Free Web NovelChapter 497: Chapter 498 Bandit Hideout_1
The next morning, a carriage was stopped at a checkpoint in the valley.
"Have we arrived?" Aiden, sitting with his arms crossed in the carriage, lifted the curtain of the window and looked out.
"This is just an outpost; the camp of the Revenge Temple is still a bit further in," explained the receptionist sitting opposite him.
That very night Aiden had requested contact with the Revenge Temple, the secret police had given an affirmative response.
However, at dawn the next day, the receptionist had arranged a carriage for Aiden. After nearly three hours of travel, Aiden was delivered to a remote mountainous area on the border of the Gistas Kingdom, a godforsaken place where even a small mountain village was hard to find.
The checkpoint was quite rudimentary, with two tents for resting on either side of the mountain road. The guards were two casually dressed mercenaries, one with a covered face, holding a shotgun and pistol, and the other shirtless, carrying a rifle. The barricade was made of interleaved wooden barriers wrapped in barbed wire, with two horses tied by the roadside, next to a flatbed cart used for transporting goods.
"It looks just like a bandit’s stronghold," Aiden remarked in a low voice.
"They are not regular soldiers after all," the receptionist replied, "But they aren’t like those counterfeits. Almost all of them are madmen who fear nothing; in a real fight, with not much difference in equipment, ordinary regular troops might not necessarily be able to outfight them." frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
"Counterfeits? Are there fake and genuine Revenge Temples?" Aiden asked, feigning ignorance, as he wanted to gauge how much the royal secret police knew about this matter.
Most of the Revenge Temple mercenary groups that had appeared on the continent were actually just "franchisees" under the banner of the Revenge Temple, which they joined through a simple induction. After the main group of the Revenge Temple had been destroyed by the conspiracy of the goddess of schemes controlling the Blood Moon Cult from behind the scenes, the banner of the Revenge Temple not only lost its meaning but also posed a potential risk. Those ordinary mercenary groups that had only used the name of the Revenge Temple for profit swiftly changed their banners.
The "counterfeits" the receptionist referred to were obviously those groups, but this matter was hardly a secret.
The key lay in certain groups of the Revenge Temple who, like the main group, were true followers of the goddess of vengeance. These groups’ core members consisted mainly of fanatical followers who had offered up absolute loyalty to the goddess of vengeance through "sacrificial" powers. Even if the goddess of vengeance fell and her authority was usurped, their loyalty would not change.
The difference between them and the counterfeits mentioned earlier is that even if the main group is destroyed, they would still not abandon their faith, continuing to operate under the banner of the Revenge Temple. freёwebnovel.com
"It’s not so much about being fake or real as it is about the difference between fanatics and ordinary followers," the receptionist answered evenly, "Any fanatic of a religion, compared to normal people, is either a lunatic or a fool without exception."
From this response, Aiden gauged that the secret police had a limited understanding of the true nature of the Revenge Temple. The royal secret police obviously only investigated foreign organizations that could pose a threat to the safety of the Kingdom in depth—like the Witches’ Gathering—whereas the Revenge Temple, in their eyes, was just a group of mercenaries without a stance. For small countries in tumultuous regions, mercenary groups were both tools and a risk. For a military power like Gistas, mercenaries were simply tools.
Aiden watched as the secret policeman driving the carriage negotiated with the guards in a language he didn’t understand, then showed something, to which the guards removed the barricade and let them pass.
Aiden tried shouting out to the goddess of vengeance in his mind, "Do you have any followers among these two men?"
"All of the Revenge Temple are my followers, but if you’re asking if they are ’faithful followers’... these two are not," the goddess of vengeance replied directly in his mind.
"Why would Your Excellency come to such a den of terrorists?" the receptionist in the carriage suddenly asked.
"All along this journey, you’ve kept silent about my purpose, I used to think you really wouldn’t ask any unnecessary questions," Aiden shifted his gaze, "or are you worried about my personal safety?"
"That, I’m not worried about. As for professional principles, I shouldn’t ask. If the superiors think you can have contact with the Blood Moon Cult, then it is permissible. But personally, I do still have a little curiosity," the receptionist said.
"Then you might as well ask your superiors directly," Aiden pushed the question back at him.
The receptionist smiled, not replying. Of course, it would be impossible for him to directly inquire about things the superiors were unwilling to disclose. Permitting an individual with an unclear purpose to communicate freely with a group of terrorists within the Kingdom’s borders was utterly unimaginable for those not in the know. But from his position, he would never dare to question the commands of his superiors.
The carriage entered deep into the valley, and Aiden caught sight of a treehouse, with the gaps in the curtains revealing the barrels of guns, seemingly with people peering out from behind them. Further inside, a camp appeared.
Just as Aiden was about to step down from the carriage, the receptionist promptly stopped him, "Please allow me to negotiate first. Not a single person here is easy to deal with, and it’s unwise for a woman to wander carelessly in this place, even with a veil on."
Aiden was still using the appearance of the vengeful goddess, only this time, when he used the "substitute" ability, he had conveniently added a veil for himself.
Aiden quietly remained seated in the carriage, watching as the receptionist alighted and talked with a mercenary approaching the carriage.
Just as he was preparing to inquire with the vengeful goddess, the vengeful deity suddenly appeared opposite him.
"I can feel it," the vengeful deity revealed a twisted smile through her parted lips.
"Your followers?" Aiden asked.
"Right there," the vengeful deity pointed in a certain direction.
Aiden once again lifted the curtain to look in that direction and saw, at the rear of the camp and beneath a cliff, a simply decorated cave entrance, with bonfire stands lit on either side and two masked mercenaries with guns standing guard.
Faintly, the powerful singing from within the cave could be heard.
"What is that?" Aiden’s brows knit slightly.
"Perhaps, that’s my temple," the vengeful deity chuckled, "My followers regularly conduct sacrifices for me. When I still held power, I could establish direct contact with all followers who had demonstrated loyalty through ’sacrifice.’ Now, I can’t hear their prayers anymore, but they certainly continue their rituals."
"Not bad at all, congratulations on coming home," Aiden responded calmly, "I wonder, now that you’re home, do you have any plans of your own?"
"What plans could I have? I’m locked up in your body and still restricted by that damned book," the vengeful deity retorted.
"That’s not necessarily true. What if one of your followers offered their body to you voluntarily... you might be able to break free from this ’prison,’" Aiden said seriously, "I hope you won’t do something that foolish, otherwise, I’d have to chase down a fugitive right then and there."
