149 Shadow World: The Secret Tale of the Holy Ritual’s Decline
The morning air was slightly chilly, with a grey-blue sky still studded by a few sparse stars.
The Beautiful Soul Squad was walking through the campus with Teacher Cat.
Winter mornings were particularly cold.
It was also vacation time.
There were hardly any students around, only a few maintenance staff could be seen.
No one would usually wake up this early during vacation.
But Dekan had received information earlier—
Unscrupulous merchant Morion would regularly enter the Shadow World at seven o’clock on the first day of every even-numbered month, mocking the Rebirth Church.
So today, on February 1st, the Beautiful Soul Squad wanted to enter the Void Gate at seven and attempt to be matched into the same Shadow World as Morion.
The sky wasn’t fully lit yet when the trio and the cat headed towards the colossal structure containing the entrance to the Shadow World.
Although Chloix still couldn’t team up with Dekan and Cornelia, he had gotten used to acting alongside the squad during significant events.
Once Dekan and the others entered the Shadow World, Chloix would watch from the observation room.
“Once this match is over, I should reach the fourth rank, and next time we’ll be able to team up.”
Dekan chuckled helplessly.
“Alright, good luck you guys!”
“Ah, let’s hope we encounter Morion this time.”
Dekan sighed.
Connecting with the missionary was one of their primary goals in this Shadow World.
But these matters rely on luck.
There was no guarantee they’d meet Morion.
“Morion?”
Chloix frowned.
Dekan suddenly realized they hadn’t told Chloix about Morion.
After gathering intelligence about Morion, Dekan had hurriedly gone to Tristin City.
Afterward, there was a great battle and a leisurely journey, and when Dekan and Cornelia returned, they turned into conjoined twins for their final exam revision, never having a chance to casually chat with Chloix about the details of this Shadow World trip.
“I forgot to tell you, one of our main goals this time is to run into this guy called Morion… Wait, from the look on your face, do you actually know Morion Hannover?”
Dekan was surprised to see the usually good-natured Chloix clench his teeth at the mention of Morion.
Just like how Dekan had reacted upon first hearing the name!
“That guy! He once invited me to visit his fiefdom and then, out of sympathy, wanted to save an elf, and I helped him heal the elf…”
Chloix said agitatedly, as if recalling someone who owed him money and skipped town.
“Then he went and caused such a great disturbance! And because of my involvement in some way, I was grounded for a week by my father…”
“Uh.”
Dekan and Cornelia exchanged looks.
They recalled the story of the internal unrest in Morion’s fiefdom, where Morion had indeed found a miraculous healer to cure a critically ill elf as part of a series of profitable maneuvers.
They realized Morion had roped Chloix into the affair!
Though Chloix’s actions in the event were commendable acts of charity.
Given the overall consequence, Chloix was an unwitting accomplice, playing a key role in Morion’s provocation of the rebellion.
Fortunately, Chloix was unaware, so the punishment he received was only symbolic.
“How do you know Morion? He’s been missing for a long time.”
Chloix asked curiously.
Both being the children of noble families, and around the same age, they had been in contact from an early age.
Chloix was unaware of when Morion had gotten on Dekan’s bad side.
“Hmph, that ruthless merchant once talked me into selling him a batch of Bandit Goblins for 100 coins each with sweet talk.”
Dekan couldn’t help but feel both anger and amusement recalling the incident.
“Did you guys invite him to join you?”
“Um, yes, but if you’re not okay with it, it’s fine.”
To Dekan, compared to Morion, Chloix was the more important, trustworthy companion.
“No, I don’t mind. Just make sure to be cautious with him, and don’t hesitate when it’s time to turn the tables on him!”
“Understood.”
Dekan and Cornelia both nodded.
They felt that if necessary, they could use rougher tactics to capture Morion.
Since Morion had betrayed both Dekan and Chloix, from the moment the confrontation began, they were already on the moral high ground!
“Meow~”
Teacher Cat lazily yawned in Cornelia’s arms.
“How much longer, nya?”
It was half-asleep, unwilling to wake up so early if it weren’t for the early travel.
“Almost there, we’ll wake you when we arrive.”
Dekan glanced at the time.
They needed to precisely enter the Void Gate at exactly 7:00 AM to increase the chance of encountering Morion.
Cornelia patted Teacher Cat gently, eliciting a content purr.
…
Right on time, at 7:00 AM, the duo and their cat entered the Void Gate together.
Then came the familiar darkness and silence.
Unlike before, the vision quickly became clear and bright, indicating they had directly entered the Shadow World.
Normally, even if the Shadow World matching was fast, it would still take a few seconds.
But this time, the matching seemed to be completed the moment they stepped into the Void Gate.
As suspected, numerous Rebirth Church members were likely trying to encounter Morion.
Dekan even suspected that even if they didn’t meet Morion this time, most of the other challengers would be members of the Rebirth Church.
It was akin to a terrible fast train.
[Shadow World: The Secret Tale of the Holy Ritual’s Decline]
[Rank: Six]
[Number of Challengers: 13]
[Everything happens in the southern border of the Holy Country. Here, not only is it the southernmost part of the Holy Country, but it is also called the end of the world. In this nation, the Holy Ritual Church is revered by most citizens, yet opposing voices and doubts exist. A storm is brewing in this city-state and its neighboring towns, already nearing the critical point.]
[Task Objective 1: Survive for 10 days.]
[Task Objectives 2 and 3 are hidden and only unlock after challengers explore and exchange information.]
[Note: Indiscriminately harming or seriously damaging the goodwill of the locals in the Shadow World may result in task failure and trigger unimaginable consequences.]
[Remaining Time: 9 days 23 hours 59 minutes.]
[Since the map is large this time with an open world, each challenger’s start location may differ based on their given identities.]
