Pleasant and delightful~~~

Not all mornings are the same. Li Xin opened his eyes, feeling refreshed, really refreshed. He bounced up from bed, stretched his limbs, and saw breakfast on the table along with a note and a key.

"I took the draft,

Mahler Street, No. 88, Room 109. Let me know before you come."

Li Xin weighed the key in his hand, a proud smile curling at his lips. He instinctively glanced around and began eating breakfast. Christie had been a workaholic in her past life, blending life and work seamlessly.

Li Xin went to the window, taking in the morning sun, enjoying the delicious naan. It tasted pretty good, not like old Morton's family's. This was so tasty, he wondered where Christie bought it. Outside were lush tropical trees with large leaves, he didn't know their name, but they were everywhere. The morning was not as scorching, with a bit of coolness, giving off a vacation vibe. It was really comfortable, and he was starting to enjoy life in Hedan.

While he was relishing his breakfast, suddenly there was a commotion outside the inn, followed by the rapid thumping of footsteps on the stairs. Shortly after, with a bang, the door was flung open. Li Xin stood there in his shorts, holding a piece of naan, still a bit groggy from waking up, looking at the hurried Simmons and Celestia. Only then did Simmons realize his rudeness, while Celestia's widened eyes were filled with curiosity.

"Brother Li, something bad happened. Isaac's notes have been stolen," Simmons said, "The Metropolitan wants us to go to the church immediately."

Li Xin opened his mouth, damn, just last night he suspected their target might be the notes, and now they're gone already?

How efficient is that?

"Right away, let me change." Li Xin said, nibbling on the naan, as he began rummaging through his clothes, "You two aren't planning to watch me change, are you?"

"I wouldn't mind." Celestia flashed a mischievous grin, but before she could finish speaking, Simmons dragged her away.

"Brother Li, hurry up, people from the Church Court have arrived too."

Men changing clothes can't exactly be described as fast. Li Xin quickly followed Simmons and Celestia downstairs. The others, including Dragon Mother, were giving Simmons sulking looks, wondering why Young Master Simmons was ignoring them.

This time it was serious. Simmons didn't have the time to chatter. The three of them climbed into a carriage and sped towards the Great Cathedral.

Inside the carriage, Li Xin finally got the details. At dawn, the Great Cathedral was attacked. Someone broke in, killing and injuring many, and stole Isaac's notes.

"Brother Li, the Great Cathedral is guarded by Church Court knights, all outstanding graduates from the Knight Academy. Those five clergy members are even more powerful; one is actually the captain of the Tribunal, who has already activated the Fourth Life Star, making it convenient for our investigation. It also feels like there's a baiting element involved." Simmons said.

Li Xin nodded, never underestimating the Earth Mother Goddess Court. Such an easily taken relic had seemed odd from the start. When he and Christie analyzed it last night, they felt it was unwise to be deeply involved, while also suspecting it wasn't just a Church Court setup, now it seemed it really was.

"Everything was prepared, yet Number Two got away. How many came?"

Simmons smiled wryly, "I heard it was just one, terrifyingly so. Five Tribunal people, three dead, two seriously injured, over twenty high-ranking knights suffered various injuries, and the person just burst through and escaped."

"Did a Demigod show up?" Li Xin was taken aback. Were they this bold?

"No, if it were a Demigod, it would be a different story. The Pope or even Grandmaster Vladimir would be involved," Celestia shook her head. "The intruder was a top expert. We don't have specifics. Only one person broke in, but there must have been external support or else he couldn't have vanished without a trace after leaving the church."

"The knowledge about the relic being sent to the church was a very confidential matter, known to only a few. The opponent knew immediately and acted just as swiftly. The Church Court has now launched a targeted investigation." Simmons said.

Li Xin nodded, knowing that the trip to the church would involve everyone being investigated. If they weren't sent by Prince Achilles, it might not have been Simmons who came, but Tribunal enforcers.

The carriage raced on. Number Two's power was immense. An insider from the Church Court?

A daring speculation, Night Patrol?

Not very likely; the motive behind it didn't require deep consideration. Between nations, between the Earth Mother Goddess and Moon God, there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests. Issues within the Earth Mother Goddess Court can't really be considered bad for the Moon God's Court.

Li Xin didn't need to speculate too far. These dirty and arduous tasks were highly unlikely for the Night Patrol to handle directly, as they would easily leave traces, which would be foolish. It wouldn't be fun turning Bird Society into Dead Bird Society when his career had just begun.

This was quite something. Number Two was audacious. Who had such a background to brazenly break into the Great Cathedral and then escape with something in hand, exhibiting both incredible courage and strength?

"Is there any intelligence on the intruder?" Li Xin asked.

"A man, very tall, supposedly got slashed once. We don't know much more. The city guard has already begun a search. Judging by the fighting style, he seems to be a knight, and his abilities are among the best on the Dao Yuan Continent." Simmons replied with a wry smile.

Lately, he had been repeatedly overwhelmed. While he never considered himself the strongest, he also didn't think he had many rivals, yet each new opponent seemed more outrageous than the last. Helldan's knightly path was said to be unparalleled on Dao Yuan, yet it seemed each encounter proved otherwise.

"It must have been Number Two. They have deep intelligence networks in Helldan and might even have insiders within our Church Court. Brother Li, as you analyzed yesterday, if Isaac deliberately mixed into the Church Court, it indicates they had internal support." Celestia said, "The attack happened that very night, specifically at dawn, suggesting whoever planned this knew of the Church Court's schedule."

Under normal circumstances, midnight might be the best time to attack, but the opponent chose dawn—a time when those on overnight duty had relaxed their vigilance and were about to change shifts.

The carriage arrived at the Great Cathedral, which was now under lockdown with city guards everywhere. The three quickly entered the church, immediately sensing the heavy atmosphere. The Metropolitan Bishop, Vaughn, was chatting with a middle-aged man in a black robe, Travis standing respectfully beside them. Upon seeing the three arrive, Bishop Vaughn waved them over.

"Let me introduce you. This is Fineal, the Grand Secretary of the Church Court Tribunal. The situation is very serious as Isaac's notes have been stolen, and everyone involved needs to be investigated." Vaughn said.

Fineal smiled slightly, "Bishop Vaughn, these are all trusted insiders present. I am merely fulfilling my duty to perform customary procedures, so please don't take offense. Let us proceed with the formalities."

Li Xin, Simmons, and Celestia were no fools. They knew what the Tribunal represented, and the demeanor of such a "kindly" Secretary was unusual.

"Before Secretary Fineal, answer all questions truthfully without any concealment!" Bishop Vaughn admonished sternly.

"Yes." The three immediately nodded in agreement.

Fineal gestured dismissively, smiling lightly, "You are the pillars of the younger generation. There's no need to be so serious. Come on, let's proceed one by one."

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