Chapter 1039: Investigation
The believers in the slums were as busy as ever. Each day brought its own tasks, so few people could be seen in the slums during the daytime, making it seem quite desolate.
On the dirty, uneven dirt road, a group of white-robed holy servants slowly advanced. Their bodies were enveloped in a white barrier, a protective shroud condensed from their Saintly Power. While possessing a certain defensive capability, the barrier's current purpose wasn't to ward off enemy attacks. Rather, it served to protect their pristine white robes and white shoes from the mud and various grime along the path.
In front of this group of holy servants walked a white-haired elder. The elder's attire was simple, but at least free of holes. Compared to the other inhabitants of the slum, his unadorned clothes already stood out considerably. Without some means or standing in the slum, it would have been impossible for him to wear such garments.
However, when compared to the holy servants behind him, the elder's clothing was indistinguishable from that of a beggar.
Although the elder walked ahead of the holy servants, he constantly bowed and gestured towards the nearby houses, seemingly introducing something to the leading holy servant.
Judging by the elder's attire and his attitude towards the holy servants, it was clear he wasn't their leader, but rather their guide. To put it plainly, he was merely the one responsible for leading the way.
The elder was merely an ordinary person. Naturally, he held no standing before these holy servants. Even if they treated him with a certain courtesy, it was ultimately superficial. In the eyes of most non-ordinary people, ordinary people were just that—ordinary, distinct from themselves.
The elder was well aware of this, which was why he adopted a very humble demeanor when facing these holy servants. Both his attitude and tone were meticulously cautious, not daring to offend them in the slightest.
Before the elder stood a residential building, exceedingly dilapidated. It seemed to be a relic from before the world fell into chaos. Such a dangerous structure posed significant safety hazards, yet it had not been demolished.
Furthermore, judging by the clothes drying outside each window, this crumbling building wasn't merely inhabited; it was packed with people. Not a single room appeared vacant.
The leading holy servant merely nodded slightly upon hearing this, indicating her understanding to the elder, and said nothing more.
Receiving no further instructions, the elder felt somewhat awkward, and could only ask hesitantly, in an uncertain tone,
"Um, Divine Emissary, would you like to go inside and take a look?"
The leading holy servant nodded again, then softly replied,
"It has been some time since I last visited them. Now that I am here today, I should certainly go and offer my regards. After all, they are all believers of the Saint Mother, and as her servant, it is my duty to ensure they constantly feel the Saint Mother's warmth."
"Yes, yes, yes. Only by being enveloped in the Saint Mother's glory can we ordinary people find refuge in this chaotic world. We believers are eternally grateful to the Saint Mother. In our hearts, only the Saint Mother is the one true God in this world."
The elder not only maintained a respectful attitude, but even displayed a devout expression as he spoke. He then bowed to the leading holy servant, using this gesture to express his inner reverence for the Saint Mother and for the holy servant.
The leading holy servant returned the elder's bow. She displayed no arrogance befitting a superior, but rather exuded a powerful sense of amiability.
"We feel your piety. The Saint Mother is with you."
"I will lead the Divine Emissaries into the building now. Only two floors have people resting today, so we can start with the second floor."
The elder spoke, but his suggestion did not receive the leading holy servant's approval.
"No need to skip floors. We'll go door to door."
"But. . . but the other floors. . ."
"It doesn't matter if there's no one on the other floors. It's still good to check. At the very least, I can assess their living conditions by observing their rooms, which is a form of concern, wouldn't you agree?"
"Divine Emissary, you are truly thoughtful. I believe they will be immensely grateful when they learn of this. I shall lead the Divine Emissaries now."
After the elder finished speaking, he immediately led the holy servants into the building, proceeding to inspect each household.
Rather than simply "inspecting" each household, it was more accurate to say they were "checking" each one. For the true purpose of these holy servants' visit was to find traces, even the slightest hint, of the Yin Division's new Emissary of Death.
The leading holy servant was none other than the one who had reported to Xia Xinger earlier. Upon receiving Xia Xinger's command, she immediately set about executing it, which explained the scene unfolding before them.
The elder leading the way was a servant chosen by the Saint Mother Cult from among its many believers. His value lay in managing the ordinary people within this area for the Saint Mother Cult.
However, he didn't have the authority to manage everything. In truth, he wielded little real power. Rather than managing, it was more accurate to say he served as an informant, keeping an eye on the ordinary people in this area for the Saint Mother Cult.
Of course, while he possessed little actual power, his status was considerably higher than that of other ordinary people. Many things ordinary people couldn't do, he could. For instance, he could freely enter and exit the residences of other ordinary people. In the area he was responsible for, he held spare keys to all the homes, allowing him unhindered access even when the owners were absent.
Despite his certain status in this area, the elder still lived cautiously. Thus, even with the spare keys to these residences, he wouldn't carelessly meddle. However, with a holy servant's directive today, he naturally had no reservations and simply followed their instructions.
A moment later, the elder led the group of holy servants downstairs. Since the holy servants wore veils over their faces, their expressions remained unreadable. However, the elder, still acting as their guide, maintained his respectful demeanor, with nothing amiss visible on his face.
The elder was unaware of the holy servants' true purpose for their visit, so he didn't consider today's task particularly troublesome, and naturally harbored no great worries.
"To receive the Divine Emissaries' regards on a rest day, the second and fifth floors are truly blessed. I believe the Divine Emissaries saw how pleased they were just now. It's truly a pity that those on the other floors didn't have this honor."
Stepping out of the stairwell, the elder spoke with a smile to the leading holy servant. The latter, upon hearing him, softly replied,
"There will be other opportunities in the future. Let's go. We'll check the next building."
Within this dilapidated building, the holy servants had found nothing. As holy servants, they were equally sensitive to Yin Qi, yet they had detected no presence of Yin Qi in this crumbling structure. Even after inspecting every household, they sensed no Yin Qi. Therefore, the leading holy servant concluded that this building was not their target, which was why she was eager to move on to the next location.
Hearing this, the elder dared not delay, and promptly led the holy servants to the next building.
The area once managed by the Gu Mo City Yin Division, though seemingly a small part of Gu Mo City, was actually as vast in area as the entire urban district of Lecheng. Moreover, its various buildings were more densely packed than those in Lecheng's urban center. So, truthfully, this area was by no means small.
Within this area were apartment blocks, small courtyards, and other facilities necessary for daily life. However, many of these facilities had already fallen into disuse, and very few remained functional. Some residential buildings and courtyards were so dilapidated that they were no longer habitable.
Precisely because of this, a large portion of this area was now in ruins. Although it was as large as Lecheng and its buildings were more compact, the number of ordinary people residing there was far fewer than in Lecheng.
However, for ease of management, the Saint Mother Cult had gathered all the ordinary people of this area into a smaller, concentrated zone. Thus, in the leading holy servant's view, as long as they didn't delay, they would certainly be able to thoroughly clear and inspect this entire area today. This way, she could verify whether the information she had received was true or false, and then return to report to Saint Xia Xinger!
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