"Da da da..."
Clear but hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor of this magnificent church.
Ilumi hid under the eaves above the corridor, his legs braced against the corner of the wall to prevent himself from falling.
"Wheeze~ Wheeze~"
An old man in his sixties, dressed in an expensive suit, ran through the spacious corridor, breathing heavily, looking back from time to time.
It was as if something behind him was constantly chasing him.
"This person should be from the Council of Elders."
Ilumi judged his status in Meteor City by his attire.
Most ordinary people in Meteor City wore low-quality robes, either white or black.
Only those with sufficiently high status and enough wealth would wear expensive Western suits, appearing like successful individuals.
In fact, he was indeed a successful person and possessed considerable power.
Dusana, claimed to be fifty years old, but his actual age was likely over sixty.
He was one of the members of the Meteor City Council of Elders. His duty was to gather various external information for Meteor City, and he controlled numerous intelligence personnel.
Though called intelligence personnel, the vast majority were what outsiders would consider vagrants.
"Da da da..."
Dusana ran while looking back, passing through the spacious corridor, through the splendidly decorated main hall of the church, exiting the hall through a side door, and entering the inner part of the church.
From here on, it was pitch black.
"This old man, what exactly is he afraid of?"
Ilumi followed him, his body hidden in the darkness.
He had originally planned to directly knock him out and take him away, to make him help find Spiro's whereabouts.
But seeing this old man in such a panicked state of escape, Ilumi's interest was piqued. He wanted to see what exactly this old man was fleeing from.
"Ha~ Ha~"
Dusana panted heavily, looking back from time to time, his steps faltering.
Ilumi could see that he clearly couldn't run anymore, yet he was still struggling to escape.
This was another corridor in the back of the church, unlit, completely dark.
Moonlight poured in like a waterfall, illuminating the many exquisite oil paintings on the walls, lending a strange eeriness to the silent corridor.
"Da... Da..."
At this moment, a rhythmic sound of footsteps came from the other end of the corridor. A figure, dragging a long shadow, slowly walked towards him, its face indistinct.
Dusana looked back, his face turned ashen with fright. He quickened his faltering steps and ran forward even more urgently.
Ilumi, hidden in the darkness, watched this scene with great interest.
A figure dressed in a long black robe with a hood slowly walked towards Dusana.
His movements were very slow, but his speed was just enough to tail Dusana, like a cat playing with a mouse, merely toying with him.
"Faster, faster!"
Dusana urged himself on, turned left at the corner of the corridor, and stood before a wall on which hung an oil painting of the Mona Lisa.
"Ugh—"
Dusana placed his hands on the frames on either side of the painting, a strained sound coming from his throat as he very laboriously removed the oil painting from the wall.
"Dusana~"
A hoarse voice, tinged with madness, rang out.
Dusana trembled all over with fright. His hands loosened, and the oil painting flipped over and fell directly to the ground.
"You can't kill me!"
Dusana roared. In his panic, his left hand pressed a mechanism on the wall.
With a "rumble," an iron gate descended from the corridor eaves, blocking the shadowy figure outside.
"Tch!"
However, the black-robed figure raised its right arm and waved it quickly.
"Kaka..."
A moment later, the steel bars on the iron gate broke one by one and fell to the ground with a "clang."
Dusana was so scared he retreated continuously, stepped on the overturned oil painting on the ground, and sat down on it with a "thump."
"Give~ it~ back~ to~ me~!"
The black-robed figure, holding a long, thin black whip, slowly advanced towards Dusana.
"You took something that doesn't belong to you, Dusana~"
Dusana's legs went weak with fright, cold sweat beaded on his head, and he pushed himself backward with his hands.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about?"
"What I took... are things I deserve."
"Da... Da..."
The black-robed figure gradually approached Dusana, its hoarse voice echoing in the corridor.
"You'd rather die... than give up that pile of stinking, decaying things~"
"No... Please..."
Dusana turned over and crawled backward like a lizard, his eyes filled with terror as he looked at the black-robed figure.
"You are seeking your own death~"
The black-robed figure stopped behind the crawling Dusana, flipped down its hood, revealing a spiky, hedgehog-like hairstyle.
It was precisely Spiro. He raised his right arm, the long, thin whip slowly swaying on the ground.
"Wait..."
Dusana suddenly turned around, raising his right hand in a gesture of surrender.
"Lord, forgive me."
Dusana closed his eyes and prayed for a moment, then, forcing down his fear, he climbed up and pressed hard on the wall. A square section of the wall instantly caved in.
"Rumble rumble..."
With a loud tremor, a crack actually appeared in the wall before them, and it slowly began to rotate.
After the secret door opened completely, a narrow passage was revealed inside. Candles were lit along the passage, casting a dim yellow light.
"What you want is in here."
Dusana looked at Spiro, his voice trembling. His forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat as he entered the secret passage with faltering steps.
The long black whip in Spiro's hand disappeared. He followed behind him into the secret passage.
"Lead the way."
After the two entered the secret passage, Spiro urged.
Dusana pressed hard on the adjacent wall, then paid no more attention to the secret door. The two walked towards the end of the passage.
"Rumble rumble..."
The secret door slowly rotated, just as it was about to close.
"Swish!"
In an instant, a black shadow flashed inside.
"Barahona, an ancient kingdom from a thousand years ago."
Dusana led Spiro forward in the passage, Dusana's trembling voice echoing within.
"Legend has it that the king of Barahona, Barahona VII, once received a secret treasure contributed by a hermit."
"This secret treasure could grant the user's wishes, allowing the user to obtain what they most desired."
"After Barahona VII learned of this secret treasure's ability, he immediately ordered the hermit who contributed it to be killed."
"Barahona VII obtained the secret treasure. In the following seven years, the kingdom's power grew immensely, and it expanded crazily."
"But on the first day of the eighth year, the capital of the Barahona Kingdom, [San Manzanillo], became a dead city overnight."
"The Barahona Kingdom, which was at its zenith, was carved up by the surrounding nations and annihilated in the long river of history."
Spiro looked at the chattering Dusana, bared his teeth, and said in a hoarse voice,
"Why are you telling me these inexplicable things~?"
Dusana said no more, leading Spiro to an iron door. He took out a key and opened it with a "click."
"The secret treasure that Barahona VII obtained..."
Dusana's emotions seemed to have calmed a lot. He stood before the iron door, looked at Spiro, and said in a deep voice,
"...is what was passed down by your ancestors, and also what you now desire—the [Greed Mask]."
"The Mask of Greed."
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