Chapter 378 - 312: You Are the Maniac Who Attacked the Cathedral (Part 2)

Chapter 378: Chapter 312: You Are the Maniac Who Attacked the Cathedral (Part 2)

He maintained a smile on his face, but inwardly, he was mulling over what Mamadou had told him. That invisible substance must have been Bishop Luther’s Magic. And Mamadou had said he saw Bishop Luther’s corpse with his own eyes—and that it had been a gruesome death. Yet today, the Druid maiden before him claimed the Lord Bishop was still alive and well, showing no sign of having been in a major magic battle. This made Little John feel a sliver of fear toward the upper echelons of the Life Church.

’No wonder the boss told me to keep a close eye on Bishop Luther,’ he thought.

"The Church, to me... I suppose it’s..." Sofia looked down and straightened her robes. "Home."

"Like I said before, I used to have a home. But after my mother passed away and my father was murdered, I didn’t have one anymore," she said calmly, but from her pursed lips and the trembling in her voice she tried so desperately to hide, Little John could still detect a trace of loneliness. "Thankfully, an old nun from the Church took me in, so I didn’t have to keep living on the streets. From that day on, the Church has been my home."

Sofia smiled, a look of happiness spreading across her face. "If it weren’t for the Life Church, I probably would have died when I was very young. But now, it protects me from being beaten by bad people or captured by slave traders."

"Slave traders?" Little John frowned. "My apologies. I only knew those slave merchants sold goblins. I never thought they would..."

"So you see, the Church is a very good place," Sofia nodded. "At least it keeps me fed and clothed. The nuns were very strict when we studied the scriptures, and the cane really hurt when it struck my palms, but I knew I was safe."

"Alright, it seems the Church has indeed done a lot of good," Little John said, affirming her point. He just couldn’t be sure if Bishop Luther’s situation was an isolated case or if there was a problem with the entire leadership of the Life Church. "There’s one more thing I’d like to ask you."

Sofia tilted her head, giving him a look that said, ’ask away’.

"When you met my boss, you mentioned you were looking for a book?"

"That’s right. *Mushroom Spores and Life Form Variants*."

"And you said it was an Evil Book?"

"Correct. The book is a Spiritual Artifact, so it can’t be considered an ordinary Magic Item anymore. It has its own thoughts and can communicate with people. Strictly speaking, it’s an Evil Book that tempts people to read it."

"Is it really that powerful?" Little John reached up to scratch his temple, his eyes darting furtively to a corner of the warehouse. Under a few heavy objects lay that very book: *Mushroom Spores and Life Form Variants*. ’It’s strange, though.’ Ever since he got the book, he and Mamadou had opened it only to find it completely blank. There wasn’t a single word. It was as if a bookseller had forgotten to print anything and just bound the blank pages together. On top of that, the book had been exceptionally quiet these past few days. It hadn’t tried to tempt him at all, behaving just like any ordinary book. Still, Little John knew there was definitely something wrong with it. Otherwise, its title wouldn’t have changed from *How to Attract Female Pigs for Mating* to *Mushroom Spores and Life Form Variants*.

"If you hear anything about this book, tell me immediately," Sofia said earnestly, her tone firm.

"Uh, right. If I see it, I’ll... I’ll tell you." Little John agreed, a pang of guilt making him fiddle with the hilt of his Longsword.

"Well, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving," Sofia said, stretching lazily. "The Church sent me out on patrol, so I guess my little break is over."

"Patrol?"

"Yep. Looking for suspicious people. I don’t know why Bishop Luther insisted I do this, he even arranged for me to walk through the entire city," Sofia grumbled, a little annoyed. "I just hope those two damned culprits drop dead in front of me. It would save me a lot of trouble."

"Ah, right, right," Little John agreed with a guilty nod.

「Meanwhile, in a corner of eastern Torch City.」

CLANG! With the sound of clashing blades, Diana, her hair tied in a high ponytail, forced back two people in red-and-black attire with a powerful sword strike.

"I’ve told you already, I’m not the person you’re looking for!" she shouted, still holding her sword at the ready. "Your Public Security Bureau has the wrong person!"

"Hmph," the Public Security team leader sneered. "An eyewitness reported a shorty with three swords fleeing across the rooftops. And right now, in all of Torch City, you’re the only one carrying three swords."

"That doesn’t prove I’m the one who attacked the Holy Oak Cathedral," Diana continued to argue. "Besides, I’m the Grand Commander of the War God Church’s Holy Order Army. I have no reason to attack a Bishop of the Life Church."

"Says you? I could say I’m the Grand Duke of the North," the team leader said as he signaled for his subordinates to surround Diana.

"There’s no reasoning with you," Diana said bitterly. She then drew another Longsword. With a sword in each hand, she gave a smirk. "Since you’re choosing to fight, then let’s make it a good one."

TWEET— TWEET— With a few short blasts, one of the Public Security members began blowing forcefully on the whistle hanging from his chest. This alarm would summon other nearby teams for reinforcement. It also served as a signal to any nearby Adventurers that they could join the fight; capturing the criminal would earn them a sizable bounty.

Hearing their whistle, Diana showed no fear. On the contrary, her face lit up with glee. "Great, another good fight! The last two guys ran away too fast. I didn’t even get to have any fun."

But a second later, she cocked her head toward the Longsword on her back. "What? Old man, are you saying if I get caught, I can’t help you guys find Fourth Uncle?"

"But they’re the ones who want to fight."

"Run? The word ’run’ isn’t in Diana’s dictionary!"

"You’re going to bail on me? You can’t do that!"

"Fine, fine, I get it! I’ll run, alright? Sheesh."

After saying this, Diana sighed, then glared hatefully at the team leader before her. "This is all your fault."

With that, she charged forward, swords in hand. She moved so fast she was like a phantom. Unleashing her full power, she slammed into the team leader like a Cannonball, sending him flying more than ten meters. Then, to everyone’s astonishment, she quickly leaped onto a nearby rooftop and vanished in just a few bounds.

"Captain, are you okay?" one of the team members asked, running to his side with a baton in hand.

"Don’t move me... it’s broken," the team leader struggled to say. "Call for backup! Quick! Don’t let her get away!"

"But... she’s already gone."

"Dammit! Report to the Bureau immediately! Say the fiend who attacked the Cathedral is incredibly powerful! Put out an all-points bulletin for a shorty carrying three Longswords," the leader gasped. "Tell them to issue a notice to the Adventurer Association... post a massive bounty."

"Right away, Captain." The subordinate nodded, turned, and ran a few steps before remembering something. He turned back and asked, "What about us...?"

But he couldn’t finish his question. He saw that his captain was already foaming at the mouth, the whites of his eyes showing as he passed out cold.

...

「One day later.」

Shire frowned at the book spread open on his desk. Only a single sentence was written on its pages: "Esteemed True God, your faithful little book has finally arrived before you."

’This thing is an Evil Book?’ Shire picked up the book, turning it over and over in his hands. Just yesterday, a frantic Little John had sent it through a Teleportation Gate with a specific warning: "The book is dangerous. If you can’t handle it, do what the boss said and ’pickle’ it in a jar of Holy Water."

But when he opened it today, he found that words had immediately appeared on the pages. Not only that, they seemed rather sycophantic. ’And what’s this about a True God?’

"Who exactly are you?" Shire asked aloud.

"I am your Servant, your loyal hound, your plaything."

"And this is supposed to be a fucking Evil Book?"