Chapter 270: Dancer of Hell_1
Yan Moling mentioned someone had recently arrived at Fiend.
This didn’t affect Wen Jiang. She was the top seller of the month and had been summoned by the Blood Emperor once again, this time alone, without the Mech King in tow.
The location wasn’t Ceylon Castle but somewhere else in Ceylon City.
Wen Jiang already knew why. Ceylon Castle belonged to the Celestial Maiden. According to information Karin had "accidentally" revealed, the Celestial Maiden greatly disliked outsiders entering the castle, except for a few high-ranking members of Fiend.
So even Karin, who had spent many years in Ceylon Cemetery, had only been inside the castle once, and it was just a brief tour.
According to Karin’s description, it was a glittering golden cage that indeed fit the Celestial Maiden’s persona.
The meeting with the Blood Emperor this time was in another branch of Fiend, but it turned out to be a cathedral.
In Ceylon Cemetery, a cathedral was a rare and revered edifice. The entire church was holy and magnificent. At the center of the Sanctuary was not a crucifix but a large statue of a compassionate, six-winged angel.
It was said that this was the territory of another high-ranking member of Fiend, Ega, who possessed an SSR Michael Angel Card and took it as his faith.
On normal days, many people from Ceylon City would come to the first floor to pray, treading lightly once inside.
Karin led Wen Jiang up to the second floor of the cathedral.
The first floor was tall enough to accommodate the angel statue, so the second floor appeared cramped, and the light was dim.
A long corridor to the far left of the church extended to its end, laid with expensive carpet. Rooms appeared at intervals on the right side of the corridor.
Wen Jiang had excellent hearing. Upon entering the second floor, she could occasionally hear suppressed, low sobs.
Karin seemed indifferent as she said, "Ega is an S-Rank Spirit Card Master who prefers peace and quiet; he doesn’t appreciate noise in the church."
But no sooner had she spoken than a loud BANG came from a room at the end of the hallway as its door was flung open. Just as they stepped further in, someone was thrown out. The person’s body was smeared with blood, making them unrecognizable, and a man’s furious roar could be heard: "Blood Emperor, what do you mean by doing this on my turf? This person is one of the Celestial Maiden’s people! You act before she returns, so when she gets angry, you’ll be fine, but you’re leaving me to take the heat?"
Karin’s smile froze instantly. "..."
She subconsciously glanced at Wen Jiang, almost instinctively wanting to pull Helena away. She recognized the voice as Ega’s; it was clear there had been a conflict with the Blood Emperor, and it was best for those lower in rank like them not to get involved.
Unfortunately, it was already too late; another person emerged from the room.
A single glance at him was terrifying.
He was tall, almost exceeding two meters, with an unbelievably robust and bald physique. He wore no clothes, but his body was encased in a massive suit of armor that seemed to have fused deeply into his flesh. Wen Jiang could see rows of iron hooks pierced through his arms.
Scars had formed on his muscles, indicating the armor had been on his body for some years.
A regular person would be filled with terror at a mere glance.
The man he had thrown out was barely breathing, covered in blood, unrecognizable, his limbs twisted at odd angles, clearly broken.
Wen Jiang stared at the man without blinking.
The armored man glanced at Wen Jiang and Karin. Before Karin could retreat, he spoke in a deep, resonant voice, "The Blood Emperor said to let you in."
His sudden voice also hushed the people inside the room. As they approached the door, they saw two people inside, the tension thick between them.
To say they were poised for confrontation might be an overstatement; one sat on the sofa with an air of nonchalance, while the other appeared flustered and exasperated.
This person had to be Ega, another leader of Fiend.
Unlike the Blood Emperor’s scholarly gentleness, Ega truly lived up to his name, with a ferocious look about him, as if he could slash someone at any second.
Seeing them enter abruptly, Ega swallowed the words he was about to say, gave the Blood Emperor a fierce glare, and turned to leave.
Only then did the Blood Emperor speak leisurely, "Ega, he brought trouble to Fiend and Ceylon City because he couldn’t keep his hands clean. Even if the Celestial Maiden finds out, she won’t object."
Ega paused for a moment, then strode out decisively.
As he left, he seemed to grumble at the tall man, "Make sure you clean it up nicely! My carpet is very expensive. If you don’t get it clean, Blood Emperor, you owe me a new one!"
Karin finally entered the room stiffly, bringing Wen Jiang with her.
Compared to her awkwardness at witnessing an argument between the higher-ups, Wen Jiang was unfazed. Upon entering the room, she even glanced at the tall man.
She saw him silently bend down and drag away the ’Blood Man’ he had thrown out earlier.
When they entered, the Blood Emperor greeted them with his usual amiable smile. "Did I scare you?"
Karin forced a smile. "No."
Wen Jiang remained silent.
The Blood Emperor glanced at Wen Jiang. "Ega is just temperamental like that. He was unhappy about some matters being handled on his territory this time."
After saying that, he glanced at the bloodstains on the carpet outside and continued, as if to himself, "After all, if someone does wrong and doesn’t pay the price, how can they deserve to stay in Ceylon City?"
His words sent an involuntary shiver down one’s spine; at least, Wen Jiang saw Karin tremble slightly.
Although his words seemed to carry a hidden meaning, she decided the Blood Emperor was just full of hot air.
Blinking, her expression had remained calm since she entered, undisturbed even by the bloody scene. The Blood Emperor’s gaze lingered on her for an extra two seconds before he continued with his gentle smile, "This time, you’ve achieved the highest sales of the month, bringing impressive results to the Sixth Division. As per my rule, I always reward the top performer of the month, as long as the request is within reasonable limits."
How could she know what defined those ’reasonable limits’?
She nonchalantly thought for a moment, then said indifferently, "I don’t really want anything."
This was somewhat odd. Wen Jiang didn’t seem like the type to perform acts of charity, and she hadn’t even mentioned her brother.
Karin glanced at Wen Jiang strangely.
The Blood Emperor watched Wen Jiang intently. His pupils were pure black and unreadable, making it impossible to guess his thoughts. In the uncomfortable silence, he suddenly said, "I have an A-Rank Card here, quite unique. It’s called ’Dancer from Hell,’ with a Xi Zhou style. Perhaps you might recognize it."
Just from the name, it sounded sinister... and somehow familiar.
The Blood Emperor gestured, and a card materialized before Wen Jiang.
It depicted a blonde woman in ballet attire. Her long hair was pulled up, she had golden eyes, and she was striking a dancer’s pose. However, the background hinted at bloodshed. Her pointe shoes were lightly poised on a row of steel knives, and blood seeped from beneath her feet. Yet, there was no sign of pain in the woman’s eyes, only a cold gaze directed toward Wen Jiang.