Chapter 186: Don’t Tinker With The Waystone
Carmen quickly gathered all the Inquisitors who were still stationed in the town.
Although he didn't fully understand what Steven was planning, considering how this guy always managed to surprise him, he was willing to go along with his decision once again.
Whatever Steven was up to, it was bound to benefit the Inquisition rather than harm it.
But when all the Inquisitors and even the High Inquisitor had assembled inside the church, Steven didn't seem the least bit interested in making any sort of announcement.
He simply sat back in the chair at the desk, lazily sweeping his eyes over the confused-looking Inquisitors.
Then, with a subtle glance, he signaled to Carmen—
Dismiss them.
Utterly baffled, Carmen reluctantly sent the Inquisitors away.
Only after they had left did he approach Steven, locking eyes with him.
"Mr. Steve, no matter what, shouldn't there be a reason for all this?"
Steven shrugged.
"Nothing much, just helping you root out a few traitors."
"Didn't you say some of the potatoes I gave you went missing?"
"Your people have a security problem and can't fix it."
"So what, am I—your investor—not even allowed to handle it myself?"
As he spoke, Steven casually took the list of Inquisitors that he had deliberately borrowed from Irene.
With a pen, he circled a few names, then tossed the list over to Carmen.
"Check these people."
"Not that there's much to check, honestly."
"At least in my case, a mistake in judgment is basically impossible."
Steven didn't even need to know who these names belonged to.
After all, the moment he scanned the crowd earlier, the real enemies had their names glowing in bright red.
All he had to do was mark them down.
As for how the Church of the Deep managed to infiltrate the Inquisition so deeply, or how they avoided getting caught for so long, he didn't care.
That was Carmen's problem to deal with, not his.
He had already handed over the list of traitors.
What came next should be easy, right?
Carmen's eyes narrowed as he weighed the consequences.
"You're asking us to investigate our own people."
"This will only weaken the last remaining trust within the Inquisition."
Listening to the elderly Saint's words, the Minecrafter shook his head.
"No, they're not your people anymore."
"I don't know how they did it, but based on what I saw—"
"These people have long since become members of the Church of the Deep."
"In other words, they betrayed you ages ago."
Steven answered calmly, completely unbothered by Carmen's hesitation.
Believe him or not, that was Carmen's problem.
He had already done his part.
It was up to them to decide how to deal with it.
Carmen hesitated.
If Steven was telling the truth, this was an unmissable opportunity, a chance to purge the Church of the Deep's spies from the Inquisition once and for all.
But if the list was wrong, the fallout could destroy what little unity remained.
"Hmph. What's with that face?"
"You don't have a way to tell humans apart from Seaborn?"
"—Oh, right, let me clarify."
"This list only includes people who have physically transformed into a Seaborn."
"If there are still human-looking Seaborn sympathizers, I can't do anything about those."
Seeing Carmen's conflicted expression, Steven couldn't help but doubt his choice to collaborate with the Inquisition.
I mean, come on.
They're called the Inquisition, right?
Then why are they so much weaker than that other badass Inquisition I've heard of—the one that issues total extermination orders on a whole planet without hesitation?
Carmen sighed and shook his head.
"If we had a tool that could detect them, we wouldn't have been struggling against the Church of the Deep for so long."
He stated plainly, revealing an unfortunate truth.
If the Inquisition actually had the kind of detection tool Steven was talking about, they wouldn't have ended up as riddled with spies as a sieve.
The Inquisitors' Lanterns could make sea monsters feel uncomfortable, but they weren't an absolute countermeasure.
Some of the stronger Deep Sea creatures could completely endure and even overcome the discomfort caused by the lanterns.
"Tch. Well, that's your problem."
"At most, I'll think of something for you later."
"But for now, what you should be doing is contacting those other Saints you mentioned."
"Give me a clear answer."
"And figure out how to deal with and confirm the names on that list."
Steven waved his hand dismissively and turned toward the exit—clearly about to leave.
"Wait, Mr. Steve—are you leaving again?"
"How are we supposed to contact you?"
"Do we still go through Rhodes Island?"
Carmen was clearly getting anxious.
He couldn't stop Steven from leaving, but resolving this issue wouldn't take too long.
The upper ranks of the Saints were still quite united, so securing their cooperation only required informing them.
But who knew when Steven would show up again once he left?
He wasn't the type to stay in one place for long—even this visit had caught Carmen completely off guard.
Steven paused, then suddenly grinned.
"Nah, no need for that."
"If you have anything to say, just tell the little bird."
"This here is my official representative in Iberia—"
"The super adorable, absolutely unbeatable—Ms. Irene."
With a laugh, he grabbed Irene by the shoulders and lifted her up so she was eye-level with him.
Then, with the same smug tone, he announced his decision—
A decision that only he had agreed upon.
"Wait a second! I never agreed to this!"
Irene protested, flailing slightly in his grasp.
"You don't want to?"
Steven raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise.
"Well, I can't trust anyone else either."
"And if we waste too much time—"
"I don't mind, but I think Carmen might start panicking."
Steven chuckled, watching the small, flustered bird struggle in his grasp.
He was clearly having too much fun.
"Ugh… that's not… You make it sound like I have no choice!"
Still sulking, Irene shot a half-hearted punch at Steven's shoulder.
But as she herself admitted, after Steven put it that way, she really had no way to refuse.
After all, Steven didn't exactly have many people he could trust within the Inquisition.
And without a direct contact person, their cooperation would inevitably be delayed.
Even a single second of delay was a danger to the nation itself.
Carmen sighed, then naturally took over the conversation.
"Irene, I believe you're more than qualified for this role."
"Even putting aside Mr. Steve's recommendation—"
"You're still one of the Inquisition's most trustworthy members."
Unlike Steven, Carmen could tell—
Steven was easygoing, but earning his trust was no simple task.
And yet, he had chosen Irene.
As for Carmen himself, he had been watching over her for years.
She was his disciple's disciple, after all.
He had witnessed her growth firsthand.
Sure, she still had some reckless tendencies typical of her age.
But otherwise, she had already become an outstanding Inquisitor.
For the role of liaison between Steven and the Inquisition, Irene was the perfect choice.
"Saint Carmen, why are you agreeing with him too…?"
Irene lowered her head, suddenly feeling a bit insecure.
"I haven't done enough."
"Surely someone stronger and more capable should be doing this instead of me."
"Nah, I think you're doing just fine. Really."
Steven ruffled Irene's hair again, but this time, his tone was uncharacteristically serious.
"At the very least, do you even know why I chose to make a deal with the Inquisition in the first place?"
"Why I was willing to hand over something like these potatoes?"
"It was because I saw what you—a true Inquisitor—were doing."
"It was because of your actions that my first impression of the Inquisition was actually… not bad."
Steven's reasoning sounded casual, but that really was what he had thought at the time.
There was no complicated logic behind it.
It was simply because the Inquisition didn't seem too bad, so he chose them.
Otherwise, with his supply of miraculous crops, he could've traded with any nation in this world.
And given the game-changing potential of these crops, who would ever refuse an opportunity like that?
"Even if you say all that… I still don't know what I'm supposed to do."
Though Irene felt a rush of joy at his praise, her shy nature made her fidget slightly.
She tapped her fingers together, muttering in a small voice.
"That's easy."
Steven reached into his pocket (Inventory), pulled out a communication device, and stuffed it into her hands.
Then, without any hesitation, he took out a Waystone and planted it in a corner of the church.
"You know how to make a call, right?"
"Just dial me up if anything happens."
"And no matter where I am, I can teleport back here using this thing."
"Super simple. Easy to understand, yeah?"
After a quick rundown on how to use the device, Steven decided to give her a live demonstration.
He casually selected the Waystone in front of him, walked over to Carmen, and then activated it.
After a three-second countdown, his figure vanished instantly, only to reappear atop the Waystone.
"See? Simple as that."
Steven ignored Carmen's look of sheer disbelief, instead, he turned toward Irene, whose expression mirrored the elderly Saint's shock.
"Wait a moment—Mr. Steven!"
"Is this technology for sale?"
"Can other people use it too?"
A gleam of excitement flashed in Carmen's eyes.
If they could mass-produce something like this in Iberia, the potential would be unfathomable.
Steven, however, saw through his thoughts immediately.
He mercilessly crushed his hopes.
"Yeah, that's not happening."
"And I highly recommend you don't try messing with this thing."
"If you break it and I can't teleport back anymore—"
"I'm really gonna be pissed."
Of course, Steven knew exactly what was going through Carmen's mind.
And just to make sure there were no misunderstandings, he issued a firm warning.
After all, who knew if some idiot might try tinkering with it?
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