"If you want to know, why don't you see for yourself?"
"Only by seeing it with your own eyes and experiencing it firsthand can you realize what the transaction between the Vatican and you truly means, and if it's worth it."
"And don't worry, everyone, I won't lay a hand on you. After all, you're all prominent figures in the world, aren't you?"
Adrian directly laid bare their concerns.
The temptation of immortality might make them hesitate for a while, but when death approaches or their bodies are on the verge of giving out, they'll become the most desperate gamblers in this world, willing to bet everything for a chance to live.
This was an open scheme—he wasn't afraid that these people wouldn't trade with the Vatican.
"Every bit of power the Vatican offers, you're free to inspect," Adrian added, his expression calm, without a hint of worry.
"We'll consider it."
As the words fell, the meeting ended, and the signals disconnected. The screens darkened one by one, until only the empty conference room remained.
"These old geezers are still so afraid of death." The Pope witnessed the entire process and looked down on their indecisiveness.
"Not everyone has such unwavering faith as you, willing to give everything for their beliefs," Adrian said with a smile, showing no signs of disappointment.
"They'll come—it's only a matter of time." Even though the Pope scoffed at them, he also knew that these people held nearly half of the world's resources and wealth.
They were definitely the most afraid of death because they couldn't bear to part with their hard-won wealth and status. So the Pope wasn't worried.
After the meeting, everything proceeded as planned. Adrian continued to train the only four Saint reserve members in the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican.
Whenever he had free time, he'd meditate to improve his Cosmo cultivation. With a reasonable schedule, Adrian also condensed a considerable amount of life origin force.
However, those cautious old geezers still made no move, as if the video conference a month ago had never happened.
"Creak..."
The door of the meditation room slowly opened. Clarisse stood quietly at the doorway, her expression respectful.
"What is it?" Adrian sat cross-legged, suspended in mid-air, the colorful elemental energy swirling around him making him appear exceptionally sacred. He didn't open his eyes, just asked faintly. Under normal circumstances, nobody would interrupt his meditation.
"Your Eminence, His Holiness the Pope is looking for you."
"I heard something happened, involving a demon from the hell dimension."
Clarisse reported respectfully.
"Hmm?" Hearing the word "demon," Adrian opened his eyes in surprise.
"Interesting."
He lowered his crossed legs, his feet lightly touching the ground. He hadn't expected to hear news of a demon so soon.
Adrian went directly to the Pope's room. Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass window, casting colorful patterns on the ancient carpet.
"You're here." The Pope's previously anxious expression completely calmed the moment he saw Adrian.
"I heard there's news of a demon?" Adrian looked at the Pope, awaiting his response.
"We're not sure if it's a demon, but it looks really similar."
The Pope handed Adrian a document.
"This is a detailed report of the incident. One of the victims was a relative of a priest, and it was that priest who discovered the anomaly and reported it to the Vatican."
Adrian took the document, which clearly recorded all the details and on-site photos.
"I'll go take a look." Adrian didn't hesitate and immediately accepted the mission.
"Good!" The Pope breathed a sigh of relief, then added with a serious expression: "Also, the hell dimension is real. If you encounter a demon, you must be careful."
Clearly, in the Pope's understanding, bizarre incidents involving demons were way harder to handle than simple massacres.
"I understand, don't worry." Adrian gently reassured the old man.
Leaving the Pope's room, Adrian went directly to the training ground.
"Savis, prepare yourself. You're coming with me on a mission."
"Yes, Your Eminence!" The tall figure looked a bit tense—clearly, Savis was somewhat nervous.
It was still the Vatican's special car travel mode. However, this mission wasn't very far, in a neighboring country, so there was no need for complex procedures. With the Vatican's arrangements, they had a green light all the way, arriving at the incident location within three hours.
"Hmm?" As soon as Adrian stepped into the city, he noticed something unusual. A faint scent of sulfur filled the air, and a strong demonic aura covered the entire city, sending chills down one's spine.
Clearly, someone was deliberately performing a sacrifice, attempting to summon a demon from the hell dimension.
"Interesting, there are even followers of the hell dimension?" Adrian muttered to himself.
Even though Earth was shrouded by Vishanti's grand formation, isolating direct contact between the real dimension and other dimensions, it wasn't entirely without loopholes.
Mephisto, one of the lords of the hell dimension, frequently projected himself to cause trouble within Earth. However, it was clearly impossible to project stronger forces.
If the Ancient One was alarmed, even within the hell dimension, Mephisto would be harassed.
If he stepped out of the hell dimension, he'd be severely beaten by the Ancient One.
That was the glorious record the Ancient One had forged over hundreds of years.
So generally, unless there was a major event, even a dimension lord wouldn't easily invade Earth, even though Earth was a nexus of reality and dimensions.
Adrian also wanted to know which demon dared to be this bold as to cause trouble right under the Ancient One's nose.
Could it be one of the Seven Great Monarchs?
Without further delay, Adrian and Savis quickly arrived at one of the crime scenes, where the priest's relative was murdered.
"Who are you?" The police sealing off the area asked with some hesitation, seeing Adrian and Savis's attire.
"We're from the Vatican, responsible for handling this case."
"Please make way."
Adrian nodded in acknowledgment.
Hearing they were from the Vatican, the police didn't obstruct them, allowing the two to enter the scene. The crime scene was surrounded by yellow police tape, and the air still carried a faint smell of blood and an indescribable scent of decay.
"Is that His Excellency the Legion Commander?" A priest cautiously approached Adrian, his expression respectful yet uneasy.
He'd recently received a reply from the Vatican, stating that the Commander of the Star Saint Legion would personally handle this matter. That was the highest-ranking official of the Vatican's armed department, which made the priest feel somewhat overwhelmed.
"It's me."
"Are you the victim's relative? Please tell me the basic situation."
Adrian's gaze swept across the scene.
"Understood, Your Excellency the Legion Commander." The priest immediately shared everything he knew.
"The victim was my younger brother's wife's granduncle, also a theology enthusiast. He usually enjoyed studying theology and had some understanding of various divine systems, especially the hell dimension..."
The priest paused, his voice trembling slightly: "But according to the family, from a week ago, his condition was clearly off, like he'd become a different person, constantly muttering about some ritual, some sacrifice. At the time, they didn't pay attention, thinking he'd discovered some lost theological text again."
"But unexpectedly, two days ago, he died." The priest's voice deepened.
"He died a really tragic death—his internal organs were hollowed out, arranged according to an unknown formation, and his body was placed in the center of the magic circle. This is an unknown sacrificial ritual, and I couldn't handle it, so I reported it to the Vatican..."
Adrian listened quietly, his gaze scanning the scene. Dark red bloodstains remained on the ground, outlining a bizarre symbol, and the demonic aura in the air grew increasingly strong.
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