Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 676 Donovan Saint-Larren (First Update)
Luo Xiu stared at the strong, bearded man in front of him, a glint in his eyes.

A calm smile appeared on Luo Xiu's face as he softly spoke to Prandell, the vice-commander of the "Godhunter" Templar Knights:

"—[Head towards the City of the Rising Sun.]"

"..."

"...!"

When Luo Xiu uttered the first part of the agreed-upon code to Prandel, Prandel no longer doubted Luo Xiu's identity. However, he glanced at the head maid, Caroline, who had been standing behind Luo Xiu, and then at Luo Xiu himself, who simply smiled and nodded.

"—[Before sunset, I will become a new day.]"

Prandell finished the sentence, then offered a simple but solemn sacrament to Luo Xiu, and in a low voice, gave Luo Xiu another greeting:
"Prandel greets you."

Along with Frania and Monine, the Templar Knights of Monine's "Godhunter Knights" infiltrated the city of Agus.

Franja and Monine arrived in Argus City first, while the two "vice-commanders," Prandell and Royce, later led the other Templar Knights in infiltration in batches. It was Prandell who informed him that Franja and Monine had left the capital for Argus City.

Often, the Templar Knights of the "Godhunter Knights" served as the link between Franya, Monine, and Rosh.

Including the two vice-commanders, there were a total of thirty Templar Knights who infiltrated the city of Argus. They were scattered in various locations throughout the city, carrying out their respective investigation and surveillance missions.

Just now, Luo Xiu felt two gazes directed at him. One of them came from Prandell, while the other gaze should have come from another "God Hunter" vice-captain, Royce.

The Church of Agus is a key target of surveillance by the Templar Knights of the "Godhunter" Knights Order.

Therefore, the two deputy leaders stayed on the main street outside the church. They also mingled among the believers, but did not participate in their activities or have any contact with any clergy. All they did was keep an eye on the church in Argus City without any oversight.

But now—around noon, when the crowd at the Church of Agus is at its densest and the atmosphere is at its most enthusiastic—the two vice-leaders will be monitoring the church at the same time, and one of the vice-leaders will not take a short break until around four o'clock in the afternoon.

And today—Plander has been monitoring the church in Argus for a full eight days.

Luo Xiu looked at Prandell, who was pretending to be a strong blacksmith, and thought about these things.

He then looked at his head maid, Caroline, who stood beside him, maintaining an elegant posture and waiting for any instructions he might give her, and said with a smile:

“Go and order a ‘Still Lake’ for my friend, Caroline.”

“Yes, Master,” Caroline replied respectfully.

Then she walked towards the coffee shop counter, and after she left, Rosh looked at Prandell again, smiled at him, and said:

"sit down."

"Tell me, have you discovered anything unusual at the Church of Agus City during this period?"

"..."

Prandell sat down as instructed. He looked around to make sure no one was watching or eavesdropping before speaking in a deliberately low voice:

"...As you can see, Roland...The church is usually this solemn and dignified. We haven't found anything unusual during the few days we've been monitoring the church."

“We haven’t sensed any unusual spiritual activity, and no heretics have attempted to disguise themselves as believers and infiltrate the church. However… we have also noticed that quite a few of the High Ones from the city of Agus have been repeatedly entering and leaving the church these past few days, which is noteworthy.”

"Hmm... Also, we've seen several of the church's 'Radiant Knights' leave through the church's back door at night, and... well, three Radiant Knights haven't returned to the church yet."

"That's all for now. We can't enter the church to conduct an investigation. These are the findings we've made so far regarding our surveillance of the church."

"..."

"I understand." Luo Xiu nodded.

It is normal for the Supreme One to frequently visit the church, after all, it has already been learned from President Jolis that the greatest "Knight of Heaven," Lukel, has been won over by the Saint Leron family.

As for the other thing Prandell mentioned, the "Radiant Knights" who left the church and have not returned to this day, they were probably on a mission for the church, which is not anything noteworthy.

In other words—at least on the surface—the Church of Argus City appears to be normal, and this is the only result that we, as well as the "Godhunters" Templar Knights of Prandell, have seen so far.

"Have you seen that Bishop Donovan Saint Leron?" Rosh asked Prandell.

"Bishop Donovan?"

Prandell pondered for a long time, then shook his head and replied:

"No."

“We never saw Bishop Donovan appear from beginning to end. However, we are certain that Bishop Donovan was in the church and he never came out.”

"The Knight Commander and His Highness, shouldn't they have mentioned to you? They entered the Church of Agus and saw Bishop Donovan."

"Even they didn't discover that Bishop Donovan had any problems... It would be best if this could clear Bishop Donovan of suspicion, but in any case, Bishop Donovan is now under our surveillance."

"He has never left the church?" Rosh asked Prandell to confirm.

“He has never left the church,” Prandell nodded, stating with certainty.

"……I see."

The "Divine Revelation" showed the First Cardinal Finlake and the primordial demon behind him ascending into the sky above Argus City. The point of origin for their ascent was the Church of Argus City. If Bishop Donovan had never appeared...

"..."

Luo Xiu pondered, considering the connections between them. Meanwhile, the head maid, Caroline, had returned, carrying a tray and cups. The baristas had prepared "Tranquil Lake" for Prandell, and Caroline had brought it with her.

This coffee, named after the "Tranquil Sacred Lake," is the signature drink of this lakeside café. Caroline handed Prandell the coffee, which he took but didn't immediately sip.

He was preoccupied with his thoughts, his gaze fixed on the church of Agus City across the lake. After a long while, he picked up his coffee cup, downed the pale brown coffee with its fruity and subtle sea salt aroma, then set down the empty cup, stood up, offered a final salute to Luo Xiu, and said:

"I'm going back." "Okay." Luo Xiu nodded.

He watched as Prandell was about to turn and leave, then suddenly spoke again, calling out to him—

"and many more."

Prandell stopped, turned around, looked at Luo Xiu, and waited for instructions.

"Go find Sister Fran and Captain Mona, and tell them that I will be entering the church this evening. Tell them... um, to go outside the city of Agus, to the south."

“If any unusual commotion comes from within the city of Agus, it means I have already taken action. Instruct Sister Fran and Captain Mona to act simultaneously—and all of you as well. You know what you should do.”

"..."

“Understood.” Prandell nodded solemnly.

Then, he turned and left again, and this time, Luo Xiu did not call him back.

He simply watched Prandell leave, then picked up his coffee cup and took a small sip.

"you……"

"Wait a little longer, Caroline."

When Prandell's figure had completely disappeared from Luo Xiu's sight, Luo Xiu looked at the Church of Agus City again, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"After that, you may go back, Caroline."

Luo Xiu said to Caroline.

She is just an ordinary person—despite her professional training.

"Roland Florence" needed Head Maid Caroline to highlight her status, but Luo Xiu didn't. And what Luo Xiu knew was that the time was drawing near—

The operation will begin once they enter the Church of Agus City. Luo Xiu isn't sure what will happen then, but it certainly—certainly—will be something an ordinary person like Caroline couldn't handle.

"Yes, Master."

Caroline bowed slightly in response with an elegant gesture.

She remained by Luo Xiu's side until dusk, until the sky was tinged with the colors of sunset.

……

evening.

Church of Agus, Inner Court.

In the Holy See—the seat of the presiding bishop of the Church, "Donovan Saint Leron"—the somewhat obese and bloated old bishop Donovan, with his thick beard, sat somewhat hunched over.

He held the ancient-looking sacred book in his hands, turned to one of the pages, and his slightly narrowed eyes focused on the ancient text recorded on the yellowed pages.

He had just given a lecture to other saints in the church. This time, he explained to the saints a sacred ritual technique passed down from the first Saint Leron.

Only the saints of the Saint Leron family, by arranging the rituals according to tradition, can greatly enhance the sacred rituals and obtain other special effects.

Even saints who are not of the "Saint Leron" bloodline can still achieve a certain degree of effectiveness by using modified techniques to arrange the rituals.

These are the main points of Donovan's sermons to the saints of the Church of Agnes this week.

Although similar lectures had been given before, Donovan knew that each lecture allowed the saints to gain more understanding and insights. The art of "Radiance" required repeated and multiple sessions of practice to achieve further progress.

"Um……"

Donovan held the ancient holy book in his hands, flipping through it, thinking about what he should teach the saints tomorrow.

This is precisely the duty of the bishops of the Church—to better nurture more saints so that the Church of Argus can achieve greater long-term development. The two elder brothers in the family, "First Cardinal" Finlake and "Second Cardinal" Azle, will have more influence within the Holy See.

And the influence of the Saint-Lerrand family will thus rise. Now that Pope Laurent is gone, the Saint-Lerrand family is the most glorious family behind the Holy See, and Donovan knows the mission he bears…

Donovan knew that although he was not in the Imperial City Holy Court and did not have a seat in the Holy Cardinal Bishops' Conference of the Holy Court, the "Saint Lelangen Family" of Argus City, as well as the Argus City Church that he had long managed, were his two older brothers' greatest support.

One must diligently and tirelessly manage the family's businesses in Agus City and the church in Agus City.

only……

"..."

When a blurry, cold image flashed through Bishop Donovan's mind, the expression on his face suddenly froze.

As if sensing something, Bishop Donovan raised his head and looked at the end of the long corridor where the saints paid homage to him. Suddenly, the wall lamps on both sides went out, and the corridor became dim in Donovan's eyes.

Da da.

Da-da, da-da.

Donovan heard footsteps approaching, growing clearer and clearer.

In the darkness, a silhouette was drawn.

“…Brother.”

Donovan looked at the person in front of him and greeted him.

……

(End of this chapter)