Chapter 632: Medici

The Cathedral District, named for the Steam Church's main cathedral in Te Li Er, is guarded by the angel Bo Nuo Wa·Gu Si Ta Fu.

In front of the Thus: Steel Cathedral lies a Mechanical Plaza populated by various mechanical entities—some stationary, some moving along ground‑built tracks, some spinning propellers and hovering. Compared with the cathedral and plaza, the place feels more like a technology museum, housing samples of almost every mechanical creation seen in the world.

The crowd comes and goes, none noticing the quietly standing Lei Ke Dun in the plaza's center; everyone tacitly ignores him, yet when passing his area they instinctively give way to avoid collision.

Using psychological invisibility, Lei Ke Dun entered the cathedral's prayer hall unimpeded, sat on a long bench near a corner, and let the person in front shield him from the foremost triangular holy emblem made of a sturdy triangle and symbols of steam, gears, levers, etc.

A deep blue‑purple glow drifted slowly in his eyes, tracing one symbol after another.

In this state, the objects in his sight changed rapidly, revealing information structures normally invisible; complex, tangled data floated around, constantly interacting with the environment.

To his surprise, the information concerning the cathedral was overlaid with a dull, unclear bronze glow that seemed light yet felt extremely heavy, effectively blocking Lei Ke Dun's view.

The Seeker of Secrets' ability is indeed guarded; I could pierce this barrier, but the resulting disturbance would surely alarm the cathedral's bishop and might even draw out Bo Nuo Wa·Gu Si Ta Fu inside.

As the thought drifted, Lei Ke Dun abandoned the plan to directly observe the cathedral, calmly surveyed his surroundings, then stepped out.

After leaving the Thus: Steel Cathedral, Lei Ke Dun's body quickly became ethereal, breaking into streams of data that surged toward the north bank of the Sai Lun Zuo River.

In the plaza area, near the botanical garden, the inn called Golden Sunlight Hotel was flooded with massive pure knowledge that pierced the walls into a third‑floor room, rapidly reconstituting Lei Ke Dun's body.

Just as his figure materialized, Lun Na De was suddenly transferred by Pa Lie Si from the adjacent room.

Dazed, Lun Na De lowered his head and said in a deep voice:

"Old man, next time before you do something like this, tell me, okay? What if I'm in the washroom?"

"I'm not blind," Pa Lie Si replied impatiently, then asked Lei Ke Dun:

"What information did you collect from the Steam Church's cathedral?"

Lei Ke Dun shook his head, sat on a nearby armchair, and replied calmly, "Collected nothing; that cathedral had pre‑emptively prepared a method to block the Seeker of Secrets from directly reading information once at high tier."

"Wait a day or two. I've placed the Eye of the Seeker on some nearby believers; through indirect means I can obtain the cathedral's information."

"Perfect, during that time we can go find Meidiqi and have Him cause a stir in Te Li Er."

"Are you sure Meidiqi will listen to you? What's in it for Him?" Lun Na De asked skeptically, glancing at Lei Ke Dun reclining on the armchair.

Lei Ke Dun chuckled lightly and said:

"He has no reason to refuse. He wants the things buried underground, so he must stir things up. The fact I can locate Him shows I can act myself, then shift everyone's attention onto Him, achieving the same goal."

"Underground?" Pa Lie Si murmured.

Lun Na De sensed the change in Pa Lie Si's tone and asked, "Old man, what's underground here?"

Pa Lie Si sighed lightly, his voice tinged with reminiscence: "Buried beneath Te Li Er are the remnants of the original Pale Disaster. Though the Seven Gods won then, many unresolved historical issues arose, and Te Li Er's underground is one of them."

"That place is perpetually shrouded in contamination; the pollution isn't severe for ordinary people or mid‑low tier extraordinary beings, but for high‑tier extraordinary beings it can be fatal—the higher the tier, the greater the impact."

"Old man, did you also experience the Pale Disaster?"

Lun Na De sighed; whenever history came up, Pa Lie Si's knowledge always amazed him, creating a sense of temporal disjunction.

Pa Li Si said evenly:

"No, I was busy evading A Meng's pursuit then, and knew little about the Pale Disaster sparked by the Death God of the Southern Continent joining forces with the Primordial Witch."

Seeing Pa Lie Si and Lun Na De's conversation drift farther, Lei Ke Dun shook his head, his body instantly became ethereal, breaking into streams of data that surged into the spirit realm.

Relying on his understanding of Meidiqi's "Conqueror" trait, Lei Ke Dun made a simple prophecy in the spirit realm.

Moments later, the surrounding massive pure knowledge reassembled Lei Ke Dun's body; the deep silvery white glow in his eyes faded quickly, turning back to the original pale blue.

"So it still doesn't work,"

He sighed softly, inhaled deeply, and directly recited Meidiqi's revered name: "Great God of War, Symbol of Iron and Blood, Sovereign of Chaos and Turmoil."

As he uttered the name, following the mystic link he sensed Meidiqi's presence; the connection lasted only an instant before the other side severed it.

"The Conspirator wouldn't be so unguarded; is this an invitation?"

Muttering softly, Lei Ke Dun transformed again into a data entity, racing toward the location of Meidiqi he had grasped in that fleeting moment.

On the south bank of the Sai Lun Zuo River, west of the observatory district that hides the main entrance to an underground tomb, lies a hot‑spring inn.

Masses of pure knowledge surged from the void, darting through the inn's rooms before flowing out toward the tree‑lined avenue on the opposite bank of the Sai Lun Zuo River.

The inn's staff and guests continued their tasks, completely unaware of the recent change.

In the inn's leftmost room, a young woman of obvious Tithis lineage reclined in the indoor hot spring with eyes closed. On a nearby table, a candle's flame suddenly surged upward like a crimson portal, and Meidiqi's figure stepped out of the fire.

A mouth on his left cheek, bearing illusory fangs and a scarlet tongue, sneered:

"Foolish Meidiqi, still thinking you're the former 'Red Angel'? You've been out so long without adjusting your revered name, almost let someone find us by automatic response."

"Foolish!" the mouth on Meidiqi's right cheek retorted.

"Ha, you two idiots, how do you know I'm not doing it on purpose?"

Meidiqi smiled indifferently, his right hand touching the split mouth on his face, as if trying to tear it off but finding no way.

The consciousness of Ai Yin Huo En on Meidiqi's left cheek sneered, "We've been together for millennia; haven't I seen you doing it on purpose?"

As Meidiqi conversed with Suo Lun and Ai Yin Huo En, the surrounding light dimmed; pale blue stars fell from mid‑air, cloaking the inn's rooms in a soft starlight.

The next second, the lady reclining by the hot spring opened her eyes; her crimson eyes radiated pure, clear brilliance, reflecting a dazzling star river, appearing exceptionally cold and sacred.

The sudden change caused the mouths on Meidiqi's both cheeks to close simultaneously, silencing him.

"You two cowards, you should be witches lying in bed, not hunters running around outside."

Meidiqi mocked Suo Lun and Ai Yin Huo En, then looked down at the transformed female "Hunter" lying in the hot spring, laughed and said:

"When will the Seeker of Secrets' Eye of the Seeker be able to manipulate others from afar? And it's attached to a beautiful lady—do you also have some special hobby?"

The woman, her eyes sparkling with pure starlight, stared blankly ahead, her voice wavering like a dream, and said:

"I only left some contamination on the 'Hunter' lady you chose. Yet you, giving a lady the 'Hunter' demon drug—when did you develop the same taste as Quirk? It makes me worry about the 'Hunter' path's future."

Meidiqi kept a faint, mocking smile, and said with a sigh, "It's a pity you don't become a 'Hunter'; your remark just now successfully provoked Suo Lun and Ai Yin Huo En."

"Only that fool Suo Lun; this level of provocation has no effect on me," the consciousness of Ai Yin Huo En on Meidiqi's left cheek added.

Suo Lun's consciousness roared, embarrassed and angry:

"Shut up, what he polluted is my direct descendant; this affects whether our subsequent plans can proceed smoothly."

Mei Di Qi gazed calmly at the direct descendant of the Suo Lun family sitting in the hot spring, speaking in a tone without much fluctuation:

You heard her as well; this lady is related to our subsequent plans, and since she was accidentally contaminated by you, shouldn't you make some compensation?

The Suo Lun family descendant sitting in the hot spring once again uttered dream-like words:

Of course, I have a way to make you able to resist the underground contamination, enter it smoothly, and retrieve from that uncontrolled "Conqueror" what is rightfully yours.

"What method? Actively approach the contamination there and become part of it?" Mei Di Qi asked with a hint of mockery.

A voice almost like dream-talk sounded again: "Enhance certain of your traits."

(End of chapter)