"Are you done?"
Cerydra's cold voice rang out in the quiet room.
Damian didn't react for a moment, looking up blankly: "Wha... what?"
"Since you're done," Cerydra's voice didn't have the slightest ripple, "then before I lose my temper, get out."
Damian's body suddenly stiffened, his lips moving as if he still wanted to struggle and say something.
Snap!
A crisp snap of fingers interrupted him.
Two Okhema soldiers instantly appeared on Damian's left and right.
"You are not my people." Cerydra's gaze was extremely cold. "If you want to seek my protection, you should show the value you possess, instead of acting like a stray dog, only knowing how to wag your tail and beg for mercy in front of me."
After speaking, she waved her hand somewhat wearily.
"Drag him out."
Upon receiving the order, the soldiers immediately moved. They each grabbed one of Damian's arms, effortlessly lifting him up and dragging him toward the door.
Damian did not struggle, just letting himself be dragged, his face full of disheartened despondency.
However, just as he was dragged to the door and was about to leave the room, Cerydra's clear yet indifferent voice came again:
"I will stay here for a relatively long period of time. During this period, I will still honor my previous promise."
These words were like a faint ray of light cast in the dark, instantly illuminating the almost extinguished hope in Damian's eyes.
However, just as this light lit up, he was completely dragged out the door.
The soldiers closely followed and retreated, closing the door tightly with a click.
After confirming that she was the only one left in the room, Cerydra's tense posture instantly relaxed.
She let out a long sigh, dropping all her disguises, and fell heavily onto the soft bed.
"Seeking protection..." she muttered to herself, her voice carrying a hint of helplessness. "Even if I can protect you for a moment, can I protect you for a lifetime? I'm no great saint."
Then she felt the wings on her back being somewhat uncomfortably pressed by the bed, so she irritably rolled over, changing to a prone position, buried her face in the pillow, and continued in a muffled voice:
"Besides... taking subordinates? What a troublesome thing... I'm not the Imperator from Amphoreus who thinks about expanding her territory all day long..."
Meanwhile, in the corridor outside.
"Lord Bishop? Are you... alright?"
Sylens, who had been waiting not far away, saw Damian's miserable appearance of being dragged out by the soldiers. His heart instantly sank, and he quickly stepped forward to help him up.
Damian steadied himself with Sylens's help. He reached out and patted his dusty robes. Although his face still retained traces of defeat, his eyes were not as despairing as Sylens had anticipated.
"Can't say I'm alright." Damian shook his head, his voice a bit hoarse. "But... the situation isn't the worst either. At least, there's two pieces of good news."
"Good news? Two of them?" Sylens's eyes lit up. "Could it be... Lord Imperator has accepted us?"
"No." Damian denied it bluntly. "She thinks we have no value, and are not worth taking under her wing."
The light in Sylens's eyes dimmed.
"Then..."
"However." Damian changed the subject, his tone becoming affirmative. "She explicitly said she would live here for a very long time."
"Is this... considered good news?" Sylens was even more confused.
If the Imperator stayed here all the time, their church would inevitably suffer from Arasaka Heavy Industries' continuous retaliation. Was this considered good news?
"Of course it is!" Damian looked at Sylens with burning eyes. "Did you forget her previous promise? 'If Arasaka Heavy Industries dares to offend again, she will take action to exterminate them'! Her saying she'll stay long-term means that during this time, as long as enemies dare to come, she is our most powerful umbrella. So during this period, our survival is at least temporarily guaranteed."
Sylens suddenly realized.
"I see! Then... what's the second piece of good news?"
Damian took a deep breath, hope igniting in his eyes.
"The second piece of good news is... we are not completely without a chance!"
"Ah?" Sylens was even more puzzled. "But Lord Imperator clearly just..."
"That's not important!" Damian interrupted him, lowering his voice. "The important thing is her last sentence—'Show your value'! This is the key!"
He spoke faster, his train of thought becoming clearer.
"Who she rejected is us who are currently wagging our tails, begging for mercy, and worthless! But she chose to stay and reiterated her promise. This in itself is a signal! This period is the testing period left for us to prove our worth!"
"Why would she specifically emphasize 'staying long-term'? Why reiterate the promise after rejecting us?" Damian's eyes were extremely sharp, as if he had seen through everything. "This is giving us a chance! Letting us do our utmost to prove we are useful to her during this safe period under her protection! Until we show enough value to make her feel that taking us in is no longer a burden, but a help!"
Hearing Damian's words, Sylens's eyes widened in shock instantly.
"So... so that's how it is?! If we failed to comprehend..."
Damian nodded heavily, completing the second half of the sentence Sylens didn't dare say aloud.
"Then I'm afraid she would leave very soon, and when that time comes, the only thing waiting for us is a destiny of being completely crushed."
Silence enveloped the two again, the air seemingly freezing.
But this time, the silence only lasted a few short seconds.
Damian suddenly looked up, his eyes becoming extremely resolute.
"Sylens!"
"Here!"
"Go contact the bishops of other branch churches immediately and tell them exactly what happened here!"
"Me?" Sylens was a bit surprised. "You are the Bishop. Wouldn't it be more appropriate for you to contact them..."
"I have more important things to do." Damian's tone was decisive, a cold light flashing across his eyes. "I've stayed inside AMA for so many years... there are some 'things' that it's time to bring out."
Sylens instantly understood his meaning, and his expression also turned grave.
"Yes, I understand! You... please be careful!"
"Go!" Damian waved his hand.
Sylens no longer hesitated, turned around, and quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.
...
At the same time, Cipher, far away in the Chaos Capital, was gorging herself on a large bag of snacks when her Terminal in her pocket suddenly vibrated.
"Hm?" She licked her fingers curiously and tapped open the screen. "Countercurrent Alliance? Finally remembered me?"
Ever since their reconciliation last time, the other party had been quiet for two days.
She tapped open the message:
[Respected Lord Pardofelis, hello.]
[Regarding the previous promise—assisting you in heading to the Hive District to carry out 'resource recovery' at the Apex Entertainment branch—we are now fully prepared.]
[We have obtained the detailed structural blueprint of the target branch and the coordinates of the core fund storage point.]
[If you decide to take action, please proceed to the usual place at your convenience. We await your esteemed presence.]