Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 669 Finlake's Trail (8k2!)
When Frania and Monigne, following the young merchant from the Golden Kingdom, arrived at the destination he had guided them to.

A luxuriously decorated mansion that appears so magnificent from the outside alone—two dazzling golden pillars stand in front of the main gate, and the courtyard is filled with various rocks and trees that shimmer with golden light. Even the walls of the largest villa seem to have been completely gilded, gleaming with a dazzling golden light.

To Frania and Monine, if it weren't for the fact that the architecture of the "Golden Kingdom" was in this style and characteristic, they would almost have thought that some saint was casting some kind of holy spell that emitted a dazzling golden light.

"Luo Xiu...is he here?"

Franya's pupils widened slightly, and her jewel-like eyes, overflowing with pale gold, stared in a trembling gaze at the luxurious and magnificent scene before her, her expression somewhat stunned.

Compared to the architecture of the Holy Court, the architectural style of the Golden Kingdom is simply... too exaggerated.

Even a small manor villa along the street is decorated with an extravagance that would be far beyond the reach of ordinary people. Only the merchants and nobles of the "Golden Kingdom" would pay attention to such glittering decorations; to them, it was the most perfect symbol of their "wealth."

But Luo Xiu... will he really be here?
Not only Franja, but even Monigne was thinking about the same question before she came to this villa estate.

She turned around, wanting to look at the young merchant from the Golden Kingdom who had guided them here, hoping to find answers from him—but in the instant she turned, she saw no merchant. He had vanished from Monigne's sight, as if he had evaporated into thin air.

"...?"

Monigne's pupils contracted sharply.

She knew perfectly well that the young merchant from the Golden Kingdom who had brought her and Franya here must have been real, or at least had actually existed.

That wasn't actually a true superhuman or a saint, but merely... an artificially created individual, some kind of familiar? ...Monine's mind raced with these thoughts, and she quickly became certain that her guess was correct. No wonder she had been unable to ascertain the fate of that merchant from the Golden Kingdom.

All her perceptions and probes of him yielded only faint and vague responses—even when facing a Saint who had attained [nothingness], the responses wouldn't be so vague. But… when that young merchant appeared before her, the feeling was far too real, so real that Monigne didn't question anything else.

Then who created it? The creator's purpose was to lead him and Franya here… And how did he know the secret code the Saintess and he had agreed upon with Luo Xiu? And…

"..."

Monigne found the situation increasingly complicated, but at least for now, it wasn't the worst-case scenario. Furthermore, there wasn't a particularly strong spiritual surge around him, meaning that so far, he hadn't encountered any saints who had passed through the seven stages of destiny.

If the other party, like herself and Franya, deliberately conceals their spiritual aura and hides their spiritual energy, this perception will indeed fail. However, as long as the other party is secretly observing her and locking onto her at the "spiritual" level, even if it is only a very weak lock, she will definitely be able to sense it.

Monigne increasingly focused her spirituality, preparing herself for any sudden threat, but suddenly, in the next instant, the gates of the mansion before her opened—

Six waiters in white shirts and black vests, along with six maids in black and white dresses, filed out and surrounded Frania and Monine.

"May the golden winds shine upon you, distinguished guests."

The head waiter bowed to Frania and Monigne and said respectfully:

"Our master has been waiting for his guests for some time. Please come with us. Before our guests meet our master, Caroline, let's take our distinguished guests to have a proper welcome."

“Yes, sir.” The head maid, Caroline, responded gracefully.

This was a middle-aged woman, but she was very well-maintained and looked no more than thirty years old. At that moment, Head Maid Caroline looked at the still bewildered Frania and Monine, her slender, white fingers lightly lifting the hem of her spotless white skirt, and gracefully gave a curtsy, speaking in a respectful and gentle voice:

"Please follow us, guests."

Her voice was quite gentle, like a mother's loving voice. She simply stood there gracefully, and after she finished speaking, the other maids around her began to move.

“Wait…” Monigne was about to say something, but two maids came to her left and right and took her arms.

These maids were all ordinary people, not even superhumans with a dual destiny. Monine didn't sense any extraordinary spiritual energy from them. The same thing happened to Franya, whose two maids had already taken her arms.

Then, the maids led Frania and Monine toward the villa estate.

They walked quickly but very lightly, almost silently, like ghosts—they were maids who had received very professional and rigorous training. In the blink of an eye, Frania and Monine had been brought into the villa.

……

For the next hour, Frania and Monine truly experienced what it meant to be served with the aristocratic standards of the "Golden Kingdom"—

The maids led Frania and Monine to an elegantly decorated and luxurious bathroom, undressed them, and helped them immerse themselves in a jade bath filled with misty steam and pinkish water.

The bath was quite large—more like a privately owned "hot spring" than a bath.

A maid, holding a gilded long-cylinder water jug, slowly poured warm water mixed with rose essential oil onto the shoulders of Franya and Monine. The pale pink water slid down their collarbones, rippling along their perfect contours.

Another maid knelt beside the bath, holding a silver platter filled with fresh jasmine, occasionally scattering two or three white flowers into the water.

For Franja and Monigne, it was indeed an unprecedented "enjoyment"—

Although her heart was still filled with complex emotions and anxiety, Monigne knew that according to the etiquette of the "Land of Gold," such hospitality was an essential and indispensable part of meeting the masters there. The merchants of the Land of Gold placed particular importance on this etiquette, and Monigne temporarily accepted their service.

Leaning against the side of the bathtub, Monigne's golden eyes were also looking at Franya.

Although there were maids serving "Saintess" Franya in the Holy Court, none of them served her as comfortably and exquisitely as these maids. The Holy Court's precepts meant that they rarely had such moments of enjoyment, and always restrained them, making them try their best not to develop these worldly desires.

Although this was just a bath and had nothing to do with truly "indulging desires," and Monigne wasn't particularly interested in such a bath, she was still immersed in it, feeling the warm liquid rippling across her body.

But in Monigne's eyes...

Opposite her, at this moment, Franya's ivory-white skin was gleaming with a pearly luster, and her long, pure white hair, flowing like a waterfall, was tied up by a maid and loosely secured with a silver hairpin.

If we set aside her status as a saintess of the "Holy Court," Franya truly resembles a lady raised in a noble family, tenderly cared for by her parents, servants, and maids. She possesses a refined and elegant air, a noble quality that is beautiful, graceful, and inviolable, which is further accentuated by the service of her maids.

"……Um."

Enjoying the gentle massage of her shoulders and neck by a maid behind her, Franya let out a soft moan of pleasure.

They have been in the city of Agus for seven days now. During this time, apart from a few simple showers at their lodgings, Franya and Monine have not had such a thorough bath in a long time.

Next, behind Franya, the maid took a dollop of pale purple balm from a small pink bottle and used a sandalwood spoon to warm it in her palm before gently applying it to Franya's back.

A light, comforting fragrance suddenly spread and filled the entire bathroom.

On a low stool nearby, another maid was wiping a set of combs embroidered with flowers with a velvet cloth with gold trim. Clothes to be changed into were already hanging on the dressing rack, including a loose silk skirt with iris and lily of the valley embroidered on the hem, the hem trembling slightly in the rising steam.

……

This bath lasted for half an hour.

"That's all, distinguished guests, beautiful ladies."

The head maid, Caroline, who had been standing respectfully and elegantly beside the bath, spoke gently to Monine and Frania:
"This is the perfect time for a bath. I hope you two can wash away your fatigue and enjoy yourselves fully."

Next to the bathroom is the changing room.

The maids helped Frania and Monigne out of the bath and into the dressing room, where they helped them change into loose skirts, helped them sit on a classical stone chair, and dried their hair.

Once their hair was almost dry, the maids applied hair cream to Franya and Monine to make their hair look shinier and smoother, and then helped them change into petticoats.

Head Maid Caroline had already chosen suitable dresses for Monigne and Frania, and the maids quickly began to dress them up.

Beside Francia, a maid stood behind her, holding a corset, and skillfully tightened the ribbon with a slight turn of her wrist.

With each breath, she tightened her belt precisely until Frania's waistline formed the perfect curve. The young maids knelt on the ground, holding up the ruffles of her petticoat and carefully spreading them out like a morning cloud.

Another maid, holding a jewelry box, took out a pair of mother-of-pearl brooches adorned with pale pink pearls and deftly fastened them to the front of the dress. Every movement was just right—neither making Franya feel restricted nor hindering her from adhering gracefully to every fold of her garment.

Two maids were ironing the last wrinkle on her gloves with warm towels scented with citrus. On the dressing table were twelve combs for different purposes; the finest one was currently being used to tidy the stray hairs around Franya's ears.

Monigne's situation was much simpler—although the head maid Caroline had originally hoped that Monigne would wear such an elegant and noble pleated gown, Monigne strongly refused.

Unlike Frania, as a "Templar Knight", she was concerned about Frania's safety and might make some rather large movements at any time. So, with the help of her maid, she changed into a black short dress that was understated but also exuded nobility and luxury.

Just like a deacon of the "Holy Court" attending high-end occasions, Monigne felt that he no longer looked like a Templar Knight, but rather more like a Holy Deacon.

……

After they had changed into their gowns, head maid Caroline looked at Frania and Monine as if they were two newly completed works of art.

After a moment, she nodded, a satisfied expression on her face, and said:

"Okay."

"Two distinguished guests, beautiful ladies. You are now as beautiful and sacred as the morning dew and the rising sun."

"So solemn, so elegant, now we can take you to see our master."

"Please follow me, distinguished guests. I will lead you to the main hall where the host resides."

After speaking, head maid Caroline bowed respectfully to Frania and Monigne, then made an elegant gesture of "please".

"..."

"...let's go."

Monigne was already standing beside Frania, her right hand outstretched and placed protectively behind her back. She had never let her guard down from beginning to end, and now, as she was finally about to meet the owner of this Golden Kingdom mansion, she became even more cautious.

However, the head maid Caroline did not react to their wariness. She simply led them out of the dressing room, into the corridor of the mansion villa, and towards the hall where the "master" was.

The mansion was quite large; it took about two minutes to walk through the corridors. When the head maid, Caroline, led Frania and Monigne to a slightly ajar door, she stopped, turned around, and bowed respectfully and gracefully to Frania and Monigne, saying:
"Here we are."

"Please come in, our host is waiting for you, distinguished guests."

“…Hmm.” Monigne nodded slightly.

In fact, when the head maid Caroline was speaking, Monigne opened her spiritual senses and she had already sensed a very strong spiritual surge coming from the other side of the door, which was not restrained or concealed in any way.

It was a spiritual aura that seemed to radiate light, or something else entirely; Monine couldn't quite grasp it. But the one thing she was certain of was that it was also a Saint who had entered the "Sevenfold Destiny"—and a remarkably powerful Saint!
——Buzz! !
Without waiting for the head maid Caroline or Monigne to push the door open, the door swung open by itself.

Monigne's gaze could now penetrate the door and see the master of the house—the magnificent figure seated at the head of the hall.

A young figure.

A familiar figure. That handsome young merchant from the Golden Kingdom, with his black hair and striking features, even though he wore magnificent robes and various expensive gold ornaments, looking every bit the genuine Golden Kingdom merchant, Monigne would never mistake that face—

He is Rosh Carlos!

……

—Rossi Carlos!

When Monigne and Frania saw that the "owner" of this manor, who was sitting upright in the main seat, was none other than the person they had been hoping to see for the past few days, they felt a sense of relief.

No wonder that merchant from the Golden Kingdom we met earlier knew the agreed-upon code; it turns out that person was Luo Xiu himself…

Monigne also knew that Luo Xiu possessed many "ancient inherited" techniques, and was capable of creating such a clone without her recognizing it in advance.

But an even bigger problem then emerged—

Why is Luo Xiu now identified as a "merchant from the Golden Kingdom"?!

Why does he have a manor house in the Golden Kingdom in the city of Agus...? The servants and maids here all call him "Master". What has Luo Xiu been doing behind their backs?
"May the golden winds shine upon you, my long-awaited guests."

Sitting in the main seat, "Rossi Carlos" greeted them with a smile.

Then, he rose from his seat and walked into the hall, his footsteps echoing throughout the entire hall.

At the same time, Luo Xiu looked at Caroline, the head maid who was standing respectfully beside him, and said to her:

"Alright, Caroline. You can go now, and remember to close the door behind you."

"Yes, Master."

Head Maid Caroline responded respectfully, bowing gracefully to Luo Xiu, then to Franya and Monine before leaving the hall and closing the hall door behind her.

After the head maid Caroline left, Luo Xiu raised his right hand, and a pale golden light burst forth from his fingertips. The spiritual light then rose and unfolded, and a pale golden light curtain quickly adhered to the outline of the hall before disappearing into it, with the golden light vanishing without a trace.

A "golden barrier" had already been set up according to the hall's specifications. All the spiritual surging within was imperceptible to the outside world, and the conversation between Luo Xiu, Franya, and Monine was also impossible for outsiders to hear.

……

Only after finishing these tasks did Luo Xiu look at Franya and Monine, a smile appearing on his face, and then greet them once again:

"It's been a long time, Princess Franya, Knight Commander Monine."

“…Luo Xiu,”

Franya raised her head, her eyes brimming with brilliant gold scrutinizing Luo Xiu again and again until she was certain that the person before her was indeed Luo Xiu—both the spiritual energy emanating from him and his appearance felt familiar and so dear to Franya.

"Why are you……"

“I just arrived in Agus City today, and when I was in Red Maple City, I had some contact with a bank manager of the Golden Kingdom Bank in Pine Plains City. I used his identity to borrow these things in Agus City.”

Luo Xiu smiled at Franya and said,

"How is it, Your Highness Franja? If I hadn't had someone convey the agreement between you and Lord Monigne, neither of you would have recognized me—which precisely proves that using the identity of the 'Golden Kingdom' is safe. Nor will Finlake or the bishop of Saint Lelange in this city recognize me."

In fact, during the two hours that Luo Xiu arrived at the villa estate and prepared to rest, Jolis Florentino, the president of the Bank of the Golden Kingdom in Agus City, personally came over to see Luo Xiu, taking time out of his busy schedule.

Among the various families in the Golden Kingdom, with very few exceptions, the family elders are quite united, prioritizing the interests of their own families above all else.

The alliance between Luo Xiu and President Qiao Dewen was established long ago, and it extended not only to President Qiao Dewen but also to the entire Florence family. Therefore, when President Jolis of the Golden Kingdom Bank in Agus City received the token and family crest of "Qiao Dewen Florence" from his servant, he immediately understood everything.

Luo Xiu originally did not intend to meet with President Jolis.

However, President Jolis's visit also brought Luo Xiu more convenience. At that time, Luo Xiu told President Jolis that he had come here to investigate a matter related to the "Holy Court". President Jolis did not ask any questions and said that he would give the Florence family the greatest convenience and support. He also gave Luo Xiu the mansion where he was staying, as well as the servants and maids provided in the mansion.

Therefore, the servants and maids in the mansion called Luo Xiu "Master"—and under such circumstances, Luo Xiu no longer went to see Franya and Monine in person, but instead had Wu Ye create a real phantom to go to see them in his place.

After bringing Franya and Monine to the manor, Luo Xiu prepared to reshape them into new identities suitable for the city of Agus—given the influence of the Florentsa family in Agus City, this could be easily accomplished.

Luo Xiu recalled these events and briefly explained to Franya and Monine what had happened before they arrived.

Frania and Monine were both deeply surprised—they had no idea how Luo Xiu was able to leverage the resources of so many "Golden Kingdom" families. Luo Xiu only said that it was through the "Golden Sword Saint" Klein that he had forged relationships with these families during the Judgment War; he didn't say anything more.

Franya and Monine didn't ask any further questions. The advantages that Luo Xiu had were definitely beneficial to their next move—given the current situation, there was no need to delve into the details of these favorable conditions.

“However,” Monigne looked at Luo Xiu, his brow furrowing slightly and a hint of worry on his face as he observed his magnificent and luxurious attire, and said…
"Wouldn't this be... too conspicuous?"

"We're in the city of Argus investigating matters concerning 'First Cardinal' Finlake Saint-Larren, and we need to keep a low profile... but that makes it difficult for us to fade from the city's view..."

"Do you think that even if the 'First Cardinal' Finlake were standing right in front of you, he would recognize you and Princess Franya?"

Luo Xiu smiled and asked in return.

……

"..."

Monigne looked at Frania.

indeed.

Now, thanks to the maids' styling and dressing up, Frania's already beautiful appearance has been fully revealed. Her gorgeous dress adds to her noble and elegant aura. Just standing there, her demeanor is completely different from before.

That was an elegance and nobility that was sublimated from the sacred and solemn temperament that the "Saintess" naturally possessed. As for the "Saintess" Franya, she usually didn't wear makeup, or only wore simple, plain makeup. After being carefully dressed up like this, at first glance, you would absolutely, absolutely not recognize her as the "Saintess" Franya.

And Monigne himself was the same.

Even though she didn't receive the meticulous grooming and makeup from the maids like Franya, Head Maid Caroline still personally applied eye makeup to Monine. The head maid combed Monine's hair back and styled it as high and shiny as possible, while the black eyeshadow made Monine look more dignified. Standing next to Franya in her black short dress, she resembled a noble lady's personal knight.

No one would recognize her anymore… Monigne was certain of it. After being “remodeled” by Head Maid Caroline, Monigne had already seen her current appearance in the mirror.

Now, she had to admit that Luo Xiu was right—using the identities created for them by the "Golden Kingdom Bank" might be more effective than hiding in the city of Agus—being so high-profile that no one could recognize them as they used to be was the true way to keep a low profile.

"Alright." Luo Xiu's voice interrupted Monine's thoughts.

"You and His Highness arrived in Argus City earlier than I did. Have you made any discoveries in the past few days?"

"..."

“We have indeed discovered traces of Finlake’s activities around the city of Agus.”

When Luo Xiu finally inquired about their investigation of Finlake, Monigne's expression turned serious. She reviewed the clues she had gathered over the past few days and said:
“Outside the city of Agus, not far from the city’s outskirts, we have discovered three hideouts where Finlake once hid. One is the ruins of an abandoned factory; the granary of a barren field that no one cultivates anymore; and the lair left by a large beast.”

“We found traces of Fenlake’s spiritual presence in these places. There were also traces of open flames, indicating that Fenlake had been in these places for at least three days. In addition, there were some remains, some of animals and some of people.”

"The human corpses found in these places... were all superhuman beings of considerable caliber, and all showed obvious signs of being eaten. They were rather eerie deep marks, with human teeth marks, but more so those of wild beasts... and many tear marks that we cannot even imagine what caused them."

"demon."

Frania, who had been silently listening beside Monigne, spoke up at this moment:
“Those marks must have been left by a ‘demon’.”

“Besides these gruesome marks visible to the naked eye, the blood on those corpses—whether human or animal—was completely dried up. Apart from the bloodstains that had splattered from the wounds that caused their deaths onto the surrounding ground and walls, there was not a trace of blood left.”

"It's as if they've been completely devoured by something—not just their blood, but their very spirit has been completely consumed and wiped clean, leaving not a trace behind."

"..."

That was indeed a demon.

Listening to Franya and Monine say these things, Luo Xiu had already confirmed this.

It's not just demons who are bloodthirsty; the bloodthirsty members of Crimson Lotus are too—but those bloodthirsty thugs of Crimson Lotus wouldn't be so thoroughly bloodthirsty. Furthermore, there should be no involvement of Crimson Lotus heretics in the events related to Finlake.

However, from Franya's words, Luo Xiu also gleaned something else—

To devour blood along with spirituality... that's more like the most common characteristic of 'sacrifice' from another being outside the "demon" and also from the "Abyss".

After version 2.0, terrifying enemies will surge into every corner of the Fanor continent.

—That is the ruling race of the Crimson Continent, the only race outside the Great Seal on the surface of the Abyss, that is the "Ghost Race"!
The "Demon Clan" got its name from the fact that this race has been killing incessantly since birth, killing any other races they see, and even killing their own kind—they usurp and consume the souls of those they kill, making themselves stronger and more "demon-like"—that is the origin of their name "Demon Clan".

In the pancultural understanding of the continent of Fanor, "ghost" refers to the soul of an ominous death, a kind of malicious aggregate formed by distortion, and also refers to all ferocious, terrifying, and frightening things.

But there are actually many other names for the ghost race—"demon race" because they have demon blood and have twisted, sharp horns like demons; "red race" because their skin is mostly scarlet, like burning flames, and from a distance they look like a burning scarlet fire.

—And there are "vampires"!
Because the creatures they kill will have their blood completely consumed, leaving only a withered corpse—although they kill countless people, there are only mountains of corpses and no seas of blood in their wake, because they have consumed all the blood of their prey!
Now, what Franya said and what she discovered during the investigation of Finlake made Luo Xiu subconsciously think of them.

At this juncture, theoretically, the demon race was still fighting amongst themselves on the Crimson Continent, and each tribe remained independent. Even if the "Crimson King" Azagus had risen to power, it would still take time to unify all the demon forces.

But that's only in theory.

From a realistic perspective—having already obtained the precise time for the opening of the "Crimson Tide" and "Abyss Hanging" through the "Divine Revelation" ritual—Luo Xiu knew that the time for that terrifying calamity to finally descend was extremely, extremely close.

It was mid-September—less than three months ago. If the invasion of the Demon Race on the Crimson Continent into the other three continents was not an immediate war upon discovery, but rather a premeditated infiltration followed by a simultaneous outbreak from within and without, then the appearance of the first batch of Demon Race within the core territory of the Empire is not unimaginable.

Although Luo Xiu didn't know what had happened before the 2.0 version of "Crimson Tide" in his previous life broke out, it didn't stop him from making these divergent speculations.

This also extends to another, even more terrifying possibility—

It was Finlake Saint-Larren, the "First Cardinal," who, along with the demon behind him, had joined forces with the Oni who had infiltrated the Empire!

If that's the case, then dealing with Finlake is not just a matter for the "Holy Court".

That could affect the direction of the entire 2.0 version and beyond!
……

(End of this chapter)