Chapter 15: Unexpected Discoveries and Shifting Plans

The academy’s competition was still underway, and despite the numerous accidents that had already occurred, the enrollment assessment could not be halted. However, fewer academy students now lingered near the martial arts arena. Only a handful of individuals remained, along with the chief examiner on stage, responsible for maintaining order throughout the entire competition.

Meanwhile, in the spectator stands, Eliza, the silver-haired girl, gazed blankly at the ongoing matches below, feeling profoundly vexed.

‘All I wanted was a cultivation technique unrelated to the Heretic God Cult, so why must it be such an arduous task?’

First, Glot had ruined her plans, leading to her being wanted throughout the town, and now, she might even find herself on a nationwide wanted list.

Later, when she sought to acquire a cultivation technique through Glot, things took an even worse turn when Sina ended up directly raiding Glot’s home base.

She pounded her small head in a fit of vexation, as if the physical act might somehow dislodge new solutions from her mind.

However, she couldn’t participate in the assessment herself; the registration period had long passed, leaving her to watch helplessly from the stands.

‘It’s all the Heretic God Cult’s fault,’ she fumed. ‘If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have become a cultist myself, nor would I be hunted by everyone after my reincarnation. It’s all a conspiracy by the Heretic God Cult; it must be.’

Unable to devise any other solution, Gern could only attribute all her misfortunes to the Heretic God Cult.

This spiral of thought only intensified her fury, causing her teeth to gnash together with a grinding sound.

She couldn’t bear it any longer; she had to cause some trouble for the Heretic God Cult. Even if she couldn’t defeat them, what of it?

‘I have experience from my previous life,’ she mused. ‘Even if I can’t win, escaping is certainly not an issue.’

‘Hmm, that’s it,’ she decided. ‘I’ll strike once and then flee. A jab here, a prod there—just enough to vex and frustrate them.’

Hearing these words, the man downstairs immediately fell silent. Eliza haughtily raised her chin, her eyes filled with disdain.

Having settled on her plan, Gern quietly slipped away. She intended to first search Glot’s home for clues, hoping some lingering remnants might still be found.

****

Meanwhile, in a bucolic stretch on the outskirts of town, a group of individuals followed a lead that brought them to a secluded manor.

Eliza, acting on the clues Victor had unearthed, confirmed that this was one of the Heretic God Cult’s strongholds.

She led her team to cordon off the area, yet after a thorough interrogation, they failed to uncover any trace of the Heretic God Cult.

Eliza’s brow furrowed in contemplation. Perhaps their apprehension of Victor had inadvertently alerted the Heretic God Cult, prompting them to relocate their stronghold.

Eliza spat in frustration. Still unwilling to give up, she instructed her students to continue searching the premises, while she, herself, delved deeper into the manor’s interior, hoping to uncover some clue.

The manor was vast and sprawling, and Eliza’s half-day search yielded not a single shred of useful information.

Having systematically searched every other room, only the most opulent chamber in the manor remained unexamined. She pinned all her hopes on finding something there.

It was a two-story building, primarily constructed of limestone, which lent it an overall grayish-white appearance. Its sharply pointed roof and long arched windows on either side marked it as a typical Western-style edifice.

Upon Eliza pushing open the door, she was met with an opulent interior. The pristine white walls, paired with immaculate floor tiles, exuded an aesthetic of luxurious beauty.

In the center of the house’s grand hall, a low table stood, and behind it, a middle-aged man reclined on a sofa, looking utterly at ease.

“Oh, so you’ve traced your way to me, have you? Come, come, step right in and search to your heart’s content.”

The man’s tone was exceedingly unfriendly, but Eliza merely shot him a glare before ignoring him.

Alone, she proceeded to inspect the ground floor’s main hall, finding nothing. She then moved on to the kitchen and bedrooms on the same floor, again without any discoveries.

Eliza was growing disheartened as she ascended to the second floor. Her gaze met a long corridor adorned with numerous calligraphies and paintings.

Just then, an exceedingly impatient voice suddenly drifted up from downstairs.

“Do be careful. None of my belongings down here are inexpensive.”

“Tsk! Don’t worry. Even if I smash this manor to bits, the academy can afford to compensate you.”

At these words, the man downstairs immediately fell silent. Eliza haughtily raised her chin, her eyes filled with disdain.

The first two rooms on the second floor were both bedrooms, and Eliza found nothing related to the Heretic God there either.

As she stood before the last door, a flicker of apprehension stirred within her. If this room also yielded nothing, it would confirm that the manor was truly unremarkable.

When the door swung open, a peculiar expression settled upon Eliza’s face.

This was a collection room, filled with peculiar and bizarre items. The first thing that caught her eye was a strange, shadowy figure.

The object was entirely black, resembling a person contorted in a plea for help, yet Eliza sensed nothing unusual emanating from it.

After thoroughly exploring the room, Eliza finally gave up completely. There were no clues about the Heretic God Cult here either, so she decided to return and formulate a new, long-term plan.

“No need to see you out.”

The man stood by the main entrance, a sinister smirk curling his lips as he watched Eliza’s crestfallen appearance.

Seeing the man’s expression, Eliza felt her anger surge. It was frustrating enough to have found nothing in her investigation, but now this man was openly gloating.

Just as Eliza was about to punch him, a voice suddenly echoed from the distance.

“Captain Eliza, we’ve made a discovery! We found over a dozen corpses, which we estimate belong to members of the Heretic God Cult.”

At this news, Eliza’s eyes brightened. She glanced back, giving the now somewhat timid man a cold snort.

“Now let’s see how you’ll try to explain yourselves away.”

With that, Eliza swiftly departed, heading to the location where her students had made their discovery.

“It’s right here. We found over a dozen corpses, and it looks like they’ve been here for a while.”

Eliza frowned, kneeling to examine them. The bodies had been dead for some time, emitting a foul, putrid stench.

This was a small river, located a few hundred meters from the manor. The terrain here was flat, with a portion already cultivated into wheat fields, which was why the bodies had gone undiscovered.

Eliza, enduring the putrid stench, rummaged among the corpses and discovered a black token.

Carved upon it was a man with an indistinct face, seated on a throne, seemingly gazing into the distance.

This was the widely recognized image of the God of Chaos, and the token served as irrefutable proof that the deceased was a follower of the Heretic God Cult.

This was an internal identification token of the Heretic God Cult, obtainable only by those of significant status.

However, these clues alone could not directly establish any connection between the bodies and the manor.

Eliza considered the situation and decided it was better to proceed with caution. After ordering the manor to be sealed, she took the bodies back with her, hoping to uncover further useful clues.

****

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, within the ancient castle, a dark, robust figure deftly scaled the wall, landing steadily within the fortress’s confines.

Gern lifted her head, assessing her surroundings. The environment here was quite pleasant, with clean flagstones paving the ground.

Ever since Eliza had sealed this place, everyone in the castle had been taken away.

The surrounding residents had also moved away due to Victor’s collusion with the Heretic God Cult. Having arrived here in her male form, Gern had no need for caution.