Chapter 156: Final Movement
After the battle ended, the Night Watchers didn't rest, but instead started to carry out a massive amount of post-war duties.
This busy situation would continue for about a week, and then some of the Night Watchers would receive valuable vacations, while everyone would receive a substantial amount of bonus.
Or perhaps….compensation.
"Bai Yan may have died."
Alan learned of this news in his office.
The messenger was none other than his teacher, Lin Bian.
Lin Bian's expression was insipid, because many Night Watchers from Demon Hunt Agency die every year, and he had learned to numb himself with alcohol.
Alan sat stunned in his seat.
After a long while, he nodded.
"I understand."
Lin Bian saw his expression and realized that his disciple was different from himself. He also understood that compared to their other colleagues, this "friend" was obviously much more important to Alan.
Perhaps he was his best friend.
For so many years, Lin Bian never knew how to comfort people. He could only remain silent for a moment and say,
"I'm sorry…but life is unpredictable, and it always has been."
"We are powerless in the face of death, and all we can do is think more for the living."
The teacher and disciple, who had been at odds for some time and even become strangers, reconciled at this moment.
Alan looked at his teacher for a long time, nodded once, and said nothing.
At noon, he went up to the rooftop of the Demon Hunt Agency and started smoking.
Pale and emaciated fingers drew a cigarette from the packet, lit it and placed it in the mouth.
He was unsure of how many times he had smoked this month.
Smoking was prohibited on the rooftop, and the Demon Hunt Agency had many separate smoking rooms. However, Alan only wanted to smoke here at this moment.
He even felt that if anyone were to come out now to stop him from smoking, even if that person were the director, he would beat them to a pulp!
Fortunately, no one stopped him.
So, Alan smoked one after another until he coughed severely.
"Cough, cough, cough…"
The coughing was so severe that tears were even shed, and once they appeared, they didn't stop falling.
"Ugh."
Alan silently cried until he dry heaved.
After crying, he washed his face and headed to the 12th team's office to take Bai Yan's Relic home.
Bai Yan had no other relatives, so Alan thought it was his duty to arrange his funeral.
But when Alan arrived at the twelfth team, he saw a smiling old lady sitting on Bai Yan's chair, looking at him.
Miss Witch.
Merete Chambers smiled and spoke slowly, "You have come, Alan… I want to tell you good news, that man probably isn't dead."
"Not 'probably', but certainly."
She continued:
"But there's also bad news, which is… he most likely deceived you."
Merete Chambers actually hoped to see disappointment and anger on the man's face, but she understood very well that what she would see was a different expression.
Indeed.
Despite the possibility of being deceived, Alan didn't feel a trace of disappointment, let alone any anger, upon hearing the news that Bai Yan might still be alive.
The emotions revealed on his face were hope and joy.
The expression made Merete Chambers squint her eyes and flick the white tips of her hair with her fingers.
"Feels a bit sharp, doesn't it?"
——
In front of the cafe.
"Demons!"
"There are demons in this city! We must find ways to protect ourselves!"
"Yes! We must join Babel Tower and stand up like Babel Tower! Tatsumi City people must protect themselves!"
The procession gradually took shape on the streets of Tatsumi City.
More and more Tatsumi City residents could no longer endure and fully realized that they were living in a chaotic world.
Thousands of people were protesting on the street, and the leader hoped that the Demon Hunt Agency could give an account, even hoping that they could share the knowledge of obtaining extraordinary power with everyone.
"But this is almost impossible in the Air Alliance."
Pastor muttered in the crowd.
He pressed down his white hat in the queue, bowed his head and left the coffee shop where he had just made an appointment with "Profligate".
Although he had been played once, Pastor knew that he had no other choice.
Just a few minutes ago, Pastor made a deal with "Profligate" from the Babel Tower again.
The result of the deal was that he lost the Civilization-level Relic, "The Eye of Ebimetheus", and Mary Scatino was also released intact by "Profligate".
The conversation with "Profligate" just now was still fresh in Pastor's mind. "Profligate" believed that he had a blood relationship with Scatino, otherwise, there was no need to give up everything for her.
"Blood relationship…?"
Walking silently on the road, following the noisy procession of angry citizens, he was actually very clear about one thing in his heart.
"Profligate" would not easily let him go.
But as long as she was okay, everything would be fine.
The various independent cities of the Air Alliance were connected by "special express" trains, and few people knew that these trains didn't pass through the dangerous wilderness outside the cities after departure, but instead transferred through a special parallel space to the next city.
At the "Tatsumi City station," Pastor looked around and then breathed a sigh of relief.
With her familiar golden hair, tall stature, and black clothes, the kind girl stood there with an anxious expression.
This time, the man didn't deceive himself again.
"Scatino."
Pastor walked up, made a few gestures, and cast a spell to feel the external perception and investigation.
There were definitely Night Watchers nearby, and the two must speak concisely.
The golden-haired woman, full of intellectual charm, turned around. At the sight of Pastor, Scatino showed a surprised smile.
"Mr. Adrian! You're really okay!"
Pastor nodded gently and said with a smile, "Hmm, I'm fine, Scatino."
Without giving the other party time for greetings, he immediately said urgently,
"Next, you must depart from here and board a train to another city, travel to 'Heart City'… You can seek out the martial arts master of the 'God Fist Society' and mention my name - they'll know you're coming… Then, retreat there in seclusion and don't concern yourself with anyone or anything."
Scatino nodded slowly, without refusing Pastor's arrangement, staring into Pastor's eyes with seriousness.
"I will wait for you in that city, Mr. Adrian. Please come safely."
Pastor looked into the eyes of the girl for quite a while, then smiled.
"Okay, I will go there."
Scatino left from here.
The train gradually departed, and Pastor stood peacefully in place, waiting for someone's arrival, perhaps from the Demon Hunt Agency or…
"Did you kill those few Blood Clan members?"
The cold voice of a young girl suddenly came, apparently "Profligate" and the Queen of the Scarlet Moon had reported him, and Pastor was not surprised by this.
In this way, "Profligate" and the Babel Tower behind him also gained the friendship of the Blood Clans.
Pastor had long known that he couldn't leave, and if he left with Scatino, it would only put her in danger.
"As a person with such deep sins, I naturally will not have a good ending," he murmured softly.
The attack came.
Pastor could have struggled to the point of death, consuming the "grace of God" and using "Dark Light" for defense, even if the powerful Queen of the Scarlet Moon could not kill him in a short time.
However, a sense of shame as a betrayer prevented Pastor from doing so.
Thus, a fair-skinned arm easily pierced through Pastor's chest and a large amount of fresh blood overflowed from it, while the surrounding people feigned blindness and ignored the scene.
"Ahem."
In the midst of intense pain, dying Pastor slowly raised his head and felt a trance and an unprecedented sense of relief.
In fact, "Profligate" guessed wrong about one thing.
He and Scatino had no blood relation, and originally, the person who hoped Scatino would rebel wasn't him.
It was his teacher, the Incarnation of Dark Light.
Absolutely no one would guess this, but the one who went against the prophecy, hoping for Scatino, one of "the Vessel of God," to escape from the Euro League, was not anyone else.
It was precisely that representative of the deity!
The incarnation of Dark Light! The only messenger of the Savior for a thousand years! The spiritual leader of the Dark Light Church!
Even if he said it out loud, Pastor knew no one would believe that the Incarnation of Dark Light would betray the Savior. It was as ridiculous as betraying oneself.
But it was true.
Later on…
Pastor eventually came to understand that the one who wanted to help Scatino escape was none other than himself…for that was his true intention all along.
Such a thing was not permissible in the church.
With a slow draw, the fair arm was extracted from the shattered chest, and Pastor knelt down.
And from behind him came the voice of the girl, as cold and emotionless as ever.
"It seems you are pleased with the idea of that girl escaping this city."
Kneeling on the ground, Pastor felt the rapid passing of his life, and with a smile, he slowly closed his eyes.
"Because she is kind and gentle, and she…"
He finally said,
"Is entirely different from someone like me."
——
On the train.
Scatino sat in the window seat, gazing at the constantly changing scenery outside, furrowing her brow.
She didn't know how long it would take for Mr. Adrian to come and find her, and before then, everything depended on herself.
After a while, Scatino retrieved a black, clean envelope from her handbag.
It was the letter Mr. Adrian sent to her last week, allowing her to escape from the sealed fate imposed by the Church; a truly precious possession for Scatino.
In that moment, the girl's mood suddenly brightened as she held the envelope in her hand.
She displayed a tender smile and whispered softly to herself.
"I will wait for you."
