CHAPTER 168: | TROUBLED TIMES

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  ~ ? ~ West of the Lahaina Empire — In the Evernight Church ~ ? ~

  In the deepest place of the Evernight Church where none of the common believers had knowledge of it, four figures could be seen seated on a round table. Anastasia, now clothed in priestly robes that graced her curves, could be seen staring at the messiah who was also clothed not so differently from her subordinate. Anastasia organized her thoughts for her reports.

  "Messiah, like sister Aliya had said, my bloodline that you've given me had undergone a mutation due to an unknown influence, which I could say the state of my mind and emotion at the time affecting it's transition to a queen lineage." Said Anastasia as she proceeded to stand from her seat, then said to Aliya. "Sister, please help me."

  Aliya nodded at her sister's command as Anastasia turned her back, while her sister neatly bundled her long golden hair in a bun. She then gently undid the knots in her robes, revealing the milky white skin at her back. Red runic markings that weren't there when the messiah had last checked it could be seen prominently engraved in there, but before Aliya could continue to undress her sister, the messiah voice cut through the silence. "I see the point Anastasia, so strip no more."

  Hearing their messiah words, Aliya stopped her actions. She was slightly embarrassed since it was a first for her to help another woman undress, but soon she calmed herself as she tied the fabric that she had undone earlier back into a knot, before she returned in her seat. She stared at the messiah who was perched in the highest stone place in the highest platform of the roundtable, who could be seen meticulously noting down Anastasia words from their earlier conversations along with the subtle changes in her body.

  First she stared at Anastasia hair that only to find that there was no changes except the subtleties that it had became more silkier than ever, more healthier than before. And instead of completely turning silver when her lineage advanced to the queen's lineage, it instead didn't change and stayed golden, which she indeed find odd since anastasia herself had become a lesser copy of her master. At least there were some difference like her master more mature and refined compared to Anastasia, though it was a stark reminder that she still longed for her master.

  "Hahaha, how invigorating. I didn't think that I missed my master." Her words were a whisper, but samantha didn't have the time to dwell on lingering attachment since she for sure will rescue her master in the depths of the world where the supreme god skaira sealed her in an unknown place. So she didn't emphasized much in this thoughts as her eyes were scanning Anastasia from head to toe, but first she would start at her eye's which were even redder than ever. But compared or to compare it to the eyes of their messiah or samantha own pupils which had a deeper color would be naught.

  Because if one had the guts stare for too long at messiah pupils, their mind would be sucked in a space that they wouldn't be able to escape. As the structure of her pupils were so peculiar that it resembled that of an aquatic reptile called a crocodile in earth terms, or for more accuracy it resembled the pupils of the 'latvian race' which were rumored to be the most beautiful, most alluring, most mysterious pupils in the entire realm. So comparing a the differences of Anastasia pupils which were akin to that of a pheasant to their messiah which were akin to a phoenix is naught but foolish.

  Time seemed to pass by as samantha noted down Anastasia lips which took a deeper tint of red making her more alluring. Then she stared at her face as the symmetry of her facial structure were more perfect than ever, while also her skin had became whiter, milkier, more supple as she nodded since it was a strong trait of the creature of the night. Then her gaze dropped down to Anastasia neck, then settled into her chest as samantha begrudgingly clenched her pen but not strong enough to break her cherished pen. As she stared for Anastasia chest for the second time, then sighed in defeat as Anastasia chest while it had shrunk drastically but to compare it to her own were foolish since Anastasia was still bigger and even firmer than Samantha's own breast, which she find distasteful. But theres really nothing that she could do right there... well at least she could complain that her bloodline weren't so great after all in that er... department.

  In the other hand, Aliya was incredible nervous as samantha begun to tap her slender fingers into the table. Thought she did nothing wrong, Aliya could still feel the pressure of the messiah attention to hers. Her instincts told her that if she stayed silent for a little longer, something bad would happen to her. But unbeknownst to her, samantha was just jealous at her breast size and nothing more. But Aliya, oblivious to their messiah jealousy, panicked but before could she confess her sins that she knows nothing off, the door burst open.

  Then a pale petite woman entered the room. Her strides were confident than the last as she stared at her two sisters, then greeted them via voice transmission as she bowed at their messiah to show her respect. Then she sat in one of the empty seats as she pulled something from her storage rings, then forwarded it to their messiah. Since in this time period not many knows how to use their inventory, so a storage ring were a most for adventures, mercenaries or templars.

  Their messiah receiving the report papers nodded as shuxie, who was sweating from the heat of the deserts that she had trudged for days of no end to reach here, smiled at the messiah attentions as she reported. "Messiah, the situations at the oasis had became direr than ever, more perilous than before. Though we have already anticipated the outcomes of the two kingdom bordering it would declare war at each other upon the discovery we've unveiled."

  Her voice came to a halt to let her two other sisters absorb her words, then she glanced at messiah who wore smirk in her face as she smiled. 'My speculations had been proven to be true! It seems that the messiah really sent us to incite war at the two kingdom since why would she foolishly sent us there to stagnate?!'

  Shuxie frantic monologue were interrupted as anastasia said calmly. "Messiah, my sister's is in trouble. Please deploy me in there."

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  Their messiah shook her head as she stared at shuxie for a while, then at Anastasia as she said warmly. "Hmm, indeed the situation on the oasis is dire but not that dangerous since fenda had already exited the stage. Also you're not needed there Anastasia since there's another stage for you to appear."

  Thought unwilling, Anastasia nodded as she stared at shuxie, then sent a voice transmission to her which shuxie comforted her that they could handle the trial of the messiah. And after comforting her stubborn sister, shuxie continued her reports. "Messiah, if I may be direct, wouldn't using a mana crystal vein that big to be a loss if we only incite two kingdoms to war?"

  Their messiah smiled alluringly, then stored the reports in her inventory as she said softly. "Indeed it's a loss to sacrifice a mine that big, so I be leaving it to you're Excellency to eat since he had been whining to me for months of no end that he needed mana to execute his skills."

  Alister hearing her words chuckled, then laughed as he said. "Huhuhu, indeed I've been whining like an infant for the past few months at my lack of mana to execute mercy in an instant, so a massive mana crystal vein is pretty much eye-catching for me at this moment."

  All of the girls present in the room except samantha could feel a visible pressure as their excellency spoke that he had been embarrassingly whined at their mistress for more than a month. But none of them could scorn him since the relationship of their messiah and excellency were just to good that they've been doing it outdoor. So all of them exchanged a glance at each other, then gulped altogether as they've stared at their excellency, then into their messiah as they've whispered to each other via voice transmission. Though they've stopped soon as their messiah spoke. "Hmm, it's all within my expectations but I felt like something is amiss, so do be careful shuxie since I neither want to lose any of you sisters out there in the hands of filthy men."

  Listening to the messiah words made Shuxie tremble as her face turned feverish. She couldn't believe that her speculation to be true, also she couldn't believe that her plan to incite war to the two kingdom were within their messiah view, and also their messiah were worried at their wellbeing. So she smiled in a fanatical light as her mind went into overdrive.

  'Hihihi, I didn't expect the messiah to already foresee this how convenient, also she seems to be right to be worried about us since from what my spies had uncovered the governor of the peta kingdom is entering this war and it could only meant a thing.' Shuxie pondered, then she deduced how chaotic this war would be as sweat trickled down to her neck. As she realized that not only will the governor of the peta kingdom would enter this war but also the governor of the loika kingdom, which were a threat that they couldn't handle at this moment.

  Though she was disoriented at this realization, shuxie quickly recovered since this meanth that invading the imperial capital of both kingdom would be easier since both of the powerhouse of the two kingdoms would be at each other's throat. So she smirked, then chuckled since this meant that she had greatly succeeded in her messiah test, a test to see if they were capable to remain in their position as one of the few sisters that she could entrust the expansion of the church. Shuxie face turned as red as tomato as her nose bleed from her zeal, and her sisters noticing her state facepalmed themselves as they've stared at their messiah to see her reactions.

  "Haaa... shuxie, stop overreacting in situations as important as this one! You had my warning, so maintain you're composure at all times so none can exploit you for being foolish. And yes, just as you have already guessed, the two of you sisters had successfully passed the test, so I congratulate you." Calmly said Samantha as all three girls nodded at her words, but Anastasia was staring at her as she was expecting something, and samantha didn't fail her as she continued. "Hmm, as for Anastasia you've impressed me at the mutations that you've achieved without my assistance, so I too congratulate you're promotion into the lineage of queens."

  Anastasia smiled, then bowed her head with pride evident in her face as she asked. "Then messiah, in commemoration to the expansion of the church as the family had reached a thousand members, perhaps it is time for us to create a systematic command systems which is divided into two orders."

  Samantha nodded at her words since she too was already pondering on how could she improve the command chains in her church. So after hearing Anastasia ideas of creating two orders, Samantha smiled as she stared at the ceiling where the darkness of the night were evident, then she stared at the statue of the goddess of the night or her figure sculpted into a marble as she smiled. "That's a good idea Anastasia, so gather the sisters that desires to rescue their fellow sisters at the cruelty of men along with Aliya to create an order that saves and punish those who mistreats women."

  Then she stared at shuxie, ignoring as the two women bowed and said in reverence. "May the Goddess's grace bless us, Children of the Night." As they've left the room after saying goodbye to their good sister shuxie, samanatha witnessing shuxie expectant eyes smiled, then chuckled. "Then as for you shuxie, you'll be henceforth in charge as the brain of the church while Fenda taking account of her character will be the face of our cult. Thus you are to create a single order with two sides of the same coin, as for the name of the order you and you're sister is to decide it, so you may leave and inform you're sister."

  Shuxie nodded, then stood from her seat as she bowed, then said with reverence "May the Goddess's grace bless us, Children of the Night." Then she left the room leaving samantha alone with her beloved husband sitting next to her as she returned to read the reports of Ishtar, then into solia who had arrived at the imperial capital of the empire, then at the report of lumicor who had finally reported to her after a month. "Hmm, it seems that the governor is more interesting than I had thought. I didn't think that he's that insane as to prepare an insane tribute to us."

  Her gaze stared at the reports of Ishtar, but then a slender hands more slender than hers picked the letter, then read it as Samantha's smirked at her husband interest, then stared at him as she whispered into his ears. "It's interesting isn't it? I too didn't think that the governor of loika is preparing to collude with the ohar clan using this opportunity to fake his death along with his family."

  ? --- ?

  [Master, it seems that the governor is planning to collude with the ohar clan using this war to orchestrate the demise of the kingdom and to fake our death so that we could live safely outside of the empires confines. P.S. Ishtar.]

  ? --- ?

  Alister sitting right besides her couldn't help but laugh since how could he not when the upright and self righteous governor of the loika kingdom were about to sacrifice that same kingdom in an attempt to break free from the confines of the empire. So he gently put the letter into the table, then whispered to samantha gently. "Huhuhu, you've already become capable enough samantha as to not require my help for this matter right? If so, I should venture out for now in search of Izrael location along with the dragon emperor and amara after I had my fill."

  Sitting next to him, samantha sighed since she knows that this was an inevitable, but she tried to tug at his sleeves in an attempt to dissuade him from leaving her right this moment since who would satisfy her every night? But alister ever elusive had already vanished like a ghost, leaving her behind sighing as she muttered coldly. "Haaa, so this is how you wanted to play it?"