Chapter 22: Holy Maiden
The wooden cabin was brightly illuminated by candlelight. In front of the innermost wooden wall, a woman dressed in a white gown knelt on the ground. Although the gown she wore was somewhat worn, judging by the golden embroidery at the cuffs, collar, and other places, the craftsmanship of this garment was extremely fine. It would have taken at least a dozen people hand-stitching for half a year or more to produce such a piece.
The one wearing it was a woman with full blonde hair, appearing to be around twenty years old. She knelt on the ground, her hands clasped before her chest, her head bowed in prayer.
At first glance, five iron shackles bound the woman's wrists, ankles, and neck. But if one shifted their perspective slightly, they would notice that her back was covered in black chains.
These chains were about the thickness of a pinky finger, all embedded into the flesh of her back. Dozens of slightly curved, pinky-thick chains connected this woman to the wooden wall behind her, a sight of utter cruelty.
High Priest Nuoe had killed dozens of participants in the death game and was only imprisoned with a single iron shackle and chain.
But this woman, aside from the five main chains on her wrists, ankles, and neck, had at least sixty or more thin black chains, each as thick as a pinky, pierced into her spine. How many people must she have killed to be imprisoned to such an extent by the Death House?
The Apostle's Eye floated beside Su Xiao, successfully detecting a string of question marks and a name: Holy Maiden Tracey.
The Holy Maiden was currently praying, muttering something under her breath, seemingly unaware that Su Xiao was standing outside the door.
The white tallow candle in Su Xiao's hand would burn out in a few minutes, so he had no time to waste. He could either negotiate or decisively leave.
Thump, thump, thump.
Su Xiao knocked on the wooden door beside him. He needed to confirm one thing: whether the Holy Maiden kneeling across from him would pounce directly.
The Holy Maiden Tracey's muttering abruptly stopped. She slowly opened her eyes, and upon seeing Su Xiao outside the door, her eyes were filled with terror.
"Don't come near me. Go away, all of you, go away."
The Holy Maiden Tracey curled up under the wooden wall, clutching her head, her entire body trembling.
Seeing this, Su Xiao's eye twitched. He had experienced many dangerous places. Generally, those who immediately started shouting threats might have some strength, but they weren't impossible to deal with.
But the question was, in perilous situations, what type of person was the most dangerous? The answer was those who seemed weak and timid, but when you tried to scan them, you got a bunch of question marks.
The Holy Maiden Tracey was exactly this type. She was now curled up under the wooden wall, her eyes full of fear, large teardrops rolling down her cheeks.
"I don't want to kill anymore. Don't come near me, please, I beg you, please..."
The Holy Maiden spoke with a sobbing voice, and the black chains on her back began to tremble.
Su Xiao untied the backpack from Bubu Wang's back and took out a piece of dried meat. He would try feeding her first, to see if he could initiate some basic negotiation.
He tossed the dried meat. It arced through the air and landed on the wooden floor in front of the Holy Maiden.
"Ah!!"
The Holy Maiden was clearly stimulated. Her golden hair instantly turned gray. Not only that, but her fair cheeks cracked open with a crackling sound, and an exaggeratedly large mouth opened, densely packed with sharp teeth.
The Holy Maiden's mouth split open to the sides of her ears. With a crunch, she bit down and shattered a piece of the wooden floor.
Feeding was successful, but it also enraged the Holy Maiden.
"Why, why do you make me kill people? Why does it have to be me!"
The chains snapped taut with a bang. The Holy Maiden lightly leaped on the ground, climbing up the wall like a gecko, her sharp nails piercing into the wall. Her sea urchin-shaped pupils clearly showed how unstable her mental state was.
"Damn it, all hypocrites deserve to die. What 'to protect more people'? Why should I be the only one to become a monster?"
The Holy Maiden clearly had her own story. She had once been a holy maiden, and she still was now, but she was a holy maiden on the verge of madness. Her faith, beliefs, and will were almost completely twisted.
Su Xiao glanced at the white tallow candle in his hand, then at the Holy Maiden clinging to the wooden wall. He seriously doubted that even if he used a Shadow Stone to enter the Shadow Shelter state, he could negotiate with her.
As for negotiating through force, that wasn't out of the question, but the white tallow candle was about to burn out. There wasn't enough time.
Bubu Wang hid behind Su Xiao, quietly blending into the environment, entering the room to start searching.
The Holy Maiden stared fixedly at Su Xiao. If not for the chains binding her, she would have pounced long ago.
After a while, Bubu Wang appeared beside Su Xiao and, through the team channel, relayed the information it had gathered in the room.
Seeing this information, Su Xiao knew this trip wasn't in vain. Before the Holy Maiden had completely gone mad, she had carved many words and patterns into the cabin's walls.
The reason the Holy Maiden went mad was that she had been transformed into a weapon of war. This was the final act of madness from a theocratic empire before its fall.
"Fiery Red Soul, Surrender Emblem, Sacrificial Guide Leg, Severed Spear, Sealing Song, Dual, Supreme."
As soon as Su Xiao finished speaking, the Holy Maiden let out a sharp howl. The next moment, her hair turned black-red, and her face was covered in cracks.
"Boss, she seems even fiercer now. Did you just give her a buff?"
"Hmm. I read it backwards."
"Huh?"
"Supreme, Dual, Sealing Song..."
As Su Xiao's voice gradually rose, the Holy Maiden's sea urchin-shaped pupils contracted, turning into normal emerald-green round pupils. Her hair also returned to gold, and her cracked face healed rapidly.
With a thud, the Holy Maiden fell to the ground. She seemed a bit dazed, but upon seeing Su Xiao, she immediately shrank back, leaning against the wooden wall.
"Please... don't hurt me."
The Holy Maiden now seemed 'weak,' desperate, and helpless.
"Boss, does this woman have some kind of split personality?"
"If that were the case, it would be fine."
"Then what is it?"
"Soul Severance."
The Soul Severance Su Xiao mentioned didn't mean the Holy Maiden's soul was cut into two parts. If that were the case, her danger level would be greatly reduced.
Heaven knows how those who transformed the Holy Maiden managed it. They split her soul, but only the upper half, leaving the lower half of her soul still connected.
The left side of the split soul was used to maintain rationality, while the right side was specifically for combat. The advantage of this was that the Holy Maiden could be controlled in some way, preventing her from indiscriminately attacking friend and foe.
Su Xiao stepped into the wooden cabin. Seeing this, the Holy Maiden curled up, hugging her legs like a hedgehog encountering danger.
Su Xiao stopped five meters in front of the Holy Maiden. As soon as he stopped, the Holy Maiden bit down on her own arm. She was threatening the enemy by harming herself.
"Fei Ting fell long ago. The war ended long ago."
"Fell... ended..."
The Holy Maiden muttered to herself, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
"This is the Death House."
As he spoke, Su Xiao snapped his fingers to get the Holy Maiden's attention.
"So... that's how it is."
A glimmer of clarity gradually returned to the Holy Maiden's eyes. She slowly raised an arm, clearly wanting Su Xiao to take her hand.
Su Xiao did not take the Holy Maiden's hand, as he wasn't sure if she would go berserk again.
A Shadow Stone appeared in Su Xiao's hand. Risk and reward were proportional. Without taking risks, it was hard to gain any benefits.