Chapter 163: The Contaminated Druid_1

Chapter 163: Chapter 163: The Contaminated Druid_1

Around the long table, the Great Witches of the witch gathering were engaged in a tactical meeting.

"The Lurin people? Never heard of them," Habanis said, her hand propping her cheek, "With such a perverted method of worship, which Evil God do they venerate?"

"That is no Evil God, but the Wilderness King who fell five hundred years ago, the divine wolf that bore the mantle of life. The last tribe of Lurin people disappeared around then," Abigail answered her question.

"You’re kidding. Those who worshiped the Wilderness King in ancient times were those druids who enjoyed what they called ’the grand harmony of life,’ weren’t they?" Habanis frowned, "I remember these people being quite tolerant of other faiths. Would they indulge in such a vile hobby as live animal barbecues?"

"The ancestors of the Lurin people were indeed druids, and amongst the most devout ones at that. They actively sought traces of the Wilderness King, wishing to serve their lord in person. It’s said that they indeed encountered him and even received the ’blessing’ of their god. Then those fulfilled druids radically altered the druidic doctrines they followed, and established a new heretical tribe in the valleys of the Lurin mountains," Abigail explained without much inflection.

"Heh, they went mad, right?" Lamia laughed.

Ordinary people who directly receive the Divine Decrees of a ruler, or who directly gaze upon the part of a ruler’s real face that contains their authority, would be subjected to different degrees of spiritual contamination.

"But the druids’ shape-shifting magic, if used properly, can be utilized to utter Divine Decrees, and their meditation can resist spiritual contamination," Qiqimora pondered, "As for going collectively mad to such an extent?"

"What was truly contaminated at the time wasn’t them, but the Wilderness King himself. After seeing their worshipped god, this contamination also spread to the followers. Although the Lurin people are a bunch of undoubted lunatics, regardless, their techniques are indeed quite effective," Abigail replied indifferently, then looked towards Vila, "How is the construction proceeding?"

"The workshop is now producing five wicker men per day. The efficiency can’t be increased any further, and there’s a limit to how many puppets I can control at the same time," Vila replied softly after a moment of silence.

After failing to assassinate Aiden and thereby losing the mercury amalgam golem Abigail had given her, she had lost her standing to continue being stubborn.

Now she had been summoned by Abigail to one of the venues specially used for witch gatherings within the Banquet Forest. There, she erected a workshop dedicated to crafting golems like the wicker men for the defense of the Banquet Forest, which, alongside the magical beasts Abigail had tamed, hunted down the Black Goat Nuns who were scouting the way and the Bounty Hunters hired by the cult.

Wicker men were highly effective guardians. Their manufacturing cost was far less than those solid constructs made of brick, stone, or steel. Although their initial combat power was inferior, after devouring their prey as sacrifices and being set ablaze, their combat power would skyrocket. The runes carved into the willow allowed the flames to be firmly controlled within the cage made of willow, preventing the fire from spreading to the forest vegetation.

With Vila ceaselessly creating golems within the Banquet Forest, the Harvest Mother Cult would not be able to continue advancing into the Banquet Forest with ease.

"That will suffice. The ’reproduction’ rate of the Black Goats also has its limits," Abigail nodded, then turned to Qiqimora and Habanis, "How are your investigations going?"

Among the Great Witches, Habanis excelled at flying magic that allowed rapid movement across different locations, while Qiqimora could infiltrate various places by leveraging Divine Decrees. Therefore, Abigail had entrusted them with the task of spying on the Harvest Mother Cult’s movements.

"I found one of their proselytizing strongholds in the Empire. I intended to capture a nun there for interrogation, but that person actually committed suicide," Habanis shrugged, "Turns out the useless male members of the cult revealed that quite a number of nuns had disappeared recently, their whereabouts unknown. Since there was nothing useful to be wrung out of them, I just went ahead and slaughtered the lot."

"Those nuns are ’proliferated’ splits from the main body. They will only follow the will of the mother completely. It’s better not to expect to extract any information from them," Abigail concluded, then shifted her gaze toward Qiqimora.

"I found their stronghold in the outskirts of Silvertown, in the autonomous state, and Father Bales, he was there preaching," Qiqimora replied while puffing on a rolled cigarette, "Just like when he was in Gistas and the Empire, he’s still building his network by selling his ’daughters’ for money. I had the fortune to witness it once, such a scene, tsk tsk tsk..."

"Disgusting," Vila commented with a frown.

"Did you find the source of the nuns?" Abigail asked.

"Next to the priest, there was a nun wearing a black robe, and her aura was completely different from that of ordinary nuns; her status seemed much higher, and she had considerable decision-making power within the cult. I think maybe she is the priest’s first generation ’daughter’," Qiqimora answered.

"Ah, I think I heard from the male followers that a nun named Neve in a black robe follows the priest," Habanis added as if she suddenly remembered.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Do you have any information other than the name?" Abigail asked Habanis again.

"Nope," Habanis replied, spreading her hands.

"Your impatience really isn’t suited for gathering intelligence," Lamia criticized in a raspy voice, "You haven’t even finished asking before you killed the person."

"You do it if you’re so capable!" Habanis retorted without backing down.

Lamia didn’t continue the argument but turned to consult Abigail, "What should we do then? Should we try to take out that nun first?"

The others also focused their attention on Abigail.

Lamia’s suggestion was a very pragmatic approach. From the intelligence they had collected, Father Bales, as the leader of the cult, was very likely a saint who was close to the ’breeding’ authority. Instead of confronting such an opponent head-on, it would be better to cut off his wings first.

The nuns of the Harvest Mother Cult mostly originate from the same source, the progeny bred by the Divine Decrees inherits abilities partly from the source, and the level of ’breeding’ declines further down the line. The combat skills and necromancy wielded by the battle nuns deep in Banquet Forest are inherited from the source.

If they could eliminate the original source, the combat level of the Harvest Mother Cult would drop by a notch directly.

"Let’s not be hasty to make a move. The situation in Banquet Forest has stabilized, and we have enough time," Abigail decided after a brief consideration, "To be honest, I’m a bit curious about their purpose in going to the autonomous state. Qiqimora, any reply from Aiden Galahad?"

"None yet, such an indecisive man," Qiqimora sighed.

"Then let’s divulge the cult’s stronghold information to him and use the heresy tribunal there to restrain the cult for the time being," Abigail said leisurely.