Capítulo 1171: Chapter D486: God’s Drift with the Current

In the dead of night, on the avenue leading to the Star Knowledge Tower in the Plain Ancient City, a pair that attracted everyone’s attention appeared.

A black-haired nun dressed in a modified short nun’s clothes, followed half a step behind by an orange-haired female knight in full armor.

In the late-night street, the knight’s armor and her fluffy long hair reflected light far brighter than the street lamps, as if she herself was a massive source of radiance, drawing people’s gazes.

Yet the nun in front of her seemed to be an unyielding shadow that no light could dispel, smiling slightly as she walked with her hands behind her back, as if she were a noble on a royal inspection tour.

But the nun in front of her, like a shadow that no brightness could dispel, smiled slightly, walked with her hands behind her back, her steps like a noble inspecting the civilians.

The Spiritual Message Catcher followed a few meters behind the two. Even though they had moved away from the most dangerous heretic nest, feeling the faint presence of Divine Basin believers around, his eyes wandered uncontrollably, as if ready to slip into the shadows at any moment.

Gazing at the leisurely stride of the mute girl in front, the shield woman lightly cleared her throat, reconfirming:

“Are you really planning to duel me in the dungeon?”

“Otherwise, what are we doing now? Going to the Church to surrender?” the mute girl chuckled, “I proposed terms that are favorable to you, yet you still look so troubled—do you think you can’t beat a nun responsible for healing?”

“…But I really can’t figure out what your objective is.” the shield woman confessed, “At that time, you could have quietly left the venue with the information, why provoke us instead?”

“‘Us,'” the mute girl repeated playfully, “Don’t you feel relieved?”

“…What do you mean?”

As if her innermost thoughts had been exposed, the shield woman pursed her lips and looked away.

“Hehe, not even a word of denial? What a pitiful child.”

“…You mean you stood up at risk to take me away from there?”

“Didn’t I say? I have no interest in heretics, my target is you.”

“The Church wants to recruit Otherworldly People?” the shield woman asked in confusion.

“Isn’t your Universal Language still not fluent? I said ‘I,'” the mute girl huffed lightly, then stated her purpose, “I need to head to the depths of the dungeon, for which I need trustworthy allies, and you are a vanguard.”

Hearing this, the shield woman froze, slowing her pace.

“Not coming along? If you stray too far, you won’t be able to stop the scroll from activating, right?” sensing the distance increasing behind her, the mute girl turned and glanced back, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned.

“You mean to threaten me to be your comrade?” the shield woman hurried to catch up.

“That was the plan initially, but considering the confidence you have in intercepting Communication, I slightly changed my strategy,” the mute girl replied bluntly.

“I understand your purpose now.” The shield woman’s expression softened with curiosity rather than displeasure, “But this makes things even less clear—you have such confidence that I would join your small team?

Even assuming you defeat me next, normally, I wouldn’t agree to be your vanguard, right?

Even if I submit to you under threat, can you really trust me as your shield?”

In an adventurer team, the vanguard certainly stands in the most dangerous position, but he also bears the lives and trust of other team members. To put it bluntly, just a slight leak in defense while the rear guard chants and aims could easily result in using that gap to backstab.

Hearing this, the mute girl slowed her pace, walking alongside the shield woman, raising her eyes slightly to look at the shield woman’s profile with a meaningful gaze.

“That’s why I asked you earlier—weren’t you relieved to have shaken off that group of heresies?”

Facing those yellow eyes like hidden lights in the night, the shield woman’s face tensed unnaturally.

“Pretending is useless, silence amounts to admission.” The mute girl curled her lips, the sound of magic power vibrating like a whisper in her ear.

“The Church indeed doesn’t worship gods, but they don’t oppose dungeon raids. As long as you’re my companion, they’ll only think it’s their incompetence that made them abandoned by an Otherworldly Goddess, or that the Goddess joined the Church for them… In any case, they’ll find excuses not to appear before you. After all, they can’t directly confront the Church.

“This way, you can completely rid yourself of those people, gaining freedom. How about it, aren’t you tempted?”

“…Isn’t this all just what you wish for?” The shield woman’s pupils trembled, but she resolutely shook her head, “Moreover, I won’t abandon my comrades.”

“Hehe, denying my speculations yet not denying your interest?” the mute girl covered her mouth and giggled, “Aren’t you being a bit too honest?”

“I said, I won’t abandon everyone, my siblings need me—” the shield woman clenched her fists.

“But isn’t it precisely because of your existence that the foolish God Basin cult pushed themselves to the brink of ruin?” the mute girl tilted her head slightly, softly interrupting.

The shield woman was taken aback.

“Because of the banner of Otherworldly People you obtained, and all the efforts you put on stage, they blindly expanded over the years, to the point of using adventurer nobles as a cover to hold such a grand gathering… only to be caught in one fell swoop, right?”

“This—”

“Sewer rats shouldn’t covet the sunshine on the boulevard. Wasn’t it you who gave them false hope?” The mute girl shook her head, “If you truly cared for them, you would stay away from them.”

The shield woman’s pace gradually slowed, falling behind the mute girl. She remained silent for a long time, only speaking again when the Star Knowledge Tower was in sight.

“…Perhaps there’s some truth to what you say, but it still can’t be the reason for me to leave everyone,” she stubbornly declared, “Since I became a noble, the development direction can be adjusted. Besides, if I defeat you later, destroy that scroll, and erase your memories with magic, everyone won’t be captured.”

“Naive child.” Despite being repeatedly rebutted, the mute girl still maintained her smile, “Once we descend to the fifth level, even the Communication Scroll can’t penetrate the dungeon. If you indeed win, just kill us directly.”

The Spiritual Message Catcher following from afar paused, scratched his head, and then, as if he heard something, grimaced and continued his steps.

“…Which is why I don’t understand, do you really intend to do this?” In front of the Star Knowledge Tower’s entrance, the shield woman halted, seriously questioning, “Once inside the dungeon, surface rules no longer apply. Even if I kill you, the Church Court would have a hard time finding evidence to charge me, let alone capturing others.”

“It’s okay.” The mute girl smiled gently, “Because you’ll be my vanguard.”

“You keep saying others speak nonsense, are you not the same?” The shield woman was somewhat dumbfounded.

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“It’s you, continuously claiming not to abandon those people—in truth, aren’t you afraid of being abandoned by them?” The mute girl’s eyes showed a hint of pity, “After all, you, who forgot the past, have nowhere else to belong besides there.”

Looking at the Shield Woman who was once again stunned, the Mute Girl sighed and said:

“This isn’t something hard to guess. An Otherworldly Person joining the Divine Basin religion, whether in terms of identity or doctrine, should proactively venture into the Dungeon, aiming to return to the ‘Divine Country’ they speak of.

“But as a Legendary figure, your progress is halted on the twenty-ninth level, and most of your subsequent activities have been on the surface—which means you neither agree with their doctrines nor have much attachment to your homeland.

“If you were simply coveting the status and power in the Otherworld, using their influence could be an explanation.

“But in that case, as you have already become a Noble, what reason do you have to cling to those fools?”

The Mute Girl’s voice softened.

“The only explanation is that you lost your memory when crossing the boundary—and the first people you saw upon opening your eyes were from the Divine Basin, so you formed an attachment to them, just like how a newborn would imprint those it sees first as its parents.”

“Uh—” For the first time, there was panic on the Shield Woman’s face.

“However, although you’ve forgotten most of your memories, you’re not a complete blank slate. You probably still retain some past values and knowledge, which is why you realized early on that the people of the Divine Basin are ones you should rid yourself of. Yet, instinctively, you still harbor feelings for them, unable to—”

“Enough!” The Shield Woman interrupted the Mute Girl, striding swiftly into the tower, leaving her behind.

“Ah.” The Mute Girl followed at a leisurely pace, “Did I say too much? Sorry, using Magic Power to speak requires drafting the words first, so it’s easy to end up speaking a long string of sentences.”

“…If you don’t want me to beat you up badly later, you’d best not say anything more.” As they reached the elevator, without needing a Guild staff member, the Shield Woman took out her emblem as an adventurer noble and started operating it.

“She’s angry now.” The Mute Girl’s eyes formed little crescents, “But that’s an unnecessary worry.”

As the elevator doors opened, the two entered one after the other, and the Catcher slowly followed. The metal box closed with the sound of machinery, and the Magic Array’s radiance lit up as the box began to descend into the darkness.

“…I will take you to the Stone Sanctuary on the fifth level, and we will duel there.”

In the isolated environment, the Shield Woman seemed a bit calmer and spoke softly.

“Although other brothers and sisters will witness, you two can come at me together.”

“Don’t look at me like that, it’s none of your business.” The Mute Girl rolled her eyes, allowing the Catcher, who was tense, to let out a long sigh of relief.

“Moreover, my dear Vanguard lady, instead of worrying about us, you’d better prepare yourself mentally first.”

“…Do you really think you can defeat me?” the Shield Woman said incredulously.

“This isn’t a question of winning or losing… Forget it, since you’re being so honest, I’ll give you a heads-up.” The Mute Girl leaned on the elevator, closing her eyes to rest.

“You always say you won’t abandon those fools—but in reality, regardless of your will, they will offer you to me.”

The Shield Woman frowned in surprise, while the Catcher beside her stood frozen, eyes wide with disbelief.

“—because that’s what your ‘god’ desires.”

Then, the Mute Girl slowly opened her eyes. In her once dim yellow pupils, a dazzling light swirled.

→☆→☆→☆→✧←★←★←★←

[Mute Girl’s special Authority: Vest’s Maze Oracle—activate]

[Upon entering the Dungeon, receive different blessing rewards at each level, undergo a trial every three levels, receive a meltdown every five levels, and after defeating a floor master every ten levels, enter a blessed Divine Domain.]

[Upon entering the Dungeon’s first level, the Mute Girl received a blessing from—]

1. White Snake God

2. Phoenix God

3. Sea God

4. Moon God

5. Shrimp God

6. God of Books

7. Love God

8. Flower God

9. Fallen God

10. Great Success/Extreme Failure

D10=6

♛: Blessing of the God of Books

1~3. Hardship and Diligence: Extra rewards for exploring the same floor repeatedly

4~6. Stealing Light: Can obtain information about the next area in advance

7~9. Seeking Nothing in Particular: Will not be harmed by enemies encountered for the first time

10. Great Success/Extreme Failure

D10=2

♛: Hardship and Diligence