Volume 1 Chapter 536

Chapter 536: Watch Closely, Dorothy, I Will Demonstrate Just Once

The next morning, Lolth, eager to avoid another encounter with Bishop Carpenter and those two mysterious nobles from the Holy Empire, set off with Dorothy at the crack of dawn.

She truly wished to spare herself the discomfort of another awkward situation.

While being mistaken for the Director of the Heretic Tribunal had its perks, it also brought along a host of complications.

As Lolth stepped out of the inn, she noticed that the fruit farmers and merchants of Guomu Town had already begun their daily routines.

Upon seeing Lolth emerge, everyone, whether they were transporting fruits or setting up their stalls, greeted her with warm smiles.

"Are you leaving, my lady?"

"Please take some fruit with you—it’s a specialty of Guomu Town!"

"It’s the perfect season for fruits right now."

These simple-hearted folks gathered around, offering the fruits they had prepared in advance.

Unlike the spies and high-ranking officials, they couldn’t grasp the full picture of the events.

Yet, these residents were neither blind nor foolish; it was easy for them to deduce why the usually haughty nobles had undergone such a dramatic change in demeanor.

It was undoubtedly due to the noble lady who had publicly reprimanded them the day before!

Even without knowing the specifics, a little thought made it clear.

Lolth initially intended to decline politely, but the residents, seemingly understanding her and Dorothy’s nature, thrust the gifts into the arms of the young girl hiding behind Lolth.

"My, what a lovely little girl! She must be your sister, my lady?"

"She’s so graceful and beautiful; clearly, she’s not from an ordinary family!"

Dorothy, overwhelmed by the bags being placed in her arms and the kind words, turned to Lolth in a daze.

"Teacher Lolth…"

She spoke in a tone that seemed to seek help.

Lolth could only smile and shake her head.

"Let’s accept them for now… Thank you all for going through so much trouble to see us off."

Lolth exchanged polite words with the surrounding residents.

Simultaneously, she felt a deep sense of emotion.

She hadn’t given much thought to her actions the previous day.

Yet, they had indeed brought significant changes to the lives of these residents.

"Indeed, when you hold a high position, some things are beyond your control."

Lolth couldn’t help but reflect.

She had merely spoken a few words as the "director of the Heretic Tribunal," yet those noblemen would likely never dare to act arrogantly again.

All this was based on her pretense of being the real Director of the Heretic Tribunal.

"I should be more cautious and speak carefully from now on."

Initially, her plan was to pose as an ordinary missionary, but after being compelled to act in the forbidden Black Lake Marsh in South Sotua, her role shifted to that of a bishop. Shortly after parting ways with the mercenaries, she found herself pretending to be the director of the Heretic Tribunal once again.

Although she felt a sense of satisfaction from inadvertently performing a good deed, overall, Lolth still found herself quite troubled.

It was precisely because her unintentional actions could alter the daily lives and destinies of the residents of a small town that Lolth gained a clearer understanding of the extraordinary role she was playing.

"If nothing unexpected occurs, I suppose I’ll continue to act as an ordinary missionary…"

As she sighed, she further deepened the layers of her disguise.

This was the only benefit left.

Bishop Carpenter’s words had helped Lolth address some shortcomings in her role as an ordinary priest of the Church of Light.

Now, Lolth had enhanced every aspect of her disguise, from the intensity of the "Holy Light" to her rank, and even the sealing level of the "Rod of Eden."

For Lolth, her disguise was so impeccable that even if the Pope stood before her, she was confident that no one would detect any flaws!

Only if someone of that caliber had already decided she was concealing something and actively sought to uncover it could they possibly find any clues.

After dealing with the residents of Guomu Town, Lolth, leading her horse, hadn’t traveled far before she immediately activated her top-tier disguise.

As she was about to enter the territory of the Church of Light and the Holy Empire, she was determined not to make any mistakes.

What Lolth did not know was that shortly after she left Guomu Town, behind her…

Several figures in gray robes and masks entered the small town.

There were six of them, seemingly divided into three groups of two, who quickly investigated and apprehended Bishop Carpenter and the two noblemen, who had also intended to leave.

In the room where Lolth had stayed the previous day, the heroic yet immobilized Bishop Carpenter and the two noblemen looked at the six gray-robed figures before them with expressions of despair.

They all knew what the dark golden annulus embroidered on the robes signified…

This was the attire of the "Judges" from the Heretic Tribunal, tasked with cleansing the Church and the Holy Empire from within.

Gray robes for internal affairs, purple robes for external matters.

The dark gold indicated that they were of a noble lineage and elite status.

Two in a group could defeat legends and slay heroes.

With three groups working together, even a high-level legend might not stand a chance.

There were only fourteen such teams in the entire Heretic Tribunal, five for internal operations and nine for external missions.

The sudden appearance of three teams not only confirmed that the girl from the previous day was indeed the Lord Director but also reignited the anxieties of those who had just begun to relax.

Although the "Lord Director" had indicated she would let them go, she hadn’t been entirely explicit.

They couldn’t help but wonder if their performance the previous day had been inadequate, causing them to miss their last chance and leading the Lord Director to be completely disappointed in them.

However, the following words brought them some relief.

"Tell us, what did the lady say to you yesterday?"

Hearing this, everyone felt a bit more at ease.

It seemed that this was their opportunity as subordinates to understand their leader’s intentions.

After all, the director of this generation of the Heretic Tribunal was known for leading from the front and was rarely seen, so it was likely that the tribunal’s elite had come to grasp their leader’s intentions.

Although the Pope was nearing the end of his term, the director of the Heretic Tribunal was still far from stepping down.

Although he is mysterious, everyone can sense that this Lord Director is in his prime and will likely remain influential for many years to come.

Thus, for the members of the Heretic Tribunal, he will continue to be their superior for decades.

Listening to their urgent tones, Carpenter began to feel that these seemingly ominous figures weren’t as terrifying as he had thought.

Compared to their formidable boss from yesterday, they paled in comparison!

No, rather, much of their intimidation stemmed from their association with that powerful figure.

Therefore, Carpenter calmly and thoroughly explained how Lolth had communicated with him the previous day.

After hearing his account, the gray-robed men began to converse among themselves, not bothering to hide their discussions.

"Hmm… That’s certainly the Lord Director’s style."

"Though it appears to be a spontaneous event, the Lord Director must have been planning this for a while… Ensuring Her Holiness’s safety was clearly just a pretext."

"As subordinates, failing to realize that the Lord Director was using a decoy plan to mislead us will undoubtedly lead to reprimands…"

"It’s not too late to uncover the truth now! But… we need to discern the Lord Director’s true intentions."

"Should we apply pressure to the Sixth Prince and the Eighth Prince, along with Bishop Carpenter and the Southern faction backing him?"

"Don’t be ridiculous! Even if the Lord Director truly intends to intervene, given his nature, would he merely issue warnings?"

"True. Initially, I thought the Lord Director’s primary objective was to secure the Holy Empire’s succession… but now, having heard his words, it seems this is just one aspect of his plan…"

"Wait—don’t forget where we are!"

"Ah! Guomu Town!"

"I see… Now, the Golden Peacock, South Sotua, and the Wizard Association must also be aware that a significant figure from our church is here… I can’t help but feel this is akin to setting a trap."

"But even if these three factions have harbored dissent for some time, would they truly dare to act?"

"Perhaps the key lies with that little girl we know nothing about…"

The gray-robed men chattered excitedly, making Carpenter’s heart race with fear.

Is this really information that a bishop and those two inept individuals should be privy to?

After hearing all this, wouldn’t they be at risk of being silenced?

The two nobles behind him were equally anxious, their faces drenched in sweat.

After a brief pause, the gray-robed men finally reached a conclusion.

"Let’s split up and investigate which spies are most active; we’ll have our answers soon!"

Having made this decision, they turned their gaze to Carpenter and the other two.

To Carpenter’s relief, they ultimately chose not to eliminate them.

Although the Heretic Tribunal’s brutality is often exaggerated, there is some truth to the tales.

Killing a bishop to maintain secrecy…

Even members of the Heretic Tribunal’s elite task force would face confinement and demotion for such an act.

Being confined by the Heretic Tribunal is no simple matter of sitting in a dark room to reflect on one’s actions.

Thus, while they are capable of executing their own, those who are killed are generally deemed deserving, with justifiable reasons, ensuring that they do not kill indiscriminately.

Of course, when it comes to the director, it mostly relies on personal responsibility.

After all, it is the director who decides if other members are abusing their power.

The elite groups of the Heretic Tribunal quickly sprang into action.

The scout hiding in Guomu Town, upon encountering the best intelligence members of such a continental-level force, naturally sent out messages that were thoroughly checked.

The movements of the Wizard Association and South Sotua have been noticed by the elite teams of the Heretic Tribunal.

Only one force had a blank space on their side.

Golden Peacock Kingdom.

"Someone powerful has come…"

Watching the "secret letter scroll" slowly self-destruct, the elite team member from the Heretic Tribunal responsible for the Golden Peacock frowned.

The intelligence agency of Golden Peacock is also very well-known across the continent for being tough to deal with; the top intelligence personnel are not much weaker than the Director of the Heretic Tribunal’s team.

However, it was precisely because only the Golden Peacock quickly sent out their elite forces that they could confirm one thing…

Although they did not know the exact content or what Golden Peacock’s people discovered, it should be what Lord Director was fishing for—Golden Peacock’s people.

Based on the reaction level of the other side… if the people of the Golden Peacock really intended to attack Lord Director, it would definitely be a battle beyond their ability to intervene.

"Now, we can only wait and see what happens."

Soon, the elite members of the Heretic Tribunal reached a conclusion again.

After they decided to wait and see…

Lolth had no idea about the many dark currents and whirlpools that emerged around Guomu Town as she unintentionally stirred the waters.

The intelligence agencies and personnel among several major forces in the southern continent had already engaged in an invisible clash.

Even the final result was still affecting her as she was about to enter the Holy Lieto Empire.

Near the border of the Holy Lieto Empire, at noon, Lolth, completely unaware of all this, even set up a temporary kitchen again.

"Dorothy, today we are having a lesson on cooking outdoors… Finding the right ingredients in the wild and adapting to the environment is very important; I taught you that before…"

"You might have forgotten now, but that’s okay. It’s a perfect time to practice. This way, when you remember the knowledge, it will be even stronger!"

As Lolth said this, she slowly began to teach about how to recognize and handle usable ingredients, covering every little detail.

Dorothy followed closely beside her, helping out and listening very seriously.

Until…

Lolth felt a hint of unfriendly energy coming from afar.

It seemed to be purposely reminding and warning her.

It moved back and forth between her and Dorothy, showing no signs of hiding, existing in a way that she could clearly feel.

It was as if it was telling Lolth…

"Stay away from that little girl."

Lolth, who was cutting vegetables, squinted her eyes slightly.

Dorothy, who was washing the vegetables, also noticed her teacher’s hands slowing down and stopping, and she lifted her head.

"Is something wrong, Teacher Lolth?"

She asked softly.

"It’s nothing, just an extra lesson added."

Lolth said as she gently laid the knife flat.

"During outdoor cooking, if you encounter a bad guy who is spying, provoking, or attacking, you need to know how to respond—this is something common that I need to teach you."

She spoke calmly, her presence serene.

However, the Rod of Eden that slipped out from her sleeve and started to fly showed that Lolth was actually not very calm.

After all, the cooking lesson was interrupted…

"Watch closely, Dorothy."

"I will only demonstrate once."