Versatile Mage (Web Novel)
chapter-868

Chapter 868: The Seven Cardinals

Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

Mo Fan understood the situation. The Black Vatican was familiar with the members of the Enforcement Union in Shanghai. The Enforcement Union could not commit to a huge operation before they learned the Black Vatican’s exact hiding spot and more information about their people.

If they sealed off the island, there was a possibility that the people of the Black Vatican would hold the civilians hostage. As such, the Enforcement Union could only post it as a secret quest, hoping that some powerful Hunters would do them the favor.

“Your group is mainly in charge of the operation. I’ll assist you secretly, but you have to remember that the situation of Chongming Island is preventing my people and me from getting too close. If you’re in danger, and we can’t arrive in time, you must hold on,” Leng Qing told them seriously.

Mo Fan nodded slightly, but he soon realized that something did not feel right. He blurted out, “Hey, Senior Sister, I haven’t agreed to it yet!”

“Then why are you asking?” Leng Qing’s expression darkened.

“I was just trying to understand the situation. If it’s actually a lion’s den, I’m afraid that I…”

“I have told you classified information of the Enforcement Union. If anyone is purposely asking for this information, they are committing treason. The offender will be punished according to the circumstances. Do you want to be imprisoned by the Enforcement Union for a couple of months?” said Leng Qing unpleasantly.

“…” Mo Fan was left speechless. For some reason, he felt like he had been set up by the two sisters!

“Alright, fine, at least tell me how many people they have,” said Mo Fan helplessly.

“We aren’t too sure yet, but if it’s a branch, there must be at least forty people,” speculated Leng Qing.

“What’s the reward?” asked Mo Fan.

“Five hundred thousand for a Gray Priest, nine million for a Black Clergy, a hundred and twenty million for a Blue Deacon. Doesn’t matter if they are alive or dead, but there must be enough proof to verify their identities,” said Leng Qing.

“Based on the headcount?” asked Mo Fan in surprise.

“The Enforcement Union has always paid according to the number of people that are caught. Hunters are willing to do anything for money. Every year, the names provided by anonymous Hunters to the Enforcement Union are always in three figures. However, Chongming Island is a trickier situation, and we are clueless about their number or strength, so the rates are slightly higher,” said Leng Qing.

“Isn’t a hundred twenty million a bit too low for a Blue Deacon?” said Mo Fan.

A Blue Deacon was already able to stir up troubles in a city. A hundred and twenty million did seem too low for a Blue Deacon.

“We are providing the information this time, and you’re cooperating with us. If you are able to catch a Blue Deacon with your own source of information, the reward is around two hundred million, depending on the person’s position in the Black Vatican,” said Leng Qing.

“Do you pay more if we catch a Blue Deacon alive?” asked Mo Fan.

“Of course, it’s better to catch a Blue Deacon alive, since we can learn more names through the person in order to uproot the organization. We can even find out other Blue Deacons, or even Red Cardinals. Unfortunately, not every Blue Deacon is the same as Great Deacon Hu Jin, who reported directly to a Red Cardinal,” scoffed Leng Qing.

Mo Fan’s eyes glowed when he heard there was more money if he could catch the Blue Deacons alive.

Both he and Mu Ningxue were running short on funds, especially Mu Ningxue. She might have a chance to break through to the Advanced Level if they managed to complete the quest!

Even though a single Galaxy Vein was far from enough to support her cultivation, it would prevent her from falling too far behind the national team.

“Hang on, you mentioned something about Red Cardinals. Isn’t Salan a Red Cardinal? Are you telling me there are other Red Cardinals too?” asked Mo Fan after he suddenly remembered something.

Leng Qing nodded.

The information was meant to be confidential, but considering Mo Fan’s contributions in helping them uproot the Black Vatican, she lowered her voice and said, “Salan is only one of the Red Cardinals. Apparently, the Black Vatican has seven Red Cardinals. Four of them are still unknown to us. We don’t know their age or their gender. Even though the Enforcement Union already has information on two of them, and knows what they have done in the past, it is extremely difficult to arrest or kill them.”

Mo Fan suddenly felt speechless. He stared at Leng Qing blankly.

He actually thought Salan was the highest leader of the Black Vatican. After all, her conspiracy at the Ancient Capital was absolutely shocking. The whole world was alarmed by her plan, and yet she was just one of the seven Red Cardinals of the Black Vatican. What kind of maniacs were the rest of them? How terrifying was their ambition to destroy the world?

“The other Red Cardinals aren’t active in China, so you don’t need to worry about them. Salan seems to be the most gifted at committing calamities among them. We were unlucky to have her in our country. Even though we managed to drive her away, we still paid an enormous price…” said Leng Qing.

“Salan…” Mo Fan had cursed the name too many times. However, when he thought about the people who sacrificed their lives just to stop her, including the sacrifice that Instructor Zhan Kong had made, he could not help but clench his fists.

She was the kind of person who could implant fear deep inside someone’s soul, an evildoer hated greatly by both mortals and God! He was so close to finding out who she was, yet he had not managed to rip off her human mask!

“Let’s focus on removing the last tumor Salan left in our country. We still need more time and help to arrest Salan…” suggested Leng Qing.

“Mmm,” Mo Fan nodded.

“To provide you with a better cover and help you find the Black Vatican’s base, Lingling will be going to Chongming with you. Mo Fan, please take care of her,” Leng Qing said sternly.

Normally, Leng Qing would not involve Lingling in such a dangerous operation. She was willing to let Lingling take on high-level quests or hunt demon creatures with Mo Fan in the Magic City, but she would never involve her in an operation related to the Black Vatican. She was well aware of how vengeful the Black Vatican was.

However, Leng Qing also knew that without Lingling’s help, Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue would have trouble finding the Black Vatican in such a complicated place. The people of Black Vatican don’t really have a tag on their heads, and even if they did, it was still too difficult to find them among a few hundred thousand people.

The chance of them completing the quest without Lingling’s help was zero!

Luckily, it was the last group of Black Vatican’s people in their country. In order to secure victory in the ongoing battle, Leng Qing had no choice but to let Lingling participate in the operation too!

“Don’t worry, I swear on my life that I’ll keep her safe,” Mo Fan promised firmly.

“Humph, look how flustered you both are.” Lingling finished the milk. Her lips were covered in foam. She jumped down from the stool and left like an adult.

“Mu Ningxue, you must be careful too. I know about your situation. I hope you won’t act on impulse. This is a very crucial operation,” reminded Leng Qing.

Leng Qing was not the kind to dawdle, and was usually quite straightforward. However, she was being extremely cautious as she was not reassured putting someone else in charge of such an important operation. However, Mo Fan was indeed their best option. Even though he was not someone in the Enforcement Union, he had the strongest motive to uproot the Black Vatican.

The truth was, there was another reason why the Enforcement Union did not send their own people to deal with the Black Vatican. However, Leng Qing did not feel like saying it without solid proof!