As long as he could continue to provide things of interest to the other party, they would be willing to offer him protection.
This kind of transactional relationship was as normal as could be within the secret cult.
He needed to strike the right balance, neither letting the deacon feel he had been squeezed dry of all value, nor appearing too proactive and raising suspicion.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he ran through a complete breathing cycle, restabilizing his disguised aura at the 3rd-Rank early stage level.
Then, he took out the regional map he had bought in Silver Oak City from his spatial ring and reviewed it under the fading twilight filtering through the window.
Anvil Town was located on the border of the Twilight Kingdom, near the Ash Mountains.
The abandoned fortress about three hundred miles to the west was Withered Bone's stronghold.
That was, if the intelligence was accurate.
But for now, he couldn't head over there. Rushing to the border right after joining the cult would be too conspicuous.
He needed to secure a foothold in this outpost first, understand the secret cult's internal personnel deployment and mission distribution system, and then find a suitable opportunity to access higher-level information.
The next morning, a knock sounded on his door.
Jiang Lin opened the door to find a young man in a gray robe standing there. He looked to be in his late twenties with an ordinary face, holding a thin booklet and a charcoal pencil.
He glanced at Jiang Lin, his tone flat, as if repeating a spiel he had recited countless times before:
“By order of the deacon, I am here to teach you the rules of the church. You have half an hour. Memorize as much as you can. Whatever you can't remember, you'll have to learn on your own later.”
Jiang Lin stepped aside to let him in.
The gray-robed youth sat at the table, flipped open the booklet, and began to explain in an emotionless tone.
“The church worships the Four Pillars of Gods: the Lord of Plague, the Lord of Fear, the Lord of Pain, and the Lord of Pleasure.
“The Four Pillars share the same origin; none may be neglected. No matter which one you feel closer to, you must maintain reverence for the other three.”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Jiang Lin listened intently, nodding occasionally.
“The church's structure is divided into five tiers. The lowest tier consists of common believers, which is where you currently belong. Above that, in ascending order, are devout believers, deacons, priests, and bishops. Beyond the Pope, there are also the four Apostles of the Pillars, but that is not a level ordinary people can access. It's enough for you to just know they exist.
“Sacrifice is the fundamental path to obtaining power. The targets of the sacrifice must be intelligent creatures. The stronger the sacrifice, the greater the feedback of power obtained afterward. Sacrifices must follow a fixed ritual process and cannot be altered at will.
“There are several ironclad laws within the church. First, you cannot sacrifice the common folk within the church's controlled territories. Second, sacrifices must be performed at altars designated by the church; private altars must be reported and registered. Third, you are not allowed to contact members of other churches without permission. Fourth, you must not leak the church's internal information to outsiders.”
He paused, closed the booklet, and cast a glance at Jiang Lin.
“Violate any of these, and you will suffer the consequences. Do you understand?”
“Understood,” Jiang Lin nodded. “If a common believer wants to raise their status, does it depend on the quantity and quality of sacrifices, or are there other ways?”
The gray-robed youth looked at him, as if trying to judge whether the question stemmed from simple curiosity or some other motive.
“Both. But simply piling up numbers is useless. The church values the quality of the sacrifices and your loyalty to the church. You're at the bottom right now, so focus on the task at hand and don't think too far ahead.”
He stood up, leaving the booklet and the charcoal pencil on the table:
“This booklet is for you to read. Memorize it before noon tomorrow. Someone will come to test you the day after.”
Leaving behind those words, he turned and left.
Jiang Lin picked up the booklet and flipped through it. The handwriting was neat, and the content was simple and clear.
In addition to basic introductions to the Four Great Evil Gods and the church's hierarchy, there were also brief descriptions of prayers and sacrificial processes.
He read the booklet from cover to cover, committed the key details to memory, and placed it back on the table.
The initiation assessment went smoother than he had expected.
Two days later, the gray-robed young man returned to test him, and Jiang Lin answered without much trouble.
The man nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
That evening, the gray-robed middle-aged man—the deacon—appeared at his doorway.
Today, he had changed into a dark gray robe, looking much more formal than he had in the underground arena that day.
“A team is heading south the day after tomorrow to execute a mission,” he said, standing at the doorway without entering the room. “Tag along with them and learn the process. The others are all veterans. Watch and listen more, and speak less.”
“What mission?”
Jiang Lin asked.
“Setting up an altar,” the deacon replied flatly. “Within the borders of another kingdom. The villages over there are close to the border, sparsely populated, and have few guards, making them suitable training grounds for newcomers. Tag along and watch how they select sites, lay down runes, and evade patrols. Write a report for me when you return.”
He paused, then added:
“The leader is named Cole, an experienced devout believer. Just follow his arrangements.”
“Alright,” Jiang Lin nodded. “Thank you, Deacon.”
The deacon said nothing more and turned to leave.
Jiang Lin stood at the door for a moment, watching his figure disappear at the end of the corridor, before closing the door and sitting on the edge of the bed.
The next morning, Jiang Lin arrived at the assembly point in the church's side courtyard half an hour early.
The morning mist had not yet fully dispersed, and the gray stone walls of Anvil Town gleamed with a damp sheen in the fog.
Seven or eight people were already standing in the courtyard, dressed in dark gray short robes or leather armor, weapons hanging at their waists. Some were talking in low voices, while others were checking their packs.
Jiang Lin stood at the edge of the crowd, his gaze quickly sweeping over their faces and auras.
Most were between the 3rd and 4th-Rank. Two of them had particularly solid 4th-Rank peak auras, likely the core combat power of the team.
After waiting another fifteen minutes, a burly, short-bearded man emerged from the church's side door.
He wore a suit of dark gray light armor, with the secret cult's characteristic twisted rune emblem engraved on his pauldrons, and a wide-bladed dagger hanging at his waist.
“My name is Cole,” he said, his voice raspy and carrying the practiced efficiency of someone who spent years in the wild. “I will go over the route and process of this mission once more before we set out.”
He paused, his gaze scanning the crowd before finally resting on Jiang Lin.
“You're the newcomer?”
“Yes, sir,” Jiang Lin lowered his head slightly. “The deacon instructed me to follow the team to learn.”
Cole sized him up for a few moments, said nothing more, and simply nodded:
“Keep up and don't fall behind. Watch more, ask less.”
“Understood.”
The team consisted of twelve people, making thirteen with Jiang Lin.
Cole walked at the very front, flanked by the two 4th-Rank peak members on his left and right, while the rest followed in a loose formation.
After leaving the town, they walked southeast along a dirt road for about two hours. The terrain gradually transitioned from open plains to hilly areas.
The farmland on both sides of the road grew increasingly sparse, replaced by thickets of shrubs and low wild grass.
A gray-robed man who looked to be in his early thirties walked beside Jiang Lin, his steps steady and his breathing even.
He turned to look at Jiang Lin, asking in a casual, conversational tone:
“I heard that during your initiation test, you took down nine people by yourself?”
“Just luck,” Jiang Lin replied. “They started fighting among themselves first, and I just took advantage of it from the sidelines.”
The gray-robed man chuckled and didn't press further.
Jiang Lin paid it no mind, continuing to march in silence, but his Space Perception had already marked this man for close observation.
His breathing was incredibly steady, perfectly synchronized with the rhythm of his steps—not at all like an ordinary devout believer.
After walking for about another hour, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
A wide river cut through the hills, its water muddy and slow-moving.
On the opposite bank was a sparse forest, behind which the faint silhouettes of rising chimney smoke could be seen.
“We've arrived,” Cole stopped by the riverbank, pointing toward the opposite side. “That village is called White Stone Village, part of the Green Valley Kingdom. It has a population of about three hundred and fewer than ten guards, all of whom are ordinary soldiers. We will set up the altar in the forest and strike tonight.”
Standing by the riverbank, Jiang Lin looked across the water toward the forest.
The Green Valley Kingdom was a small nation southwest of the Saintas Kingdom. Located on the fringes of the Temple's sphere of influence, its national strength was weak, and its border defenses were practically non-existent.
It was no surprise that the secret cult would target such a place.
The team waded across the river and found a relatively secluded clearing deep in the woods.
Cole directed everyone to begin setting up the altar.
Jiang Lin squatted at the edge of the clearing, carefully watching what they were doing.
Some took black stones from their packs, arranging them on the ground at specific intervals and angles.
Others used engraving knives to carve rune patterns onto the stone surfaces, the lines twisted and complex.
Someone dug a shallow pit in the center of the clearing, lining the bottom with a layer of dark red powder.
“You, come here.”
Cole waved him over.
Jiang Lin walked over.
Cole pointed to an unfinished stone on the ground:
“You give it a try. Carve it according to the instructions in the manual.”
Jiang Lin squatted down and took the engraving knife.
Having spent several months studying the rune structures of the Demon God statues on Planet Caeous, he was already quite familiar with the pathing and node distribution of these twisted patterns.
As the knife descended, the lines flowed smoothly and precisely without a single moment of hesitation.
Cole stood by and watched for a while, the expression on his face shifting from initial scrutiny to a subtle, almost imperceptible approval.
He nodded, said nothing more, and turned to check on the progress of the others.
The gray-robed man had walked over to Jiang Lin's side at some point. Squatting down, he stared at the freshly carved rune patterns on the ground. After a moment of silence, he spoke in a voice audible only to the two of them:
“Have you encountered these kinds of runes before?”
“No,” Jiang Lin replied without looking up. “I just watched how they carved them and picked up a few strokes.”
The gray-robed man did not ask further.
Setting up the altar took the entire afternoon.
By evening, a crude altar constructed from black stones stood in the center of the clearing.
The altar was about waist-high, its surface covered in dense, twisted runes. The dark red powder lining the shallow pit at its base glowed with an extremely faint luster in the twilight, resembling dried blood.
Cole walked around the altar, checking the integrity of every rune line, and then nodded.
“Rest for an hour. We move once it's dark.”
Cole walked to the edge of the clearing, sat on a fallen log, and pulled a piece of dry rations from his pack, chewing on it slowly.
The others also found places to sit. Some drank water, some wiped their weapons, and some closed their eyes to rest.
Jiang Lin leaned against a pine tree, holding a booklet in his hand with the words "Basic Steps of the Sacrificial Ritual" written on the cover.
He opened the booklet, reading it page by page in the dimming twilight, occasionally looking up at the altar as if comparing the text with the real object to familiarize himself with the process.
The gray-robed man sat not far from him, his gaze occasionally drifting toward Jiang Lin. Seeing him absorbed in the booklet, the corner of the man's mouth twitched slightly, as if a certain judgment had finally been confirmed.
He wrote a few words in a thin notebook he carried with him, then closed it and tucked it back into his breast pocket.
Once the sky had turned completely dark, Cole stood up and gestured to everyone.
“Prepare to move. The target village is about two miles north of this forest. Eliminate the guards within ten minutes and bring the people back. No complications, and leave no survivors.”
“Wait a moment.”
Jiang Lin spoke.
His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet night air.
Everyone's eyes turned toward him.
Cole frowned:
“What is it?”
Jiang Lin took two steps forward, stepping out of the shadows. The moonlight fell upon his disguised, thin face, creating a play of light and shadow that made his expression difficult to read.
“Lord Cole, I have an idea.”
“Speak.”
Cole stopped and turned to look at him.
Jiang Lin took another two steps forward. The moonlight played across his disguised, gaunt face, making his expression look as though he were genuinely and seriously pondering some crucial issue.
“I don't think we need to rush.”
“Not rush?” Cole's frown deepened. “Do you have any idea how long we've been eyeing this village? Tonight is the best opportunity. If we miss tonight, we'll have to wait at least another half a month.”
“I know,” Jiang Lin nodded, his tone as serious as if he were delivering an official report. “What I mean is, capturing those ordinary villagers for sacrifice offers too little feedback to boost our strength.”
The gray-robed man beside him narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn't speak, but his gaze lingered on Jiang Lin for a moment longer.
Cole's expression shifted from a frown to a slightly mocking scrutiny.
He sized Jiang Lin up and let out a sneer:
“You certainly like to nitpick. Everyone knows that the stronger the sacrifice, the greater the feedback of power. But have you considered one thing? Can we control those powerful enemies? The sacrifice must be alive during the offering to complete the entire ritual process.
“Do you think that with your strength, you could capture a 5th-Rank sacrifice alive?”
The others also paused their movements and looked at Jiang Lin. Some had playful grins on their faces, while others simply thought this newcomer had a screw loose.
...
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