Entering the City Lord's Mansion.
Everyone arrived in an open space, which was clearly another plaza.
Directly ahead stood a statue over ten meters high, carved in the likeness of a woman – dignified, sacred, like a heavenly mother.
It was incredibly lifelike!
Even as a mere statue, one could feel its sanctity and peace, along with a trace of pressure.
The crowd was instantly captivated by the statue. However, soon someone noticed a person kneeling beneath it.
"Huh? There's someone else here, when did she get in?" someone exclaimed in disbelief.
Everyone was also somewhat surprised. The City Lord's Mansion had only just opened, and by all accounts, they should have been the first to enter.
Yet, who was this woman kneeling beneath the statue?
Ye Cangtian looked over and was also quite surprised.
The High Priestess?
Why was she here?
Ye Cangtian knew she had entered the ruins, but he hadn't seen her or heard any news of her whereabouts during the past few days in the ruins.
To think he would encounter her here.
And judging by her posture of kneeling beneath the statue, it seemed the High Priestess had been here for quite some time.
Archbishop Hassal of the Church of Light furrowed his brow slightly.
Qing Dao also looked displeased. To think someone had entered the City Lord's Mansion ahead of them, he wondered if the treasures were still there.
He snorted and asked, "Who will go ask about the situation?"
One of his subordinates, Xuan Shi-yi, stepped forward to go, but Ye Cangtian beat him to it, speaking up directly, "Lord Qing Dao, why don't you let me handle it? I'm quite skilled in negotiation!"
Qing Dao paused, then smiled and nodded, "Alright, it'll be you!"
Originally, it would have been better to assign such a task to one of his deacons, but this Xuan Qi seemed to have a good way with words, and had also been instrumental in their plan against the Stone Men, so he felt confident.
Ye Cangtian breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless, the High Priestess was from the Saudi royal family and an ally of the Dragon Group.
Although he was wearing a mask now, and the High Priestess wouldn't recognize him.
Soon, he arrived before the High Priestess and proactively asked, "High Priestess, why are you here?"
The High Priestess opened her eyes, bowed her head reverently towards the statue, then rose and replied indifferently, "I received divine guidance and appeared directly beside the god. What business is it of yours?"
In other words, she had appeared here directly upon entering the ruins?
Ye Cangtian was somewhat astonished, and others who heard this answer were also greatly surprised.
After all, the place of appearance upon entering the ruins was random.
Some lucky individuals would appear directly in the city's residential areas, some outside the city, and some even in distant wildernesses.
Ye Cangtian himself had taken a full two days to reach the city.
It had to be said, this High Priestess was truly fortunate, appearing within the City Lord's Mansion immediately upon entering the ruins.
Seeing that others had many more questions, Ye Cangtian inquired again, "High Priestess, who is the owner of this statue? Is it perhaps the owner of this City Lord's Mansion?"
However, the High Priestess paid him no mind, continuing her devout worship, murmuring words.
"Great Goddess Allah, I am your most loyal follower, I pray you bless world peace and reduce the suffering of mortals..."
Seeing that the other party completely ignored him, even Ye Cangtian felt a bit awkward and returned to Qing Dao's side.
"Lord Qing Dao, it seems this statue is indeed the owner of the City Lord's Mansion, and her name appears to be Goddess Allah?"
"Goddess Allah?" Qing Dao frowned. He had not heard of her.
However, Archbishop Hassal, who was not far away, seemed to know and explained, "Goddess Allah is likely that figure from ancient legends. It is said that she was sacred and noble, pitying humans who suffered from hardship and the pains of war, and thus used her magic to protect many of her people."
This was supposed to be a figure from myths and legends, yet her appearance on a statue within the ruins surprised everyone present.
However, many scoffed, including Qing Dao.
He looked at the statue with a cold smile and said calmly, "Whether she's a true god or not, since this is a ruin, she ceased to exist long ago. What is there to fear?"
The heavily injured Xuan Shi then spoke, "Sir, this High Priestess came so much earlier than us. She must have plundered a great many treasures from the City Lord's Mansion."
Ye Cangtian coughed and couldn't help but shake his head with a laugh, "Brother Xuan Shi, it's clear from a glance that the High Priestess has nothing on her, and she is a follower of that Goddess Allah, unlike us invaders..."
Xuan Shi, who already disliked him, snorted upon hearing this, "Then kill her. If she is truly a follower of Goddess Allah, keeping her is a threat. Perhaps when we go treasure hunting, she'll cause trouble."
Damn it, you talk too much!
Injured as he was, he kept yapping. I'll take care of you sooner or later!
Ye Cangtian muttered this internally with dissatisfaction, but his face showed an indifferent expression.
It seemed Xuan Shi's words had also made Qing Dao a little worried. He frowned slightly, hesitating, "Then perhaps... we should kill her?"
"Lord Qing Dao, I believe this is absolutely not permissible!"
Ye Cangtian quickly explained, "Since this High Priestess might be a follower of that Goddess Allah, if we kill her before this statue, and should we anger Goddess Allah, even though she may have died many years ago, there are many mysterious things that no one can explain clearly."
Upon hearing this, many people frowned.
Although most of them were atheists, there were too many unexplainable things, such as the ruins, or those stone figures!
Ye Cangtian continued, "Moreover, Lord, don't forget, she is the High Priestess. Not only does she hold a high position in the Saudi royal family, but she also has considerable influence in many surrounding countries."
If the High Priestess were truly killed, even if no one could stop them from leaving, it would anger many people.
After hearing this, Qing Dao took a deep breath and nodded, "Xuan Qi speaks wisely. Killing her is of no use, so let's ignore her..."
Since even Lord Qing Dao said so, Xuan Shi dared not say more, and obediently shut his mouth, only looking at Ye Cangtian with a displeased gaze.
Ye Cangtian pretended not to see it, "Annoyed? Bite me!"
Soon, Qing Dao waved his hand and led everyone towards the back of the statue, with the people from the Church of Light following close behind.
Behind the statue was a magnificent grand hall, and beyond that, there were buildings on both sides and in the back.
The entire City Lord's Mansion was quite vast!
There were definitely many treasures within these buildings.
Everyone's eyes almost gleamed with gold, and their pace quickened considerably.
Only after the people from the Dark Association and the Church of Light had left did people begin to enter one after another.
The Pandora Mercenary Group, a group from the Dragon Group, and other remaining small factions.
Upon arriving here, many small factions immediately cheered. Although they couldn't compete with the two major powers, the City Lord's Mansion had so many buildings that it was enough for them to get rich.
In an instant, the City Lord's Mansion, which had been silent for an unknown number of years, became lively.