Did You Build a Temple

179. Did You Build a Temple

Tacoma, Cascadia.

The moon shone like liquid silver.

Along the quiet street, a large man in a short coat let out a drunken belch.

Suddenly, he shook his head, feeling a chill down his spine.

Dazed, he looked up at the sky.

High in the air, dozens of feet above him, a long sword hovered, gazing down with the cold precision of a hawk.

In the next instant, a brilliant sword light outshone even the moon as it descended.

Pfft——

The big man's body split apart instantly, his flesh crumpling to the ground and revealing a massive furry form. The beast's head, with its ferocious features, stared upward with wide eyes filled with confusion.

Blood spread relentlessly across the bluestone bricks, staining them dark red.

The long sword pivoted and streaked toward Seattle.

It streaked across the city to the H.A.R.M. headquarters, landing gracefully on the stone table in a quiet courtyard. The pristine blade bore no trace of blood.

Theodore Montgomery opened his eyes wearily.

The Redeemed Spirit could leave the body and wander around, but patrolling the city one by one was truly exhausting.

Alex Bai presented the soul-replenishing tea he had prepared earlier. "Master, please have some tea."

"Only you still have some filial piety, unlike the other ones..." Theodore took the teacup and moistened his throat with a weary expression.

Alex Bai coughed slightly: "Senior Sister is back."

"At least Aisha still shows some sense," Theodore said, setting down his teacup as he gazed out into the courtyard.

They had only been gone for less than a month—why return so soon?

Even if young Mr. Prince had any issues, he wouldn't dare reveal them in front of his mother.

Aisha had a composed temperament and rarely showed anger towards anyone.

Given their personalities, they would remain polite and cordial with each other, avoiding any conflicts. Mrs. Prince would likely interpret this as a sign that the young people's relationship was improving.

Once she felt comfortable, she would likely be willing to invite a Ward of Nature from the Red Party to Cascadia.

Once they dealt with the Blood Moon Vampire King, they could disregard this old woman entirely.

"Have your senior sister come here—I need to speak with her," Theodore Montgomery said with a slight nod.

Before Alex Bai could leave to fetch her, a figure dressed in black walked slowly into the courtyard.

"How did things go?" Theodore asked with a smile.

Aisha Patani gazed at her master with composure: "I have offended Mrs. Prince, and she asked me to deliver a message to you."

At these words, Theodore's smile stiffened, though he asked with forced patience, "What did she say?"

"She said that when the Blood Moon Vampire King beheads you, remember it's all because of me."

Having delivered her message, Aisha Patani turned and walked away.

Hearing her cold, detached tone, Alex Bai averted his gaze and instinctively stepped back.

As expected of Senior Sister—when she delivered those words, they flowed from her lips with perfect naturalness.

Theodore Montgomery put away his smile as he watched his disciple calmly stride away, her figure melting into the darkness.

He turned back to the long sword resting on the table, his eyes as still and deep as an untroubled well.

"Master, you're not going to do anything to Senior Sister, are you?" Alex Bai asked, anxiety creeping into his voice.

But he saw his master glance at him as if he was looking at an idiot.

Theodore rubbed his temples, with no intention of calling Aisha Patani back. Her message made it clear—any hope of obtaining Mrs. Prince's help had vanished.

The details of what transpired no longer mattered. His disciple had come merely to deliver the news.

Skyler Grant's warning echoed strangely in his ears. Total isolation… betrayed by everyone...

He sighed, lowered his hand, and after a long silence said, "Your Senior Brother Laurent explained to Aisha on my behalf that I had merely taught the golden monkey martial arts, given it a precious saber, and allowed it to journey forth and experience the world. I never intended it harm."

"Then Senior Sister misunderstood?" Alex Bai asked in a hushed voice.

"There was no misunderstanding." Theodore looked at the neatly arranged whiskey bottles under the tree in the distance, and said calmly: "I could tell what it was going to do at a glance. I deliberately ensured its death, and I've never regretted that decision."

Upon hearing this, Alex Bai fell silent.

If he truly had no regrets, why would he feel the need to talk about his actions now?

"During my time as a lieutenant colonel in Minnesota, I witnessed the falling of the State capital. I never want to see such a thing happen again."

"For this cause, I will stop at nothing."

Theodore reached for the sword, exhaled turbid air, and an icy glint appeared in his eyes again.

Any trace of regret in his heart vanished instantly.

Really don't care... Alex Bai quietly rolled his eyes. Clearly, more than the failed alliance, it was Senior Sister's calm delivery of those words that had thrown Master into emotional turmoil.

So much so that he had to find someone to talk to in order to ease the heaviness in his heart.

Even though Senior Sister Patani is his personally trained disciple and has performed exceptionally well, she still can't earn Master's trust. How could anyone hope for a normal master-disciple relationship with him when he treats us this way? Alex thought to himself.

"Has Chloe gone back to the field?" Theodore Montgomery asked, his composure restored.

"Yes, we've received the Blood Moon Vampire King's location," Alex Bai answered, retrieving a digital token.

The Master plugged it into a palm-sized device, glanced at it briefly, then closed his eyes again—his entire body transforming into a statue. The sword once again streaked across the sky!

Over the long years, the daily confrontations between his Spirit and the Vampire King had become routine.

This time, he would likely spend a few weeks sitting still.

… …

In a secluded courtyard of H.A.R.M. headquarters, I sat on the edge of the bed, deep in my internal vision, my face etched with puzzlement.

Numerous white lights had materialized in my sea of essence, their quantity quite substantial.

The Cosmic Devouring Crystal swiftly absorbed the lights, appearing like a crystal orb filled with swirling white mist.

What is this?

There was a gentle knock at the door.

I opened my eyes and called out, "I'm coming."

I opened the door, and Aisha Patani entered the house. She made no mention of the Admiral, knowing John would have neither interest in nor concern for the Admiral's opinions.

"I'm going back to Sacramento." She sat down at the table. Though she usually came and went on her own accord, today she made a point to bid John farewell: "If there's any problem..."

"Do you know what type of energy would actively flow toward me?" Certain this wasn't related to vampire martial arts, I decided to ask her directly.

Aisha was slightly taken aback. "Power of faith... But you're only a temporary general—this shouldn't happen."

After a moment's reflection, she asked, "Have you perhaps built a temple in Cascadia?"

Ever since New Terra established H.A.R.M., the construction of temples dedicated to vampires or other supernatural powers has been prohibited. In the few instances where temples do exist, they are restricted to small areas under special provisions.

"..." I shook my head. I had no interest in having myself immortalized as a statue in some temple. The mere thought made me cringe.

"Don't worry about it—you can simply dispel them over time."

Aisha Patani was well-versed in this matter. She was, after all, a martial artist who commanded the faith of an entire city while maintaining harmony with the Path of Nature.

"Dispel..."

My eyes flickered as I picked up my earlier thought: "The Vessels of Redeemer enshrined in the Martial Abbey, are they limited to the area of the capital, or can their influence extend throughout New Terra?"

I needed clarity on this matter. If the influence was limited to the capital, I would simply dispel these energies.

Though Aisha Patani hadn't mastered the Redeemed Spirit herself, she possessed relevant knowledge: "From what I understand, the golden statue has no such limitations. Only if it's damaged must it return to New Terra to be repaired using the power of faith."

Upon hearing this, an enigmatic glint flashed in my eyes.