"A priest of Cyric, the God of Murder?"
Lei Lin held back his steps. "Since it's the lord's wish, then let it be..."
In truth, he had no intention of killing anyone here. After all, this was their territory.
"Lord Priest, please let me—" At this moment, the assassin on the ground had scrambled back to his feet, his eyes brimming with hatred as he stared at Lei Lin.
"Enough! Stand down!" the priest barked at the assassin, his voice sharp and menacing, instantly deflating the man's fighting spirit.
"Just you wait!"
The assassin shot Lei Lin a vicious glare, drew a finger across his own throat in a cutting gesture, and vanished into thin air.
"Heh heh... little Kellai is far too impulsive and rash. Honored guest, please, follow me!"
The priest of the God of Murder made an inviting gesture toward Lei Lin.
Lei Lin rubbed his nose and walked straight over...
After quite some time had passed, Lei Lin departed contentedly, having obtained everything he wanted. The priest, meanwhile, continued winding left and right through the underground passages before finally leaving the Thieves' Guild and arriving at a secret chamber.
Flickering flames cast an eerie, sinister glow throughout the room. At its very center stood a statue of a terrifying deity — Cyric, the God of Murder.
Before the statue, an old man whose face was lined with deep wrinkles was praying in slow, measured tones. Waves of powerful divine energy rippled from his body.
"Your Eminence!" The priest from before bowed respectfully.
"Has that man left?" The aged bishop opened his clouded eyes, yet they seemed to carry a piercing light that could see straight through a person's soul.
"Yes, he has already departed. He purchased a great deal of intelligence regarding Marquis Lewis!" Not daring to hold anything back, the priest recounted all of Lei Lin's actions in full detail.
"I have seen it. He is the source of future chaos. The countless murders and upheaval he will bring shall greatly please our Lord!"
the bishop murmured.
"Then what should we do? Should we help him?" the priest asked, somewhat bewildered.
"No need... heh heh... Maintaining neutrality will suffice. When the moment comes, he will certainly come begging for our aid..."
The bishop sneered. "Also, send word of his visit here to the Barbarian Pirates. And warn Kellai not to let the death of a single brother derail our Lord's grand designs, or I will personally pass judgment upon him..."
The punishments of the God of Murder were notoriously brutal. Even the priest couldn't help but shudder at the thought.
"I understand! Our Lord's glory shall surely spread across the entire land!"
The priest offered a prayer, then took his respectful leave.
"God of Murder, you say? Interesting!" From the other party's movements today, Lei Lin had clearly sensed their connection to that previous wave of assassins.
However, those assassins were the type who killed for money, simple as that. Perhaps that Mank had previously pledged allegiance to Marquis Louis, or perhaps he had merely accepted a job. In any case, the man had long since become a pile of dry bones, and Lei Lin couldn't be bothered to care about him anymore. What he couldn't ignore was Cole — as a high-ranking assassin, he was a threat that demanded attention.
"From the looks of it, the Thieves' Guild appears to be a neutral faction as well — operating under the rule of the barbarian pirates, yet maintaining connections with Marquis Louis…"
Lei Lin let out a cold laugh.
These priests and clerics of the divine churches had always viewed matters solely from their own perspective. Conflicts in the mortal world were nothing but passing clouds to them. As long as their own dominion could be maintained, they wouldn't care which king sat upon the throne.
The Knowledge Church was like this, and the Church of Murder was no different.
"Still, for the gods to already be turning their attention to the Outer Seas — a newly opened territory — this quickly… If that's truly the case, then I'll need to accelerate my plans…"
Lei Lin's expression darkened somewhat, but by the time he returned to the inn, his mood had long since settled, without a single trace of it showing on his face.
"Boss!"
In the lobby of the inn, Giant and Hulk stood up along with several dozen pirate sailors. Ronald was among them as well.
"Mm!" Lei Lin's gaze swept across the group of pirates. Those who met his eyes felt a sharp sting and had no choice but to lower their heads.
"Tell them — the roast meat and rum for the next few days are all on me!"
He had to admit, these people had left a decent first impression. They were at least fairly capable ordinary pirates.
Of course, that was as far as it went. Mid-tier professionals and above weren't so easy to recruit.
"My lady requests your presence in the back room!"
Karen appeared silently behind Lei Lin, her footsteps feather-light, like a seasoned thief — the frail, delicate air she had carried before was nowhere to be found.