Chapter 118: Chapter118-Dawn Saintess
Chapter 118: Chapter118-Dawn Saintess
Investigate John?
Upon hearing Victor's words, Silver Tear and Dark Fox were momentarily taken aback, unsure of his intent.
However, when they looked at Victor, they found him acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had been mentioned.
"Let's go, it's time for us to head back," Victor said indifferently.
Henry and the others didn't question further.
Dark Fox and Silver Tear exchanged glances, remaining silent.
Afterwards, under the guise of wanting to shop, Silver Tear and Dark Fox stayed behind for the next train, while Victor led the rest back to the Dark Forest bar.
With the matter concluded, everyone bid Victor farewell as they needed to return to their duties.
Outside the bar, Victor lit a cigarette, his gaze complex, lost in thought.
After finishing his cigarette, he discarded the butt, took one last look at the Dark Forest bar's sign, and pushed the door open to enter.
It wasn't the bar's peak hours, so the place was almost deserted, save for a cleaning lady tidying up.
Victor walked straight to the third floor without pause.
He stopped in front of Scarlett's office door, hesitated for a moment, and then knocked.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
The sound echoed down the empty corridor.
After a brief silence, Scarlett's voice came from inside, "Please, come in."
Victor opened the door and entered.
In the neat and tidy office, Scarlett was sitting behind her desk, her back to Victor.
She had changed out of her revealing attire into something more casual, less seductive and more homely.
Scarlett was gazing out of the floor-to-ceiling window at the blue sky and white clouds, drinking alone, seemingly lost in thought.
Victor knew she was looking in the direction John had left.
Sensing Victor's entrance, Scarlett didn't turn around but simply asked, "He's gone?"
"He is," Victor replied, pulling out a cigarette, lighting it, and taking a deep drag.
As he slowly exhaled a dense plume of white smoke, his gaze upon Scarlett turned complex.
"Had I not detected the residual aura on John, I never would have guessed that you could be the Dawn Sect's saintess."
If anyone else heard Victor's words, they would undoubtedly be stunned speechless.
Who could have imagined that the Dawn Sect's saintess was hiding within Hidden Stars, serving as a gold-tier White Glove?
Such a revelation would undoubtedly deal a massive blow to the reputation of Hidden Stars if it were to spread.
Scarlett's hand, holding her drink, paused momentarily at Victor's words, yet she remained silent.
A long sword suddenly appeared in Victor's hand.
In just a moment, the complexity in his eyes vanished, replaced by a chilling murderous intent.
His entire demeanor sharpened like the edge of a sword.
With killing intent swirling in his eyes, Victor demanded, "Now, answer my questions: What are you doing in Hidden Stars, and what have you done to John?"
Without finding the Dawn Sect's aura on John, Victor would have never uncovered Scarlett's true identity.
She had concealed it so well that for years no one had noticed.
This realization sent a shiver through Victor's spine.
Heaven only knows what Scarlett has been doing within Hidden Stars over the years.
Scarlett set down her drink and turned around, her stunning face devoid of any expression.
She spoke calmly, "At least, I haven't done anything to harm humanity or the interests of the Federal. On the contrary, I have saved many lives. Captain Victor, you don't need to harbor such hostility towards me. As for John…"
A trace of complexity flickered in Scarlett's eyes as she continued, "I have never harmed him, not in the past, nor will I in the future."
Hearing Scarlett's words did nothing to diminish the coldness in Victor's eyes or weaken the growing intensity of his aura.
The office was whipped into a tempest, documents fluttering wildly, and even the pristine walls began to crack under the strain.
"Do you think I would believe you?" Victor's voice was icy.
He had encountered too many cunning and deceitful cult members; Scarlett's few words were far from enough to convince him.
Sensing Victor's intent to kill, Scarlett's expression gradually turned cold.
She stated indifferently, "I have spoken the truth. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. If you wish to strike, then try."
As she spoke, a mysterious and complex silver mark gradually appeared on Scarlett's forehead, radiating dazzling silver light.
A formidable aura, no less potent than Victor's, emanated from her, instantly enveloping the entire Dark Forest bar.
Simultaneously, Scarlett's eyes transformed at a visible rate into crystal-like silver white, and her entire demeanor underwent a drastic change.
She became immeasurably noble and pure, akin to the stars in the heavens, unreachable and awe-inspiring.
Victor's face took on a rare look of gravity.
He hadn't anticipated Scarlett's deep concealment, her realm reaching the cataclysmic level, with a strength that certainly wasn't inferior to his own.
Yet, there wasn't a hint of fear in Victor's eyes; he had faced formidable opponents before and had never retreated.
Just as the tension between them peaked, preparing for confrontation,
"Creak!"
The office door unexpectedly swung open.
Both Victor and Scarlett were momentarily taken aback, as neither had detected the other's presence.
Then, Shadowcloud rolled in leisurely on his wheelchair.
Seeing the pair in the office, he showed no surprise but rather a sense of resignation, "You young folks, if you want to fight, take it outside. What if you damage the place or hurt someone?"
The tense atmosphere in the office eased somewhat.
Victor frowned slightly, "General Shadowcloud, what brings you here?"
Scarlett's gaze on Shadowcloud was thoughtful.
Everyone had assumed Shadowcloud was incapacitated.
But now, it seemed he might not be as debilitated as believed, likely just restricted from taking action freely.
Shadowcloud said irritably, "With all the noise you two were making, how could I not come? Did you expect me to wait until you tore the place down?"
He glanced at Scarlett and then told Victor, "Let her go. Since she dared to reveal her identity, it means she's prepared her means of departure. You don't need to waste your energy."
Victor furrowed his brow, wanting to argue, but upon catching Shadowcloud's look, he ultimately sheathed his sword.
The mysterious silver rune on Scarlett's forehead gradually faded away.
She looked towards Shadowcloud, nodding slightly, "Thank you, General Shadowcloud. If you find the time, please extend my regards to Principal Sophia Winchester."
Sophia Winchester, the principal of the Star Cluster Academy, is a lv110 Stargazer and one of the top awakeners in the Federal, belonging to the rarefied echelon known as semigods, beings who have brushed the divine threshold.
Victor had long harbored a suspicion that Shadowcloud's arrival in Stellarburg was precipitated by a divination from this semigod.
This suspicion was confirmed when he learned of Scarlett's identity as the Dawn Saintess.
The secrets surrounding John were indeed profound, entangling him with several significant figures.
It was for this reason that Victor had instructed Silver Tear and Dark Fox to covertly protect John while also investigating his origins and background.
Upon hearing Scarlett's words, Shadowcloud shook his head, "Old man like me hardly has the time.
You should visit her yourself when you're free; she's been wanting to meet you."
With a wave of his hand, Shadowcloud continued, "Considering the Dawn Sect has been relatively well-behaved these years, I'll pretend this incident never happened. You should leave Stellarburg promptly. As for John, I assume you have no intention to harm him."
Shadowcloud had a clear insight.
If Scarlett had wanted to harm John, she would have done so already.
Thus, he didn't really consider the possibility of her posing a threat to John as a serious concern.
Scarlett silently nodded.
She gave the office one last, deep look, then suddenly, a silver magic array appeared beneath her feet.
The array emitted a bright silver-white light, and in the blink of an eye, Scarlett's figure vanished from the office.
Shadowcloud was right; Victor couldn't have kept her there against her will.
Scarlett had long prepared a teleportation array, making her departure effortless.
Victor furrowed his brow at Shadowcloud, asking, "Just letting her go like that, won't it cause any problems?"
Shadowcloud spread his hands in a gesture of resignation, replying, "What else can we do? If she's been able to hide here for so long, you don't really think that's the extent of her power, do you? Even at my peak, I couldn't discern her true strength, let alone now that I'm essentially disabled. Since she harbors no ill will, why should we fight tooth and nail?"
After a pause, Shadowcloud added, "Moreover, even if you did manage to kill her, what then? This saintess isn't so bad; under her guidance, the Dawn Sect has indeed been much more stable these past years. If she were to die, who knows what kind of madness those Dawn Sect fanatics would unleash."
Victor pondered this, realizing the truth in Shadowcloud's words.
If this woman could maintain peace, there was no need for them to disrupt the balance unnecessarily, as it would benefit neither side.