Carn quickly gathered all the Inquisitors who were still stationed in the town.
Although he didn't fully understand what Steven was planning, considering how this guy always managed to surprise him, he was willing to go along with his decision once again.
Whatever Steven was up to, it was bound to benefit the Inquisition rather than harm it.
But when all the Inquisitors and even the High Inquisitor had assembled inside the church, Steven didn't seem the least bit interested in making any sort of announcent.
He simply sat back in the chair at the desk, lazily sweeping his eyes over the confused-looking Inquisitors.
Then, with a subtle glance, he signaled to Carn—
Dismiss them.
Utterly baffled, Carn reluctantly sent the Inquisitors away.
Only after they had left did he approach Steven, locking eyes with him.
"Mr. Steve, no matter what, shouldn't there be a reason for all this?"
Steven shrugged.
"Nothing much, just helping you root out a few traitors."
"Didn't you say so of the potatoes I gave you went missing?"
"Your people have a security problem and can't fix it."
"So what, am I—your investor—not even allowed to handle it myself?"
As he spoke, Steven casually took the list of Inquisitors that he had deliberately borrowed from Irene.
With a pen, he circled a few nas, then tossed the list over to Carn.
"Check these people."
"Not that there's much to check, honestly."
"At least in my case, a mistake in judgnt is basically impossible."
Steven didn't even need to know who these nas belonged to.
After all, the mont he scanned the crowd earlier, the real enemies had their nas glowing in bright red.
All he had to do was mark them down.
As for how the Church of the Deep managed to infiltrate the Inquisition so deeply, or how they avoided getting caught for so long, he didn't care.
That was Carn's problem to deal with, not his.
He had already handed over the list of traitors.
What ca next should be easy, right?
Carn's eyes narrowed as he weighed the consequences.
"You're asking us to investigate our own people."
"This will only weaken the last remaining trust within the Inquisition."
Listening to the elderly Saint's words, the Minecrafter shook his head.
"No, they're not your people anymore."
"I don't know how they did it, but based on what I saw—"
"These people have long since beco mbers of the Church of the Deep."
"In other words, they betrayed you ages ago."
Steven answered calmly, completely unbothered by Carn's hesitation.
Believe him or not, that was Carn's problem.
He had already done his part.
It was up to them to decide how to deal with it.
Carn hesitated.
If Steven was telling the truth, this was an unmissable opportunity, a chance to purge the Church of the Deep's spies from the Inquisition once and for all.
But if the list was wrong, the fallout could destroy what little unity remained.
"Hmph. What's with that face?"
"You don't have a way to tell humans apart from Seaborn?"
"—Oh, right, let clarify."
"This list only includes people who have physically transford into a Seaborn."
"If there are still human-looking Seaborn sympathizers, I can't do anything about those."
Seeing Carn's conflicted expression, Steven couldn't help but doubt his choice to collaborate with the Inquisition.
I an, co on.
They're called the Inquisition, right?
Then why are they so much weaker than that other badass Inquisition I've heard of—the one that issues total extermination orders on a whole planet without hesitation?
Carn sighed and shook his head.
"If we had a tool that could detect them, we wouldn't have been struggling against the Church of the Deep for so long."
He stated plainly, revealing an unfortunate truth.
If the Inquisition actually had the kind of detection tool Steven was talking about, they wouldn't have ended up as riddled with spies as a sieve.
The Inquisitors' Lanterns could make sea monsters feel uncomfortable, but they weren't an absolute counterasure.
So of the stronger Deep Sea creatures could completely endure and even overco the discomfort caused by the lanterns.
"Tch. Well, that's your problem."
"At most, I'll think of sothing for you later."
"But for now, what you should be doing is contacting those other Saints you ntioned."
"Give a clear answer."
"And figure out how to deal with and confirm the nas on that list."
Steven waved his hand dismissively and turned toward the exit—clearly about to leave.
"Wait, Mr. Steve—are you leaving again?"
"How are we supposed to contact you?"
"Do we still go through Rhodes Island?"
Carn was clearly getting anxious.
He couldn't stop Steven from leaving, but resolving this issue wouldn't take too long.
The upper ranks of the Saints were still quite united, so securing their cooperation only required informing them.
But who knew when Steven would show up again once he left?
He wasn't the type to stay in one place for long—even this visit had caught Carn completely off guard.
Steven paused, then suddenly grinned.
"Nah, no need for that."
"If you have anything to say, just tell the little bird."
"This here is my official representative in Iberia—"
"The super adorable, absolutely unbeatable—Ms. Irene."
With a laugh, he grabbed Irene by the shoulders and lifted her up so she was eye-level with him.
Then, with the sa smug tone, he announced his decision—
A decision that only he had agreed upon.
"Wait a second! I never agreed to this!"
Irene protested, flailing slightly in his grasp.
"You don't want to?"
Steven raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise.
"Well, I can't trust anyone else either."
"And if we waste too much ti—"
"I don't mind, but I think Carn might start panicking."
Steven chuckled, watching the small, flustered bird struggle in his grasp.
He was clearly having too much fun.
"Ugh… that's not… You make it sound like I have no choice!"
Still sulking, Irene shot a half-hearted punch at Steven's shoulder.
But as she herself admitted, after Steven put it that way, she really had no way to refuse.
After all, Steven didn't exactly have many people he could trust within the Inquisition.
And without a direct contact person, their cooperation would inevitably be delayed.
Even a single second of delay was a danger to the nation itself.
Carn sighed, then naturally took over the conversation.
"Irene, I believe you're more than qualified for this role."
"Even putting aside Mr. Steve's recomndation—"
"You're still one of the Inquisition's most trustworthy mbers."
Unlike Steven, Carn could tell—
Steven was easygoing, but earning his trust was no simple task.
And yet, he had chosen Irene.
As for Carn himself, he had been watching over her for years.
She was his disciple's disciple, after all.
He had witnessed her growth firsthand.
Sure, she still had so reckless tendencies typical of her age.
But otherwise, she had already beco an outstanding Inquisitor.
For the role of liaison between Steven and the Inquisition, Irene was the perfect choice.
"Saint Carn, why are you agreeing with him too…?"
Irene lowered her head, suddenly feeling a bit insecure.
"I haven't done enough."
"Surely soone stronger and more capable should be doing this instead of ."
"Nah, I think you're doing just fine. Really."
Steven ruffled Irene's hair again, but this ti, his tone was uncharacteristically serious.
"At the very least, do you even know why I chose to make a deal with the Inquisition in the first place?"
"Why I was willing to hand over sothing like these potatoes?"
"It was because I saw what you—a true Inquisitor—were doing."
"It was because of your actions that my first impression of the Inquisition was actually… not bad."
Steven's reasoning sounded casual, but that really was what he had thought at the ti.
There was no complicated logic behind it.
It was simply because the Inquisition didn't seem too bad, so he chose them.
Otherwise, with his supply of miraculous crops, he could've traded with any nation in this world.
And given the ga-changing potential of these crops, who would ever refuse an opportunity like that?
"Even if you say all that… I still don't know what I'm supposed to do."
Though Irene felt a rush of joy at his praise, her shy nature made her fidget slightly.
She tapped her fingers together, muttering in a small voice.
"That's easy."
Steven reached into his pocket (Inventory), pulled out a communication device, and stuffed it into her hands.
Then, without any hesitation, he took out a Waystone and planted it in a corner of the church.
"You know how to make a call, right?"
"Just dial up if anything happens."
"And no matter where I am, I can teleport back here using this thing."
"Super simple. Easy to understand, yeah?"
After a quick rundown on how to use the device, Steven decided to give her a live demonstration.
He casually selected the Waystone in front of him, walked over to Carn, and then activated it.
After a three-second countdown, his figure vanished instantly, only to reappear atop the Waystone.
"See? Simple as that."
Steven ignored Carn's look of sheer disbelief, instead, he turned toward Irene, whose expression mirrored the elderly Saint's shock.
"Wait a mont—Mr. Steven!"
"Is this technology for sale?"
"Can other people use it too?"
A gleam of excitent flashed in Carn's eyes.
If they could mass-produce sothing like this in Iberia, the potential would be unfathomable.
Steven, however, saw through his thoughts imdiately.
He rcilessly crushed his hopes.
"Yeah, that's not happening."
"And I highly recomnd you don't try ssing with this thing."
"If you break it and I can't teleport back anymore—"
"I'm really gonna be pissed."
Of course, Steven knew exactly what was going through Carn's mind.
And just to make sure there were no misunderstandings, he issued a firm warning.
After all, who knew if so idiot might try tinkering with it?
< >
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind spending $5 monthly to see till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon1
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 214: It Made Feel Like I Wasn't Alone1
Link to the latest chapter: spatreon/posts/arknightcraft-1296914411
spatreon/collection/55713?view=expanded1
spatreon/collection/55713?view=expanded
spatreon/posts/arknightcraft-129691441
spatreon/posts/arknightcraft-129691441
spatreon/collection/55713?view=expanded
User Comments
0 comments from readers