Original God's Dark Priest

Chapter 901 The Test

The situation was far from optimistic, and Kinic swallowed hard, refraining from making any rash moves.

Seeing this, Ada slightly curled the corners of her lips. Yes, that's it, a very clever approach.

Kinich noticed a barely perceptible smile on Ida's face, and a thought flashed through his mind.

He tried to speak: "Aurora, the second Dark Priest of the Fools' Order, once said that she intended to form an alliance with us. Judging from what you just said, you should be her subordinates, right?"

“That’s right, I am Lord Dark Priest’s direct subordinate, and I am in charge of guarding this place.” Ada raised her hand, signaling the musketeer guerrillas to put down their weapons, which reassured Ginitch; he seemed to have guessed correctly.

While they were fighting, the side passage had been cleared, and the Fools soldiers there were almost all defeated.

Ying was the one who made the move.

Shinonin wasn't very good at direct combat, and Mavica and Ying knew this, so they didn't go all out against those people. As a result, the Fools soldiers came out after seeing Mavica and the others enter and came to Ada's side.

Seeing that they were all led by Ada, Kinich was somewhat taken aback: "Where are the captain's men? Why are all of them Shadow Priest's subordinates?"

Ada placed Ajo in the crook of her left arm and gently stroked the sleeping little dragon, whose body was still covered in ice shards: "Curious? Why don't you take a guess? If you guess right, I won't stop you if you still want to go in."

“What does this mean…” Kinich frowned. After confirming that Ada wouldn’t hurt Ajo, he wasn’t in such a hurry anymore. Moreover, judging from her behavior, he could guess that Ada was stalling for time, which was in line with his own goal. He didn’t mind talking to Ada a little more here.

It's best to avoid fighting if possible. He's not a masochist, and it's clear he can't win in this situation.

Now completely calm, Kinich caught the fleeting hint of mockery in Ada's eyes: "Actually, you never intended to stop them from the beginning, did you? Including my attack this time, it was all within your expectations."

“Yes, that’s right. So, what does this have to do with the answer you’re looking for?” Ada nodded in agreement. This had been planned from the beginning. “The captain’s men, do you guess where they are?”

"Their current location..." Kinich stared intently at Ada, as if trying to find the answer in her face, but Ada remained calm, as if certain he would reveal the answer that was already on the tip of her tongue.

Kinich suddenly chuckled, straightened up, and even put away his weapon: "You want me to tell you they were lying in ambush in the ruins, and then tell me I answered wrong, huh?"

"I refuse to guess that way. They're currently..." Kinich turned to look in the direction of the Echoing Children and the Streamers, "...resisting the Abyss, right?"

Ada raised an eyebrow, a look of surprise on her face: "You actually guessed it? I thought you were hostile to the Fools."

“Because Aurora once said that the Abyss is also an enemy of the Fools, and she also rescued Kazina from the Kingdom of Night. A captain who can make her willingly cooperate cannot be a despicable person,” Kinich said, explaining his reasoning.

The Fools soldiers behind Ada put away their weapons and scattered, as if nothing had happened.

“They…” Kinich felt things were moving too fast; with just one sentence, all the hostility these people had towards him vanished.

“What we’re guarding against has never been attacks from the Natas, but from the Abyss. To you, the Abyss seems to lack intelligence and is just a disaster. But the Lady doesn’t think so. The Abyss is conscious, and even manipulated by humans.” Ada beckoned to Kinich: “Come sit down. You must be tired after fighting for so long.”

Kinich had a serious expression, but he obediently walked to a chair, sat down, took Ajo from Ida's hands, and carefully examined its injuries.

In Ginitch's opinion, Ada's attack must have severely injured Ajo, but after checking, he found that Ajo had no wounds and had simply fallen into a deep sleep.

He was very surprised: "What's wrong with A-Qiao?"

"It's too noisy, let it take a nap." Ada rubbed her temples. She always thought her parents were already quite rude, but she never expected to encounter an even more rude person today, which truly opened her eyes.

Gogol, the rock guerrilla who attacked Ajo in the previous battle, chuckled and said, "Next time you encounter Lady Dark Priest, you'd better keep your little dragon in check. She doesn't like noisy voices and purely abusive language; it could be dangerous."

“I have experience with this.” Ginitch lowered his eyes slightly to look at Ajo, who was already snoring. It was clear that the guy was sleeping soundly.

When Ajo met Mavica, he was quite obedient. As long as he understood that Aurora was more dangerous than Mavica, the little guy knew what to do.

Ada had already taken out the teapot and started brewing tea skillfully. Ginitch looked at Ada's skillful and professional movements with some doubt: "I remember that the Hidden Mirror Ladies are indeed a kind of etiquette troops of the Winter Kingdom, but... does this also involve the tea culture of Liyue?"

“It’s not related to me, I learned it myself.” Ada said, pushing a cup of hot tea in front of Kinich. “Thanks to Lord Dark Priest, I’ve learned a lot of things that have nothing to do with me.”

“You don’t seem too willing.” Kinich sensed a hint of resentment in Ada’s voice as she said this.

Ada replied calmly, "How could that be? This is my blessing, something I couldn't ask for."

Although Ada finds those past events absurd, she has to admit that the experiences she had with Saffir were invaluable. Most Fools soldiers might stay in one place for their entire lives, but there are very few like her who travel around so much.

Following Saffir has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, this boss is really unreliable. You never know if she will suddenly find you and assign you a bunch of inexplicable tasks.

You can't refuse, not because you'll offend this person, but because those things you don't understand happen to be a very important part.

One seemingly insignificant thing after another, a deliberately created coincidence, can be combined to form a momentous event; this talent for command is a gift.

Ada shook her head vigorously, clearing her mind of the jumbled thoughts, and then looked at Kinich: "Tell me about yourself. You can now choose to enter the ruins to find Vulcan Mavica and the captain."

"What price do I need to pay?" Kinich doesn't think it's free.

Ada's lips curled slightly: "The price is... delaying our test, resulting in a failure. Lord Dark Priest will reassess the necessity of cooperating with Nata."

Kinic frowned, lost in thought, unaware that this was the true test.

It's impossible for two parties to be completely intimate, so there will inevitably be times when communication is needed. If one party doesn't even have basic respect for the other's opinions, then there's no point in continuing the cooperation.

Ada frankly stated the above: if Kinich insists on going his own way and wants to go deeper, it will not only be a disrespect for the opinions of his partners, but also a failure to see the situation clearly and to resolutely carry out Vulcan's arrangements.

As a subordinate, one cannot be rigid, but one also cannot be too flexible; everything must be done in moderation.

Ginic needs to find the right balance.

After careful consideration, Kinic finally shook his head: "I'm not going."

“A wise choice.” Ada picked up her teacup and took a sip. “Now, it’s up to those big shots.”

Meanwhile, Mavica and her group had defeated the Fools soldiers guarding the flank and reached the foot of the mountain.

"There are so few Fools here. Would the Shadow Priest and the Captain let such an obvious oversight go unchecked?" Xinoning asked, somewhat puzzled.

Ying shrugged: "I'm afraid even if we put more people here, it would still be breached. They won't do something pointless."

With Mavika present, the number of people is irrelevant.

After hearing Ying's words, Xinoning also felt that this was probably the case.

Mavica then observed the surroundings and asked, "How is it, Xinoning? Is this place alright?"

“No problem, leave it to us.” Xinoning immediately responded and led the members of the Echoing Children to begin digging.

They were fast and made very little noise, digging a tunnel with incredible efficiency.

Ying and Paimon stared in disbelief at the tunnel before them.

Paimon blinked: "This... it's a real shame you guys don't go to the Abyss of Laminaria to be miners."

“Mining isn’t our main business,” Xinoning said with a smile.

A member of the Sons of Echoes named Totek ran out after checking around: "We can see inside now."

Xinoning nodded: "Very good, continue. However, the journey ahead may be dangerous, you guys retreat, I'll handle things here."

Totek didn't insist upon hearing this: "Alright, you all take good care of yourselves."

As the most outstanding craftswoman of the Echoing Children, Shinonin's excavation skills were no less than those of others. Even alone, she was still quite fast and quickly opened up a passage, leading Mavica, Ying, and Paimon into the ruins.

Mavica cautioned, "The Fools won't concentrate all their forces in one place; there must be guards inside. Everyone, stay alert."

As she spoke, she punched the floor tile blocking her way. The hard tile, along with all the surrounding obstacles, was blasted apart by her powerful force. After doing this, Mavica dusted off her clothes and went inside first.

"Wow! The scene of Mavica smashing the floor tiles was so stunning and cool!" Paimon praised her enthusiastically.

Xinoning nodded in agreement: "Yes, it has reached the expert level among the Echo Children."

Mavica was already used to these compliments. She remained silent, her sharp eyes scanning everything in front of her. Soon, the group arrived at the first place in the ruins guarded by the Fools.

It was a tightly closed gate, and a Wind Fist Vanguard was cautiously looking around in front of it.

Seeing this, Mavica made a judgment: "That should be the Fatui's passageway. Let's avoid them and sneak in from the side."

The group bypassed the door, made a passage a little further away, and entered the next area. Soon, a peculiar mechanism appeared before them.

Mavica frowned slightly: "This mechanism is sealed off, what happened?"

"It was Sapphire who did it. It seems she really is inside." Ying immediately recognized that the method of sealing the mechanism originated from Liyue's fairy magic.

Upon hearing this, Mavica was troubled: "This is difficult. Is there anyone here who knows magic?"

“Although we do have some immortal friends, we know absolutely nothing about immortal magic,” Paimon said, expressing his helplessness.

Ying frowned deeply, pondering Safiel's intentions. Was it to buy time? Not worth it. A test? If it was a test, there was no reason she couldn't pass. But what should she do?

She stepped forward and touched the mechanism. A girl's soft laughter rang out: "You've arrived a little faster than I expected. The War of the Gods will begin in Teyvat. Luminous, this is not only a test for Nata, but also a test for you."

This door cannot be broken open by brute force. Originally, I wanted you to figure out how to open it yourselves, but time is of the essence, so let's change it to answering questions. If you answer correctly, you can pass through.

"What's the problem?" Ying asked confidently.

Looking at the sealed mechanism, Mavica was speechless: "Are these things really necessary?"

"At least on the surface, I have to set up some obstacles, otherwise it would be too unreasonable, wouldn't it? After all, the captain is the one in charge." The girl's voice continued, "A door that absolutely cannot be broken open by brute force, you don't have the key, what method should you use to get through it?"

Please name two methods.

"Two kinds? And no key?" Paimon was dumbfounded, scratching his head but unable to think of any way to get in.

Xinoning and Mavica frowned in thought. After a while, Mavica spoke up: "Since the door can't be broken, let's make a hole in the wall. I don't necessarily have to go through the door."

"..." The girl let out a slightly helpless chuckle, "Fine, you're right, right? What about the second one?"

"Dig a tunnel!" This time it was Xinoning. If walls can be torn down, there's no reason why digging a tunnel can't be done.

The girl's voice immediately turned exasperated: "One bug is enough! Think it over! Ying! What do you mean by staying silent? This is a test for you!"

When Ying was called on, she immediately stood at attention. She thought hard for a few seconds before saying, "Rock... Rock element's Serpent Seven Transformations, Janus Gate!"

"Phew... Correct answer!" The girl breathed a sigh of relief. "So you're not completely demented yet."

The correct answer is Janus Gate, a divine ability of the Geo element, which can open any obstacle related to doors.

The second method is Seele's Word of Power Key, which can also open anything with a door in any concept. Remember that?

"Understood, sir!" Ying stood ramrod straight, just like a soldier.

The girl gave a soft snort: "Go in."

With a loud bang, a hidden door beneath the stone wall opened, revealing the passage behind it.

“Janus, the god of pathways…she seems to be trying to tell us something.” Mavica silently wrote down what she heard, her intuition telling her that this information would be very useful later.