Chapter 550: Taking Over the Sect

In the underground base located in the Transcendent District.

"What lies ahead matters as much as what lies before you."

Iger stared at the revelation condensing on the mirror, thought for a moment, then rinsed out his mouth and wiped away the foam. He grabbed his waterproof shoulder bag and left the room.

He headed to the bathing area on the fifty-first floor. At the usual spot, the fraudster found two of his companions already soaking in the smaller pool. He sat down and asked, "Where is Tahmas?"

"He is not a sorcerer. His schedule is not the same as ours, so why would he be up this early?" Ashe removed the hot towel covering his face. "Besides, you didn't infect him. He hasn't picked up your bad habit of getting up early just to take a bath. At most, he will shower in his room."

Iger lazily sank deeper into the water. "The most luxurious hotel rooms here do not even have bathtubs. Still, it is better than the Food Factory Town. That place did not even have a proper bathhouse."

"The fact that this place even has a hotel is surprising enough," Ashe said. "It actually has a complete social system contained within a single building."

Harvey munched on a piece of chocolate. "That is normal. A civilization born from a corpse, complete with organisms feeding on the dead."

Of the three, Harvey was losing vitality the fastest. During the battle a few days ago, the gas station explosion had burned away half his body. Fortunately, he was in his Frost and Flowing Fire state at the time, allowing him and Alice to share the damage. Even so, he had used half of his own body to reconstruct Alice.

Ashe was starting to wonder whether the flesh and bones covering Alice's body had almost all been replaced with Harvey's.

The price was that Harvey had become as thin as a sheet of paper. Combined with the ongoing Blood Seed curse, he had to keep eating these past few days just to slowly recover.

In a way, Harvey's situation was like one of those elementary school math problems: if you drain a swimming pool while simultaneously filling it, how long will it take to fill?

"We can only stay in this building for another two days at most," Iger said. "No matter how much money we have, we cannot extend our stay. If Silver Lamp still does not make a move within those two days, we will have to flee to the nearest town and wait there."

They could not exactly sleep out in the wilderness. They had zero interest in finding out whether they could survive a night of Twisting Green.

"Speaking of that, I have a big theory," Ashe motioned for them to lean closer and lowered his voice. "I think Silver Lamp is planning to steal the Grand Law from the Transcendent Sect."

Iger paused for a second, then realization hit him. Of course. If Silver Lamp were simply trying to escape, she could have left during the night. There was no reason for her to remain here.

She might have stayed to replenish supplies, but she had just done that in the Food Factory Town. She didn't need to restock so soon. In this hundred-story building, the most valuable things were undoubtedly the two Grand Laws worshipped here.

"But she already has several Grand Laws of her own," Iger said with a frown. "Why would she..."

Harvey suddenly said, "In the battle three days ago, she never used the power of her Grand Laws against us. She just blew up the gas station instead. She is stingy."

Why would she be so stingy with the power of her Grand Laws?

Iger suddenly understood. "She has no believers replenishing her power, so every bit of Grand Law she uses is one less bit she has left. She needs to find a way to steal other Grand Laws; otherwise she could eventually run out while on the run."

His eyes lit up. "That gives her a very good reason to steal one of the Transcendent Sect's Grand Laws. But when would she make her move?"

Ashe added, "During evening worship, from seven to nine. The Grand Laws are heavily guarded at other times. Even if she disguises herself as someone else, she cannot get close. But during worship, believers are allowed to approach the Grand Laws. That is her chance."

"So we join the worship service and wait beside the Grand Laws for Silver Lamp to take the bait?" Harvey asked.

Just as Iger was considering the finer details of the plan, Ashe shook his head. "No. The worship service could assimilate us. We would be better off waiting outside. The moment Silver Lamp steals one of the Grand Laws, I will rush in and host the other one to stop her."

Hmm? The fraudster looked up at Ashe, puzzled. "Why would you come up with that plan?"

Ashe blinked. "What is wrong with it?"

Iger thought about it carefully and found the plan perfectly sound.

For starters, the Transcendent Sect was already hostile toward them. If they suddenly asked to participate in the worship service, there was no guarantee the sect would even allow them in. More importantly, the worship service could assimilate everyone participating. It was far too risky. But...

"Did you come up with this plan yourself?" Iger asked seriously. "That is important."

Ashe was genuinely stunned. How did he figure that out!?

"This was guidance I received during an encounter in the Virtual World. Does it really not sound like something I would come up with?"

Of course it does not sound like something you could come up with, the fraudster thought.

Because the plan had one major flaw. The moment Silver Lamp seized the first Grand Law of the Transcendent Sect, the other believers would inevitably swarm her. The vicious and ruthless Silver Lamp would then have no choice but to host the Grand Law and use its power against the Transcendent believers, possibly even killing them. That would cause the believers' minds to collapse in an instant.

At that point, Ashe could rush in and host the second Grand Law, helping the believers drive Silver Lamp back or capture her. He would immediately earn tremendous prestige within the Transcendent Sect.

After all, Ashe was capable of perfectly hosting a Grand Law. As long as he did not try to claim the Grand Law for himself, the believers would regard him as its chosen representative, the savior sent by fate itself.

The point of this plan was not to capture Silver Lamp, but to take over the Transcendent Sect. And that, conveniently enough, solved the problem that had been troubling Iger for the past few nights.

Capturing Silver Lamp was only the first stage. The second stage was dealing with the Four Pillars Cult. The third was finding a way out of the Myriad Continent. With technology left behind during the Gray Fox Age, there should be creations capable of crossing between different kingdoms.

Whether it was the second or third stage, relying on just three Sacred Realm combatants was far too risky. The Four Pillars Cult had even more Sacred Realm sorcerers, and the Mercury Trojan Horse undoubtedly possessed other Gray Fox relics. If they pulled out another Dragonblood Cultivation System, Iger and the others would not even stand a chance.

Collecting Gray Fox relics would be even more troublesome. Most of them were already in the hands of various sects. They would first have to figure out which sect possessed something like a spatial portal, then find a way to obtain it, whether by trading for it, stealing it, or deceiving them into handing it over.

If they were not just three wandering Sacred Realm sorcerers and instead represented a major power, all of this would become much easier.

A major power meant having authority to negotiate with other factions. On the wasteland that was the Myriad Continent, wandering Sacred Realm sorcerers like them could forget about trading with others unless they were powerful enough to wipe out an entire sect. No one was willing to do business with heretics.

A major power also meant access to vast amounts of information, and even the ability to rally other sects against the Four Pillars Cult.

There was more. If they could take control of a faction, they would not only be able to hunt Silver Lamp more efficiently, but also secure a steady supply of high-energy food, effectively offsetting the effects of the Blood Seed curse.

That'd have solved our problem not just for the present, but also the future. As the Belldet's saying goes, "Grant others what they desire, give them what they need." To seize control of a sect in the name of salvation, we first have to let disaster come knocking and sound the death knell for that sect!

"Do you think the plan needs any changes?" Ashe asked, looking at the contemplative Iger.

"No," Iger answered with absolute certainty. "Let's go with this plan."