The Devil’s Cage

The prophet, who looked extremely ugly, faltered backwards all of a sudden, almost falling down if it wasn’t for some extra help.

The crowd seemed to have been prepared for the reaction.

Two men rushed out to the prophet’s left and right and helped him to a chair, enabling him to rest properly.

Everyone looked at the prophet with a heavy expression, especially Li Jiajia.

She was a potential candidate to become one before this and the girl felt nothing but gratefulness in her heart.

‘Eating hair, nails, and blood? I might as well die! Thank God I became a chef!’

Li Jiajia exclaimed as her scalp went numb.

Kieran was looking at the prophet with a very interested gaze. It wasn’t the first time he came across these kinds of people. Nikorei, the God of Earth and Vanessa, Lady of Thorn, were similar existences.

Though the two ladies were much more high ranking than his old man here, Kieran had never seen Nikorei or Lady Thorn asking for hair, nails and blood when they performed a divination.

Both ladies looked at things at a much higher position.

Kieran has limited understanding about Nikorei.

Lady of Thorn though, she brought Kieran into the River of Fate before, so he knew more about her than the God of Earth.

“One gaze from above and the others is… a peak over the wall?” Kieran commented.

The differences between the prophet and the two ladies were very obvious.

The ladies were at ease when performing divination, able to see through all with a single glance but this old man prophet had to give his full effort to ‘jump’ high enough and had to hope that the ‘wall’ wasn’t that tall.

As the prophet recognized by the Herders and renown families, he still possessed some kind of abilities.

The shocking state lasted for a minute or so before he calmed down. His face was pale but considered normal, able to speak for himself.

“I saw something, not much but I can prove that Lord Victor is framed!”

The prophet said in a neutral volume yet it was clear to everyone at the scene because of the utmost silence.

“Framed?”

“He didn’t plot against all this?”

“He didn’t steal the treasures of Ring City?”

The discussion from the crowd heated up right away, even Song Shi looking at Victor differently.

Based on what Kieran speculated back there, other than Victor, there wasn’t anyone else.

What happened?

Song Shi looked at Kieran, and Kieran shook his head, expressing that he didn’t know anything.

He really didn’t know about how the prophet got this answer? He had no idea what the prophet saw?

Or was he bluffing?

Given how the prophet was recognized by the Herders and the renown families, the old prophet had a higher trust value yet… everything was actually Kieran’s handy work.

Did the prophet see…him?

Kieran didn’t show any reaction on his face, looking at the prophet calmly.

The prophet continued as if he didn’t feel any gazes on him.

“Lord Victor did not steal the treasures of Ring City, nor did he touch the three kings’ personal vault. This is all the scheme of an unknown mastermind. They’re hidden very well… That’s all I was able to see, nothing more than that.”

The prophet then went silent, the same went for the crowd.

A while later, some people, Inhumans, and monsters quietly left.

They were after Victor because of the wealth from Ring City and after being told Victor wasn’t the mastermind, they had no reason to stay anymore.

The only difference between the people who left was some of them left quietly, while some of them apologized to Victor before leaving, like Song Shi Family.

“We are so sorry, Lord Victor. We shouldn’t have doubted you,” Mian Yi, the butler apologized on behalf of his family.

Victor calmly replied with a wave of hand.

He had lost his memories, so he didn’t know what had happened, and as long as he could be at peace and free from danger, his life would be good enough.

After his name was proven, he had gotten what he sought for, so what else could he ask for?

His memories! If he could retrieve his memories back, that would be the best!

Victor looked at Kieran confidently after the thought came afloat.

At the same time, Song Shi moved closer to Kieran.

“You seem stronger! A part of your abilities has awakened? Or memories?” Song Shi asked, attempting to find out more.

Kieran didn’t answer her verbally, instead giving her a cold gaze.

It made the young lady twist her body uncomfortably, feeling like there was an invisible hand trying to grab her neck.

It wasn’t just uncomfortable, it was embarrassing as well.

“Hmph! You are still a jerk after awakening! You should learn something from your little brother, otherwise no lady will like you!”

A cold grunt later, Song Shi left in a hurry.

Mian Yi apologized for the young mistress’ rudeness before he too strode out.

As the biggest family in Ai City and the other neighbouring cities, Song Shi Family’s absence gave a strong sign for the others. Those who were still having second thoughts or observing the situation ultimately left.

Soon, only Kieran and company, plus Anna, Huai Cuike, and the prophet were left in the restaurant.

Kieran looked at the three of them, waiting.

It was obvious that the three of them still had something on their mind.

“Is there anything else that you can’t reveal to the public?” Anna asked.

“No,” the prophet shook his head.

“Just like what you said before?” Anna asked again.

“Yes, just like what I said before,” the prophet nodded.

Phew!

Anna heaved a long breath, he was grateful that there was no anomaly within his reach and capabilities. Joy came afloat on his face, striding over to Victor and striding, “This is great Victor! It isn’t you after all! Don’t worry, I will work on recovering your name and honor!”

Anna showed true sincerity in his words, it affected Victor, and despite not caring anymore, he showed a smile as reply.

Anna, Huai Cuike, and the prophet finally left.

“Shouldn’t you pay up more for interrupting our business?”

Li Jiajia said without the least courtesy when the trio wanted to leave.

“I think they’ve included it in here,” Victor pointed at the box.

“This is the compensation from yesterday, not today’s!” Li Jiajia continued with zero courtesy.

You, beside her, nodded in agreement .

“That’s right! Those guys made a mess here and we have to clean up before we can open for business! I don’t want our customers to get something bad from the restaurant!” You said to express her righteous stand in this.

Victor scratched his head, because even though he had no memories, he felt like he should keep his mouth shut.

Unknowingly, Victor turned to Kieran, hoping to know what Kieran wanted to do today, but when he turned around, he realized Kieran was nowhere to be found.

“Where’s sire?” Victor asked.

“The boss doesn’t care about the restaurant most of the time. Other than sitting at the counter at night, teacher is in charge of everything here. We need to clean the place up, buy some ingredients for tonight—teacher has struck a deal with the supplier a while ago, so they will save the freshest ingredients for us even if we go over around afternoon,” Li Jiajia said.

Victor and You who joined the crew nodded repeatedly.

…

Huai Cuike was driving, Anna was in the passenger seat, and the prophet behind them both.

Cold sweat broke out on the prophet’s forehead, his hands shaking uncontrollably.

‘How?

How did that terrifying existence come here?

Why did the terrifying existence appear in this ‘abandoned land’?’

The prophet asked himself.

With each question, his heart throbbed and pain started to spread all over his body. It felt harder to breathe.

Suddenly, he felt a warmth beside him. The prophet looked up and saw Anna’s hand glowing softly. The prophet was extremely grateful and said, “Thank you.”

He sounded very troubled though.

“This is what we should do for you. Your divination saved us a lot of unnecessary conflict. So we have to take note of your condition,” Anna said seriously.

As one of the high ranks of the Herders, Anna knew what the prophet had to endure and how demanding the divination was on his body.

If the matter didn’t revolve around Victor, he wouldn’t have requested for the prophet’s help.

Anna wasn’t a person who could simply neglect people’s life, even though he had given sufficient compensation.

“Thank you.”

The prophet thanked Anna again, yet he buried the things he found out in the deepest part of his heart, where it could never see the day of light.

After Anna turned back to the front, the prophet lowered his head and wiped away the guilt on his face.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to say it, it was that he couldn’t say it.

Once said, not only him, anyone who listened would die.

“Drop me off at the chapel, I want to rest at my friend’s place,” the prophet said.

“Sure,” Huai Cuike nodded and turned around.

There were many chapels in Ai City but the one the prophet mentioned was the oldest one and it was managed by a mysterious old man.

The old man wasn’t clergy, neither was he an archpriest, yet he was around the chapel as something like an apostle.

The Herders checked on the old man’s background a few times. After they made sure the old man was harmless, they allowed him to move freely.

The car drove into a secluded, quiet alleyway.

A building made out of stone appeared in Huai Cuike’s sight.

It wasn’t the generic chapel with the sharp or round roof, it was something similar to a common residence with a flat roof.

In fact, other than the ever burning candle and a statue that resembled some god, the building looked nothing like a chapel.

The prophet left the car after rejecting Anna’s help.

“I’ll put the money in your account. Is there anything else?” Anna asked politely.

“Lord Anna, I would suggest you take a look at the North Sector of Ai City. There is someone there that you have been wanting to see for a while,” the prophet said with a smile.

“Someone that I’ve been wanting to see?” Anna was surprised for a moment before he was overjoyed.

“Is it my doctor? Thank you very much!”

After Anna got the nod from the prophet, he went back into the car and told Huai Cuike to go to the North Sector.

The prophet watched the car drive away before he sighed, then hastened his steps into the chapel.

His old friend was wiping the only altar with the statue and after seeing his old friend, the prophet’s old face showed shock before it was replaced by an unknown despair.

“You feel it too?” the apostle asked.

“Mm. That’s why I am here,” the prophet said.

“You shouldn’t have come.”

The apostle put down the cleaning tools, walking to the front of the altar and kneeling down. After some soft prayers, he pointed at the statue and then the extinguished candle that hid among the lit up ones.

The prophet saw the cracked statue and the candle, whose fire shouldn’t die.

His face turned uglier than ever, feeling utterly lost.

“What now? What do we do now?” The prophet asked the apostle and himself.

Though neither he or the apostle had any answers to the question, all they could do was look at the statue.

The statue was an abstract humanoid figure. The prestigious feeling from the statue faded away following the crack in the center, the crack even extending further downwards.

The last bit of magical powers in the statue was gone.

“Did you see him, or her, or it or something else?” The apostle asked.

“Hell, abyss, death, everything mixed together. The Demon Overlord, the Duke of Evil, the Death Dominator, anyone is possible, but I also saw something else,” the prophet’s body trembled in fear.

“Something else?” The apostle turned around.

“A monster of darkness without an end. The wicked power that falls in the world. The unpredictable fate that intertwines with death.”

The prophet shook even more as he spoke, on the verge of having a crackdown, but the apostle went over to him and put a hand over his head, praying softly.

A while later, the prophet regained his senses.

“It shouldn’t be in this era! The Old Gods are dead! The External Gods have left! This place has no attraction anymore, why is it still here?” The prophet shouted.

“Maybe this is fate. Calm down. If we can’t stop it and are not qualified to intervene, then let us wait and see. Let’s see if it’s the end or a new start.”

The apostle was calm when he said that, but the calmness was interrupted by a laugh.

“I don’t want to know what’s ending and what’s starting, I just want to know… where’s my treasures!”

King Liao strode in wearing elegant, black attire, the jewels embedded on his crown dazzling brightly.

Right before King Liao entered the chapel, the calm apostle stood up and shouted, “Leave immediately, you filthy soul!”

Following the shout, mystical runes appeared on the walls of the chapel, glowing gold and forming an invisible power, rejecting King Liao’s entrance.

“Hmph! If that piece of stone hadn’t cracked, you might still be able to stop me. But now, it’s broken! What do you have to hold me down?” King Liao said in disdain.

He looked at the pale apostle and the prophet, who had just come back to his senses—the prophet was again on the verge of breaking down as he cried loudly.

King Liao showed even more disdain.

He knew this little chapel was old and busted but not to this extent, but moments later, the king realized something off.

The apostle was actually looking behind him and that crying prophet was covering his face but through the seams on his fingers, King Liao could tell the prophet was also looking behind him.

How?

King Liao didn’t sense anyone behind him! He had the protection charm that King Qi gave him.

It must be a lie! A foolish, childish lie! King Liao thought.

He unconsciously turned his head around, but he couldn’t get a clear look because a powerful hand covered his face.

Fuuuua!

The charged up red flames exploded from the palm and burned King Liao instantly.

Kieran walked up front and passed the burning King Liao.

The golden mystical runes shattered when Kieran walked into the chapel.

He saw the pale apostle and the prophet, who was crying loudly with his face behind his hands.

“What are you afraid of?” he asked.