Chapter 284 — The Secret Assembly of All Things' End

Beiyila, the High Priestess of the Assembly of All Things' End, sat in her place, watching the black-robed figures around her with an expression of lively amusement. Her flippant, languid manner was grating on the nerves of every priest in the hall, yet not one of them stepped forward to reproach her conduct to her face.

Every person here was a "High Priest" of the church, yet equal rank did not mean equal station. Everyone who had risen to the upper ranks of the Assembly of All Things' End knew that this woman called Beiyila occupied a special place—and a special meaning—within the church. No one knew what identity she had held before becoming a High Priest of the Assembly, nor her true family name or origins, but everyone knew one thing: Beiyila had a direct line to the Supreme Leader of the Assembly, the "Grand Hierophant." When the Grand Hierophant entered his slumber, Beiyila alone could speak with him, rouse him, or convey his will.

By that singularity alone, Beiyila was entitled to certain privileges here.

"Gentlemen—ah, and ladies," Beiyila said unhurriedly, casting a deliberate glance at the two women among the black-robed figures. They were not only among the few female priests present but also bore unmistakable elven traits. The two elven fallen druids gave a slight nod when they caught Beiyila's gaze, a token of greeting, and spoke as one: "Beiyila, what does the Grand Hierophant command?"

"The Grand Hierophant still sleeps. The toll of synchronizing early with the 'False God's Body' requires time to recover, so I shall sit in his stead and hear your views." Beiyila leaned back in her chair while the mass of roots and tendrils that was her lower body spread and grew with a faint, chilling rasp, slowly piercing the ground like roots drawing nourishment from the soil. Her eyes narrowed in the process, and her voice carried a note of pleasure. "So—who has been in charge of monitoring the wasteland's movements during this time?"

"I have," said a gaunt man whose face was set and still as iron. "I am in charge of the monitoring."

"Priest Hidon. Good—at least a capable man," Beiyila said cheerfully. "Then did you foresee, before this, that those aberrations would suddenly come charging out to strike the Typhon border?"

"It was an accident," said the fallen druid called Priest Hidon, his face utterly blank. "The movements of those lesser aberrations follow no pattern, and the changes in the Great Wall cannot be predicted. Even the Silver Empire cannot monitor the whole barrier with absolute certainty..."

"Enough, Priest Hidon. You have never been good at excuses," Beiyila cut him off. "We truly cannot control the whole of the Great Wall, but we can control other things... Those monsters were originally released to attack Cecil Territory, were they not?"

After a brief silence and a standoff, Hidon finally spoke: "Cecil Territory is a threat."

Beiyila cut him off without ceremony: "But I warned you that now is not the time to deal with that resurrected man! We are drawing attention. We have already exposed enough of ourselves to the world!"

"Which is why we did not act ourselves. If Cecil Territory faced the Gondo Wasteland directly and was destroyed by its monsters in the natural course of things, it would raise no one's suspicions."

"But those monsters ran to the Typhon border, P-r-i-e-s-t H-i-d-o-n," Beiyila said, spacing the words out as though biting them off one by one. "When you had our companions drive those monsters toward the rift in the Dark Mountains, did you consider that those brainless freaks might lose their way at the foot of the mountains and split, with half of them wandering right under the Typhonites' noses? Did you consider what it would do to the situation between the two nations if Ansou and Typhon were struck by monsters at the same time? Did you consider what would become of you after all this? My dear P-r-i-e-s-t H-i-d-o-n."

"I shall go to the Abyss of Flesh and Blood myself and submit to the Grand Hierophant's judgment," Hidon said, watching Beiyila with a blank face and speaking blandly only after she had finished. "This is my fault. But I still do not change my view: Cecil Territory is a threat. That duke who rose from the dead is a threat. He is certainly not merely building a frontier territory..."

"Of course he is a threat!" Beiyila suddenly raised her voice. "Do you think you are the only one who can see it?"

For the first time a trace of astonishment crossed Hidon's face. He stared into Beiyila's eyes and asked slowly: "What do you mean?"

"He is a threat—and so what? Is the Gondo Wasteland not a threat? Are the aberrations not a threat? Do we not go on making use of such threats all the same?" As she spoke, Beiyila's gaze swept over everyone present. Plainly these words were not meant for Hidon alone but for every person in the hall. "A threat need not always be eradicated. A threat put to proper use is a sharp blade."

The two elven High Priestesses seated opposite Beiyila spoke in unison: "What is Gao Yang Cecil's value to be exploited?"

"A war machine. He is forging a war machine," A deep chill surfaced in Beiyila's eyes. "We do not yet have reliable intelligence, nor can we yet make out what his thinking really is, but one thing is beyond doubt: Cecil Territory can grow in a short time into a bone-grinding mill that produces countless heaps of flesh and corpses..."

The fallen druids exchanged glances. No one who could sit in this hall was a fool, and they had already begun to guess at the true intent of Beiyila—or rather, of the "Grand Hierophant" standing behind her.

"The shift in the situation between Ansou and Typhon is indeed an accident, but it does not matter. We have a great many contingency plans," Beiyila smiled. "Though the Grand Hierophant sleeps, his wise mind has already mapped out our next moves for us. War will break out in any case."

Then Beiyila slowly rose, and the roots of her lower body drew slowly back: "Relna, Filna—the Grand Hierophant commands you to activate the contingency plans in Typhon."

The two elven High Priestesses smiled as one: "We do like contingency plans."

"Priest Clement—the Grand Hierophant commands you to activate the arrangements in Ansou. Remember, do not alert that she-wolf of the Wilder family in the north."

A man who kept his face hidden in a black hood rose and bowed slightly: "I obey the Grand Hierophant's will."

"As for you, Priest Hidon," Beiyila said at last, turning to Hidon seated beside her—yet the mockery and sarcasm of her earlier manner had vanished from her face. "Though we have contingency plans, your mistake can only be described as stupidity. The Grand Hierophant is most displeased with your acting on your own and your blind self-assurance, so you are to go to the Abyss of Flesh and Blood and undergo three days and three nights of sacrificial punishment."

Hidon lowered his head slightly—not to Beiyila, but to the Grand Hierophant's will: "I have nothing to say."

Beiyila gave a soft "mm," then continued: "But before you receive your punishment, there is one more matter to attend to."

Hidon glanced at the woman with the inhuman body, his tone barely shifting: "What matter?"

"Prepare the 'Dark Bridge.' I need to make contact with our companions on 'the other side.'"

At this request Hidon visibly hesitated, and Beiyila frowned at once: "Is the 'Dark Bridge' unusable?"

"No, the 'Dark Bridge' is usable, but lately the mages of the Silver Empire have plainly noticed something amiss. They inspect the channels ever more frequently, and an additional connection might arouse still more of their vigilance."