Chapter 352: Since You Want to Know So Badly (Subscribe Please)

"Alright, you little brat, go to sleep then… hmph!"

After the Bishop of Ashes finished dressing down the Chief Inquisitor like a grandson, she gave an angry snort and waved her hand to close the rift.

Herbert, who had watched the whole thing from the side, said nothing at all, with no intention whatsoever of speaking up for the Chief Inquisitor.

You chose this yourself, idol.

Who told you to neglect your duties and do nothing but sleep?

Got caught by the boss, didn't you!

And when the Bishop of Ashes turned her gaze toward him, Herbert slightly raised both hands, indicating that he hadn't done anything.

Not only that, he even put on an innocent face and smiled: "So, Your Excellency, you've abducted me to this place—are you planning to do something to me?"

"Do something to you?"

The Bishop of Ashes was momentarily stunned, let her eyes sweep him up and down, then chuckled and shook her head.

"Heh."

She was amused by Herbert's words; the anger on her swept clean away, and she returned to her earlier demeanor, her tone quite playful as she teased: "Child, it seems this little outing of yours has made you even more confident."

"Now you dare crack jokes like that right in front of me?"

Young man, you've got some nerve.

Her gaze, hidden beneath the shadows, roamed all over Herbert's body, examining him up and down.

And every place that playful gaze landed made Herbert feel a slight chill, as if being stared at by some dangerous presence—and not just one, but many!

Faced with such a dangerous gaze, Herbert appeared quite nonchalant; he shrugged his shoulders and said with equal playfulness: "Have I? I feel like I've always been pretty relaxed before."

Brave?

Wow, joking.

I've always been super brave!

Don't even mention you—even the Archbishop's jokes I dare crack… almost sent myself off just now.

Not to mention, Herbert had actually already revealed this kind of personality when facing the Bishop of Ashes before.

Pulling a prank feels great.

Act reckless for a moment, feel great for a moment; keep acting reckless, keep feeling great forever!

The Bishop of Ashes now also recalled Herbert's earlier "provocation" toward her, and couldn't help but shake her head with a smile.

"What you say is true, heh."

"You've always been a very courageous little fellow."

Apart from Herbert, never had any cultivator dared to face her with such a frivolous, even flirtatious attitude.

There were those with the strength to speak to her in that tone, but none had the inclination.

Those without the strength wouldn't dare be so presumptuous either, and their status was beneath hers.

Only this unusual little fellow before her—while his manners on the surface were never lacking—seemed to have never truly regarded anyone else as worth his notice.

Arrogant?

Fearless?

The Bishop of Ashes didn't know how to describe this quality of Herbert's, but found it quite novel.

Perhaps even the old thing valued this brat so highly, esteemed him so, and even favored him precisely because of this personality of his?

Countless people yearn for greater power, higher status, more wealth… and strive and struggle for them.

But only when they truly obtain all that they desire do they discover that none of it may be as wonderful as they imagined.

So it is said: it's cold at the top.

Only after truly reaching that position will you discover how very lonely you become.

But even if they knew in advance the price they would pay, would they stop in their tracks?

No.

Even if they must bear that price, it has to be after truly possessing it first—then talk of anything else!

For those who truly have nothing, this kind of worry is quite a luxury.

The Bishop of Ashes had no intention of acting smug after gaining the advantage; she would not complain about what everything she possessed had brought her in terms of suffering.

No, she never felt it was suffering.

If one had to say anything, it was only that in the long passage of years she had felt a certain tedium.

And this unexpected young man had brought some interesting changes to her rather tedious years.

A pool of lake water, still for over a thousand years, had a stone of modest size gently tossed into it.

If one were to say it stirred up any great waves, that would be an exaggeration.

But it truly did break the state of dead silence, sending ripples spreading out in layers.

The Bishop of Ashes leaned back, settling into a transparent chair that materialized out of thin air; her excessively long skirt hung down, pooling onto the ground.

"Herbert, tell me—your story inside the Shadowlands. What happened? What did you encounter?"

Herbert didn't answer at first; instead he glanced down once more at the hanging hem of her skirt, then looked up with a smile: "Your Excellency, are you really that curious?"

"As for curious or not, I'd say I'm curious."

The Bishop of Ashes made no attempt to hide her interest in Herbert, and said with a beaming smile: "I really want to know what kind of commotion this little fellow of mine can stir up again?"

"So, tell me—what great feat have you done this time?"

Everyone knew Herbert was no small-time troublemaker; once let loose, he was bound to make some big news.

She certainly didn't think Herbert would behave himself and do nothing on this trip to the Shadowlands.

"I did do a few things, but I think they were all trivial little matters not fit for the table, not worth mentioning on purpose." Herbert waved his hand, feigning modesty.

That's right.

I've only done a few trivial little things!

Just assassinated the High Matron of the Dark Elf city, thwarted Miss Xie Shen's blood sacrifice ritual, destroyed Miss Xie Shen's avatar… nothing major.

Compared to the earth-shattering "adventures" the Grand Archbishop described, my accomplishments are hardly worth mentioning.

Can't compare, can't compare!

Of course, though Herbert pretended modesty, the Ash Archbishop naturally didn't believe him and gave a mocking little snort.

"Hmm, I see…"

She shot Herbert a glare and said irritably: "But why do I hear you did some rather extraordinary things?"

"Never mind the rest—you made quite a stir in Maragas City."

Huh?

Even this much is known?

Herbert blinked, then quickly realized the source of the leak: "Did Quinna tell you?"

"Guess?" the Ash Archbishop replied with a light laugh.

"I guess…" Herbert frowned into silence.

Quinna leaking information wasn't unacceptable—but wasn't it a bit too fast?

We just got back… oh, wait.

To soothe the Hungry Dragon Young Lady and the Mermaid Young Lady, I've already wasted a huge amount of time.

Monster girls have ruined me!

They've made me lose all sense of time!

Herbert's silence, in the Ash Archbishop's eyes, took on another meaning—he thought he'd been betrayed.

"By the way, don't misunderstand—Quinna didn't actively betray you."

The Ash Archbishop soothingly added: "Sometimes, secrets simply can't be kept."

"Once she met me in this space, many secrets were no longer hers… heh."

Before true power, the weak have no privacy at all.

Quinna isn't very weak—but before a powerful Epic-level being, she couldn't offer any meaningful resistance.

As the Ash Archbishop said, she didn't even realize she'd committed the most fatal mistake; she remained oblivious to her exposure, still believing she'd kept her secrets.

"Don't worry—she'll keep your secrets forever now. I've granted her an additional blessing."

"Also, you needn't fear your own secrets being exposed—you carry a special power that blocks my scrutiny… the old thing truly favors you."

Herbert carried secrets that had blocked the Ash Archbishop's scrutiny of his soul from the start.

She naturally assumed this power came from the Grand Archbishop, believing he showed this little one excessive favoritism.

This was also one of the key reasons the Ash Archbishop had been curious about Herbert from the beginning.

Let me see what's going on?

With this mindset, she grew curious about Herbert—and the more she interacted with him, the more curious she became.

"So that's how it is—I understand."

After hearing the Ash Archbishop's explanation, Herbert slowly nodded, reluctantly accepting her version.

A fall teaches wisdom—next time, be more cautious about such things.

But beyond Quinna's leak, Herbert was now far more interested in something else.

He gazed deeply at the Ash Archbishop before asking in a peculiar tone:

"Still, since you already know I don't wish to expose these secrets, yet insist on asking… does this count as you probing my secrets?"

You know I have secrets I don't want revealed, yet you still press me—what are you after?

Doesn't the Ash Archbishop realize this is an offense?

She knows—better than anyone.

Yet still, she insists on asking.

Moreover, the Ash Archbishop deliberately brought Herbert into this private semi-plane, cutting off all other surveillance.

This clearly signaled: this conversation is known only to the two of us, and will never reach a third party.

But Herbert still didn't understand.

Why go to such lengths to ask about a secret that isn't even important?

What exactly is she after?

"Heh, secrets? Of course it counts," the Ash Archbishop cheerfully accepted Herbert's phrasing.

Worse still, she offered an extra incentive.

"Tell me your secret, and in return, I'll give you one of mine—you can still ask me questions as before… how's that? Fair deal?"

The Ash Archbishop assured him: Don't worry—I won't let you lose out!

Compared to Herbert's minor secrets, the Ash Archbishop's offer was far more valuable.

As the Keeper of the Mist Monastery, the Ash Archbishop held countless secrets people craved to know—legends, epics, saints… even matters tied to gods.

For others, gaining even one answer from her was worth more than many treasures.

Herbert had once received such an opportunity—but that odd brain of his chose to waste it asking a completely absurd question.

"Alright, since you put it that way, I won't hide anything anymore," Herbert nodded in satisfaction.

Then… he rapidly summarized his party's experiences in the Shadowlands.

In short: I went, people died, the god came, the god left.

Concise and clear—not a single word wasted, not a single detail given, retold entirely from a third-person perspective.

"... Finally, our party set out on the return journey! That's all." Herbert finished his dry recount and nodded proudly.

Real water—truly worthy of me!

"Mm?"

After hearing this torrent of high-speed divine speech brimming with water content, the Bishop of Ashes' expression changed.

???

No!

Is this what I wanted to hear?

She fell silent for a moment, suppressing the urge to curse, and asked: "... That's it?"

"That's it!"

Herbert smiled and nodded: "If you want to ask more, that's another question!"

Sis, that would be another price!

"... Tch."

The Bishop of Ashes' mouth twitched—this line of argument felt terribly familiar!

Herbert, you actually dare to use my own move against me?

But she really had used that move last time, so she couldn't outright deny it—doing so would only be slapping her own face.

She could only helplessly swallow it this time and asked: "Fine then, what secret do you want to ask me about..."

"Your legs!"

Without hesitation, Herbert immediately posed the question he was most curious about:

"My lady, why don't you have legs? Or rather, if you don't have legs, then... what do you have?"

Don't care whether this question is worth it—I don't care!

I'm very curious!

"... Sigh, won't you think it over a bit more?"

"No, just this question! This is what I want to ask!"

"..."

The Bishop of Ashes stared at Herbert speechlessly, and he nodded firmly in return.

After a long pause, she let out a sigh, both helpless and baffled: "... Sigh! If you're that curious, would you really waste two precious chances on this? I really can't figure you out."

She raised a hand to point at the young man whose face was written all over with curiosity, then weakly lowered it and rubbed her brow.

After another while, once the entire space had fallen utterly silent, she let out a soft sigh.

Rustle, rustle, rustle...

Herbert's ears twitched; he faintly caught some faint sounds.

Soft sounds rose in the space, like wind brushing over grass, or the gentle rustle of leaves against each other.

What is this sound?

"Since you're so curious, it's not that I can't tell you the truth..."

The Bishop of Ashes' sigh drew Herbert's attention back to the present.

Oh?

Is the truth coming?

It's coming.

The big one is coming!!?

Under Herbert's eager gaze, the Bishop of Ashes smiled helplessly, shook her head, and muttered a line.

"Honestly, what child are you?"

After speaking in a tone laced with indulgence, she bent down lightly, lifted a corner of her skirt, and said softly: "Well then, you overly curious child... come here."

In a voice both eerie and brimming with endless allure, she whispered:

"Don't you want to see it with your own eyes?"

(End of Chapter)