That Old Ba is really something else.
Ethan mentally cursed Old Ba on Mary’s behalf.
After dealing with the corpses, the three were ushered straight into the cathedral, heading down through secret doors towards a space filled with the stench of blood and filth. Here, Bazatous’ followers and traitorous clergy had transformed it into a tomb, with dismembered bodies carelessly laid across the altar.
"These three are the messengers sent by the Father!"
The guiding priest announced their identities with excitement.
This simple declaration boosted everyone’s spirits—they were eager to spread the Father’s benevolence throughout the city, and they gazed at Ethan with reverent eyes, awaiting his command.
The guiding priest said, "Chief Priest Mary is currently in the city. She went earlier to meet with an envoy from the church. Before your arrival, we’ve tried many methods but have been unable to distort her mind."
"First off, clean this place up. Who let you scatter body parts everywhere?"
Ethan struck everyone with his commanding tone, causing the priest to break into cold sweats as he hurriedly explained, "It’s for more in-depth plague research. We hope to increase its transmission efficiency and make it more lethal."
Ethan sneered, knowing better than anyone Old Ba’s peculiar taste, "The plague’s transmission rate and time to death are precisely designed; the Father enjoys the process of decay, not just the quick slaughter of some group!"
The priest trembled and kneeled in fear, saying, "We were thoughtless. Please punish us!"
"Don’t do anything else until this place is cleaned up."
Ethan didn’t know how long this illusion would last, but he foresaw that they’d be using this place as a base for a long time. He didn’t want to be surrounded by the nauseating stench of blood.
Leaving the orders behind, he swept out, leaving the panic-stricken followers to start cleaning up.
He planned to meet the Chief Priest. The envoy the priest mentioned should be the porcelain doll who entered the polluted zone ahead of them. Part of this journey’s goal was to prevent the porcelain doll from dying here.
The Witch has likely prepared quite a troublesome weapon in the polluted zone to kill the members of the choir.
Another advantage of the illusion was that unless they interacted with the city’s guards or residents, they would ignore their actions, allowing the three to easily ambush outside the City Lord’s Mansion. Mary was probably negotiating the details of the Scarlet Plague with the porcelain doll at this moment.
Ancient technological constructs brought by the porcelain doll were patrolling outside the City Lord’s Mansion.
The three waited outside the mansion for almost an hour before they saw Chief Priest Mary, looking somewhat dazed. She was dressed in a white priest’s robe, with golden hair down to her shoulders, and more bizarrely, she had a tuft of golden hair drooping lazily atop her head.
Ethan and Lindong instinctively turned to Ave, making a careful comparison between the two.
Why did Mary look like an oversized Ave?
Mary was half a head taller than Ave and looked more mature, but the resemblance was six to seventy percent, especially the tuft of golden hair resting in exactly the same spot, seemingly very flexible.
After pondering a moment, Ethan asked, "Do all members of the Margaret Clan have ahoge?"
Ave remembered emphasizing many times that her golden hair was not silly at all. After hesitating for a while, she finally decided, "It’s the effect of the Holy Word Art."
"Then why does the porcelain doll not have any golden hair atop her head?"
"Because the emotions of choir members have already been completely removed."
Ave took a deep breath, and whenever she closed her eyes, scenes from the past would appear before her. After a long while, she pointed to the tuft of golden hair on her head, "This one is so emotional that it’s been sealed away."
"I read about this spell in the church’s forbidden books; it’s an emotional sealing technique. Many commanders have actively used this spell to remove unnecessary emotions in the past, helping them make the most rational decisions at all times."
Lindong gazed at Ave, "It’s normal for the Margaret Clan’s direct descendants, and that’s why you insisted on joining us, right? I heard before when I was in the Imperial City that the Margaret Clan possesses a key."
Ave lowered her head, not answering immediately.
Seeing this, Ethan spoke on Ave’s behalf, "It’s not time to share secrets yet. Once we leave the polluted zone, we can discuss it at length."
"The Margaret Clan does indeed hold a key."
Ave spoke softly, stepping out from the corner and walking directly towards the ancient technological construct patrolling nearby. The construct, closely resembling a robotic dog, issued a warning sound upon seeing Ave.
It growled lowly, showing all its weapons.
It had sharp teeth and claws and a cutting blade.
Ave didn’t draw her gun or display any intent to fight; she merely issued a calm command, and the metal construct lay on the ground in a strange posture.
It continued to growl lowly, its blades and teeth carving deep marks into the ground, yet an invisible force held it firmly against the floor.
Other metal constructs sensed the anomaly and charged at her.
Ave’s gaze swept over these killing machines.
Similarly immobilized, the porcelain doll appeared at the mansion’s main entrance, glaring coldly at Ave while clutching her chest, unable to move forward.
Ave turned to look at Ethan, seemingly carrying a hint of sadness in her eyes.
Her lips moved, "This is the Margaret Clan’s secret."