Chapter 1553: Chapter 1553: Internal Strife
In response to Feng Jun’s question, Sofia answered confidently, “Of course I can tell it’s extraordinary because it’s too heavy! Much heavier than gold. You just said it was…xuan iron? Is that the pronunciation? Is it very valuable?”
“Why do you have so many questions?” Feng Jun shook his head, half amused, half exasperated. “Xuan iron is certainly valuable, but it’s ultimately just a metal. One or two pieces aren’t of much use.”
His words were somewhat misleading; he regretted that the xuan iron had been taken. The person who discovered the uniqueness of the material would inevitably want to investigate further—there have been too many cases where people committed murder and arson just to obtain a new formula.
But in any case, this is merely an issue of material use. Its sensitivity may not be considered low, but it absolutely doesn’t surpass the significance of “the newly deceased alien biological remains”—the implications of the latter are far too numerous.
Feng Jun frowned as he thought, then asked in a serious tone, “Is that all you took, just those five items?”
“I wanted to take everything,” Sofia spread her hands, her face full of helplessness. “But unfortunately, I couldn’t carry that much, so boss, you should equip me with a Storage Talisman…I’m serious.”
“You already have a trunk,” Feng Jun gestured dismissively. He thought Sofia had performed well this time, but he wouldn’t break his principles because of it. Besides—having a Storage Talisman means you can defeat the Holy Adjudicator?
The fact that those three items were taken isn’t about having a Storage Talisman; it’s about you not being able to beat them. Even if you had the Storage Talisman and they took it from you, they would have everything.
Feng Jun pondered for a moment, then asked another question, “What are your plans next?”
“I don’t want to live as an ‘Apostate’ for the rest of my life,” Sofia replied gloomily. Although she wasn’t interested in the church, she also didn’t want to be attacked by everyone like a rat crossing the street.
After a moment of silence, her eyes lit up, “How about I go to Huaxia?”
Feng Jun shook his head, “I’ve told you, Huaxia doesn’t have the cultivation environment you need.”
Sofia’s eyes shifted, “I could also go to Europa…can you send me there?”
Feng Jun gave her a curious look, “The Sanctuary in Europa should be more powerful, right? You dare to go?”
“The one who declared me an Apostate is from the Mai Nation,” Sofia raised her eyebrows helplessly. “In fact, just finding the Jinwu Sunflower in my car isn’t enough proof to declare me an Apostate…”
It turns out she was declared an Apostate for other reasons; Mai Nation wanted the Jinwu Sunflower to stay in the country, but the European Church wanted the Sacred Object to return.
However, considering the Mai Nation’s approach, it’s clear they wouldn’t agree—foreign gold deposited in the Mai Nation is difficult to retrieve once it’s entered, let alone the Church’s Sacred Object.
The Mai Nation claimed that the Sacred Object originally belonged to them, and since the loss occurred domestically, there’s no way it could be returned to the Church.
The Church, on the other hand, argued that the Sacred Object was temporarily allocated to the Mai Nation’s Church for use. Since it was poorly kept and subsequently lost, it should naturally be returned now that it has reappeared.
They also stated that the Jansen Family was the one who found the Sacred Object, and suggested listening to their thoughts.
This suggestion was actually quite neutral and could even be considered a disadvantage for the Church—the Jansen Family may have roots in Europa, but they’ve lived in the Mai Nation for seven or eight generations and wouldn’t side with Europa on matters concerning the Mai Nation’s national interest.
Yet, the Holy Adjudicator from the Mai Nation directly responded: Sofia Jansen is a blasphemer, and I declare her an Apostate.
In reality, to be an Apostate, one must have committed acts of apostasy. Sophia Jansen used the Jinwu Sunflower for cultivation without Church permission, which came close to apostasy, but others didn’t know, right? At least she didn’t secretly manufacture Holy Water.
So if you really look at it, being judged this way is somewhat unfair, but since the Holy Adjudicator has already declared it, that’s the final conclusion. It should be known that the predecessor of The Sanctuary was the infamous “Inquisition,” perfectly capable of passing judgment directly.
Feng Jun contemplated for a moment and asked, “So, it’s primarily this Saint Judge David who declared you an Apostate?”
“I called home,” Sofia replied sullenly. “The European Church asked David what blasphemous acts I committed, and David said using that Black Cross was blasphemy…bullshit, did I make that thing?”
“What nonsense,” Feng Jun grumbled displeased, “So this Jinwu Sunflower is still in the Mai Nation?”
“Of course it’s in the Mai Nation,” Sofia nodded. “It’ll be exhibited in a church in a few days.”
Feng Jun’s brow furrowed slightly, “In which church will it be exhibited?”
“I’m not sure,” Sofia shook her head, then her eyes suddenly brightened, “Are you going to steal it?”
“What do you mean steal? Your words are offensive,” Feng Jun glared at her. “I’m going to take it back…I gave it to my disciple for cultivation, so why should they take it?”
“Boss, you’re so charismatic!” Sophia excitedly clapped her hands, her eyes shining with intensity. “Yes, this was a gift from you to me, and they actually dare to steal it, so outrageous… Boss, take David down for me!”
“Are you okay?” Feng Jun gave her a look, “You want me, a dignified Intermediate Level master, to act as your assassin?”
He didn’t bother to say anything disappointing. Considering her efforts to bring out the Exotic Beast bones, he smiled and asked, “Don’t you want to take revenge yourself after mastering cultivation?”
“Hmm?” Sophia thought about it, clearly tempted. “Alright, I think your suggestion is excellent.”
Feng Jun naturally shifted the focus back. “So now… can you find out where the Jinwu Sunflower is?”
“I’ll call my family tomorrow,” Sophia started yawning. “This topic is hot right now, shouldn’t be hard to find out. When it’s publicly exhibited, the whole world will be shocked.”
Only then did Feng Jun realize why there was no similar news within Huaxia—it’s yet to be publicly displayed.
“Then go into the room and rest,” he pointed at a room, “Once you’re awake, we’ll take action.”
Sophia didn’t sleep long this time, just from 3 a.m. to 9 a.m., but she slept soundly.
After waking, Feng Jun packed up and flew stealthily with her, covering nearly sixty kilometers, and found a city that wasn’t too big.
The two found a hidden spot to appear, Sophia wrapping herself tightly, while Feng Jun transformed into the appearance of a young black man, following her at a distance.
Sophia walked a full five kilometers, finally finding a relatively secluded coin-operated phone booth, inserting the coin to dial.
She called her cousin’s mobile phone. When he picked up and knew it was her, he wasn’t surprised because this cousin sister had been contacting the family like this recently. “You have one minute to talk, plus two minutes to run…”
Sophia didn’t mention looking for the Jinwu Sunflower, merely stating she wanted to know where David was, wishing to confront him.
“I advise you to abandon this foolish idea,” her cousin bluntly expressed. “You should be glad his mind is entirely focused on the Jinwu Sunflower. Once the public exhibition starts, he’ll concentrate all his efforts on capturing you.”
“Damn, I got the Jinwu Sunflower by dealing with Keane!” Sophia cursed loudly, completely disregarding her identity. “He’ll pay the price! I want to know his whereabouts now.”
“Who knows?” her cousin replied impatiently. “Thirty-three seconds have passed. If you have anything urgent to say, hurry!”
Sophia quickly spoke, “I need to know David’s whereabouts, even a rough itinerary will do.”
Though her cousin’s attitude was poor, he still answered quickly, “You check it yourself, he should be with the Jinwu Sunflower.”
“Then, where is the Jinwu Sunflower?”
“Damn it,” her cousin got angry. “It’s already been a minute, are you determined to find your doom?”
“I’m waiting for the answer,” Sophia responded quickly. “I’m betting on whether the police arrive faster or you find the answer sooner.” “Bullshit!” her cousin erupted in anger, then shouted loudly, “Annie, I need the latest whereabouts of the Jinwu Sunflower and David, indeed, that damn David… you have thirty seconds!”
Thirty seconds is short, but with the recent events surrounding Saint Judge David and the Jansen Family, many know about them, so the secretary named Annie delivered several newspapers in twenty seconds.
Her cousin skimmed them quickly, reporting a few locations. “…I’m not sure exactly where he is, but he likely won’t move soon. Dear sister, are you betting the police cars are out of fuel now?”
“My situation is safer than you think,” Sophia continued watching the nearby black man from the corner of her eye; as long as he didn’t react, she was fearless. “I’d like to know more, could you check again for me?”
“My God,” her cousin whispered softly, “Annie, look for more detailed information… Sophia, are you sure you’re safe?”
“Of course,” Sophia answered quickly. In fact, even though Feng Jun was nearby, as time slowly passed, her emotions grew a bit tense… perhaps excited was more appropriate. “I cherish myself more than you can imagine.”
“Then do as you wish,” the voice on the other side relaxed. “If you don’t mind, I can read the newspaper for you, starting with this issue of the Holy Teachings Gazette…”
Meanwhile, next to a satellite station, in a small office, seven or eight people were watching over two hundred screens, occasionally muttering.
Suddenly, a guy wearing a headset shouted, “Target Z4061 has been detected. She’s on the phone with her brother… surely another coin-operated phone.”
(End of the third update, asking for your base monthly vote in November.)