Strictly speaking, both the Light Guidance Hermit Order and the Apner Library are neutral Ring術士 organizations. However, the former's doomsday theories are indeed considered "heretical" in this idealistic world, while the latter has recently come under strict scrutiny from the Church due to its cooperation with the Truth Society. Furthermore, the information in the briefcase was related to the Chosen One, making this transaction an illegal underground deal.
"I've become a villain too."
Xia De joked inwardly, as the operation had gone so smoothly. Her laughter was still so pleasant and gentle, which further improved Xia De's mood.
"What kind of accident did you expect to encounter?"
She whispered in Xia De's ear again. Xia De, while paying attention to the path under his feet, replied. Walking in the foggy cemetery, the most dangerous thing was not ghosts, but inconspicuous stones:
"For example, encountering a double-cross. Since the transaction content involves the Chosen One, perhaps this information would be targeted by others. Even if the Truth Society cooperates with the Apner Library, I believe there are certainly other organizations interested in this information."
Thinking of this, Xia De paused, looking around vigilantly:
"Oh, I must have lost my mind. Since the mission hasn't been completed yet, how can I think such things?"
"Is this another one of your ridiculous 'superstitions'?"
She whispered in Xia De's ear. Xia De raised his hand to touch his ear, actually to confirm if anyone was behind him:
"No, no, this is not superstition. The conservation of luck is superstition."
Xia De replied quite stubbornly:
"Before completing the mission, I absolutely cannot think about such things. However, it seems my luck is good tonight. Look, I haven't encountered a double-cross. If I did, I could ask Old John for more money."
Thinking of this, he laughed to himself. Through the fog ahead, he could already see the cemetery fence. As he spoke in his mind, he used his robe to turn the briefcase in his hand into a toy and put it in his pocket.
Once he crossed the fence, he would just need to find a place to change clothes, and he could safely enter the city.
"Is it possible that, besides your so-called double-cross, there might be other unexpected events tonight?"
She asked, still smiling, in Xia De's ear.
"Like what?"
He dripped the weathervane bluegrass extract onto his tongue, preparing to cross the fence and leave the cemetery. But after walking two steps forward, he suddenly frowned and stopped, his eyes fixed on the fence in front of him.
Golden threads, invisible to the naked eye, were wrapped around the fence. As far as the eye could see, all the fences in the cemetery were covered with golden threads. Those faintly glowing things were non-physical entities composed of spirits and elements, swaying in the wind and adhering to the fences.
"This is Miracle element. This characteristic is... a divine art of the Peace Church?"
Xia De was a bit surprised, and she spoke Xia De's current thoughts:
"For example, tonight's risk is that the Church has discovered your illegal transaction."
Xia De instinctively took a step back, then realized that a Church team must be nearby, and he had better leave quickly. The threads attached to the fence in front of him were clearly a Miracle used for vigilance. Searching left and right, the continuous threads left no gaps:
"What kind of divine art is this?"
He couldn't tell if the golden threads in front of him could detect spatial changes, but staying in the cemetery and waiting for a turn of events was definitely the worst choice. Just as he was considering whether to risk using Red Butterfly Avatar to turn into a butterfly and fly over from high altitude, he suddenly heard a dull thud in the distance.
In the quiet night, the sound was very distinct. Although the night fog prevented Xia De from discerning what was happening on the other side of the cemetery, judging from the direction, it was highly likely that the Ring術士 who had just traded with Xia De had already engaged with the Church:
"Yes, the people from the Apner Library should be more afraid of the Church than I am. I merely acted as a 'postman' for an illegal transaction. They just received a warning from the Church for their collusion with the Truth Society. If they are caught trading the remnant of the poem again, their trouble will be huge!"
Understanding this, Xia De became even more suspicious that the Church's ambush here tonight was most likely due to a leak from the Apner Library.
After all, although Old John usually seemed to have no power and was just an ordinary shop owner, Xia De knew that such old gentlemen were even more formidable. The Guiding Light Hermitage is a very ancient and secretive organization; even Miss Felianna from the Thousand Tree Forest era was convinced that they could be traced back from the fifth epoch to Xia De's current era. Therefore, compared to Old John, Xia De was more inclined to believe that the information was leaked by the Apner Library.
"How interesting. However, when I see Old John later, I'll have a reason to ask him for a higher price."
Xia De thought to himself, frowning at the golden threads on the fence in front of him:
"What exactly is this divine art?"
After a moment of thought, he still believed that standing still and thinking was not as good as taking a risk:
"Raglai's Leap!"
He took a step forward, and as his boot touched the ground, he was already in the woods outside the cemetery. This spatial leap was a bit different from previous ones. Normal Miracle casting was similar to walking, but this time he felt as if he had touched a layer of water film.
As he steadied himself, his ears immediately caught a low hum similar to that of nocturnal birds in the night sky. Looking back at the golden threads on the fence, at the spot where Xia De had leaped, the broken threads were turning into dust and disappearing:
"The Orthodox Church is indeed professional."
Thinking this, Xia De dispersed into a swarm of butterflies, and instead of flying away from the cemetery, he flew back into it.
He glanced at the figures vaguely visible running in the distance, activated the Mute Charm, and then quickly walked in a random direction through the dense fog. Soon, he saw the light of the cemetery chapel in the distance.
Xia De wasn't sure how many people the Church had arranged to catch tonight's "illegal transaction," but it seemed at most to be a full Ring術士 team. He didn't choose to hide in the chapel. He looked around in the fog, walked on the muddy ground to the wall of the small chapel, an area densely packed with various old gravestones due to its age:
"Red Butterfly Illusion."
Several dancing Red Butterflies flew out from Xia De's chest, casting small crimson lights in the fog. Xia De stood still, letting these Red Butterflies perch on his shoulders. He could still observe himself, but if others were to scan the area at this moment, they would only see a pile of unremarkable gravestones.
The spell "Red Butterfly Illusion" is different from the temporarily sealed Miracle "Moon Shadow's Illusion"; the former is more inclined to create illusions rather than concealment. Therefore, Xia De was now using the power of the illusion to make his appearance resemble the old stone cross gravestones standing there, perfectly blending with the environment.
Although there must be a Ring術士 with the power to break illusions in the Church's Ring術士 team, with the cover of night and dense fog, plus the fundamental power of "Red Butterfly Illusion" originating from an angel-level relic, Xia De believed he wouldn't be easily found, especially since the Peace Church's Ring術士 were still dealing with another exposed individual.
Just as Xia De thought, he stood in the dense fog, and no one came near him. However, several dark figures ran through the fog in the distance. Their way of walking didn't seem like living people, but rather like "living corpses" or other undead creatures.
This led Xia De to make more conjectures. Perhaps tonight, there weren't only two people participating in the transaction in this cemetery.
After standing in the dark night for over twenty minutes, feeling the wind, and confident that he wouldn't be discovered, Xia De slowed his pace and began to move. An old gravestone moving through dense fog would, of course, be very strange, so Xia De could only choose to walk and stop along paths where gravestones might appear. When he entered a location where a gravestone was unsuitable, he would adjust his illusion to disguise himself as a withered tree or a broken wooden box.
This method was very effective. Until Xia De reached the main gate of the cemetery, and stepped over the deformed gate, which had been damaged by unknown hands, no one came to bother him.
Of course, even after leaving the cemetery, Xia De did not relax his vigilance. He glanced back at the fog-shrouded cemetery and indeed saw a man's figure running quickly.
He didn't notice Xia De in the dense fog. After stumbling to the cemetery gate, he could no longer support himself and collapsed. He struggled to prop himself up with his hands, only to find a hand extended towards him:
"Do you need help?"
Xia De, who had revealed himself, asked. It was quite coincidental, perhaps both their luck was good; the person who had also escaped the cemetery was none other than the member of the Apner Library with whom he had just traded.
Darkness emanated from him, and he lay motionless on the ground, but Xia De knew he was still conscious.
Xia De's appearance at this moment was, of course, not merely to do a good deed. He still remembered that one-third of the Stone Tablet of Time was most likely in the hands of the Apner Library. If he could establish a connection with them this time, it would be good to propose a transaction as soon as possible.
"Yes, you definitely need help."
Thinking of this, Xia De pulled the man up without further ado.
"Come with me, or wait to be caught by the Church?"
He tapped his mask, indicating his identity to the other party. His tone carried a hint of lightness, as if the two of them were not illegal traders being pursued by the Church.
