Chapter 1727: Chapter 1159: Joining Forces
“Hoo…”
The cold wind howled outside the window, while inside the small cabin, it was eerily silent.
Perhaps because they are both won, Sharon didn’t pay much attention to Duanmu Huai. Right now, she had completely taken off her nun’s habit and was drying it in front of the fireplace, wearing only a set of white lace lingerie and pure white stockings — is it really okay for a nun to dress like this?
Even though Duanmu Huai silently gave a thumbs up, after all, a beautiful blonde with a great figure in such attire is definitely a feast for the eyes. Unfortunately, he was currently a doppelgänger and couldn’t do anything about it.
Better to read the book; this ancient to was only halfway through during the journey here, and with no cell phone signal in the deep forests, apart from complaining about the poor infrastructure, there’s nothing else to do but read.
However, the more Duanmu Huai flipped through it, the more he felt it was entirely opposite to his investigation direction. This ancient book resembled stories from this country’s ‘Strange Tales,’ recording odd ancient supernatural stories. Of course, there was a story about the witch, including descriptions on how to make a contract with the witch and have her serve oneself. Naturally, achieving this is not easy.
As proof of the contract, there must be a designated price to pay, requiring mutual agreent, and it also needs a na to be given. The paynt could be chosen, such as soul, mory, lifespan, five senses, etc. Naturally, the higher the price, the stronger the strength the counterpart can use.
Hmm, as an ancient book, it’s quite interesting, but Duanmu Huai feels this has nothing to do with the witch he’s investigating.
At least the witch he saw earlier at the factory did not seem to have signed a contract with anyone… or was she?
Honestly, considering that suspicious white creature, Duanmu Huai couldn’t be certain because even editor Teng Chuan ntioned that Witch’s Kiss. Is that a curse or a contract? According to this book, driving a witch with the sacrifice of another’s life doesn’t seem impossible?
“I say…”
Just as Duanmu Huai was staring at the ancient book in thought, suddenly Sharon’s voice broke in.
“Why have you co here? Looking at your attire, you’re surely not here for hiking or hunting, right?”
“Sharon-san, what about you? Why are you here?”
Duanmu Huai wasn’t the type to be caught passive; truth be told, he also knew his appearance was suspicious. But by the sa token, Sharon’s outfit was suspicious too.
Two suspiciously dressed people together… well, it indeed doubles the suspicion index.
Sharon, however, answered Duanmu Huai’s question very straightforwardly.
“I am a nun belonging to the Starry Sky Church.”
“Starry Sky Church?”
“Yes, we are a global religious organization advocating love, equally loving everyone, and bringing God’s compassion to all — that is our creed.”
“Wow… there’s actually such an organization.”
Duanmu Huai was not surprised at Sharon’s response; as a Judge, he had seen many strange and bizarre religious organizations, one more or less didn’t matter.
“So why is Sharon-san here? There’s nobody here, right?”
If it’s evangelizing, perhaps she went a bit too far?
“Of course, I ca here not to spread God’s loving compassion, but to protect the people from evil threats.”
“……”
There’s an inexplicable feeling, neither good nor bad.
“Actually, according to our investigation, a powerful evil Demon is sealed here, and this ti, I’ve co here by the order of the Church to completely eradicate it!”
Ah, so it turns out we’re compatriots.
Here, Sharon closed her mouth, staring at Duanmu Huai, evidently signaling, “it’s your turn now.”
Well, okay, there’s nothing much to conceal.
“My na is Duanmu Ai… My purpose here is actually quite similar to Sharon-san’s.”
“Similar to mine?”
“That’s right, I belong to the Tribunal, serving as the Great Judge of the Tribunal. I ca here to investigate the event called the witch because there are records in the ancient book, which is why I ca.”
“Tribunal?”
Needless to say, hearing Duanmu Huai’s reply, Sharon showed a sowhat surprised expression.
“Sorry, I’ve never heard of that organization.”
“That’s normal. The Tribunal has only one duty, and that is to protect humans at all costs and annihilate any threats to humans… Therefore, we do not appear in public.”
“I see.”
Upon hearing this, Sharon’s expression relaxed quite a bit.
“So, can we be considered companions?”
“For now… After all, I’m here just to investigate the situation regarding the witch. As for what kind of being the witch precisely is, I still know nothing about it. Of course, if it is determined to be a threat to humans, then as a Judge, I would surely choose to purify it.”
“So, it seems our goals are the sa.”
To be honest, Duanmu Huai’s answer was entirely unfounded, but Sharon seed to understand what Duanmu Huai ant — perhaps because they were both in the sa line of work, allowing them to sense each other’s sincerity.
“If possible, could you tell about the Tribunal?”
“Of course, no problem.”
While Duanmu Huai started chatting with Sharon, in the late-night DA cafeteria, Chisato was looking at her dinner with a troubled expression.
“Ugh… honestly, it’s been a long ti since I last ate in the DA cafeteria, and the taste is just as it always was, especially this boiled lettuce…”
“I actually think the DA chefs are pretty skilled.”
Unlike Chisato, who was picky about food, Xitong Lingnao calmly finished the al in front of her.
“So, Chisato-san, do you have anything to add about the Tribunal?”
“Even if you ask to add sothing, I only heard about the Tribunal from Xiao Ai.”
“An organization that will stop at nothing to protect humans and eliminate any threat to them… to be honest, I can’t imagine the existence of such an organization…”
“Hmm… oh, speaking of which.”
Perhaps to change the topic, or maybe suddenly recalling sothing, Chisato’s eyes lit up.
“I heard from Xiao Ai about an interesting rule of the Tribunal regarding the criteria for judging ‘humans.'”
“Criteria for judging humans?”
Upon hearing Chisato’s answer, Xitong Lingnao’s eyes lit up.
“Yes, according to Xiao Ai, the Tribunal’s standard for determining whether soone is human is only one…”
As she spoke, Chisato raised her hand, mimicking a gun gesture, and pointed it at her own head.
“It’s the skull.”
“… the skull? Is there an explanation?”
“Hmm… I rember Xiao Ai saying that in the Universe, the human skull is a symbol of purity and sanctity. Therefore, even if a person is completely transford into a robot, as long as their skull remains human, the Tribunal will treat them as human. Conversely, if the skull is not human, then to the Tribunal, it’s alien, regardless of whether it’s good or bad, it must be completely eradicated.”
“That’s quite a… straightforward standard.”
After hearing Chisato’s account, Xitong Lingnao’s expression was a bit complex, and Chisato was quite familiar with this expression, as her own expression was probably similar when she first heard it from Duanmu Huai.
As a fervent movie buff, Chisato had seen plenty of films, many of which explored what it ans to be “human.”
So focused on thought processes, others on experiencing emotions, and yet others discussed the soul… however, compared to these ambiguous thods, the Tribunal’s criteria were simple and blunt: if your skull is human, you have a chance to live; if it is not, then you die, with no exceptions.
To be honest, this standard really scared Chisato.
It was fortunate that the white animal ran fast; if it had been slower, by the Tribunal’s standards, after Duanmu Huai dealt with that witch, the next one to be eliminated would be it.
“But… using the Universe as a baseline? Such an organization is indeed rare.”
When Xitong Lingnao first heard about the Tribunal, she assud it was so kind of religious group. Yet, she didn’t expect their scope to be so grand, not limited to a single planet, but based on the entire Universe… could it be that if aliens exist and do not conform to the Tribunal’s standards, the Tribunal would target them as well?
No, that would be too exaggerated.
Thinking of this, Xitong Lingnao shook her head, assuming this was mostly a kind of religious ideal not to be taken too seriously. After all, exterminating aliens is a little too outlandish.
Even though Xitong Lingnao didn’t take it too seriously, it didn’t an others felt the sa way…
“I see.”
After hearing Duanmu Huai’s introduction, Sharon nodded thoughtfully.
“The skull represents the purity and sanctity of humans… indeed a very unique angle; we’ve never considered this perspective before. But upon further reflection, it actually makes quite a bit of sense…”
As she spoke, Sharon kept her gaze fixed on Duanmu Huai.
“So, Miss Duanmu, according to your theory, the skulls of the Demon Possessed will be recognized as long as they are human?”
“It mainly depends on whether they pose a threat to humans; if they do, they must be purified.”
Through Sharon, Duanmu Huai learned that this world refers to those who gain strength through deals with Subspace Demons as Demon Possessed. Of course, from the Tribunal’s perspective, this wording might be a bit imprecise… but it’s not a major problem.
Although they ca from different factions, they had a pleasant evening, as the Starry Sky Church and the Tribunal had no substantial conflicts of interest, and the Tribunal doesn’t preach. So, it wasn’t long before Duanmu Huai and Sharon agreed to team up the next day to search for the legendary sealed witch.
Indeed, there is strength in numbers. While Duanmu Huai had clues in hand, he wasn’t familiar with this world. On the other hand, Sharon had fewer clues but was quite familiar with this world. Thus, by the morning of the next day, they exchanged information and took action.
And their efforts paid off. After spending most of the day, they finally found the place where the legendary witch was sealed.
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