CH-099

99 He had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

Half a month later, the Northern Territory support team arrived at the final stop, the city of Sith, at a speed that exceeded all expectations.

Shu Li discovered that Bishop Holme had been telling the truth. It wasn't just to coax him back to the Savoy Diocese that the Duke had followed them on the road.

When it came down to it, why would a perfectly good lord venture into plague-ridden areas?

Was he truly not afraid of getting sick himself?

He didn't recall Duke Claude possessing any special abilities.

Shu Li thought to himself, he wasn't going to concern himself with Claude's life or death anyway.

However, similar thoughts occurred to Claude as well.

He believed the bishop of the Savoy Diocese was either overflowing with compassion or had a morbid obsession with death and disease itself; otherwise, why would he abandon his entire diocese to join a support team?

Duke Claude was convinced that no matter how much the diocese believed their bishop could perform miracles, they wouldn't let him leave so easily. They would surely equip him with all the diocese's supplies and military strength. Especially Bishop Hugo, who would summon several doctors to examine him at the slightest cough – how could he possibly let him go?

This support mission was nominally organized by the church.

Because of this, even if people like them, the "menial laborers," worked hard, the church would reap the most benefit. No matter how much they strived, it would only serve to ease their own consciences.

Duke Claude didn't think Aris was incapable of understanding this point.

So, when he saw Bishop Holme sneakily bringing his own little fox along, he directly pulled back the carriage curtain—

Aris was clearly startled by the sudden light and shadow.

But he reacted quickly, immediately entering a state of alertness.

Therefore, Claude couldn't see his fear, only his long eyelashes fluttering slightly and a small frown.

When Aris realized it was an old acquaintance, a fleeting impatience crossed his pale eyes. He looked cold and strikingly beautiful, like a vibrant, living person, not the always gentle, wooden puppet who spoke of benevolence.

It was indeed him.

Claude responded inwardly.

Shu Li, noticing Claude sizing him up, likewise assessed Claude's formidable mercenary appearance – boots with dust-laden fuzz, worn leather gloves, a familiar mask covering half his stern face. It was clear he was accustomed to hiding his identity, efficient and without any unnecessary flourish.

Claude asked coldly, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Shu Li hated being questioned in such a tone, but suppressing his annoyance, he simply said, "I don't want to draw attention."

Shu Li spoke softly, leaning back against the supply bundles, his hand rhythmically stroking Naxi the little fox.

All the carriages were requisitioned merchant wagons, prioritizing cargo capacity over comfort. Yet Shu Li had a knack for sitting among the piles of packages and sacks, making it look as comfortable as lounging on his own soft cushions at home.

Claude observed him. He seemed to fear no power, yet in reality, was afraid of kindness and of being discovered by the others on the team and sent back. That was why he spoke so cautiously and softly, not daring to step out of the carriage.

Watching Shu Li's careful demeanor, Claude figured he must have been living quite nervously these past days.

Thus, Claude tilted his head slightly, his voice low. "I thought you were too scared to even squeak."

Shu Li stared at his face and said, "You look like a robber here to kill and steal. You are indeed worth a scare."

Claude sneered, "Then you'd better be careful. Tender-skinned ones like you are most likely to be mistaken for nobility by bandits, tied up with a rope, and held for ransom."

After saying this, he let the curtain fall.

Bishop Holme looked at Shu Li, then at the drawn curtain. He gave an honest assessment: "The Duke is indeed a bit overbearing."

He had been startled too, his knuckles gripping his robe turning white.

Especially when he saw Claude realize someone was hiding in the carriage and his entire expression darkened – that was the most frightening part.

Shu Li immediately felt a kinship with Bishop Holme's words and even mimicked Claude's tone, "Yes, he sounds like he's interrogating a prisoner. Asking 'Why aren't you saying anything?'"

He had only been mimicking for two seconds.

The brown-grey curtain was suddenly yanked open again, and wind rushed back into the carriage.

It was Claude once more.

This time, Claude casually tossed a grey cloak and a cold-glinting, sheathed military dagger towards Shu Li, his voice full of warning, "Don't hold us back. I'll only save Holme. Even if you die, don't think I'll come back to collect your corpse."

The dagger landed before Shu Li, and the cloak fell onto Naxi, who was enjoying a rubdown that made his bones go soft.

Naxi instinctively sprang up, looked around, then tucked himself back into Shu Li's arms.

Before leaving, Claude added, "I'll be right next to the carriage. Feel free to say more bad things about me. I hear very clearly. It'll save you from getting a bad reputation for gossiping behind people's backs."

Shu Li took a moment to react, but the curtain was already down. He turned to Bishop Holme and said seriously, "That last comment just shows how narrow-minded he is. He holds grudges and keeps scores. Does he really think what he said was generous?"

"Isn't that right?"

Bishop Holme quickly covered his mouth, poked his head out to check where Claude was, saw the Duke walking ahead, and let out a sigh of relief.

"Don't provoke him."

"The journey is long. Even though the support team is hardy, they aren't used to traveling with heavy loads. Plus, there are many bandits and robbers. If we escort food and medicine, we'll inevitably be targeted. That's why at least half of our support team are actually soldiers."

Shu Li asked quietly, "Really?"

"Definitely," Bishop Holme said. "The Duke can't actually leave the Northern Territory himself. That's why he has to pretend to be a mercenary hired by the church to assist the journey."

The old man paused, then added, "The plague is severe in the Selmon Duchy now, border control is lax, and no one checks that carefully. It's our only chance to get through."

"Then why can't he just stay in his own territory? Why come out himself?"

Bishop Holme shot him a look. "Then why can't you just stay put in your diocese? Now that you're leaving, won't everything be in chaos for three or four months? You are the bishop!"

"My work can definitely be done by someone else. Otherwise, I wouldn't have left so readily."

In truth, Shu Li genuinely felt he was dispensable.

Father Simeon handled the usual pastoral and preaching work.

Sister Rita and Father Leyton managed administrative and church affairs. Although they had also left, Sister Rita was a multi-talented person, handling the trivialities and disputes of the Sith Church with ease. Moreover, the people of the Savoy Church and Diocese were mostly honest, docile, warm-hearted, and liked to help each other. When needed, everyone cooperated willingly at Sister Rita's word.

Bishop Hugo ran the school.

Elder Jacob's family and Finnian's family assisted with managing the church lands.

Roy and Ray worried about civic life and security.

Student representatives like Finnian, Leslie, and Veronica handled internal student conflicts quite effectively.

The entire system functioned smoothly.

Most of the time, he just acted as a lubricant, getting things done faster.

Even without him, the diocese wouldn't fall into chaos.

Shu Li's only worry was that by leaving without notice, heading into danger himself, his two little proteges would be angry.

He used to think only Finnian would get angry, since Finnian was direct, transparent with his emotions, and didn't hide them. Leslie, on the other hand, seemed indifferent to everything concerning Shu Li himself, as if nothing mattered.

It was only because of what happened with Veronica that Shu Li learned Leslie had a temper too; he just kept it hidden. He wouldn't direct his anger directly at Shu Li, but would quietly find someone who could discipline Shu Li to achieve his goals.

Thinking of this, Shu Li muttered anxiously to himself, "Ah, I'm just worried that if they find out I've left, they might secretly follow me. That would be too dangerous."

Finnian was always decisive and acted swiftly. Once he made a decision, he acted immediately. However, he was also good at assessing situations, knowing what to give up and when. But Leslie was stubborn, refusing to give up until he achieved his result.

Both had special abilities and carried the halo of important characters from the original story.

Shu Li felt that if they teamed up to do something, they could probably even build a ladder to heaven.

Bishop Holme tried to comfort him. "They probably can't catch up now, right? The news came suddenly. Even if they received word, they wouldn't have time to prepare, let alone follow."

To speed up the journey, and because most of the team was well-trained, they had already arrived at the port in Sith City, Northern Territory, faster than initially estimated.

"If they can't catch up now, they won't be able to make it at all," Bishop Holme said. "We're just waiting to board the ship. No one should be able to stop you now."

Because they were taking the sea route.

By land, with fixed routes, they might be easier to track.

But for various reasons, they had decided against going by land.

Going by land would inevitably involve dealing with the two duchies between the Northern Territory and the Selmon Duchy, inviting unnecessary trouble.

Furthermore, according to current rescue routes, duchies closer to the Selmon Duchy were expected to take more care of the central dioceses. The Northern Territory, being the farthest, might just send supplies to the border diocese without truly rescuing people.

They chose the sea route because of two coincidences.

First, the port in Sith City, Northern Territory, had a direct sea route to the Loca Diocese in the Selmon Duchy.

Second, no other teams wanted to go to the Loca Diocese.

That was where the first case of the Black Death had broken out.

Now, people were panicking, ports were closed, trade was cut off. The entire diocese was almost abandoned, barely surviving on external aid. Even church members had withdrawn.

But conveniently, the sea route from the Northern Territory would reach the Selmon Duchy much faster than the land route.

Ultimately, Bishop Holme secured the rescue mission for the Loca Diocese with little effort. They would depart from Sith City, take the sea route, and sail to Loca Port in the Selmon Duchy.

Bishop Holme said, "The port in Sith City is closed due to the plague, and people from other duchies are prohibited from entering or leaving. Going to sea is a one-way trip. Once we board the ship and leave, even if they wanted to follow, there are no ships available. Even if Hugo came, he'd be helpless. Finnian is sensible; he'll know to turn back."

Shu Li thought that made sense.

Bishop Holme added, "Besides, they might not even come after us. Don't they have exams coming up? And they have to go to the debate league in the summer. They have too much to do."

Shu Li nodded.

Maybe he was overthinking things.

Parting was near, and emotions inevitably overflowed. He couldn't tell if it was anxiety about the road ahead or nostalgia for the past – clearly, he was the one who couldn't let go, yet he felt like they were the ones who couldn't bear to leave him.

Shu Li sighed softly.

He really was too sentimental...

Bishop Holme steered the conversation back. "You still haven't said why you came. You're already a bishop. Unless you go to a general council, there's no chance for promotion."

His name wasn't even on the list of those departing.

Shu Li lowered his gaze, slowly stroking Naxi's fur. "There's no real 'why.' I just heard a voice telling me to go see what's happening, to do something, whatever I could do. I didn't overthink it, otherwise I wouldn't have run away like this."

"I haven't even fully prepared my rationale."

"Maybe I should come up with a rationale."

Maybe it was because he had fallen into a book, like entering an RPG game, where he could freely do things impossible in the real world. Either be utterly bad, notorious to all, or do good to the end, treating the world like a fairy tale – just focus on doing good deeds.

Maybe it was because he rarely had a real chance to engage with history, and he felt a deep curiosity and reverence for it.

"..."

Thinking about it made him agitated.

Does volunteering need a reason? He just wanted to do it! It wasn't like he was committing murder or arson. Why demand a psychological motive?

Just then, a reminder came from outside.

Claude's voice carried through the curtain: "Prepare to unload. Time to board."

*

Hundreds of tons of goods needed to be loaded onto the ship. Even with everyone helping, it would take one to two hours.

Naxi, hearing the commotion, poked his head out. But before he could observe his surroundings, a tiny dandelion seed caught his attention.

It was so fluffy, white, round, and light – incredibly cute.

"Tap tap tap—"

Naxi trotted off, pouncing towards the little dandelion seed bobbing before his eyes.

Shu Li couldn't stop him. The fox had been cooped up in the carriage for over ten days and was surely bored.

Fortunately, Naxi was intelligent. He knew how to avoid people's gazes and to return at the sound of a whistle.

Shu Li let him have one last play session for the hour before boarding.

The little fluff ball seemed both unable to withstand Naxi's chase, always blown far away by the wind he created, and deliberately teasing him.

A gust of wind blew, and Naxi ran from the front of the team to the back, finally spotting the dandelion seed resting on the ground.

He watched it carefully, and when it stopped moving, he pounced with a claw-digging motion and caught the adorable seed.

Before he could happily show it to Shu Li, two tall, slender young figures appeared behind him.

Both were taller than their peers, with straight, broad shoulders. Standing in the sunlight, one had a stern profile and sharp eyes, silent but imposing; the other was sharp and flamboyant, with a fierce, smiling gaze, radiating a restless, sharp energy.

They wore mercenary clothes and masks, acting efficiently and maturely, fitting in seamlessly among the adults. No one would suspect that behind the masks, wearing school uniforms, they were still ordinary, youthful students.

They had been waiting for days, for this very moment.

Now, they spoke, one after the other.

Finnian: "When Naxi disappeared, I knew there was a big problem."

Leslie: "...He'd rather bring a useless little fox than us."

Finnian and Leslie, in silent agreement: "Let's kidnap Naxi first. Then his owner will have to find a way to ransom him."

Hearing the two familiar voices, Naxi froze. Hearing the word 'kidnap,' he fluffed up from head to tail.

Just as he tried to run, Finnian and Leslie each grabbed a paw, pinning him down. He stared in panic towards Shu Li, wriggling pitifully.

"Waa waa waa!"

The two watched the carriages move forward, the four ships not far away.

The road ended here, and Naxi the hostage was in their hands.

This time, there was absolutely no way he was shaking them off.

Meanwhile, Bishop Holme was still pondering Shu Li's words. His eyes slowly widened, his voice uncertain. "Aris, so the voice you heard… was it the Lord's will again? Did the Lord say this?"

"..."

Wait...

"If that is truly the case," Bishop Holme suddenly grew excited, gripping Shu Li's hand, "then it means our mission to the Selmon Duchy will completely save everyone, right?"

"!!!"

Now it was Shu Li's turn to widen his eyes.

No!

The Lord had said no such thing!

No one had given any guarantees!

Bishop Holme pulled back the curtain, leaned out, and waved his arm towards the wagon train. "Everyone, the Lord blesses this land! Our mission will surely save the people from disaster!"

It came out of nowhere. Everyone unloading looked confused, pausing their work to stare at Holme.

Bishop Holme continued, "Bishop Aris has heard the divine voice. He is here in the carriage, accompanying us on this journey."

"What? Bishop Aris came too!?"

"That legendary bishop actually followed us!?"

"Heavens! We've been traveling for so many days and didn't know. He only appears at the very last moment before we depart for Selmon!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Bishop Holme excitedly pulled a resigned Shu Li out of the carriage.

Seeing the young bishop step out of the wagon, the team erupted, cheering loudly, "The Lord truly blesses this land!"

"Bishop Aris!"

"Bishop Aris, you came secretly!"

"Bishop, were you afraid of being sent back? Is that why you didn't tell us?"

Shu Li was immediately surrounded by people from the Savoy Diocese, swept up amidst cheers and ushered onto the ship. "..."

He didn't know what others were thinking, but Shu Li himself knew very well.

The moral of the story was –

If you pretend to be mystical and divine, sooner or later, you'll pay the price.