The Devil’s Cage

The temple of Forest City, Divine Garden.

As its name suggested, it was a courtyard where God lived.

The courtyard had flowers that would never wither throughout the four seasons and a tree that was always green.

At the end of the path carved by white jade, there was a simple golden chair.

If it wasn’t for the white jade path and the golden chair, the courtyard would be mistaken as some garden in a rural area but when the white jade and gold were added, everything was different.

Any common man who saw the courtyard would exclaim uncontrollably, especially the top of the courtyard, one would be easily astonished at first sight.

It was very magnificent!

The top of the courtyard wasn’t the common open-air style but it had a roof. From the outside, the structure looked like a dome but from the inside, it was a flat starry sky!

Correct, it was the starry sky!

The dark sky filled with shining stars was on top of the courtyard.

The dazzling stars were actually diamonds embedded on the roof and anyone who walked into the courtyard would be captivated by the “stars” glimmer.

However, that was only for the common man.

For Kieran, this kind of simple decoration without any “power” was purely decoration.

Kieran was sitting in the golden chair and glancing over Tanya and Hayden Ow.

Tanya was indeed captivated by the starry sky as she was looking up in awe.

Hayden Ow was no exception either.

Even if it wasn’t his first time there, he slightly drifted away when he saw the starry sky above him.

In fact, the Divine Garden allowed only a handful of temple personnel to enter, including the archpriest of the God of Forest City. When Hayden Ow first entered the place, he was stunned for half a minute before reacting to the scene.

Never underestimate a place that required the whole city to build, the place would only exceed one’s wildest imagination in terms of extravagance.

Hayden Ow had a new understanding of that phrase when he entered the Divine Garden.

However, as the branch manager of Funeral Society, he possessed quite outstanding abilities, when Kieran’s gaze landed on him, Hayden Ow quickly regained his senses and put away all the unwanted expressions.

“Your Majesty.”

“Thank you for your effort in killing the God of Forest City. We took over Forest City smoothly and just as you ordered, no one took anything from this city, not even a blade grass or a tree.”

Hayden Ow reported in detail after bowing respectfully.

The branch manager reported every single detail without missing a beat, from the start of his operation to the end of the whole process, everything came out honestly.

“Hmm. Nicely done,” Kieran nodded.

It wasn’t to brush him off but true praise.

Kieran knew clearly how hard was it to achieve the things he ordered yet Hayden Ow did it.

Despite there being some unexpected accidents, Hayde Ow’s capabilities were not to be questioned.

Likewise, Funeral Society’s forces in Forest City had exceeded Kieran’s initial estimation as well but he didn’t really care about all of that.

On the contrary, Kieran felt the sincerity from Funeral Society once more.

“You showed all the forces you’ve hidden… just for the sake of freedom? You guys are so anxious?” Kieran thought deeply.

Kieran responded, “You all did what I ordered, so I’ll carry out the promise I gave you.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your generosity.”

“Oh, and this thing, I need your attention for a while.”

Hayden Ow then took out a scroll from his pocket.

The scroll looked quite old and its craftsmanship was very rough as well, it had the rugged feel that was different from modern crafts, especially its weight that surpassed modern replicas of a scroll.

Kieran held it in his hand, feeling the texture on the scroll which should be made up of cowhide and gunny grass before he looked at Hayden Ow.

He knew there must be a reason for Hayden Ow to bring out the scroll to him.

“I found this in Neil, the archpriest’s room. It is made by the ancient crafts back in the fiend era and the words inside will only show once before vanishing completely. Since its creation, this kind of scroll was used by the fiends during the war and hasn’t changed until now,” Hayden Ow explained.

“War?”

“Is there anything unusual around the city?” Kieran raised a puzzled brow.

Other than the treasure of the God of Forest City, Kieran didn’t really care about the whole Forest City but it didn’t mean any John Doe could extend their malicious claws into the city.

Kieran was such a stingy ghost that even if it was the things he didn’t care about yet were his, anyone who tried to take it from him would have to pay the price!

“I’ve sent men to search the whole city and the outskirts of the city for suspicious activities. If someone is trying to play tricks, I’ll find them!” Hayden Ow said in a serious and cold tone.

His killing intent was obvious.

It seemed like the branch manager certainly would not allow others to disrupt order in Forest City.

It was the territory that they “fought” for through hardship after all.

Their own territory!

Anyone who tried to play coy in the city better be prepared to die.

“Your Majesty, please leave this matter to me,” Hayden Ow bowed.

Kieran nodded and stood up from the golden chair, he spoke as he walked, “Where is the treasury of the God of Forest City?”

“Please follow me.”

Hayden Ow bowed before going into the corridor beside the courtyard.

When they returned to the temple’s main hall, the blood was cleaned and a sufficient amount of fragrance was scattered to mask the bloody stench.

The God of Forest City’s statue had been moved away as well.

So, Kieran could see the small door that led into the deeper part of the temple at first sight.

The door was locked though and the lock had slashing marks, freshly left behind.

“Only the archpriest had the key to this lock and when those priests tried to break it with force, the commotion startled Neil.”

“Then a fierce fight broke out and after Neil killed all the greedy priests, he too died because of the heavy injuries,” Hayden Ow explained when Kieran saw the lock.

When Archpriest Neil was mentioned, Hayden Ow showed an extremely complicated expression.

The opponent that he once held contempt for and looked down on did something glorious that earned his respect before death. Anyone would show such an expression if they were in Hayden Ow’s shoes.

Kieran slightly nodded without saying anything. He glanced over the surroundings before signaling for Hayden Ow to open the door.

Kak!

No matter how sturdy the lock, it will be easily open when the right key was inserted.

Hayden Ow moved aside when he removed the lock.

The door, on the other hand, opened up automatically and instantaneously, colorful brilliance shone through the seams.

Gold, jewels blanketed the endless corridor behind the door.

Even Hayden Ow as the branch manager of Funeral Society, his experience didn’t show him such a scene before. He skipped a breath but quickly enough, he looked down at the ground.

He knew what kind of person Kieran was through the brief orders from Ren, hence he didn’t want Kieran to take it wrongly.

But to his utter surprise, Kieran turned around and left the next moment.

He strode off without even pausing.