Chapter 110: Putting on an Act

Simply put, although the Gold Cloth was incredibly powerful, Link could not use it for the time being—much less rely on it to get them out of their predicament.

All he could do was curse the absurdity of the situation. Fortunately, after being repeatedly betrayed by the system, he had grown somewhat accustomed to being set up. He soon regained his composure and began considering other ways to escape.

Just then, a purple halo appeared on the stone door. A magic circle materialized across its surface, and Link immediately became tense. This meant that someone outside was casting an unlocking spell, and the magic had already begun to take effect. It would not be long before the stone door opened.

Link glanced at Ashmita, then at the Gold Cloth. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Forget it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Ashmita, come here and place your hand on the Cloth.”

“The Cloth? Wh-what Cloth?” Ashmita asked timidly.

“This one… Never mind. Just come here.”

Link stopped halfway through his explanation when he remembered that Ashmita could not see. He walked over, took her by the hand, and led her to the Gold Cloth, guiding her small hand onto the Virgo Gold Cloth.

At once, Ashmita’s delicate body trembled violently as though she had been struck by lightning. A resonant sound, almost like a heartbeat, rang out, leaving her stunned, while the Gold Cloth began to emit a faint golden radiance.

Link’s eyes lit up. This was the reaction of a Cloth recognizing its chosen wearer. He immediately asked, “Ashmita, how do you feel?”

Ashmita came back to herself, her expression filled with uncertainty and astonishment. “Such a magnificent presence… Such an incredible feeling. Archbishop, is its name the Virgo Gold Cloth?”

“You know about it? Did it tell you?”

Ashmita nodded and answered timidly, “Archbishop, its voice sounded in my mind. It said that it recognizes me as its wearer. B-but I can’t put it on.”

“You can’t put it on? Why not?” Link asked, puzzled.

Ashmita seemed to realize that Link wanted her to wear the Cloth. She lowered her head guiltily. “I’m sorry, Archbishop. I’m too weak. The Virgo Cloth said that I’m not yet qualified to wear it, so…”

“What the hell? If it recognizes her, why won’t it let her wear it? And what do you mean, she isn’t qualified? Are you trying to screw me over?”

Link nearly vomited blood. He silently cursed and glared fiercely at the Virgo Cloth. At a time like this, it still had to act so proud? It was a piece of equipment, not a living person or a mount. Why should it care whether its wearer was qualified?

He really wanted to kick the Cloth away, but even that would have been pointless. The Gold Cloth possessed a consciousness, but that consciousness was not truly alive. It was more like a program—an exceedingly rigid one, with no intelligence to speak of. It merely followed its preset rules, and those rules granted it the authority to choose its wearer. Even though Link was its true master, he could not alter that. Unless he somehow changed from being its user into its creator.

Boom!

At that moment, the unlocking spell took effect. The stone door finally began to open with the grinding sound of stone against stone. Link was about to cast a Holy Light Barrier over himself and Ashmita when two magic circles suddenly appeared beneath their feet.

The circles flared, and five chains formed from magical energy erupted from each one, wrapping tightly around Link and Ashmita and leaving them completely unable to move.

“This is bad. A Binding Spell. They have a very powerful mage!”

Link was secretly alarmed. A Binding Spell was a support spell capable of immobilizing an enemy for a certain length of time. It activated rapidly and was highly effective, though it normally required considerable casting time. Yet the mage who had trapped Link and Ashmita was clearly extraordinarily powerful. The spell had not only been cast in an instant, but had also locked onto their positions with pinpoint accuracy before the stone door even opened.

Since the caster’s strength was no weaker than his own, breaking free in a short time was nothing more than wishful thinking.

Sometimes, defeating an enemy did not require a powerful offensive technique. A few small tricks were often enough. At that moment, Link had been caught by someone else’s “little trick.”

The next moment, the stone door opened. Seeing Link and Ashmita trapped inside, Adam led a large group of people through the entrance. But when they caught sight of the Virgo Cloth behind the two of them, they all froze.

Adam hurried forward, his voice filled with astonishment, fervor, and excitement. “What a magnificent golden body, what an overwhelming presence! Could this be the Holy Emperor Armor, the mithril armor once worn by Charles the First, founding monarch of the Eternal Empire? Just as His Holiness the High Priest said, even after twelve hundred years, it still radiates such dazzling splendor.

“According to legend, this mithril armor was forged by dozens of dwarf master smiths around an ancient holy artifact as its core. Now that I see it, the tale is clearly true. Its incomparable aura alone places it far beyond every other piece of mithril equipment.

“But how strange… Why is it assembled in the posture of a praying young woman? The books make no mention of anything like this…”

As he spoke, he suddenly realized something. He instinctively glanced toward the place where the Soul Lock had been, then turned back to Link and Ashmita and asked coldly, “Did you break the lock on this armor?”

Ashmita shrank back and dared not answer. Link merely nodded, his expression unchanged.

Adam narrowed his eyes. “Tell me. How did you do it?”

Link looked at him calmly and asked in return, “What do I get for telling you?”

The next instant, an ice spear shot out and pierced Link’s right leg. The agony made his eyes widen, and he bent forward in pain. As soon as he was attacked, the Binding Spell was dispelled, but Adam’s followers immediately joined forces and cast another one, trapping Link once more before he could even reach down to clutch his thigh and ease the pain.

Hearing Link’s muffled groan, Ashmita could not see what had happened, but she could sense it. Fear crept into her voice. “Archbishop, what’s wrong? Are you all right?”

“Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

Link endured the agony and reassured Ashmita. Adam raised an eyebrow.

“Archbishop? Well, well. So you’re the leader of some church. Which church is it? Never mind. A church with a young man serving as archbishop is almost certainly some insignificant little sect, and I have no interest in it. Boy, I’ll ask you one more time: how did you undo that lock?”

Link desperately wanted to curse him, but held his tongue. A wise man did not fight when the odds were against him. The man before him was ruthless, and if Link refused to cooperate, he would likely suffer even more.

Thus, Link promptly brought out the acting skills he had cultivated during his days as a charlatan. He put on an expression of unwillingness mixed with fear and said, “I—I used a special method to open the lock…”

“What method? Explain yourself clearly.” Adam’s tone was calm, yet left no room for argument.

“It is an unlocking spell inherited by my church. It can open any lock in the world.”

“An unlocking spell that can open any lock in the world?”

A sharp gleam flashed through Adam’s eyes, and a suddenly “kind” smile appeared on his face.

“Boy, if what you say is true, then sparing your lives is not impossible.”

“Really?” Link showed an expression of pleasant surprise.

“Of course. However, you must join us and hand over the unlocking spell you mentioned.”

“This…”

Link deliberately showed a trace of inner struggle. Only when Adam narrowed his eyes did he put on a frightened expression and hurriedly say, “I—I understand. I’ll join you, and I’ll give you the unlocking spell.”

“Excellent. Very good.”

Adam looked satisfied. He took out two pills and walked forward.

“Now, each of you take one. Swallow them. They are poisonous pills infused with a curse, and only we know how to cure them. If you ever do anything that harms us, the poison will activate. Once it does, countless venomous insects will grow inside your bodies and devour your internal organs and brains. If you don’t want to die, then obey us and work for us from now on!”

After hearing this, Link and Ashmita’s faces turned deathly pale. Of course, Link was only pretending. Having mastered the Nine Yang Divine Art, he was immune to every ordinary poison. Even if the Nine Yang Divine Art could not deal with a cursed poison, he still possessed powerful holy-light magic. Removing a curse and purging poison would take him only a matter of moments. What did he have to fear?

Still, to keep Adam from becoming suspicious, he put on an expression of utter terror.

Link’s acting had been honed through countless trials, and although Adam was shrewd, he could not detect any flaw. He immediately ordered Link to open his mouth and swallow the pill.

After a brief struggle and show of hesitation, Link finally ate it, his face filled with fear.

A chill spread through his abdomen, clearly signaling that the drug had taken effect. Link secretly circulated his Nine Yang energy to suppress the poison. He discovered that although the inner force could not drive the poison out, it could prevent it from spreading. The poison remained concentrated in his abdomen, unable to move even slightly. All he needed to do was cast holy-light magic on himself once, and the poison would be expelled.

Even without his inner force suppressing it, the holy-light magic would still be effective.

Link immediately relaxed.

Adam, naturally unaware of what was happening inside Link’s body, approached Ashmita after seeing him swallow the pill. In a cold voice, he said, “Little girl, open your mouth and swallow it.”

Ashmita remained silent. She did not open her mouth, but her delicate body trembled uncontrollably, as though she had been frightened senseless.

Adam narrowed his eyes at the sight. Link hurriedly said, “Ashmita, do as he says and take the medicine. Don’t worry. I’m here. Trust me—nothing will happen to you.”

After a pause, he added, “The Father is with us.”

Adam and the others assumed that this was merely Link’s attempt to comfort her and paid no attention. Ashmita, however, recalled how the Father had manifested repeatedly over the past two days. Her heart steadied at once, and she obediently opened her small mouth, allowing Adam to place the poisonous pill inside.

After Ashmita swallowed it as well, Adam smiled with satisfaction and nodded.

“Very good. From this moment onward, you are members of our organization. My name is Adam Samiles. Like everyone else, you may call me Lord Adam. On behalf of the Church of Baal, I welcome you both.”

He paused when he saw Link looking weak and suffering, then continued, “Never mind. We can discuss everything later. Someone take them downstairs. Then find a mage skilled in healing magic to treat this boy. Oh, right—what are your names?”

“My name is Lucifer Satan. She is Ashmita Victor.”

Link casually gave them an impressively intimidating pair of false names. In any case, there were no gods or demons named Lucifer or Satan in this world, so he had no fear of being exposed.