Acting Grand Master Jean looked at Barbara, who was sitting on the ground with a look of utter dejection, and sighed helplessly in her heart. Her affection and concern for her sister prompted her to reach out.
"Barbara, don't be sad."
"Your sister is here."
Barbara raised her head and stared blankly at her sister extending a hand to her.
At this moment, Acting Grand Master Jean, with her back to the sunlight, seemed draped in a layer of sacred radiance. The gentle smile and concerned expression on her face made people's hearts flutter; she was like an angel descended to the mortal realm.
"Ah—!!!"
Barbara clutched her head and cried out, her eyes alternating between clarity and confusion.
Acting Grand Master Jean rushed forward to check on her, but saw Barbara forcefully shove her, pushing Jean off the stage.
The powerful Acting Grand Master Jean ultimately succumbed to her concern for her sister, Barbara. However, at this moment, no one cared about the outcome of the match. Everyone below the stage watched the scene of Barbara howling while clutching her head with solemn expressions.
"Barbara!!!"
Acting Grand Master Jean, who had been pushed off the stage, watched the suffering Barbara and quickly scrambled up, trying to rush forward to help, but Arkz grabbed her hand and stopped her.
"Let go!!!"
"Barbara needs me!!!"
Rosaria finally reacted and quickly came to help Arkz restrain Acting Grand Master Jean, tightly gripping Jean's other hand.
"Acting Grand Master Jean, calm down!"
"Arkz, if you have a plan, stop hiding it and use it now!"
Arkz frowned deeply, formed sword fingers with both hands, and continuously muttered something towards the void where the stage was located.
"Geo Pillar! Suppress!!!"
"Wood Vine! Entwine!!!"
Following Arkz's movements, the four seemingly ordinary pillars at the corners of the stage began to shine brightly. Yellow light screens spread out from the four pillars, enveloping the entire stage into a yellow cube.
The vines that originally served as the stage railings also continued to grow, climbing under Arkz's control and spreading over Barbara's delicate body, binding her limbs.
Arkz let out a long breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and shouted:
"It's done!"
On the sealed stage, Barbara's limbs were bound and suspended in mid-air, resembling a prisoner undergoing torture.
However, Barbara, who had been clutching her head and wailing in pain just moments ago, now had her beautiful eyes tightly shut, her expression relaxed, and her breathing steady, as if she were sound asleep.
Seeing Acting Grand Master Jean's concerned gaze, Arkz explained:
"The reason Barbara had a headache just now was because her normal emotions were awakened, and she was resisting the Abyssal Power that was influencing her mind."
"However, doing this causes great harm to Barbara's body, and it is very difficult for her to break free from the control of the Abyssal Power relying only on her own will and strength!"
"So, I temporarily sealed Barbara, causing her will to fall into slumber, to prevent her from harming herself."
"I see." Acting Grand Master Jean nodded, convinced by Arkz's words. However, when she looked at Barbara sealed on the stage, her face was still filled with worry and concern.
"Then Arkz, what is your plan next? How can we cleanse the Abyssal Power from Barbara? We can't just keep her sealed here forever."
"Perhaps I can seek help from the Knights of Favonius Church. They might have a way to purify the Abyssal Power."
The Knights of Favonius Church, as a millennium-old power, jointly managed Mondstadt with the Knights of Favonius. The depth of their heritage was something no one could fully guess; perhaps a thousand-year-old divine artifact was hidden in one of the Church's secret chambers.
Rosaria nodded and said, "That plan has a high probability of success. Given Barbara's contributions to the Church, those old folks in the Church won't say much to stop it, at most they'll grumble a bit."
As for why Jean, the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, didn't search the Knights of Favonius treasury for a way to save Barbara?
On one hand, as the leading Grand Master, Jean adhered to her principles, believing she could not abuse her authority for personal gain.
On the other hand, the Knights of Favonius organization also harbored many factions and old remnants. However, the core strength of these factions had been taken away by the Grand Master Varka on his expedition. Most of those left in Mondstadt were elderly people who could only move their lips.
Even though they knew that with Acting Grand Master Jean's current strength and prestige, it would be difficult to find a second person to replace her as Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius even if they impeached her, which would instead lead to great turmoil in Mondstadt, this did not stop them from causing trouble for Acting Grand Master Jean.
It could only be said that perhaps they were brave knights in their youth, but in the long career of political struggle, most had degenerated into unscrupulous political creatures.
In contrast, everyone in the Knights of Favonius Church held firm faith in the Anemo Archon, making the Church very harmonious internally. Furthermore, since Barbara's father, Simon, currently served as the Archbishop of the Knights of Favonius Church, things would naturally be more convenient.
However, just then, Arkz stopped the two of them.
"Wait!"
"What are you planning to do?"
"Are you going to take Barbara back to the Knights of Favonius Church, or bring the Knights of Favonius Church's divine artifact here?"
Upon hearing this, Acting Grand Master Jean and Rosaria were stunned.
Taking Barbara back to the Knights of Favonius Church—but looking at Barbara's current state, the moment she left Arkz's seal, she would likely go berserk immediately, causing chaos in Mondstadt City and making the situation even harder to resolve.
Bringing the Knights of Favonius Church's divine artifact here would be even more difficult.
A divine artifact passed down for a thousand years certainly couldn't just be borrowed on demand. Didn't they see in the story that the Traveler and Venti had to resort to stealing the Lyre der Himmel?
Even a Lyre der Himmel that had lost its divine power due to the passage of time and retained only ornamental value required such trouble. Therefore, a divine artifact capable of purifying the Abyssal Power on Barbara, which still possessed such power after a thousand years, would naturally be guarded even more strictly.
Borrowing the Knights of Favonius Church's divine artifact—perhaps there was a possibility based on Bishop Simon's goodwill and Barbara's contributions to the Church, as long as the artifact wasn't taken outside the Church's boundaries.
Trying to take the Knights of Favonius Church's divine artifact out of the Church? Difficult!
Seeing that his question had stumped the two, Arkz immediately smiled and said, "Since that's the case, why not try my method first?"
Rosaria looked at Acting Grand Master Jean. Seeing Jean nod, she spoke up, "In that case, let's try Mr. Arkz's method first."
"If Mr. Arkz's method is effective, we won't need to go through the trouble of seeking help from the Church."
Arkz smiled confidently, "Please rest assured, since I dared to suggest this, I naturally have some confidence."
------------------------
I've posted 40+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"