In a high-class inn in the Kingdom, Tsukasa lay on a soft, large bed, burying her face dejectedly in the pillow. Although she had comforted Ainz Ooal Gown earlier by saying they hadn't come away completely empty-handed, those were just polite words. In reality, there was no gain at all.
That 'Eight Fingers' group knew nothing about the Goddess Cult; they were simply an underground organization used as a stepping stone by the Cult.
Those so-called cadres weren't even in the eyes of the Goddess Cult. After all, developing members for the Cult required passing through a brainwashing phase. Compared to these mentally sound cadres, slaves who had undergone various forms of torture were clearly more suitable for development into believers.
As the largest underground criminal organization in the Kingdom, dealing primarily in drugs and slaves, Eight Fingers was indeed suitable for the Goddess Cult's expansion. However, the Cult only needed the 'merchandise'; the organization itself was not something they required.
Moreover, Eight Fingers' activities were so blatant that they would eventually be liquidated by the Kingdom. The Noble Faction protecting them would also one day replace them as their ambitions grew too large; the organization was nearing its end. Anyone smart in the Goddess Cult wouldn't choose to annex Eight Fingers, and indeed, the Cult acted accordingly. Although they eroded Eight Fingers' industries and hollowed out their leadership, they had no intention of replacing them, instead secretly transferring away all of Eight Fingers' wealth.
They left just a tiny bit behind to let the Eight Fingers cadres fight tooth and nail over it, letting these fools draw all the fire outside.
Even Ainz Ooal Gown's intelligence department had been fooled by this move from the Goddess Cult.
It was becoming increasingly difficult to find the Goddess Cult's trail, which worried her so much she couldn't sleep well at night.
"This is really bad. Even though I've killed so many, it feels like they're never-ending. And the awakening speed of the witch factor is getting faster and faster; I have nightmares every night now."
Tsukasa wanted to cover her face when she thought of her dreams. To be honest, they weren't nightmares in the traditional sense; it was just that they were so explosively chuunibyou that she considered them nightmares.
After all, every time I come out I have to destroy a world or something. It looks spectacular, but when I think about it just being a dream, I feel that the witch-fied version of myself is really embarrassing. Reaching a climax in my own dream... isn't that just pure chuunibyou!
She had protested in her dreams several times.
But because that one didn't seem to have fully awakened, it couldn't understand her at all. It was just like a program or a cinematic cutscene.
"Don't you cultists shout about destroying the world every day? Why are you all hiding now? If you've got the guts, come out and keep causing trouble!"
Tsukasa had been a bit irritable lately.
Although the Sword Saint State could temporarily suppress the witch factor, continuing like this was not a solution. Even if she fled to another world, she didn't know if she could sever the connection with the Goddess Cult. Furthermore, she currently wasn't confident in taking Alice through a world crossing, and even for her to cross alone, the success rate was an unknown probability.
"Master, here is today's morning tea."
Alice pushed the dining cart into the room.
The items on it were all famous snacks from the Royal Capital. For breakfast, it was far too luxurious, but for their current wealth, this level of consumption was already very ordinary. Despite not managing anything properly, their wealth continued to accumulate with every trip. This was probably the terrifying part of the 'Golden Rule' skill.
It didn't matter even if one didn't know how to make money.
Because wealth could be obtained in any action, and this skill pushed that possibility to the extreme. For example, if she encountered a dungeon, she would definitely find treasure inside; if she met an enemy, they would definitely happen to be carrying their entire fortune. All sorts of coincidences allowed Tsukasa, who possessed this skill, to step-by-step become a world-class tycoon even if she knew nothing.
But it was strange.
She clearly possessed great luck.
Why had she been so unlucky lately?
The Goddess Cult thing was entirely an accident, but with her luck, how could she encounter such a bad accident? It was fine to be unlucky at the end of the last world, after all, that was a god; it made sense that they could break her great luck. In fact, not only did she not die, but she crossed worlds again and gained even stronger power and talent, which in the end was also lucky.
But on what grounds does this Goddess Cult exist? Although she never liked relying on her luck, she didn't deny it either, so she couldn't figure out why she had been so unlucky recently.
Could it be that her great luck judged the Goddess Cult to be a good thing for her? No, no, no, that's impossible no matter how you look at it. If she awakened the witch factor, she would become an idiot. Why was she so sure? You just had to look at those Goddess Cult followers to know.
"Master, are these not to your taste?" Alice saw that Tsukasa hadn't touched her chopsticks and was a bit puzzled. She had tried these snacks beforehand and thought they should suit her master's preferences.
"No, I'm just thinking about things."
Tsukasa felt she didn't have much of an appetite.
Although she didn't know what the Goddess Cult was doing and couldn't be sure of their location, she could know through a vague connection that the Goddess Cult was vigorously developing its followers. That's right, although the Goddess Cult had indeed been struck with heavy losses recently, for some reason, these guys had managed to develop even more followers. Judging by her feelings, the current Goddess Cult, far from being diminished, was many times stronger than before. The sheer number of people was on a different level; there must be a wise man among them.
If she had known, she wouldn't have executed that useless Nigun so quickly. If Nigun were still around, she could have known the internal situation of the Goddess Cult through him. But her decision to deal with Nigun at the time wasn't just out of anger; she was also worried that Nigun, as a Shadow Demon, would undergo some uncontrollable changes later on.
But looking at it now.
The decision back then was actually wrong.
Because Nigun died, the Goddess Cult went out of control and developed rapidly. Furthermore, a wise man beyond her control had appeared within the Goddess Cult, managing this massive organization. Although she didn't care what that guy wanted to do, as long as the Goddess Cult continued to exist, it would have a negative impact on her.
So they were destined to be unable to coexist!
Tsukasa didn't want to become a crazed witch.
Even if this was just her own speculation without concrete evidence, she was that kind of cautious person, which was why she started to act.
But now.
She was indeed very lost.
Because she couldn't find the people of the Goddess Cult anymore.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"