Walking up the stairs, Yvette entered the interior of the black church, resembling an ordinary visitor.
The church’s interior was a spacious area without lights; all illumination came from thousands of candles lit on the walls. The warm orange light spread across everyone beneath the stained glass dome, creating a solemn atmosphere that made even foreign visitors feel compelled to blend in, hesitant to raise their voices.
At that moment, in front of rows of wooden benches within the church, a bishop was lecturing on doctrine at a skull-carved bone altar. The congregants below were focused intently, maintaining a complete silence.
Yvette took a glance and roughly determined the identity of the bishop as a “soul memorial priest.”
Based on the information gathered online and the pamphlet distributed to visitors, Yvette was already aware of the hierarchical structure of the Holy Spirit Sect.
The lowest rank was the “assistant priest,” those ordinary clergy wearing black hoods.
Next were the “priests” and “high priests,” with the former responsible for everyday rituals in the church, such as masses, sermons, and guiding believers in understanding doctrines, while the latter served as the individual church supervisors who would only lead ceremonies on special occasions.
Above them were the “soul memorial priests,” who belonged to the mid-to-high echelon of the Holy Spirit Sect and were the highest authorities within city-level dioceses.
Then came the “reincarnation high priests.” If soul memorial priests could be likened to mayors, reincarnation high priests would be akin to governors. Due to the relatively small size of Rustbone, there were only five reincarnation high priests, and the majority of the sect’s affairs were handled by these five.
At the pinnacle stood three “saints” and the “Pontiff,” the four most mysterious and feared leaders of the Holy Spirit Sect, each one an unfathomable necromancer said to be the embodiment of the god of death on earth.Rumor has it that these four had grasped the core mysteries of necromancy, transforming into immortal beings. This was why, as one of the world’s top two superpowers, New Eden was reluctant to wage an anti-terror war against Rustbone, fearing they might not be able to kill those four super mages and, instead, provoke them, bringing continuous disasters upon the country.
Of course, this claim was not verified.
…
Since she was here to gather intelligence, Yvette made no special movements. Like other visitors, she stood in a designated viewing area, observing the congregants performing the mass while glancing a few more times at the soul memorial priest on the altar.
The priest’s demeanor was very kind, resembling an ordinary earnest man, which was comforting. However, recalling the malevolent spirit that had flashed outside the church, Yvette couldn’t help but remain vigilant, suspecting that this soul memorial priest was likely an evil necromancer, perhaps even the one who summoned the earlier spirit.
Gradually, she began to formulate a plan.
It was impossible for her to acquire necromancy through formal channels; six months wasn’t enough time for a new clergy member to rise to the rank of soul memorial priest. She also didn’t believe that the Soulfire Cathedral would approve her application.
The only options left were to steal or rob, but both paths would inevitably attract the attention of the Holy Spirit Sect. What if a saint was drawn to her actions?
That was the embodiment of death itself, a true walking nuclear weapon, far more terrifying than nuclear weapons in their own right!
Thus, after careful consideration, Yvette decided to start by gathering some intelligence to deepen her understanding of the Soulfire Cathedral, and in the last half month, she would conduct a break-in to steal or even commit robbery.
This way, even if a saint happened to appear, she could hide in the Firth for a few days, and when the time was right, slip away through the dreamscape. Regardless of whether it was the embodiment of death or the End Witch, neither would be able to find her again.
After memorizing the church’s layout as part of her collected intelligence, Yvette decided not to linger any longer and turned to leave.
However, as she approached the door, an assistant priest clad in a black hood suddenly approached her and politely inquired, “Excuse me, are you Miss Nameless?”
“…Yes.” Yvette paused, narrowing her eyes slightly.
“Mr. Cors would like to invite you to stay for a moment. He has something to discuss with you… if it’s convenient.”
“Who is Cors?”
“He is the gentleman on the altar.” The assistant priest lifted his head, revealing a young face from beneath the shadows of his hood, then glanced back toward Yvette.
Following his gaze, Yvette looked at the soul memorial priest she had examined earlier and saw him smiling at her from a distance.
Yvette was slightly bewildered, speculating that perhaps this was meant as a gesture of goodwill, to bury the hatchet regarding the malevolent spirit incident.
However, she decided to see what was truly at stake and nodded, saying, “Lead the way.”
…
Following the assistant priest, Yvette arrived at a guest room off to the side.
After waiting on the couch for about ten minutes, she saw the soul memorial priest enter through the door, walking with a light gait and smiling. “Miss Nameless, you are just as remarkable as the rumors say; even without a photo, I recognized you at a glance.”
“I am Hoyle Cors, the soul memorial priest of the Soulfire Cathedral in Firth. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Nameless!”
Due to the overly enthusiastic tone, Yvette felt somewhat uneasy.
After a moment of silence, she asked, “Are you here to reconcile?”
“Reconcile…?!” Hoyle’s smile froze on his face, and after a few seconds of stunned silence, he replied, bewildered, “Miss Nameless, we should be meeting for the first time here… Is there a misunderstanding?”
“Wasn’t that spirit controlled by you?” Yvette inquired.
“Spirit? What spirit?” Hoyle’s expression grew even more confused. “Although I do have some knowledge of necromancy, I’m only capable of a few simple techniques, none of which involve spirits…”
Since Hoyle’s expression seemed genuine and not like mere performance, Yvette furrowed her brows, changing the question: “What do you want with me?”
“Uh… well, Miss Nameless, a couple of days ago you struck against the two slaver gangs’ bases in the Firth outskirts, correct?” Hoyle turned serious.
“Mm-hmm.”
“That’s truly wonderful.” Hoyle expressed earnestly. “I’ve long wanted to eliminate those two evil bases, but my hands have been tied by a lack of power, and my own strength isn’t enough to confront them. For you to act as a heavenly ally, I first want to extend my gratitude.”
“…”
“Miss Nameless, this gratitude comes from the heart and is entirely genuine! However, I have taken the liberty to invite you here today because there is a more important request I must make… and that is, I wish to formally commission you on behalf of the local Soulfire Cathedral.”
“Speak on.”
“I hope you can investigate the true identity of the mysterious leader of the evil organization ‘Ghost Hand Society’ known as the ‘General,’ and it would be best if you could directly eliminate him.” Hoyle said, “If the investigation is successful, I am willing to pay a reward of 100,000 digital credits, and if the assassination is successful, the reward will increase to 500,000… Miss Nameless, what do you think?”
After a moment of silence, Yvette did not answer immediately, instead asking, “What do you know about spirits?”
She suspected that Hoyle was deliberately issuing a mission to create a smokescreen, diverting her suspicions about his connection to the Ghost Hand Society. However, she also felt that if that were truly the case, he wouldn’t need to go to such lengths, which would instead make it seem conspicuous.
Regardless, she would start with the question to gauge his reaction.
“There are two types of spirits: naturally occurring or created through necromancy… Miss Nameless, have you encountered a spirit?” Hoyle asked earnestly.
Yvette described the spirit from the slaver camp and the one she had seen earlier in the church, then said, “How do you prove that spirit has nothing to do with you?”
Hoyle fell silent, his brow furrowing after a long moment. “I’m sorry, I can’t prove anything, Miss Nameless.”
Pausing, a look of hesitation crossed his face, and he lowered his voice, “In fact, I do suspect that there are individuals within the church who have connections to the Ghost Hand Society… there might even be someone like that within the Soulfire Cathedral, but I don’t know who… Therefore, you must be cautious of everyone here.”
Yvette asked, “Including you?”
Hoyle was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and said, “Yes, including me.”