She leaned her back against the railing, with her arms stretched out and draped over it in a relaxed manner, blocking her sense of smell and closing her eyes to enjoy the evening sea breeze.
After nightfall, the Challenger and the black paddle boat, which had returned with a full load, raised their anchors and continued to sail eastward with the westerly wind.
The gentle sea breeze gradually blew away the lingering stench on the deck, making the air fresh again.
Meili put down the handkerchief wrapped in the sachet, looked at the vast dark sea, and the silver moon slowly rising from the horizon, and sighed for some reason:
"I'm afraid this trip will be very difficult..."
"How to say?"
Qi Ji asked, but she already had the answer in her heart.
"Our current location is not yet the closest point to the 'Sea of Turbulence'. In other words, it is not yet the most dangerous time in theory..."
As she spoke, she lowered her head and rubbed her forehead vigorously with the heel of one hand, looking worried and troubled:
"The rumors are true. The sea monsters are getting more and more violent..."
"A sea monster..."
Qi Ji looked up at her tangled and worried face, and suddenly moved his lips slightly, whispering in a very, very small voice that only he could hear:
"It's not that simple..."
In her perception, in a location not too far to the southeast, a spiritual wave of unprecedented intensity and violence was gathering little by little...
Like a hurricane in the making.
Chapter 432: Hill Learns to Cheat
More than half an hour later, when Qi Ji returned to the small bedroom in the ship's tower, he received a sacrifice from Hill.
"Wow, this girl is really trying hard..."
Looking at the stack of paper documents that was more than ten centimeters thick, being pushed out by infinite power from the "Gate of Sacrifice and Gift" that looked like it was carved from onyx, she couldn't help but sigh in her heart.
Judging from the brand new paper of these materials and the smell of ink they emit, it is obvious that this large stack of materials was all handwritten by Hill.
It had only been two days since the last contact. Even if Hill had returned to the headquarters of the Last Kingdom early the next morning after "hanging up" the call with him, such high efficiency and workload... were too exaggerated.
You have to know that Hill is not Qi Ji. He cannot memorize tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of books in an instant, nor can he print out the information in his mind into physical form just by thinking about it.
As a newly promoted orthodox master, she had to index materials, look up content, and transcribe information step by step like ordinary people... Qi Ji felt embarrassed to complete such a large workload in just two days.
"I always feel like I'm a sweatshop owner who exploits my employees..."
She scratched her cheek with her index finger, chuckled dryly, and while piling the stack of information in her hand on the bed, she connected with Hill's senses.
After thinking about it, she still thought it would be better to inform the other party of the risk of "leaking the 'true creator' to the citizens of the Last Country".
Otherwise, if because of her momentary negligence, hundreds of thousands of people who had been struggling to survive on that land for more than two hundred years suffered an unprovoked disaster from the evil god... she could not bear the blame.
The reason why he didn't say it earlier and had to wait until Hill took the initiative to sacrifice herself to him before contacting her was because he was worried that if he contacted the other party casually, there might be an increased risk of her being exposed.
After all... Qi Ji still has no idea what the strangely behaving Deacon Otilia is planning. What if this person has been hiding in the dark and spying on Hill's actions?
If this is true, wouldn't I be causing trouble for the other party if I contacted Hill rashly?
And now, since Hill offered herself voluntarily, it meant that she thought her situation was secretive enough to avoid being pried into by the outside world.
A moment later, Qi Ji heard Hill's straightforward report:
"Great 'True Creator', your existence... may have been suspected by the people of the Church of Redemption."
She spoke in a low voice and with an anxious tone.
Faced with such a situation, Qi Ji had anticipated it and was not surprised at all:
"Otilia?"
"Well, I'm not sure, but maybe the deacon really thinks there's something wrong with me..."
Hill knelt on the mattress in his bedroom, his head lowered, his hands twisted restlessly, his emotions both uneasy and apologetic:
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I didn't act naturally enough and failed to keep the secret. Please don't blame others, they are all innocent..."
After this period of communication, Hill also vaguely understood the temperament of this foreign god. He had behaved very kindly so far. He was not the unpredictable god in ancient myths and legends who would burn down cities and destroy the world at any time.
But she was still very worried that the "True Creator" would be unhappy because she failed to comply with his requirements. Apart from anything else, if he stopped contacting her and cut off communication with the Last Kingdom, she would be a sinner for all eternity.
Qi Ji could sense the other party's overly tense mood, sighed slightly, and said in a gentle tone:
"Don't panic, describe the situation first."
Hill nodded vigorously, and tremblingly recited the speech he had thought about countless times:
"That night, Lady Otilia asked me out and asked me directly how I escaped from the pit..."
Qi Ji understood and said calmly:
"It means she doesn't believe your explanation at that time. This is normal."
The other party's calm tone calmed Hill's heart a little, but the solemn expression on his face did not diminish at all:
"I wanted to just brush it off, but I was afraid that this would only increase Lady Otilia's suspicion, so I confessed to her that I was a transcendent and that my cultivation system was different from that of the 'Silent Wizard'..."
Qi Ji raised an eyebrow slightly: "How do you explain where your power comes from?"
"Well, I said, half a month ago, I was sent out by the Church of Redemption to carry out a survey mission for the first time, but the whole team was wiped out. On the way back... I picked up a stone tablet, which recorded a new spiritual power system."
When it came to the key point, Hill inevitably became more nervous and his words stumbled:
"But when I was about to reach the last kingdom, I was attacked by the evil spirits, and I accidentally lost it in the chaos... But I remembered the contents above, so after returning to the city, I tried to practice for a while according to the influence...
"After hearing what I said, Lady Otilia said goodbye to me without saying anything. I haven't seen her since then... I heard from others that she seemed to have returned to the headquarters that night, and I don't know where she is now."
This is a pretty contrived argument. From a common sense point of view, many parts of it are far-fetched and hard to be convincing, but the problem is... no one can prove that it is false.
The gray-white forest that stretches for thousands of miles is home to countless dangers and opportunities. Who can guarantee that it is impossible to accidentally discover some opportunities in it?
Look at those ruins and relics! Many of the knowledge systems, resources, and information of the Last Kingdom were discovered from the legacy of these past Light Seekers.
Some people are lucky enough to pick up something new, how can it be impossible?
If you have the guts, walk through every corner of this forest and search it inch by inch to prove that the so-called "stone slab recording the new cultivation system" does not exist. Otherwise, you cannot accuse me of lying!
In short, as long as you bring up the concept of "adventure", any explanation will do.
"It's a rational way of dealing with the situation." Qi Ji was generous in his praise.
This guy has also learned how to fool people...
After receiving the praise from the "True Creator", Hill felt much better, but the next second he lowered his eyes with apology:
"But I was a little panicked at the time, and she might have noticed something was wrong... I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."
To be honest, even if Otilia didn't realize that there was a connection between Hill and herself, she could probably realize that this "team member responsible for geological exploration and topographic mapping" was not a completely ordinary person as recorded in official archives.
Apart from anything else, as a "senior 'requiem master'", Otilia's spiritual power is as strong as that of a magician, and her perception of other spiritual fluctuations must be not much worse.
On the other hand, in the human world, unless an ordinary magician possesses special spiritual equipment, it is absolutely impossible for him to hide his extraordinary abilities from the eyes of the sorcerer.
Hill had been working with her in the same team for quite some time! It would be strange if Otilia didn't see the problem.
So Qi Ji did not blame her, but said in a slightly more serious tone:
"I don't force you to keep the secret, but I still suggest you find the butler and have a good chat with her about what I'm going to say next."
"Well?"
Hill immediately sat up straight, looked serious, and listened attentively:
"You say!"
"The leader of the 'Saint Hydra Society', the builder of the previous city, is a divine being, and... this guy has a grudge against me."
Qi Ji said word by word:
“I cannot guarantee that the influence of this organization or that divine being on your side has been completely eliminated.
“If information about me is widely publicized in the Last Kingdom, then I can basically guarantee that they will not be able to get the news, and I can’t guarantee how they will react after learning about it.
"By the way, this organization... is recently planning to enter your world on a large scale again. What will happen then... I can't say for sure."
Given her personality, it's actually very uncool of her to say so many uncertain and unsupported words.
But she had to explain these potential risks clearly, otherwise it would be irresponsible to Hill... and the hundreds of thousands of residents of the Last Kingdom.
"Pure White, this..."
After hearing this, Hill was stunned as Qi Ji had expected, and did not respond for a long time.
Qi Ji knew that she was in a state of intense shock, and what she needed most at this moment was some time to think, so he took the initiative to cut off the contact:
"Come here today and think about it carefully."
After ending the call, Qi Ji picked up the paperwork on the bed and quickly flipped through it.
Placed at the top is the information that Hill collected through various channels about the location of the sealed space where the out-of-control angel of "Moon" exists. It is only a thin page, and it can be seen that the amount of information is very low.
Qi Ji also understood that the location was too far away from the Last Country. It was estimated that the residents of the Last Country's knowledge of it was just a variety of groundless and vague myths, legends, and speculations, which were mostly meaningless.
She had little hope for the authenticity and usability of this thin page of information.
But when she held the piece of straw paper in front of her, her eyes suddenly stopped on it.
"The resting place of the successive 'Pure White Popes'?"
Take a day off
I have an exam today, so I need a day off.
Chapter 433: Resting Place and Raging Sea
In the "Silent Soul Wizard" training system of the Last Kingdom, the realm can be divided into three levels, from low to high, namely "Disciple", "Requiem Master" and "Pure White Pope".
It is worth mentioning that the highest level of "Pure White Pope" cannot be promoted through simple personal qualifications or efforts in theory.
To reach this level, one must obtain the divine grace bestowed by the "Pure White Gate". Otherwise, no matter how high one's aptitude or how strong one's strength is, one can only be a "requiem master".
In the social system of the Last Kingdom, "Pure White Pope" is both a realm of strength and a position. Those who have successfully obtained the gift of the "Pure White Gate" and reached the realm of Pure White Pope will be elected as the supreme leader of the Church of Redemption and lead all the people of the Last Kingdom.
The White Pope does not exist all the time. In fact, in the more than 200 years of history of the Last Kingdom, there have only been five generations of White Popes, and the average reign of each one is five years.
In other words, in the entire Last Kingdom and the Church of Redemption, for most of the time, there was no White Pope. During this time, the Last Kingdom was led by the seven "grand elders" of the Church of Redemption, who decided various major affairs in a parliamentary manner.
Once a White Pope appears, the Church of Redemption will quickly change its system and execute the White Pope's orders with absolute obedience until the White Pope steps down.
However, the position of "White Pope" is lifelong.
In other words, the five leaders who sat on this position that symbolizes the pinnacle of the Last Kingdom, after becoming the White Popes...lived for an average of no more than five years.
Qi Ji thought about the information about the Last Kingdom that Hill had sent him before, and found that among the five generations of Pure White Popes, the shortest lived only a little over a year, and the longest only lived seven or eight years.
There is no doubt that this is a high-risk position with a 100% mortality rate.
Returning his attention to the one-page document, Qi Ji saw the following description:
"...According to historical records, at the end of their lives, each generation of the White Pope would take the initiative to leave the Last Kingdom and head in one direction under the protection of a large number of experienced and powerful 'Requiem Masters', who would take them all the way to Camp No. 19, the farthest from the headquarters.
"During this period, no matter what kind of danger they encounter, the White Pope himself will not take action, and all will be handled by the accompanying guards.
"After arriving at Camp No. 19, the White Pope will leave the protection of the guards and enter the unknown area that has never been explored by anyone alone.
"After that, the guards will wait in the camp for seven days. If they fail to wait for the White Pope to return after seven days, they will bring back the news that 'the Pope failed to open up a new territory and died' to the headquarters. Eventually, the Vatican will carve a tombstone for him, engrave an epitaph, and hold a funeral.
“So far, no generation of White Popes has ever returned, and no one knows what they went through.
"Over time, the people of the Last Kingdom unanimously called the unknown area where five generations of leaders were buried the 'resting place', and the coordinates you provided me, sir, happened to be in the same direction as the 'resting place'...
"The last White Pope, the Fifth, passed away twenty years ago."
The above is what Hill has collected about the people of the Last Kingdom regarding the location where the space where the out-of-control angel is sealed exists.
In fact, the logical connection between the two is not that great. It is just that the direction of the "resting place" and the location of the sealed space roughly coincide. It is difficult to say that there is any inevitable connection between them.
But speaking objectively, the information recorded on this thin page... is indeed full of weirdness.
Why the White Pope, who is at the pinnacle of power and status, is generally so short-lived is not clearly explained above, and Hill probably doesn't know either, so he doesn't dare to make any rash judgment.
Based on the few words revealed in the document, the official explanation of the Church of the Redemption... seems to be that he "died in the line of duty due to failure to open up new territory."
