikeze!’
Because he couldn’t find Naar, Buzhaqi’s mind was gradually occupied by terrifying thoughts.
‘Naar… might have been taken by Beikeze…’
‘She’s so obedient… it’s impossible for her not to go to the Church…’
‘Beikeze is ruthless and unscrupulous… perhaps you’ve become a part of his plan as well…’
These thoughts crashed wildly inside his head.
Even though he didn’t truly believe Beikeze would do such a thing, he still couldn’t shake them.
“Beikeze…”
Buzhaqi leaned against a nearby tree, his eyes bloodshot.
“That’s right… Beikeze has done so many detestable things…”
“Why not just kill him?”
He painfully slammed his head against the tree trunk, trying to dispel the thoughts.
“Get out… get away from me!”
However, the thought clung to him like a maggot on a bone, attempting to erode his sanity.
‘Why are you unwilling to believe it? You clearly sent Naar to the Church… so why is she missing?’
‘The answer… isn’t it obvious?’
Under this assault, Buzhaqi’s reason wavered, teetering on the edge of collapse.
He had even knocked a dent into the tree trunk.
His forehead was split open, and blood flowed down his cheek, dripping onto the ground.
His expression became twisted and hideous.
Just as he turned like a walking corpse, preparing to head toward the central Church in the middle of the base, a faint light shone from his pocket.
The light suddenly intensified, as if a star compressed to its limit had abruptly exploded.
*Hummm —*
A surge of pure, warm Lightforce carrying a soothing power erupted from his pocket.
It was like an invisible ripple, gently sweeping across his entire body and especially through his violently agitated mind.
Buzhaqi stopped abruptly.
His hideous expression froze, only to be replaced by intense agony.
He let out a hoarse cry of pain and clutched his head as if countless red-hot needles were churning inside his skull.
The madness that had been eroding him seemed to have met its nemesis.
It shrieked silently under the impact of the Lightforce and quickly retreated.
“Ah —”
His knees buckled, and he fell heavily to the ground, pressing his forehead against the cold earth as he gasped for breath.
Cold sweat mixed with blood, forming a dark red stain on the ground.
The intense headache persisted, but the manipulated, twisted malice had rapidly vanished.
Clear light returned to his eyes, and his reason was restored.
He instinctively reached into his pocket — it was the Light Stone bestowed by His Holiness.
‘But I clearly gave it to Naar… when did it come back to me?’
Buzhaqi’s pupils trembled violently as he struggled to stand up.
He still felt a lingering fear toward that terrifying malice from just now, and he understood that it definitely hadn’t come from himself.
‘Beikeze would never harm Naar…’
He was very clear on that point.
Swaying on his feet, he walked toward the Church.
“Lord Buzhaqi…”
A guard happened to arrive.
Seeing his state, the guard hesitated to speak.
Buzhaqi waved his hand weakly.
“I’m fine. I just took a fall earlier.”
From the surface, his appearance did indeed look like it was caused by an accidental fall.
The guard was still somewhat worried, but he said, “Rest assured, my lord. We will definitely find Naar as soon as possible.”
With that, he continued his search elsewhere.
Buzhaqi watched his back, shook his head gently, and continued toward the Church.
Along the way, many people were startled by his appearance.
Some asked with concern, while others avoided him from a distance.
He brushed them all off with the excuse that he had fallen.
Half-conscious, he reached the Chapel and the Goddess’s statue.
Ignoring the nuns’ attempts to stop him, he knelt directly on the floor.
“His Holiness… Goddess…”
“I need strength…”
He had originally planned to condense a core on his own through meditation, but now it seemed that would be too slow.
He knew exactly why he had produced those evil thoughts just now.
The Church had never been a safe place.
From the moment His Holiness led them to rebuild the Church, he had understood this.
The Strange from the Outsider world was always watching greedily.
His spirit was already weak, and due to his anxiety over finding Naar, he had nearly been corrupted by The Strange.
If Naar hadn’t left the Light Stone with him…
He didn’t dare think any further.
Buzhaqi’s heart became increasingly determined.
He had to condense a Light Core.
Only with strength could he protect the Church and protect Naar.
Only by condensing a Light Core would he no longer be so easily corrupted by The Strange.
He did not have the ability to complete it on his own.
Thus, he kowtowed heavily toward the statue.