Chapter 43-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation

Wu Shu watched the man in white leave and hesitated for a moment before pretending to walk back casually.

It was perfectly reasonable for her to have left something behind in the shelter and gone back for it, right?

The Demonic Domain was gone, and the surroundings had returned to the streets of the lower district's wealthy area. There weren't many people. Everyone who passed by looked traumatized. They probably never expected that they would still be in danger even after hiding in the shelter.

Wu Shu heard people repeatedly mention a few names. Some marveled at the crown prince's brilliance. More people were grateful for the protection of the Saintess and her companions. Some even worried about the Cloud-Soaring Squad's score.

In the midst of the noise, someone said that the crown prince's vehicle was lost and that the giant beast carrying people had suddenly run away, which made many people concerned.

She walked towards the shelter. When she saw two figures at the entrance, she stopped and observed them from a distance.

The man in white had his back to her, so she couldn't see his expression. However, Ye Zheng's face was clear. The girl frowned slightly and lowered her head submissively, looking innocent and impeccably sincere.

Her intuition told her that Ye Zheng didn't like the man in front of her very much.

Wu Shu tried to make out Ye Zheng's words from her lip movements.

"Everyone overpraises me. It was just a stroke of luck."

"The monster's corpse is right inside."

"Strange person... do you mean the people who were parasitic by the bugs?"

Wu Shu found the Pope's appearance extremely odd. After a team locked down a Demonic Domain, other forces were not allowed to enter and interfere with the competition unless the situation was critical and a contestant gave up their chance for points to actively ask for help.

But even if a contestant asked for help, the person who came to rescue them would not be the Pope.

Even if something happened to the crown prince, it was unlikely to mobilize this man. Besides his status, rumors said that the Pope's ability was not suitable for combat.

There was only one possibility: the Pope was not here for the competition but for something that existed inside this Demonic Domain...

The two people not far away were still talking. The man in white suddenly moved.

Her short, deep purple hair was a little messy in the wind, half-concealing Wu Shu's face. She immediately leaned back behind a building, and a bead of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.

For a moment, the strangely powered bug, the Saintess's slightly abnormal behavior, and the Pope's sudden appearance—these clues connected in her mind. But Wu Shu covered her head, forcing herself not to think too deeply.

In the brief cooperation and conflict they just had, she, who considered herself clever, couldn't even outplay Ye Zheng, the rumored mascot of the Sei Curia. It was even more impossible to get involved in a matter big enough to alarm the Pope.

Wu Shu calmed down. She relied on her ability to appear and disappear mysteriously and loved to play tricks, but some things were not for a 'mantis stalker' like her to swallow.

Just aiming for the championship of the competition was enough for her to focus on. As for other matters, unless they involved a dragon bone that could bring protection to her hometown, they were none of her business.

Wu Shu's steps slowed down as she left. She thought to herself that she could still try to approach this Ye Zheng person...

"Your heart is beating a little fast. Haven't you recovered from what just happened?"

The man in white had already heard about what happened in the shelter. He asked with concern from a few steps away.

"I rarely face these monsters directly. The Sei Curia knights always protect me very well. I just went through such a dangerous situation; my hands and feet are still trembling."

Ye Zheng clutched her chest, looking like she was still recovering from a shock. She didn't question why the man could even hear her heartbeat.

"Haha, you've really been through a lot. A Sei Curia Saintess shouldn't have to do such rough things."

Ye Zheng, who had been keeping her head bowed, suddenly looked up and met the Pope's gaze directly. She said softly, "It's my duty. You also know... I don't want to stop at being a puppet Saintess."

The man in white's gaze towards the girl became meaningful. The atmosphere was momentarily tense. After a while, he slowly said, "I admire ambitious children. That's also why I chose you in the first place."

Ambitious people were the easiest to control. They were nothing more than seekers of wealth and power. As the Pope, he had control over countless riches and ultimate power and could easily manipulate these people.

Ever since the Pope had pointed out her small tricks last time, Ye Zheng was happy to play the role of an ambitious person in front of him, actively giving him what he thought was a handle to control her.

"You did well this time. You earned points for Sykes's team and brought in a wave of prestige."

The Pope commented approvingly, but his tone quickly changed.

"But you must remember, the protagonist of this competition is only Sykes, do you understand?"

Ye Zheng nodded knowingly. "I understand. I will do my best to assist His Highness Sykes."

The man in white moved his lips, as if he wanted to say something more, but was suddenly interrupted by a noisy commotion.

"Why are you here?"

Although he used the respectful 'you', his tone was far from deferential. The man in white didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.

"Little Highness, long time no see."

Sykes's face was tense. He had been running around in the Demonic Domain like a headless chicken, and suddenly the Demonic Domain disappeared. Someone had stolen his prey.

Even if the person who stole the prey was technically one of his own.

He didn't even bother to respond to the Pope. After spotting the girl, his golden eyes stared deeply at Ye Zheng. "I underestimated you."

Ye Zheng responded neither obsequiously nor arrogantly. "It's good that you know."

Sykes scoffed as if he was extremely annoyed. He glanced at Ryan and Yu Tianming behind him. His team was full of hidden talents: a cat who acted on her own accord, a useless dog, and a foxy individual with too many tricks up his sleeve.

"Your Holiness, why did you come all this way?"

Not far away, Yin Kong's exaggerated shout startled a group of people.

"What Pope?"

"Where is he? I've never seen a living Pope in my life!"

"Shut up, Lucy. That's disrespectful!"

Ye Zheng's gaze shifted, and she was surprised to see the Cloud-Soaring Squad and the Divine Academy team walking towards them. Why were they here together?

Among the excited young people, she saw Wu Shu looking at her.

The moment their eyes met from a distance, Ye Zheng confirmed that Wu Shu had led this group here.

The man in white watched the noisy group of young people approach, his gentle expression stiffening, the curve of his lips flattening.

A slight, almost imperceptible smile crossed Ye Zheng's eyes. She asked the Pope in a tone of feigned concern, "By the way, you said you lost something here. Perhaps these young contestants can help. Don't let their flightiness fool you; they can be very capable when they're serious."

Sykes stared at the Pope with a scrutinizing gaze. What could this old man, Wen Jian, lose in the lower district that he had to come find it himself?

On the other hand, he had lost his beast carriage. Ryan was a failure, he couldn't even be a good coachman.

"Hehe, no need."

"I can't sense its aura anymore. It's probably completely destroyed."

The white-robed Pope said flatly.

"Ye Zheng, why didn't you follow us? Everyone was worried and came looking for you."

The short-haired woman looked concerned and enthusiastically took Ye Zheng's arm.

Ye Zheng blinked and looked apologetically at the Pope.

The Pope had no interest in continuing the conversation. He smiled at the group of excited young people, like little chicks, and said a few words of greeting, which flattered the young people so much that even the usually composed Percy looked a little flustered.

The man in white had an ordinary appearance, but his demeanor was exceptional. Every gesture had a kind of inclusive and generous charm, yet without losing an air of authority.

Percy had also dealt with clergy members in the lower district. Those people were arrogant and snobbish, completely inconsistent with the holy image promoted by the Sei Curia.

It wasn't until he met Ye Zheng and then this gentle, unassuming Popethat he realized the Sei Curia wasn't all a lie.

The black-haired boy couldn't help but look at the Saintess. She was standing next to the Middle District captain, seemingly laughing and talking about something.

Her clean white dress was stained with blood, even more than when she shot the monster. He wondered how much of it belonged to the monster and how much was her own.

He had been negligent, Percy thought. He should have considered that the core monster could be hiding in the shelter. Otherwise, this gentle and holy Saintess wouldn't have had to be stained with such filthy blood.

He suddenly turned to ask Lucy, "Lucy, you guys had a tough fight in there, didn't you?"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you to face it alone."

Lucy heard the hint of self-reproach in Percy's voice. She scratched her head. "It wasn't tough at all. We had a great time fighting."

It seemed that in the past, she would have been happy with Percy's concerned greeting, but now she wanted to hear them praise her. They had just killed the core monster!

Lucy knew Percy. This guy had a strong sense of responsibility, but as a fellow ability warrior, she had made a resolve when she joined this competition. She wasn't here to be someone's protected object—of course, this was a realization she had only recently come to.

The girl naturally forgot that her original purpose for joining the competition was to find a powerful boyfriend.

[Wow, that Pope really lives up to his later reputation as a big perverted villain. He gives orders but his tone is so disgusting!]

The System watched the Pope finally leave and couldn't help but say.

Ye Zheng was idly chatting with Wu Shu, and she took a moment to dismissively reply to the System in her mind.

"He is pretty disgusting. Kind of like you."

[??]

[I've been wronged, my dear heroine!]

"His actions, telling me to make way for Sykes, are no different from you telling me to be Percy's heroine."

[But you didn't follow my instructions at all... Who would have thought you would develop like this?]

[I can't stop you now, but the Pope is an even bigger villain than Sykes. It's best not to go against him.]

Ye Zheng wasn't surprised by this. Sykes had the power, but his mindset was a little too simple to be a good villain for a whole story. And based on her many years of interaction with him, she would be surprised if the Pope wasn't a major villain.

"Ye Zheng, want to go for a drink later? I know a small bar nearby that has a lot of handsome guys."

Wu Shu naturally pulled Ye Zheng into conversation, as if the conflict they had in the shelter had never happened. They were like sisters who had known each other forever.

Compared to the disgusting big villain, Ye Zheng was more interested in this little villain in front of her. This Wu Shu person was truly interesting. She wondered what kind of benefit she saw in her this time that she came back so nonchalantly.

In fact, compared to a pure person like Bai Muqing, Ye Zheng preferred to work with a smart, worldly person like Wu Shu. She hated the Pope, but she also learned some worldly tricks from him. Short-term cooperation for mutual benefit could lead to the most effective results.

Remembering that she still owed Wu Shu a favor, Ye Zheng blinked. Although she couldn't fulfill her promise for now, she could give her another gift in response to Wu Shu's gesture of goodwill.

"You like... handsome guys?"

Ye Zheng asked with clear enunciation.

Hearing the Saintess utter the words "handsome guys," Wu Shu inexplicably felt that the words had been tainted by Ye Zheng's mouth.

Then, Ye Zheng's gaze fixed on her sincerely, making her feel a little uncomfortable.

"Hmm, do you think Sykes counts? They all say he's very handsome."

As soon as the name "Sykes" came out, Wu Shu was so surprised she almost jumped.

She didn't have time to say anything when she heard a commotion not far away. Someone let out a curse.

Wu Shu looked closely and saw that Sykes, in the middle of the crowd, had suddenly fallen. The red-haired and black-haired boys next to him immediately helped him up. The noble crown prince's face was extremely gloomy.

He was wearing a white shirt on his upper body. He must have hit something when he fell, as the fabric on his chest had ripped, revealing his fair chest muscles. Wu Shu's gaze slid down and found that the fabric on his waist had also been torn by a rock on the ground, exposing a section of his firm waist.

Wu Shu's eyes flashed. She noticed some wet marks on Sykes's pants.

To be honest, the crown prince looked quite delicious in this state, but compared to his usual high and mighty demeanor, this comical sight made Wu Shu want to laugh.

But a moment later, Wu Shu couldn't laugh anymore. She looked a little awkward. The crown prince's outfit was strangely familiar. It had the same design as her black dress.

She covered her face, thinking that she absolutely had to change out of this 'same style as the crown prince' outfit when she got back!

Ye Zheng curiously looked at Wu Shu's expression. She must be quite satisfied. Putting her own aesthetic on Sykes would never go wrong.

She looked down at her wet palm. As expected of a real dragon bone, just a small piece buried in her body was enough to pull a sneaky prank on Sykes without him knowing.

Poor Sykes still had a gloomy face, walking quickly to leave this embarrassing place.

Author's Note:

The Pope is doomed to die. How else would he make room for Zhengzheng?

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