Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 211: The City Lord's Visit (5k)

"You said that Nelson, the new Lord of Red Maple City, wants to meet me?"

Colen brought such news to Luo Xiu, which surprised him a little.

However, Luo Xiu was actually not unfamiliar with the new "Lord of Nelson".

Because he was the Lord of Red Maple City during the "Judgment War" in his previous life. As players who are Adventers, most of them are familiar with him.

Because most of the players who had been to Red Maple City had directly or indirectly accepted tasks or commissions issued by Lord Nelson. The rewards for these tasks or commissions were usually quite generous, and "Lord Nelson of Red Maple City" was therefore listed as one of the "most popular NPCs" by the players.

Unlike the previous city lord Rodif, City Lord Nelson can be called an "objectively good man."

In his previous life, Nelson strictly followed his duties as the city lord and insisted on fighting on the front line of the war. Although Red Maple City had been breached by the enemy several times, Nelson was always able to quickly and effectively gather forces and organize counterattacks, preventing Red Maple City from falling completely into the control of the enemy.

From the perspective of the Empire, Nelson is definitely a good city lord; and from the front-line troops of the Dark Principality, Nelson is praised as "a very tough opponent".

But in fact, Nelson is not an extraordinary person, he is just an ordinary person.

The reason he could achieve such a feat, besides possessing outstanding talents, was that he was recognized by a large number of players, making them willing to go through fire and water to defend Red Maple City, even at the cost of their precious resurrections. This was the core of Nelson's methods.

"He who can descend can conquer the world", this saying was indeed popular in the "Player Descend" era of the previous life. And Nelson did this, which also made him achieve achievements that ordinary people could not imagine.

"Go tell Lord Nelson, Coren. Tell him I'll be there soon."

Luo Xiu then said to Colen, and then spread his hands to Anthony and Pamier, "We have to end our chat. It seems that a very important guest is coming to visit."

"Go ahead, Luo Xiu." Anthony nodded and said, "Lord Nelson is a nice guy. I hope you can have a pleasant chat."

……

The high priest’s residence, in the reception room on the first floor.

The room that was closed the day before was opened the next day due to the visit of an important guest.

Nelson Hampton, the "Lord of Red Maple City", was sitting in a seat on the right side of the reception room.

He was wearing a light brown robe with a dark red belt around the collar and waist. His outfit was not fancy. His slightly thick eyebrows were sometimes furrowed and sometimes relaxed, as if he had something heavy on his mind.

Behind Lord Nelson were a butler and a maid, who were his personal servants.

Luo Xiu sat in the center seat at the top of the reception room, looked at his guest with a smile, and said:
"Lord Nelson, I am very happy for your visit. The Holy Light will bless you and protect every inch of land under our feet."

"..."

"Thank you for your blessing, Lord Luo Xiu."

Nelson nodded slightly in return. He then continued to say to Luo Xiu:
"I am here this time to express my sincerest gratitude to you on behalf of the people of Red Maple City."

Nelson raised his voice a little, and said excitedly, "You and your colleagues have eradicated the cancer of Red Maple City, Rodif, and this has brought Red Maple City back to life."

"If the actions behind Lodifu had not been exposed and the cultists had infiltrated, I can't imagine what kind of disaster Red Maple City would face."

"Before I was appointed as the Lord of Red Maple City by the 'Great Arbitrator' Randall, I was also an ordinary citizen of Red Maple City. You have made such a great contribution to Red Maple City. Please allow me to pay you my highest respects once again."

"..."

As he spoke, City Lord Nelson stood up and bowed deeply to Luo Xiu, who was sitting at the top seat.

"That is what we should do. It is our duty as the 'Holy Judge.'" Luo Xiu then nodded slightly and responded politely to Nelson, expressing his official return of recognition.

"Then, Lord Nelson."

Luo Xiu changed the subject and asked Lord Nelson, "I think you came to the church specially this time and came to see me not just to express your gratitude to me."

"Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"..."

After Luo Xiu said this, Nelson's smile faded, and a serious expression appeared on his face. He said to Luo Xiu solemnly:
"Yes, yes. Lord Luo Xiu... this cannot be hidden from your eyes."

"In fact, I do have something to ask of you."

After a pause, Nelson continued to say to Luo Xiu: "That was the mess left to me by the previous city lord, that is, Rodif... The pagans of the 'Ancient Hermitage' that you and your companions cleared out before seem to have sneaked in here again."

"And, just two days ago, I received a threatening letter from them. In that letter, the person who signed it as 'Announcer of Death' wrote: 'The Mother Goddess wept for Starro's martyrdom, and we will eventually bring down a vengeful death'..."

"I don't know who the 'Announcer of Death' is, but when I opened the threatening letter, I suddenly felt a strong headache and fainted on the spot."

"Then, when I woke up, I found myself being carried by servants to the room of Lord High Inquisitor Baines."

"Lord Baines examined my body and told me that I was cursed with death... and the caster of that curse did not use a simple, quick, but easily purified death curse, but a deeper, longer latent, but more difficult to purify 'death curse'."

"As the Supreme Inquisitor, Lord Baines was powerless to do anything about this, but he also pointed out a way for me. He told me to come to the 'Glorious Church' to find you, saying that you might be able to remove the curse from me."

Having said this, Nelson did not say anything more. He just looked at Luo Xiu with hope, hoping to be rescued from this "high priest".

While Nelson was recounting these experiences, Luo Xiu was secretly "detecting" him.

Nelson Hampton was indeed cursed with "delayed death", and the effect of the curse was "moderate". There were still about two and a half days before the onset of the curse, that is, the time when "instant death" would take effect.

Apart from feeling a headache when he was first cursed, City Lord Nelson had no other obvious symptoms, which showed that the caster's curse was quite sophisticated. He had at least a triple destiny, and it was very likely that he had a "quadruple destiny" at the same level as Luo Xiu.

Is that the "death curser" or "necromancer" of the [Lost] destiny? Luo Xiu couldn't help but guess these, and other doubts emerged in his mind at the same time.

If it was a Lost Extraordinary above the third level, if they really wanted to kill an ordinary person like Nelson, they wouldn't have to resort to such troublesome means. Their purpose was also to test the reactions and bottom lines of the Glorious Clergy and the Supreme, hoping to get more information about the "enemy".

And the "Great Inquisitor" Baines mentioned by Nelson actually said that he was "powerless" to remove the curse suffered by City Lord Nelson? This is not in line with common sense... Because every "Great Inquisitor" is at least a [Supreme] fourth-fold destiny, and those who have reached this destiny must have more than one item or scroll with a powerful "purification" function in their hands.

The background of the [Supreme] in the Nolan Empire is quite rich...but the "Great Inquisitor" Baines may not want to use the purification treasure on Nelson, and he also does not want to expose his existing means and trump cards because of such a simple test from the [Lost] Superman.

Or, this could be a test or temptation from Lord Baines to the newly appointed 'High Priest'... Luo Xiu thought to himself, and he said to Nelson at the same time:

"You are indeed cursed with death, Lord Nelson. But don't panic, I can help you remove it."

After saying that, Luo Xiu raised his hand, and a small golden ball surrounded by pure glow appeared in his palm.

That was a ball of light that carried the spirituality of the sacred art "Pure Glow". The power of purification was constantly condensing and swirling within it. Nelson watched the changes in the ball of light in Luo Xiu's palm, and the expectation in his eyes grew stronger.

The next moment, the ball of light spread out in all directions, and the light golden stream lingered on the beams of the living room. The entire living room was immediately enveloped by the pure power of "purification", cleansing all the unclean and filthy spirituality. Nelson was at the center of the "pure glow" area, and while being caressed and wrapped by the light of white and light golden, he felt an unprecedented comfort in his whole body and mind.

At the same time, Nelson saw that strands of black threads were being separated from his body like peeling off a cocoon. Those were the "cursed" spirit that he had suffered. The black spiritual threads were also quickly annihilated in the field of pure glow.

Two minutes later, Luo Xiu retracted the "Pure Glow" domain, smiled at City Lord Nelson, and said, "Are you feeling better?"

"..."

"Thank you for cleansing me of the curse, Master Luo Xiu."

Nelson came back to his senses from his previous comfortable state and replied respectfully, "I feel much better...even the fatigue from long-term work has disappeared..."

"It's just..." There was a hint of doubt in Nelson's voice, "Has the curse I suffered...really been removed?"

"Yes." Luo Xiu nodded and said to Nelson, "Those fine black threads you saw before were the filthy spirits that cursed you. Now, they have disappeared from your body."

"..."

"Huh..." Nelson finally breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good... That's good..."

"Thank you again, Lord Luo Xiu, you saved my life."

After confirming that the death curse on him had disappeared, Nelson finally showed a truly respectful and pious expression on his face. He thanked Luo Xiu from the bottom of his heart: "If I hadn't come here, I might have died in the mansion tomorrow without knowing it... Ah, praise the glory! Lord Luo Xiu, thank you for letting me avoid such an ending!"

"..."

"After we return, I hope you can tell the 'Grand Inquisitor' Baines the truth about the process of purifying the curse. I think this will give that lord a good impression of our church."

Luo Xiu did not indulge in praise, but smiled and said to Nelson, "Also, the threatening letter from the 'Death Sentencer' you mentioned earlier, I hope you can give it to me for safekeeping. Such a dangerous thing should be sealed at the bottom of the church."

"Okay, I will do as you said and tell Lord Baines about the divine grace you displayed when you cleansed the curse for me."

Nelson nodded repeatedly, then turned back and told his butler, "Remember, Hans. When you return to the mansion, bring the letter out immediately and deliver it to Master Luo Xiu in the church."

"Yes." The butler called "Hans" nodded slightly to indicate that he had received the order.

"...Then, Master Luo Xiu."

Nelson then stood up, bowed deeply to Luo Xiu again, and said, "Please allow me to thank you again, Lord Luo Xiu. When I return, I will ask the butler to deliver the letter you asked for, and donate 5,000 gold coins to the church as a sacrament to thank you for your help."

After saying that, Nelson stretched out his hand and made a gesture as if he wanted to shake hands with Luo Xiu.

"..."

“Well, on behalf of the church, I thank you for your generosity.”

Luo Xiu also stood up, shook hands with Nelson tightly, and then watched him leave the reception room.

……

After Nelson left, Luo Xiu began to think about other things.

Lord Nelson's sudden visit and request for him to help lift the curse was an unexpected but surprising development for Luo Xiu.

The key is not to remove the curse from Nelson, but the opportunity that triggered this incident - this is the second day after Luo Xiu took office as the "High Priest". He has been able to prove to other priests that he has enough extraordinary attainments and the strength to be worthy of his priesthood.

As for the [Supreme], since he purified Nelson of the death curse, the "Great Inquisitor" Baines owed him a favor. When he needs to discuss cooperation with the [Supreme] in the future, he will have an extra useful bargaining chip.

As for the last part, Nelson said he would donate 5,000 gold coins, which was an extra bonus. This number was not big for Luo Xiu, but it was very important for the newly established wartime church. It could make the somewhat tight finances more abundant, so that the subsequent development plans could be carried out more calmly.

"..." While thinking, Luo Xiu had already left the reception room, the high priest's residence, and went to other sanctuaries for a routine "inspection".

After a round of inspection, he finally waited for Nelson's butler to arrive and deliver the threatening letter from the "Death Sender" to the church.

Most of the filthy spirituality in the letter has dissipated, and the little spirituality that remains only emits a faint ominous smell. However, it is not enough to cause too much adverse impact on ordinary people if they just open the letter and read it.

Luo Xiu then took the letter and returned to his high priest's residence to open and examine it.

The contents of the letter were exactly as Nelson had described, full of esoteric vocabulary and threatening words. The words "death" and "revenge" appeared quite frequently, appearing once in every ten words.

At the end of the letter, next to the twisted signature "Announcer of Death" there was a half-skull pattern, and a faint dark light seemed to be visible in the "skull".

That was the carrier that "carried" and "triggered" the curse, a kind of "imprint". However, now most of the curse spirit in it had been released, and what remained here was only an empty shell imprint that only had defensive analysis and could resist ordinary purification effects.

Luo Xiu then pressed his thumb on the "skull" pattern and poured a large amount of [Glorious] spirituality into it. The edge outline of the "skull" then emitted a faint gray light. At the same time, the letter began to vibrate rapidly.

——Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Along with this, there were bursts of sharp hisses coming from the "skeleton", like the thirsty howls before death.

Amidst these sharp hissing sounds, the "skull" pattern gradually became dim and eventually disappeared completely from the letter paper.

The vibration of the letter paper stopped, and the ominous aura emanating from it completely disappeared, and it turned back into an ordinary page.

But in this way, Luo Xiu has learned the name of the "Lost" extraordinary person who cursed Lord Nelson.

[8 points of damage from Green Bruiser's attack...]

Luo Xiu's panel refreshed with the following content at the same time.

That was the damage data caused by the residual spiritual backlash of the caster after forcibly "erasing" the skull mark on the letter paper!

In this way, Luo Xiu can lock onto some of the enemy's intelligence.

“Grein… that’s not any of the Lost Fifth Fate Saints I know… he should be the Fourth Fate, and is hiding in a secret base in Red Maple City.”

Luo Xiu made such a guess in his mind, so he took the threatening letter and went to the "Holy Inquisition" to discuss the follow-up plan with Anthony, Pamier and others.

In a short time, Luo Xiu had identified three "Lost" believer strongholds located in Red Maple City in his previous life's memories.

There are "spell casters" or "necromancers" with three or more destiny in charge there. Even if it is not Grion himself who cast the curse on the city lord, some relevant clues can be obtained from them.

And this is also the beginning of the Red Maple City Wartime Church's proactive attack... Luo Xiu thought.

These "Lost" pagans hiding in the city have not yet realized that the real disaster has quietly arrived.

……

(End of this chapter)