The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　During the time he sat in the underground base, new information came in almost every few minutes.

　Moreover, this situation has reportedly continued for several hours. It gives the impression that the members of the Holy Church haven't slept since the early hours of the morning.

　—Maybe I really didn't sleep.

　After all, how many people could continue to sleep peacefully after learning the current situation? "The Holy War Knights have already set off from the capital."

　"Traces of the artifact guardian elders have been discovered." "Elder Edmund Raleigh is among them." "Martial law has been declared at the Holy Church's encampment in the City of Freedom." "The Holy Church contestants who have advanced to the preliminaries have been placed under protection."

　"The Holy Church's intelligence network is more active than ever." "Rumors are already circulating that the paladins have disappeared." "The 'Lich' Sloan was spotted at a restaurant." "The restaurant was surrounded by paladins two minutes later."

　"After the news spread, Sloan bought a burger, fries, fried chicken, and lemon tea combo at the restaurant."

　"Intelligence personnel expressed their bewilderment at this."

　"There's no doubt that while liches don't need to eat, those transformed from humans usually retain the habit of eating and most even have a tongue that can taste flavors. They believe this helps them maintain their humanity."

　"It seems our fast food invention has won over the Lich's palate." "The Pope has issued a holy decree to eliminate the 'Lich' Sloan at all costs."

　"The Holy Church has issued an arrest warrant, offering a huge reward for anyone who discovers Sloan's whereabouts."

　"Sloan has been spotted near the Temple of Nix." "Our people received a huge reward from the Holy Church, confirming that the wanted poster was true."

　"Let's split the prize money."

　"Thank you, young master."

　"＂

　"Rumors circulated that the Holy Church attacked Slon to seize his 'Card of God,' but were ultimately killed in retaliation."

　"The Holy Church has not refuted the rumors, and those spreading them are using this as evidence to propagate the theory that the Holy Church poses a threat. Mages who are fortunate enough to obtain the 'Card of God' should learn to protect themselves."

　"The person who spread the rumor has been arrested; it was the Magic Alliance's doing."

　"The Magic Alliance issued an urgent clarification, stating that there is a personal feud between the Holy Church and Sloan, and that the Alliance will provide protection for law-abiding registered magicians."

　"Rumors are circulating that the four contestants who used the 'God Card' in the preliminary rounds have been divided among the Holy Church, the Alliance, and the Royal Family. The evidence cited is that Alice, the holder of the 'God Card,' was seen entering the Alliance Hotel, Reggie Hodge was having lunch with members of the Royal Family at a high-class restaurant, and Thompson was also reportedly hunted down by paladins."

　"The person spreading the rumors has been arrested; it was done by the royal faction."

　"Speaking of lunch..."

　"Archbishop Sabrina Melville has sent a letter requesting to have lunch with you."

　"Make the arrangements." "Yes, young master."

　Dak took the letter from Archbishop Sabrina, glanced at it casually, and put it back on the table.

　It was indeed difficult to refuse Archbishop Sabrina's invitation.

　It's unclear whether this was Sabrina's personal invitation or the Holy Church's intention.

　Dark twirled the "Orb of Truth" in his hand, pondering for a moment. He had originally planned to disguise himself as Thompson and go outside after lunch.

　With black eyes and the ability to use Thompson's complete set of magic cards, impersonating Thompson would be a piece of cake for him.

　But this was originally a very low-yield activity, only suitable as a pastime during rest time, and one had to be extremely lucky to obtain intelligence.

　Since other things have come up now, let's put them aside for the time being.

　With that in mind, Dak changed into slightly more formal casual clothes under the maids' attire.

　"Young master, I wonder if you could extract some information from the archbishop?" Laura bent down and whispered in his ear.

　Dark smiled slightly: "Let's give it a try."

　A short while later, Dakdimon arrived at (Mingguang Restaurant) by carriage.

　This restaurant, which has three floors and extremely high entrances, was built with funding from the Holy Church.

　The Holy Church's base in the City of Freedom was located near this restaurant. This was naturally Dak's first time here.

　Accompanying him was Ms. Joliet from the "Lion Palace." She served as his guard, his maid, and also recorded their conversations. The two entered the dining room one after the other.

　It was lunchtime, and the first floor of the "Mingguang Restaurant" was packed. Surprisingly, however, many tall orcs were also seated there.

　A restaurant run by the Holy Church was serving orcs—an absurd scene that was actually playing out in real life.

　Dark couldn't help but look around and found that the beastmen seemed to be influenced by the environment, and were quite quiet, with little rude behavior.

　Among the shop assistants responsible for greeting customers were half-orcs, who seemed to have been hired directly from the City of Freedom.

　He walked to the stairs leading to the second floor, turned his head and glanced at the entrance, and saw that orcs were still entering the store one after another.

　They whispered and pointed at each other, but they quieted down as soon as they entered the room.

　It seems to be saying...

　"This store is indeed very tall." It turns out it's because the entrance on the first floor is tall enough!

　Dak suddenly realized.

　Many orcs are born extremely tall due to their racial characteristics, and would feel somewhat cramped sitting behind a human-sized building.

　No one likes the feeling of being able to touch the ceiling with their hand.

　This restaurant appears to have nothing to do with Christianity, but its first floor is spacious and high-ceilinged, and the menu offers good value for money. Coupled with the quality assurance backed by Christianity, it's no wonder that it attracts a steady stream of tourists.

　"It seems that as long as the Holy Church is willing to let go, it can quickly integrate into the masses." Dak turned and walked towards the second floor.

　The second floor is a high-end dining area with wider spacing between tables and better service. The most distinctive feature is that a service charge is charged, so there aren't many ordinary tourists dining here.

　Dak didn't observe any further and went straight up to the third floor.

　The third floor is the private room area, which is well soundproofed, has a beautiful environment, and is extremely private.

　Archbishop Sabrina did not specify the box number, but as soon as Dak arrived, a young priest ran over to guide him.

　"Wait a minute."

　As Dak entered the private room, he smiled at Sabrina inside.

　Sabrina glanced at Joliet behind him and said, "I just arrived recently, it's already a pleasure to have you here."

　Darke gestured for Joliet to close the door, then sat down directly opposite Sabrina.

　The table was set with many delicate snacks, only two sets of tableware were prepared, and there was a pot of black tea in the center.

　Sabrina got up to pour tea.

　Dark didn't refuse, and said with a smile, "Let's get straight to the point, what do you need me for?"

　Sabrina smiled and said, "This is not a private matter; I am here on behalf of the church to discuss this with you."

　Dark couldn't help but show a hint of regret, saying, "I thought it was a private matter, I'm happy for no reason."

　Sabrina couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, "I never realized you had such a sweet tongue before."

　Dark shook his head and said seriously, "I think you want to improve yourself."

　"Ambitious," Sabrina took a moment to realize, and couldn't help but laugh, "You don't think I want to be the head referee, do you? Please, I finally managed to jump out of that quagmire, why would I want to go back?"

　Dark said, "As the chief referee, I don't want to..."

　Sabrina smiled and shook her head: "Let's not talk about that for now. You know Sloan, besides being ambitious, this is the only reason she came here."

　Dark said, "I know a little, but not much. What, you want my help?"

　This time, Sabrina did not deny it: "That's right. I'm here on behalf of the Holy Church to seek cooperation."

　Dark frowned: "Sloan has become such a threat to you."

　The Holy Church and the Duke's Palace belonged to two different factions and held completely opposite political views; it would not be an exaggeration to say that they were irreconcilable enemies.

　The situation has become so serious that the Holy Church has proactively sent representatives to seek cooperation. Could there be a deeper secret behind this?

　Dark couldn't help but say, "Why don't we talk about the Chief Inquisitor? Look, this is quite a rare opportunity. You are an archbishop from the Inquisition, and although you've only recently been promoted and your qualifications are still lacking, as the saying goes, the capable should be in charge. Special cases should be handled specially, and returning to the Inquisition as Chief Inquisitor is just right. Moreover, since you call the Inquisition a quagmire, why not take matters into your own hands and clear it away? Perhaps the Inquisition can be transformed into a clear pond in your hands. That would be a good thing for most people."

　Sabrina's face had hardened to a stern expression. Darke, seeing this, stopped, grinning. Sabrina said, "McCarthy isn't dead yet."

　"Ha!" Hadak perked up; this new intelligence had arrived!

　He said, "I knew it! How could the head of the Inquisition die so easily... Where is he now?"

　Sabrina shook her head and said, "I don't know. Our church has a special artifact that can sense the target's vital signs for a long time if a drop of blood is dripped on it beforehand."

　Dark recalled for a moment, then tentatively asked, "The Three Corpse Vessels?" Sabrina was slightly surprised: "You know a lot." "It really is the Three Corpse Vessels," Dark murmured to himself. The "Three Corpse Vessels" is not an artifact that aligns with the Holy Church. Specifically, it is a cursed artifact.

　By dripping blood into the victim's blood, one can lock onto their soul and cast a curse even from afar.

　Its original attribute was dark.

　But now it seems that it has been transformed into a light-based artifact by the "Heart of Light".

　However, the reason why some items can exert their abilities is precisely because of their inherent properties.

　After the [Three Corpse Vessels] were transformed into a light-type artifact, they lost their ability to curse and harm people.

　It has now become a special tool for confirming the vital signs of important people.

　It can lock onto three targets at the same time.

Chapter 1533 Feigning Compliance, Overt and Covert Clashes (4k)

　The "Three Corpse Vessels" can simultaneously monitor the vital signs of three people. And these three individuals, by all accounts, can only be the three leaders of the Holy See. Think about it carefully: from the Pope to McCarthy to the Archbishop, these three are all incredibly old. Without constant monitoring, who knows when someone might pass away from old age?

　Although His Holiness the Pope is not actually as old as he appears, if everyone is healthy and free from illness, he, being the youngest in reality, would most likely be the first to pass away.

　Within the Holy Church, those who undergo experiments to create artificial saints are all highly enlightened.

　But most of them were forced by circumstances, willing to pay the price of a short life for various reasons.

　Once the goals are achieved and life settles down, how many people won't have regrets when they look at their rapidly aging bodies?

　These are all things that are difficult to explain clearly.

　Even the general public is the same; most people live only for the "present."

　Dark steadied himself, bringing his wandering thoughts back to reality. He then asked, "Since it's a 'Three-Part Corpse Vessel,' it should be able to monitor the Chief Judge's detailed physical condition, right? What's his current condition?"

　Sabrina said, "I happened to ask before I came, and McCarthy's vital signs were relatively stable. He was at least a long way from dying."

　"Is the disorder due to old age, lack of sleep, or lack of food and water?" Dak said.

　“Probably,” Sabrina looked up at him and said, “probably all of them.”

　Dark nodded slightly and said, "Good news." Sabrina said, "But it's not much better." "Indeed," Dark smiled.

　Being alive now doesn't mean you'll be alive in the future.

　McCarthy disappeared in the city of Duel City. And along with him, 121 other elite members of the Holy Order also disappeared.

　They didn't even have time to send a distress signal during this process, indicating that the entire process took a very short time.

　Even if Sloan had made prior arrangements and set traps in that area, the fact that he could do this was enough to demonstrate his strength.

　Now that McCarthy has fallen into Sloan's trap, will Sloan let him off so easily?

　Obviously, this is impossible.

　“We believe there are two possibilities,” Sabrina stated frankly. “First, Sloan defeated McCarthy and the others simultaneously in a very short time, capturing McCarthy and taking him prisoner. Second, Sloan used some means to teleport McCarthy and the others to a location at the same time.”

　Dark nodded and said, "No matter how you look at it, the latter is more likely."

　Sabrina said, "We're more inclined to believe the latter, so the question now is where Sloan teleported them to."

　Dark said, "Can't we use the 'Three Corpse Vessels' to pinpoint their location?"

　Sabrina said, "While the 'Three Corpse Vessel's' monitoring ability can ignore distance, this is because it doesn't lock onto targets based on physical distance at all; therefore, it has no concept of direction or distance."

　Dark said, "I see. Do you have any other clues?"

　Sabrina frowned, and after a moment said, "There are eyewitnesses who claim to have seen Death."

　"Death," Dark couldn't help but ask.

　Sabrina nodded slightly heavily and said, "Yes, so it was just a fleeting phantom in the air, but there was only one witness."

　"In other words, we can't be sure if he was hallucinating," Dark said. Sabrina added, "That's right. And it's not just us; even the witness himself, after being repeatedly questioned, began to doubt what he actually saw."

　Dark said, "It was two in the morning, the sky was pitch black, and the Grim Reaper, in the traditional image, is dressed entirely in black robes, blending into the night, making him impossible to see clearly. Did he only see a rough outline?"

　Sabrina sighed, "That's how it is."

　Dark said, "Then he must have seen something iconic, like the Grim Reaper's scythe."