Chapter 1 Those Who Joined the Silent Demise

On Sundays, the people of Herloom Street mostly enjoyed their weekend leisure, but near the solemn Silent Demise Knights Temple, it remained as deserted and quiet as ever.

Soon, the sound of footsteps in the distance broke the silence as two figures, a man and a woman, quickly crossed the temple's front square.

They weren't wearing the distinctive attire of the Silent Demise Knights Temple. The young man in a long coat stared calmly but intently at his watch, while the woman, clad in silver skirt armor, leisurely kept pace beside him.

After confirming the time, they quickened their steps in unison, as if driven by something important.

As they approached the gate, two knights in dark gray armor, guarding the entrance, blocked their path with their spears.

Lanchi didn't slow down, staring directly into the eyes of one of the knights, engaging in a silent conversation.

Whether it was due to his commanding presence or recognition of their faces, the guarding knight quickly reacted, allowing them passage without further obstruction.

The temple's spires and stone walls were cold and hard, but the interior hall was filled with bright light.

Deep within the Silent Demise Knights Temple, behind the heavy oak door, lay a spacious meeting hall.

The dome soared high, designed with an intricate arched structure, filling the space with solemnity. Tall windows lined both sides of the walls, their sills made of heavy lead bars and handcrafted stained glass. When sunlight streamed through these exquisite glasses, it cast dappled light and shadows, as if time and history were interwoven within the hall.

In the center of the room stood a round table made of rare Imperial ebony, its surface polished to a mirror-like sheen. Surrounding it were rows of high-backed chairs upholstered in dark leather, already occupied by several figures.

Besides the other qualifiers from the final examination, a man in a dark gray suit and two high priests sat on one side of the round table. The high priests wore the Silent Demise Knights' distinctive robes, with holy seal pendants surrounded by purple light hanging from their chests.

"..."

Sander, a direct subordinate, wore a stern expression, holding some documents and files in his hand. His gaze swept across the hall, as if he could see into the minds of everyone present, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, like a conductor awaiting the opportune moment.

Although it seemed the meeting could begin early, a key participant was clearly still absent.

Everyone's eyes occasionally focused on Sander, awaiting his judgment as the moderator.

Only a few dozen seconds remained until the appointed time.

If the two worst individuals still hadn't arrived, the meeting would proceed as scheduled, without waiting.

Just as the silent atmosphere in the meeting room lingered for a long time, the door was opened again, and two figures walked in one after another.

They didn't look like vicious criminals, clearly out of place among the butchers, arsonists, death singers, and eyeball collectors with their distinctly different personalities in this room.

Sander's subordinate looked up at the two of them, saying nothing.

It wasn't until Lanchi and Xide were seated amidst the gazes of the others.

"Today's meeting will be brief, probably resolved in about ten minutes."

Sander leaned back in his chair, glanced at the documents in his hand, and said.

First, according to the ritual and procedure, after signing the contracts, the two high priests presented the elite priest-level [Token of Rebirth - Silent Demise] and the rulebook that Silent Demise branch priests were required to follow to the new members formally joining the Silent Demise branch.

"When you accept this holy seal, you need to know that although it's not stated in the contract, if one day you choose to betray Silent Demise Bishop, the consequences will be endless revenge and pursuit. Do you understand?"

Sander's voice was cold, his lips slightly downturned, with no trace of a smile.

The evildoers in the meeting room all nodded in confirmation.

They had already figured this out before joining.

"Next, your work will be relatively free. There isn't much logistics work in the Imperial Capital Herloom that requires your assistance in the near future, but currently, the northern region is actually severely short of manpower, which is an excellent opportunity for you..."

Sander continued,

"In the coming month, you can leave and return at any time, preferably in groups of two or three, to investigate and track down the spies infiltrated by the Aserothian Kingdom in the northern provinces of the empire. The local branch will provide you with assistance, and you may be able to accumulate many merits, directly promoting you to high priest or even direct subordinate is not impossible."

"Of course, it's also possible to act alone, but you need to make a special application to me, because it's necessary to connect with the northern branch for work. Going to the north near the front line alone carries the possibility of being targeted or even replaced by high-level agents of the Aserothian Kingdom, while traveling in groups of two or three will greatly reduce communication costs, the probability of accidents, and the difficulty for the northern branch to identify and confirm your identities."

"Once you've decided on your itinerary, you can apply to us. We'll arrange the travel expenses, accommodation, and any possible advance payments in advance. The only thing you don't need to worry about is funding; what you need to worry about is returning empty-handed."

"..."

After listening to Sander's speech, most of those present had already exchanged many glances.

During the final exam, they had almost all had fixed partners, so there were no further questions.

The only difference was—

Whether to win over the two most powerful guys.

They both seemed like people who preferred to work alone.

But their strength and maliciousness were also beyond doubt.

However.

Before the other evildoers had made up their minds, Lanchi and Xide had already exchanged glances, and then directly found Sander and began filling out their itineraries, as if they had already become mutually selected partners, and even decided to go to the north together for work.

Just like after the re-examination, the two of them wouldn't stay for a second longer after finishing their business, and left directly.

The meeting room was quiet for a long time.

"Why do these two seem to have such a harmonious relationship?"

Not only the other bewildered evildoers, but even the two high priests became worried and asked Sander's direct subordinate next to him.

These two guys with extremely strong self-awareness should be incompatible in every way.

Just wanting to reach cooperation, agree on who's the boss, and who has the final say, should be enough to make their negotiations break down directly.

"It's okay, no need to worry, this is normal."

Sander smiled calmly.

Just wait for the two of them to kill each other.

This was a good sign.

The two high priests quickly realized something and understood Sander's meaning.

Neither of these guys was a good thing, and it was even more impossible for them to form a mutually trusting relationship.

And this kind of cunning evildoer probably wouldn't directly attack to solve their opponent.

They must be pretending to be friendly and secretly harm each other at a critical moment!

On the contrary, they were no longer a threat.

...

On the other side.

The square road extended from the huge gate of the Silent Demise Knights Temple, making the surrounding buildings seem a bit shorter and emptier.

The two of them were no longer in a hurry like when they came, just walking together for a few streets until they reached the corner, and then the directions would be different.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow."

Xide raised his hand and said.

"When I see you at school, do I need to pretend I don't know you?"

Lanchi also waved his hand and asked.

"It's okay, just talk to me naturally."

Xide smiled casually, turned and left.

Lanchi nodded, and continued along the road towards the Protoss Royal Magic Academy in the south without stopping.

Tomorrow he would temporarily move to the school to experience the long-lost campus life, but it was with North Continent characteristics.

After turning around a few street corners leisurely, the surrounding figures became more and more numerous, and unknowingly, the little black cat in his shadow jumped out again and burrowed into his arms.

"Meow meow meow! I don't want to play with you anymore!!"

Cat Boss rolled and fussed.

Being the Son of Batian, and infiltrating the Silent Demise branch, and he still had to go to the north of the empire with Batian Bishop to cause trouble, now he couldn't wash himself clean even if he wanted to!

"But Cat Boss, think about it, if I leave you in the Imperial Capital, will you be safe? The entire Protoss Empire is a bit weird. If we still follow the common sense of Ikerite, we might be branded as cultists on the spot and locked up in prison..."

Hearing this, Lanchi calmly explained the situation to Cat Boss.

"Meow this..."

After thinking carefully, it seemed that no matter where he stayed in the Imperial Capital, it was still safer to stay by Lanchi's side, because Batian Bishop would indeed protect him.

"Let me say it first, I didn't join the Rebirth Church meow!"

Cat Boss declared solemnly.

As long as he wasn't on this kid's body when the wanted order was issued, he would be fine.

"I know, I know, just stay in my shadow."

Lanchi patted it lightly, walking on the street,

"Hey, Cat Boss, you say, why is it so natural for some people to disguise themselves as girls, and why is it so ridiculous for some guys to disguise themselves as girls?"

"..."

"Who are you satirizing?"

Cat Boss looked up at Lanchi.

It felt that Lanchi hadn't mentioned a certain name from beginning to end, but every sentence was about a certain name.

But it didn't know who Lanchi was referring to.

Logically speaking, besides Xide, none of the women he knew liked to fake their age low.

Lanchi smiled without saying a word.

Some things, heaven knows, earth knows, the cat knows, and he knows. Thinking, it's all about freedom.

(End of this chapter)