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Card Name: [Soliciting Bribes]

Category: Spell Card

Star Rating: 3 Stars

Effect: During the opponent's main phase, once per turn, the opponent must choose to pay at least 5 Soul Points, after which both players can select a Follower Card with a star level equal to X from the graveyard or deck and add it to their hand. (X is the number of Soul Points paid by the opponent).

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Goodness, another Cost Reduction Card.

Shen Sui glanced at this card, sighing inwardly.

Just the cards [Sitting on the Ground and Raising the Price], [Give Me Money], and [Toll] already made the opponent very uncomfortable, and now here's another similar card.

However, compared to the previous Life Card, this card still carries some risk since it allows the opponent to search once.

But after all, it's only 3 cost, so it's acceptable.

Alice didn't refuse either and very readily pocketed the demon crystal handed over by Diluo.

Since she had already accepted the payment, her attitude naturally had to change.

Although Alice's expression showed no change, her attitude towards Diluo improved a lot, no longer harping on the Elm City issue.

Diluo invited Alice to stay and then left with a smile.

Alice squinted her eyes, watching Diluo's departing figure.

She began to ponder.

From beginning to end, she only saw Diluo in the Andrew Church. So where were the other church personnel? Logically, a city as large as Andrew City shouldn't be staffed with so few church members.

Not even the Thunder Knight Order was seen.

This was extremely strange.

Alice released the spiritual life forms from her body.

As spirit entities, they existed like ghosts on the Dawn Continent.

The spiritual creatures transformed into Alice's scouts, probing outward bit by bit from Alice's room.

Soon, they reported back.

After translation by Lingyi, Alice finally confirmed that the entire church was now empty.

No Thunder Knight Order, no clerics, only Bishop Diluo of Andrew City.

Alice instantly sensed something was wrong.

She promptly got up, called Anna who was nearby, and left the room.

The Andrew Church still looked the same as it did a few years ago.

Alice walked silently through the church corridors, just like when she was little.

Back then, she failed to burn down this church because she took the wrong gunpowder.

And now, Alice had become an extraordinary person, but she no longer planned to just burn down a single church.

She wanted to burn down the entire Church of the Master of Thunder.

The suffering of her village and all of South Roland should be cleansed in the flames.

Anna followed quietly behind Alice.

Alice walked straight towards the direction of the basement without any concealment.

The basement was quiet and dark.

Alice looked at the rune gate in front of her, showing difficulty, and called out to Claude in her heart.

Shen Sui, who had been silently observing Alice's actions, naturally appeared first.

He stood behind Alice, looked at the rune gate in front, and thought briefly.

"Can't unlock it? Claude?" Alice asked softly.

"Um... how should I put it, I'm not very good at this." Shen Sui couldn't very well say that he couldn't even understand what was on the door. After all, he was playing the game, not being played by it; this usually fell under the art category, and few players would delve into it, but not being good with runes didn't mean Shen Sui couldn't open this door.

Shen Sui extended a hand and then opened the door.

It was just that simple.

The powerful force directly ignored all sorts of intricate magical links, overlooked all sorts of strange constructions, and simply opened the door.

Of course, Shen Sui also casually protected the items within, preventing any mechanism from destroying what was stored inside.

As the basement door opened, what came into everyone's view was a massive magic array.

In the center of the magic array stood a huge torch.

At the moment the door was opened, the torch was ignited.

In the next moment, the entire magic array lit up with pure white flames.

A transparent magical gem slowly rose from the torch, exuding a captivating aura.

Andrew's Staff, Andrew's Magic Guidebook, and Andrew's Magic Crystal Ball—these magical tools originally stored in the storage ring automatically jumped out the moment the magic array was activated.

In the next moment, the flames on the magic array emitted an aura that kept people at a distance, slightly diminishing.

Alice cautiously tested, finding that the flames had no temperature, so she confidently walked up.

She turned her head to look at Shen Sui, as if asking whether she could proceed.

Shen Sui glanced over, unable to detect any dangerous aura, nor any malevolent intent, so he nodded to Alice.

Alice took a deep breath and walked straight towards the central torch.

Until she stood in front of the torch did Alice notice that there was a line of words written on it.

[Dawn will eventually come.]

[Welcome, fated one.]

Shen Sui immediately recognized it as Andrew's handwriting; the words were identical to the notes in Andrew's Magic Guidebook.

Before Alice could react, the transparent gemstone burst into a pure white light.

In this light, the three Andrew's Magical Artifacts floating beside Alice emitted a white glow.

{Ding! Your Equipment Spell Card[Andrew's Staff]has been transformed into[Dawn Relic: Dawn Staff].}

{Ding! Your Equipment Spell Card[Andrew's Magic Guidebook]has been transformed into[Dawn Relic: Book of Dawn].}

{Ding! Your Equipment Spell Card[Andrew's Magic Crystal Ball]has been transformed into[Dawn Relic: Dawn Crystal].}

"Eh?" Alice blinked her eyes cutely, clearly startled by the sudden change.

However, before Alice could react, that transparent gemstone seemed to have found its home and flew towards Alice's forehead.

Shen Sui squinted his eyes, confirming that the gemstone wouldn't harm Alice, so he allowed it to enter her body.

At the moment the gemstone collided with Alice, she instinctively activated her own power.

However, not only did her flame fail to block the gemstone's approach, it seemed to excite the gemstone even more.

Powerful energy surged into Alice's body.

The flames on her body seemed to gain a life of their own, flickering uncontrollably.

Alice's power began to elevate rapidly, and her aura transformed.

In this state, Alice ascended to the eighth level.

{Ding! Your Soul Card Follower has acquired a new form: Dawn Mage Alice}

The eighth level.

Shen Sui felt very pleased.

Who would have thought Alice would reach the eighth level so easily?

The raging flames engulfed the entire basement, yet the fire did not harm Alice in the slightest.

Anna anxiously peered from the doorway but lacked the means to enter the magic array without Andrew's Magical Artifacts, not even with the power of the thirteenth level.

Even though Andrew had been dead for years, the power he left behind still firmly suppressed the thirteenth level Anna, indicating he was indeed a fearsome Mage.

No wonder he could fight against the Master of the Fierce Sun.

Alice sensed the increase in her power.

She was also very delighted.

However, she soon became somewhat flustered.

"What do I do! Claude!" Alice anxiously spoke with tears at the corner of her eyes, "What do I do! The gemstone just conveyed to me that I can't break through my realm through cultivation anymore!"

Um...

Is it possible,

that you couldn't break through your realm through cultivation in the first place?

Alice was met with an anxious panic upon seeing the information conveyed by the gemstone, having no awareness of her capabilities.

"Is it completely impossible to grow? Or is there another way to advance?" Shen Sui asked calmly.

Alice did not conceal anything, and answered directly, "It seems that only after I complete significant world-altering events will my realm advance."

Um... Is it possible this was your method of advancing your realm all along?

Shen Sui finally believed Alice was naturally awakened with the power of Dawn, otherwise, they wouldn't resemble each other so closely.

Alice had accomplished the second purpose of her visit to Andrew City (the first being to facilitate contact between Claude and Martina).

And this commotion here couldn't possibly escape Diluo's notice, so Alice decided to leave quickly.

Yet...

"Bishop Adoma, it's very dangerous outside right now, that giant magical beast in the sky hasn't been dealt with, it's quite dangerous to go out at night." Diluo's figure appeared within the dark shadows.

Alice turned to Diluo and said, "Diluo, I need an explanation."

Diluo squinted and smiled, "Did something happen, Bishop Adoma?"

Alice fixed her gaze on Diluo: "Where is the Thunder Knight Order of Andrew City? According to church regulations, even if there's official business, there must be at least a squad of the Thunder Knight Order guarding the church to prevent scoundrels from desecrating the statue of the Master of Thunder. You're not complying with the regulations."

"Bishop Adoma, haven't I explained to you already?" Diluo implied.

Alice naturally understood what he meant; Diluo had already paid, and by Lady Adoma's usual behavior, it should be none of her business now.

In truth, churches everywhere rarely adhered to the regulations of the Church of Thunder.

The regulations claimed to collect only thirty percent in taxes, yet across the Roland Empire, which church starts at less than ninety percent?

"Some things I can ignore." Alice said to Diluo, "But some things are foundational issues."

"Oh..." Diluo looked at Alice with a half-smile, "So our Lady Adoma also cares about so-called principles? But.... are you really Adoma?"

With a change of expression, Diluo's entire demeanor became terrifying.

"Or are you some imposter disguised as Adoma?" Diluo's voice turned sharp, "Hand over the Andrew's legacy you obtained!"

Alice's sudden promotion, though Shen Sui quickly acted to conceal the aura, was still a step too late.

Diluo was now furious.

He was deceived.

And by an eighth-level individual no less!

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