Chapter 696: Hint
In the darkness of Night in Mont, atop a clock tower, a man resembling a zombie puppet by the name of Nei stood in the cool evening breeze, facing the young general, the supreme ruler of Adus. According to the information they had previously arranged through the “Navigation of the Literary Sea,” they had come here tonight to meet in secret and exchange intelligence.
“In my many years of experience in treasure theft, I have indeed come across some information regarding Heoperis, and I can share that with you. But before I do, I want to clarify a few things: how much do you know about Heoperis? What is your purpose for wanting to go there?”
Looking at Nei, Shadi spoke with a solemn expression. After hearing his words, Nei quickly replied.
“What I can tell you is that Heoperis is an important ruin of the First Dynasty. It was once known as the Land of Divine Revelation, a crucial area for the worship of the Great Saint Judge of Heaven. We have been guided to return there, and this return to Heoperis is a test for us, thus requiring more intelligence for analysis.”
Nei conveyed this to Shadi, and after hearing his words, Shadi went into deep thought before speaking earnestly.
“The Land of Divine Revelation, is it? It seems you wish to pursue that ancient power further…” Shadi remarked, then turned his gaze to Nei and shifted the topic as he continued.
“I remember a rumor about Heoperis that I heard from an elder when I served in the former Treasure Theft Society. He said Heoperis is a mysterious and grand ancient city, not belonging to any of the Pharaohs’ realms of the First Dynasty, directly governed by the priesthood of the Judge of Heaven, under the highest priest known as the ‘Divine Mandate Sage.’ For thousands of years, many treasure theft societies and various extraordinary organizations have sought it, wishing to uncover its secrets, but all have ended in failure, unable to find even a shadow…”
With his hands clasped behind his back, Shadi seemed to reminisce as he spoke, then turned his head to gaze out the window at the bright moonlight before continuing.
“The legends of Heoperis have circulated among countless treasure theft societies, and many have sought it, but not even a general location has been confirmed by anyone. Thus, many now tend to believe that Heoperis is merely a legend, completely non-existent in reality. My elder once told me this:
‘Heoperis does not exist in this world; it only exists in history.’”
As Shadi recalled this, he once again turned his gaze to Nei, whose brow was slightly furrowed as he spoke.
“Heoperis only exists in history? What does this elder’s words mean? Is it a hint? Or just a lament?”
“I’m not sure. For Heoperis, he only told me this much. I’ve shared it all with you, and how you interpret it is up to you,” Shadi said, waving his hand lightly. Hearing this, Nei silently nodded before speaking again.
“Alright… We will look into it ourselves. Thank you, General, for sharing this information. I hope it will be of use.”
Nei expressed his gratitude, prompting Shadi to add more.
“Although I don’t know where you got the news that Heoperis is located in Busairite, if you really want to track down the First Dynasty’s traces, I recommend going to Bastis. It is the capital of several short-lived dynasties in Busairite’s history and should be the most stable location amidst the chaos of Busairite, allowing for the most intelligence to be gathered.
“However, if you’re entering Busairite alongside that church delegation, you will inevitably end up there. After all, it’s also the most populous settlement in Busairite, and fits the needs of that nun who ‘provides relief to the world.’
“That said, I’m quite curious to ask: what exactly is the relationship between you all and that nun, Vania? She seems to be very closely associated with you. Whether during the last time in Adis or this time here, your actions have been aligned, suggesting your connections are likely not as simple as your people previously claimed.
“Vania holds a high position within the church, backed by the full support of the Savior Faction. To influence her, you must have put in a fair amount of effort. Are you… plotting something against the church?”
With a serious expression, Shadi questioned the man before him. As the current ruler of Adus, he had to be vigilant about diplomatic relations with the church. At this moment, the mysterious Judge of Heaven Church had staged the Thunder Judgement Coup to consolidate its control over Adus, raising suspicions that they might target the church with some scheme. This made Shadi recall the time when the Savior Faction, labeled as heretics, attempted to kidnap Adus to defy the church; he worried that the Judge of Heaven Church would behave similarly.
“General, you are overthinking this…” Looking at Shadi’s serious expression, Nei couldn’t help but smile lightly before continuing his response.
“We currently have no intentions towards the church. The church is not our target. Are you implying that you think Vania is our ‘corrupted’ target?” Nei asked. Hearing this, Shadi paused slightly before immediately replying.
“What else could it be? If Vania hasn’t been ‘corrupted’ by you, why would she risk going against church doctrine to associate so closely with you?”
“Ha, General, have you ever considered the possibility that Vania being so close to us doesn’t necessarily mean she is hiding it from her superiors…” With a hint of a meaningful smile, Nei said to Shadi. Hearing this, Shadi stood frozen momentarily, as if realizing something, before incredulously asking.
“Are you suggesting… that the church has a cooperative relationship with you? The Radiant Church cooperating with heretics?”
“Not entirely; at least… with one of the factions, I suppose. General, I can give you a slight reminder: today’s church is nothing like it used to be. Those cardinals are more interested in consolidating power than spreading the truths of the Three Saints… As long as they can gain more power, former taboos are now mere bargaining chips.” With a mysterious smile, Nei spoke to Shadi while moving towards the stairway, seemingly preparing to leave.
“Wait, can you share more about the current state of the church?” Seeing Nei about to depart, Shadi, with an earnest expression, urged him to express more, but Nei showed no intent to stop.
“I have said all I can; I am not authorized to share much. Perhaps next time I can divulge more information… For now, farewell.”
Gesturing with a hand, Nei began to descend the clock tower stairs, the sound of creaking wooden boards fading into the distance until he eventually vanished into the darkness, leaving Shadi standing alone.
“Hey… judging by that puppet’s words, there seems to be a serious power struggle within the church, which might also explain why that young nun dares to communicate with that puppet-like delegation without fearing her superiors discovering it… If her superiors have issues too, then it would all make sense…”
At that moment, the ancient undead named Saitutet spoke in a gloomy tone within Shadi’s mind. Upon hearing Saitutet’s words, Shadi paused briefly before replying in his thoughts.
“The Radiant Church is known for its loyalty to faith, and the corruption of lower-ranking clergy is already quite challenging; high-ranking members of the Radiant Church would be even less likely to easily violate doctrines to cooperate with heretics. It feels like the chances of that are very slim… I just have a feeling that what that guy said is unlikely.”
“Your doubts about that puppet are well-founded, but your assumption that high-ranking ‘Light’ clergy are all loyal to their deities and established doctrines is entirely mistaken… You completely misunderstand these ‘Light’ fanatics,” Saitutet continued in a somber tone, and upon hearing this, Shadi was taken aback, then persisted in his thoughts.
“What do you mean? Are you saying that high-ranking ‘Light’ clergy are not devout enough?”
“It’s not that they lack devotion; rather, they can become overly devout to the point of losing their minds. Let me put it this way: no matter how strictly doctrines and rules are established, these fanatical believers will find their own interpretations and viewpoints in their fervor and become utterly convinced of their correctness. Sometimes these interpretations are bizarre, extremely distorted in comparison to the original doctrines, leading them to commit all sorts of acts during conflicts, including collaborating with heretics, as they always have their rationalizations—often with their own structured logic. In such cases, unless their deity personally descends to intervene and set them straight, they usually persist without turning back.
“Though we cannot be entirely clear about the state of the deities in this era, it is certain that things are not going well; the possibility of high-ranking ‘Light’ fanatics going astray is very plausible.”
Saitutet spoke sternly to Shadi. Listening to Saitutet’s words, Shadi couldn’t help but frown slightly and then spoke again.
“‘Light’ followers… could actually experience such a situation? That is truly hard to believe…” After contemplating quietly, Shadi then shifted his inquiry to Saitutet.
“By the way, I’ve already shared relevant information about Heoperis with Nei, as you instructed. How did his reaction seem to you?”
“From his reaction alone, nothing particularly noteworthy can be discerned. The key lies in whether they can genuinely locate Heoperis based only on that hint.” Saitutet continued to reply, and Shadi pressed on.
“And if they successfully find it in the end? What does that imply?”
“That implies… they have truly inherited the legacy of the divine teacher, signifying the genuine revival and orthodoxy of the ‘Enlightenment’ in this era… I, along with a few other old-timers, will need to formally engage with them…”
Saitutet conveyed this in Shadi’s mind. After hearing Saitutet’s words, Shadi lapsed into brief silence, then clasped his hands behind his back and gazed out at the bright moon in the sky, unable to help but imagine what kind of impact would arise once Saitutet were to make contact with that church.
—
“In the annals of history, Heoperis exists solely within its pages…”
Meanwhile, in Mont, within a high-end hotel, Doro sat in her room, reflecting on the information gleaned from Nei earlier.
“Why do I feel that… Shadi’s words carry profound implications…? Is this something that typical high-ranking members of treasure theft societies would even know?” Stroking her chin, Doro thought deeply. Various ideas swirled in her mind, but due to a lack of clues, she couldn’t delve further.
‘Forget it, let’s not overthink it. Whether this strange intelligence will be useful remains an unknown. For now, everything will have to wait until we reach Busairite…’
Doro finally thought, rising from her seat to wash up and prepare to rest, conserving energy for the journey that was soon to commence.
—
Doro, Neve, and the delegation led by Vania stayed in Mont for a day before once again setting off towards their true destination, Busairite. Since the church delegation’s mission was for relief, they brought along a significant amount of disaster relief supplies, and in addition to the originally allocated escort, they directly hired many locals in Northern Ufeiga for logistics. Doro and Neve blended into the later team under Vania’s cover, traveling alongside the church delegation heading for Busairite.
After departing from Mont, the church delegation first took a train to another city in Adus, Liyaka. From there, the railway extending southwest from Adus reached its terminus, forcing Vania and her group to abandon the train and continue onward using a caravan, soon approaching the borders of Adus.
At the border between Adus and Busairite, the church delegation encountered soldiers from the Adus Revolutionary Army, who were handling the refugee issues related to the border plague. Inside a concentrated reception center for the disease, Doro and Vania finally witnessed the pervasive illness spreading throughout Busairite.
Under the scorching sun, inside the plague reception center at the Adus border, Vania, dressed in a white robe and mask, accompanied by several medical staff from the delegation, stood amidst several simple army beds where thin, weak patients lay, groaning and moaning in distress.
“Nun Vania, we’ve examined most of the patients, and their symptoms are generally pain, fatigue, lethargy, nausea, vomiting, and accelerated loss of nutrition… The symptoms worsen with time, and many infected for over half a month have become bedridden and consequently incapacitated…”
A nun of the Black Earth Tier from the Path of the Holy Mother dutifully reported to Vania. After reflecting briefly on her subordinate’s words, Vania responded.
“What are the mortality rate and the recovery rate? How many people died from this disease in this center, and how many recovered naturally?” Vania inquired. After a brief pause, the subordinate replied.
“Well… strangely, Nun Vania, according to the statistics from this reception center, there has not been a single instance of natural recovery from this plague. Once infected, it seems impossible to recover naturally. The natural recovery rate is zero.
“As for the mortality rate… it’s also mysterious. So far, no one in this reception center has died directly from the plague or its complications; all fatal cases have been due to negligence. After the plague’s progression reached a peak, patients lost their mobility and suffered due to severe shortage of care and resources, ultimately succumbing to malnutrition.
“This sickness seems to be one that cannot heal…but it does not k*ll directly…”
