A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu did not completely trust Audrey, but that did not prevent him from making a deal with her.

“Miss Ale, for a famous actress like you to achieve success, it cannot be solely due to talent and hard work. There must also be other forms of assistance,” Qi Xuansu said calmly.

Audrey did not deny it. “Patrons certainly exist. But once one becomes famous, a certain degree of freedom comes with it.”

It was like when a girl newly entered the prostitution business. She must obey whatever the madame says and would be beaten or scolded at will. But once she became the top courtesan, the madame must treat her with respect and discuss matters with her because at that point, she was the most prized possession. Yet behind the madame, there was always a greater patron pulling the strings.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Who is this patron? Chairman Sophia August?”

Audrey nodded. “Everything I have today is thanks to her.”

But the remark carried a double meaning.

Qi Xuansu said thoughtfully, “You mean to say that Sophia made you, but she is also the cause of your ruin.”

“Exactly.” Audrey nodded. “It was Sophia who lifted me to the heavens, making me the queen of White Avenue who is adored by countless admirers. It is also Sophia who pushed me into the Abyss, letting darkness slowly devour me.”

Qi Xuansu said nothing.

A female chairman had groomed an actress with countless admirers. Yet instead of using the beautiful actress for the usual exchange of power and beauty, she forced this actress to become a follower of a fallen apostle. What exactly was she trying to achieve?

Qi Xuansu did not ask so bluntly. Instead, he said, “Miss Ale, if you want my help, then you must make things clear to me. What kind of enemy are we facing? What does this enemy want? What trump cards do they possess? I’d like to know my enemy before getting into battle.”

Audrey clearly understood the implication of his words and immediately replied, “Sophia intends to seize the power of a fallen apostle.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “And how does she intend to do that?”

Audrey replied, “Contracts. Fallen apostles are masters of deception, using it to obtain vessels. The most crucial element is the contract itself. They sign contracts with people but manipulate the wording. They grant wishes, yet always fulfill them in grotesquely twisted ways before claiming their price. But this game of wording works both ways. It can also be used to bind the apostles. Sophia intends to use this very method to obtain the power of a fallen apostle.”

Qi Xuansu said, “This is something the Holy Court strictly forbids.”

Audrey’s voice became barely a whisper. “Exactly. Take the Apostle of Slaughter, Zuriel, for example. If he had not become blindly arrogant because of the Scripture of Zuriel and attacked the Holy Seat, his cunning alone would have prevented the Holy Court from ever banishing him to Hell. Now, Sophia is attempting to seize Zuriel’s power. In the past, there have been many such self-important people. Since they were outstanding among their peers, they believed themselves capable of anything and dared to challenge the gods. But the outcome was always obvious.

“I once heard a story that a man in the ancient Old Continent made a deal with the fallen apostles. His condition was that the northern night would also see the sun rise. What happened next was that an empire from the south invaded the north. The northern armies collapsed, and throughout the night, the banners of the southern empire filled the land. Golden sun banners were hung everywhere. The northern night truly saw the sun rise.

“What is even more tragic is that whether Sophia succeeds or not, I will inevitably be destroyed and condemned forever because I’ve become her offering to the fallen apostle. I don’t want to die. I really don’t want to die. I want to live!”

By the end, Audrey’s voice clearly revealed fear and a hint of madness.

Qi Xuansu remained calm, unaffected by her emotions. “If the Holy Court forbids it so strictly, why not report this matter to them?”

Audrey pressed her hands against her chest. “Sir, I want to live. If I report this to the Holy Court, Sophia’s schemes may fall through, but what will become of me, the sacrifice? I’ll face imprisonment in endless darkness or a secret execution. Sophia might not even be punished. After all, she has not actually summoned Zuriel yet. She’s just planning it. With her powerful network of connections, she could easily clear herself of suspicion simply by abandoning me. At that point, I would become the culprit who summoned the demon, while she would remain the lofty Chairman, completely unrelated to this.

“Only you can help me, good sir. You and the power you represent fear neither the Holy Court nor the fallen apostles. Sophia would be nothing before you. Only by seeking your help can I obtain true freedom.”

Qi Xuansu said, “So you don’t merely want to flee to the Tawantin Empire. You also want to escape to the Eastern world to avoid both Sophia and Zuriel.”

Audrey knelt before Qi Xuansu. “Sir, you are a great figure of the Eastern world. I am willing to offer you everything you desire in exchange for your protection. I ask only for a lawful identity in the Eastern world. I sincerely beg you once again.”

Qi Xuansu said, “All that matters is that you are sincere. I can’t promise much, but I can agree to a request like this now. Remember—you must be sincere and loyal. If this is a trap, I will certainly destroy you even if I were to die.”

There was a simple logic behind this. If Audrey reported the matter to the Patriarch and had him intervene personally, Qi Xuansu would have almost no chance of escape. There would be no need to go through such a complicated trap, not unless Audrey intended to infiltrate the Eastern world as a spy. But even that logic did not hold. A famous actress like her would attract too much attention and inevitably be closely watched. The cost of such espionage would simply be far too high.

Thus, Qi Xuansu was inclined to believe that Audrey genuinely wanted to cooperate with him. The reason he had spoken so sternly earlier was simply because he feared she might harbor some greed and make a mistake at a critical moment. That was why he repeatedly emphasized sincerity.

“Of course, I will be sincere,” Audrey said. “I promise. Once I safely reach the Tawantin Empire, I will tell you everything I know.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Please put your clothes back on. Let’s talk properly.”

Audrey did not put the evening gown back on. Instead, she went into the bedroom.

In truth, there was nothing seductive about Audrey at this moment. The dense characters covering her skin were like a strange garment, radiating something eerie and terrifying.

In addition, parts of Audrey’s body had already been mechanically modified and were no longer entirely flesh, which further diminished any sense of beauty.

She had a rather frightening body.

A moment later, Audrey emerged from the bedroom wearing ordinary loungewear.

Although this was Audrey’s apartment, Qi Xuansu behaved as if he were the master of the place, gesturing for her to sit down.

Audrey sat down on the sofa beside Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu said, “I still have several questions. A fallen apostle would require a powerful vessel to descend. No offense, but you clearly aren’t strong enough to serve as such a vessel.”

Audrey replied, “Your doubts are reasonable, and this is precisely Sophia’s intention. Clearly, a body like yours could carry a fallen apostle. But how would Sophia control someone like you? Such things are strictly forbidden by the Holy Court, so she cannot rely on its power. With only her personal influence, it would be extremely difficult to control a powerful being like you.

“Moreover, even if she somehow managed to control such a powerful being through deception or coercion, how would she deal with a fallen apostle incarnation that is almost equivalent to a god?”

“Sophia wants the power of a fallen apostle, yet she does not want things to slip beyond her control. So she came up with a solution—me.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Tell me more.”

Audrey rolled up her sleeve, revealing a pale forearm. This section of her arm had none of the terrifying symbols from the Scripture of Zuriel, only smooth white skin with fine hairs.

Then, with her other hand, Audrey peeled away the skin of her arm, revealing the metallic pipes, intricate gears, and mechanical components beneath.

Qi Xuansu exclaimed in admiration, “Such masterful craftsmanship! It’s so real that it deceives the eye.”

Audrey’s face was filled with sorrow. “A large portion of my body has been transformed into this steam-mechanical structure, which allows me to better carry the power of a fallen apostle, yet without granting me any real combat ability. In other words, it makes me a pure vessel.”

Qi Xuansu roughly understood. She was simply a large reservoir of power—a living battery.

Audrey placed a hand on her chest. “Sophia implanted a Steam Power Core here. She intends to further modify my body and then use this core to control every aspect of me, turning me into a puppet that dances only at the movement of her fingers.

“At the same time, this is also part of Sophia’s plan. Once the fallen apostle descends, instead of entering a human body, it would actually enter an artificial, semi-mechanical vessel.

“The apostle would not control the body. Instead, this specially designed body would bind the apostle. If Sophia simply shut down the Steam Power Core and disabled all prosthetics, the body would become completely paralyzed. The descended apostle would effectively be trapped inside. This way, she could force the apostle into a contract and obtain a portion of its power.”