“Hah, I never thought I’d get a chance to come here again. It’s quite a nostalgic place.”
Qiuli’s tone was sentimental, clearly not her first time here.
Xiaoxi was taken aback, then remembered that Qiuli had once mentioned she was caught by Yue Wange when infiltrating the Church to steal something.
“Qiuli, so your previous infiltration of the Church was…”
“That’s right, right here,” Qiuli sighed. “Wange and I first met here.”
Xiaoxi suddenly understood. No wonder the Church had asked Qiuli not to disclose the details of her infiltration—it was indeed a Church secret.
Qiuli’s abilities also countered space-type magic. So the Archbishop’s wariness of Qiuli wasn’t unfounded after all.
That meant the Bounty Hunter’s commission target back then was also the core of the Tower of Commandments, right?
And it matched the Divine Summon Order’s current objective?
Although Lady Delta had asked her to investigate the Church’s secrets, Xiaoxi herself was now curious.
What exactly was hidden in the core of the Church’s Tower of Commandments that everyone wanted it so badly?
The pure white space was almost silent, with only the occasional faint click of gears turning around them.
Everything was orderly, showing no signs of intrusion.
“Qiuli, can your ability sense if there’s anything wrong with the space magic here?”
“Not here. The space here is cut up into an extremely chaotic maze. If the space magic of the Hidden Bone Hall were that easy to handle, I would have stolen the core of the Tower of Commandments last time.”
Xiaoxi understood. It seemed she’d have to see it for herself to confirm. She infused her Magic Power into the ornate key, and the chaotic paths before her changed.
Some of the floating spiral staircases automatically connected, forming a path spiraling upward.
“Xiaoxi, can you hear me?”
The Astrologer’s voice suddenly came through the communicator. “When you act later, keep an eye on Miss Xinglan’s actions. Be careful not to get caught on video again and have it taken out of context.”
Xiaoxi was stunned. “The Church is still doing that?
Now we’re helping them, you know?”
“Yeah, that’s just how the Archbishop is. His sudden departure earlier already felt off to me.”
“Tch, this is really… Wait, something’s up.”
Xiaoxi advanced while chatting with the Astrologer, but everyone had only climbed the stairs for half a minute before they were forced to stop. Xiaoxi’s expression turned serious—it seemed further confirmation was unnecessary.
At the top of the spiral staircase, Black Rose was sitting there looking bored. Seeing the group climbing up, she was first startled, then let out an annoyed sigh.
“How come you’re here so fast? Didn’t Lord Divine Envoy say the Fan Club could stall you for a while longer?”
Black Rose…
As Xiaoxi had expected, Black Rose, who hadn’t been seen in a while, had been working with the Divine Summon Order since Summersea City.
Whether it was the Church last time or the Fan Club this time, she had been acting separately in the shadows.
This time was the same. The Divine Summon Order members were at the top analyzing the Seal Core’s magic, and Black Rose was tasked with coming down to block their path and buy time.
“Come on, all of you can attack together,” Black Rose stood up and clapped her hands. “How about I win? I’ve always wanted to say that before a fight at least once. Pretty cool, isn’t it?”
All the tattoos on her body began to shift and converge. Swarms of black Magic Creatures clogged the spiral staircase, blocking it completely.
Xiaoxi said nothing, just charged forward with a cold face. There was no need to waste words with Black Rose.
Five minutes later, Black Rose lay on her back, unable to move, coughing and letting out a bitter laugh.
“Why is it always me who has to deal with a monster like the Silverflame Dragon Princess? Lord Divine Envoy really knows how to make things difficult… Sorry for not being able to entertain Lady Silverflame Dragon Princess enough.”
Xiaoxi shook her arm. The three of them sheathed their weapons. After all, it was too much to expect Black Rose to hold off three S-ranks simultaneously. If not for the black Magic Creatures she summoned buying a little time, she probably couldn’t have lasted even three minutes.
Xiaoxi ignored Black Rose, but just as she was about to hurry and stop the Divine Summon Order, a figure in a black robe rushed up from below the spiral staircase.
Silver Bell was startled when she saw the newcomer. A gentle female voice came from under the robe.
“Did I come too late? What’s the situation now?”
“Huh? How did you… No, you didn’t come too late,” Silver Bell said nervously, glancing back at the others and lowering her voice. “You didn’t need to come. They’ll find out…”
Xiaoxi frowned. This suddenly appearing black-robed person gave her a very familiar feeling… Right! She remembered.
Wasn’t this the reinforcement the Divine Summon Order brought in when she accompanied Ye Xinglan to stake out the fake Eternal Star?
Wait, so why did Silver Bell seem so familiar with this person? And their conversation was weird too.
Recalling that [Judgment Scales]’s death might be related to Silver Bell, a ridiculous thought suddenly popped into Xiaoxi’s mind—
“Ling’er, who is she?”
Xiaoxi had already assumed a combat stance. Sensing something wrong, Xinglan also moved closer. The atmosphere became tense.
Silver Bell seemed at a loss, instinctively shielding the black-robed person behind her, but still stammering without explaining.
“She, she’s not…”
“Enough, Ling’er,” the black-robed person patted Silver Bell’s shoulder. “It’s fine. There’s no need to keep hiding any longer at this point.”
In front of everyone, the black-robed person slowly removed the large hood, revealing a gentle face.
“…You? How… how is this possible?”
Xiaoxi’s eyes widened in disbelief at the familiar face before her: gentle blue eyes and smooth pale gold hair.
Although she had never seen the real person, she had seen photos countless times—the Church’s S-Rank Magical Girl, the deceased [Judgment Scales], Yue Wange.
Unlike the shocked couple, Qiuli stood behind them with her usual expressionless face, as if she wasn’t surprised.
Silver Bell, however, was frowning with a worried expression.
“What exactly is going on… Forget it, let’s talk after this is over.”
Xiaoxi made a quick decision. No matter what the situation was, at least Yue Wange was definitely on their side. The immediate priority was to stop the Divine Summon Order!
If anything, having an extra ally was a pleasant surprise.
Just as they were about to move, regular footsteps came from the top of the spiral staircase. The Third Divine Envoy appeared again with Jingtong in front of them.
“Did you get it, Lord Divine Envoy?”
“Not yet. The magic of the Hidden Bone Hall is indeed hard to crack. But I have to deal with these ones first before continuing.”
The Third Divine Envoy merely glanced indifferently at the “resurrected” Yue Wange, then turned to look at the already immobile Black Rose.
“Quite a miserable sight, Ms. Black Rose.”