Volume 4: Hidden Battles – Chapter 150: The Priest Arrives

“Elder, what’s wrong with you? Why do you seem so strange all of a sudden? By the way, do we need any further assistance in tracking that vampire?” Chu Tianyu turned to ask Fernandi.
“It’s not strange—it’s fear of you!” Fernandi thought to himself, but said aloud, “No further assistance is needed. I’ll let you know if there’s any news! Well, I’m leaving…”
Without waiting for Chu Tianyu’s reply, he suddenly turned into a wisp of black smoke. At the same time, a small black dot appeared in the distance before quickly disappearing from Chu Tianyu’s sight.
Chu Tianyu opened his mouth, intending to ask how to get in touch with him later, but he was already gone.
“How can he just leave like that?” Chu Tianyu murmured in confusion.
If Fernandi could hear Chu Tianyu’s question, he would undoubtedly reply without hesitation, “For no reason other than the fact that being around you, a pervert, makes me feel cold…”
Back at the castle, Chu Tianyu had nowhere else to go for now, so he went to the open area where Ouyang Ziyi and Li Rou had practiced shooting the previous day. He thought carefully about the entire incident from start to finish. As he had said before, it was indeed intricate and complicated.
At this thought, Chu Tianyu suddenly felt that this Yishé Castle would become a focal point for various unknown factors, as if all kinds of forces would be drawn in. This led him to wonder if the battle he encountered on the way here might also be related to the sacred objects here. But this Yishé Castle had kept its secrets for hundreds of years, passed down through generations without any mistakes or incidents like the one happening now. Could it be…
If what Fernandi said was true, then the secrets of Yishé Castle must have been leaked! It made sense then that Sister Xin and the others were captured! But what puzzled Chu Tianyu was this: if that vampire had the protection of the Divine Punishment Necklace, why not enter the sacred place first and seize those forbidden sacred objects directly? Instead, why abduct the two people handling the inheritance ceremony for no reason?
“Could it be that their goal isn’t those sacred objects at all, but to prevent the ceremony from taking place? To stop Ziyi from inheriting?” Chu Tianyu boldly speculated.

Just then, the laughter of Ouyang Ziyi and Li Rou interrupted Chu Tianyu’s thoughts. He heard Ouyang Ziyi say, “Hehe, Li Rou, I told you—once he gets up in the morning, he’s bound to do a few moves in a dance like Ningdi!”
“It doesn’t seem like it. Look, isn’t he standing there quietly? It doesn’t seem like he’s about to dance. He looks more like a minstrel in an ancient castle, composing a poem…” Li Rou’s voice joined in.
Amid their teasing, Chu Tianyu felt warmth in his heart. No matter what sacred objects or holy castles there were, only the people before him were real!
“Tianyu, where’s Mr. Fernandi?” Li Rou asked with a smile.
“Rourou, you don’t understand this. He must be sleeping. Even the oldest and most capable vampires can’t just wander around during the day! Hehe, right, Tianyu?” Ouyang Ziyi affirmed.
“That old bat is really a miracle. From the way he talks, it seems he’s the god who dominates the daylight, able to wander around freely and even fly at will!” Chu Tianyu said humorously.
“What god who dominates the daylight? Why is that so strange?” Ouyang Ziyi asked, frowning.
“Yes, it sounds so awkward!” Li Rou agreed.
Chu Tianyu made a strange face and joked, “Maybe this is a French-style Chinese adjective, hehe!”
“Shut up, nonsense…”
“That’s right…”
As they were chatting, Grandpa Duoan rushed over in a hurry. Under everyone’s puzzled gazes, he said, “Miss, there’s a group of nuns outside the castle who say they want to see you. The leader is one wearing a white priest’s robe…”
“Nuns? And one in a white priest’s robe?” Ouyang Ziyi asked, puzzled, as she followed Grandpa Duoan.
“I don’t know either. They’re outside the castle now. Should we let them in?” Duoan asked.
“How many are there in total?” Ouyang Ziyi asked.
“Nine in total!” Duoan replied.
“Alright, arrange for them to go to the main hall. We’ll wait for them there!” Ouyang Ziyi said.
“Okay!” Duoan replied before taking out a communicator to contact the guards outside the castle according to Ouyang Ziyi’s instructions.
Chu Tianyu and Li Rou also followed Ouyang Ziyi to the main hall, puzzled, discussing who might come to visit at such a time and what kind of nuns they were…

Chu Tianyu and Ouyang Ziyi waited in the main hall for a while before hearing the footsteps of a group of people outside. Sure enough, the first person they saw was the one in the white priest’s robe. But when both sides got a clear look at each other’s faces, they both exclaimed in shock and stood frozen in place.
It was none other than Sophia, whom they had met twice before!
When Sophia finally stepped forward, she was dressed in a pure white priest’s robe, with a golden belt tied around her waist. The collar and cuffs were trimmed with golden linen lace. Her long, golden hair cascaded down her shoulders, and with her delicate features and bright blue eyes, she resembled a finely carved goddess, exuding a sense of holiness. At the same time, her seemingly untainted purity brought a feeling of serenity and peace…
“How, how is it you?” Sophia said excitedly, hardly believing her eyes.
“What a coincidence, Miss Sophia. This is our third meeting, right?” Ouyang Ziyi also regained her composure and spoke.
“Mm, yes. What a coincidence. You… you’re the owner of this castle?” Sophia asked, casually glancing at Ouyang Ziyi’s hand holding Li Rou’s, a hint of sadness crossing her eyes.
“Not quite yet, haha. But I can act as the host for now! Oh, by the way, please sit down. Don’t stand and talk. Would you like something to drink?” Ouyang Ziyi said with a charming smile.
“Mm, thank you, but no need. By the way, I still haven’t properly thanked you for your help last time!” Sophia replied, waving her hand to signal the nuns following her to step back. Duo An had already arranged for someone to wait there, ready to lead the nuns to a side room at Sophia’s signal—probably a common courtesy among European nobles!
“What’s there to thank? I just happened to be there. It was just a casual shot!” Ouyang Ziyi said boastfully.
The more casually Ouyang Ziyi spoke, the more mesmerized Sophia looked at her. After she finished speaking, Ouyang Ziyi waited for her to respond, but nothing came. Sophia was staring at her with a flushed face. Not knowing what was wrong, Ouyang Ziyi coughed a few times to get her attention.
Only then did Sophia snap out of it. Her snow-white, delicate face turned even redder as she slightly lowered her head and said softly, “By the way, I still don’t know how to address you.”
“Just call me Ouyang!” Ouyang Ziyi replied with a cheerful laugh.

“Ouyang…” Sophia couldn’t help but call out in a poetic tone.
“Hmm, right. What brings you to the castle to see me this time?” Ouyang Ziyi also noticed the ambiguous atmosphere between them and quickly shifted the conversation back to the main topic.
Hearing Ouyang Ziyi’s reminder, Sophia seemed to suddenly remember her purpose for coming. She quickly composed herself and said, “Ouyang, I’m here on behalf of Europe’s highest Sacred Power Judgment Council…”
“What Sacred Power Judgment Council?” Ouyang Ziyi asked in confusion.
“Well, it’s something like an organization that controls sacred powers. Just like what you saw last time with the battle over the overlapping petals—we are all those who possess sacred powers. From an ordinary person’s perspective, we’re people with special abilities! The Sacred Power Judgment Council is the institution that oversees these people, ensuring their powers don’t disrupt normal society!”
“Oh, now I understand. Please go on!” Ouyang Ziyi pretended to have just realized it.
“Hehe, Ouyang, you’re really different from ordinary people. I thought you’d be very curious by now. Have you heard of such things before?” Sophia asked.
“Sort of,” Ouyang Ziyi replied vaguely.
Seeing this, Sophia didn’t press further on the topic and continued, “Ouyang, I’m here on behalf of the Judgment Council regarding the sacred relics sealed in Yishé Castle. But don’t worry—we’re not targeting you; we’re after those who have malicious intentions toward these relics!”
After listening, Ouyang Ziyi frowned and pondered for a while before asking, “What exactly does that mean?”
Sophia smiled slightly, knowing he would react that way. She calmed down and explained in detail their purpose, reasons, and intentions from start to finish.
It turned out that the secrets of Yishé Castle hadn’t remained unknown for centuries, nor could they be guarded solely by descendants of the Louis family. Instead, it had the backing of the entire European Church. It was said that once an archbishop became greedy and tried to use his supreme sacred power to obtain the sealed relics, but his own power was instead drawn into the seals, draining him of his life force until he died! Since then, aside from doing their utmost to protect Yishé Castle from other forces, no one within the European Church has dared to approach it even slightly.

And the highest-level sacred relic guarded in Castle Ischer is, according to prophecy, the key to the fate of entire Europe; its name is “The Shackles of War!”