“Bishop Herl, you should understand what I mean by now…” Mu Xuan looked at Herl, speaking with an expressionless face.
Herl lowered his head, hesitated for a long time, then confirmed once again, “Your Eminence, is this truly your intention?”
Since Mu Xuan had made his decision, there was no way he would regret it now. He glanced at the half-open door and nodded affirmatively.
Herl remained silent for a long while before finally sighing and respectfully said, “As you will… Your Eminence…”
After speaking, Herl turned and left the room. Before long, commotion arose from the hall—the mingled sounds of cursing, sobbing, and people questioning Herl.
Mu Xuan had no intention of going out. He didn’t enjoy pacifying people—such things were better left to Herl. Even if Herl really did have ulterior motives, Mu Xuan could guarantee that Herl wouldn’t dare make a move now.
Soon, the chaos outside the door settled down, and then came a knock at the door.
Taking a deep breath, Mu Xuan picked up the polluted helmet and scepter, then walked outside.
He had already secretly given the blade to Buzachi, so only the helmet remained. Mu Xuan understood the function of this helmet—it had no offensive power, nor could it truly protect anything.
Glancing at Herl, Mu Xuan solemnly handed the helmet to him. As Cardinal, Herl couldn’t be left without something to protect his life. These outward gestures still needed to be made.
After that, Mu Xuan kept Beckerze and four others behind, while the remaining twenty-four people were split into two teams—Herl and Mu Xuan would each lead twelve.
Circling around the statue, Mu Xuan looked at the main gate of the courtyard, then glanced back at Buzachi, who was huddled within Herl’s group, and decisively pushed open the gate, stepping out first.
The twelve followers behind him, some immediately followed, while others looked at Herl, then clenched their teeth and finally followed as well.
According to the memories left behind by his predecessor, Mu Xuan could be certain that this was a small village. The courtyard they were in belonged to a prominent household in the village.
Unfortunately, when they arrived here, aside from a few swaying twisted monsters and a ground full of bones, not a single living soul was seen again. But it was precisely those monsters that reduced the once-hundred-strong church group to so few.
Perhaps Herl really did intend to lead his team to search the abandoned fields in the village for anything edible, but Mu Xuan had no intention of looking for food.
Following the path in his memory, Mu Xuan led the team directly toward the village entrance. Walking along the village fence was the best way to survey the area and map out the terrain.
With the black mist shrouding everything like this, finding the way wasn’t easy at all, so having landmarks was essential for determining their location.
Let’s just hope this village isn’t one of those winding labyrinths…
Muttering under his breath, Mu Xuan continued probing the way ahead with his scepter.
“All of you, keep up… Don’t fall behind!” At the rear of the group, Griffinde called out softly, watching those who could barely move their feet.
In this black fog, a moment’s carelessness could mean death. With so few left, Griffinde didn’t want anything else to happen.
The stragglers at the back, upon Griffinde’s reminder, panicked a little, but soon stuck closer to the group.
Walking along the fence for some time, Mu Xuan suddenly stopped. This caused several people in the group to panic and move closer to the center…
The strange sounds from the black mist had long since set everyone on edge, and Mu Xuan’s sudden halt naturally startled many.
“There are houses and fields over there. Go search for food. If you encounter anything strange, immediately drop to the ground and don’t make a sound!” Mu Xuan didn’t care about their feelings. In this environment, no matter how afraid they were, they had to adapt, or death was the only outcome.
“Then, Your Eminence… what about you?” someone asked timidly.
“I plan to check ahead—there seems to be something moving there…” Mu Xuan said flatly.
Hearing there was something moving, those who had wanted to follow Mu Xuan immediately abandoned the idea. It might be safer to stay here; following Mu Xuan would only guarantee an encounter with monsters.
Seeing their reaction, Mu Xuan sneered inwardly and said nothing more. After judging his current location, he continued forward along the fence.
Griffinde glanced at the others, sensed the surroundings to confirm no danger, and decisively followed Mu Xuan.
“He’s got guts…”
“Heh… Big guts, maybe he’ll die out there…”
“The Pope has the strength to protect himself—how does he dare…”
They whispered among themselves, wanting to follow Mu Xuan but not daring to do so. Only after Griffinde left did they start making snide remarks, as if that could ease their fear.
Once Mu Xuan could barely hear the believers’ voices, he stopped again, took out a tattered piece of parchment, and began sketching the village layout with charcoal.
Griffinde stood behind Mu Xuan, remaining silent and vigilant, guarding against any potential dangers.
The village, just as Mu Xuan had thought, wasn’t very large.
After passing six or seven houses, the fence began to loop back, leaving an opening in the direction they’d come from.
Narrowing his eyes, Mu Xuan was about to mark it on the parchment when, in the next instant, a sense of danger flooded his mind.
Without hesitation, Mu Xuan rolled quickly to the side, clutching his scepter and hurriedly stuffing the parchment into his clothes.
Griffinde also reacted instantly as Mu Xuan ducked, and with a flash of bright light, the fully armored Griffinde raised his cross sword and lunged forward.
“Zzz—”
A shrill noise rang out, and Mu Xuan finally saw the creature attacking him.
Messenger Bird!?
Staring at the ghostly thing that closely resembled a Messenger Bird, yet had two heads, six eyeballs, and claws like human hand bones, Mu Xuan suddenly felt nauseous…
It looked as if someone had forcibly stitched together all sorts of things—disgusting, and carrying a strong aggressiveness.
As a transmigrator, Mu Xuan’s memories of the bizarre were like censored mosaics—vague and unclear. Seeing one for the first time, it was hard not to feel uneasy.
But Griffinde wasn’t fazed. After everything he’d experienced, such creatures no longer surprised him. At most, he’d feel a bit of disgust, but would quickly adjust. With power now in his hands, Griffinde believed he could sweep away any strange being—fear was out of the question.
With his cross sword, Griffinde deftly flicked aside the “Messenger Bird’s” claw, then swiftly reached out, trying to grab it directly.
Yet just as Griffinde’s hand was about to touch the “Messenger Bird,” it vanished abruptly, as if it had never existed at all.
Griffinde immediately scanned the surroundings, wary of which direction the “Messenger Bird” might attack from.
“Ahem… It’s gone. Don’t bother with it…” Mu Xuan spoke up at this point.
When the “Messenger Bird” was still around, he could sense a faint malice. But now, there wasn’t the slightest hint of hostility. This meant the “Messenger Bird” was no longer nearby…
But Mu Xuan still couldn’t figure out how the “Messenger Bird” had vanished so suddenly…