Chapter 19: Self-Directed Performance
In less than ten minutes, all 29 important officials had arrived. The doors of the council hall slammed shut with a heavy thud.
"Cough."
The Old Holy King let out a light cough, and the hall immediately fell silent. All the officials turned to look at him with respectful expressions.
"At 5 a.m. this morning, the Immortal Crystal Goddess Statue in the Grand Cathedral was stolen."
As soon as the Old Holy King spoke these words, most of the officials were stunned for a moment, while others had already learned of the news earlier.
"Regardless, we must find the Immortal Crystal Goddess Statue today. Tomorrow morning, the envoy from Simoro will arrive. This concerns post-war reparations. The lockdown of Dawn City must be lifted before dawn tomorrow."
The Old Holy King's expression was grave. It was clear that the theft of the Immortal Crystal Goddess Statue was a headache for him as well. If news of this reached the Simoro Empire, it would be a tremendous loss of face.
"The Holy King is right. We must find the Immortal Crystal Goddess Statue before tonight, no matter what method we use."
The Moon Goddess also spoke. With Eagle Marquis eliminated, her power struggle with the Old Holy King had come to a temporary halt, at least for a few days. With one of the three giants, Eagle Marquis, having just fallen, if another of them were to fall before the aftermath was dealt with, it would cause major problems.
"What do you all think?"
The Old Holy King scanned the officials present. Wherever his gaze fell, the officials lowered their heads and remained silent. No one dared to take on this task. Even the Moon Goddess Monastery couldn't handle it, and solving it within a day seemed to the officials like an impossible mission.
"Give me one day. If I can't find the Immortal Crystal Goddess Statue, I'll offer my head."
Su Xiao spoke. The Old Holy King and the Moon Goddess both looked at him.
"Kukulin..."
The Old Holy King sighed. In this critical moment, the Ninth Division had stepped forward.
Including the Old Holy King, no one present was surprised. If something like this had happened before, this meeting wouldn't have been called at all. The Ninth Division would have taken over immediately. But now, the Ninth Division was almost completely disbanded, left with only its commander, a vice officer, and a single branch department, the Crow's Eye.
"No need to offer your head. If this were a month ago and you couldn't find the Immortal Crystal Goddess Statue within a day, you would indeed have to offer your head."
The Old Holy King was well aware of the Ninth Division's situation. It was now just a hollow shell.
"Commander Kukulin, from today until tomorrow morning, you may freely enter and exit most areas of the monastery."
The Moon Goddess also expressed her stance. Compared to the Old Holy King, she felt a bit more ashamed. The Ninth Division had been dismantled by the two of them, yet now, in a time of crisis, they had to rely on it.
"It's my duty."
Although Su Xiao appeared calm on the surface, he actually felt a bit uneasy, because the Immortal Crystal Goddess Statue was right inside his team storage space.
Clearly, neither the Old Holy King nor the Moon Goddess suspected Su Xiao. In their view, unless Su Xiao had gone mad, there was no way he would steal the Immortal Crystal Goddess Statue.
Moreover, even if Su Xiao wanted to steal it, he wouldn't have the chance. Near Su Xiao's residence, at least thirty Moon Apostles were secretly watching. The Moon Goddess was certain that Su Xiao had stayed in his residence to rest last night. The only time he went out was in the direction opposite the Moon Goddess Monastery, and that trip had no issues.
As for where Su Xiao went last night, coincidentally, he had received a secret summons from the Old Holy King to deal with the remnants of Eagle Marquis's faction. He worked until 2 a.m. before returning to his residence to rest.
In terms of motive, timing, and location, Su Xiao had no opportunity to steal the Immortal Crystal Goddess Statue.
In truth, the theft of the Immortal Crystal Goddess Statue was purely a random event. Bubu Wang saw that the statue was quite large and stole it on a whim, never expecting such a good result.
The meeting adjourned at 8:20 a.m. All departments gave Su Xiao the green light, but only for today.
Su Xiao, along with his vice officer and Baha, left the Lurenfei Palace. The vice officer didn't notice anything unusual, as this kind of task was once within the Ninth Division's scope of work. They had handled countless similar cases, even more troublesome ones.
"Vice Officer, you're temporarily in full charge of Crow's Eye. Bring me the map."
Hearing this, the vice officer took out a map of the imperial capital from her backpack.
"Here, here, and here, set up checkpoints. Interrogate all merchants and thieves in the capital related to antiques, cultural relics, and artworks. I want a clear answer by noon at the latest. In the meantime, send someone to retrieve 'those things.'"
"Yes!"
The vice officer hurried away.
"You are..."
Su Xiao looked at the one-armed Moon Apostle. He was a representative sent by the Moon Goddess and had once fought Su Xiao.
"Tree Wolf."
Tree Wolf gritted his teeth audibly, because Su Xiao had cut off one of his arms, and it was a clean cut. Seeking revenge would be embarrassing.
"Take your unit and search the entire city's underground drainage system. If you find ropes, lifting devices, or anything similar, bring them to me immediately."
"The underground... drainage system!"
A trace of fear appeared in Tree Wolf's eyes. He had a severe case of mysophobia, and Su Xiao was ordering him to search the sewers.
"Is there a problem?"
"N-no problem."
Tree Wolf agreed through clenched teeth, then turned and left.
"Baha, take the Moon Goddess Monastery as the center. Search the skies for any suspicious transcendent beings."
"Okay."
Baha spread his wings and took off, flying toward the Moon Goddess Monastery.
"Imperial Social Butterfly..."
"I'm Sonia, the Imperial Flower."
Sonia quickly corrected him. She was not a social butterfly.
"Take me to the Grand Cathedral."
With the opportunity to enter the Moon Goddess Monastery, Su Xiao naturally wouldn't miss it. He had to admit, the timing of the Immortal Crystal Goddess Statue theft was very delicate. Tomorrow was the negotiation between the two countries.
Finding the Immortal Crystal Goddess Statue was extremely simple for Su Xiao, but the key was how to find it.
From the Moon Goddess's attitude today, it was clear that her mentality was nearly shattered. This was no longer just a matter of losing face.
The Immortal Crystal Goddess Statue was, of course, more than just a statue. It had been worshipped by tens of thousands of believers for centuries. Even an ordinary piece of granite, under the influence of so much willpower, would become a transcendent item, let alone the largest piece of Immortal Crystal on the continent.
When Su Xiao arrived at the Moon Goddess Monastery, it was already under complete lockdown. However, Su Xiao had the dual authorization of the Old Holy King and the Moon Goddess.
Passing through the front hall, crossing a courtyard, and going past the ritual building, Su Xiao arrived at the entrance of the Grand Cathedral.
At least a thousand Moon Apostles were guarding the outside of the Grand Cathedral. Not even a fly could fly in now.
Entering the Grand Cathedral, what met his eyes was a vast expanse of tiered benches. The area was several thousand square meters. At the innermost part was a raised platform covered with polished oak planks. At the center of the platform's rear was a solid wooden base three meters wide and half a meter high, where the Immortal Crystal Goddess Statue had originally stood.
The solid wooden base was covered with golden patterns. From what Su Xiao could sense, there were six layers of defensive barriers.
However, for Bubu Wang, who had stolen the World Core from the Black King's Hall, these defensive barriers were merely average and couldn't stop it. In fact, it was the existence of these barriers that made Bubu Wang think the statue on top was valuable.
Su Xiao stood on the platform, examining the solid wooden base up and down.
"Who came here last night?"
Su Xiao was going through the normal procedures. He was constantly considering one thing: who to pin the theft on. The already dead Eagle Marquis was naturally the first choice. Dead men tell no tales.