Chapter 486 — Encirclement

At the very least, in years past, this sort of "heresy trial" had never failed.

"Proclaim it throughout the city: martial law at the highest level. Tell everyone that their bishop will hold a heresy trial in the square," Faran Beran rose to his feet, his gaze sweeping the hall, and confirmed that no one voiced opposition. "Do not conceal word of the Word of God—on the contrary, emphasize its effect. We must make those who have slipped in panic, and all the more make those about to be judged waver in their hearts. The more they waver... the more easily they will be found to be heretics when the trial begins, and the better we can lay all the blame at their feet."

The priests exchanged glances, then bowed their heads before Faran Beran.

The news soon spread from the great cathedral, and began to travel toward the small church district and the outer city.

In an underground facility in the small church district, a tall, thin priest clad in the gray sackcloth robe worn only when undergoing punishment walked barefoot along the cold stone pavement.

A black-robed disciplinary monk walked silently at the priest's side.

A faint sound drifted down from above—it sounded like many people walking, mixed with what seemed to be voices relaying orders.

The priest in the sackcloth robe could not help stopping, tilting his ear slightly to listen. A moment later he raised his head: "Alcott, what is that noise?"

The disciplinary monk answered coldly: "It should be the notice for the heresy trial being passed down. Do not think too much on it. This is not something you can meddle in."

The priest in the sackcloth robe widened his eyes slightly, and a moment later said in a low voice, as though speaking to himself: "To hold a heresy trial even at a time like this... there is no way out. No way out at all... Alcott, you..."

The disciplinary monk cut the priest off: "Save your strength. This matter is under the great cathedral's control."

The priest in the sackcloth robe fell abruptly silent, sinking into a sudden stillness.

After a long silence, he raised his head and looked down the dim, gloomy corridor ahead. The cold passage of the underground facility stretched out before his eyes, vanishing into the depths of the darkness, and there in the dark ahead, several other punished clerics, likewise clad in gray sackcloth robes, were walking forward under the watch of disciplinary monks.

That pitch-black road was like the future of Xuanyue City itself, sliding into the dark.

...

Inside the intelligence bureau agents' temporary stronghold, all the operatives had gathered together. Amber looked at the subordinates before her, a cheerful smile spreading across her face.

"'Heretic Inquisition' is finally here. I was starting to think they weren't going to use it. This sort of thing has always been their specialty—impressive that those preaching frauds managed to hold out this long."

One agent spoke up: "The situation has deteriorated to this point, so they'll definitely use 'Heretic Inquisition' to 'maintain order.' And they must already realize we're here—this inquisition is most likely meant to catch us as well."

"With those idiots... if any of you get caught, I'm docking eighty years of your pay!" Amber curled her lip, then bent down and lifted a cloth bag from beside her feet onto the table—the bag seemed to contain metal objects, and it gave a clatter as it was set down.

Under her subordinates' curious gazes, Amber opened the bag and took out what was inside.

They were, unmistakably, assembled and encapsulated rune substrate boards—and specially made, very small in size.

Amber handed these rune boards out to her subordinates: "Take them, one each. Keep them close on your person."

One team member could not suppress his curiosity: "Boss... what are these things?"

"Something good from above—holy light resonance nodes, part of the White Knight's equipment, but specially designed so they can be removed from the White Knight armor and run on their own," Amber said as she stuffed her own board into her belt pouch. "With these on you, you won't have to worry about the so-called 'Heretic Inquisition.'"

The team member clicked his tongue in wonder: "That impressive?"

"Of course it's impressive. In fact, it can even make you appear like a saint of utterly devout faith when you're affected by 'judgment spells' like the 'Great Divine Word'—well, maybe not that exaggerated, but it will absolutely fool that Farran? Belland," Amber said, a look of disdain coming over her face. "That fellow calls himself a bishop, but he's just a half-baked fill-in hastily chosen after Lemont and a whole slew of high-tier transcendents died. I doubt he could even sustain a single Great Divine Word in full."

Having said that, a rather sly smile suddenly appeared on the half-elf's face: "And... these resonance nodes have a few little extra functions. When the time comes, they're bound to give those preaching frauds a real shock."

Seeing the curious and expectant looks on her subordinates' faces one after another, Amber's smug mood was immensely satisfied: now she could finally begin to understand what Gao Yang felt like when he routinely produced a brilliant idea and reaped a circle of admiring gazes.

But she did not linger long in that feeling, nor did she keep her team members in suspense any further—operatives had to know exactly what function the items they were equipped with served; this was the key to ensuring a mission's success. So after a brief moment of smugness, she began earnestly explaining the effects of those holy light resonance nodes...

At that same moment, on a high ground outside Mingyuan City, Philip, charged with monitoring the situation in Shuangque City and carrying out the blockade mission, received Byron Knight, who had arrived bringing support supplies.

"Those preaching frauds in Shuangque City should be about ready to scram," Byron, who had quite the soldier-rogue temperament, said to Philip brashly the moment they met. "I've brought weapons specially made to strike them."

"Weapons?" Philip, carrying out the blockade mission, looked with some curiosity at the supply wagons his old partner had brought. "Didn't they say we wouldn't attack Shuangque City directly?"

"Of course we won't attack." Byron grinned, as if trying to produce a mysterious smile, but in truth he looked like an ape that had successfully stolen a banana. The moment he saw that smile on his partner's face, Philip knew that one of the lord's assignments had dovetailed perfectly with the wicked schemes brewing in this old hand's belly.

He did not press further, because he knew the old hand before him would never be able to hold it in.

"We've brought a hundred thousand leaflets," Byron indeed volunteered after barely a few seconds, "stuffed inside artillery shells."