Chapter 31

Someone reading this might ask—hey, why are you immediately suspecting your own friend? Isn't that disloyal?

However, this is one of the tragedies of this absurd, yellow-tinted world.

Since this current Silver Coin Messenger possesses the terrifying ice-coating [redacted] ability, a normal friend who was chatting with you yesterday could be broken tomorrow, turning into a dark-skinned, ahegao [redacted] pig.

Just like being addicted to [redacted], they become another person with completely different thoughts.

This world is just that twisted and absurd. Qi Xing knows that this is far from just about eroticism; it has long since turned into a horror story.

"Master… should be fine." Elaine said, sounding somewhat pained,

"At least he doesn't look like he's been drugged."

"But the personnel authority of the Exorcism Association is almost entirely controlled by Master. I think… the Roman Curia might suspect that the people Master recruited into the Exorcism Association are problematic."

Coincidentally, as soon as she finished speaking, the nun's phone rang. It wasn't a call, just a message notification.

But when Elaine picked up the phone and saw the symbol at the end of the message, her eyes seemed as if they would pop out of her sockets in shock!

—Because it was the mark of the Papal Privy Council.

Under normal circumstances, someone like Elaine, a mere exorcist nun—a small character with neither sufficient qualifications nor a suitable title within the system of the Roman Curia—would be impossible, or rather, simply unqualified to receive messages from an organization of this level. But now, this mark was truly and realistically there.

She checked the message encryption again… also fine.

So, Elaine had no choice but to open the message and carefully examine the content.

As a result, the content of the message made her vision go black.

"What's wrong now?" Qi Xing couldn't read church Latin, but he could read human expressions, so he frowned, "Is the Roman Curia giving you trouble again?"

He generally had no interest in the political nonsense within the Roman Curia. After all, regardless of what was said, the Roman Curia was truly trying to maintain social stability in this absurd world, and they really gave him a large sum of money every day and provided convenience everywhere. You don't hit a smiling face.

But if the Roman Curia really started giving him trouble and directly affected him, Qi Xing certainly wouldn't just stand there and be a coward.

"They aren't giving me trouble."

Unfortunately, Qi Xing still underestimated the world-shaking wisdom of the Roman Curia.

Elaine lifted her head from the phone screen; her expression now was so complex that it was hard to describe with words. She hardly dared to think about what this message meant, but the fact was—

"The Papal Privy Council wants me to investigate whether the Vice President of the Exorcism Association has fallen." She whispered, "The Roman Curia might want to kick out Master and the high-level members of the Exorcism Association he promoted, and have me take over as President of the Exorcism Association to cut down on size and funding."

"Wow." Qi Xing raised an eyebrow, "That move is actually quite interesting."

People think, and as long as they think, they are inevitably influenced to some extent. For a super-human individual capable of moving mountains and draining seas, what social organizations use to influence him must not be force or coercion—that is asking for trouble—but rather the human heart and tongue.

Since Qi Xing has become a Silver Coin Messenger, whoever can influence this super-individual and speak into his ear will become the most crucial key for major organizational powers.

Who is Father Amos? That's right, he is indeed Qi Xing's friend.

But Qi Xing doesn't only have Father Amos as a friend in the church camp. The Dracula couple are also his friends. Qi Xing occasionally even eats with them.

The Roman Curia is willing to spend a lot of money to support Qi Xing as a super ace. But must this money pass through the Exorcism Association?

To a super powerhouse, doesn't it make no difference who is doing the supporting?

And Elaine—anyone with eyes knows that she and Qi Xing might not just be friends in the future… but back to the main topic, let's return to the present.

There is still a large group of captured Voodoo combatants, their Four Heavenly Kings, and dozens of civilians who look like they've been drugged; you can't just leave them all where they are.

"Although there might be traitors in the Exorcism Association, for now, we have to take them back first."

As Qi Xing said this, he took out the long-unseen Treasure Gourd—although this gourd couldn't hold a cruise ship full of guests, it could definitely squeeze in dozens of people if they crowded together.

Probably.

Anyway, at worst, he could just pile these Voodoo combatants and beastly teachers at the very bottom—just like the ships transporting black slaves back in the day.

Putting aside the innocent civilians who were unfortunately brainwashed, at least Qi Xing didn't care at all about the life or death of these captives. He just needed to dig out information about Black Spartacus from their mouths.

As for the possibility of traitors in the Exorcism Association, Qi Xing was actually hoping to catch the traitors and interrogate them too.

"Where is the Exorcism Association in Rome again?" He asked Elaine.

"Not far, it's at the University of Rome." Elaine replied, "Actually, the headquarters of the entire International Exorcism Association is located at the University of Rome."

"How did I not know this? I've never even been there."

Despite being the ace of the Exorcism Association, Qi Xing had never been to the University of Rome.

But for some reason, he seemed to have some impression of this place—it seemed he had just heard someone mention it a while ago.

"Because your registration, all reports, all administrative procedures, and generally everything in that regard, are all handled by me." Elaine replied calmly.

Yikes, alright then.

But Qi Xing always felt he had heard about the University of Rome elsewhere. University… University… Professor?

He suddenly realized: "The hypnosis uncle—where was Professor Van Stra teaching before?"

Elaine was stunned, and immediately realized: "For the past few years, he was the director of the Parapsychology Research Center at the University of Rome."

Tsk, no wonder.

Now, the crime of negligence by Father Amos, the President of the Exorcism Association, had to add another count—a hypnosis uncle hiding nearby, swindling people, a Silver Coin Messenger, and the Exorcism Association hadn't discovered it for several years?

No wonder the conservative faction of the Roman Curia wouldn't let him go after the cruise ship incident. This loophole was too big.

Not only that, because Qi Xing's words made her think of Professor Van Stra, and the thought that Father Amos might have known all along that the silver coin was in the professor's hands, Elaine couldn't help but feel more sorrow, causing her to subconsciously clench her fists.

In her mind, she had already flashed through many quite unusual aspects of the last mission.

Why, in the last mission, did the Exorcism Association use Qi Xing, this ace combat force, almost immediately, even though they supposedly didn't know about the silver coin yet?

Why did the briefing for the last mission seem a bit strange in retrospect? The Holy Lance was stolen, which actually had no direct connection to the Great Demon.

If Master really had known about the silver coin in advance, why… didn't he tell her and Qi Xing beforehand?

—

Meanwhile.

Not to mention what Qi Xing and Elaine realized here, or what they were going to do next.

As for Father Amos, over at the Roman Curia inquiry meeting, another trouble had arisen.

[[Master Leipu blew up Castel SantAngelo!] This is actually not entirely accurate; it refers to the fact that Qi Xing had just used lightning strikes, and the powerful electromagnetic waves blew up all the electrical appliances on the periphery of Castel SantAngelo—but upon hearing this report, it still scared many archbishops and ministers of the Roman Curia quite a bit.

After all, that was Master Leipu, who never really cared about social norms. The Roman Curia as a whole was now worried that since Qi Xing had become a Silver Coin Messenger, he would sooner or later rape the whole world.

Now that they heard Master Leipu had blown up Castel SantAngelo, this inquiry meeting against Father Amos was immediately suspended. The archbishops and the Deputy Pope discussed the current situation seriously.

They valued Qi Xing so much that they even had to speculate, deliberate, and weigh him, repeatedly studying his actions and psychology—they even wished they could hold a symposium to study him, and wished they could send their own researchers to study him up close!

Father Amos was thus able to be temporarily taken off the rack.

The inquiry meeting was suspended. The big shots were busy discussing inside.

The courtyard passage of the Basilica of Saint Mary remained quiet. The air was filled with the smell of incense and the passage of time.

On the stone path, years of footsteps had worn down every bluestone; the tranquility here allowed Father Amos to feel a moment of comfort.

Although the pressure from the outside world was as heavy as a mountain, he still hoped to find a moment of peace and tranquility on this piece of holy land.

Until shortly after, a golden figure walked into the courtyard. Her armor shimmered with a cold light under the moonlight, her steps steady and silent.

She walked to the priest's side, stood still, but didn't immediately speak, just watching him silently.

"Why have you come, Lord Commander of the Order?" Father Amos spoke first, his voice tinged with a hint of fatigue and unwillingness.

He certainly knew the identity of the visitor.

She was the Commander of the Order of the Holy Lance, Gwendolyn Van Stafia, a vampire chosen by God. Unlike her fallen kind, she had never fallen into the abyss of cruelty and greed. Her clan—the "Stafia Clan" had been blessed by heaven since its birth, and this was especially evident in her.

After hundreds of years of fighting, she had proven her loyalty and faith to the church, making the trust of the Pope and bishops in her self-evident. Therefore, she was not only the leader of the Order of the Holy Lance but also one of the indispensable pillars of the church.

For example, before Master Leipu had obtained the silver coin, Gwendolyn had been the strongest combat force in the Roman Curia's records who was capable of balancing or even potentially defeating Qi Xing, having also stepped into the peerless realm.

Qi Xing is the Strongest Man on Earth, she is the Undefeated Queen of Swords, a top powerhouse capable of competing on the same stage as the former.

—That's right, Qi Xing is the Strongest Man on Earth. So the remaining righteous powerhouses in this world capable of competing with him on the same stage are all women.

By comparison, although Father Amos is the Chief Exorcist, he is a level below them. To give an analogy—it's like Qiu Chuji being weaker than the Five Greats; like the Lion being weaker than Tiandao, Oga, or Sea Tiger; like Toshiro, who is a captain but always takes the L.

As for the fact that the true strongest of the Roman Curia are not human, but three vampires, dragons, and werewolves who believe in God, what is the problem with such a small matter?

Anyway, vampires, werewolves, and dragons are naturally better at fighting. The Roman Curia, on the other hand, is very clear about its duties as humans.

So now, Gwendolyn was coming over to speak to Father Amos.

"Brother Gabriel, I know your dissatisfaction. But the pressure at the meeting just now was even heavier than you imagined. Your statements also… made many people feel dissatisfied."

The female knight tilted her head slightly, seemingly thinking about how to phrase her words, "Your position in the church is far more fragile than you imagine. The reason you are being condemned is not only because you mentioned the demon problem, but more because of your negligence, the negligence of your subordinates, leading to the theft of the holy relic, and yet you still stood at the council and blamed the church; such behavior cannot be ignored. Especially regarding the Lady Remina part, her family's influence is profound, and the layers involved are even more complex."

Speaking of this, the female knight paused and sighed, "You established and led the Exorcism Association to fight hard against demons for decades, everyone knows that. But isn't it the same for everyone else?"

"Lady Remina's family has already paid eight hundred years of sacrifice in Eastern Europe to fight against demons."

"The Brotherhood of Wolves is currently busy dealing with the neo-Nazi cult in the north and doesn't even have time to come back."

"I won't say much about myself, but the time I have spent fighting evil is also far longer than your age."

"You rashly brought out your and the Exorcism Association's contributions to compete with their achievements; this is a great offense to everyone's struggle and sacrifice, and it is also a challenge to the internal power structure and order of the church."

"Some of them had originally intended to defend you, but when you said [This is all because of the church's long-standing indifference], you blocked your own way out—I deliberately reminded you to pay attention to your attitude when speaking, but you didn't notice."

Father Amos finally changed his expression slightly.

Although the Commander of the Order might not be very good with words, and although he didn't want to admit it, he also knew that the Knight Princess's words were not without reason.

And the theft of the Holy Lance was indeed his negligence at the time.

The consequences of this matter have not subsided to this day.

And as for the things caused by his negligence that continue to this day, are there only this one?

"I know." Father Amos said in a low voice, his voice filled with self-reproach, "But you cannot deny the results of my efforts to date because of this. The demon threat still exists, but the church's attitude has never been able to change."

But Gwendolyn just looked at him, and although there was a hint of understanding in her eyes, there was still a look of admonition.

To this, Father Amos had to take the initiative and ask: "You shouldn't just be here to tell me these things, right?"

The Commander of the Order of the Holy Lance finally sighed a second time.

Subsequently, she stared at Father Amos with her blood-red eyes and asked directly: "Regarding the previous cruise ship incident involving Professor Van Stra, how much do you actually know? Brother Gabriel?"

"Regarding this matter, the report submitted by Sister Elaine should already be very clear…"

Gwendolyn shook her head, interrupting the priest's words: "Brother Gabriel, the Deputy Pope already knows."

"Knows what?" Father Amos frowned.

"Although it's not very convincing for me to say it, the people in the room now are more sensitive to the smell of blood in politics than vampires. Some people won't stop investigating just because the cruise ship incident was solved by Master Leipu—especially those who have quite a few complaints about the existence of the Exorcism Association itself."

The vampire female knight's gaze fell on Amos, carrying a sharp edge like a sword that had never been seen before, "I will just ask directly."

"Gabriel Amos—did you determine years ago that Professor Van Stra was a Silver Coin Messenger?"

"What exactly were you planning when you deliberately arranged for Master Leipu and your apprentice to hunt him down just when Professor Van Stra was at his most vulnerable?"