Light Fortress Chapter 1915 - 10: The Strange City

"Mr. Chi, how long do you plan to keep this woman?"

The Red Grape Building in Rhein City was built thirty years ago; it was a landmark meant to rival the Great Capital Flower Flag of Da Du.

Thus, the underground of the Red Grape Building also served as a secret base for Transcendents.

The ninth level underground is a completely sealed secret prison.

Through the screen before them, one can monitor the prison’s situation in real time. Now, the entire underground of the Red Grape Building has been cleared out just to detain one person—

Wind City Rose, Ye Kaluo.

"Until a clear execution order is issued by Upper City, I have the authority to detain her."

Chi Shou looked at the man beside him expressionlessly. Gu Li had recently been appointed by the Red Wine Group to temporarily take over the privileges of Rhein, making him a "temporary priest" in a sense, on equal footing with Chi Shou.

"Both you and I know that Upper City wishes her dead."

Gu Li, clad in a loose robe, showed a lazy demeanor, holding a wine glass in hand as he spoke with a smile: "Moreover, to my knowledge... orders have come more than once from Upper City to execute this traitor."

He paused slightly.

He continued with a smile: "Holy Cross Academy’s urging has repeatedly been sent to Rhein... if not for your insistence on detaining this woman in the Secret Dungeon, even if she had nine lives, they’d have all been cut off. I wonder, if this news gets back to Upper City, will it cause any adverse effects for Mr. Chi?"

"If you want to speak, just go ahead."

"As a priest of Source Tower, I naturally adhere to the Divine Oracle of Source Tower. I obey the system, act with integrity and sit upright."

Chi Shou calmly said: "Lord Sky Divine Throne hasn’t personally issued an ’execution order.’ According to Source Tower’s priest regulations, executing someone of Ye Kaluo’s level is not something the academy can decide with just a few words. If an execution were truly to be carried out, she would need to be sent to Upper City for detention... neither you nor I have the personal authority to execute her."

"..."

Gu Li was speechless.

Those words were flawless; indeed, he had no way to refute them...

Chi Shou strictly adhered to the rules of Source Tower, so even if people from above came, they could not blame him for anything. As for needing a Divine Throne’s personal decree to execute someone, that was simply unthinkable.

Lord Sky Divine Throne hadn’t issued orders in a long time.

If this were in the past.

Ye Kaluo would already be dead. On the day of her arrest, a Supervisor would come to either escort her to Upper City for execution or execute her on the spot.

But unfortunately, now is a special period.

Central Continent has turned into chaos.

The Extraordinary Era has arrived, and the order in Central Continent is on the verge of "collapse". [Deep Sea] has committed a great deal of computational power just to barely hold the situation together.

Every day, a large number of Transcendents awaken on their own and connect to the deep water area, beginning self-assessment of their spirits...

The priests appointed by Source Tower have all been dispatched from Upper City to various districts to guide and instruct those newly awakened Transcendents who link through [Deep Sea].

Under such circumstances, dealing with the remnants of the Ancient Literature Society rebellion doesn’t quite count as an important matter...

Ye Kaluo has already been detained, and that is sufficient.

Gu Li could clearly see that Chi Shou was deliberately delaying.

If this were two years ago, he wouldn’t have been so calm.

Now, his attitude had shifted.

The reason was simple.

The Extraordinary Era has come, and almost everyone can become a Transcendent.

With the rebellion of Source Tower’s Red Dragon Envoy and the deaths of Xuanwu White Tiger... among the Four Divine Envoys, only the newly appointed Vermilion Bird envoy remains, with all other positions vacant.

The entire Upper City is engulfed in unprecedented turmoil and chaos.

In such a major context, Source Tower would naturally focus on grooming "talents."

Gu Li is very clear about his own abilities.

He knows that he is not a genius; reaching the fourth level through cultivation is already his limit, and he has almost no hope of further advancement in this lifetime.

Under such circumstances, fighting to the death is meaningless.

The case of Ye Kaluo’s capture is fully managed by Chi Shou... this young man’s cultivation talent surpasses his own greatly, with his master’s teachings still in Upper City. He is bound to leave this remote Rhein district and return to Upper City for a higher position.

A mere "temporary priest" himself has no need to conflict with Chi Shou.

If the case is resolved smoothly, he, as an assistant, will undoubtedly receive commendation from senior officials.

If Chi Shou truly loses his sanity and betrays Upper City for a woman, ruining the case, it wouldn’t be on him.

"Mr. Chi is jesting."

Gu Li held his wine glass lightly and said indifferently: "I haven’t mentioned a word about what happens in the Secret Dungeon."

Due to the change in perspective, he now turns a blind eye to Ye Kaluo’s case.

Whether this woman lives or dies is no longer important.

Could Source Tower possibly reinstate her?

Regardless, she poses no threat to him now.

As long as his days as a "temporary priest" are comfortable, why fight life and death for the Red Wine Group?

"Tomorrow, I plan to make a trip to Upper City."

Chi Shou ceased to watch the surveillance screen.

Gu Li’s change in attitude was noted by him; the reasons for this change were like daylight to him.

After the Awakening Bill was announced... this "Hirer" who serves the Red Wine Group began to draw closer to him.

The arrival of the Extraordinary Era has secured the position of Hirers as not ordinary.

But the priests of Source Tower are entirely different.