https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-830-Xiao-Hei-Mao-Fall-In-Part-1-/12934393/
Chapter 829: Professor Lance's Busy Day
Chapter 829: Professor Lance's Busy Day
"Are you Number Six?" Torliado asked Nikola directly.
He took out the photo of Princess Alykshia and Nikola from his coat pocket and showed it to Nikola.
"Are you...?" Nikola hesitated to confirm, but his eyes wavered upon seeing the photo.
He felt compelled to ask Torliado how he had a photo of Princess Alykshia and whether she was safe now.
"I'm Number One. Only our Dimensional Branch could have created something like this." Torliado said with a hint of pride.
"Meow," Xiao Hei Mao, the cat boss, perched on Lance's shoulder, observing Torliado's smug expression.
In reality, they had found a Holy Maiden Father.
"I'm Number Six," Nikola, the Red Falcon, sighed in relief, exhaling a puff of mist into the cold air. In his outstretched palm, the pink holy spell card given to him by Princess Alykshia appeared.
【Ultra-Long Distance Communication Program-6】
【Category: Spell Card】
【Grade: Pink Holy】
【Attribute: Link】
【Rank: 6】
【Effect: Compared to ordinary ultra-long-distance communication magic, this has a longer communication distance and better anti-interference capabilities.】
【Note: Loyalty to the Empire, an unwavering devotion to the Empire.】
Nikola held the card representing the Silver Moon Renaissance in his hand, his gaze fixed on it.
"I don't pledge allegiance to this organization. My loyalty has always been and will always be to the Creedentia Empire," Nikola, the Red Falcon, declared.
"But I will help you now." He looked up at Lance and Torliado.
Although collaborating with the Rebirth Church's Cardinal was not something he had initially considered, at this point, for the sake of the Empire, he knew what was right and who were friends and foes.
"Good, let's head back to the Mafia Headquarters at Haser Harbor Tower first." Lance gestured for them to go ahead to the base to continue the conversation. With confirmation from Nikola, today's harvest was already significant.
"As for the battlefield, let's leave it to Mr. Barton. He will also return to Haser Harbor Tower after handling it." Lance walked towards the main entrance of the tower's foundation level.
Pure white snowflakes slowly descended from the gray sky on this cold winter morning, landing on the thin layer of ice formed on the calm river surface at Haser Harbor. The ice was too thin to create even the faintest ripples.
This was the Defense River Port, located southeast of the capital, Brillada. On both sides of the river, the outlines of buildings were faintly visible through the snow. Not far from Haser Harbor was the Brillada Black Hand Gang's stronghold, a registered company building with a prominent logo on its gray exterior.
"Landry, you are indeed a member of the Silver Moon Renaissance," Nikola, the Red Falcon, said from behind, not surprised.
He recognized the familiar voice of the person disguised as a Black Hand Gang member. It was indeed Landry, the person Princess Alykshia had asked him to protect when the Brillada arrived at the first station.
What truly surprised him was that Landry was also a Cardinal of the Rebirth Church, just like the Dimensional Bishop.
Today, two Cardinals had come to rescue him, something he had not anticipated, and neither had Decayed Son.
"Strictly speaking, I'm not Landry. It's a complicated matter, and we can discuss it in detail later. For now, let's focus on the main topic," Lance said, turning back to Nikola with a smile.
Nikola was too cunning, and Lance hadn't initially realized that Nikola, the Red Falcon, was also a member of the Silver Moon Renaissance. This was precisely why no one else would suspect Nikola of being a member.
"Then that's settled," Nikola, the Red Falcon, nodded.
Based on his investigation of Professor Landry, Nikola always suspected that Professor Landry had been replaced, but everything seemed to fit perfectly, except that Professor Landry had become even more formidable.
Nikola couldn't find any evidence and could only keep testing Landry to determine if he was genuine or not.
The bad news was that Landry, as the sense of incongruity confirmed, was indeed a fake. However, the good news was that the fake Landry was still an ally.
"Let's go to a more secluded place and put the Decayed Son in a safe spot," Torliado led the way, feeling right at home upon arriving.
Inside the tower, there were hardly any Black Hand Gang members around, as today was a holiday, and the gang wasn't working overtime. Only their footsteps echoed in the empty corridors.
The interior of Haser Tower featured brown-black stone bricks on the walls and floors, reminiscent of a century-old luxury hotel.
Soon, under Torliado's guidance, they reached Barton's office on the upper floor and stopped in front of an ordinary-looking bookshelf.
Torliado adjusted the order of the books in the opposite direction from when they left, and with a series of clicks, the seemingly immovable bookshelf slowly rotated, revealing a secret passage hidden behind it, leading to an unknown depth.
A chill, colder than the snowy weather outside, greeted them.
"You're quite familiar with this place," Nikola, the Red Falcon, said, facing the cold breeze. He had never been to the Brillada Black Hand Gang's territory, but now it seemed that this gray zone was also part of the Silver Moon Renaissance's turf.
"I've been here a few times. It's about as familiar as the Imperial Special Operations Division," Torliado replied.
The last time he was taken away by Squad Leader Maquiel, it was Red Falcon Nicola who came to Lan Qi's rescue, so Torliado had a favorable impression of Nicola.
Torliado stepped into the tunnel behind the bookshelves, with Lan Qi and Nicola closely following. The Anti-Magic Steel bookshelves silently closed behind them, as if they had never been opened, sealing off all the noise from the outside world.
The corridor inside was dimly lit, with a faint, eerie light emanating from flickering lamps every few meters, casting long shadows.
After a few seconds, they stopped in front of a silver-white elevator.
"Did Barton give you a key?" Torliado asked Nicola.
"Yes," Nicola replied, handing over the crystal card that Barton had thrown to him when he repelled Maquiel and the Decayed Son.
Torliado operated the control panel, and after the magic sensors scanned and confirmed their identities, the elevator doors creaked open, allowing them to enter.
"The last time we were looking for Elsa, we caught Carmel Viscount, who must still be down there," Lan Qi said, stepping into the elevator and recalling the incident.
"By now, he's probably suffered Ifatiya's poison," Torliado sighed, shaking his head.
"Ifatiya wouldn't be that cruel..." Lan Qi still believed in Ifatiya's goodness deep down.
He couldn't imagine her committing any cruel acts.
"Who's Ifatiya?" Nicola asked from behind them.
"His mother's sister," Torliado answered, pointing at Lan Qi.
"Huh?" Nicola felt like he couldn't understand the language.
Lan Qi's expression became strange, wanting to refute Torliado but unable to speak, as if he feared that the more he explained, the more confusing it would become.
As the elevator descended, every few meters, a blinding white light flashed along the walls surrounding the elevator, and the entire space seemed to sink deeper into the earth's core.
The elevator stopped, and before them appeared a massive door made of pure white Anti-Magic Steel, emitting a chilling frost.
Torliado inserted the secret key into a hidden slot on the door.
With a low mechanical rumble, the heavy Anti-Magic Steel door slowly opened, and a blinding white light filled the space, causing a momentary dizziness.
"We're here; this is one of our bases," Torliado introduced to Nicola.
"You guys have built something incredible," Nicola said, his eyes adjusting to the sudden bright light. A grand underground palace came into view.
The white walls and floor reflected dazzling light under the icy blue illumination, making them feel as if they had entered a different dimension, disconnected from the mortal world.
High above, the vaulted ceiling shimmered with a flowing silver river, and through tens of thousands of miles of space, tiny specks of starlight twinkled in harmony with the real starry sky.
Perhaps no matter what chaos unfolded in Brillada, this underground base would remain untouched, and its spatial interface would be undetectable to enemies.
"The enemy has hidden bases underground in Creedentia, so we must have one too. Let's go to the storage room," Torliado said, heading straight for the ice-cold storage room adjacent to the silver palace.
"I didn't see any prison facilities the last time," Lan Qi muttered, gazing deeper into the silver palace.
Ifatiya had only hosted him and Talia in the main hall of the palace.
"This space is actually quite large. It took Abigail a while to create it," Torliado chuckled, realizing that Abigail was a natural-born civil engineering expert.
"I always feel like you're thinking of things that will get you beaten up, meow," Xiao Hei Mao, the cat, floated beside them, well-versed in reading such expressions.
Nicola stared at the six-stage black cat, a powerful contracted beast.
Although he had seen Landry bring it out before, it was only now, standing beside it, that he could sense its strength.
"Do you think I'm a six-stage?" Xiao Hei Mao turned around and asked Nicola.
"Are you a nine-stage?" Nicola joked with the cat.
If it wasn't a six-stage, then it could only be a nine-stage, as only such power would allow it to disguise its true rank and still make others perceive it as a lower stage.
Xiao Hei Mao had never heard anyone guess it was a nine-stage, but the logic and question were written all over Nicola's face.
The mortal world wasn't worth meowing about.
They arrived at a storage room with doors over ten meters high.
As soon as they opened the door, a mosaic of gore greeted them, more gruesome than a butcher shop or meat market.
The cold air was brutal, and a deathly silence enveloped the entire space, freezing even the air itself.
Lan Qi immediately covered Xiao Hei Mao's eyes.
"What's wrong, Lan Qi?" Xiao Hei Mao asked, his vision blacked out before he could see anything. He could guess that Lan Qi was protecting him from witnessing the horrific state of the captured vampire, Carmel Viscount, who had been brought here earlier.
"He was broken down into hero fragments," Lan Qi replied in a low, regretful tone.
Xiao Hei Mao fell silent.
What kind of jargon are you speaking?
"Where am I?!" In the pitch-black darkness, Xiao Hei Mao also heard the terrified voice of the Decayed Son as he was thrown to the ground.
Soon, a few screams and the sound of freezing followed, and the Decayed Son was also locked onto a tombstone-like cross and frozen.
"Let's head back to the main hall for a detailed discussion."
Torliado clapped his hands, signaling for them to leave the ice house.
The three of them, along with Xiao Hei Mao, returned to the main hall of the palace where Ifatiya had been staying earlier. They sat on either side of the long table and began to review the events since the establishment of the Silver Moon Renaissance.
...
"So, Her Highness Alykshia is being monitored by the vampires in the imperial palace, and we can only wait until the end of the month when the Divine Generals are unable to act during the National Festival to launch an attack on Blood Moon City and liberate Her Highness Alykshia?" Red Falcon Nicola spoke with a grave tone.
After nearly an hour of reviewing the situation, he had a general understanding of everything that had transpired.
Not only was the entire situation in Creedentia Empire extremely grim, but even Princess Alykshia had been controlled.
All the signs he had investigated were confirming the words of the Dimensional Bishop, Torliado.
And it matched perfectly with the doubts he had uncovered.
"That's right. This time, the Decayed Branch will probably join the battle as well. We must be prepared to engage in combat with the Decayed Bishop Farmer on the day of our operation."
There was a hint of pressure in Torliado's eyes.
Although the Decayed Bishop Farmer wasn't particularly troublesome, as long as one had sufficient durability to withstand his continuous corrosive damage, he should be considered mid-tier. However, he was still a Bishop-class opponent who could easily defeat three ordinary Eighth Ranks.
In the context of the siege of Blood Moon City, a top-tier Eighth Rank combat unit like a Cardinal-class opponent could completely disrupt the balance of power between the two sides.
Moreover, if the Decayed Bishop Farmer were to face an ally without recovery abilities, it would be very easy for the Decayed Bishop to wipe them out.
"If Blood Moon City's only reinforcement is the Decayed Bishop Farmer, our strength should be just enough."
From the current intelligence, Brillada had only shown signs of the Decayed Branch, and they had no idea how many Eighth Ranks Blood Moon City had gathered. Their side should still have a slight advantage.
The problem was that during their descent into Blood Moon City, the choice of opponents was in the hands of the Seventh Ancestor, Herith Marquis.
Lao Sang had taught Lan Qi the deadly nature of the Eighth Rank life-and-death battle's control relationship.
A situation of overall equilibrium might turn into an overall disadvantage if the lines were switched, and it wouldn't be easy to restore the balance in Blood Moon City if they were targeted by powerful enemies.
"In an away game, we can't choose our opponents. The Seventh Ancestor, Herith Marquis, will definitely match us with the worst opponents. The only thing I can guarantee is to force you to the Third Ancestor, Rashal, and ensure your opponent is correct."
Torliado couldn't predict which powerful enemies would be present in Blood Moon City on that day or who he would face.
But only Lan Qi could take on the Third Ancestor, Rashal.
As for the other core condition of rescuing Duke Migaya, if Torliado had the strength, he would use his expertise in stealth and escape to save Duke Migaya. However, if he were held back as well, this task would have to be entrusted to Houbailian, who possessed similar abilities.
As they were talking, the doors of the Silver Palace opened once again, and the leader of the Black Hand Gang, clad in a heavy cloak, entered.
Barton, who had just finished a battle, appeared unharmed, and his clothes were not even torn.
"Mr. Maquiel, how did it go on your end?"
Lan Qi asked with concern.
"I executed Maquiel on the spot, and I also commanded my agents to capture or kill all the high priests of the Decayed Branch."
Barton sat down at the long table, facing Lan Qi and Torliado.
Both Lan Qi and Torliado nodded, understanding the situation.
It wasn't unusual for Barton, a former Imperial soldier, to command Nicola's subordinates. With a strong leader like him, it was enough to ensure that none of the high priests could escape.
Maquiel, who had high vitality and recovery speed, would have been the first to pose a risk. Additionally, Maquiel might have been able to recover at night, and the process of convicting and sentencing Maquiel to death was too complicated. There was a high probability that the vampires would secretly intervene to save Maquiel.
Killing the perpetrator during the arrest was the most efficient way to eliminate Maquiel's threat.
"How are my men doing?"
Red Falcon Nicola asked with a sense of self-reproach.
"Aside from the initial casualties during the attack, there were only a few severely wounded, and the rest were mostly minor injuries. I've already sent them safely out of the port, and they should be receiving medical treatment by now."
Barton understood Nicola's feelings very well.
They were both Imperial soldiers who had never betrayed the Empire.
Barton had also handed over Maquiel's body and the high priests of the Decayed Branch to Nicola's subordinates to report to the Imperial Special Operations Division.
"Nicola, on the day of the National Festival, I'll have to rely on you to handle the situation on the ground. During the initial stage of the assault, try to keep your agents away from the Brillada City Hall so that we can enter the underground Blood Moon City. In the final stage of the assault, if any vampires escape, please help us intercept and capture them."
Lan Qi requested of Nicola.
Not only did they need reliable backup as the main combat force assaulting Blood Moon City, but they also required a dependable rear guard.
With the suppression of the city defense barrier, the Imperial Special Operations Division's elite forces could handle even two vampire counts, considering the advantage of fighting in the Imperial capital with prior preparations.
A top-tier Seventh Rank Imperial soldier like Barton could easily handle two vampire counts and might even be able to take on three. With the cooperation of a Seventh Rank Spatial Artisan like Abigail, he should be able to hold off several vampire counts. Nicola's team would also be guarding the ground.
It was highly likely that balance would be achieved. The key lay in which side had the stronger eighth-ranked individual on that day.
"In the chaos caused by the vampires, many young warriors have perished, both in the Allied Forces and the Empire. Some had just come of age, some had just gotten married, and some had just become fathers... As an officer of the Empire's Special Operations Department, I should have been able to monitor these enemies, the vampires, but instead, I could only watch as my fellow citizens sacrificed themselves and our nation slowly fell into their hands. This sin is so great that dying ten thousand times would not be enough, but no matter what, I will drag the vampires to hell."
Red Falcon Nicola clenched his fist, and his anger was clear in his eyes.
"Maguire's escape was a failure on the part of the capital's prison and the Gendarmerie Brigade, but I captured him again, and my merits are more than enough. I will do my best to help you secure the top position in the Empire's New Energy Commission, so you can focus on the battle without worries."
Nicola assured Lan Qi and the others.
"With that, we're almost fully prepared."
Lan Qi's tone carried a hint of determination.
Even though the princess was under control, temporarily preventing them from finding the last three members of the Silver Moon Reform Society, they now had a chance to breach Blood Moon City.
...
On the day of the Moon Goddess Festival, the morning passed by unnoticed, and the afternoon was about to begin.
After safely escorting Red Falcon Nicola back to the Empire's Special Operations Department, Lan Qi and Tolliado returned to the opera house and leisurely drove back to Saint Kreithian Monastery.
"I still have some work to do when I get back," Lan Qi said, sitting in the passenger seat and gazing at the monastery's flying buttress architecture, which was getting closer.
Their work in the morning had gone smoothly, thanks to the Decayed Son, who had saved them a lot of time.
Tolliado could finally go off duty as he wished.
Lan Qi had some unfinished research work for the Empire that he had put aside before leaving home.
"Why don't you go out and have some fun this afternoon? Staying at home all day will make you moldy," Tolliado advised.
"That's exactly why I need to finish my work by noon. I have to attend an event as a professor this afternoon," Lan Qi replied, rubbing his temples and checking the time.
He really didn't have much time to play today.
Although he had realized that boys enjoyed playing with other boys more, today he was not a student but a teacher.
Fortunately, the afternoon's scheduled event at the monastery was a relatively relaxed tea party, which also served as a ceremony.
He would be joining the other teachers at the Main Hall's outdoor banquet hall and activity center to give blessings to the students for the new school year, and he would also be there as Elsa's parent, fulfilling Landry's duties.
At the same time, he could enjoy a decent dinner? The event had a tea party and dinner buffet, so the monastery would provide plenty of delicious food.
It seemed that even the relatives of the teaching staff could come and enjoy the food and drinks, but with his recent scandal spreading, he decided not to bring anyone this time. Going alone was the best option.
"Then I'll have to wait until we're back in the Kingdom to hang out with you. I haven't been to Ikeliite yet," Tolliado said, knowing that Lan Qi was a workaholic who couldn't be persuaded.
"No problem, I'll arrange your accommodation," Lan Qi said, realizing that Xiao Hei Mao's restaurant needed a delivery person.
The seven great demons seemed perfectly suited for Xiao Hei Mao's restaurant. Five of them could work, and two could just eat and wait for their meals.
"Meow," Xiao Hei Mao purred, sitting on Lan Qi's lap, torn between his desire to play and the need to finish his work.
Everyone else had gone out, and he wouldn't be able to find anyone else for a while. Leaving Lan Qi alone at home to work overtime didn't seem like a good idea.
"I'll take you out to play. How about that?" Tolliado asked, resting his hand on the steering wheel and turning to look at the little black cat.
"Meow," Xiao Hei Mao responded, feeling a bit uncertain.
"I heard you have spatial attributes too. Maybe I can teach you some spatial magic," Tolliado continued.
"Meow, Tolliado, my friend!" Xiao Hei Mao exclaimed, his tail standing straight up.
Everyone thought that Xiao Hei Mao had been lucky to be chosen from among the short people and draw the spatial attribute talent, becoming a Spatial Spirit Cat. But in reality, he was most skilled in spatial attributes; he just couldn't learn them.
He dreamed of learning other spatial magic.
Now, with a master of spatial magic right in front of him, he might be able to learn a thing or two!
"Then I'll leave Xiao Hei Mao in your care. Don't lose him," Lan Qi said with relief. He truly wanted Xiao Hei Mao to enjoy the Moon Goddess Festival.
The school might be crowded in the afternoon.
For the people of the Creedentia Empire, Saint Kreithian Monastery was the most symbolic place of worship on the day of the Moon Goddess Festival.
If it weren't for the fact that the students knew this was Professor Landry's cat, they might have wanted to pet the little black furball.
Lan Qi had even learned from Secretary Nera that a War Deity close to Principal Mizukyoku Yuiorete might visit the school today.
Xiao Hei Mao must not be captured.
"Don't worry, brother," Tolliado assured Lan Qi, driving with one hand and patting his shoulder.
"Meow, meow, meow! I, a Divine Beast, could never get lost in the Grand Cathedral!" Xiao Hei Mao boasted, feeling that Lan Qi underestimated him.
(End of Chapter)
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