Universe Infinite Canteen-Chapter 323: Revenge

Ma Lu found the Ouroboros Serpent wandering the streets, looking utterly lost and disoriented.

Yun Que rushed forward and embraced her, "Ah, A’She, it’s such a relief to see you’re alright! I thought you were really buried under the chapel."

However, upon seeing them, the Ouroboros Serpent’s face showed a hint of shame, and she murmured softly, "I’m sorry, I... I didn’t know it would turn out like this..."

"Are you talking about the destruction of the Holy Stone?" Ma Lu raised an eyebrow.

"Shrike never mentioned the Holy Stone to me. I was ordered to take advantage of the chaos to kidnap the Pope and free the witches in the city. All our preparations were for this mission," she said with a bitter tone.

"That wasn’t a backup plan," Ma Lu said, "From the beginning, her goal for all the actions was to destroy Holy Temple City."

Yet, hope lingered in the Ouroboros Serpent’s heart, "Maybe... just maybe there was an error somewhere, and things got out of her control, or someone else went against her plans."

"No, she admitted it herself," Ma Lu said. "While you and the Sacred Order of Knights’s elites were fighting, she appeared inside The Great Tower and detonated the Holy Stone."

"Shrike... she isn’t dead?" exclaimed the Ouroboros Serpent in surprise.

"Not only did she not die, but that magic wand was also intentionally left behind. In that battle, she carried two wands. In the final moment before the missile fell, she used the other wand to escape, leaving the one in her hand behind."

"Why did she leave the wand behind?"

"Because that wand is the key."

"The key?"

"Yes, it can unlock the Holy Stone and activate its self-destruction sequence," Ma Lu said. "But when Shrike found the wand, it was already damaged. With the Witch Alliance’s level of technology, they couldn’t repair it, so she had to rely on the power of Holy Temple City.

"However, sending a wand alone to Holy Temple City would definitely raise the Church’s suspicions. But if the person bringing back the wand is Li Wei, the Vice Commander of the Sacred Order of Knights, and the wand involves Shrike’s death, that changes things.

"Eventually, the researchers at the Weaponry Department repaired the wand, just as Shrike had hoped. Later, a traitor took the wand out of the lab and handed it over to her."

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"As for you, you were also used by her, becoming bait that drew away the Sacred Order of Knights’s elites and gave her the time she needed," Ma Lu explained.

"She said all this herself. After blowing up the Holy Stone, she didn’t run away. She just stood there, laughing loudly, waiting for the knights who came to arrest her."

"But I don’t understand," the Ouroboros Serpent’s face turned pale, "why would she do this? Was it to build a new city?"

"There’s no new city. The so-called settlement built completely by witches without enslavement or oppression doesn’t exist. Shrike did this purely out of hatred, to take revenge on her father, the current Pope, for abandoning her."

"Wait, how did Shrike get involved with the Pope?"

The Ouroboros Serpent had heard too many shocking things tonight, already somewhat immune, but this news still made her gasp.

"She is the Pope’s youngest daughter, identified as a witch at birth. The Pope, worried about how this scandal could impact his political career, secretly sent a knight to abandon Shrike outside the city, hoping the Energized Plants would kill her. Of course, these are all Shrike’s side of the story; you can choose not to believe it.

"But considering she has already destroyed the Holy Stone and surrendered voluntarily, she likely wouldn’t lie to slander the Pope at this point, especially considering it is minor compared to what she had done."

After hearing Ma Lu’s words, the Ouroboros Serpent collapsed onto the stone steps by the roadside like she had lost all her strength, burying her head in her hands.

"Are you saying that the future we pursued has never existed?"

"As it stands, it indeed seems so," Ma Lu said.

"Then what has all our effort and sacrifice been for..." The Ouroboros Serpent’s gaze was filled with pain, "I just hoped that witches could coexist equally with humans, to obtain the freedom we rightfully deserved. Was that also wrong?"

"I’m just a guy who happened to pass by... I can’t answer your question," Ma Lu paused, then continued, "However, I know someone who might be able to resolve the doubts in your heart."

"Who?"

"The person who orchestrated all of this."

"The person who orchestrated all... are you referring to Shrike?"

"No, she might count as the main character of today’s drama, but there’s a scriptwriter above her," Ma Lu said.

"Where is he, that scriptwriter?"

"If I’m not mistaken, he should have always been at the top of The Great Tower, quietly overseeing everything that has unfolded below."

Ma Lu said, "We’re planning to go find him for a chat, would you like to join us?"

Upon hearing this, a flicker of hope shone in the Ouroboros Serpent’s otherwise despondent eyes, "Can I, can I rejoin your team?" Read the latest on novelbuddy.com

"Of course," Ma Lu said, "We just happen to be missing someone in the magic profession."

He extended his hand to the young girl, who hesitated, then firmly grasped his armored palm.

Although the touch of metal was cold, it inexplicably brought Ouroboros Serpent a sense of comfort.

Then the five of them headed toward The Great Tower at the center of the city.

On the way, Ma Lu took the opportunity to explain his earlier speculations to Ouroboros Serpent.

"Shrike blowing up the Holy Stone, that incident has too many illogical aspects, like the Magic Wand that served as the key. Why did it suddenly end up in her hands?

"After being abandoned, she never returned to Holy Temple City, nor did she see the Holy Stone with her own eyes. How could she know that the broken wand was the key? There’s also the attack you orchestrated in Holy Temple City.

"Though Li Wei deliberately let his guard down to lure out the big fish, it was too easy to succeed, including how so many of you managed to infiltrate Holy Temple City without God or ghost noticing."

"I’m not very sure," Ouroboros Serpent frowned, "I just heard that there were allies of ours in the upper echelon of the Church, and it was that person who helped get our people inside."

"Why would someone from the upper echelon of the Church take such a risk to help you?"

"Shrike said, she sympathizes with the plight of the witches," Ouroboros Serpent replied.

Ma Lu was noncommittal, then continued, "And that Magic Wand, after being repaired it was just taken out of the laboratory by a mole and handed to Shrike, almost as if it had been prepared for her.

"And most importantly, Shrike was only three or four years old when she was abandoned outside the city. How did she manage to survive and become the leader of the Fallen Witches?"