Chapter 19: The City Lord Defected Too?
The clamor at the gates of the Church of the Water God might as well have had a pause button pressed on it.
Just as Furina had finished slipping Huo Yuhao his "special supplements" and was contentedly strolling back toward the front courtyard—wondering whether to sneak in a lazy break or pretend to care about church affairs—a powerful wave of soul power came crashing down the street like a storm front rolling in!
The long queue erupted into chaos. People scrambled backward in alarm, parting to clear a path down the middle.
And there he was: Lei Bao, the Lord of Thunderclap City—a man whose authority in the city was absolute, a Soul Emperor whose strength was beyond question. He was marching forward in full military attire, his expression as heavy and dark as storm water. Behind him strode a column of his household's elite guards, their armor gleaming, their killing intent palpable, their boots hammering the flagstones in perfect, heart-shaking unison. Aggressive. Imposing. Nothing about this looked friendly.
The wealthy merchants and minor nobles who had just moments ago been wagging their tails at the Water God Church now turned whiter than paper. They'd barely finished fawning over one master, and now the real master had caught them red-handed. It was outright betrayal, naked and undeniable! They shrank back in terror, wishing the ground would swallow them whole, frantically retreating deeper into the crowd, praying the City Lord wouldn't commit their faces to memory for a later reckoning.
"It's over, it's over... the Lord City Lord is truly furious now!" "He's definitely here to crush the Water God Church! Are we going to get caught up in this?!" "I knew we shouldn't have come today..."
Whispers and panic spread like wildfire through the crowd. Everyone assumed Lei Bao had finally reached the end of his patience and was about to personally grind this upstart church—this challenger to his authority—into dust. Even some of the Water God Church's own believers looked tense, instinctively drawing closer together.
Neuvillette had sensed it the instant it began. Soundlessly, he appeared at the courtyard entrance, positioning himself at the very front. His posture remained straight as a pine, his azure eyes calmly fixed on Lei Bao and his guard as they closed in step by step, as though this were not a Soul Emperor radiating killing intent but merely an ordinary visitor. Yet the invisible, order-enforcing aura around him had already unfurled, silently contending against the oppressive pressure Lei Bao brought with him.
Furina's brow furrowed. So the old fox finally couldn't hold back and is coming to throw it down? Tch, what a pain...
She summoned her divine artifact, Splendor of Still Waters—she hadn't even had a chance to test this thing out yet. Might as well see what it could do. At the same time, she quietly gathered her soul power, her soul rings shimmering faintly at her feet. The system shop interface flickered open in her mind, ready to buy anything useful for a fight. Whatever came, she'd be ready.
Mademoiselle Chevaleyda clacked her pincers and shifted into position to one side of the gate. Lord Usher's tentacles twitched subtly in an inconspicuous corner. Madame Hevmayer floated a little higher, the surrounding air growing distinctly heavier and more damp.
The tension was stretched to a hair's breadth. A single spark could set the whole place ablaze.
But what happened next—well, it left every jaw hanging and every eye bulging.
Lei Bao came to an abrupt halt roughly five paces from Neuvillette. The murderous column of guards behind him stopped just as crisply, their movements sharp and synchronized.
And then, something even more unbelievable occurred.
This Soul Emperor—this man whose word in Thunderclap City was law, whose temper was notoriously fierce and unyielding—let his gaze pass beyond Neuvillette and lock squarely onto Furina behind him. Then, under the stunned gaze of every onlooker, the dark fury and steely authority on his face dissolved like snow in spring. In its place rose a deeply complex expression—a mixture of profound anguish, a fleeting shadow of shame, and the desperate, almost broken plea of a man clutching at his very last straw of hope.
He drew a deep breath, as if steeling himself for an immense decision. And then—before the eyes of all—he bent his rarely-yielding spine and bowed toward Furina.
"Lady Furina... Your Holiness." His voice carried far, but the old tyranny was gone. In its place was something heavy, almost hoarse. "Before this... I, Lei Bao, was blind and ignorant. I gave you much offense. But today, I have not come to pick a fight!"
Absolute silence fell. You could have heard a pin drop. Everyone questioned whether their ears were playing tricks on them.
Lei Bao straightened. His gaze burned as it fixed on Furina, and his voice grew even more urgent, more imploring. "I beg you... I beseech the Water God's grace. Please—save my son, Lei Ke!"
The raw agony of a father bled through his voice. "Three years ago, while hunting for a soul ring, he was ambushed by a thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. He stayed back to cover his comrades' retreat, and... and his arm was torn clean off! By some miracle he survived, but ever since, his spirit has been extinguished. He's shut himself away entirely. He's no different from a cripple! I've searched far and wide for renowned doctors, sought out healing-type soul masters—none could do a thing!"
He grew more agitated as he spoke, his fists clenching unconsciously until his knuckles went white. "I have heard that Your Holiness possesses power beyond mortal reckoning—that you can regrow severed limbs! I, Lei Bao, swear this oath right here: so long as you can heal my son and make him whole again, I, Lei Bao, on behalf of the Thunderclap City Lord's Manor, shall pledge my entire household to join the Church of the Water God and become the Water God's most faithful, most devout believers! From that moment on, whatever affairs concern the Water God Church in this city shall be the City Lord Manor's own affairs! I will pour every resource I have into helping this church grow and flourish here—with no second thoughts and no turning back!"
These words struck like thunder out of a clear sky, leaving everyone present scorched and staggered.
The nobles and wealthy merchants who'd been hiding gaped in utter disbelief, unable to trust their own ears. The notoriously unyielding City Lord—the man who bowed to no one—had not only lowered his head, but was making pleas this humble? He was even willing to convert his entire family and offer up all of Thunderclap City's resources? All for a son who was said to have been a crippled wreck for three years?
The believers, too, looked at one another in shock—half brimming with vindicated pride (See that? Even the City Lord has to beg our Pope!), half convinced the whole situation was simply too surreal to be true.
Furina herself was stunned. She'd imagined all sorts of hostile scenarios, even mapped out several escape routes in case things went south. The one outcome she'd never prepared for was... this. A plea for healing? And a near-total surrender packaged as a pledge of allegiance?
She blinked, looking at the Soul Emperor who seemed, in this moment, to have aged several years, his eyes brimming with a father's desperation. She mulled over her fourth soul skill—costly to use, true, but with effects that defied all logic. Hmm... wasn't this deal... actually a complete and utter win? A financial bloodbath—in her favor?
She cleared her throat and did her best to assume the solemn bearing of a Pope (though inside, she was feeling rather smug). Her gaze swept over Lei Bao, over his guards who now wore expressions of tense hope, and over the still-reeling crowd.
"Lord Lei," her voice regained its usual clarity, carrying just the right note of sanctity, "the Water God is merciful, and her grace extends to all living things. Healing the injured and saving the dying is, after all, one of our church's founding tenets."
She paused. She saw the wild joy that exploded in Lei Bao's eyes—and only then did she leisurely continue. "However, performing such a miracle requires tremendous expenditure, and sincerity of heart is paramount. The words you just spoke—can they truly be honored? If, after the treatment, you were to go back on them..."
"Let heaven and earth bear witness! By my martial soul, I swear it!" Lei Bao practically roared. In his agitation, six soul rings flared briefly and then receded beneath his feet. "If I, Lei Bao, have spoken a single false word, or if I ever renege—may my soul power turn against me and my martial soul shatter, ending my life!"
For a soul master, there could be no oath heavier than this.
Furina nodded. At last, a faint smile touched her lips. "Very well. In that case—bring your son. And remember what you said here today."
Lei Bao's fierce eyes reddened with emotion. He clasped his fists in a deep, heavy salute. "My gratitude, Your Holiness! Lei Bao shall retrieve my worthless son at once! Henceforth, whatever the Water God commands—from the heights of Thunderclap City to its lowest corners—none shall dare disobey!"
And with that, he turned on his heel without a moment's pause, his guards falling into step behind him. Just as hastily as he'd come, he departed—leaving behind a street full of viewers with dropped jaws and an imminent upheaval that was about to reshape the entire power structure of Thunderclap City.
Neuvillette watched Lei Bao's figure recede into the distance, then turned to glance at Furina, whose lips were curled upward in unmistakably excellent spirits. A thoughtful gleam passed through his eyes. Perhaps even he hadn't anticipated that an expected confrontation would end in this manner.
As for Furina, her mind was already busy calculating how—once she'd pocketed this new little brother (and his treasury) that was the City Lord's Manor—she could more efficiently fleece... ahem, develop the grand enterprise of the Church of the Water God. And the healing itself? The soul skill would be ready once its cooldown passed. A guaranteed profit with zero losses!