<h4>Chapter 56: Deadly Rain</h4>


    Late at night, Pdin secretly returned the stone b to its original owner. Before that, he confirmed that Lucia was still sleeping like a dead pig. Afterwards, Pdin gently closed the bedroom door.


    The next morning, an impatient Lucia approached Pdin and inquired, "Father, can you do me a favor?"


    "Go ahead. What is it?"


    With big twinkling eyes, Lucia sat down. Then with an expectant tone she said, "The nearest city from here is Edley. Father, can you take me to Edley for a stroll?"


    Pdin did not hesitate to nod and said, "I have not been to Edley yet, but I also want to visit the bishop. Let''s go together if you want to go."


    "Yes!"


    That morning, Pdin packed some money and took Lucia for a stroll to Edley. Along the way, Pdin cast a vague nce at Lucia. It was because he could see very clearly that Lucia was carrying the te with her. He knew deep down that Lucia, who came from a big family, definitely was nning to leave. At that, Pdin simply smiled cryptically because his goal was way bigger than that.


    "Stop, who are you?"


    In front of the magnificent but weathered city gate where the rain had left its trails over many years, Pdin observed the four sergeants equipped with spears who were guarding the entrance. He nced at their armor, which was nothing more than ayer of cotton leather armor. With a very gentle smile, he handed over the Holy See''s letter of appointment. A sergeant took a look at it before decisively waving his hand and saying, "You can go inside, Father."


    Pdin smiled and walked in. However, when he looked back, Lucia had disappeared at some point.


    Lucia, who was watching Pdin walk away from a far corner of the city, whispered somewhat apologetically, "Father, I''m sorry but I must go for the sake of my country and for the sake of avenging the tragic death of my father and the innocents. I will properly thank you the next time we meet."


    With that, she turned around and blended into the dark corner.


    The main road, which was paved with stone bs, had patches of green grass growing out of the cracks. Buildings and stores full of lights and decorations densely packed both sides of the road. The crowds of peopleing and going made the avenue, which was big enough for three carriages to travel side by side, appear a little crowded.


    Pdin wasn''t bothered by the crowds at all. From his point of view, he could see a hollow space that was too striking to ignore. It was moving quietly on the alley next to him amidst this sea of busy magic elements. Pdin smiled faintly and entered an alley in the corner. After looking around and confirming that there was nobody, he estimated that Luna—along with the stone b—soon would approach his spot without knowing what would befall her next. He calmly took the glove off his right hand.


    Whoosh. Luna saw something shing in front of her. She hadn''t realized what was going on when she saw a ck shadow bolted towards her. After that, that shadow covered her mouth with its hand that was glowing golden. And then, it mmed her into the wall.


    "Urgh!"


    Pdin watched Luna struggle with all of her might, trying to break free. Casually, he waved his other hand. Golden light chains immediately emerged from the air, binding Luna firmly keeping her down.


    The sunlight harshly shone when Luna raised her head. She finally saw the face of the mysterious person who attacked her. For a moment, she thought he was one of Lex''s assassins who had found her whereabouts. But when she saw his disheveled ck hair, ordinary face, and cold, hideous eyes of Father Pdin, her beautiful pupils shrunk drastically. Gone was her previous stubborn but reverent eyes.


    "Oh, are you surprised?" Pdin lowered his head and approached Lucia who was struggling so hard but to no avail. Pdin couldn''t help but stick out his tongue and lick her face when he sniffed the unique fragrance emanating from her body and saw her frightened eyes that were embedded in her beautiful face.


    "E!" Lucia showed a disgusted expression and tried to avoid Pdin''s assault. Pdin simply looked at her and suddenlyughed.


    "I don''t care who you are, what your origins are, and what your connection to the coup in Aixinzhe is. Anyway, today is your unlucky day."


    With his other hand, Pdin gently undid Lucia''s clothes to take out the stone tablet enveloped by her body fragrance from her chest. Under Lucia''s shocked and anxious gaze, he stuffed it into his bag.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t do anything to your body. Although I really want to have fun, if I give you to an old pervert first, I will gain more benefits."


    Pdin grinned and took something out of his pocket. A small bottle filled with light green liquid was dangled in front of Lucia''s terrified eyes.


    "Do you know what this is?"


    The sinister malice emanating from Pdin''s eyes grew more and more intense. Lucia didn''t expect she needed to answer because her mouth was still covered.


    Pdin confidently cracked an eerie smile and continued, "In thenguage of the devil, this is called Novin. However, I call it the Deadly Rain because it''s made from the white phosphorus flower that grows on the corpses of the dead."


    Pdin gently opened the bottle cap. Soon after, an acidic odor that could cause shortness of breath rose to the surface. Even though Pdin covered her mouth and nose with his hand, tears welled up in Lucia’s eyes.


    Pdin, on the other hand, showed no signs of difort. Instead, as he gazed at the potion, his face was filled with admiration.


    "There are a lot of dead bodies in the church basement. In order for white phosphorus flowers to grow on them, I regrly poured a lot of human blood until it grew little by little. Ah, to make Deadly Rain, I used the rain dew I got in the early morning, white phosphorus flowers, and many other materials. It took more than 30plex alchemy arrays to sessfully refine it. I learned this in the Freemasons'' Association. Ah, this kind of dark alchemy, which is considered taboo in alchemy, is hidden from themon folks. Thus, I count myself lucky."


    After Pdin finished speaking, he shook the bottle again. Lucia, who was sweating all over, suddenly noticed that the acidic smell gradually faded. She was even taken aback; why did this double-faced and hypocritical priest talk so much? Did he love to listen to himself?


    Yet, Pdin didn''t care at all. Still smiling, he continued, "Do you know how effective it is? This is already diluted, but even so, it can make you unable to talk within five seconds. You will lose sight, hearing, and smell within the next hour. Eventually, your heart will corrode! Hahahaha! What a wonderful thing right? It’s as tempting as a gemstone."


    By this point, the acidic smell of the Deadly Rain hadpletely vanished. A hideous and crazed smile formed on Pdin''s lips, much like a viper about to deal its final blow and reveal its horrifying fangs after a long wait. Full of excitement, he said, "Why do you think I told you so much, huh? This poison must mingle with air first as it will only be effective after the smell disappears! Lucia, be my stepping stone!"


    As soon as Pdin said that, Lucia’s previously restrained heart leapt to life. She began struggling and moving, attempting to break her hands out of the chains and pull out the dagger strapped to her leg. Pdin only watched all this before smiling aggressively. The hand that was covering her mouth immediately grabbed her jaw and squeezed. Hard. Inevitably, Lucia opened her mouth. Her eyes that were looking at Pdin were full of fear and despair. He picked up the bottle and poured the Deadly Rain into her mouth, all the whileughing wildly.


    "You''re finished, Luna!"