Town Hall of Ennold.
A five-story building, the tallest in the vicinity, provided a perfect vantage point to observe the headquarters of the Heart of the Earth Church just across the street.
Wayne entered the town hall, calmly making his way to the rooftop. He encountered no obstacles along the way, no one even bothered to ask for identification.
Everyone was too caught up in the festivities.
Free eggs were enticing even to government employees.
"Damn, how did the country end up like this!" Wayne muttered, taking out his binoculars to peer at the headquarters of the Heart of the Earth Church. Four two-story buildings formed a square layout, with each building occupying a corner.
In the center, a small square was bustling with activity, filled with local townspeople who had come to attend the gathering. Through the slightly blurry lens of his binoculars, Wayne could vaguely make out several well-dressed dignitaries standing next to a bald man in white.
Even if he wasn't the leader of the Heart of the Earth Church, he was certainly a high-ranking member.
Wayne lowered his binoculars, tapping his gentleman's hat lightly. A white dove sprang out.
Wayne reached into his coat pocket, took out a few corn kernels, and fed them to the dove before releasing it. He muttered an incantation under his breath and covered his right eye with his hand.
The dark right field of vision suddenly brightened, connecting with the dove and providing a bird's-eye view of the Heart of the Earth Church headquarters from above.
The white dove landed on a tree near the small square, and Wayne observed closely, finally getting a clear view of the bald man's face.
The bald man was not young, with numerous wrinkles. The most striking feature was the absence of eyebrows, giving him a sinister look.
The dignitaries beside him showed utmost respect to the bald old man, listening attentively to his teachings, their demeanor bordering on obsequiousness.
Seeing this, Wayne was almost certain that the Heart of the Earth Church was using some form of bewitchment to control the local government officials in Ennold.
Wayne focused his gaze on the lips of the bald old man, reading their movements to eavesdrop on their conversation.
A skill inherent to his original self.
As Wayne continued to meditate, his mind grew stronger, and he gained better control over his abilities, awakening some latent skills in the process.
Rather than saying he was awakening, it was more like he was being reminded of their existence.
Disguise, reconnaissance, counter-reconnaissance, proficient driving, combat...
A few days ago, while soaking in the bathtub, he discovered his ability to hold his breath for a long time. He hadn't practiced it, but his body was adept at water-related skills and knew many underwater techniques.
Lip-reading was one of the awakened skills.
Wayne hadn't specifically trained in lip-reading. This skill relied on practice and experience, so even though he had awakened it, he could only analyze a few words.
"Today is very important... Great Lord, the Void..."
"A few infiltrators entered the headquarters two days ago... They have been detained..."
"There may be accomplices..."
Wayne was reading when suddenly the bald old man stopped and looked towards the dove. At that moment, their eyes met, and the bald old man made eye contact with Wayne.
Wayne's heart skipped a beat as a powerful mental force surged along their gazes.
Impressive!
But...
Compared to the world behind the Gate of Truth, it seemed rather insignificant.
Wayne had experienced the trials of the cosmic void, almost breaking down under the strain on his mental faculties. Compared to the crisis where his SAN value almost bottomed out, the gaze of the bald old man was hardly threatening.
Who would flinch in a stare-down like this?
The white dove perched on a branch, curiously observing the worshippers below. Startled by the sound of a champagne cork popping, it flew away.
...
On the rooftop.
Wayne retrieved the white dove and put on his gentleman's hat, turning to leave the rooftop.
He had gathered two crucial pieces of information.
The Heart of the Earth Church had magicians, their numbers and strength unknown, but at least the bald old man was more powerful than him;
Two days ago, an infiltrator was captured, Isabella wasn't dead, but the location of her captivity was unknown.
"What a powerful magician, and yet, this is all they have. Still not better than me!" Wayne grumbled to himself. If he had known Isabella had been captured, he wouldn't have waited around like a fool. He would have had his butler arrange a luxury car to leave Ennold.
"I can still leave now..."
Wayne stopped in his tracks, standing on the fourth-floor corridor of the town hall, watching the townspeople queueing outside to collect their eggs. Contemplating silently, he shook his head without a word.
Forget it, rescue Isabella first, then give them a chance.
He could leave Ennold in a luxury car when the time came.
At the end of the corridor, two female civil servants in town hall uniforms walked by, chatting and laughing. One was carrying a briefcase, and the other held a tea cup.
They were gossiping, discussing the feasibility of sneaking in to collect eggs a few more times, completely disregarding Wayne's unfamiliar face, treating him as just another passerby.
After passing each other by two steps, the two female civil servants suddenly turned around. One took out a pistol from her briefcase, while the other smashed her tea cup towards Wayne.
Wayne looked at the glass in front of him, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, and quickly ducked to avoid the tea cup.
With a bang, the glass shattered, splashing tea in all directions. A mist rose from the wall, similar to a mass of organic tissue, spreading rapidly and covering the walls and windows in an instant.
Resembling an octopus with eight legs, each leg was alive, wriggling in all directions.
The body was moist, covered in a layer of yellowish mucus, with grayish-white skin tissue that was semi-transparent, revealing the blood vessels underneath and the organs inside the chest cavity.
Wayne's eyes narrowed as he nearly merged with the mass had he not been vigilant.
In the moment of ducking, he swiftly moved away from the wall, just before the gun pointed at him, pressing his hand against the ground and summoning a wall of earth to shield himself.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
A wall of earth two meters wide and long rose from the ground, not only blocking the view of the two female civil servants but also obstructing most of the corridor, keeping them pinned in place and unable to attack rashly.
In just a few breaths, the moist and soft earth wall rapidly solidified.
The two women heard the footsteps behind the wall, realizing they had fallen into a trap. Without hesitation, they circled around the wall and chased after Wayne.
A white dove flew over the wall, and the two women subconsciously looked up. They saw the dove dropping something in mid-air. With a crisp sound, a splash of white landed on the face of the woman holding the gun.
"Ah!"
The damage was minimal, but the humiliation was extreme. The woman screamed and raised her sleeve to wipe off the stain.
At that moment, Wayne, who should have been far away, suddenly emerged from behind the wall. Upon closer inspection, it would be noticed that his shoes were mysteriously absent.
Indeed, he had run away, but when he released the pigeon, he had run back barefoot.
Wayne moved with lightning speed and appeared in front of the gun-wielding woman. With his left hand forming a sword-like gesture, he swiftly shot a jet of water at her face, disrupting her vision. Taking advantage of the distraction, he swung his right hand, adorned with brass knuckles, forcefully.
With a resounding thud, the woman's tactical gear rippled, and her body, unbalanced and uncontrollable, quickly retreated towards the wall, where she plunged into the soft, squishy mass of a starfish.
Its eight tentacles wrapped around the woman and her gun, enveloping them both, and in an instant, the corridor echoed with the crunching sound of devouring.
Throughout the ordeal, the gun-wielding female bureaucrat hadn't managed to let out a single scream.
The other female bureaucrat was still a bit dazed. It all happened too fast, and she was completely taken aback by her companion's dire situation. When she finally realized the gravity of the situation, a ferocious punch was already hurtling towards her.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Wayne delivered a series of punches, all concentrated on the woman's abdomen. The excruciating pain of her convulsing intestines caused her to curl up on the ground, drenched in cold sweat, gasping for breath.
"Where is the fat woman who infiltrated your headquarters? Tell me, where have you imprisoned her?" Wayne's voice was low and menacing as he interrogated, his hand roaming over the female bureaucrat's body to ensure she had no hidden weapons.
The woman, looking as if she had just emerged from water, with her hair stuck to her face, glared fiercely at Wayne and gritted her teeth, struggling to speak through the pain. "I await my master's call at any time. I take pride in returning to the Void. Kill me if you must, but I won't talk!"
A true warrior indeed!
If I hadn't seen the demeanor of the Death Goddess's followers, I might have believed her!
"Heh, quite the tough talker."
Wayne sneered, extending his right hand and slamming it forcefully onto the ground.
Earth Release Secret Technique: Embed in the Wall!
The woman was lifted up by the surging earth, suspended in mid-air. Just as she was bewildered, the earth rapidly solidified, immobilizing her hands and leaving her with half of her body in front of the wall and the other half behind it.
"???"
What kind of move was this?
The woman didn't quite understand, but soon, her entire face turned pale, and her legs, encased in a skirt, kicked frantically.
After being smacked on the buttocks twice, a voice came from behind the wall: "This angle has perfect lighting, can't see anything. Your home layout looks oddly good!"