Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 296 Clues to "Grit"
——The "gravel" dwarf tribe!

When Luo Xiu heard Rocklan say this name, his heart was shocked.

He clearly remembered that the commission given by the dwarf Mil at that time - [Hidden Mission: Disappearing Gravel], was to find the whereabouts of a dwarf tribe called "Gravel"!
That's no ordinary hidden mission.

According to Luo Xiu's memories of his previous life, if he wants to obtain the two "Ancient Dragon Secret Treasures" hidden by Mir and awaken Quesanx's consciousness in the upcoming "Ancient Dragon Quesanx Disaster", he must complete the series of tasks related to the "Gravel" clan.

Until today, we finally found a clue to the beginning of this series of tasks!
Luo Xiu couldn't help but feel excited, but he kept a calm expression on his face so as not to let Hubert and Rockland notice anything unusual.

Before today, although Luo Xiu had asked the apostles of the Holy Abyss to search through various channels, they did not get any useful results. Unexpectedly...

I didn't expect Rockland to bring me such important news!
Although the authenticity of this news is not yet certain, it is indeed the closest clue to the truth at present.

Luo Xiu had not originally planned to get too involved in destroying the "Black Crystal Factory", but now he had no choice but to intervene...

"Hmm... maybe it's a group of dwarves called 'Gravel'." Luo Xiu said calmly:

"In that case, we should destroy this factory without delay. However, I have some other ideas."

"You say, Luo Xiu." Huberte nodded and made a listening expression.

In Hubert's opinion, the unstable factor like the "Black Crystal Factory" must be dealt with as soon as possible. However, Hubert also needs to fully respect the opinion of Luo Xiu, who is already a "bishop" and an important discoverer of this information.

Luo Xiu glanced at Rockland, who understood, stood up, and temporarily walked out of the "Bishops' Room".

After Rockland left the seat temporarily, Luo Xiu dispersed his spiritual power and let it surge around him and Hubert to prevent the sound from spreading.

Afterwards, Luo Xiu whispered to Hubert:
"Since we already know that the 'Hidden Elder' Baberon may return to the factory to replenish the puppets he lost in the war...then we can wait for a while."

"When Baberon returns to the factory, we will take down the factory and him in one fell swoop. This will solve more threats once and for all and buy more time to prepare."

Originally, Luo Xiu thought that it didn't matter when to destroy the "Black Crystal Factory". After all, he had never heard of any underground factory causing unrest outside Songyuan City in his previous life. So there wouldn't be much difference in terms of safety whether to destroy it early or late.

He was concerned about the trapped "Sand" dwarves, but this was actually irrelevant to Hubert and Songyuan City. To attract their attention, only by introducing a high-ranking combat force like the "Hidden Elder" Baberon could they objectively influence their decision-making choices.

After saying these two sentences, Luo Xiu observed Hubert's reaction.

Hubert nodded, an expression of deep thought appearing on his face.

After a while, Hubert said:

"You're right, Luo Xiu. When Baberon returns to the factory, we can indeed expand our victory."

"However, if Baberon and the other two 'Hidden Elders' are in the factory, plus the various 'natural disasters', 'mad evil' puppets, and those 'forbidden experimental subjects' in the factory... it would be difficult to completely wipe them out if the archbishop, the sage of the academy, and the marquis did not go out personally."

"Baberon is already at the end of his rope, Master Hubert." Luo Xiu responded to Hubert's concerns and said:

"He has lost two of his three 'Scourge' puppets, and most of the remaining 'Madness' puppets are also damaged and can't play a big role. As long as we destroy him before he returns to the Black Crystal Factory and replenishes these puppets, he will no longer be a threat."

"The only thing we need to pay attention to is Baberon's whereabouts. He is still with the Executioner Koros. It will probably take some time for them to deal with the dispute over their respective interests."

"And there are also spies planted by the Border in the Dark Army. We can easily know whether Baberon is still in the Dark Army camp and make arrangements against him."

After a pause, Luo Xiu whispered his most fundamental plan:
"It just so happens that I had agreed with you that once the situation in Red Maple City stabilizes, I will go to Songyuan City to meet with the Archbishop."

"In that case, I can take care of keeping an eye on Baberon on the way."

"Even if I lose Baberon, he can't possibly reach Songyuan City before me. I will meet the Archbishop directly and help destroy the factory before Baberon arrives."

"No matter what the final result will be, compared to our hastily organizing people to destroy the factory, the probability of success and the losses suffered will be better. I hope you will consider my proposal."

"..."

"I need to think about it, Luo Xiu." Hubert rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful.

For him, this is indeed a proposal with reference value.

Since Baberon is heading towards the "Black Crystal Factory", it would be a more profitable option to wait for him to arrive and then capture him in one fell swoop.

If they attacked either the Black Crystal Factory or Baberon too early, it might alert the other party. Who knows if a believer of [Intelligence] like Baberon has the means to remotely contact the factory. If the factory had problems in advance and Baberon ran away halfway, it might lead to greater danger.

This kind of thinking did not take too long. Hubert finally nodded and said:

"Okay, Luo Xiu. I personally agree with your plan."

"In that case, we are not in a hurry to report this news to the General Church. We can wait until you leave for Songyuan City. I will stay in the Red Maple City Church and help you handle the affairs of the 'bishop' temporarily."

"Thank you, Lord Hubert." Luo Xiu nodded in thanks.

What Hubert didn't know was that actually, it was Luo Xiu who had the final say on when Baberon would go to the "Black Crystal Factory" - he had long since asked Koros, who was already an "Apostle of the Holy Abyss", to tie up Baberon. In other words, unless anything unexpected happened, the "Black Crystal Factory" could basically be preserved intact until he actually set off.

Since Hubert had already agreed, Luo Xiu felt half relieved about the matter.

Then he called back Lockland who was waiting outside the door.

"You can tell us the exact location of the 'Black Crystal Factory'." Luo Xiu said to him, "The map is in the drawer on the third floor of the wall cabinet on the right. Go get it yourself."

Rockland followed his instructions and took the map with a yellow border, which marked the specific location of the "Black Crystal Factory".

Afterwards, he wanted to ask Luo Xiu to return the "heart", but was rejected.

"Wait until we get to know each other better, Los." Luo Xiu said, "We still need you to show more sincerity and value. Of course, you can rest assured that as long as you stay in Red Maple City, the church will protect your safety..."

Luo Xiu said this, and Rockland couldn't say much. In any case, staying in Red Maple City at least gave him more "freedom" than being in Baberon's hands, and he also had more room for maneuver.

After that, Hubert asked "Knight Los" some other questions, then took him away, preparing to take him to Fangbei Courtyard.

According to Hubert's previous idea, "Knight Los" needed to undergo a comprehensive inspection in the Fangbei Courtyard, and only then would the church consider deeper cooperation with him.

Rockland did not resist and was quite cooperative. Luo Xiu did not express his opinion on this. After all, Rockland's "heart" was in his hands, and he knew that he dared not and could not stir up any waves.

……

After Hubert took Rockland away, Rossouw was the only one left among the bishops.

After he finished reviewing the files, he walked out of the bishops' room and came to the courtyard of the Holy Office, extinguishing the holy flame in the brazier on the dome. That was the last thing. Luo Xiu then returned to the bishop's seat and his room, seizing the last moment to sleep.

After a light sleep of about three hours, the morning bell of the church rang.

Luo Xiu woke up from a light dream. The faint sunlight had shone through the window, slightly irritating his eyes.

He got up from the bed, grabbed the high priest robe on the clothes support, and left the inner courtyard and walked out of the church door.

He headed straight to his first destination in the morning—

【Authentic Dwarf Blacksmith Shop】

……

In Red Maple City, in Mir's Forging Manor.

The "ding, ding--" sound of the iron forging overlapped and sounded a clear melody. Dozens of blacksmiths had already started working in the courtyard of the manor. Just after a defense war ended, the number of orders for new weapons and armor suddenly increased sharply.

Luo Xiu went straight into the courtyard. The blacksmith Canard Vimas who received him last time was not there, but Luo Xiu didn't care. He walked directly up the stairs of the villa and came to the room where Mil should be.

He knocked on the door "Dong, Dong". After hearing some noise coming from the other side of the door, Luo Xiu pushed the door open and walked in.

The moment he pushed open the door, he saw Mil sitting on a wooden stool, holding a magnifying glass to his eyes in one hand and holding something that looked like a dragon scale with the other hand, the surface of which was shining with a bronze metallic luster.

When he heard the door being pushed open, Mil raised his head, then lowered it again and calmly continued to focus on the research at hand.

"I knew it was you, Luo Xiu." While studying, Mir said casually:

"It seems that you have been promoted to the 'Fifth Level of Destiny'? Hmm, congratulations."

"You are the only one who can open this door directly. Even those two knowledgeable people from Fangbei Courtyard came to see me, and they knocked on the door politely and courteously..."

"Did two 'generalists' from Fangbei Court come to see you?" Luo Xiu asked casually as he walked in and closed the door. "What was it about?"

"Look, you should be familiar with it," Mir pointed to the bronze dragon scale in his right hand and said, "That's the dragon scale dropped by the two-headed bronze dragon you fought with before—"

"The two generalists of Fangbei Academy determined that its true form is the corpse of an ancient dragon. Although its body has collapsed, it has left behind some high-value materials, such as this reverse scale."

"You can see it, Luo Xiu. This is a special 'epic' quality material... But there's more to it. Fangbeiyuan didn't send it to me for forging, but wanted me to assist them in research and try to crack the technology left on it by Baberon."

“It’s really profound… At first glance, it’s just a dragon scale, but inside it are embedded quite complex rune patterns. Even though the dragon that was transformed into a puppet no longer exists, I can still feel the remaining deep fluctuations from this dragon scale…”

"I really don't know what methods the 'Hidden Elder' used to bring the corpse of such a terrifying being back to life... Although he is an enemy, his techniques are indeed worth learning from..."

"..."

When it comes to such topics, Mill tends to talk endlessly, which is also a common characteristic of believers of [Intelligence].

Luo Xiu waited patiently for Mir to finish speaking, until he said he was tired and wanted to drink some water, then he remembered another thing, and while drinking water, he asked Luo Xiu:

"Ahem. So, Luo Xiu. What are you here for this time?"

"Just came to see you." Luo Xiu replied with a smile.

"Come on." Mir sneered, "You always come here for important things... So, what is it?"

When hearing Mir's urgent question, the smile on Luo Xiu's face gradually faded, and a serious expression appeared on his face. He said:

"There is indeed something important."

"But it's not about me, it's about you."

"Listen carefully, Mir—"

After a pause, Luo Xiu considered his tone and said to Mir word by word solemnly:

"I got a clue that may be the whereabouts of the 'Grit' tribe."

"..."

With a "bang", the bronze dragon scale in Mil's hand fell off and swayed on the table.

The expression on his face froze at the same time, and his eyes showed a mixture of shock, joy and worry.

After being shocked for a long time by the news brought by Luo Xiu, Mir finally came to his senses and asked in a daze:
"You said... my people..."

"You found... clues that may lead to the whereabouts of the 'Grit' tribe?"

"Well, yes." Luo Xiu nodded with a serious expression.

"It's just a suspicion. I'm not sure, so I'm here to tell you about this situation first."

While telling Mil these, Luo Xiu was also observing his own panel and observing whether there were any changes in the [Hidden Task: Disappearing Sand] in the task bar.

The reason he told Mil all this was actually mainly to confirm in a more direct and simpler way the authenticity of what Rocklan had told him about the whereabouts of the "Sand" tribe of dwarves.

Sure enough, when Mir was still shocked by the news, Luo Xiu saw that the content on the panel had changed.

[Hidden Mission: Disappearing Gravel (Hell Difficulty)]

[Main mission objective: Find information on the whereabouts of the dwarf "Grit" clan (completed)]

【…】

The "main task objective" of this task has become "completed"!
It's true...

Looking at the panel, Luo Xiu's eyes couldn't help but become a little deeper.

……

(End of this chapter)