Inside the underground temple of the cemetery, the Great Undead Sage led Khajiit and Clementine. They stood in the center of the altar, waiting calmly in the chilling silence.
Clementine wasn't wearing her black robes, and her beautiful figure was exposed to the air. Unfortunately, the people around her, one Undead and one Necromancer who enjoyed studying death, were completely uninterested. She crossed her arms over her chest, her gloved index fingers continuously tapping her exposed elbow, creating a faint tapping sound in the quiet.
Clementine felt a little annoyed, her eyes occasionally glancing at the Great Undead Sage. They had received orders to welcome an "important person," but had been waiting for almost half an hour. The feeling of being forced to do something, yet having her time wasted because of someone else, was truly grating on her nerves. However, her life was now in the hands of the other party—an existence that despised both the living and the dead. She could only suppress her rising emotions and wait obediently.
Five minutes later, the space in front of the trio fluctuated, and a figure appeared before them. The figure was a middle-aged man, appearing to be around thirty years old. His appearance could almost be considered handsome, but he exuded a gloomy and pale aura. He wore a beautiful black magic robe, with a delicate little white bone skull necklace hanging around his neck. A black-covered magic book with mysterious patterns carved onto it hung at his waist.
"Greetings, Lord Shadow."
The Great Undead Sage knelt before the man with utmost respect. Seeing this, Clementine and Khajiit behind him didn't dare to be negligent. They immediately knelt and saluted, bowing their heads as low as possible.
"Rise." The man's voice was exactly like his temperament—cold enough to send shivers down one's spine.
"Thank you, Lord." The Great Undead Sage expressed his gratitude and stood up. He then stood there quietly without saying a word, like a subordinate waiting for instructions from his superior.
Clementine and Khajiit exchanged unintentional glances, then stood up and quietly stared at the man, trying to find any special signs that could prove his identity. They had suddenly submitted to a powerful and cruel Undead race, and now there was an existence whose status was even higher than the Undead itself. They had to find out who or what power they were serving. Unfortunately, the man had nothing that looked like a totem or identifiable symbol of power.
"You have completed this mission very well. After obtaining the Church's original artifact, our plan will be even more successful."
"Your Excellency is too kind. I merely followed your instructions."
The man named Shadow and the Great Undead Sage conversed as if no one else was around. Clementine and Khajiit listened to their conversation attentively and were greatly shocked. From the core of their discussion, it seemed that the mysterious organization the two men belonged to had recently gathered information about The Slane Theocracy and secretly confiscated its secret treasures, and also appeared to be preparing something big against the theocracy. In addition, there were things like the Church of Fate and the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, which seemed to be their enemy organizations. Shadow instructed the Great Undead Sage to closely monitor their movements.
The Slane Theocracy was the strongest human nation in hundreds of years. Even Zuranon, the organization they both belonged to, didn't dare to act too presumptuously in front of the theocracy. Now, three mysterious powers had suddenly emerged: one was secretly conspiring against The Slane Theocracy, and the other two seemed equally powerful. Clementine and Khajiit heard so much information that they felt like frogs in a well that had jumped out and seen the vast real world.
At this moment, the conversation between the two seemed to be nearing its end. Shadow turned his gaze to Clementine and asked, "Are you Wind Walker?"
Wind Walker was Clementine's previous operational codename in the Black Scripture of The Slane Theocracy. Due to her betrayal of The Slane Theocracy, this codename had been removed.
Hearing the name called by Shadow, Clementine immediately put on a friendly face, her eyes showing admiration for the strong, and she respectfully replied, "Yes, sir. I am a former member of the Black Scripture who rebelled against The Slane Theocracy. If you need any more information about The Slane Theocracy, I can assist you."
"We have completed our investigation of The Slane Theocracy. We already have all the information you know. You are no longer valuable in this regard," Shadow coldly rejected Clementine's offer. He then directly commanded: "You are supposed to be hunted by the Church's Black Scripture, right? I have a mission for you. Lead them to this place."
Eh?
After hearing Shadow's explanation, Clementine and Khajiit felt rather confused. Believing that this was his old lair that he had managed for many years, and that it might be destroyed once discovered by the people of The Slane Theocracy, Khajiit couldn't help but stand up.
"Sir, please forgive my foolishness, but why are we doing this? If The Slane Theocracy finds out, it will definitely cause problems for our next actions, won't it?" Khajiit respectfully asked. He remembered that the Great Undead Sage had promised him to turn E-Rantel into a city of the dead, then use this massive negative energy to transform himself into an Undead and achieve his goal of immortality. With his lifelong desire within reach, he had no choice but to fight for it despite the risk of offending Shadow.
Unexpectedly, Shadow merely glanced at him and didn't blame him. Instead, he said, "This will have no impact on you. The previous attack on the Black Scripture failed to wipe them out due to outside interference. They must be trying their best to track us down now. The Black Scripture coming to the city is their greatest aid."
"With the help of this operation to attract the Black Scripture, I will completely eradicate these two secret Church forces! After you eliminate these two targets, with our assistance, will you still worry about not being able to seize this city?"
"Ah! I was so foolish," Khajiit apologized with a wry smile, realizing his mistake. "Don't worry, sir, I will do my utmost to complete the task you have given!"
Shadow seemed to lose interest in him after seeing this. After giving a few more instructions to the Great Undead Sage, he teleported out of the underground lair.
When he reappeared, he was already in the living room alley, behind the cemetery wall. He reached out to hold his face, and a mask-like prop came off, revealing his true form.
"When the Black Scripture feels unable to conquer the graveyard, it's highly likely they'll ask for my help. That way, I can successfully launder the Alluring Beauty and let my followers kill many monsters."
Regarding Shadow's identity, it would be better to use it to cause trouble. I need to figure out how to keep that vest.
Kael returned the equipment to his bag, changed into ordinary adventurer clothes, and left the alley.
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