Chapter 165

 The heavy door to the restricted zone shut tightly. The childish cries and the noisy shouting were sealed away deep within. The passengers rushing past on the trains above would never know what had taken place below. Today was simply another ordinary day.

The two retraced the path they had taken earlier and returned the keys to the office. Only after they had stepped out of the empire’s main station did the drowsy man in the office suddenly jolt awake. When he checked the time, it was already noon. Somehow, he’d slept through the entire morning?

But the man didn’t dwell on it. This job was easy and paid well. Ever since he’d taken the position, he’d spent plenty of time dozing off in the office.

After all, what kind of trouble at the empire’s main station would ever require him to deal with it personally? Everything operated according to established rules. At most, passengers might get into minor disputes. If something truly serious happened, it wouldn’t be something a small figure like him could handle anyway.

“Ye Zheng, I heard your entire conversation with Wen Xiaoxing about 【Mother of All Things】.”

Bai Muqing had been thinking deeply the entire way. The glasses she wore as part of her disguise had slipped slightly down the bridge of her nose. In the end, she chose to speak frankly.

A trace of concern lingered between her pale brows and in her eyes. She turned her head toward Ye Zheng.

For Bai Muqing, turning her head held no real significance. Through her ability, she could already perceive everything happening around her. She simply wanted to show that she was taking this seriously and hoped Ye Zheng would listen carefully to what she was about to say.

“That ability sounds extremely dangerous. Its very existence will only provoke endless greed. Once others learn of this secret, you’ll be facing a great deal of trouble.”

The existence of this ability was like an original sin. Who wouldn’t desire a creative power that could be inherited through generations and stand alongside the gods? If the one possessing such an extraordinary ability weren’t the Pope, it would’ve likely been seized long ago by other powerful families.

What worried Bai Muqing even more was that humans had limits. No matter how powerful an ability might be, it would ultimately perish along with the human body. Yet the emergence of 【Mother of All Things】 shattered this unspoken rule. It wasn’t an ability that humans could truly control at all. It resembled something closer to a monster parasitizing the human body.

“I understand your concern,” Ye Zheng said after a moment of thought. She turned her head as well, looking seriously into Bai Muqing’s face. “But I can’t give it up.”

Ye Zheng understood exactly what Bai Muqing was worried about. The existence of 【Mother of All Things】 was like an unknown devil’s box. If such an ability had never existed in this world, then perhaps the children in those welfare institutes wouldn’t have died in the course of research. The Hope Project might never have come into being, and thousands of women wouldn’t have perished in such a cruel plan.

However, beneath the bloodstained maw of greed, even the purest sheet of white paper would eventually be tainted with filthy saliva.

Before Wen Jian obtained 【Mother of All Things】, back when he was nothing more than an ordinary priest from the Lower District, he had already sent hundreds of commoners to their graves for the sake of his own future. The number of people he had killed exceeded that of any murderous ability user in the empire’s history.

Admittedly, Bai Muqing’s concerns weren’t without reason. However, eliminating Wen Jian and the ability he possessed had never been Ye Zheng’s ultimate objective.

“Ye Zheng, you’re already very strong. If you need my help in the future, we can work together like we did today.”

“Muqing, I don’t want to obtain it solely to pursue greater strength. 【Mother of All Things】 carries immense significance within the church, and it’s also important to me, as well as to certain people you don’t know… This ability matters deeply to them.”

Bai Muqing looked confused.

Ye Zheng gave a helpless smile and spoke candidly, “I want to take that position.”

She intended to use this ability to force the church to step aside for her.

“You’re already the most admired Saintess in the empire. Even Pope Wen Jian can’t compare to your virtue and brilliance.”

“But virtue and praise are merely tools to me, tools I’ll use to reach a higher place. When necessary, I’ll discard them.”

Ye Zheng’s tone remained calm, yet Bai Muqing could sense a cold, ruthless determination within her.

That ruthlessness wasn’t directed toward others, but toward herself. The midday sunlight was clearly warm, yet at that moment, Bai Muqing felt a faint chill seep deep into her body.

Ye Zheng had analyzed her situation countless times. She was now the Saintess acknowledged by the gods and admired by the people. She had transformed from a vase that others could manipulate at will into a treasure displayed upon a golden throne.

Yet to the church and the royal family, she was still nothing more than an object, an object that had grown more aggressive and increasingly restless.

Ye Zheng disliked the gaudy, dazzling crown studded with red and green gemstones, but she needed the power it represented. Only with power could an object truly become a person.

Only then could she appoint and dismiss bishops and clergy at every level, control the structure and operation of the church, hold the authority to interpret doctrine in her left hand, and wield the power of sanction granted by faith in her right. Even if Sykes were to inherit the nation in the future, he’d still have to lower his arrogant head before her and receive sacred legitimacy from her.

Only by standing at the highest point could she grant her subordinates and her knights greater opportunities for advancement.

Her heart burned once more. Ye Zheng steadied her somewhat uneven breathing. Soon enough, she regained her gentle expression, leaving no trace of anything unusual.

Before they realized it, the two of them, each lost in their own thoughts, had wandered into an empty square. At noon on a workday, there were few people around. In the vast square, only sparrows hopped across the ground.

Bai Muqing, who had remained silent for a long time, stared at the empty space ahead and finally spoke again:

“Does it really have to be done that way?”　

“From what I heard in your conversation, inheriting it will affect one’s lifespan. The price seems quite high.”

“I’m already standing in the eye of the storm. I have to reach my goal by the fastest means possible.”

Ye Zheng had once thought she could rely on her identity as God’s Chosen to steadily accumulate political capital. Now that the Ye family had also risen to a high position and gained a measure of influence within the empire’s politics and economy, she could have taken her time to build, plan, and play this strong hand she’d been dealt, gradually ascending to a higher position through political means.

But now, both she and this world were standing together at the very center of the storm. There was no longer any time for slow, careful planning.

“Thank you for today, Muqing. I promise I’ll make Wen Jian receive the punishment he deserves.”

“I won’t let what happened in that welfare institute ever happen again.”

Ye Zheng walked up to her, turned around, and spoke her final parting words. Her footsteps startled a white pigeon that had been foraging on the ground. It flapped its wings and flew up over their heads.

Bai Muqing, wearing those unfamiliar glasses, suddenly wondered if her abnormal white pupils might betray her inner emotions. Fortunately, with the glasses on, she didn’t actually need to worry about that.

“Mhm. I believe you’ll get what you wish for.”

No matter what, this was the first time she had gone out with a friend to do something that felt like a date. It was a day worth remembering.

Bai Muqing suppressed the complicated emotions in her heart and felt a genuine sense of joy.

✧✧✧✧✧

After the two parted ways, they each returned to the rhythm of their own lives. Bai Muqing immersed herself in the duties of the knight order. She discovered that this identity as a knight not only allowed her to carry out meaningful missions, but also, as long as she remained attentive, gave her access to a vast amount of information.

After completing one mission in the Lower District, Bai Muqing ran into a crowd marching and protesting on the streets. They accused the chief adjudicator of the Ability Tribunal, Ye Fanjing, of accepting bribes and allowing the managers of Amber Lake to withhold the workers’ severance pay, which had resulted in the tragic deaths of dozens of people.

Among them, some spoke with particularly intense rhetoric and even mentioned the Saintess. Although they were quickly dispersed by security officers, the impact they created was impossible to erase.

Wu Shu had clearly won the competition, yet the empire’s attention was now largely focused on the accident that had occurred during the match. In reality, factories built within Aberrant Realms were highly prone to accidents, but none had ever triggered such a massive public outcry before. Perhaps it was because this incident involved the most revered person in the empire, Saintess Ye Zheng.

Because of this tragedy, the Emperor ordered that the award ceremony for the ability competition be postponed. At the same time, he publicly praised Pei Xi, who’d stepped forward during the accident. Both Pei Xi’s prestige and that of the royal family had been elevated.

Bai Muqing paid close attention to the Lower District citizens’ attitude toward Ye Zheng and let out a slight sigh of relief. At least, the public’s anger hadn’t yet turned toward the Saintess.

It was obvious that someone was pushing things from behind the scenes in this incident, trying to use it to damage Ye Zheng’s reputation. They’d likely intensify their efforts to fan the flames later. This kind of underhanded tactic made Bai Muqing frown deeply.

She suddenly understood why Ye Zheng was pursuing that position. Some problems couldn’t be solved just by punching the other party once.

In the past, Bai Muqing had disliked violence and feared hurting others. She’d carefully used 【Divine Domain】 to help the elderly nuns find their cats. Now, she still used 【Divine Domain】 to find cats, but she’d also learned how to hit people. Just the day before yesterday, she’d taught a dishonest colleague a lesson.

Did she like violence now? Bai Muqing thought about it seriously. She felt that she’d simply discovered a broader use for 【Divine Domain】.

She had no desire for power. Was it because she was indifferent to worldly desires? It seemed more like she’d been born into a noble family. Privilege had come to her as naturally as breathing, so she’d never needed to chase after more.

But now, she very much wanted to reach a higher place. Perhaps then, she could see the same scenery as Ye Zheng.

✧✧✧✧✧

“I knew this wouldn’t blow up this badly without a reason. Turns out that old fox, the Pope, has been scheming behind the scenes!”

In the study, Ye Fanjing slammed his hand down on the table in a burst of fury. He wasn’t even the one directly in charge of the Amber Lake factory. At worst, he had only failed in his supervisory duties, which had led to an accident. Yet the entire incident’s focus had been aimed squarely at him. No matter how he looked at it, this was clearly a deliberate conspiracy.

After investigating, he discovered that both the appearance of that monster and the rapid spread of the incident had the church’s involvement behind them!

He cast a subtle glance at his daughter, who was standing there with her head lowered. An unavoidable trace of resentment rose in his heart. The Pope had no reason to target him directly. Wen Jian’s true target was obviously Ye Zheng, this overly sharp and exceptionally brilliant Saintess.

Standing across from him, Ye Zheng noticed the resentment flickering in Ye Fanjing’s eyes. She found it faintly amusing that he had only reached his current position because of her, his Saintess daughter. He wanted to enjoy all the benefits without taking on any of the risks. How could such a perfect deal exist in this world?

“I warned you before. If you had apologized in time, accepted punishment, and resigned to atone, they wouldn’t have had any chance to exploit the situation.”

“Accept punishment? I worked so hard to climb to this position. No one’s going to drag me down!”

Ye Fanjing spoke with agitation. He had already realized his mistake, but he didn’t want Ye Zheng to keep pressing the issue. At this point, dwelling on his past errors was completely pointless.

“If this continues to escalate, you’ll lose that position sooner or later.”

Ye Fanjing opened his mouth to argue, but Ye Zheng’s calm words cut him off. “The Pope sees my existence as a threat to his position. Look at how clean and decisive his methods are, then compare that to you. That’s exactly why he could become the Pope.”

“He only needs to give a slight push, and your hard-earned position will start to crumble. Even if you manage to get through this incident safely, who will still regard your position as chief adjudicator with any respect afterward?”

After saying this, Ye Zheng turned and walked away, leaving behind the pale-faced Ye Fanjing to reflect in silence.

She calmly used her key to unlock her study, bent down, and pulled out a thick stack of documents from the bookshelf. The top four files contained fragments of Wen Jian’s questionable records, while the bottom five detailed Ye Fanjing’s illicit dealings from his time as a judge in the Upper District.

Let the two dogs tear into each other.

Two days later.

Inside the church, Wen Jian shredded the documents his subordinate had handed him and hurled the pieces into the air in a fit of rage. The white scraps clung to his hair, making him appear even more worn and aged.

The accident during the competition hadn’t been his doing at all! After it happened, he hadn’t even sent anyone to stir things up, since all his attention had been consumed by the search for that fool, Wen Xiaoxing!

And yet now, even his subordinates were subtly probing how he intended to use this incident against Ye Zheng. Wen Jian suddenly snapped to attention. Something wasn’t right.

The earlier tribunal trial and the incident involving Wen Xiaoxing had both driven home a single realization: he couldn’t move against Ye Zheng recklessly. She was far too cunning. Any action he took would only hand her another opportunity to rise further.

“Your Holiness, but Ye Fanjing has already begun colluding with Bishop Joseph. He intends to expose some of your past dealings. This…”

Wen Jian nearly let out a cold laugh. The veins in the hand gripping the table stood out sharply. His rapid aging had already left him drained in both body and mind, and now these troubles were piling up one after another. He’d never felt so agitated and suffocated.

He steadied himself and pondered for a long moment before finally grinding out, “Then we’ll drag that arrogant fool Ye Fanjing down completely.”

Ye Zheng was too self-assured, too impatient. She’d actually taken the initiative to push her own father forward to deal with him. Fine. Fine. Fine. He couldn’t touch her for now, but what was Ye Fanjing? Just an insignificant nobody.

He’d use the father’s crushing defeat as a gift in return to Ye Zheng, Wen Jian thought, his expression dark and venomous.