As Zhang Wei picked up Matt at the airport and they headed to the hotel.
Meanwhile.
In a city within Italy, a country bordering the Vatican, a rented luxurious estate.
At this moment.
In the living room of the estate, about a dozen elegantly poised individuals were seated on a sofa. They comprised both men and women, ranging in age from youth to old age, but without exception, they were all exceptionally good-looking. The youths possessed youthful handsomeness, while the elders exuded mature charm.
Not only that.
Their every movement was imbued with an aristocratic air, an innate elegance. Simply by being seated, the aura they emanated would lead one to believe they were British nobles or celebrities from high society.
They were currently sipping red wine when the hall door opened, and a young man with a cross hanging around his neck walked in.
Upon closer inspection.
The cross the young man wore was unlike ordinary crosses. The depiction of Jesus on it wore a look of terror. It was certain that if priests or nuns saw this, they would be greatly angered, as it was an act of blasphemy against God.
However.
The young man clearly paid it no mind. On the contrary, he was quite pleased with his cross. He walked towards the wine-sipping individuals and bowed respectfully, saying:
"My esteemed Fallen Angels, I have returned from my investigation."
To others, these elegant individuals sipping red wine might have appeared to be mere celebrities. But the young man and those who served them knew very well that these were no celebrities. They were Fallen Angels summoned at a great cost, and moreover, they were elites among the Fallen Angels, each a captain-level figure within the Fallen Angel legions.
At the same time.
The leading Fallen Angel, upon hearing this, swirled his red wine and looked at the young man:
"How did the investigation go? What actions has the current Pope taken?"
In his words.
The Fallen Angel noticed the Jesus pendant on his cross and couldn't help but reveal an elegant smile:
"I like this cross. A terrified God, haha. After this matter is concluded, prepare some of these crosses for me. I want to take them back to Hell as gifts for Lord Satan and my companions."
"Thank you for your praise, Lord Xier."
The young man replied, then continued:
"I have investigated. Currently, that old fellow, the Pope, has dispatched the entire Judgment Knights Order and is tracking the movements of Lord Landos and his group. Although Lord Landos and his group's assassination attempt on the Cardinal was unsuccessful last time, it did succeed in enraging the Pope."
"Therefore, the Pope has dispatched the Judgment Knights Order, determined to capture Lord Landos and his group for judgment."
"Before I came, I contacted Lord Landos. They are being pursued closely, but the Judgment Knights Order has only utilized angelic power and has not yet summoned angels. They are likely confident that they can eliminate Lord Landos and his group without summoning angels, and they do not fear any subsequent ambushes from us."
In response to this.
The Fallen Angel named Xier showed no surprise on his face. Holding his wine glass, he chuckled:
"Naturally. The Judgment Knights Order possesses angelic power, making them half-angelic. They are the most threatening to us Fallen Angels and have killed many of our kind. But that's good too. Their confidence is precisely what we need to teach these Judgment Knights a lesson."
Before he finished speaking.
Xier glanced at the young man:
"Lord Landos's abilities are formidable, and they won't be caught easily. However, you must also seize the time. We need more companions to arrive in the human world so that we can inflict a heavy blow upon the Judgment Knights Order, or even make them disappear completely."
The young man nodded emphatically:
"Lord Xier, the summoning ritual is already being prepared. Not only are the summons for other Fallen Angels being prepared, but the summoning ritual for the most ancient of necromancers is also ready."
"Hmm, well done."
Mentioning the most ancient of necromancers, Xier seemed to recall something and stated directly:
"Speaking of which, if I recall correctly, wasn't there an Abraham summoned decades ago? One of the most ancient necromancers. Given the Church's usual behavior, they wouldn't have destroyed him but would have sealed him to repent to God. Go and rescue him. After all, he is one of the most ancient necromancers and could provide some assistance."
"Lord Xier, we have also considered this matter and originally intended to act. However, a minor issue has arisen in the past couple of days. Abraham broke free from his seal, and was resealed. The location is rather troublesome and draws a lot of attention. If we were to rescue him, it would require considerable manpower and resources, making it seem not worth the effort."
"Oh? Abraham could break free? Never mind, since it's not worth the effort, then there's no need. It makes no difference whether we have one more source of power or not."
"Understood, Lord Xier."
The young man nodded, then said:
"Then, Lord Xier, if you have no other matters, I shall take my leave. I will prepare the crosses for you and continue to investigate intelligence."
"Wait."
"Hmm? What is it, Lord Xier?"
"Have you investigated the matter I previously asked you to look into?"
Upon hearing this.
The young man couldn't help but recall Xier's first command to him when he was summoned to the human world. Xier had asked him to investigate why several Fallen Angels had been summoned to the human world recently, but without exception, none had returned. It was suspected that someone had deliberately summoned Fallen Angels to the human world and killed them.
He remembered.
Xier had mentioned that one of the deceased Fallen Angels was his brother-in-law, meaning his wife's younger brother.
At the same time.
As the young man was recalling, Xier was also reminiscing.
It was when he was summoned to the human world. Initially, he dared not enter. He couldn't, as several Fallen Angels had died suddenly. Conspiracy theories were circulating among the Fallen Angels. However, given his own power, he was not comparable to those deceased Fallen Angels.
Ultimately.
Xier decided to enter the summoning gate. But before he left, his wife called out to him:
"Xier, investigate the cause of my brother's death for me. If you can't find out, then don't even think about getting into my bed again."
Unlike angels, angels were forbidden from marrying or even mating.
However, Fallen Angels could. Because they were condemned to Hell and could not be resurrected in the Pool of Transfiguration in Heaven, they could only ensure the number of Fallen Angels through procreation. Angels, on the other hand, were fine if they died, as they could be resurrected from the Pool of Transfiguration in Heaven. Their numbers were also created by God.
At this point.
The young man's voice came through. He bowed respectfully and said:
"Lord Xier, the investigation into that matter has yielded some clues. The one who killed Lord Degap is a Great Xia native named Zhang Wei. It is suspected that he forced a... Dark Priest from our Dark Church, he... *cough*, he was captured by Zhang Wei and became a 'breeding tool,' constantly exploited to summon Fallen Angels."
As he spoke.
The young man added:
"By the way, regarding the matter of rescuing Abraham, it was also because of Zhang Wei that we stopped. He and the Pope jointly sealed Abraham. The magical artifact he refined is very strange; it can actually ignore God's bestowed name and protection."