prynovel Chapter 625 The Authority of a Senior Deacon
Chapter 625 The Authority of a Senior Deacon
Chapter 625 The Authority of a Senior Deacon
Lu Ze walked down the steps one by one.
The lamplight illuminated only a small area. Although there were candlesticks on both sides of the wall, the flames were very weak, as if they might be extinguished in the darkness at any moment. At the end of the lamplight, an invisible sense of fear spread faintly in the pure darkness. It was the instinctive awe of mankind for the unknown, like the loneliness and helplessness felt by children in the dark of night.
However, Lu Ze remained unmoved.
"brush..."
Beneath him, an equally dense darkness swayed with the light. This darkness, emanating from the shadows, was not pure; on the contrary, it was filled with chaotic, complex, and intense emotions. It was the wailing of countless dead, a corrupt and filthy curse. This alien "darkness" surrounded him, becoming a powerful defense against the corrosive influence of his surroundings.
After climbing the steps, a flat area appeared before us; we had arrived at the second level where the sealed artifacts were stored.
Lu Ze looked up, his eyes piercing through the darkness, and saw that the second floor was separated by walls of different materials: brick, steel, mud, silver... These walls formed separate areas, some rooms tightly closed, others completely open. In each room, a sealed artifact was stored.
He closed his eyes and sensed it for a moment.
Black threads filled the darkness, suppressing most of the sealed artifacts in the room, leaving them completely still. Only a small portion remained unaffected, freely shimmering with spiritual light.
Judging from the appearance, most of the sealed items are level 2 or below, with fewer level 1 and level 0 sealed items.
So, in which region would the Antigonus family's notes be located?
After a moment's thought, Lu Ze decided to first choose a direction with more spiritual light to move forward.
A dark shadow swayed beneath his feet as he carried a lantern and ventured deeper into the darkness.
Along the passageway, there were one strange room after another. Some of the rooms had their doors completely closed, but a blinding white light shone through the cracks, along with an unbearable heat.
Some rooms are fully open, with an automatically playing music box in the center, but the outside is covered by a transparent cover so that no sound can be heard.
Some rooms contained a steel bathtub with a pit dug out beneath it, filled with burning smokeless coal and firewood. And at the bottom of the bubbling bathtub, there was a silver-white suit of armor, splattered with dark red blood.
Oh right, this armor... I encountered it when I met the demon that tried to assassinate Duke Negan; the thing inside almost cleaved me in two...
Lu Ze thought to himself, quickening his pace to get away from the armor.
Although he hadn't found the Antigonus family's notes yet, he wasn't in a hurry. He had plenty of time, and it wouldn't hurt to look at the other sealed artifacts as well.
Just then, a strong spiritual fluctuation appeared in front of him.
The space on one side of the passage suddenly opened up, revealing a spacious room several times larger than the other areas. Lu Ze looked around; the room was bathed in a soft blue light, the glow from the walls illuminating a central figure—
A woman's figure.
"Um?!"
Upon seeing the woman's appearance, Lu Ze's pupils constricted slightly, and he felt a chill run down his spine.
It was a beautiful young woman with smooth black hair, veiled by a hooded, classic robe. She sat peacefully in the chair, leaning against the back, her eyes closed, her head slightly lowered, as if she were taking a nap and might wake up at any moment.
The dim light gave her a blue outline; she was exceptionally beautiful, so beautiful that it instilled a deep-seated fear in people.
This isn't... this isn't that...
Gazing at that somewhat familiar face, Luze instinctively held his breath. He had seen this young woman before, when he bumped into Urolius during the great smog outbreak. Now, he knew this was the woman...
"Don't stare at it for too long."
Someone said gently from the side.
"!"
'
Luze instantly snapped to attention and whirled around. He saw Archbishop Anthony calmly watching him from a few meters away.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
The Sequence 3 archbishop wore a long black robe, had a clean-shaven face, and deep-set eyes. His aura blended seamlessly with the underground environment; if he hadn't spoken up, Luze probably wouldn't have noticed him at all. "It's just that you're too close; it's a bit dangerous."
"Your Excellency the Archbishop."
Lu Ze traced a crescent moon on his chest with his hand, and following the other person's advice, he distanced himself from the person in the room.
"Praise beauties, goddess."
Anthony returned the greeting devoutly, and then said to Luzer, "Anyone or anything that gets too close to that side will disappear completely."
This range expands irregularly... To date, more than 70 researchers have met with misfortune.
"...Thank you for reminding me, Your Excellency Archbishop."
Lu Ze subconsciously moved a few steps further away.
"so,"
The archbishop in black robes looked at him and asked, "What are you doing here, Deacon Ishmael?"
His words were calm and quiet, his deep eyes fixed on Lu Ze.
Lu Ze met his gaze calmly.
"I'm here to retrieve the sealed artifacts that were confiscated from the vampires," he replied. "And while I'm at it, I'm also going to the second level to find out what sealed artifacts the church has... It's all for the sake of our work, to better spread the glory of the goddess."
"So that's how it is."
Anthony smiled and nodded. "However, you don't actually need to come down in person. There are paper records of the sealed artifacts in the church. With your access level, you can obtain the exact location of all the sealed artifacts; you know detailed information about all level 1 and below sealed artifacts, as well as some level 0 sealed artifacts—meaning that only a very small number of level 0 sealed artifacts are not accessible to you."
"Like this one..."
Lu Ze asked tentatively.
Unfortunately, this is one of the very few.
Anthony replied with a smile, "Even I would have my memories erased when I'm transferred out of this parish."
The management is so strict...
Lu Ze subconsciously looked at the beautiful woman.
The chair beneath him was made entirely of stone, rough and simple, blending seamlessly with the stone floor. Yet he slept so peacefully, leaning against the cold, hard backrest, a few strands of hair hanging down, as if completely immersed in a sweet dream.
But He will still wake up.
"In that case, I won't waste any more time here, Your Excellency Archbishop."
Luze turned around and greeted Anthony.
Being in this dark environment with a Sequence 3 was quite stressful. He decided to return to the first floor, take the vampire's belongings out, and then use his privileges to determine the location and current status of the notebook.
Anthony smiled and returned the greeting, seeing Luze off until his footsteps disappeared on the ascending steps before turning back to look at the sleeping figure inside the room.
He gazed at it for a long time.