A rooftop of an apartment in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.
I stood before the railing, gazing at the cityscape.
‘Why is it so hazy?’
The air in Chengdu was at a level that could hardly be called a joke. The smog was so thick that the streets were barely visible.
According to Zhang Yao, it wasn’t like this every day.
So, when I asked how often it was like this, he suddenly averted his gaze and didn’t respond. His silence was more revealing than a loud answer.
‘Can Sacred Power purify this?’
There were plenty of spirits in that world, so the environment couldn’t be this polluted. So, there had been no need to learn about purification in that regard.
As an experiment, I spread my Sacred Power, and the air nearby became clearer.
There wasn’t a dramatic change since I hadn’t unleashed my full power, but it was enough to lift my spirits. That meant even air pollution could be purified.
“Oh….”
I could use this later.
Given the goddess’s nature, I couldn’t use Sacred Power to make money, but I could use it in other ways. Especially in areas related to image.
Just then, I had a great idea.
As I waved my hands to jot down the concept on my smartphone, I suddenly remembered.
‘I didn’t bring it.’
I realized I had entrusted it to Seo-yoon before leaving home.
I had worn the thin dress from Hekatrith’s beach vacation, which didn’t have pockets, so I had no choice.
With no other option, I etched the idea vaguely into my mind and turned around.
In the center of the rooftop stood two people — a man and a woman.
“Almost done.”
One was a stunning beauty with gleaming blonde hair and fair skin. It was Zhang Yao, the returnee cooperating with me to catch Haoran.
In the game [Heavenly Gate], his name was ‘Pregya’, though he said he didn’t particularly like it. It reminded him of bad memories from his time as a reincarnator, apparently.
Anyway, Zhang Yao was sweating profusely with both hands outstretched in front of him. He was using a camouflage ability.
The first stage of camouflage had been done back in Korea before we crossed over to China, but there were some minor issues he was tweaking.
“It’s too slow.”
At that moment, a man standing where Zhang Yao’s palms were directed spoke in a sarcastic tone.
He was about two meters tall with a robust build, an exposed upper body covered in solid muscles, hair tied in a messy bun, and an old, tattered martial arts uniform clinging to his lower half.
Not to mention the intimidating aura radiating from his eyes.
From head to toe, he was the epitome of a “manly man”.
However, the words that escaped his mouth were far from the seriousness that a warrior would typically possess.
“Hey, what do you think? Your muscles have gotten bigger since earlier. Ugh, it’s a bit creepy.”
His tone dripped with flippancy, completely contradicting his deep voice, making me chuckle.
“Liam, don’t say that.”
“Why not?”
“It doesn’t suit you. Our Ivar wouldn’t say that.”
Ivar.
At this moment, he was known as a “Great Warrior,” a comrade from the hero party who would likely be enjoying hunting monsters in that world.
I borrowed his name and appearance to carry out the upcoming Burning Association purging operation smoothly.
I skipped the tedious process of getting consent from him. After all, he probably wouldn’t be coming to this world anyway, so what was the point?
“We must act as if we’re thoroughly not the Pope and an ex-hero. Please focus on your act.”
After repeatedly reminding the unpredictable troublemaker, he finally showed signs of understanding.
Soon, Liam opened his mouth again.
“Got it. I’ll keep my mouth shut from now on.”
“Oh, good.”
That’s what I wanted to hear.
Just as I nodded satisfactorily, Zhang Yao lowered his arms and sighed.
“Phew… the fine-tuning is done. I accepted your feedback and made my voice slightly deeper. Give it a try.”
“Ah, that’s really something.”
As we meticulously adjusted everything, it felt as if the Great Warrior Ivar was standing right in front of me.
Even the energy and subtle presence inhabiting Liam’s body transformed completely.
His mastery of supernatural abilities was astonishing. When I only heard the explanations, I didn’t grasp it, but Zhang Yao was truly impressive.
“Now it’s the Pope’s turn. Tell me how to make the fine-tuning.”
“Wait a moment.”
As soon as I spoke, Liam smartly conjured a full-length mirror for me to see.
With purple hair tied in a ponytail, sparkling purple eyes, and cute yet mature features.
Her appearance was simply perfect. It was none other than “Wise” Erin, another comrade from the hero party.
If I could just add one more thing, it would be flawless.
“Make the chest a bit bigger.”
“Even bigger than that?”
Liam’s eyes widened in surprise, tilting his head. I snickered and pointed at my chest.
“You might not have noticed since I always work hard to hide it, but she’s still growing. She’s already taller and has bigger breasts than me since six years ago.”
Honestly, I didn’t envy her chest, even if it had grown. Those unnecessarily large lumps of fat were just a nuisance to everyday life.
Anyway, Zhang Yao followed my request and made her chest bigger, and now the volume stood out even while wearing a purple robe.
“Perfect.”
Her lovely voice was flawless too.
However, due to the adjustments, I couldn’t quite mimic her way of speaking accurately. Still, it was good enough, and I gazed at the mirror joyfully.
In doing so, I suddenly realized something.
‘…There’s definitely something different.’
I always thought I was on the younger side, but comparing myself to Erin, who was much younger than me, left me feeling a bit… lacking. Just a tiny bit, though.
“You’re amazing.”
Just then, while I praised Zhang Yao for his hard work, it happened.
“Wait a second.”
Suddenly reaching out, Liam pulled something from thin air and handed it to me. It was a pair of sunglasses.
This wasn’t just any ordinary pair of sunglasses.
It was the Haemaki, sunglasses imbued with the goddess’s wide-ranging blessings, a sacred item of our Order that put the user’s mind and body in an extremely stable state.
…But why was it coming from him?
“What’s this? When did you pack it?”
“I always carry it around.”
“Why though?”
“Because I want to see you speak freely any time. It’s cute.”
“…….”
Now that’s a thorough preparedness. It’d be great if I was this meticulous usually.
It was absurd, but it would be nice to have it. I could speak differently, unlike my usually overly polite self.
After all, they were common products, so no one would suspect they were the same sunglasses I wore during broadcasts.
I took the Haemaki without a word, put them on immediately, and adopted the cute speech pattern of the wise one.
“This is nice!”
In fact, the honorifics were still there.
However, I could be less polite and even say things a bit crassly. That alone made it worth wearing.
With everything ready, I said, “Shall we set off now?”
It was time to take down the Pope Haoran and his followers.
I told Liam to prepare flying magic and then turned to Zhang Yao, who looked utterly exhausted and panting.
Of course, I didn’t forget to maintain my role for method acting.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just lost a bit of strength from over-fine-tuning.”
Maybe he really meant it when he said he didn’t want to worry me, as Zhang Yao soon regained his spirits.
“Pope, I’ll work hard just to film as you direct.”
This time, Zhang Yao was taking on the role of a war correspondent. He would be live-streaming our actions disguised as other people on iTube.
Not only was he great at camouflage, but his concealment ability was also top-notch, making it a perfectly tailored role for him.
“But what should we name the iTube account?”
“Let me see that.”
I took Zhang Yao’s smartphone and typed in the channel name. One that everyone around the world could understand.
[Sage Erin TV]
From now on, the true instigator of the so-called “Burning Association Purge Incident” would not be me but Wise Erin.
“Great Sun, please allow me to become a righteous impostor.”
Erin, I’m sorry…!
*
The main area where the Burning Association roamed was around Sichuan Province.
Due to the Chinese government and other returnee groups’ checks, it hadn’t spread beyond that. It seemed they looked to Korea instead.
However, just because their active range was limited to Sichuan Province didn’t mean they were weak. The administrative zone of Sichuan is larger than Korea.
‘This place is ridiculously huge.’
Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, was where the chief Haoran resided.
“Do you see that?”
Disguised as an ordinary-looking man, Zhang Yao pointed at a high-rise building in the distance.
It was a towering structure that took quite a bit of neck craning to see the rooftop. It was clearly a place that had money poured into it.
Especially the brilliant lights harmonizing with the night scene were luxurious and splendid.
“That hotel belongs to the Burning Association. It’s also Haoran’s most cherished building.”
While munching on lamb skewers he bought from a night market on the way, Zhang Yao continued, “To be precise, the owner fell head over heels for Haoran and gave it away. What a crazy guy. That guy has become one of Haoran’s closest aides, known as ‘The Lantern’.”
“Why do they all fall for that crazy bastard?”
I didn’t quite understand.
Haoran was clearly a deranged, vicious villain, so why did so many people surround him? It’s said cults usually attract such crowds, but this felt especially hard to comprehend.
“If you hear the reason, you’ll understand.”
“What is it?”
“Haoran guarantees the existence of an afterlife and tells the members of the Burning Association that those who diligently serve will live in a paradise of eternal ease after death. His claims carry even more weight because he’s an immortal.”
So he’s using the fear of death to attract followers. A classic yet obvious recruitment strategy.
“By the way, those who do not follow the Burning Association’s teachings are said to burn endlessly in hell after they die.”
“What the hell.”
I loved that the profanity was unfiltered.
After venting out a string of curses I hadn’t said in a while, I looked at the two, who were both staring at me.
“Let’s go.”
The operation plan was exceedingly simple.
Mayhem, chaos, disaster.
“Let’s think about the aftermath later.”
Tonight, Chengdu would become the scene of a noisy festival.
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