Dawnless Sovereign-Chapter 53: Diverting Trouble

"Killing Fang Che is not a difficult task, but you think that'll solve all of your problems? It's clear that he has connections to White Cloud Warrior Academy! There are a bunch of Emperor and Sovereign tier instructors in the academy, you think they'll just let you get away with killing their student? Right now, you should all be keeping a low profile and focusing on establishing your branch helms, not going out of your way to cause trouble!

“All of you must've been dropped on your heads when you were born! If you really want to assassinate an important figure from the Hall of Protectionists, why not go after the hall master? Wouldn't that be much more impactful? Regardless of whether you succeed or not, it'll be the talk of the entire prefecture!"

Fang Che threw the file into Liu Hanshan's face as he scoffed, "You call this a plan? What a fucking joke!"

The helmsmasters endured the tirade in silence, and they had to admit that Starlight was right.

Their primary objective was to establish branch helms, and they really shouldn't have been thinking about anything else before they established solid footholds in the White Cloud Prefecture.

"The people from the main church are here to make a name for themselves, so of course they want to accomplish some impressive feats in order to bolster their resumes. Hence, I'm not surprised that they would propose a plan like this, but we're not like them!

“Our mission is to establish branch helms, then remain undercover for as long as possible! Liu Hanshan, explain to everyone the concept of going undercover and keeping a low profile! Does it involve actively plotting against an administrator from the Hall of Protectionists?"

Liu Hanshan's face had become flushed with embarrassment, and he replied, "You're right, Helmsmaster Starlight. We've made a grave error in judgment."

"And don't think I've forgotten about all of you!" Fang Che snapped as he turned his attention to the people from the three guilds and two gangs. "Grow some brains, and don't just go along with any suicidal plan that some idiot throws at you! You think this is something that you can involve yourselves in? You're all either delusional or have a collective death wish!

“If you're going to die, at least make your deaths worth something, like providing some merit points to the Protectionists! You thought it was a good idea to come to my territory and start trouble just because you have strength in numbers on your side? Let me tell you this: if you die here by my hands tonight, your deaths will be completely worthless!

“Each of you bring me fifty thousand taels of gold by tomorrow! Otherwise, you can say goodbye to your pathetic little branch helms! Now piss off! I still have to clean up this place!"

Everyone was extremely relieved that they were finally being ordered to leave.

"Thank you for enlightening us, Helmsmaster Starlight."

"Get out of here! Don't forget to send me what you owe me! I have all of your addresses, and I won't hesitate at all to report you to the Hall of Protectionists if you don't pay me!"

All of a sudden, a thought seemed to have occurred to Fang Che as he spoke, and he turned to his forty-two new subordinates as he said, "Right now, all of you are also members of this branch helm, but this place is no longer safe. So many people are aware of its location, and any one of them could sell us out to the Hall of Protectionists. In order to prevent that, I want each of you to send a message back home.

“Tell your seniors that you've joined a One Heart Church branch helm, and that if our branch helm is ever taken out by the Hall of Protectionists, then Liu Hanshan, Wan Yilin, Deng Fangping, and all of these helmsmasters are to blame! If such a day ever comes, tell your seniors to seek out these people and their factions for revenge!"

The expressions of all of the helmsmasters instantly soured even further upon hearing this.

"Isn't that a little unreasonable?" Zhao Wushang asked in a hesitant manner.

"Idiot!" Fang Che snapped. "I'm doing this for your own safety! Once you've informed your seniors, none of these people would dare to report our branch helm! That's the only way that we can ensure the safety of ourselves and our branch helm! Otherwise, I guarantee you these bastards will sell us out to the Hall of Protectionists even before the sun comes up!"

All of the Lords from the main church were enlightened to hear this, and they hurriedly pulled out their communication jades to contact their clans.

Meanwhile, the helmsmasters looked as if they were on the verge of tears.

They had been completely screwed over by Helmsmaster Starlight!

Not only had he placed the safety of this One Heart Church branch helm on their shoulders, he had made them responsible for the safety of these forty-two Lords as well.

If any of them were to perish during their time in the White Cloud Prefecture, then the helmsmasters would surely be to blame!

Everyone heaved a collective internal sigh of despair.

They had always dreamed of having their names heard in the main church, but never had they imagined that their dream would be fulfilled in this fashion!

From this day forth, they would just have to pray for the health and safety of these pampered Lords.

If even a single one of them were to die for any reason, then all of the helmsmasters would also be as good as dead.

With that in mind, Liu Hanshan and the others trudged out of the One Heart Church branch helm, their legs filled with lead and their hearts filled with dread.

They turned around to take a glance back at the branch helm, and they could still recall the lavish banquet that they had thrown here earlier.

Liu Hanshan gave himself a vicious slap across the face.

If he had known that things would turn out this way, he would've never set foot anywhere near this branch helm!

Not only had he failed to eradicate the One Heart Church branch helm, he had been completely and utterly humiliated! Additionally, he had been forced to give up a massive chunk of his wealth, and all of the people that they had brought along had been converted into Starlight's subordinates.

To make matters even worse, all of the helmsmasters now had to constantly live with a sword hanging over their heads, their lives intertwined with those of the forty-two Lords.

They were now on the blacklists of both Yin Shengong and dozens of clans from the main church, and they had absolutely nothing to show for it!

"What a fucking idiot I am!" Liu Hanshan snapped at himself, and the other helmsmasters were also sorely regretting their life decisions.

Who could've possibly imagined that their trip to the One Heart Church branch helm would end in such catastrophic fashion? 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

In the end, they could only heave a collective sigh before parting ways.

On the way back to their branch helms, they were so dejected and crestfallen that they didn't even bother to hide from the patrolling Protectionists that they encountered.

"He must've lost a ton of money gambling!" one of the patrolling Protectionists scoffed to his colleagues.

Liu Hanshan almost burst into tears.

Even losing his entire wealth on gambling would've been countless times more preferable than the actual circumstances that he had found himself in!

***

Following everyone's departure, Fang Che turned to his forty-two subordinates with a benevolent expression.

However, despite the shift in his demeanor, no one dared to meet his gaze, and they instantly lowered their heads as soon as his gaze fell upon them.

They were truly terrified of him, and they knew that whatever kindness that he displayed was nothing more than a facade.

"Let's have a meeting, everyone," Fang Che declared in a jovial manner, then instructed everyone to arrange the chairs in the hall into a circle.

Everyone sat rigidly in their chairs, their backs ramrod straight.

"Relax! Why're you all so tensed up? I don't bite!" Fang Che said with a warm smile.

The more easygoing and benevolent he behaved, the more anxious everyone became.

"For starters, let's all introduce ourselves. Tell me your age, your clan, your status in your clan, how you're regarded by your seniors, what your strengths are, your primary cultivation arts and cultivation bases, and anything else you'd like to share. That way, I can get a good idea of everyone's abilities and standings in your clans. Let's start with you, Zhao Wushang."

Thus, everyone began introducing themselves in a scene reminiscent of an ice-breaker activity held on the first day of school, and everyone truly was behaving like a bunch of obedient students.

After all of the self-introductions had been made, Fang Che said, "Looks like you're the oldest one, Zhao Wushang. In light of that, I'll assign you as the leader of the group."

Zhao Wushang immediately rose to his feet and declared, "Thank you for placing your trust in me, Helmsmaster! I'll be sure to lead everyone to the best of my abilities to complete any and all missions that you assign to us!"

"Fantastic!" Fang Che praised as he erupted into applause, and everyone else hurriedly followed suit, but internally, they were all sneering at Zhao Wushang for being a shameless sycophant.

After the applause died down, Fang Che continued, "As I'm sure you're all aware, the objective of our branch helm is to lay low and serve our One Heart Church in a discreet fashion. Hence, we won't be doing any killing or wreaking any destruction as they other churches do. There won't be any battle missions in the near future, so none of you have to be concerned for your safety."

Everyone was very relieved to hear this.

They were terrified that Starlight would send them on some suicide missions. Having already sworn vows of servitude in the name of the Heavenly Centipede Deity, they would've had no choice but to comply and rush to their deaths.

"The first thing that we have to do is successfully go undercover. You may have managed to enter the White Cloud Prefecture undetected by the Hall of Protectionists, but that's far from enough! The Hall of Protectionists has many ways to weed us out, such as conducting censuses, so all of you still have a long way to go. In order to successfully go undercover, you need to have firstly resided here for a long time, or at least made it appear that way.

“Secondly, you need clean identities to serve as covers for your true identities. Thirdly, you need to establish societal relations to make it appear as if you've integrated yourselves into this place. Fourthly, and most importantly, you need to follow the law. This is not a joke! You may think that it's absurd for demonic church members like us to worry about following the law, but I'm telling you now to banish that thought from your minds!"