Chapter 324: Chapter 229: Lamp Protectors
The church that originally belonged to the Red Apple Church had long since changed its appearance. After being renovated by a professional construction team, it lost its original spire style and became a simple and solemn rectangle.
In the very center of the church, a hemispherical dome bulged out, engraved with spiral patterns, and the porch in front of the door was supported by four white marble columns.
The smooth outer courtyard had also gained numerous but not very high steps that stretched all the way to the fence gate.
This place had become a Sun Church.
But for a long period after the transition, it had not been opened to the public – partly due to construction and renovation, and partly because the clergy had not arrived in a timely manner.
At this moment, the doors were wide open, and Sun Church began to welcome the arrival of believers.
In one of the prayer rooms inside, nine monks were sitting dressed in white robes with gold-trimmed stoles draped over them, looking up and listening to a bald man’s speech.
This was the “Lamp Protector Squad” that had recently arrived in Amber City.
“The Executioners from the Shelter were in place before us, and Moon Church’s ‘Purple Moonlight’ will arrive a bit later…”
The bald man’s voice was sonorous and loud, his eyes bright, and his inadvertent expressions conveyed conviction and awe.
He was the captain of this squad, named Weiz, who had previously served as the deputy team leader under Archbishop Terence.
“If it weren’t for the ambush set up in Sunflower City, which delayed us a bit, we might have been able to leave earlier… Thankfully, the church’s assistance helped us successfully track down the fugitive ‘Bales’, so it’s not too late.”
Bald-headed Weiz took out a magnifying glass and gently caressed it a couple of times, then continued:
“I have already had a brief communication with the captains of the other two squads. The final decision is… the operation starts tomorrow evening.”
He looked around with a stern face, then stretched out a finger and drew an arc in front of him, finally gently touching his own brow with a praying gesture.
The other team members didn’t speak, their expressions solemn, and after seriously listening to their captain’s instructions, they also made a praying gesture and bowed their heads:
The bald captain nodded, then continued:
“But from now until tomorrow evening, we can’t just do nothing; that would be a waste of time and would be despised by the Sun God…”
He walked a few steps forward, coming in front of the team members, whose gazes remained on him as they turned their heads.
“Our pursuit operation is just one aspect. Before departing, Archbishop Terence had informed me of a secret message: a monk named Feray, who defected from the church a year ago, had once come here but ultimately met with an untimely death…”
As Weiz spoke, a look of puzzlement flashed in the other team members’ eyes, wondering why the captain brought up this defector, though serious in nature, as a Sequence Eight monk wasn’t worth their attention.
“Monk Feray was actually not a defector; he was secretly accepting a hidden mission from the church, to find the whereabouts of the former Pope, Martin Gustus…”
Turning his back to the team members, the bald man continued.
The others exchanged glances, their expressions growing more solemn.
“Captain Weiz, wasn’t His Majesty Martin gone for decades already…?”
One of the team members hesitantly began.
“No, when the Royal City tumult was quelled, the former His Majesty Pope did not perish but rather quietly left the Church, untraced…
In recent years, with the turmoil in the Spirit World and the restless movements of various forces, the Sun Royal Family urgently needed high-end military force to be stationed discreetly, hence the church sent a Low Sequence monk to search in secret.
Monk Feray took with him the [B-grade Mysterious Object – Palm Fireworks], a creation of His Majesty when he was young, which could establish a faint connection… But now, Feray is dead, and we must not neglect this Mysterious Object; it must be retrieved for the Church!”
Declared the bald-headed squad captain decisively.
The rest of the squad members instantly understood many things.
“According to our intelligence, after Monk Feray’s death, the [Palm Fireworks] passed through several hands and is now possessed by a local supernatural organization called ‘Circus’, owned by its leader, Jack.”
The bald man turned around, his face bearing a steely expression.
“Nick, Charlize, and Bull, the three of you set off immediately. By tomorrow evening, the ‘Mysterious Object Retrieval’ operation must be completed!”
The three named team members stood up and answered coldly.
But as they had just stepped out of the prayer room’s door, they were called back by Captain Weiz:
The three stopped in their tracks and turned to look at the captain.
With a contemplative glance, Weiz then turned to the remaining team members and said:
“To be on the safe side, everyone participates in the operation, including me!”
In a light blue, distorted view, the outline of Amber City could already be seen.
The Purple Moonlight Squad, with a total of twelve members, was swiftly moving towards it.
“I really don’t want to get involved in this operation…”
A young female member clad in a dark purple cloak spoke up.
The figure-hugging cloak lifted in the wind, revealing a full moon on her back.
“Stop saying that sort of thing, Sela.”
The tall, thin man leading them turned around and said coldly:
“This is an order from the Church. We just need to comply.”