Chapter 19: Conflict of Faith
2015-05-14
Author: 诸生浮屠
Soren had just stepped inside when another figure followed him in.
However, unlike Soren, who entered through the front door, this figure quietly climbed through a window into one of the side rooms. The room was lavishly furnished, contrasting strangely with the remote town, and there were even some incredibly expensive Eastern porcelain displayed on a shelf in the corner. The floor was covered with soft carpets, and the bedding was made of costly velvet. From any angle, the decor was not something a small noble in a secluded area could afford.
With little arable land and few specialties, Withered Leaf Town relied mainly on rent collected by the lord for taxes.
This amount of money barely maintained a somewhat decent living.
In larger cities, even moderately wealthy merchants could live more comfortably than this noble.
But now, judging by the decor in this house, it was at least at the level of a viscount, signifying a luxury that belonged to a mid-tier noble’s private estate.
This noble background might not be clean!
After exploring the lavish mansion, Soren realized that the identity of the owner might be questionable.
To put it simply.
A normal income couldn’t sustain such a lifestyle; even ordinary bedrooms were decorated to such a level, and the owner’s bedroom could rival that of Gloria in White Horse City.
What status does Gloria have?
She is a member of the Northern Witch Council, the actual ruler of a northern city—adequately, their status differences could not be compared.
Tap, tap, tap.
Soren suddenly halted his steps; in his stealth state, he was completely invisible, so he wasn’t worried about being detected. Just a moment ago, a vampire servant had walked right past him, not sensing Soren standing just a meter away. Unless Soren had an evident smell of bl**d that could be tracked by the vampires, it was virtually impossible for them to notice his presence.
A faint sound came from another room.
Soren cautiously stepped back. He then saw a door to a room with a window on the side being opened, but no figure appeared; the door was just gently opened and then quietly shut.
Wanderer!
There was another high-level wanderer here.
The other party’s stealth ability was comparable to Soren’s; he could not see through the other’s stealth, and the other did not seem to notice Soren either.
If it weren’t for the sudden opening of the door, the two would likely have only detected each other once sufficiently close, relying on perception and experience. But now Soren had already identified the other’s position, gaining the initiative. If he wanted to, he could even end this target in three seconds.
But doing so would expose his own whereabouts.
Filled with curiosity, Soren temporarily restrained his desire to confirm the other’s identity. Instead, he quietly followed at a safe distance, planning to observe what the other was probing.
It’s definitely not a vampire!
Not many would be bored enough to sneak around on their own territory. The other had clearly waited until the vampire servant had left before coming out, indicating he was likely a stealthy individual from another force.
In such a remote little town, besides Fac, Soren couldn’t think of anywhere else a high-level wanderer might come from.
This house was quite large.
The wanderer in front seemed familiar with the place; he had likely secretly come to scout before, as Soren observed him take a winding path to a door and then opened a large door leading to the basement.
Creak.
When the door opened, it clearly made a noise. The wanderer in front also appeared slightly nervous.
After opening the door, he quietly slipped inside and then casually shut the door behind him. Carelessly shutting the door was undoubtedly a bad habit. Soren, feeling helpless, waited a moment before carefully opening that door. The basement walls were lit by torches, and a staircase led deeper below—there seemed to be a dungeon as well, suggesting that this place had been set up quite some time ago.
As Soren entered the basement.
He immediately caught a faint smell of bl**d.
At the corner of the stairs, he saw a slumped corpse. The killing method was clean and efficient—a simple strike that pierced the enemy’s heart, followed by the breaking of the neck.
“A skilled hand!”
Soren glanced at the corpse, his expression growing serious. The vitality of the vampire servant was quite resilient; such a quick one-hit k*ll was definitely not something an ordinary wanderer could achieve. He was either an experienced veteran or a high-level professionist above level 16. Soren could tell from the position of the wound that the assassin was ruthless and efficient.
This guy might have undergone assassin combat training!
Following the passage forward, Soren noticed some eerie murals but had no time to inspect them as he discovered two more bodies ahead.
“Approaching legendary strength!”
Soren glanced at the two corpses lying in the corner, his expression increasingly grave. These two enemies had been killed in one blow without alerting anyone else, simultaneously taking out both opponents. Even with Soren’s current abilities, this wouldn’t be an easy feat; the profession level of the wanderer in front likely exceeded 18.
This meant he was at least a quasi-legendary wanderer!
As Soren delved deeper, his vision gradually opened up to a large secret chamber. The most conspicuous feature was a structure resembling an altar, with a pool of bl**d in the center and several smaller bl**d pools surrounding it. No wonder the vampires hadn’t noticed their companion had been killed; the scent of bl**d here was overwhelming.
The altar of the Vampire Son!
As a dark creature that feeds on the bl**d of the living, Soren naturally didn’t expect to find anything good near their altar.
However, seeing the sizes of these bl**d pools, it seemed the vampires had been entrenched here for a while. Without dozens or hundreds of missing people, these pools could not be filled.
A prayer ceremony was taking place at the altar!
In the center was a black-robed priest, and beside him stood an obviously noble-looking elderly man. Vampires do not age, so his appearance undoubtedly represented that he had been transformed into a vampire after reaching an elderly state. As for the reason for his transformation, there were likely only a few possibilities.
A fervent prayer ceremony.
Soren did not see that initial wanderer, but he could confirm that the other was hiding in some nearby position.
“Bring the offering up!”
After completing the final prayer, the black-robed priest commanded the believers kneeling at the altar.
Soon.
A person was brought to the front of the altar.
He was shackled in chains, and from the back, it seemed he was not an ordinary person. To deal with commoners, the vampires did not need to use shackles forged from fine steel.
This was a professionist!
Soren couldn’t see the individual’s appearance from behind nor could he assess his profession but could only determine that he was a melee professionist.
However.
As this man, now the offering, was brought forth, Soren immediately noticed the shadows nearby twisted slightly.
“Kneel down!”
The black-robed priest coldly commanded, but what responded was a mouthful of thick phlegm and a voice filled with fanaticism. “Fac is the true god! You false gods’ believers won’t last long!”
Bang.
A heavy punch struck, forcibly stifling the man’s words.
Having heard what he said, Soren quickly pieced together the situation. It appeared that Fac and the vampire church had clashed, both trying to claim this area for their own, and it looked like this Fac believer had been captured by the vampires. When the man on the altar was struck hard, Soren caught a glimpse of his face as he turned; the man had only one eye, the other socket empty.
A high-ranking member of the Fac organization!
Only true zealots would gouge out their own eyes, no wonder a high-level wanderer had come to rescue him.
However.
How could a lone wanderer defeat these vampires?
As Soren’s doubts began to arise in his mind, he felt the surrounding area tremble, followed by a loud crashing sound from above.
………………
(PS: That’s all for today.) (To be continued ~^~)
