Chapter 610: Ways to Find the Prey (Early Month, Requesting Monthly Votes)

The drumming sound lasted only three beats before turning into a thunderous crash.

As the wooden door flew backward, the glow of the kerosene wall lamps in the corridor flooded into the dark, weed-choked space, followed by a surging tide of crimson flame.

In Lu Jianuo's eyes, the vast phantom oak tree vanished instantly, and Father Montserrat, cradling an invisible infant, disappeared as well.

Under the erosion of flame and light, the weeds faded and the darkness receded; Lu Jianuo was "back" in the simple prayer room bathed in crimson moonlight.

Lu Mi, wearing a golden straw hat, appeared at the doorway where the door had once been, his gaze sweeping every corner of the room—but he saw no trace of Father Montserrat.

"A supernatural ability similar to the 'Otherworld'—when not sufficiently independent from reality—merges with other traits… reminiscent of the 'Devil Wizard' Bürmann's forced path shift to gain a unique power… Where has he hidden now? According to Ludwig's knowledge gleaned from food, followers of the Divine Descent Sect can conceal themselves inside wooden objects. Though I'm unsure whether Father Montserrat fell into corruption due to the sect's influence, he clearly bears the mark of the 'Great Mother'…" Lu Mi rapidly assessed the current situation.

Lu Mi was not at all surprised that Father Montserrat chose to flee without resistance or combat, opting instead to hide:

His sea-magic performance aboard the bar-ship was merely for amusement, and to avoid wasting his time-limited authority as the 'Admiral of the Sea'—but his later greeting of Pedro and Father Montserrat with a colossal wave was not just about showing off or enjoying their shock and astonishment.

With uncertainty over whether the Divine Descent Sect incident had truly ended, and no knowledge of whether other hidden followers of the 'Great Mother' remained aboard, he deliberately displayed his semi-god-level 'Admiral of the Sea' power to intimidate!

If no other 'Great Mother' followers existed and no other dangers lurked, then the greeting was merely a display; if others were present, they would fear the presence of a semi-god, retreat deeper, make no moves, and wait until the ship reached the next port for the official forces of the 'Earth Mother' Church to handle it.

Now, Father Montserrat clearly dared not face off against the semi-god-level grand adventurer Louis Berry, choosing instead to hide and wait for the ship to dock.

—Had Lu Jianuo not been unlucky—or perhaps too lucky—to stumble upon the priest cradling the invisible infant, Montserrat would likely have continued playing the role of a dutiful 'Earth Mother' clergyman, avoiding the troublemaker Louis Berry entirely.

"Father Montserrat is a follower of the 'Great Mother'! He was just holding an invisible infant!" Once certain he had returned to reality, to the prayer room, and that his employer stood before him, Lu Jianuo hurriedly recounted the details.

Holding an invisible infant… possibly hidden inside some wooden object… Lu Mi's gaze swept across the chairs, the floor, and the life sigil carved into the wooden wall.

Suddenly, an idea struck him—he walked toward the sigil representing the 'Earth Mother'.

The sigil's edge bore symbols of wheat, flowers, and springs; at its center was a simple sketch of an infant.

Infant!

Crimson flame spread inward as Lu Mi advanced, igniting the wooden floor and every chair.

Lu Mi halted before the Life Sigil, extended his right hand, and gently touched the face of the sketchy infant.

The wood there instantly rotted, oozing yellowish pus.

It looked as though the infant, surrounded by wheat and flowers, had long since decayed, weeping blood-tears.

The 'Earth Mother' Church has serious problems… Lu Mi slightly narrowed his eyes.

Though he had not found the hidden Father Montserrat, he had uncovered the rot and darkness lurking beneath the Church's gilded surface.

Seeing all wooden objects in the room burned to ash and still no sign of Father Montserrat, and knowing the steel-and-steam vessel carried even more wooden materials, Lu Mi turned to Lu Jianuo and said:

"Take me to the captain's cabin."

"Yes." Lu Jianuo visibly relaxed.

As the two left the prayer room, the crimson flames within swiftly extinguished, ceasing their spread.

In the captain's cabin, Pedro, with his neatly trimmed brown beard, winced as the grand adventurer Louis Berry appeared in person.

With his considerable experience, he immediately suspected something major had gone wrong aboard:

During the Divine Descent Sect incident, Louis Berry hadn't even stayed on-site—he'd merely sent a servant to report the situation. Now, he had come himself.

What did this mean?

It meant a far more serious problem had arisen!

"Father Montserrat has fallen, worshipping a false god," Lu Mi said calmly, without waiting for the captain to ask. "He is likely an accomplice of the evil wizard from the Divine Descent Sect."

Captain Pedro's mind reeled as if struck by a club—briefly blank.

After a few seconds, he asked cautiously:

"Have you killed him?"

"Not yet," Lu Mi replied honestly. "He escaped the prayer room and is hiding. Send an immediate telegram to the 'Earth Mother' Church and the Fennepot government. My servant will provide further details."

Facing Louis Berry's commanding request, Captain Pedro offered no resistance. He turned his gaze to Lu Jianuo, listening as he recounted the conversion, Montserrat's own actions, and the invisible infant he held.

When he finished, Pedro grimaced and said:

"I thought Father Montserrat had some issues, but I never imagined they'd be this severe."

"What issues?" Lu Mi asked.

Pedro sighed:

"He's a Grace-Bearer—a supernatural being of the 'Earth' Path, the most orthodox clergyman. Normally, a Mass, sermons, and recruitment of new believers require the assistance of a Divine-Chosen. The reverse is not true—but this time, he boarded alone, with no Divine-Chosen accompanying him.

"I assumed the Sea Ritual had left the Church short-staffed in Sangtagang and didn't think much of it. I never expected Father Montserrat had fallen…"

A Mass, sermons, and recruitment required a Divine-Chosen's assistance… yet none accompanied him this time… I'd heard that orders and decisions issued by 'Earth' Path Grace-Bearers required at least one Divine-Chosen's co-signature to be valid; otherwise, they were deemed products of demonic or false-god influence… False god… the 'Great Mother'? This… combining recent events with prior knowledge, Lu Mi suddenly understood why the 'Earth Mother' Church maintained two separate systems—Grace-Bearers and Divine-Chosens—instead of merging them:

The 'Apprentice' Path's 'Magician' lady had said she sometimes felt the influence of the Celestial Sovereign, uncertain whether her revelations came from the 'Fool' or not.

Just as the Celestial Sovereign presided over the top of the 'Apprentice', 'Fortune-Teller', and 'Thief' Paths, the 'Great Mother' likely presided over the 'Farmer', 'Pharmacist', and 'Villain' Paths.

Thus, Grace-Bearers of the 'Farmer' and 'Pharmacist' Paths, too, were susceptible to the 'Great Mother's' influence, unable to distinguish whether their revelations came from the 'Earth Mother' or the 'Great Mother'—they needed confirmation from Divine-Chosens outside these two Paths. Meanwhile, the Divine-Chosens also monitored the Grace-Bearers' states.

So that's how it is… Indeed, behind this seemingly absurd, wasteful, illogical system lay profound and serious reasons… Lu Mi said no more, and told Captain Pedro:

"Send the telegram."

After the captain reported Montserrat's condition to the Fennepot government and the 'Earth Mother' Church, Lu Mi began pondering how to locate him.

Unless the man possessed teleportation abilities or excelled in underwater movement, he could not escape the ship across this vast ocean—he could only hide somewhere aboard.

Lu Mi had no intention of involving the Major Arcana for such a minor matter—he would solve it himself:

"Use the ship's loudspeakers to insult the 'Great Mother', provoke Father Montserrat, and force him to reveal himself?

"Without a fixed target, the 'Provocation' ability would be hard to apply effectively… likely useless…

"Burn every wooden object on the ship? That's the last resort—many cargo crates are made of wood…

"Borrow a 'Prophecy Elixir' from Franca? That requires a fresh corpse—and if I'm going to her, why not just have her use the 'Magic Mirror Divination'?

"Blow the 'Chant of Hatred' bone flute, making passengers plug their ears in advance? But that only reduces harm, not eliminates it…

"Hmm, ask Ludwig if he remembers Father Montserrat's scent…

"And… yes, this could work too!"

Lu Mi quickly devised several plans, deciding to try them one by one before seeking outside help.

He bid farewell to the captain and, accompanied by Lu Jianuo, returned under the thick night to the first-class suite.

"Do you remember Father Montserrat's scent?" Lu Mi asked Ludwig.

Ludwig shook his head:

"No direct contact."

"Alright." Lu Mi turned and smiled at Lu Jianuo. "I'm conducting an experiment. Cooperate."

"What experiment?" Lu Jianuo suddenly grew terrified.

Lu Mi pointed out the window:

"Go to the deck. It's more open."

Nervously, Lu Jianuo descended onto the deck bathed in crimson moonlight, where he saw his employer draw from the 'Traveler's Satchel' a full suit of silvery-white armor—and then smile at him with an unreadable expression.

Lu Mi recalled the description of the 'Armor of Pride': it harbored a special hatred for items of the 'Earth' and 'Night' Paths.

What if it wasn't an object—but a supernatural being of those Paths?

How would it react?

Could it, driven by that hatred, lock onto Father Montserrat—at least a 'Physician' level—within a certain range?

Lu Mi wasn't certain, so he decided to test it first on Lu Jianuo, another 'Earth' Path supernatural being.

PS: Update at 7 PM tonight—a bonus for topping January's monthly vote. Early month, please support with monthly tickets~

(End of Chapter)