Wandering Tech-Priest in Multiverse
chapter 53 Liliruca playing with teleporter

Chapter 53 Liliruca playing with a teleporter

The night air drifted through the narrow streets of Orario's lower tiers, carrying the scent of alcohol and food. Streetlamps buzzed softly above shuttered shops and scaffolded buildings, casting long shadows between crates and rusting tools. This was the industrial edge of the city—cleaner than the slums, quieter than the Guild wards, and far enough from the main patrol routes to be useful.

Liliruca knelt atop the steel awning of a repair shop, her silhouette hidden against the scaffolded skyline. Below, carts of salvaged ore sat untouched, their owners long gone for the night.

Her hands were firm on the sniper construct—sleek, modular, built for silence. The power cell purred beneath her arm, feeding a soft blue glow through the scope's rune-lined lens.

Down the alley, two men emerged from a maintenance door behind a warehouse. One of them glanced over his shoulder, checking for tails.

Their voices were barely audible.

"Boss, can't you give me more wine?"

A breath. A pause. One heartbeat.

A flash.

No sound—just the sudden collapse of one body and the immediate silence of the other. Panic. Then flight. Liliruca's eye didn't blink. She adjusted the angle, compensated for the fleeing target's turn, and gently squeezed the trigger again.

The second man fell.

She rose. No words. No satisfaction. Just a soft click as she triggered the teleport crystal at her belt.

Light folded. The alley emptied.

The scent of ozone returned first—then the sound of static and the soft grind of the Crimson Church's teleportation platform resetting.

Liliruca stepped off calmly, her boots clicking against the cold steel.

The laboratory had shifted since morning. Arc lamps flickered from gantry rails, casting long shadows across half-forged weapons and dormant servitors.

Tsubaki was already there—arms crossed, mouth drawn into a grimace.

"Didn't we send you to just do a simple test?" she said flatly.

Luthar stood at the console, not looking at her. A servo-skull floated above him, bearing tools and readouts. He made no move to react. The glowing edge of a schematic hovered beside him, waiting to resume.

Liliruca only shrugged, as if what she'd done was no different from stretching her legs. After all, nobody was going to miss the new captain of the Soma Familia.

 Before the silence could stretch further, a low chime echoed from the outer corridors of the Crimson Church—not the sharp pulse of a teleportation cycle, but the heavy grind of doors shifting to open.

Boots rang crisply on metal a moment later—measured, unhurried.

The side entrance opened with a hiss of pneumatics and old air. Freya stepped inside with the grace of a queen surveying her lands. Her silks whispered with each step, the hem just barely brushing against soot-stained tiles.

She'd arrived the old way—by foot, through the maintenance access points. No divine Starfire. No golden fanfare.

Just audacity.

Tsubaki's eyes narrowed. "Why are you here?"

Freya smiled, golden eyes amused. "Of course—to watch the show."

Her gaze drifted immediately to Liliruca, noting the finest smear of blood across her collar, then to Luthar—who hadn't turned but had definitely stopped working.

"I see the little prodigy is conducting field executions now," she said, her voice soft and dangerously sweet. "And no invitation for me to witness your miracle gate? You wound me, Luthar."

Luthar straightened slowly, gaze still fixed on the schematic. "I didn't think you'd care for prototypes. Especially ones still buried in calibration data."

Freya stepped further in, hands clasped loosely before her. "Oh, but I care deeply. Especially when that prototype is murdering Soma's newest captain in a dim alley. That sort of incident tends to draw attention... and questions."

"It was a test," Tsubaki cut in. "We sent her to check long-distance teleportation. That the fool got his head popped was a bonus."

Freya tilted her head. "An unintended kill? Or just a convenient one?"

Luthar finally turned, his voice even. "She made the call. If you want to lecture her, you can do it after she completes the field-testing."

A pause. Then Freya smiled—slow and calculated. "If you speak like this, she might backstab you one day."

Liliruca raised a brow. This was clearly a murder. She knew the type of personality Luthar had. She remembered there was a type of bomb you could implant in a person. Now she had to wonder if she might receive one, so she decided to change the tone of the conversation.

"Goddess Freya," Liliruca said, raising her voice. "If someone is going to betray Master Luthar, it would be you—as you always keep thinking about the white rabbit."

Freya got confused. When did her obsession become public knowledge? After a second, she thought—is this the reason Luthar always keeps his distance? Because he knows about Bell?

Freya gave a slight shrug. "I'm just training him. My feelings for Bell are quite pure."

Liliruca shifted slightly but said nothing. After all, who doesn't know about Freya's pure feelings?

Freya, not wanting her time wasted on meaningless arguments, let her gaze pass over Liliruca and linger on Luthar.

"Luthar, it's time you start inviting me before doing something interesting," she continued with her sweet yet firm voice. "It's time you prepared an extra room for me in this Church, so I can keep an eye on you."

She began to slowly circle the platform, trailing her fingers lightly along the railings. Her gaze absorbed everything.

Tsubaki snorted. "A room? This isn't some luxurious palace."

Freya turned slightly, her expression unchanged. "Then I'll be sure to make it into a palace."

Luthar didn't look at her. "You'll need to bring more than bedding," he said, eyes fixed on the schematics. "Did you already get tired of watching Bell, so you came here to bother me?"

Freya, barely maintaining her smile, said, "Oh? Did you get jealous because I'm interested in Bell?" She paused for a second, then continued, "One has a bright soul. The other has an interesting soul. And both of them are under the same roof—so I have to protect my investments."

Tsubaki leaned forward. "I don't remember any of your investments."

"It's a drop of my blood," Freya replied smoothly. "And the chance to observe... without these troublesome clothes."

Luthar finally turned to face her fully, his eyes sharper inside the mask. He didn't want Tsubaki to treat him as a womanizer—which he might be—but it wasn't the right time to expose that.

"I don't remember my scans requiring the removal of clothes," he said quietly. "And for your cooperation in my research, I've only allowed you to watch from the sidelines."

Freya's eyes gleamed. "Can't you say something nice?"

Hearing Freya's complaint, Luthar began to wonder if he had chosen the wrong god for his research.

After a beat, Luthar sighed. "Then stay. But you might have to share the room with someone."

Freya's smile returned. "Don't tell me such a big place doesn't have a few extra rooms."

Tsubaki smirked. "Sorry to disappoint you, but we only have six rooms—so you'll have to find someone to share with."

Freya did not mind the idea of sharing, and quickly thought of the best room for her. "Well, I should go and pick my room."

She turned, making her way toward the unused eastern hallway—where the old dormitories had yet to be gutted.

The air shifted slightly behind her as she disappeared into shadow.

Luthar muttered, mostly to himself, "Why did I think this was a good idea?"

Tsubaki smirked. "Because somewhere in that broken, genius brain of yours... you like the chaos."

Liliruca finally spoke, her voice a quiet anchor. "Do we proceed?"

Luthar nodded. "We begin the final sequence. If everything goes right, we can start the new project."

( /Silvervir?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator)