Chapter 14: The Devil’s Deal
Click.
Seraphina pulled the trigger.
But the pistol didn’t fire.
A faint mechanical click replaced the expected roar of energy discharge.
The humming of the charging weapon quickly faded and stopped.
Mili was completely frozen.
Her small face was deathly pale, streaked with tears, her wide, vacant blue eyes staring blankly as she knelt motionless on the ground.
Her frail body slumped like a puppet with its strings cut, hands limp in front of her knees, her gaze so hollow it was as if she’d already died once.
Faint, broken sobs escaped her throat, sounding like a leaking bellows.
Seraphina holstered her pistol, tucking it back at her waist, and stood up from beside the girl.
She looked down at the pitiful sight, a complex glint flickering in her heterochromatic eyes.
Of course, the woman knew how impossible this was.
To make a patch of heavily contaminated, lifeless soil teeming with vitality, sprouting seeds instantly…
It was a pipe dream, an unachievable task.
Still, even if the rumors were exaggerated…
She had hoped the [Saintess of Bounty] truly possessed such miraculous power—a game-changer that could reshape the world’s balance.
[Eisenburg] would become the undisputed supreme power on the continent.
Even if not, she needed to test Mili’s limits.
“Evelyn,” she called without turning.
“Here, Your Majesty.” The silver-armored adjutant stepped forward, bowing and awaiting orders.
“Take her to the medical bay. Clean her wounds and tend to her.”
Seraphina’s tone was flat, as if she hadn’t just threatened the girl’s life:
“Have the medical team conduct a full physical, especially a mental state evaluation.”
“And compile all the monitoring data from just now for me.”
“Yes.” Evelyn nodded, signaling two female guards to approach.
The guards gently lifted Mili from the ground.
The girl, like a broken marionette, had limp legs and could barely stand, her toes leaving faint trails in the dirt as they half-carried her away.
Seraphina didn’t follow, staying to observe the unresponsive test field.
Had she guessed wrong?
Or was the method of pressure flawed?
Her brow arched slightly, and she shook her head, dismissing the thought, her gaze shifting to the portable light-screen Evelyn handed her.
“Your Majesty, here are all the physiological readings from the test:”
“Resting heart rate: 73 beats per minute; peak rate: 197, nearly 200.”
“Cortisol levels highly abnormal, 3.3 times above normal.”
“Adrenaline surge, sustained for 3 minutes and 32 seconds…”
Seraphina listened to the adjutant’s report, her slender finger sliding across the screen, comparing the data with Mili’s previous behavior in the abandoned storage room.
“All her metrics pushed the physiological limit,” Evelyn hesitated, then added softly, “This could easily lead to mental breakdown or hysteria. The medical team… suggests you avoid such methods, Your Majesty.”
“And the data from the scrapyard?” Seraphina tapped her chin, handing back the screen.
Evelyn lowered her head: “No anomalies.”
“The detection team used every available tool—metal detectors, electromagnetic scans, radiation tests…”
“—including three rounds of carpet searches afterward. No hidden compartments or missed supplies were found.”
“It’s 100% certain: the items were ‘produced’ by Miss Mili out of thin air… It’s the only explanation.”
“Whatever the mechanism, Miss Mili’s ability is beyond [Eisenburg]’s current detection capabilities.”
“Strange… How did she do it?” Seraphina murmured, pacing with her hands behind her back.
The sun remained blistering, the soil lifeless.
“Add fertilizer and water to this test field for now and seal it off for observation,” she ordered a nearby guard.
“Record soil changes hourly, no matter how minor.”
She stared at the gray-black earth for a few more seconds.
Though Seraphina held little hope for her theory.
But what if?
…
[Oasis] Ruins.
Night had fallen, campfires flickering among tattered tents.
The groans of the wounded rose and fell, the camp steeped in an air of pain and sorrow.
Murphyxia sat gracefully on a flat stone, her dark purple robe shimmering faintly in the firelight.
Lin Lan leaned against a tent pole, her eyes bloodshot, her left arm still swollen, the bloodstains on her bandages long dried and darkened.
“Tell me your plan,” her voice rasped, low and gritty.
The girl smiled faintly, closing her book: “Simple. We each get what we need.”
“What do you want?” Lin Lan kicked a stone to her feet.
“Don’t feed me that ‘purify the world’ nonsense.”
“I like your bluntness.” Murphyxia crossed her hands, smiling at Lin Lan, her purple eyes reflecting the fire’s warm glow.
“Then I’ll be direct.”
“I’m indeed very interested in the girl named Mili.”
“Her unique ability aligns closely with the ‘Divine Gift’ described in the God’s Court teachings.”
Lin Lan’s fist clenched tighter behind her back, knuckles cracking.
“But,” Murphyxia continued, shifting tone, “I won’t treat her as brutally as Seraphina does. The Court believes true miracles can only bloom under holy light’s guidance.”
“Speak plainly,” Lin Lan growled.
“I need her to serve the Court willingly,” Murphyxia’s smile brightened:
“And you’re the key to making her willing.”
“Why? Give me a concrete reason… Yours.”
“The Court is vying for the ‘Grand Purifier’ candidacy. I need a trump card.”
“…”
“So, Lin, I’m truly sorry you suspected the Court’s involvement in [Oasis]’s attack.”
Murphyxia’s words implied the fall of Oasis was collateral damage in a factional struggle…
Lin Lan glared, stone-faced, waiting for more.
“My intelligence says the girl trusts and depends on you deeply. If you invite her to join the Court, she’ll agree,” the girl said, her slender fingers stroking the leather cover of her book:
“But first, we need to take her back from the [White Night Queen].”
“…How?”
“Simple.” Murphyxia drew a parchment scroll from her wide sleeve, spreading it on her lap.
“This is a detailed map of Eisenburg’s defenses. The Court has insiders there.”
Lin Lan stepped from the pole to Murphyxia’s side, looking down at the map, its dense symbols and routes shocking her, her pupils contracting slightly.
“This morning, the [Golden Wanderers]’ decoy convoy was wiped out by Seraphina herself, costing them ammo but failing to draw artillery fire.”
“Still, it forced their hand—three nights from now, [Eisenburg]’s supply convoy will pass through the northern route.”
“Outside firing range, raiders will lead, mercenaries will ambush, the Court’s envoys and [Wanderers] will join the heist…”
“I’ve bribed enough people to ensure they’ll do their utmost to draw Seraphina out of the fortress.”
“Then, Eisenburg’s defenses will be at their weakest.”
Murphyxia’s finger traced the plan across the map.
“Our insiders will create chaos at that moment…”
“And you’ll infiltrate the core to rescue your little angel.”