Chapter 014: Deceit and Fraud

Anthony nodded again and said, “Alright, so what happened next? Did you enter the Divine Palace?”
“Yes,” Du Fan nodded. “After all, Lord Nicholas is a peerless saint. He could sense the aura within the Divine Palace. Although we were in a panic while fleeing, we still made it to the entrance. But… at the entrance, we encountered the palace’s guardian beast… the Octopus!”
“The Octopus?” Anthony showed slight confusion. “If you encountered a magical beast of that level, how could you possibly return alive? Even if Nicholas and Tasia fought together, they might not be a match for it.”
“That’s exactly right,” Du Fan nodded. “But just when we were at our wits’ end, the people from Roland Academy had already caught up to us…”
“And then?”
Du Fan sneered and said, “The people from Roland Academy were well-prepared. As soon as we hid, they arrived at the Octopus’s front. We thought they would be helpless against it, but unexpectedly, they had something prepared to deal with it. After sacrificing a few of their own, they successfully defeated the beast… Next, Aldas left a few people to search for us while he led the rest into the Divine Palace. But those remaining people weren’t a match for us. After taking care of them, we followed their path and sneaked in… But when we got there, we found it to be an underground city!”
“An underground city in the north? A Divine Palace?” Anthony seemed to recall something. “What did you encounter inside?”
“A lot,” Du Fan nodded. “But thanks to the people from Roland Academy clearing the way, we didn’t face too many troubles. They seemed to charge straight in, and they even activated a magic array called… called… some kind of Death Plague…”
“Death Plague? What happened next?”

“Finally, we arrived at the Great Temple located in the underground city. By then, the group from Roland Academy was completely exhausted. Lord Nicholas and Lady Tasia stepped in simultaneously to temporarily hold them back, while I and the remaining Temple Knights took the items from the temple before fleeing… After suffering heavy losses in the temple, Roland Academy’s strength was greatly diminished. We set up a series of traps to barely escape back to City Ruijin… But at that time, we knew that the people from Roland Academy would never let us go, so I had to stage an act of disappearance to manipulate various parties’ actions, eventually gaining the chance to deal with Aldas in Modo… As for the specific details, if Lord Anthony is interested, I can explain them in detail.”

Du Fan’s words were a mix of truth and falsehood. Though exaggerated, they seemed plausible with no obvious flaws. However, as he altered those thrilling experiences on his own, they lost some of their impact. Moreover, he didn’t mention the truly crucial aspects at all. At this moment, he appeared calm as he looked at Anthony, but inside, he was uneasy. If Nicholas or Tasia had already revealed everything, wouldn’t his words be…

Unexpectedly, Anthony merely pondered for a moment before saying calmly, “So… Du Fan, what exactly did you get from the temple?”

Du Fan quickly rummaged through his storage ring for a while before taking out a small redwood box and presenting it to Anthony. “Lord Anthony, this is what I obtained that day… Only…”

Anthony took the box, slowly opened it, and took a look. He couldn’t help but shudder, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes before he quickly regained his composure.

But Du Fan noticed that surprise. Did this Archbishop Anthony recognize this item?

Anthony reached in and rummaged around in the box for a while before taking out the angel statue from that day. He held it in his palm for a long time before saying calmly, “Du Fan, if I’m not mistaken, there should have been something in the palm of this statue originally. Where did that thing go?”

Du Fan’s heart skipped a beat. This old fox indeed recognized this item. He quickly nodded and said, “Yes, Lord Anthony. It seemed there was a mass of light-like substance in the palm of this angel… But…”

At this point, Du Fan showed a hint of confusion on his face. “But when I held that statue, that tiny speck of light seemed to merge into my skin like water… And later, I found that my progress in cultivating combat energy had accelerated by countless times. By the time I returned to Rui Gen City, I had unknowingly reached level five… Lord Anthony, could it be that thing…?”
“Oh, I see…” Anthony gave Du Fan a deep look, his eyes flashing with greed and… fear?
“Du Fan, this is your luck, your opportunity. If I’m not mistaken, that tiny speck of light is the essence of the gods. Everyone seeks it, yet you obtained it unintentionally—this is indeed your luck!”
After thinking for a while longer, Anthony continued, “But don’t mention this to anyone. I’ll announce that, due to your piety, I have granted you a sacred bath. In that way, even if your strength soars suddenly, no one will doubt you… Du Fan, since you’ve obtained the essence of the gods, you must cherish it. It seems the Pope’s judgment was indeed spot-on. You might well be the one who can change the current state of our Holy Church.”
Du Fan sneered inwardly but showed an uneasy expression as he looked at Anthony.
Anthony sighed again, still touching the angel statue in his hand. After a moment, he said, “If there’s nothing else, you may go now…”
Du Fan nodded, not daring to ask more. He could tell Lord Anthony wasn’t in a good mood and didn’t dare to waste words, so he quickly left.
But before he could go far, Anthony called him back and said calmly, “Also, Du Fan, remember well—what I told you today, you must not tell anyone, not even your father… Do… you understand what I mean?”
Du Fan’s heart stirred, but he quickly replied, “I understand, my lord.”
Anthony sighed once more and said, “Starting tomorrow, you’ll be in charge of the daily prayers. If you want to stay at home, I’ll arrange for someone to take you there these days. Well, you may go now.”
Du Fan was slightly puzzled. Earlier, Lord Anthony had told him not to go out casually, but now he was asking him to lead the prayers? How contradictory!
Was this some kind of goodwill? Or…
Though Du Fan couldn’t figure it out, he didn’t dare to ask more. He simply responded again before quickly leaving.

Once Du Fan left, Anthony’s previously calm and composed expression vanished entirely. His hand, which held the statue, began to tremble slightly, and his face took on a lecherous look, as if an old uncle had encountered a willing little girl—his eyes almost glowing. He could hardly hold back from laughing, but he tried his best to stay calm and whispered, “A Purgatory Angel statue? Really a Purgatory Angel statue? Even if the divine power within it is gone, it doesn’t matter… This Du Fan truly seems to be a blessing for our Holy Church!”

At that point, Anthony took a deep breath before slapping his hands together and saying, “Come out!”

A moment later, a dark figure slowly emerged from the shadows among the flowers. A man who appeared utterly ordinary stood before Anthony—it wasNeo.

Anthony’s expression had returned to calm. He still held the statue in his hand. SeeingNeo appear, he said indifferently, “Neo, how much do you think is true in what that Du Fan said just now?”

“Less than one percent…”Neo replied calmly. “But, Lord Anthony, is that really important?”

“Indeed, it’s not important at all. I expected him to hide something… Besides, I’ve always only cared about the results, not the process… But this Du Fan—do you think he’s suitable?”

Neo smiled rarely and said, “I really like his personality. Tasia already submitted a report about him earlier. I took a quick look. Although his background is special, he’s definitely the kind of talent our Divine Punishment Prison needs. If Lord Anthony doesn’t mind, please transfer him to my prison… I’m short-staffed right now.”

“Is that so?” Anthony hesitated for a moment. “Neo, send someone to investigate Du Fan again. Though I’ve already tested him, I still can’t quite see through him. Although he’s definitely someone who can be of great use, I don’t want to keep a tiger in my house!”

Neo replied calmly, “Lord Anthony, there are many people with ulterior motives in the Holy Church. But with power and status on one side, and judgment and the holy fire on the other, as long as there are the Divine Punishment Prison and the Inquisition, why worry that those people will turn things upside down? Any sensible person knows how to choose…”

“Is that so?” Anthony shook his head again. “Well, let’s discuss these matters in a few days. Anyway, the Spring Festival is coming soon. Let’s first take care of matters here!”