CHAPTER 48: CHAPTER 48: ALICE ORCHESTRATES A REBELLION

Not surprised.

Shen Sui was no longer surprised by Alice’s various miraculous maneuvers.

He clearly remembered that the original plan he discussed with Alice was to stay hidden in a high place after the items were delivered, quietly waiting for the arrival of Sokphatis, then use a puppet to steal the power of the Eldritch God. Why are you running straight to knock on the door? I was about to cast a cognitive interference spell for you; the other party wouldn’t suspect the sudden appearance of the Eye of the Evil God and the contract at all.

Shen Sui rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

[At this time, a gathering was being held in the church.]

[It was a grand gathering, and everyone moving about in it was dressed in luxurious and noble attire, each of their movements carrying a touch of elegance.]

[Through her peasant background, Alice immediately detected the scent of nobility on them.]

[So, the missing nobles of Anlud City were all here?]

[No, at most, only the minds of the nobles were here; their families and subordinates should have been relocated to safer places to avoid being sacrificed in the Eldritch God’s ritual.]

[Alice analyzed in her mind.]

[That old man led Alice into a secret chamber in the church, where Alice saw a sullen middle-aged man.]

[The middle-aged man was named Tim Cardan, the priest stationed in Anlud by the Church of the Master of Thunder, a seventh-tier mage.]

[He had been a seventh-tier mage for ten years, yet couldn’t find a way to improve his strength. Meanwhile, with no background in the church, he lacked any opportunity for promotion.]

[If he didn’t take action, his future would have an obvious end.]

[Tim was unwilling to be stuck in Anlud City forever.]

[So, he continuously researched various ancient texts until he found information about the Evil God Sokephatis in the notes of a Twilight Bishop.]

Wait a minute?! This damn notebook wasn’t the guide I wrote in the National Library, was it?

Shen Sui was speechless as he looked at the text on the dueling device.

In "Dawn Link," to enhance player interaction and the game’s fun, an invasion mechanism and message system were borrowed from the Dark Soul series. When more players began joining the game, to help newbies play smoothly, everyone started leaving guides through messages in the game.

While other places might have joke messages like "Skeleton ahead," messages in the Roland National Library were undoubtedly genuine because it was generally accepted as a place for high-level players to leave guides for newbies. The game’s setting even turned these messages into notes.

Damn it, you ought to just die already.

Shen Sui frowned because his guide on the Eldritch God explicitly mentioned using a sacrificial puppet to avoid sacrificing an entire city.

Apparently, in Tim’s view, the lives of an entire city were insignificant, and there was no need to bother creating sacrificial puppets—of course, this might also be because puppetry magic was extremely hard to obtain.

After all, it’s puppetry magic.

The developers, though stitching things together and cunning about extracting money, really understood players’ desires.

Who could possibly refuse a wife they crafted with a face-mod, especially when mods are involved?

[Tim followed the notes’ records to find the Eye of the Evil God and Sokphatis’s contract.]

[He decided to sacrifice Anlud City, welcome the Eldritch God’s arrival, and then establish a new church, with him as its first pope!]

[Tim’s plan successfully convinced the nobles of Anlud City; no one could resist the chance to invest in a new church.]

[History has proven with facts that with the support of gods, one quickly becomes one of the most powerful forces on the continent.]

[Tonight is when the descent ritual begins.]

[The nobles hosted a grand party here. They would raise their glasses, stand on the highest point of Anlud Mountain, overlook the destruction of Anlud City, and behold the descent of God. This would be a rare and beautiful sight.]

[Tim looked at the young girl before him, and the vast difference in level allowed him to easily see through Alice’s true strength.]

[A third-tier mage dares to come before me.]

[Tim’s mind was in turmoil.]

[No! This is her disguise! A third-tier mage could never wipe out an entire team of Thunder Knights! Could it be that even I can’t discern her real strength? This person is unfathomable.]

Uhh...you’re overprocessing this, buddy.

At times like this, you should just shoot out a fireball technique, rather than expose everything.

[Tim knew Hozerville, the mad woman who destroyed the City of Sin, actually killed the god she worshipped with her own hands.]

[Tim began to believe Alice’s words, feeling that he finally understood why Hozerville destroyed the City of Sin, because this Rebellious Witch wasn’t a follower of the God of Sin at all; she was a follower of Sokephatis!]

No! Your imagination’s too wild! Alice hasn’t even said a word, and you’ve already filled in the blanks for all her actions?

Shen Sui felt that this Tim had a problem with his brain.

I finally understand why in past lives people fell for scams like "I am Emperor Qin Shi Huang"—there really are such foolish people in this world.

[Alice gained Tim’s trust and, introduced by Tim, appeared before the nobles as a loyal follower of Sokephatis.]

[The deeds of the Rebellious Saintess Hozerville had already spread across the continent through newspapers and communication magic, so the nobles were well aware of her name.]

[Their trust in Alice greatly increased.]

Ah, this...

Seeing this, Shen Sui started to doubt Alice’s intentions.

The dueling device didn’t switch perspectives to Alice’s thoughts, so Shen Sui wasn’t sure what Alice was thinking at this moment.

Was Alice planning to punish the nobles who intended to sacrifice an entire city?

With her hatred for evil, it was indeed possible. However, the cheats Shen Sui provided for her didn’t involve enhancing her personal strength, and since Anna would not be allowed to act due to the risk of Holy Grail contamination, how did Alice plan to punish these people with just the strength of a third-tier mage?

[Alice moved among the nobles, chatting amicably with each of them.]

[She emulated the manner of the tax-collecting noble lords she had seen in her village, always wearing a gentle smile.]

[During this time, she pitched a grand plan to the nobles of Anlud.]

[The great Sokephatis possesses power surpassing all other gods in the world.]

[We, as His followers, have the duty to spread His might and benevolence to the entire world.]

[Alice intended to establish a church, with Tim Cardan as the pope, and she would be the saintess of the church.]

[This fledgling church would need a lot of sponsorship, and Alice required the nobles’ assistance in providing knights and resources.]

[Tim arrived, backing Alice’s plan.]

[The nobles hesitated, for they had not yet witnessed the great god.]

[Alice ascended the altar, raising the Eye of the Evil God high above her head, invoking the power of Sokphatis’s contract.]

[At that moment, the power of the Great Evil God Sok coursed through the Eye of the Evil God, enveloping the entire Anlud City in an instant.]

[The descent ritual of Sokphatis began.]