However, due to these gatherings, supernatural events often occur at the North District's border, spreading eerie legends.
This has also attracted some horror novel writers and occult enthusiasts. The Secrets-Hunter Cult spends considerable effort each year protecting these individuals' personal safety...
...
A somewhat dilapidated small tavern stood by the official road. A wooden sign reading "Open for Business" hung crookedly, swaying in the morning breeze.
Such taverns served the dual functions of restaurant and relay station, appearing at intervals along the route, not particularly conspicuous.
Although there were routine patrols, it was still possible for such places to harbor filth...
——
"Good morning. Is anyone in the shop?"
A slightly youthful male voice sounded.
Child was the first to push open the tavern door. The long-neglected wooden door emitted a grating creak.
With some gentlemanly demeanor, he held the door for the ladies in the group while also ushering his teacher inside.
His brilliant enthusiasm and overflowing vitality made Fran narrow her eyes in admiration. Young fellows sure are energetic... How nice.
Currently, all five were draped in the cloaks commonly worn by travelers, simply concealing their distinctive features.
Such as Fran's iconic white coat, Haida's Secrets-Hunter Cult nun's habit and holy emblem, and the abnormally large firearm on Child's back...
"We're here, guests. Are you looking for lodging or a meal?"
A somewhat disheveled but still charming middle-aged woman slowly approached from behind the counter, seemingly the proprietress.
She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Seeing the group, her eyes showed a hint of surprise, apparently not expecting so many guests all at once this early in the morning.
Just as Child was about to respond further, Professor Terence grumpily raised a hand and slapped his chest, stopping him.
After that, he stepped before the proprietress. His gaze was deep and sharp as he lowly recited a strange, obscure prayer.
"Fill, swirl, pour, drink of our bone and blood. Dissolve the living, water the sacred tree."
The proprietress's pupils abruptly constricted, then showed understanding. She slightly licked her lips and quickly responded.
"Chew, swallow, digest, purchase a moment of satiety. Ascend the mortal form, bear the grace."
After finishing the prayer, she finally looked directly at Terence.
"Dear blood kin, you're a new face. I haven't seen you in Norlington... Strangers aren't welcome here. If you cannot provide the inviter's name or further prove your identity, then please leave."
The proprietress's gaze towards Professor Terence held an indescribable, almost dazed allure. As she leaned forward, one could even glimpse the pale, deep cleavage at her chest.
But one of her hands slowly groped beneath the wooden counter.
Haida's eyes moved slightly. She was very sensitive to that motion. That was reaching for a gun...
"Is this enough?"
Terence removed his white silk glove, then peeled back the skin on the back of his hand. Beneath the skin, bluish blood vessels and yellowish sinews formed a deep, crimson inverted triangle.
That was the holy emblem of the Red Cup.
A Deacon! Only Red Cup believers of Deacon rank or above had the qualification to receive a flesh-and-blood holy emblem.
"My apologies! I didn't expect a Deacon to attend this gathering. That was my oversight. Please, punish me. Ah, I almost forgot to give my name... I am Eve, the receptionist for this 'Sated Club.'"
The proprietress's tone held an indescribable fear. Trembling, she retrieved a spike-covered leather whip from beneath the counter and offered it to Terence with both hands.
But her expression was one of barely restrained excitement. A morbid flush spread from her cheeks straight down to her neck.
"Hmph."
Professor Terence took the whip and very efficiently struck the proprietress. Deep wounds immediately appeared on her pale skin; even her skin and flesh seemed unnaturally displaced.
"Lead the way."
After one lash, Terence casually tossed the whip aside.
"Cough, cough, thank you... thank you for your favor. It's wonderful. I will certainly remember it..."
Eve's face was covered in sweat beads from the pain, but her expression held genuine delight. She fawned, extending a hand to invite the group behind the tavern's curtain.
Vivian subtly glanced at Terence, roughly understanding why the White Cup sect chose Professor Terence when they learned only two Error-Purgers could be sent... How is he so formidable?
Not only did he flawlessly recite the Red Cup sect's initiation prayer, but he also nearly perfectly impersonated a heterodox Deacon.
Honestly, if Vivian hadn't known in advance that Terence could use an ancient relic for flesh disguise, she would have believed he was a genuine Red Cup believer.
Fran stayed beside Haida, slightly lowering the hood of her travel cloak. Her expression was quite relaxed, maintaining quietness and low visibility.
Fran's responsibility in the employment contract was merely to find the Red Cup's lair, which was now done. If no other dangerous situations arose, she was perfectly happy doing nothing, leaving the physically demanding work to the White Cup duo.
Parting the curtain behind the tavern, the proprietress Eve led the group to the food storage warehouse. She opened a wooden panel, revealing a dark, narrow secret staircase.
"Honored Deacon, please enter. Mr. Sines will surely be delighted to see you. I didn't expect another Deacon-level blood kin to be summoned by our Master... Wonderful."
Having said that, Eve lit a lantern placed nearby and was the first to step into the gloomy secret passage.
Vivian felt somewhat uneasy.
She hated entering such enclosed environments where escape was difficult. As a Confidential Division investigator, her habit was to ensure she could always extract herself from her current surroundings. But her instincts told her... entering here would be dangerous.
Suddenly, she felt someone gently pat her. Turning slightly, she saw Fran behind her.
Fran maintained a kind, amiable smile, patted Vivian's hair, and then followed Eve's steps into the secret passage.
She didn't speak, because rash words might arouse unnecessary suspicion.
Under walls, within cracks, in shadows—there could be squirming "ears"... In such situations, silence was the best choice.
Is she comforting me?
Vivian felt momentarily dazed, catching a faint whiff of the gentle scent of medicine and plants mingled on Fran.
Vivian's emotions inexplicably calmed somewhat.
She glanced at Haida and could somewhat understand what she meant by "Dr. Fran is unimaginably reliable in most situations."
...
Eve, holding the lantern, walked slowly at the front of the group. She freely swayed her voluptuous figure, showcasing a seductive, slender back.
It was hard to imagine such a vast space hidden behind the curtain of this small tavern.
After a period of walking, the group arrived at a door at the end of the passage. Beside the door was a huge, exaggerated crimson graffiti.
In the lantern's warm yellow glow, it read "The Sated Club."
"Deacon, before entering the club, there's one more question for you." Eve suddenly turned, pressing her soft body almost against Terence.
"Speak."
Professor Terence subtly frowned, using deeper coldness to suppress his inner disgust.
"Since you have come here, you must have received the Master's summons and decree. Then you must also know the prayer our Master recently bestowed... Please let me verify it. After that, the club's doors will open for you."
Terence's grey-black brows tightened, momentarily falling into silence.
He wasn't a Red Cup believer. The earlier initiation prayer came from the White Cup sect's confidential intelligence. How could he possibly know a new prayer?
The long, dark staircase passage imperceptibly began to warm... Accompanied by an indescribable damp, sticky feeling, everything around seemed to instantly be endowed with life, squirming and undulating.
"It seems you need some time to recall, Deacon?" Eve tilted her head, staring directly at Terence.
One could vaguely see flesh-colored tentacles squirming beneath her dress and skin.
"Tsk... Of course I have heard the Master's decree."
Terence snorted coldly, then signaled to Child behind him with a gesture to prepare for action.
After all, their contact team was only five people. Confronting a heterodox lair of completely unknown numbers wasn't realistic. Now that they had found the actual location of the "Sated Club," they just needed to force their way out of the secret passage.
The rest could be left to the Secrets-Hunter Cult's purge forces. Those fully armed fanatics were probably ready to swarm in at any moment, erasing all life in this heterodox lair from the world.
"Whoosh!"
Silent and invisible, a steel needle nearly imperceptible to the naked eye struck Professor Terence's neck.
Terence's eyes instantly lost focus. He didn't collapse but stood rigidly upright. However, his mind seemed to have scattered.
Haida noticed Terence's anomaly. She glanced back and saw Fran fiddling with a brass pocket watch she had just taken from her white coat.
"Deacon?"
Seeing Professor Terence unresponsive, Eve narrowed her eyes slightly and inquired again. In the shadow cast by the travel cloak hood, she saw a pair of ethereal, vacant eyes.
Fran continued to play with the exquisite brass pocket watch, her slender, sutured fingertip gently pressing a button.
Another steel needle shot out, striking Eve squarely in the chest. But her expression showed no change, as if noticing nothing.
Just as Eve's patience was nearly exhausted, Terence, silent for a long time, spoke.
"The curtain falls, blood-gift rains. The Plum Moon's grand rite calls the drinkers! You are me, I am you, we are all drinkers!"
His tone was solemn and grave, carrying unquestionable authority.
Combined with those ethereal, abyss-like eyes, Professor Terence at this moment seemed like an apostle delivering divine will.
Eve instantly knelt down, pressing all her limbs and body tightly to the ground, not daring the slightest transgression.
The surrounding unnatural movement and squirming in the passage also ceased.
"Deacon, ten thousand apologies! One as lowly as I, by relying on your gospel, can once again hear the divine decree... I actually doubted you for a moment. Please punish me severely!"
"You're worthy? Get lost!"
Terence's voice came heavily and coldly. He somewhat stiffly kicked Eve to the ground.
"Thank you again for your favor, thank you..." Being kicked, Eve acted as if receiving a treasure, her eyes brimming with genuine happiness.
Having heard the prayer, the doors of the Sated Club opened.
Dazzling lights and shadows, entwined, writhing bodies, dancers freely extending their limbs, guests indulging in consuming flesh and blood... Everything that met the eye provoked a strong sense of disconnection, as if the worlds inside and outside the door were completely different.
"Deacon, please wait here with your companions for a moment. Mr. Sines will be here shortly..."
Eve settled the group on a spacious, comfortable seating platform and then brought a tray of slender goblets filled with wine as crimson as blood.
Professor Terence's scattered gaze regained focus. He looked around somewhat confusedly, frowning tightly.
He then moved his lips, almost silently chanting a White Cup prayer.
Suddenly, everyone felt as if they were in another space. Though still seated on the club's platform, the surrounding clamor seemed cut off.
"The White Cup sect's third category of secret arts, [Virtual Assembly], possesses high secrecy. It utilizes dream realm interstices to temporarily construct a scenario for communication."
Professor Terence briefly introduced the method he used.
"What exactly did you do to me just now? My consciousness was clearly awake, but I lost control of my body. And how did you Secrets-Hunters know the Red Cup's new prayer?"
Facing Terence's question, Haida subtly glanced at Fran. The latter gently picked up a goblet from the central table, squinting slightly to sniff the crimson, translucent wine within.
"Don't waste it. The quality of the wine here is quite decent. Relax, these Red Cup believers have some taste for things of enjoyment. They don't actually mix blood into the wine. They drink pure blood when they drink blood."
Touching the clear cup with her crimson lips and taking a small sip, Fran then took out the brass pocket watch she carried in her white coat.
"S-0033, Swaying Heart-Clock. A very safe relic. Its effect is to amplify the user's consciousness disturbance behavior, hmm... that is, hypnosis? Additionally, it can fire psychic beams twice a day, briefly controlling the target."
Professor Terence's expression towards Fran gained a touch of seriousness. His initial slight distrust of this doctor girl had now dissipated. Based on the abilities she displayed, she was completely sufficient to be placed on an equal footing.
"So, you manipulated me into reciting the Red Cup prayer? But how did you know it?"
"I fired two psychic beams. The second one hit Eve. Through interaction at the consciousness level, I stole the information of that prayer from her mind."
Fran finished the wine in her glass calmly and naturally, a light red flush appearing on her cheeks.
"Then, did you steal any information from my mind? Secrets-Hunter doctor girl."
Terence's gaze towards her was cold and sharp. Child beside him sensed his teacher's current displeasure and wanted to dissuade him but didn't know how to start.
"There was no opportunity. Your will is relatively strong. I could only simply manipulate actions and speech; otherwise, it would be fiercely rejected by the subconscious. Moreover, the information volume in your mind is very large. Even if I wanted to look, I wouldn't know where to start."
"...Hmm, let's set this matter aside. Thank you for your help earlier, Dr. Fran."
After a moment of silence, Terence gave a slight nod, acknowledging Fran's previous actions.
Child subtly cast an admiring glance at Fran. He hadn't expected this doctor girl to calm his teacher's mood with just one sentence... For White Cup sect members, the highest praise was acknowledging the other's knowledge.
And it couldn't be deliberate; the professor most detested deliberate flattery.
Fran had subtly achieved this... How impressive. Is she a psychologist?
+++
T/N: Hey readers~! New Translator here! Before I say anything, I'd first like to thank the original author for creating this wonderful story. Without them, I wouldn't have the chance to share this adventure with you. I hope my translation does justice to their work, and that together, we can enjoy this story.
With that said, I'm happy to let you know I'll be uploading daily chapters. And for those who wish to support my work and gain early access, I've set up a Patreon where advanced chapters will be available.
[email protected]/PeakTL