Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 670 Investigation and Arrangements (7k!)
"Outside the city of Agus, in the place where Finlake once stayed... the ruins of an abandoned factory, the barren granaries of desolate fields, and the lair of large beasts..."

As he pondered, Luo Xiu savored what Monine had told him.

He didn't immediately tell Frania and Monine about his speculations regarding the involvement of the "ghost clan." After a moment's thought, he asked them:

"Is there anything else?"

"...Regarding these things, the place where Finlake once hid, Rosh."

Franya said:
"They were located to the east, north, and west of the city of Agus, each about a mile away. In these hiding places, the remains of the dead were dismembered and stacked like some kind of... 'altar,' which I suspect was some kind of forbidden ritual."

“You told me, didn’t you, Luo Xiu? Back then, in the ‘Divine Revelation,’ you saw Cardinal Finlayk’s near-mad screams and wails… You sensed the spiritual aura of the ‘Void,’ but our investigation revealed that it wasn’t just the ritual atmosphere of the ‘Void,’ but more like preparation for a larger, nested ritual…”

"Yes. In addition, Professor Monigne and I also discovered that around the strongholds where Finlake once hid, there was a dark aura rising from the depths of these strongholds—that was the spiritual reaction of the 'Scars,' but it had not yet fully formed, and no new monsters of the 'Abyss' had emerged yet."

“These rudimentary ‘scars’ are still dormant. In order not to alert them and disturb Fenlake, Master Monine and I did not seal them immediately. Instead, we tried our best to determine the complete location and scale of these ‘scars’. Once their aura changes, we will deal with them accordingly as soon as possible.”

"..."

“…Hmm.” Luo Xiu nodded as he listened to what Franya was saying.

"That's right, Your Highness."

He told Frania, “We cannot rule out the possibility that Finlake is using these ‘scars’ to attract our attention. We should be wary of it. Compared to what I saw in the ‘Divine Revelation,’ all the ‘scars’ combined pose no greater threat than Finlake.”

"So, Your Highness Franja, Lord Monine, during your time in Argus City, did you discover anything unusual about the Church of Argus City? Also, did you find out the exact location of Cardinal Finlake's hiding place?"

"..."

"The Church of Agus... We have been walking around and observing in Agus for seven days, and at least on the surface, we have not seen any impact on the operation of the church."

Monigne pondered for a while, then said to Luo Xiu:
“The night before last, I sneaked into the church in Agus City and into the bishop's seat where Bishop Donovan was. Bishop St. Le Langen was explaining the sacred meaning of the scriptures to the other bishops. I observed him for two hours. After the other bishops left, he went back to his room to rest and did nothing else.”

“At least Bishop Donovan seems normal now, but… I’m not sure, Rosh. When we actually face Finlake head-on, I’m not sure whether Donovan will side with Finlake or with the ‘Holy Court,’ or with us.”

“This is our concern,” Franya nodded slightly and said, “Bishop Donovan Saint Leron, a Cardinal of the Sevenfold Path of Radiance… His power, whichever side he leans towards, will have a huge impact on us.”

“I hope he… I hope Bishop Donovan will remain steadfast in the purity and faith of [Glory]. In the face of such matters of right and wrong, he will not be bound by the blood of Saint Leran, nor led astray into depravity and error.”

"So, on the last day before the calamity appears, as revealed by the 'divine revelation,' my teacher Monigne and I will go to the church in the city of Agus to meet Bishop Donovan in person, show him everything, and negotiate with him. I don't know what the outcome will be... but it is something I must do."

"..."

"Then, another question, Luo Xiu."

After Franya finished speaking, Monine changed the subject and said to Luo Xiu:
“You just asked us if we had real-time information about Finlake’s whereabouts—yes, Rosh.”

“We do know Finlake’s current location. He’s not hiding very well, and his movements do follow certain patterns.”

“As I have already said, his first three hiding places were located north, east, and west of Agus City, about a mile away. His last hiding place was south of Agus City—also about a mile away. We have already discovered that it is a small natural hill, and Finlake is in a huge, naturally formed cave.”

“However, Your Highness and I did not approach rashly—from direct observation, there was nothing unusual about that rocky cave and its surroundings, but the [Holy Crown Tablet] that Your Highness possessed showed a considerable amount of [Abyss] spiritual energy surging at the location of that cave. Finlake is nurturing... or rather, incubating something.”

"..."

Finlake's real-time location is south of Argus City?
Finlake's four strongholds are located around the east, south, west, and north of Agus City, and are all within a mile of Agus City—this location selection, as Franya said, intuitively suggests, is a pre-arranged nesting for a larger ceremony...

Luo Xiu was thinking about these things.

In the "Divine Revelation," Luo Xiu finally saw the completely corrupted Finlake and the "Primal Demon" behind him appear in the sky above Argus City, which at that time was a dead city where no one survived.

So, everything that Frania and Monine discovered pointed to Finlake's ultimate goal—to completely 'sacrifice' the city of Aggus! To allow the 'Primordial Demon' Accipiles to complete his ascension to demonhood, and also to allow Finlake to break through his bottleneck!

Through this ritual, Finlayk could indeed transform the "Void" of his second destiny into the "Abyss," becoming the "Lord of the Filthy Sun"—and then have the "Primal Demon" Accipiles assist him in harmonizing and assimilating the power of "Radiance" and "Abyss," thereby gaining power beyond the limits of the "Seven Destinies."

This power may not be as strong as that of a "demigod," but it is more than enough to surpass Finlayk's previous power. And given time, whether it is the [Radiance] or the [Abyss] that waxes and wanes, and the power of the other path is completely harmonized and assimilated, it can achieve a kind of "purity."

This is the only way Luo Xiu knows, besides the "Heart of Revelation" he possesses, that allows [Radiance] and [Abyss] to coexist.

Although this coexistence is not perfect, and its essence is merely to delay the fundamental contradiction and conflict between the spiritual nature of [Radiance] and [Abyss], it is sufficient for Finlake at present.

Ultimately, for Finlayk, only one path will remain—either [Radiance] or [Abyss] will become the only one, at which point he will regain the qualification to ascend to "demigod".

Perhaps Finlake was planning something like that... Luo Xiu thought to himself.

"I already understand the general situation."

Luo Xiu nodded, then looked at Franya and Monine and said:
"Then—let's get moving according to the previous plan. We have four days... no, three days. This manor will be our base. If we make any other discoveries, let's keep in touch."

"Yes." Franya and Monine nodded solemnly.

Thus, their first exchange of information after meeting with Luo Xiu was completed.

Then, Luo Xiu gently raised his right hand, and a bright golden light appeared at his fingertips, removing the golden barrier that had been placed around the edge of the entire hall.

The waiters and maids who had been waiting outside the hall could hear the sounds again.

Caroline.

Luo Xiu called out to the outside of the hall.

The heavy doors of the hall were then pushed open with a slightly heavy sound, and the head maid Caroline appeared between the two doors. She looked at Luo Xiu with a gentle and respectful expression, and with both hands she lifted the hem of the maid's skirt, and bowed respectfully and gracefully to Luo Xiu, then to Franya and Monine.

"You called me, master. What are your orders?"

"Take your two guests with you and make sure they have lodgings at the manor. Remember, they are my important guests, Caroline. Tell the others to take good care of my guests."

“Yes, Master,” Head Maid Caroline replied with a bow.

“Serve the guests the same way you would serve me.” Luo Xiu smiled and said to Caroline as a final word, “Alright, go. I think the guests are getting hungry. Prepare lunch for them to the highest standard.”

“Yes, Master.” Head Maid Caroline bowed respectfully in response.

Then, following Luo Xiu's instructions, the head maid led Franya and Monine away from the hall and arranged accommodations for them in the manor. It was on the third floor of the large villa, with two large single-level rooms—the largest one was given to Franya, while the smaller one, closer to the entrance staircase, was given to Monine.

Luo Xiu himself lived on the top floor, but now was not the time to rest. Afterwards, Luo Xiu went to the restaurant on the second floor and enjoyed a lunch cooked by the head maid Caroline with Franya and Monine. The three of them then left the manor and went to various parts of Agus City to carry out their own missions.

……

The original "Saintess" Franya, after being meticulously groomed and dressed by the maids of the manor, now moves about in the city of Agus with a brand new appearance and temperament.

Luo Xiu arranged carriages for both her and Monine, and also assigned new identities to both Franya and Monine.

Franya is temporarily using the name "Fran Florenza," the eldest daughter of the main branch of the Florenza family; while Monine is temporarily using the alias "Mona Florenza," and is a Grand Guardian and Chief of the Guard of the Florenza family, as well as the personal bodyguard of "Fran Florenza" on this trip.

According to the agreement they had reached with Luo Xiu, Miss "France Florence" came to Agus City from the Golden Kingdom as arranged by her family to meet President "Jolis Florence" and learn about the family's businesses and some financial and banking management knowledge from him.

Accompanying Miss Fran was her younger brother, "Roland Florenza"—that was Luo Xiu's new identity. The family elders also dispatched the family's guardian, "Mona Florenza," to protect Miss Fran and young master Roland. This was the identity of the three of them in Agus City.

Franya and Monine had already boarded the carriage arranged by Luo Xiu and begun their journey through the city of Agus, while Luo Xiu walked alone to the Gold Kingdom Bank in Agus.

This time, he really had to pay a visit to President Jolis.

……

Agus City—Golden Country Bank.

In the magnificent, gilded bank building, on the top floor overlooking half of the city of Agus, in the office of President Jolis Florentino, President Jolis was personally receiving a "guest" of great importance to both the bank and the Florentino family.

Wearing the magnificent attire of the Golden Kingdom, the handsome and flamboyant young master Luo Xiu was sitting on the soft sofa in the bank manager's office, leaning back against the velvet back cushion, his legs crossed, his posture casual and relaxed.

On the opposite side, on another soft sofa, President Jolis, dressed in a dark blue peak lapel suit, with a very clean face, and who appeared short but shrewd and capable, seemed somewhat reserved. He sat there upright, repeatedly scrutinizing the elegant young man in front of him.

“Holy Cardinal… Your Excellency Rosh.” After a long pause, President Jolis finally spoke, saying with some helplessness, “You seem… completely different from how you are as a ‘Cardinal.’ But are you really going to make this decision? Perhaps…”

"..."

Ten minutes earlier, Luo Xiu arrived at the Golden Kingdom Bank from his manor residence and directly told the waiter that he wanted to go to President Jolis's office. Given his status among the major families of the "Golden Kingdom," the waiter dared not neglect him and led Luo Xiu directly to President Jolis. Luo Xiu cut to the chase and told President Jolis that he and his two "guests" would act as members of the Florence family.

Luo Xiu asked President Jolis to help issue relevant identity documents and certificates. Luo Xiu also told President Jolis that he hoped to investigate the Church of Agus City through the bank's channels—especially the Saint Lelange family—to see if there were any obvious abnormal financial flows.

These two requests certainly gave President Jolis a headache—but President Jolis knew that when Luo Xiu came here, his tone of voice was more like "notifying" him than discussing things with him.

President Jolis had already heard that the young saint before him was the youngest newly appointed cardinal of the "Holy Court," and also the "Radiant Wise King" and newly appointed Imperial Marquis, personally bestowed by Emperor Augustusville, the ruler of the Empire. President Jolis knew that he had no right to refuse.

But to President Jolis, his demands sounded dangerous.

"As you know, Your Excellency Luo Xiu," Bank President Jolis said, adjusting his words with a somewhat humble tone.
“In the city of Agus… the Saint Leron family of the ‘Holy Court’ has a deeply entrenched foundation and a complex web of influence. I’m concerned that you are conducting this investigation under the guise of the Florence family…”

"..."

President Jolis was worried that the Florence family's businesses in Agus City would be affected by the backlash from the Saint Lelange bloodline—indeed, in Agus City, the Saint Lelange family's saints wielded power even greater than the [Supreme], and their business dealings with the Golden Country Bank were quite frequent.

The dilemma facing President Jolis lies in the fact that this young Cardinal, the Empire's "Wise King," is directly asking him to make a choice right here and now—

From the perspective of the alliance between the family and Luo Xiu, the Florence family should unconditionally stand on Luo Xiu's side and support any actions he takes;
However, from the perspective of the Bank of Agus City-Golden Kingdom, conducting these investigations into the Saint Lelangen family could lead to a rapid deterioration in the relationship between the family and the saints of Saint Lelangen, putting the bank in a situation where it faces enemies on all sides in Agus City.

"You have no idea what kind of blasphemy the saints of 'Saint Lelangen' are secretly committing, do you?"

Luo Xiu smiled at President Jolis, and in President Jolis's eyes, he saw Luo Xiu raise his right hand slightly, and a surge of intense spiritual energy enveloped him.

Like President Qiao Dewen, President Qiao Lisi is also a Saint who has entered the fifth level of the [Void] Destiny. He can feel that the spirituality of [Radiance] has enveloped him. Luo Xiu can clearly perceive the slight tremor of spirituality caused by his answer.

This is an inquiry in which lying is not an option.

President Jolis understood this. He looked somewhat timidly at the "Radiant Wise King" Luo Xiu, who was now exuding an aura of power and dressed in a golden style, and swallowed hard.

“In the name of Florence, I swear that I have not participated in any activities by the saints of the Saint Leron family that violated the precepts, rules, or contracts.”

"..."

Whoosh—the spiritual aura surrounding President Jolis gradually dissipated, and Luo Xiu placed his right hand back on his knee, smiling as he said to Jolis:

"Please understand, this is a necessary procedure."

“Well then, I can tell you now—listen carefully. The Holy See’s ‘First Cardinal’ Finlake disappeared nearly half a month ago. We’ve discovered that he’s colluded with cultists and is now on the opposite side of the Holy See and the Empire. That’s why we’re here to investigate his whereabouts, and at the same time, to investigate the Saint Leron family.”

"President Jolis, I am here today in the capacity of a Cardinal of the Holy Court, a Radiant Wise King, and an Imperial Marquis and Red-Crowned Prince. I represent the will of the Holy Court and His Majesty Emperor Augustusville, and you are my chosen assistant. I hope you understand your position."

"..."

"Huh? Hmm..."

When President Jolis heard Luo Xiu speaking to him with a smile, yet with such seriousness, he visibly panicked.

The feeling was like that of an ordinary citizen suddenly chosen by the emperor, who said, "You are the key person to solve the country's most pressing problem." Jolis felt apprehensive, but also delighted.

He knew that Luo Xiu was revealing these identities not only in hopes of his cooperation, but also to give him an opportunity—if he could help Luo Xiu resolve these issues and preserve the family's assets in Agus City amidst the foreseeable chaos, his status within the family would surely rise, and he might even be able to take the position of Grand Elder.

As for someone of Luo Xiu's status, I heard that he personally met with two guests from the capital at noon and arranged for them to stay at the hotel. Although President Jolis did not know who they were, after years of experience in the business world, he could immediately tell that they were not simple people and should be important figures of the same level as Luo Xiu.

That is, three... Saints who have entered the "Sevenfold Destiny" realm are currently living in the manor house that I gave to Luo Xiu. If they really want to target the Saint Lelangen family of Argus City, three Saints who have entered the "Sevenfold Destiny" realm are enough to cause a huge uproar in Argus City!

“…Alright.” President Jolis nodded and decided, “Please give your orders, Lord Luo Xiu.”

Having secured President Jolis's support, Luo Xiu nodded in satisfaction.

Before arriving here, he had already investigated the bank manager. His resume was clean, and during his previous conversation with Bank Manager Qiao Dewen through the "Golden Window," Qiao Dewen also spoke highly of this fellow clansman, considering him a potential ally.

If Jolis refuses, or if Jolis's resume is not as clean as it seems, Luo Xiu will not hesitate to use "mad devotion" on him—but we haven't reached that point yet, which is a good development.

Unlike Franja and Monine, who took direct action in their investigations.

With connections within the Golden Nation, Luo Xiu knew that the most direct and easiest way to investigate the Saint Lelangen family was to investigate the flow of funds. In the city of Agus, most clandestine transactions or fund transfers did not go through the Imperial Bank, but rather through the Golden Nation Bank.

This is basically a consensus among most high-ranking officials—from the perspective of imperial officials, since they use the Gold Country Bank's accounts, it is actually very difficult for the imperial upper echelons to obtain complete accounts when they want to investigate them.

However, with the help of President Jolis, sorting out the accounts of the Saint-Léon family is not a difficult task—although the flow of most funds has become extremely dispersed along the way, as long as there is a clear source and a clear destination, it can always be sorted out. This is President Jolis's skill.

Only Luo Xiu could entrust Jolis with these tasks, not even the true "Supreme" Red Crown Prince could—this was the benefit of forming alliances with the major families of the Golden Kingdom and signing several important "Golden Contracts," a privilege that Luo Xiu could enjoy.

“So, regarding my new identities, and those of my two guests, in the city of Agus,” Luo Xiu said with a smile, “from now on, I will be called ‘Roland Florenza,’ I have an older sister named ‘Fran Florenza,’ and the head guard who brought me here is called ‘Mona Florenza.’”

“…Okay.” President Jolis nodded.

“I’ll make the arrangements. You can sit here for a while and you’ll get your identification documents shortly. Any actions you take in Agus City will be backed by the Gold Country Bank, as long as you don’t do anything that will be difficult to handle without sufficient evidence…”

"You can rest assured about that," Luo Xiu said with a smile. "Back in Songyuan City, President Qiao Dewen had similar concerns, but as you can see, nothing has happened so far."

In other words, he and Bank President Jodwin secretly kidnapped and interrogated a Throne Knight... then he killed the Marquis of Vezia's illegitimate son, and through this incident, he simply tied his interests together with Bank President Jodwin and the Florence family...

general.jpg
"...I hope so." President Jolis sighed.

Now that things have come to this, they're already on the wrong path. President Jolis has already submitted, and he'll do whatever Luo Xiu says obediently.

“Also, regarding the investigation into the Saint-Larren family’s financial flows,” Luo Xiu said with a smile to President Jolis, “I hope to get results as soon as possible.”

"...I'll get it done as soon as possible, and I'll give you an answer the day after tomorrow...no, tomorrow."

President Jolis said.

President Jolis agreed to these terms and was quite cooperative, which was exactly the result Luo Xiu wanted. He nodded in satisfaction.

Then, Luo Xiu stood up from the soft sofa, and Bank Manager Jolis, seeing this, quickly stood up as well. Luo Xiu then said to him:
"Thanks a lot."

"Once this is all over, I will reward you according to the golden contract I signed with the Florence family. If there is an opportunity, I will also mention you to the elders and great elders of the Florence family and other families, which may be of some help to you."

"..."

"...!"

President Jolis understood the significance of what Luo Xiu had said.

If a key ally of the family, like Luo Xiu, speaks up for them on important occasions, the status and power they desire will not be unattainable, but rather readily attainable. Perhaps the family will entrust them with more business, and their standing within the family will rise accordingly!
"Thank you, Lord Luo Xiu... Your Majesty the Wise King."

Jolis thanked Luo Xiu respectfully.

“You can still just call me 'Roland',” Luo Xiu said with a smile. “At least in Agus City, my current identity is 'Roland Florence,' so you can just call me by my current name.”

"Well then, I'm leaving now. I hope you can bring me good results next time we meet."

Done.

Luo Xiu turned around and walked out of the bank manager's office.

President Jolis personally escorted him to the second floor of the Gold Country Bank before having a waiter escort Luo Xiu out of the bank and arrange a carriage for him.

after that.

Luo Xiu rode in a carriage and headed out of the city of Agus—

His next task was to personally investigate what Frania and Monigne had told him.

Regarding Finlake's former and current hiding place.

What Luo Xiu was most cautious about from the beginning was the "Primal Demon" behind Finlake. Now, he was going to investigate personally whether there were any traces of Him left in those hiding places.

……

(End of this chapter)