Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 361 The Blasphemy of the "Moon" (Check-in, thanks to Old Dream for the Qidian Coins reward)
Just after Roger did that, he saw Dunn turn around and meet his gaze across the street.

Compared to before, Dunn's face and his slightly higher-than-average hairline had not changed significantly. He was still wearing that black trench coat that was neither too long nor too short, wearing that gold watch chain, and carrying a cane that Roger had seen twice before, with its head polished to a gleaming silver.

The only two differences were that Dunn was more muscular than before, as if he had undergone a lot of training, and the deep eyes above his high nose bridge, which were originally like a tranquil lake, had been stained with a dark color, making him look somewhat like Roger when he activated "Secret Insight".

Roger saw Dunn looking at him, but he didn't look away. Instead, he smiled and nodded at the latter, looking just like an ordinary, friendly passerby.

Dunn nodded slightly in response. Compared to the conservative and cautious Ruen people, the Fenneport people were more enthusiastic and generous. He had become quite used to seeing strangers greeting each other on the street during his two days there.

After watching the ordinary stranger on the street corner walk away, a young man with black hair, green eyes, outstanding appearance, and dressed in the clothes of a bard approached.

He also noticed the person's back across the street, and then whispered:
"Captain, that guy over there is acting strangely."

This handsome young man was Leonard Mitchell. Although he had become a "Red Glove" directly under the Backlund Sanctuary, he still addressed Dunn as Captain. This was not only because Dunn was the Sanctuary's designated "Night Watch" leader for this mission, but also because Leonard personally recognized Dunn, the old captain from his time in Tingen.

"Ah."

Dunn nodded. Although the other person's clothing was in line with the style of Fenneport, there were still some differences in subtle habits.

Furthermore, because of National Day, Fenerbahce had already taken a day off early, and given that it was already night, it did seem somewhat incongruous for him to be out in the city square with a briefcase instead of spending time with his family.

"But this is none of our business."

Dunn shook his head slightly:

"We were assigned here by the Holy See this time, and although it is essentially for the sake of Ince Zangwell, we are nominally just accompanying Lady Fula Jenkins' delegation. In Fenneport, we do not have the same law enforcement authority as we do in Rune."

"So whatever unusual things happen to the people here in Fenneport, that's something for the Fenneport intelligence department and the Church of the Earth Mother to consider. We only need to focus on being wary of Ince Zangwell."

"After all, he is the former archbishop who defected from the Church of the Night. In this way, we can justify our position both logically and legally, without touching a nerve with certain people or giving them a point to use to create controversy."

"Yes, Captain."

Leonard nodded. He naturally understood what Dunn meant. In fact, he didn't really want to comment on the strange businessman, but he unexpectedly heard the person on his body remind him that there was something wrong with the person opposite him. That's why Leonard said a few words to Dunn.

He then brought up another matter:

"Ms. Daly has completed the survey of the area around the municipal square and confirmed that there are no hidden undead or unusual natural spirits here. Tonight, Cohen and Luo Yao will carry the sealed item 2-061 to patrol with the Fenneport City Police Department... This was requested by the Church of the 'Earth Mother Goddess', after all, we are more skilled than them in searching for and preventing creatures from the underworld."

The reason for being so wary of Ince is that this former Archbishop of the Church of the Night jumped from the position of "Gatekeeper" to "Night Watchman," and his penchant for using creatures from the underworld in combat is one of his signature behaviors.

"Ok."

Dunn nodded slightly, then his voice suddenly lowered:

"Considering that Ince Zangwell's strength as a demigod far surpasses ours, I originally requested a 'Level 1' sealed artifact from the Sanctuary, but the Sanctuary refused."

"Their reason was to be mindful of the political implications... On the other hand, although Her Excellency Jenkins will be with us, given that she will be spending most of her time in the VIP section, only we will be able to move around normally."

“This time, no matter what, we must capture Ince… Even if we can’t actually kill him with our own strength, we must use the Church of the Mother Goddess to capture him and bring him back to Rune for trial. Only in this way can we do justice to our two fallen teammates, Klein and Frye.”

"Yes, Captain."

Leonard also lowered his eyes. After a moment, he gently pounded his left chest, then took a deep breath, turned around, and strode towards the other end of the city square in the night.

Although he appeared casual on the surface, Leonard was actually quite unsettled inside.

At the same time, his lips moved slightly, and he asked softly in a voice that no one around him could hear:
"...Old man, can you help me?"

……

Meanwhile, in a public cemetery on the other side of Fenneport, an old man with a slightly hunched back, carrying a lantern, was conducting his first patrol of the cemetery as usual.

Because it was already night, and the cemetery was located near a mountain pass, the temperature was a bit cold at this moment, and a gust of cold wind made the old man shiver.

"Luckily, I had the foresight..."

The old man temporarily put down the lantern and took out a small, opaque water bottle from the cloth bag at his waist.

He twisted the flask open with his red, dry, and calloused right hand, and a strong aroma of distilled liquor immediately wafted out.

"This is the one..."

The old man sniffed, his face showing a hint of intoxication. Then, as if he were reluctant to waste the little bit of alcohol that had evaporated, he quickly brought the bottle to his lips and greedily took two sips.

As the distilled liquor went down, the old man felt some of the chill dissipate. However, just as he was about to screw the cap back on, he suddenly felt a cold wind blow past him again.

Unlike before, this wind was not only colder and more eerie, but it also seemed to possess some kind of magic, causing the flame of the lantern to flicker violently, as if the lampshade outside did not exist at all.

The old man's heart, which had just calmed down, immediately tightened. He glanced nervously at the dark iron gate at a mountain pass not far away. At this moment, the old man was not sure if it was his imagination, but just by looking at the direction of the wind, he felt that the wind was blowing from the iron gate.

"I have a feeling this underground tomb has been getting weirder lately... and there have been a lot of missing persons cases in the area recently. Could there be something to it?"

He swallowed hard and couldn't help but whisper his guesses.

Few people know that this burial site is the final resting place of soldiers and extraordinary individuals from the "God of Knowledge and Wisdom" faction who died in the "War of the Oathless," which led to the division of the Kingdom of Feneport. After the Church of Knowledge, based in Remnburg, split off with its followers, the remains of those who remained in Feneport became a major problem.

If they were to be buried according to normal standards, the Church of Mother Earth would lose face; but not burying them would seem inhumane, intolerant, and inconsistent with the Mother Goddess's doctrines. Therefore, after much deliberation, the authorities of Fenneport decided to dig an underground catacomb in a mountain pass far from the city center, burying the deceased members of the Church of Knowledge's extraordinary members and their supporting soldiers in this dark and gloomy underground. This way, the authorities could save face without making the situation too ugly.

Not only that, they also built a cemetery next to it for ordinary believers of the Knowledge Church who had not participated in the battles, and designed the cemetery according to normal regulations. They then hired two guards to take turns guarding it every day and to guide people who came to pay their respects to the dead.

However, this ritual is limited to the surface; the underground cemetery is almost permanently sealed off, and no one is allowed to set foot there except for authorized extraordinary individuals associated with the Church of the Earth Mother.

"Never mind, maybe I'm overthinking it. Let's go."

The old man shook his head, picked up the lantern again, and walked towards the cemetery exit without looking back.

……

At that moment, inside the underground cemetery, a man carrying a lantern looked up at the direction of the iron gate above. After hearing the footsteps fade away, he lowered his head again and looked ahead.

The man wore a soft hat, had dark gold hair, and his features were as clear as a classical sculpture. His skin was pale and his face was without a single wrinkle.

The difference between his deep blue, almost black pupils revealed that he was blind in one eye.

It was Ince Zangwell.

Compared to when Roger first met him, Ince now appeared more sinister and profound. His intact eye was filled with undisguised resentment, and a large, horrifying scar had appeared on his left cheek down to his chin, as if he had been severely burned.

At this moment, in his field of vision, there were many ordinary people whose mouths were sealed with tape, lying haphazardly on the ground or leaning against the wall.

Without exception, all of them had their eyes closed and were in a coma.

There were no obvious external injuries on their bodies, and there were not many signs of struggle on the ground. It didn't seem like they had been forcibly tied up here, but rather like they had been hypnotized or drugged.

Not far from these people, there was a simple altar, and next to it stood a beautiful woman with a slender figure.

Her long, wavy hair, like molten gold, contrasted sharply with her bloodless, pale porcelain-colored skin. Her dull, gray-blue eyes were like the deep sea shrouded in mist. Her nose was straight and delicate, and her thin, gray-white lips, though sickly, still complemented her appearance.

The woman wore a lake-green velvet high-necked long dress, adorned with an emerald iris button around her neck. The flowing skirt was embroidered with intricate, root-like gold patterns that seemed to contain some religious significance.

This is Jacqueline Iverson, one of the "Chosen Ones" of the Church of the Earth Mother, a "Dead One" of Sequence 4!
No one knows why this demigod is here, but Ince is certain that the demigod is currently under his control.

At the very center of the altar beside her stood a wooden statue. If Emlyn the Moon were here, he would immediately recognize it as a wooden carving representing the "Primordial Moon" faith!

"Fortunately, those damned Intis people didn't know all my trump cards. They just wanted me to carry out an attack on the Church of the Earth Mother, but they didn't realize what I really wanted to do."

Ince sneered, and suddenly flicked his sleeve. A moment later, a card with intricate patterns on the back appeared between the two fingers of his right hand.

The next second, he turned the card over and admired it in the light of the oil lamp.

The front of the card depicted a canyon from which a stream cascaded, while Roselle, dressed in a deep red cloak, stood on a scorpion, holding a dog on each hand, and looked up at a full moon in the sky.

The two dogs were black and white, and the stream flowed past Russell's feet and into the sea closest to the bottom of the card.

This is the "Moon" blasphemy card whose whereabouts were previously unknown!
Ince learned by chance that a demigod-level believer of the "Primordial Moon" possessed this card. Ince plotted to kill him, took the "blasphemous card" from him, and learned of a secret sacrificial ritual by interrogating the latter's soul.

"With this, my plan becomes much simpler..."

Ince stepped forward and placed the blasphemous "moon" plaque on the altar.

Next, Ince began to touch each of the arrangements he had made on the altar, while simultaneously chanting softly:
"The unique red moon, a symbol of life and beauty, the mother of all spiritual powers!"

"I pray for your favor, love, and divine grace!"

"..."

As he recited the prayer he had prepared from the "Primordial Moon" believer, he bit his finger and dripped a few drops of blood onto the "Moon Messenger" sculpture.

Strangely enough, the blood disappeared quickly as soon as it touched the surface of the wood carving, just like seawater being rapidly absorbed by a sponge.

The next instant, a red light flashed across the "Moon" blasphemous card, and at the same time, the entire card was filled with some indescribable strange aura.

Centered on the altar, numerous dark red, root-like things began to spread out from beneath the wooden carving.

These root-like things passed under Ince's feet and then reached the ordinary people controlled by Ince, entangled them.

As many of the ordinary people showed expressions of pain, the tree roots began to flicker, seemingly slowly draining their life force.

"Praise be to you, primordial moon!"

Ince looked up, realizing that his ritual magic had been successfully activated.

His eyes gleamed with joy, and then he spoke again:

"...Of course, I understand that this level is not enough to please you."

"Therefore, to make amends, I will offer the life and soul of a demigod as a sacrifice to you tomorrow!"

After saying this, Ince ended the ceremony, took away the "blasphemous card," and disappeared into the darkness with Jacqueline Iverson.

(End of this chapter)