I've Become the King of Villains in the Game

"The curse from Desecrated Duke Ragnar, this is the work of the Red Apple Church... But why does it appear in the hands of a member of the Apocalyptic Pupa?"

Chen Lun thought to himself.

He looked at the black rose ornament in his hand, and a rough outline of the whole situation emerged in his mind.

The Tracker he had killed, as a member of the Apocalyptic Pupa, had received a mission from the organization. He was hunting down low-level Transcendents like Morey while seeking an opportunity to steal the Sunset Chrysanthemum Dew.

He had set a trap for Malediz.

Disguised as a toy merchant, he sold the Cursed Object to Rey, and then appeared as a "Savior," causing the old man to exhaust every effort to gather Sunset Chrysanthemum Dew to save his granddaughter.

This way, he wouldn't delay his "hunting" and would also acquire the important mission item.

"Poor girl, she ended up being the sacrificial lamb in the whole scam... Had I not intervened, that guy from the Apocalyptic Pupa, after killing Morey and deceiving Malediz of the Sunset Chrysanthemum Dew, would probably have vanished immediately, leaving no trace to follow,"

Chen Lun guessed, stroking his chin.

Moreover, based on the curse on Rey, he also noticed some differences from Noah.

Although the Silver Dragon Witch, Her Majesty, couldn't completely remove the curse, she should still have the ability to suppress its effects, so much so that Chen Lun initially thought the curse only made people fat and ugly.

But in reality, the Desecration curse was lethal.

The heart pains mentioned by Rey were a hint of this.

"A very malicious plan..."

Chen Lun murmured, shaking his head.

He picked up the black rose ornament and immediately used his divination ability, using it as a prop to divine the whereabouts of the Apocalyptic Pupa's contact person.

With the blessing bestowed by the Witch Her Majesty having been upgraded, his divination influence was enhanced once more. Using only the staff, he easily confirmed the general direction.

Then, using playing cards, Chen Lun divined the danger level of this trip.

Three playing cards flew out from the deck, hovering in front of him, all red numeral cards. Chen Lun immediately read their implication:

"There's a certain danger, but it's within a manageable level..."

*

*

*

Yellow Iron City.

The low-cost area in the north.

Further ahead lay a range of mountains, an area for mineral extraction.

The roaring of machines and the smog that filled the air never ceased, and the workers labored day and night, sweating to earn a meager salary just to make ends meet.

Most of the people living in the low-cost area were lower-class workers. The environment was harsh, but luckily the rent was cheap enough to provide a shelter against the wind and rain.

As long as one could tolerate the putrid smell of garbage accumulated everywhere, the 24-hour non-stop noise, and the occasional malice emanating from the darkness... it was still considered a place with decent value for money.

Chen Lun, taking advantage of the night, entered this low-cost area.

With the "Black Stripe Cufflinks," no one noticed his presence as he walked by.

His high-end attire and a demeanor that did not fit in with the environment could easily have sparked unnecessary turmoil.

After all, he didn't want to be robbed by a group of greedy yet ignorant ruffians, just for his black hat or silver staff, and lose his life in the process.

Stepping over the dirty and turbid puddle water, Chen Lun slightly frowned as he smelled the strong acidic stench.

He quickened his pace and headed straight for a narrow alley.

The tiny dilapidated house at the end on the right was the final location indicated by the snake-head handle of the staff.

"So the contact person of the Apocalyptic Pupa is hiding here..."

Chen Lun's bright eyes flickered with a faint light under the shadow of his black hat.

He walked slowly towards the house and stood at its door.

It was pitch dark inside, but Chen Lun could hear faint breathing.

He slipped a playing card through a gap under the door and then covered one of his eyes with his hand, seeing the scene inside the house.

On two beds, four men were sleeping, all Transcendents.

"Fate Peering Feedback, one 'Gourmet,' three 'Butchers'... all low Sequence Transcendents,"

Chen Lun thought to himself.

With a flourish of his trench coat, he was already inside the house.

Looking at the four sleeping men, his gaze was calm, as if he was examining four corpses.

A moment later.

The room was filled with the smell of blood, and the sheets were splattered with fresh blood.

Including that Sequence Eight, three men now lay with their eyes wide open, each with a hole in their heart and forehead, wounds caused by being pierced with the staff, with blood and flesh mingled.

The remaining man knelt on the ground, his eyes dazed, clearly under the hypnotic effect of "Mermaid's Song," and he was speaking the secrets Chen Lun wanted to know.

"... A small team of monks from the Red Apple Church recently made contact with the higher-ups of our organization. I don't know what kind of agreement they reached, but they have us, those below, gathering a large quantity of Mysterious Substances and Transcendent materials like Sunset Chrysanthemum Dew..."

Chen Lun listened silently, lost in thought. Read latest chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

From what was divulged by the other party, it is known that the organization "End of the Cocoon" worships the deity known as "Dim Lady."

It was she who, in a fit of anger, caused the former Pope of the Red Apple Church, Dolomi Purness, along with six high-ranking members of the Blood Abbey "Ten Cores," including the Desecrated Duke Ragnar, to perish.

In principle, there is no love lost between the End of the Cocoon and the Red Apple Church; however, this time, the two sides secretly plotted together, their agenda unknown.

Chen Lun, expressionless, lifted his silver staff, and with a thrust, there was a muffled thud, ending the life of this Transcendent.

[Killed the ordinary member Webber of "End of the Cocoon," earning 900 experience points!]

The man fell to the ground with a thud, pain bringing him back to consciousness, but he could only make a slight giggling sound.

He clawed at the floor, leaving bloodstains, and eventually died with his eyes wide open, struggling.

Chen Lun ignored the corpse and walked around the room on blood-stained floors, conducting a search.

He found several booklets, all related to the mystic books of the organization End of the Cocoon.

Disliking the dirty bed, he simply stood still and snapped his fingers, creating a flame that hovered in mid-air as a makeshift light source.

Then he quietly began to read.

One of the booklets contained the legend of the "Three Ladies of Sorrow."

They are the figures of three female deities who shelter humanity and ferry them through calamities.

The legendary tale had only four chapters, all extremely concise and compelling; the first three chapters corresponded to the stories of the three ladies, and the last chapter was about their combined efforts to drive out the Evil God.

The Lady of Silence, in her human incarnations, often took the form of an older woman, deaf but kind and gentle. Her symbols include the purple chrysanthemum, black dress, nightfall, and crows, among others.

The Lady of Sighs, in her human incarnations, often appeared as a mature and charming woman, mute but with unparalleled wisdom. Her symbols include seashells, green dress, the ocean, and Whale Island, among others.

The Dim Lady, in her human incarnations, often represented a young girl, blind but lively and loveable. Her symbols include apples, red dress, fresh blood, and red butterflies, among others.

'The Three Ladies of Sorrow…'

Chen Lun's brow furrowed as he looked at this secretive text about high beings of the mystic realm.

He conjured up some impressions of the three entities in his mind.

"Moon Goddess…" Chen Lun murmured.

The old lady he had once encountered matched the image of the Lady of Silence quite precisely, and this title was also an incarnation of Moon Goddess Margaret.

Moon Goddess, Lady of Silence, and Miss Purple Moon—all these could refer to the True God of the Moon Pathway.

'So how could the Moon Goddess be involved with the other two ladies…' Chen Lun wondered.

As for the Lady of Sighs, he had seen this name in Philip's final message.

Philip stated that his mentor had deceived and guided him, linking him to the Deep Sea so significantly that he was forcibly dragged into the Dream Realm in his dreams every night.

The Door of the Dream Realm was guarded by the Lady of Sighs, and he could not escape.

In "Dreamseek Town Kazt," a similar passage was recorded where a drunken sailor descended seventy steps in his dreams, encountering the "Door of Slumber" with a lady in a dark green long dress standing beside it.

All these indicated that the Lady of Sighs was inextricably linked to the Dream Realm and the Deep Sea, though their connection remained indescribable.

As for the last, the Dim Lady, Chen Lun knew very little about her.

Aside from learning of her existence through the Witch Your Majesty, it was only through this encounter with the organization "End of the Cocoon" that he had gained a rough understanding of this deity.

A Sequence One Angel of the Flesh Pathway who does not worship the Lady of the Rose but stands unique. An organization, "End of the Cocoon," was specifically created by her followers, with unclear intentions.

Chen Lun pondered over these three ladies; apparently, they each represented the Moon, the Deep Sea, and the Flesh Pathway, which logically, should not have come together.

'Could it be that the three ladies have formed some secret alliance to oppose the True Gods? But that doesn't make sense... After all, the Lady of Silence is an embodiment of the Moon Goddess.'

He felt the clues were too sparse and these secrets too profound, leaving him, a Sequence Seven, at a loss on how to proceed.

He looked at the other booklets in his hand, most of which were related to the history and heritage of the Esoteric Cult "End of the Cocoon," as well as some specific ritual activities.

One of them contained detailed commandments and prayers for the Dim Lady.

Chen Lun dared not utter them aloud, fearing it might draw her attention.

He only read them silently, memorizing them in his mind.

'Blind Lady of Sorrow, Fairy at the Edge of the Chalice, Manipulator beneath the Apple Tree… Exalted and Spirited Dim Lady, Julia.'

Accompanying it were extremely stringent and detailed specifications and requirements for the prayer rituals.

To invoke the Dim Lady, one had to set up a corresponding ritual, including one most important supernatural material, Dusk Chrysanthemum Dew.

'So these people are collecting Dusk Chrysanthemum Dew to frequently set up prayer rituals?' Chen Lun speculated.

Now that the Red Apple Church was involved with the End of the Cocoon, he felt a terrifying vortex was forming imperceptibly.

Chen Lun had an ominous premonition.

Spiritual Intuition regarding this matter also returned an extremely strong warning.

'So maybe I shouldn't delve any deeper into this case. For me at present, it would be more harmful than beneficial... Let's stop here...' Chen Lun decided.