While My Mage Wife Grinds, I Power Up Idly-Chapter 45: Wishing You Long Life

"That? You’ll have to ask the Divine Mother Goddess about that." Ashu said, taking a step back.

Seeing this, Cidi Bishop’s mind went blank. By the time he realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

A silver arrow suddenly shot from the side, striking the Gemstone on his chest with precision and grace.

"Ding—"

The Gemstone shattered upon impact, and immediately, Cidi Bishop’s Evil Power began to leak out.

"You!!!" Cidi Bishop was struck with shock and disbelief, his expression swiftly changing to one of rage. He raised his hands, intending to use all his power to kill Ashu, the one who dared to deceive him.

However, the Demon Huntress Nun, concealed in the darkness, was faster. Her speed, like a train suddenly accelerating to its top velocity, collided with Cidi Bishop’s body with tremendous force.

"Crash—"

In an instant, his body slammed against the wall, each piece of him smashing into it.

Ashu didn’t have time to admire the scene, nor could he. His vision remained limited in the darkness.

"To the basement!"

He never imagined that, as a grown man, he would one day become a mere commodity. He thought they were just after the Witch’s Guild’s knowledge, but it turned out they planned to sell that knowledge to the neighboring country.

This way, they wouldn’t have to fear retaliation from the Witch’s Guild, and instead, they would simply secure steady profits.

"This way."

Vivita had long realized Ashu didn’t have spiritual perception. In the darkness, he was like a blind man fumbling around.

She reached out and took his left hand, quickly leading him to a small room beneath the stairs.

"Repeat after me: May the Divine Mother Goddess illuminate my path," she instructed.

Ashu repeated, "May the Divine Mother Goddess illuminate my path."

Instantly, white light enveloped his body, illuminating the small space as if it were daylight.

"You should have told me that spell sooner."

"The light centers on you. I didn’t want you to become a target."

"I’ve already become a target." Ashu chuckled.

Vivita released his hand, then struck the iron door to the basement with a punch. The door shattered upon impact, and she immediately resumed her stealthy approach.

Ashu peered into the basement entrance, then quietly asked, "By the way, do you Demon Huntress Nuns handle human trafficking?"

Vivita hesitated for several seconds before responding, "I can help you contact the law enforcers."

"What? You’re passing the buck too?" Ashu was left speechless. In his past life, departments did the same thing—how was it that even people in another world acted the same?

He continued, "Listen. As a Divine Mother Goddess-certified ’luminous saint,’ I must declare the Divine Mother Goddess’s edict. She says: Do not neglect small acts of kindness, and do not commit even small acts of evil. Human trafficking cannot be left solely to the law enforcers. As a sacred Cultivator Guild that represents justice, we must also bear our corresponding responsibility."

"Do not neglect small acts of kindness, and do not commit even small acts of evil... such profound wisdom." Vivita seemed to take the words to heart. She said, "I understand now. If an Outlander dares to kidnap you, I will immediately hunt them down."

Ashu finally relaxed. Without the spiritual perception ability, he couldn’t sense the power level of the trader inside. But anyone brave enough to come here for a deal certainly wouldn’t be weak.

He was just at the cultivator level; if he got caught, knocked out in an instant, and woke up to find himself in a foreign land, it would be too late to do anything.

Fortunately, the "luminous saint" title worked well with the Demon Huntress Nun.

"Let’s go. We’ll figure out how to take them down."

Ashu said as he confidently made his way toward the basement.

As long as Bishop Midaldas had the Gem of Deceit, he couldn’t be classified as a heretic, and the Demon Huntress Nun couldn’t launch a hunt against him. This was the system they’d grown up with.

But if the conditions didn’t work in their favor, they’d just have to create the conditions. Today, no matter what, they had to find a way to take down Midaldas.

Otherwise, it would be endless retaliation in the future.

Ashu stepped inside.

The basement was actually brighter than the upper floors, with gemstones scattered everywhere.

When he reached the end of the stairs, the space opened up. The church’s basement covered at least a third of the church’s total area, almost like an underground plaza!

And on the entire ceiling of the basement, a layer of Gemstones was embedded. Looking at the patterns on the gemstones, Ashu realized they were identical to the one hanging around CidiBishop’s neck!

Ashu couldn’t help but marvel at the speed of corruption. With all that money, they even made an entire ceiling out of the Gem of Deceit!

Beneath this gemstone ceiling, in the distance, was a negotiation table.

The well-dressed Midaldas, along with a buyer cloaked in black, whose appearance clearly marked them as an Outlander, were looking toward him.

"Oh? My ’luminous saint’ Your Excellency, what brings you to this humble place?" Midaldas said with the calmness of a seasoned player, speaking without haste. "I appreciate the effort you’ve put in hunting cultists these past few days, but there’s no reward here."

Not only that, he even taunted, "Why don’t you bring the Witch Hunter Nun out? Here, it’s just me and this devout benefactor."

As long as he didn’t expose himself, as a Bishop, Midaldas held absolute authority here.

Ashu observed that Midaldas was wearing a long bishop’s robe. If he had any gemstones or pendants, they were completely concealed within his clothes, making it nearly impossible to remove them.

Even if they were removed, the entire basement was filled with Gemstones of Deceit, making it impossible to expose his Evil Power.

This was the source of his arrogance.

"Bishop... how old are you?" Ashu asked as he took a few steps closer to Midaldas.

Yes, as long as Midaldas stayed here, he was an unassailable presence. Even the Demon Huntress Nun had no authority to demand a branch bishop leave this place. And once the sun rose, Vivita would have to obey the headquarters’ orders and leave the town of "Riven."

Ashu just needed to hold out until the morning. Then, he would have won.

However, Ashu was planning to flip the table.

Midaldas had his own confident set of tactics, and Ashu had his own as well.

"Oh, thank you for your concern, Your Excellency. I’m 68 years old this year, and in just a few more years, I’ll be retiring. When that happens, I will strongly recommend you to take up the position of Bishop. This will be your stepping stone on this path."

Hearing Midaldas’ words, Ashu silently pulled out a chair and sat down next to him.

"68, that’s not a young age. I wish you a long and healthy life."

Upon hearing this, Midaldas glanced at Ashu, sensing something odd in the words. Did this kid mean to mock him?

Sometimes, he didn’t quite understand the trendy phrases young people used.

"Lord Ashu, why do I smell blood on you?"

"Oh, it must be that I accidentally splashed some on myself. I killed a Cidi follower upstairs. He insisted on slandering you, saying you wanted to open up my brain and extract some knowledge about cultivator basics."

As he spoke, Ashu gradually moved closer to Bishop Midaldas.

Step by step, inch by inch, he edged nearer, cautious not to raise any suspicion from Midaldas.

Upon hearing this, Midaldas didn’t panic. He had already expected Ashu to make a last-ditch effort tonight, and he was sure the Demon Huntress Nun would be involved. The reason he placed CidiBishop upstairs was to make use of him one final time and have the Demon Huntress Nun eliminate him.

He had already completed his mission—showing the buyer the value of his goods.

"Cultists are truly bold and reckless, to dare break into the church at night. Thankfully, Lord Ashu arrived just in time." Midaldas casually agreed.

At that moment, Ashu’s arm naturally draped over Bishop Midaldas’ shoulder, like a young nobleman laughing and chatting with a subordinate.

Internally, Ashu was elated. His objective had been achieved.

But his face remained solemn as he said, "I’m just a passing ’luminous saint’. This credit really belongs to you, Bishop Midaldas. I’m sure the Divine Mother Goddess will reward you for your actions."

As he spoke, Ashu activated "Forbidden Sacrifice."

This forbidden spell of the Witch’s Guild allowed one to exchange years of their life for corresponding strength.

But the years sacrificed weren’t counted from the end of life, but directly deducted from one’s current age.

For example, if someone sacrificed thirty years, they would age thirty years instantly, and once the effect wore off, they wouldn’t return to their youthful form.

Ashu chose to sacrifice all of Midaldas’ remaining lifespan. To his surprise, this old man still had 50 years left to live!

If it weren’t for today’s sacrifice, he could have lived to 118 years old. It was a complete abomination!

Unfortunately, "Forbidden Sacrifice" couldn’t sacrifice someone to death directly. Even if all of their remaining years were taken, a small fraction had to be retained to absorb the power gained from the sacrifice.

"Hmm...? Why do I feel this surge of power...?"

Bishop Midaldas quickly realized the surge of power within him. The "Forbidden Sacrifice" spell was designed to provide an explosive boost in strength, and the version Ashu used amplified it nineteen times.

The power within him swelled to a terrifying threshold in an instant.

An overwhelming pressure filled the entire basement, and even the Outlander seated across the negotiation table looked visibly frightened.

He widened his brown eyes and pointed at Midaldas, his voice trembling in fear, "F-Friend, w-what’s happening to you? D-Don’t tell me you want to back out? I-I can offer more! Four million—no, eight million!"

Midaldas was taken aback. While offering more money was certainly tempting, what was with this guy’s reaction?

Soon, the power surging within him enhanced his perceptiveness. From the reflection in the Outlander’s eyes, he saw the shocking state he was now in.

At 68 years old, he had already been frail and aged, but now, his body was nearly decayed, his skin withered, his eye sockets hollowed, and the skin on his face sagging in a grotesque manner.

He looked at his own hands—once healthy and strong, formed by years of indulgence and good living. Now, they resembled two shriveled chicken claws.

"Damn it... Is this a curse?!" Midaldas snarled, glaring viciously at Ashu. Only Ashu could have done this to him—he had aged so rapidly, his body was almost on the brink of death. He could think of nothing else but to lunge at Ashu with all his remaining strength.

But suddenly, a golden light erupted from Ashu’s body.