Chapter 233: Plotting
After exiting, Jima sought to speak with George privately.
“George, you don’t have to be sad. It’s normal for them to want to save their own skin,” Jima said. “As long as they can feel a little safer, it doesn’t matter how many others die. They criticize and curse you not because you’ve done something wrong, but because they want you to serve them.”
George forced a smile, “I understand everything you’ve said.”
“But you still care, don’t you?”
“Yes,” George replied, “because I have no way to convince them to defend this city. Regardless of my agreement or not, they will abandon this city and flee.”
“George, there will be a way,” Jima said. “Our meeting hasn’t even started yet.”
Before the “Sanctuary Faction” held its secret meeting.
Jima found Archbishop Gregory again, expressing a desire to speak with him privately. To show her sincerity, Jima decided to meet Archbishop Gregory in her true form.
Thus, she encountered the unsmiling Archbishop Gregory in a small chapel that belonged to the Sanctuary in Quinas City.
In this stone chamber, there was no decoration, the furnishings were simple. A single wooden window was open, large enough for a ginger cat to squeeze through, allowing a warm and moist spring breeze to flow in. Winter had passed, and spring had arrived, but no one celebrated the arrival of spring.
As Jima crossed the threshold, Gregory’s “burning” gaze remained fixed on her, as if he intended to ignite her like dry kindling with his eyes.
Jima forcefully held a smile as she sat on the wooden chair opposite him. Just as she settled in, Gregory waved his hand.
A faint blue light enveloped the entire room. The realm of honesty, capable of detecting lies.
Jima said, “I have something I want to discuss with you.”
“Speak directly; no need for small talk,” Gregory finally focused on Jima’s face, pouring himself a cup of hot tea from the kettle on the small stove on the table.
Jima recounted George’s corruption and detailed her mother’s letter.
“Understood,” Gregory said, drinking the steaming tea. “Succubus, you may leave.”
“From your experience, do you know of any way to improve George’s condition?”
“If you truly care about him, you should leave him sooner rather than later,” Gregory said. “I underestimated you; I thought you would teach him a lesson that would help him grow.”
“You resist communicating with me,” Jima said. “Is it because the Mother of All Beasts is George’s biological mother?”
Gregory placed his teacup down, his expression unchanged, and asked, “What does it matter to you if it is or isn’t?”
“I’m worried that he might encounter some accident while fighting against the Mother of All Beasts.”
Jima could sense that the old fox Gregory was wary of her, guarding against her extracting any information from him or confirming anything.
Gregory said, “Succubus, what conspiracy are you planning?”
“Then we have nothing to discuss.”
“Truth be told, there was nothing to discuss,” Gregory said. “Allowing you to appear before me is essentially an indulgence toward George, and that makes me uneasy.”
“What a pity; I actually have a plan that can satisfy both sides,” Jima stood up and said. “The people of this city should obediently accept the fate of the weak and fill the bellies of the beasts.”
She turned, her foot barely touching the threshold.
Archbishop Gregory called out to her, “Succubus, tell me what you desire, and I will see if I can provide it.”
Jima paused, turned her head, and said, “I don’t ask for much; I just want safety, the safety of the entire team. I suspect there might be a traitor among us.”
“You want to strike down the dissenters?”
“Archbishop, aren’t you tired of constantly suspecting me?” Jima said. “Whether or not there’s a traitor is not for me to decide; it requires everyone’s consensus.”
“I am making an objective assessment of you,” Gregory did not hide his malice towards Jima. “You are different from us; you are innately evil. You take pleasure in the suffering of others. You are cunning, deceitful, and skilled at trickery. The only reason you appear harmless right now is that George is stronger than you and can keep you in check.”
Jima retorted:
“Actions speak louder than motives, it seems. You self-proclaim the Sanctuary as open, yet you conceal the relation between George and the Mother of All Beasts. You have always been wary of me, fearing that I would misuse the demonic lord’s extraordinary materials. Yet those extraordinary materials were taken due to your Sanctuary’s negligence, and now you need to rely on my capabilities and schemes.”
Jima concluded:
“How ridiculous you are.”
After the mutual reproaching, they began to discuss serious matters.
Jima briefly outlined her plan and gained Gregory’s approval, agreeing on how to identify the traitor.
Gregory nodded, “Alright, I will check for any traitor.”
“If it is him, I hope he dies.”
“Succubus, judgment must rely on evidence, not your personal likes or dislikes.”
After their discussion, Jima couldn’t wait to leave.
As she stepped over the threshold, the water in Gregory’s kettle began to boil, steam forcing the lid open with a hissing sound.
Jima turned back to see tea splashing out. Gregory calmly lifted the lid, letting out steam.
Yet Jima still sensed the old fox Gregory’s anxiety.
Seeing that his kettle was so old, having accompanied him for so many years, as a seasoned tea drinker, why was he suddenly unable to brew properly now?
Jima formed a speculation in her mind and stepped outside.
She found George.
“You think I might be the child of the Mother of All Beasts?” George looked at Jima in surprise. “Dear, are you joking with me?”
Jima said, “It’s just a speculation based on the wind’s signs.”
George shook his head, “Impossible. I’ve always been human. If I were a mutant, I would have died early in childhood and wouldn’t have been called by our god.”
Jima shrugged, “We should plan for the worst.”
“There are many worst-case scenarios.”
George didn’t take it to heart since there was no evidence; speculations were just that.
Jima felt the same.
The two rode side by side and reached the Church of the God of Dawn in Quinas City.
The attendees included only Gregory, George, Jima, and Eve Frostleaf.
Gregory and George could be considered high-ranking members of the Sanctuary. Eve Frostleaf participated because she represented the High Elven Alliance at that moment.
As the highest-ranking member present, Gregory spoke first:
“It has been confirmed that the knights are abandoning this city; they are packing and preparing to leave with the family of Duke Cason.”
“How can this be?” George exclaimed. “There’s not even room for negotiation.”
It was uncertain how many knights would choose to leave. George furrowed his brows at this thought.
But after all, the other side had justifiable reasons; otherwise, they could have insisted on the chivalric code to remain in this city until death.
“I have a plan that benefits both sides,” Jima said. “But first, I have a question: since dark elves went through such trouble to break into the heavily guarded Sanctuary to steal the demonic lord’s extraordinary materials, why not just use magical powers to teleport the people and items out?”
“Just like I went with George to Marlin City, where there’s teleportation services even for tasks from the Sanctuary, so the dark elves surely possess that capability too.”
Archbishop Gregory closed his eyes slightly, leaning back in his chair, showing no signs of answering.
George thought for a moment and said, “I’m not too sure either.”
Eve Frostleaf was disinclined to speak.
Gregory opened his murky eyes and said:
“Because extraordinary materials from entities as powerful and evil as the demonic lord cannot be teleported; doing so quickly risks exposure.”
“What is the principle behind that?”
“Wait until the highest level of the library is accessible to you, and you’ll know,” Gregory lectured. “Before that, under conditions that don’t allow it, don’t seek to understand. An overly strong curiosity will lead to your downfall.”
George replied, “Mm.”
Jima continued, “The question arises: we can confirm….”
As Jima spoke, her finger pointed to a point on the map.
“Several days ago, when we could see Quinas Castle, my divination indicated that the Mother of All Beasts was still far from us. Yet, on the very night we broke out, she suddenly appeared, blocking our path with a group of horned beasts.”
Jima indicated on the map, “I have reason to suspect she utilized teleportation or some kind of extraordinary ability to bridge such a long distance.”
George added, “You think she placed the demonic lord’s extraordinary materials further back?”
“Yes, exactly,” Jima said. “I can take advantage of the time difference while the dragon is away from home, when only a few wild creatures guard its treasures, to rob its assets.”
As Jima spoke more passionately, she said:
“Then we can head west with the extraordinary materials to Le’an Port. It is said that the returning army of the Lionheart King will first head to Le’an Port. By then, the Mother of All Beasts will have no choice but to follow us to reclaim the demonic lord’s extraordinary materials.”
Gregory looked at Jima doubtfully:
“What if this is a trap? If the Mother of All Beasts senses something amiss with the demonic lord’s extraordinary materials, she could teleport back.”
“We would retreat if things went awry.”
“Then you must swear,” Gregory said, fixing his gaze on Jima. “Are you going to betray us? Yes or no.”
George called out Gregory’s name, “Gregory!”
A faint blue realm of honesty enveloped them all.
“Yes,” Jima said, a rare bitter smile appearing on her face. “I have no intention to betray anyone.”
Gregory pressed: “Is your plan truly a way to satisfy both sides?”
“It is,” Jima said. “That’s exactly how I envisioned it.”
“You haven’t betrayed us?”
“No.”
The blue realm of honesty had not changed color from the beginning to the end.
George said, “Gregory, you are being too aggressive.”
He replied, “My doubts are justified.”
“I disagree,” Jima stated. “This is unfair—”
Gregory interjected, “I have not betrayed any of us, nor the city and the Sanctuary. I have a clear conscience, Succubus.”
George, dissatisfied with Gregory’s aggression, started to self-examine.
Even the silent Eve Frostleaf said, “So do I.”
Jima felt a bit pleased; at least it meant Eve Frostleaf considered her a friend, indicating that she still had a plan to seduce her.
The four continued to discuss and refine the plan.
Gregory asked:
“Why don’t you confirm the location of the demonic lord’s extraordinary materials now? If it’s near the Mother of All Beasts, then the plan is unnecessary from the start.”
“It would startle the Mother of All Beasts,” Jima said, placing her finger on the map, away from Quinas City. “My plan is to first guess the location of the demonic lord’s extraordinary materials, then get nearby, and I’ll use divination to check the location of those materials.”
Gregory looked at Jima curiously.
George explained, “Jima can summon an extraordinary being that visited her in her dreams to aid in battle within a short period.”
“If I were the Mother of All Beasts,” Gregory said, “even if I placed the demonic lord’s extraordinary materials further back, I would heavily guard it and rush it to my side. Two extraordinary beings alone would be seeking death.”
Regarding this loophole, Jima said:
“I’m not omnipotent, so I need the Sanctuary’s assistance. Since you have teleportation magic, can’t you bring an extraordinary being who can teleport over? Transport an elite team of extraordinary beings?”
“Can’t,” Gregory replied. “Teleportation requires a teleportation array in another location. Otherwise, it will randomly send someone to any position.”
Just like the teleportation scroll sent to George, which could only randomly teleport in any direction.
Jima looked at Eve Frostleaf, hoping to leverage the High Elves’ profound magical attainments: “I heard that powerful mages could teleport an entire army to a designated location. Undoubtedly, the High Elves have a deep understanding of magic.”
“Not possible,” Eve Frostleaf refused. “But far superior to human primitive and crude magic, it could teleport a small team precisely a thousand miles away.”
“Doesn’t that solve the problem?” Jima asked Gregory. “I think the Sanctuary and the Bartok Knights would be willing to compensate the High Elves for this.”
Eve Frostleaf said, “No.”
“Why?”
“A high mage wouldn’t come all this way for such a trivial matter,” Eve Frostleaf said. “Unless it were for apocalyptic events.”
George interjected, “How is this a trivial matter? It’s the lives of over two hundred thousand people….”
Eve Frostleaf shut her mouth and said nothing.
George didn’t continue either.
Everyone understood that since Eve Frostleaf said so, then the High Elven mages would not intervene. Such spells come with a high cost.
To put it bluntly, the lives of over two hundred thousand human mortals might not be worth enough in the eyes of the High Elven mages to abandon their current matters for a battlefield thousands of miles away.
With just two people, how could they seize the demonic lord’s extraordinary materials?
Jima did not want to take that risk, saying, “Forget it, let’s focus on defending the city.”
George suggested, “How about I and Eve Frostleaf hurry out of the city day and night to the designated location?”
“Speed is of the essence; time is running out,” Jima reminded. “It’s been almost forty-eight hours since we saw the plump and bloated body of the Mother of All Beasts. She might have already run for forty-eight hours, and we can’t catch up.”
“But why must we rush?” George said. “I recall you have a nervy, reckless little thief friend.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“Silver-haired, not taller than you—seen him in Marlin City.”
“The Shadow King Akarnis?” Jima asked. “Why do you think I’m friends with him?”
“I refuse to answer,” George said. “Or it might hurt your feelings.”
Jima said, “You might as well say we have similar tastes.”
Gregory looked at George and asked, “Akarnis?”
“A very skilled thief.”
Gregory immediately made a decision: “Alright, it’s settled.”
Jima felt a headache coming on.
That unpredictable guy Akarnis was a devoted reader of her book; a “pirated book” with all sorts of poison. If he got wind of it, he would surely sharpen his knife for her life.
George said, “I believe the Sanctuary can provide payment for your friend.”
Gregory nodded.
Jima agreed, “Alright, I’ll do my best to persuade him.”
