Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 695 Invitation

As Monine spoke, her golden eyes gazed at "Crimson War Chief" Hatula, her mind already made up.

Luo Xiu then looked at Monine—he hoped that Monine, through her battle with "Crimson Warhead" Hatula, had discovered exactly these things.

Version 2.0, the Crimson Tide is coming soon—the moment those crimson abyssal races set foot on the continent of Fanor, they are destined to unleash a bloodbath upon this land.

The terror of the crimson demon race lies in the "demon" blood flowing through their veins, which grants them extremely powerful bodies, and the "immortality" that Monigne speaks of originates from an even deeper source.

Those who have embarked on the path of the Abyss also possess the spirituality and power of "Dark Erosion." To all the extraordinary beings and saints on the continent of Fanor today, the spirituality of "Dark Erosion" is like a potent poison, capable of eroding and corrupting all other spiritualities.

Luo Xiu knew that he did know these things, but telling Franya and Monine directly would not be as direct or alerting as letting them discover them themselves.

Now, Monigne has become quite vigilant and attentive. After the fierce battle with the Great War Chief Hatula, she is already thinking about how to truly kill these "Crimson War Chiefs," and this is a good start.

Luo Xiu thought to himself.

After Monigne finished speaking, Luo Xiu nodded slightly and said:
"Yes."

“There must be a weakness that we haven’t yet discovered, a weakness that could inflict truly fatal damage on these ‘Crimson Warheads’.”

"I hope that Your Highness, and Lord Monigne, could entrust this Crimson Warhead to me? I will take him to Carlos's territory to study him secretly and analyze his weaknesses. That would be the best course of action."

"'Crimson Warhead' Hatulag is not suitable to be brought back to the Imperial Capital Holy Court right now. I will let you know after I get some good results."

"..."

Luo Xiu said this to Franya and Monine.

That was exactly what he was thinking—Franja and Monigne still needed to bring Finlake back to the Holy See, and if they also brought back "Crimson Warhead" Hatulag, it would inevitably cause a stir.

Moreover, Luo Xiu already knew that the Supreme Being plotted to dominate the Holy Court. Bringing back "Crimson War Chief" Hatula to the capital would be tantamount to handing over bargaining chips, which could have been used in negotiations, directly to the Supreme Being and to Emperor Augustusville.

In that case, only by taking Hatulaga to a place where the Supreme Being's hand cannot reach for the time being, that is, to his own "Saint Carlos Territory," will "Crimson Warlord" Hatulaga have the value of being a "bargaining chip," and only then can he be used to gain more benefits.

Similarly, this also means that the Supreme One will always need something from me. If the Supreme One really wants to do something to me, I will think it over carefully and be hesitant to act against it.

Furthermore, the forbidden knowledge about the fate of the [Abyss] that he already possessed, as well as more information about the "Crimson Tide," could be selectively and rhythmically released outwards through "Crimson Warhead" Haturag.

"..."

After hearing what Luo Xiu said, Franya and Monine looked at Luo Xiu at the same time, and then they looked at each other.

"indeed."

Monigne nodded and said:

“Right now, it is indeed…inconvenient for us to take ‘Crimson Warhead’ Hatulag back.”

She knew what Luo Xiu was thinking, and of course, she also knew the predicament the Holy Court faced after the fall of Pope Lorend. Bringing "Crimson Warhead" Haturag back to the Holy Court now would only make the already chaotic situation even more chaotic, which was not what Monine wanted.

If Luo Xiu indicated that he could take Haturag away, that would be even better—and, the only one capable of taking away the giant-like Haturag was probably the ancient dragon that Luo Xiu had contracted, Quesanx…

"Then, Luo Xiu, I'm counting on you."

Franya looked at Luo Xiu and said softly to him:

"Afterwards, once everything in the Church of Agus is back on track, the handling of 'Crimson War Chief' Hatulag will be left to you. After Teacher Monigne and I return to the Holy See, we will first deal with Finlake's matter. If there is more time, I will go to Saint Carlos's territory with Teacher Monigne."

"..."

"It's getting late... Your Highness." Luo Xiu nodded and said with a smile:

"Since the decision has been made, let's arrange it this way for now. However, you and Lord Monigne must be quite exhausted. The Church of Agnes can now let Bishop Donovan handle the aftermath himself, so you and Lord Monigne need to rest."

"Please return to the manor and get some rest. Head Maid Caroline should be waiting for you to return as well."

"..."

“Okay.” Franya nodded.

She was indeed exhausted—or rather, the most exhausted one right now was Franya. She looked at Monine and said to her:
"Let's do as Luo Xiu says, teacher. Let's go back and rest for a bit."

“If the Church of Agnes needs us again, we will go there. But until then… I am indeed a little tired, teacher.”

“Then let’s go back.” Monigne’s voice softened as she looked at Frania and said gently.

……

Afterwards, Frania, Monine, and Prandell, the vice-commander of the "Godhunter" Templar Order, who was also standing beside "Crimson War Chief" Hatulag at the time, gave him the mission.

Monigne instructed Prandell to lead the entire "Godhunter" Knights to continue strictly guarding "Crimson Warhead" Haturag, and to be constantly vigilant against any new Abyss Beasts and Demons that might emerge from this "scar".

This was the mission of the "Godhunter" Knights, and Prandell accepted the mission. Luo Xiu also summoned two angels to help them guard "Crimson Warhead" Haturag. After that, Franya and Monine were relieved to return.

They took Finlake with them, along with another vice-commander of the "Godhunter" Templar Knights, Royce, and returned to Roxiu's Golden Kingdom mansion in Argus City.

Fortunately, this golden mansion was not affected by that terrible calamity.

Luo Xiu had already instructed Fenrir to secretly protect the servants in the mansion. Although the servants were terrified by the disaster that had occurred the previous night, their fear had gradually subsided.

When Luo Xiu, Frania, and Monigne returned to the mansion, they found Head Maid Caroline waiting in the courtyard with the mansion's servants and maids. At Luo Xiu's instruction, Head Maid Caroline arranged new rooms for Finlake and Royce.

Royce, another vice-commander of the "Godhunter" Templar Order, was tasked with guarding Finlake.

That was his only mission after that. Until Franya and Monine left the city of Argus, Royce would stay here and would not leave again.

……

Two days passed quickly.

Two days have passed since the outbreak of the horrific calamity caused by Finlake.

Under the supervision and leadership of Bishop Donovan, the Church of Agnes is carrying out the aftermath of the disaster in an orderly manner and has entered the process of post-disaster reconstruction.

Now, a new temporary diocese has been established, and the church is gradually returning to stability. Luo Xiu has received a message from Franya through a messenger: at noon on this day, a "soul-sending ceremony" will be held for the fallen clergy of the Church of Agus. Afterwards, Franya, Monine, and the "Godhunter" Templar Knights will prepare to leave the city of Agus.

This was also Luo Xiu's arrangement; at noon, he would also go to the Church of Agus to attend the "Sending Off the Soul Ceremony" held by the church. However, before that, he had a few things to do in the city of Agus—

……

Agus City—Golden Country Bank.

Inside the bank president's office, President Jolis looked at the young saint opposite him with a shocked expression.

The president of the Gold Country Bank, after investigating and freezing the Gold Country accounts of the Saint-Léon family and Knight Commander Lukel for Rosh, went into hiding.

Just the night before, Jolis had returned, having already received advance notice that the 'calamity' that had occurred in the city of Agus had ended.

However, only a few hours after he returned to Agus City and the Gold Country Bank, the "Radiant Wise King" Rosh Carlos came knocking on his door.

Luo Xiu was sitting opposite him, smiling at him, and calmly telling him several things that, to President Jolis, were like a bolt from the blue—

"You mean—you mean those two saints who used the alias 'Florensa' were actually the Holy Maidens of the Holy Court, and the renowned 'Supreme Sword' Lord Monigne?!"

"You also said that two nights ago, that 'Holy Court'... First Cardinal, Finlake, really caused chaos within the Church of Argus? Thousands of people died or were injured as a result, and almost the entire church was destroyed by that terrible calamity. And that strange and powerful surge of spiritual energy at that time, was it really him?!"

“And you have already defeated him, and now, Cardinal Finlayk is... uh, in your manor? And being guarded by that ‘Holy Sword’ Monigne?!”

"And then there's Bishop Donovan... You said that Bishop Donovan was about to relinquish his position as Archbishop of the Church; not only that, but later you went to the City Lord's mansion, personally announced the City Lord's crimes, and personally killed the Knight Commander, and killed the 'Supreme' 'Heavenly Knight' Lukel?"

"..."

"So...now that I've returned, the 'Saint Lerons' of Argus City have lost their status...even Knight Commander Lukel from the [Supreme] side has already..."

"OMG……"

"I must be dreaming..."

"..."

When President Jolis heard Luo Xiu say these words, his expression became increasingly shocked, and even gradually turned into horror.

He had indeed thought that after Luo Xiu arrived and revealed his identity as the 'Radiant Wise King' and the 'Red Crown Prince' and his purpose, the city of Agus would definitely change—but he never expected that the change would be so terrifying!

Because of the calamity caused by "Fenlake Saint Leronen", the Church of Argus suffered a heavy blow. Not only that, but even the Supreme Court was reshuffled. At the same time, the "Radiant Wise King" was the one who caused the power of Bishop Donovan and Knight Commander Lukel to be "changed"!
President Jolis returned hoping to see if he and the "Golden Nation Bank" could gain any benefits from the disaster reconstruction efforts.

During the few days he spent in refuge, he had come to a realization: he could have simply frozen the accounts of Bishop Donovan and Knight Commander Lukel, and shifted the blame to Luo Xiu.
He could even use this as leverage—

It was "Radiant Wise King" Rosh Carlos who instructed him to do this, which meant that he had the support of the Wise King. With this identity and background, he could even negotiate new terms with Bishop Donovan and Knight Chief Lukel. After Rosh left, he and the Golden Country Bank could establish a deeper foothold in Argus City and achieve better development!

But all of this has now shattered like a dream – President Jolis could never have imagined that the reshuffling of Agus City would happen so quickly and so thoroughly.

Afterwards, the Imperial Court will surely send a new "Supreme" to replace "Heavenly Knight" Lukel and take control of Argus City, while the Holy Court will also send a new Saint to take control of the Church. If this is the case, then I, who have deep ties with the former Archbishop and the former City Lord, will inevitably be affected.

At that time, Argus City was not safe for him—Luo Xiu came here specifically to tell him this, perhaps also to remind him to make plans early…

"..."

……

That's how it is.

Luo Xiu crossed his arms and placed them lightly on his knees, smiling as he looked at President Jolis across from him, and said:

"So, that's all I'm telling you now that I've come here."

“Now, the situation of the Church of Agnes has almost stabilized. President Jolis, Her Highness the Saintess, Lord Monigne, and I will be leaving soon, so I am here to ask you to do one last thing for me.”

"..."

"Tell me, is there anything else I can do for you?"

President Jolis sat up straight and cautiously asked Luo Xiu.

“Previously, I asked you to transfer the storage in Bishop Donovan’s account, the ‘Saint Lelong’ family’ account, and Lukel’s account to the account I gave you. Now, you can unfreeze Bishop Donovan’s account and transfer the portion that belongs only to Bishop Donovan back to him in batches.”

"As for the rest, President, those funds that have no whereabouts or source, now that Sir Lukel is dead and Finlake Saint-Larren has confessed, you know that I, in my capacity as the Red-Crowned Prince, have confiscated them."

“…I understand,” President Jolis replied respectfully.

To President Jolis, this was perfectly normal—he had anticipated that Luo Xiu would do this.

“I will handle these… The Saint-Larren family’s savings, and those of Lukel Havengard, are yours now, and yours alone. No one will have any objection to your decision.”

"What other orders do you have?"

"..."

"President Jolis, let's talk about you."

Luo Xiu looked at President Jolis, a smile appearing on his face. Under the president's somewhat stunned gaze, he spoke to him:
"Perhaps you're also thinking that the current city of Agus is no longer suitable for your development."

“I have a suggestion—how about we go to the territory of Saint Carlos?”

“I intend to open a Gold Country Bank business in San Carlos territory, and I also need banking talent to handle some finances for me, give me timely advice, and manage my assets.”

“You are the right person, President Jolis. I intend to hire you as my financial advisor and entrust the management of some of the source industries to the Florence family.”

"Just as I said at the beginning—you can have a place in the St. Carlos Territory that I will be building after me."

"I came all this way specifically to extend this invitation to you. And what do you think, President Jolis?"

……

(End of this chapter)