"Meet up with the people in the camp and discuss the follow-up plan together in the evening."
The great elder took one look at the giant mushroom cloud that was still rising strongly and showed no signs of dissipating. His figure flashed and disappeared in the black ripples.
"Master Deacon..."
Hill was confused by the interaction between the two big guys, but when she saw Otilia, who had some knowledge of her identity, walking towards her, she couldn't help but feel very nervous and swallowed her saliva:
"Thank you for saving them... Uh, you, I guess you haven't... told others about my situation?"
Otilia glanced at the survivors who had woken up and were sitting on rocks or on the ground to recuperate, and said meaningfully:
"Let's talk about it when we get back."
Hill could tell what she meant was that someone else was listening and it was not convenient to talk about certain topics, so he nodded tactfully.
Chapter 466 A Road
"We shouldn't have gone any deeper! Our intrusion must have triggered the defense mechanism inside the 'Abyss'!"
"That's right. This entire city has big problems. There may be more hidden dangers that are far beyond our ability to deal with. If we launch an investigation carelessly, we will probably have to pay a huge price!"
"I agree with Nelson. We should evacuate the ruins immediately, everyone! Before the next 'Pure White Pope' appears, we must never set foot on this land again!"
"I agree. We were just lucky that we didn't suffer too many casualties this time. Look at that explosion! If it happened in the Last Kingdom... what would the result be?!"
"Well, I feel that the last explosion is strange. It seems to have occurred in the 'Abyss', and the victims are all the evil spirits in the 'Abyss'. I think maybe -"
"What nonsense are you talking about?! No matter what the source of the explosion is, the only fact that can be proved is that there is a threat in this city that can destroy the Last Kingdom in an instant! Isn't this enough for us to retreat thousands of miles away?!"
"That's right... but it would be too radical for everyone to withdraw immediately. We should at least leave a few teams behind to observe the follow-up situation..."
"..."
A heated debate was taking place in the makeshift camp on the edge of the city ruins.
The military tent in the center of the camp was packed with people, making the originally spacious space quite cramped. Members of the management shouted out their opinions excitedly, saliva flying.
However, in sharp contrast to this angry atmosphere was the core figure of this meeting, Julian, the final Grand Elder of the Holy See.
This haggard, pale middle-aged man sat in a corner, his eyes sunken in his eye sockets filled with gloom, his head lowered, looking at the floor.
During the entire process, he did not utter a word, did not raise any opinions, and never refuted or agreed to others' proposals, maintaining absolute silence.
Like a statue, quiet and cold.
As time went by, the atmosphere in the military tent gradually calmed down. Although everyone's opinions differed on specific details, they all reached a consensus: continuing to explore the "abyss" was dangerous and should be considered carefully!
The theme of the meeting has basically been decided, and what remains is just to discuss the specific implementation methods and the degree of radicalism or conservatism of the plan.
"Arrange for the second batch of troops to enter."
At this moment, a hoarse voice as cold as frost came from the crowd. Everyone subconsciously stopped talking and looked in the direction of the voice.
The long-silent elder Julian suddenly raised his head and said in a low voice:
"The exploration mission to the 'Abyss' will proceed as usual."
All the participants were stunned, looking at the leader with the highest status among all the people present in disbelief. No one spoke for a while, and the originally lively atmosphere in the military tent suddenly became quiet, and the breathing and heartbeats of everyone could be heard.
"Great Elder...are you sure?"
No one questioned it, but just asked in a tone of confirmation.
Julian looked around, his eyes sweeping across faces full of doubt, puzzlement, and confusion, and nodded his chin without question:
"That's it."
The meeting ended so abruptly.
As the Church of Redemption that governs and manages all affairs of the entire Last Kingdom, the orders of its core department, the "Final Church", are nearly absolute; and the seven great elders who are the leaders of the Final Church can naturally represent the will of the Final Church.
Before the first batch of troops set off from the headquarters, the Final Holy See had already determined that Julian could represent the will of the Final Holy See in this operation, and put him in full charge of all decisions of the "Mysterious Abyss Ruins Pioneering Force".
He is the de facto supreme leader in this makeshift camp.
In fact, all the content of the debate at this "meeting" was basically spoken to Julian, and all the participants were trying to get Julian to accept their proposals.
And when Julian himself put forward his proposal, that was the end of the discussion.
So, without any follow-up, after Julian spoke, everyone in the military tent stopped talking and looked at each other silently.
"...Follow the will of the Great Elder."
Standing up, they saluted to the great elder, then left the military tent one after another and began to make arrangements for the necessary plans to continue the exploration and development.
The person in charge of combat commanded the soldiers to organize their equipment; the person in charge of transport logistics began to maintain the baggage vehicles and feed the precious beasts of burden; the person in charge of distributing materials immediately wrote a supply application to the headquarters; the person in charge of backup rescue assembled the reserve team and gave instructions on the emergency plan...
The temporary camp with hundreds of people began intensive preparations. Commands were passed between the military tents and the venue, and documents were sent to the heart of the last country far away.
Everyone has devoted himself wholeheartedly to his own post.
The core figure who caused all this, the supreme leader of the camp, and ultimately the Grand Elder of the Holy See, Julian... had been sitting on a wooden chair in the central military tent, his face solemn and gloomy.
Not moving, not speaking, not smiling, like a statue.
……
…………
……
"So, now including you, there are three people in the Last Kingdom who know of my existence?"
While everyone was busy, there was a figure standing still in a corner at the edge of the temporary camp.
Hill nervously pulled the strands of orange hair that fell in front of his shoulders, his eyes fixed on the tips of his shoes, and responded to the voice in front with a silent nod.
In the shadow two or three meters in front of her, there stood a short cloaked man, his entire body hidden in the haze cast by the military tent, making it difficult to see his true shape.
"I see."
Qi Ji said calmly that the current development of the situation was not beyond her expectations.
"Sir, although I have told Deacon Otilia and Great Elder Julian that you and the creator of the ruins city had conflicts in the past, given their status, whatever decision they want to make... is not something I can influence."
Hill lowered her head and spoke softly. Although the True Creator did not show any intention of blaming her, her tone was still full of self-blame:
"If one of them were to try to make your existence known to the public... I don't know what I would do."
"This is your kingdom. Whether it is suffering or salvation in the future, it is up to you to decide."
The slightly cynical smile on Qi Ji's face faded slightly, and he said with a more serious expression:
"Remember, you still have to rely on yourself in the end. No one can choose your future for you... not even me."
Hill raised his head and stared blankly at the petite figure in the darkness, his eyes full of confusion, as if he couldn't quite understand the meaning of these words.
Seeing her desolate look with no goals or ideas for the future, Qi Ji sighed and said quietly:
"Forget it, I'll show you another way."
"Speaking!"
Hearing that the "true creator" had a new "oracle", Hill suddenly became energetic, his eyes shining, and looked at Qi Ji with anticipation.
"I sent you a coordinate earlier for you to investigate... It is in the same direction as the 'resting place' of your successive White Popes."
Qi Ji put on an unpredictable smile again:
"If you can explore further in that direction... you might find something unexpected."
====================
Chapter 2 will be updated at 8pm.
Chapter 467: God's Envoy
into the night.
The makeshift camp on the edge of the ruined city was gradually covered by sticky black.
"Great Elder, is it really so urgent?"
The person in charge, who was exhausted from preparing for the follow-up actions, stood in front of Julian, with a look of embarrassment and confusion on his face:
"Such a big accident just happened this afternoon. Everyone is very tired. And it happens to be late at night now... I think it's better not to force it. Besides, you, the Great Elder, are also very tired."
Julian gestured with his hands in front of him, releasing vigorous spiritual power fluctuations. His fingertips drew light tracks in the air, outlining extremely complex but difficult to discern three-dimensional line patterns. He didn't even look at the person in charge:
"Time is of the essence. That explosion was very strange. If we delay too long, something bad may happen. We must investigate it as soon as possible."
"All right……"
The person in charge could tell that Julian had made up his mind and no matter how much he said, he would not be able to persuade him. So he stopped trying to persuade him, bowed respectfully, and left.
About ten minutes later, Ottilia brought Hill to Julian.
"Great Elder, I'm ready."
Hill patted the badly worn old backpack on her back with her backhand. It was bulging inside and the shoulder straps made her shoulders sink slightly, looking very heavy.
Julian's eyes passed over her and moved to Ottilia next to her.
The senior deacon in gray robe and silver hair, the undisputed first-class strongman of the Church of Redemption and the rising star of the Last Kingdom did not speak, but only signaled to him with his eyes that everything was ready.
Taking his eyes off the senior deacon, Julian looked at Hill and asked:
"How much of the material that 'that' gave you is left?"
Otilia also looked at her with questioning eyes, obviously having the same doubt.
Hill was sandwiched between the two big guys. He was extremely nervous. He swallowed hard and said:
"Not much. It's all in here."
The two leaders looked at the full backpack and said nothing. After a few seconds of silence, Julian said in a deep voice:
"Set off."
……
…………
……
Thanks to the guidance of two experienced "requiem masters", it only took the group a few minutes to reach the entrance of the abyss from the temporary camp.
This was Hill's third time here, but the scene she saw almost made her unrecognizable.
I saw that the huge pit that originally opened up in the central square of the city had changed greatly in appearance. It was no longer as regular as before, but was blasted into a hole shape that was larger on the top and smaller on the bottom.
Everywhere you look, you can smell the smell of burning and decay. The stone structures that originally belonged to the ruins of the city had already been completely shattered and evaporated in the explosion, leaving only traces similar to solidified lava and scattered translucent crystalline substances.
That's something that can only form at super high temperatures.
As for the overwhelming group of foul ghosts... not even their shadows could be seen. Even they were turned into ashes the moment the explosion occurred.
"You guys are here quite early."
The three of them stood on the edge of the large pit that was blown into a funnel shape. Using their night vision abilities, they looked at the black hole in the distance at the deepest part of the "funnel". Suddenly, they heard a childish and pleasant voice coming from the side.
Hill couldn't help but shudder, and turned his head to look over with the other two.
The petite figure in the cloak walked out of the dark ruins step by step, with light steps and graceful posture, just like an elf living in a beautiful wonderland in a fairy tale.
Julian stared motionlessly at the young-looking girl, whose cold and pale face was like a solidified stone sculpture. He had no idea what was in the heart of this great elder. He could only vaguely see a glimmer of light in his dark eyes.
After a moment's silence, he asked in a cautious tone:
"Are you the 'True Creator'?"
"Yes and no."
Qi Ji stopped and switched to the mysterious mode with familiarity and natural behavior.
"I'm sorry that I'm not able to understand the deep meaning of your words. Please explain."
Julian's attitude was very humble. Facing this apparently very young girl, he did not act like a leader of a country at all. Instead, he acted more like he was facing a superior.
"Introduce yourself."
Qi Ji was also in a playful mood, and suddenly had an idea. He smiled and bowed to Julian and the others and said:
"I am a loyal follower of my Lord, the True Creator, and the spokesperson of His will on this land, codenamed 'One Zero Five'."
