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Lin Ruo was naturally unaware of the conversation between Medici and Adam, but even if he knew, he probably wouldn't be too surprised.
After all, Adam was the one who picked him up when he was still in a state of Chaos and madness. It wasn't too surprising that Adam knew his background.
Given his personality, it was even more normal for him to make a deal with Adam to exchange a Red Priest uniqueness for Medici.
And just as Lin Ruo didn't know about Adam and Medici's conversation, most people in Backlund naturally didn't know that a disaster that would have killed hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of people was thus averted by Lin Ruo's manipulation.
Aside from the Augustus Family and the Demoness Sect, who were cursing, and the official Beyonder of the Churches working overtime, for most people, this was just an ordinary day before the New Year.
On a street deep in the East Borough.
Old Kohler was holding a paper bag and hurrying back to his rented apartment.
Just as he had on the way there, Old Kohler walked while vigilantly looking around, worried that he would be robbed by those whose eyes glowed green with hunger.
Fortunately, no accident occurred. Old Kohler finally returned to his residence safely, and as the door closed, he couldn't help but smile.
He opened the bag and looked inside. When he saw the ham, milk, apples, and a few pieces of candy wrapped in milky white paper, his eyes crinkled with joy.
Old Kohler naturally wasn't luxurious enough to buy milk, apples, and candy himself. Even though he really wanted to taste these things again, for him, splurging on a fraction of a ham for the New Year was already enough to make his heart ache, so how could he afford these luxuries?
These items were all distributed for free by the Workers' Guild, which had been doing charity in the East Borough recently. According to them, it was a special New Year's benefit.
"Life is getting better..." Old Kohler murmured. He carefully put away the paper bag, took out a crumpled cigarette from his pocket, sniffed it, and then suddenly pulled out a match to light the cigarette he had been reluctant to smoke.
"Next year will be a good year."
Old Kohler said, his aged eyes filled with anticipation for the future.
...
"Cough... cough..."
Along with two coughs, Mr. A opened his eyes.
His eyes were first dazed for a moment, then seemed to clear up and became vigilant.
Mr. A suddenly sat up, vigilantly and aggressively observing everything around him, but then he froze.
"This is... Your Excellency Blessed's safe house?"
Mr. A naturally knew about Lin Ruo's safe house, which was specially registered with the Aurora Order.
Mainly, sometimes, the information Lin Ruo needed, as well as things related to the True Creator that he didn't want to bring back to his residence, would be sent to this safe house by Mr. A.
"So Your Excellency Blessed saved me..." Mr. A naturally realized this. He then recalled what happened before, "The ritual was destroyed, those damn rats..."
"Lord, I am guilty..." Mr. A almost instinctively knelt down and began to pray and confess to the True Creator with his head bowed. Suddenly, his body trembled, and he coughed violently, spitting out blood mixed with internal organs.
Mr. A's expression became even more fearful and devout. He continued to pray with his head lowered, stopping after a long while, and then swallowed his internal organs back.
Mr. A's posture was disheveled, but his eyes, which had been fearful just now, became firm.
Because he had already received instructions from the True Creator.
He would continue to lurk in this city and serve Your Excellency Blessed.
It was also at this time that Mr. A had time to check his physical condition. Although his clothes were tattered, still looking like they had been hit head-on by two Sun pathway ultimate moves, his injuries were basically healed. Except for the injuries caused by the Lord's punishment just now, he was only still a little weak.
Mr. A almost immediately realized that Lin Ruo had treated him.
"Thank you, Your Excellency Blessed..." Mr. A murmured instinctively, then stood up.
He wanted to take advantage of the time before the officials fully reacted to hide the Aurora Order members in a more secluded place.
...
While Mr. A was urgently evacuating the Aurora Order members, the Augustus Family also encountered questioning from the Three Great Churches.
This incident was truly too big. It even involved three evil gods, if one rounded up. Furthermore, two of them were close Sequences to Black Night and Storm, respectively, plus Lin Ruo, who held an extraordinary position in the Church of the Evernight Goddess, deliberately framing them.
Even though the Augustus Family had dealt with the Third Prince at the first opportunity, pushing the blame for colluding with the Demoness Sect onto the Third Prince personally, this matter obviously couldn't be settled so easily.
However, the Augustus Family ultimately had an Angel, controlled many Sealed Artifacts, and was an old Family with connections to many secret organizations. Even if the Three Great Churches took advantage of the situation, they couldn't really go too far all at once. In the end, the Augustus Family naturally took several steps back, agreeing to various proposals that the Three Great Churches had been raising for a long time, such as reforming the Poor Law and other changes to improve the living conditions of the common people, which allowed this matter to be superficially resolved.
Of course, it was only superficial. After all, after this incident, the Three Great Churches would inevitably test and restrict the Augustus in various overt and covert ways in the future, to prevent the Augustus from truly rebelling by uniting with evil gods, and to investigate why they suddenly went mad this time.
This was also the result Lin Ruo wanted.
"The conqueror characteristic is lost... The Great Smog incident was stopped from the beginning, and that Witch is also dead... And those two mysterious people who infiltrated the underground palace... They seem to be the Black Night's Blessed who stopped the ritual..."
In Empress Borough, inside Sodela Palace, George III, wearing a crown, with a firm face and a small mustache, sat on the throne, looking at the empty hall in front of him, deep in thought.
"It was too fast, the Churches' reaction was too fast. The whole thing is wrong, it seems..."
He thought of something and narrowed his eyes.
"It seems someone knew everything in advance and made corresponding arrangements..."
George III's brows furrowed deeper. If it was really as he thought, it meant that there must be an insider among the high-ranking officials.
Too few people knew the truth. Even among the secret organizations that cooperated with them this time, only the high-ranking members of the Demoness Sect knew. The Aurora Order and Numinous Episcopate were used and discarded, and the Augustus didn't intend to tell them the truth.
Who could it be... Several names flashed through George III's mind, and he couldn't help but sigh.
Catching the insider was important, but now that the conqueror characteristic was lost, what about the cooperation with the Demoness Sect?
The plan to cover up the missing persons also failed, and the Three Great Churches would certainly target them next... The only thing worth celebrating was probably that the new order expected by the Churches would further complete his advancement ritual.
"It's truly terrible..." George III was a little frustrated, but it had already come to this point, and he naturally had no room to retreat.
Not only did he not, but the Augustus Family did not either.
If they couldn't become a god, and with the increasing friction with the Churches, the Augustus Family would inevitably become a tear of the times in the future.
Just like the Night Emperor's Royal Family back then.
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