Chapter 90: The Sealed River of the Dead and the Manifest Realm
January 15th, Sunday.
The morning sunlight had become warm enough, yet it still couldn’t reach the underground levels of St. Ruls Cathedral.
Inside the office, Sylvia was not seated on her chair as usual. Instead, she stood by the wall, gazing at a map of the Old Continent.
Behind her, Loruze was reporting to her.
“Your Grace, none of the clergy in the cathedral are willing to evacuate.”
The gray-haired puppet nodded, then asked in a low voice:
“And you?”
“I… am the same as them.”
“I’m sorry, Your Grace. I can’t follow you and leave.”
His voice was somewhat bitter, but also firm enough.
Sylvia said nothing. She walked over to her desk and picked up a half-finished brooch from the top.
Then, she stepped in front of Loruze and extended her right hand, which held the brooch.
“It belongs to you now.”
Her voice was exceedingly calm, and the usual smile in her eyes and on her face had completely vanished.
“When the angel from the Church of Radiance has dealt with the matter and left, I’ll return to the City of Alova to take you all with me.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Already understanding what it was, Loruze received the brooch with trembling hands.
Seeing this, Sylvia finally revealed a faint smile:
“When all of this is over, you should leave the Church of Radiance.”
“I believe the faith of the Lord of Seven Sins needs a pope.”
With that said, she turned and walked out.
Suddenly, she stopped at the doorway, tilted her head slightly, and looked back at Loruze.
“Don’t feel burdened, and don’t think you’ve betrayed me.”
“I’m very satisfied with your decisions—and I admire them.”
“But I’m sorry. I went back on my word.”
“However, if, after the Church of Radiance resolves the hidden threat beneath Alova, you can still come see me—then I promise you the rank of Apostle.”
“This time, I won’t break my promise.”
Without waiting for a reply, the gray-haired puppet left on her own, leaving only Lakdevo sitting on the back of the chair, blinking at the slowly bowing Loruze.
…
Underground area of St. Ruls Cathedral, Adela’s workshop.
Without knocking, Sylvia walked straight in and looked toward Adela, who was working on the finer details of a puppet. She then revealed a slight smile:
“Are you ready?”
“Mm.”
Adela nodded, though her expression dimmed a little.
Her stay here had actually been rather comfortable, and those priest-knights had treated her decently as well.
But the news of evacuation had come far too suddenly.
“Get ready. Loruze has already reported to the Sanctuary and received approval.”
“The Angel of the Sword, Aksia, has already activated a Forbidden Object and is heading toward the City of Alova. Estimated arrival is within two hours.”
“Alright.”
Adela nodded, then placed a box and the puppet beside her in front of Sylvia.
“That’s all?”
“That’s all.”
Sylvia nodded in return and let her right eye shimmer with a ghostly glow.
The next moment, the illusory sound of flowing river water echoed, and everything on the ground was seized by pale hands and thrown into the cold and deathly River of the Dead.
Afterward, she and Sylvia returned together to Sylvia’s office.
Seeing Loruze still present, Sylvia motioned for Lakdevo to fly to her shoulder, then let out a light chuckle and spoke:
“You’re not a good believer, nor a good bishop.”
“But you must be a competent guardian—just as you said yourself.”
As her voice fell, before Loruze could respond, her figure vanished from where she stood.
…
Eplington District, Earl of Lancaster’s Estate.
The newly awakened extraordinary being, Isabella, held a wooden sword in her hand, her face clouded with worry.
Suddenly, her spirituality was stirred, and she quickly turned to look behind her.
“Your Grace!”
Seeing who had arrived, Isabella’s face lit up with surprise. But when she saw Sylvia’s expression and demeanor clearly, she froze for a moment.
Because she had never seen her Grace wear such a serious expression.
“Pack up. You’re coming with me.”
“Mm?”
Isabella didn’t quite understand but obediently followed the instruction.
With help from her dazed and confused personal maid, Maria, she changed her clothes at top speed. Listening to Sylvia’s brief explanation about the reason for this abrupt departure, her expression grew even more puzzled.
Still, she was able to extract one crucial keyword from the explanation—
The City of Alova was now very dangerous!
At that moment, her lovely brows furrowed slightly.
“Your Grace, what about my parents and Maria…”
“They’ll be fine.”
Seated behind her, Sylvia cut her off directly:
“The angel from the Church of Radiance will arrive in Alova in less than two hours.”
“You could have stayed here originally, but because you now carry my divinity within you, you must leave with me. Otherwise, what the Church of Radiance might do to you—I truly cannot say.”
“Oh.”
Isabella puffed out her cheeks and then nodded somewhat sulkily.
As for the word “divinity,” which she had heard so many times it had lost all impact, Adela didn’t even lift her head.
A few minutes later, seeing that Isabella was more or less properly dressed, Sylvia waved her hand, allowing the enchanted maid Maria to leave on her own. She then drew a line in the air with her hand, preparing to take Adela and Isabella away.
However, even after the motion and the activation of her spirituality, the surrounding scene remained unchanged.
This was…
Sylvia’s brows furrowed slightly, and Lakdevo’s expression grew solemn.
“What’s wrong?”
Noticing Sylvia’s abnormality, she immediately asked. The former Ferryman replied in a hoarse voice:
“I can sense it—the River of the Dead has been sealed here.”
“I suspect… perhaps a member of the upper chamber of the River Council has arrived.”
“He… might be here for me.”
Sylvia was silent for a moment before letting out a sigh.
In the next second, she tried to lead the two into the Manifest Realm.
Yet again, the scenery remained the same.
“The Manifest Realm is sealed as well.”
Her voice was expressionless now.
Unlike the River of the Dead, this was a barrier she could forcibly break through.
However, such an action would cause a considerable disturbance and would inevitably draw unwanted attention.
Moreover, was this blockade really aimed at Lakdevo?
Wasn’t the timing of everything just a bit too coincidental?
Still, she didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she took the two with her and hired a carriage to head to the nearest steam train station.
Since they couldn’t leave quickly via mysticism, then they’d turn to the products of technology!
…
“That Apostle of the Outer God finally chose to leave the City of Alova.”
“And her power far exceeded my expectations. It actually took nearly a month to complete the weaving of her fate.”
“And even in the final stage, the operation almost failed due to an accident.”
“But once she departs from Alova, the disrupted fate will return to its rightful course, and by then, she’ll begin to notice all the abnormalities.”
In a vast underground space, a steady male voice sighed as he spoke.
As soon as he finished, another deep voice followed:
“Farians, aside from being an Apostle of an Outer God, she must have other secrets.”
“I believe she won’t choose to return, and the time we’ve gained will be enough to push our plan forward.”
The speaker paused for a few seconds, then continued:
“I’ve already reached an agreement with the Ferryman. He sealed the River of the Dead, and I sealed the Manifest Realm, preventing the Angel of the Sword, Aksia, from reaching the City of Alova before the ritual begins.”
“With this, your plan can already be declared a success in advance.”
At that, Guteland Farians bowed slightly toward the presence before him:
“Thank you for your help, Your Grace, King of Loathing and Hatred.”
At that moment, a massive shadow began to distort, eventually taking the form of a grotesque dragon’s head.