The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 148 Ancient Battlefield

After purchasing some water and dry food for the journey in the city and taking a short rest, Eric and his two companions left the city from the west the next morning and headed towards the ancient battlefield ruins in the southwest.

The journey takes about two days, and by the afternoon of the second day, the surrounding scenery becomes desolate, with thick fog obscuring the view of distant areas.

It was gloomy and shadowy, especially through the misty rain.

“We’ve now arrived at the ancient battlefield,” Eric said, turning to the two people in the car, rain streaming down his face.

"Will we be able to find a place to stay before dark?" Elise gazed out the window, her eyes darting anxiously over the dark and gloomy landscape in the distance.

Eric looked ahead, his tone not entirely certain, "I guess so."

The ancient battlefield is a vast area. In ancient times, there was once a city here that was no less large than Tallinn. Now, only ruins remain in the central area of ​​the ancient battlefield, with ghosts everywhere and bones scattered all over the ground. It is a veritable land of death.

This place is incredibly strange. Even the weather system seems to be independent. On the way here, the sky was clear and sunny, but as soon as we got closer to the ancient battlefield, the sky changed completely and it even started to rain. Molly, who had been sitting next to him and bothering him, also went back to the carriage to take shelter from the rain.

Eric was wearing a simple cloak, which couldn't completely keep him out of the rain, and his chest was already soaked.

"Since you're free, could you hold up a wind shield for me to keep out the rain?" he said to Molly.

“These kinds of sustaining spells consume a lot of mana, you know?” the female mage said. “Besides, you’re already soaked, so it doesn’t matter whether you block it or not. I need to conserve my mana in case of any accidents.”

The ancient battlefield directly connects the Delan Empire and the Kingdom of Arsha, and is the most ambiguous and dangerous section of the border between the two countries. It is a no-man's-land, and therefore, many dangerous individuals wanted by both sides roam this area.

"Then you'd better keep a close eye on things."

Eric was just saying it casually, not really expecting her to shield him from the rain, and quickly turned his attention back to what was ahead.

If his only goal is to grind monsters and level up, he could change direction now and head straight into the ancient battlefield to start slaying lone souls and killing wild ghosts.

But after grinding monsters for so long, one still needs a place to settle down, and his destination was the small town that had sprung up on the outskirts of the ancient battlefield due to the gathering of adventurers.

Ancient battlefields are dangerous places, but they are also full of opportunities. Whether it is the ancient cities or the countless heroes who died there over the centuries, the wealth and treasures they left behind are an irresistible temptation for those who have not yet ventured into them.

—To put it more simply, this place drops weapons and equipment for all classes from level 20 to 80, as well as various types of equipment blueprints, forging and enchanting materials.

Therefore, several unique adventurer towns have formed in the surrounding areas of the ancient battlefield, specifically to serve adventurers who come here in search of opportunities.

Eric was heading to Northtown, the largest of the towns and the closest to Tallinn.

More importantly, there is an ancient battlefield monastery there, where papal knights responsible for purifying the souls of the dead from the ancient battlefield are stationed year-round. He can borrow their power when necessary.

Hua Hua——

The wheels rolled over the muddy puddles, stirring up a large patch of mud.

Heroes' Avenue did not extend this far. The rain made the road muddy and difficult to travel. Eric roused himself, kept his eyes on the road ahead, and finally arrived in North Town before it got even darker.

The rain stopped halfway through the journey, and Molly returned outside to sit down. She then stood up and looked at the bustling town ahead.

"I have a feeling that it's familiar..."

"Those vendors look similar to those outside Xingyuan Academy, except the shops here have a wider variety." Eric searched for what looked like a hotel and quickly found his target.

Eric parked his car in front of the hotel, and before he could even get out, a waiter-like man at the door waved to him, "Full, full—go to the one over there."

"There are quite a lot of people." He muttered to himself, looking in the direction the man was pointing. There was a smaller hotel not far away.

Eric pulled up the reins and was about to leave when several men suddenly rushed out of the inn, punching and kicking the waiter and driving him away. They then ran to Eric's carriage and blocked his way.

"There are still rooms available! Don't listen to that guy's nonsense, he was sent by that hotel."

"..."

Looking at the limping figure who had been beaten, Eric was speechless for a moment. "I need three rooms, do you have any?"

"Yes, we're different from those over there; we have many rooms." The innkeeper came over to lead his carriage.

The three of them checked into a hotel on the second floor. There were three consecutive rooms, with Eric in the middle. To avoid any unforeseen circumstances that would require them to leave early, they only booked for one month and would renew when it expired.

It was already dark, so there was no need to grind monsters today. After settling in, the three of them first familiarized themselves with the surrounding area, especially the places to eat.

Near the inn, there are many taverns run by adventurers who have changed careers, offering a wide variety of flavors, from the exotic styles of the eastern and western parts of the empire to the southern countries.

"Making money from adventurers is more lucrative and safer than the adventures themselves... But people who come to this place are unlikely to be willing to make this kind of hard-earned money in the first place."

The three of them sat down in one of the small taverns and listened to the owner talk at length.

"Everyone dreams of discovering ancient treasures and becoming rich overnight, right? But opportunities are for a select few, and I think you have a very good chance."

The boss spoke for a while, his gaze finally settling on Eric's face.

"What do you think?"

The two people next to them also looked over.

"It's good that we can leave alive," Eric said calmly.

“That’s true. But as long as we don’t go too deep, especially into those forbidden areas emphasized by the church, those skeletons and wandering ghosts on the outskirts won’t kill us, so we can rest assured. Have a couple more drinks tonight to get some rest, and we can go in and take a good look tomorrow.”

Eric figured that no matter what he said, Eric would eventually respond with that line.

Out of consideration for the owner's hospitality, he ordered himself a drink and told Elise and Molly to make themselves at home.

They each ordered only a glass of mead.

While the boss was entertaining other guests, Molly whispered, "You're quite the talker. You'd feel bad if you didn't have something to drink."

"With so many competitors, business is tough, so of course we have to work hard." Eric picked up his glass and took a small sip.

Molly turned to look at the tavern owner, then looked outside. "What kind of business can I do here?"

"Leave the Red Ocean and explore the Blue Ocean!" Eric shouted as if it were a slogan.

"What are you saying..." Molly stared at him blankly, then leaned in to smell his wine glass. "You got drunk after just one sip?"

Eric ignored him and took another sip of his drink.

Elise, resting her chin on her hand, swirled her wine glass. "You'll get used to it."

After filling their stomachs, the three of them took a stroll around the town before returning to the inn, familiarizing themselves with the locations of various facilities, such as the blacksmith shop that sells and repairs weapons and armor, and the general store that provides various adventure items.

In the town, each profession has a designated area with mentors who provide career guidance and training.

The area where the clergy gather is naturally the town's only monastery, and the church built attached to the monastery is also a place that provides medical services for adventurers.

As the three of them passed by the church, Eric stopped. "I'll go in and take a look."

"Do you know anyone here?" Molly asked.

"No, I just wanted to take a look."

The two followed and entered the church. Inside, there was a statue of Yela, and the ground on both sides was littered with the wounded. Several nuns moved among them, stopping from time to time to check on their condition.

If it weren't for the fact that most of those people were still alive, the entire church would look no different from a morgue.

“Do you need treatment?” A nun approached, looking at Elise and Molly.

The two then realized that Eric had already gone ahead. Molly quickly shook her head, indicating that she had only come in to take a look.

The nun made a praying gesture, nodded to the two women, and then left them to their own devices.

Eric approached the statue of Yera, bowed, and prayed, begging her to bless him so that he could safely gain a lot of experience points in the ancient battlefield, given his status as a prospective saintess. Otherwise, he would only be level 40 or 50 when he inherited the saintess title, which would not look good to her...

After he finished praying, he glanced at Yela, but she didn't react.

"Just pretend you heard this..."

He then looked at the passageway leading to the back of the church and went over to take a look.

As he entered the passageway, a nun came out and, though weary, politely asked him to stop, saying that this was not a place for him.

Eric performed a prayer to demonstrate his identity as a clergyman.

Sensing the fluctuations of divine magic, the nun was surprised. "You are..."

Eric didn't mention that he was a prospective saint; he only said that he came from Lessér and would be staying there for a while, so he came to say hello and send a letter by the church messenger. Anyone from Lessér, no matter how low their status, was considered an angel by the local monastery, and the person who received him was the abbot, a priest in his seventies.

After chatting with him for a few minutes, Eric quickly realized that he could live in a monastery.

However, the conditions here weren't very good, and it wouldn't be convenient for Molly and Elise to move in, so they quickly gave up the idea.

The old priest didn't ask much about his identity, and after learning that there were no special instructions from Lesser, he told him to do as he pleased.

Eric borrowed some stationery and wrote a letter to Alena, telling her his current location, since he would be staying there for a long time.

There were no messengers stationed at the monastery at the time, and Eric was not in a hurry, saying that it was fine as long as the message could be sent.

Back in the church outside, Elise and Molly were waiting for him.

"Why did it take you so long? Do you know someone there?"

“I also wrote a letter and asked them to mail it for me,” Eric said. “We’re not really familiar with each other yet, but we’ll get to know each other better as we spend more time together.”

"So, can we get free treatment here too?" Molly asked.

Eric glanced at her sideways. "When has the church ever charged for treatment?"

Molly's eyes widened. "It's free?"

Eric was taken aback when he realized she was serious. "Does Castelfeld charge a fee?"

"Yes."

“That’s probably a local characteristic of Castelfair…” Eric shook his head, then recalled the proverb, “Even saints turn into madmen when they come to Castelfair.”

“But the priest at the church will definitely heal you once he takes the money,” Molly added.

The three left the church, wandered around for a while, and then returned to the hotel.

Eric's room was in the middle and also the largest. Before going to rest, Elise and Molly came to stay with him to discuss their plans.

“The demons are heading south, so I need to improve my combat skills as soon as possible,” Eric said to the two of them, mainly explaining to Molly. “That’s why I’ll be staying here for at least a year and a half.”

Molly found it strange. "What does the demons' southward march have to do with you? Do you think they can conquer the empire?"

Separated by a vast empire, the Southerners felt the Demon Race was more distant and held it in contempt—especially since, to some extent, the empire was the greatest threat in their eyes.

“This matter will soon affect everyone,” Eric said. “Everyone will one day face the demons, and until then, there is no better preparation than improving one’s own strength.”

Molly glanced at Elise and saw that she looked completely calm. She quickly realized that Elise had known about his choice all along.

"Alright, since you put it that way, I'll just believe it for now."

Eric didn't care whether she believed him or not. "My suggestion is that you fight alongside me and gain more experience... combat experience. What level are you at now, second-tier or third-tier?"

“I reached rank three a few years ago,” Molly said. “That’s about enough for me. The average mage in the academy is only rank five.”

Eric was furious at his lack of ambition. "At least try to reach the average!"

“I’m not a student at the academy, so it’s normal for me to be a little worse than them,” Molly said matter-of-factly.

"Whatever, if the demons come, you'll be the one who dies, not me." He couldn't be bothered with her anymore.

Molly looked at Elise, "Are you going with him too?"

Elise nodded. "I can't be a burden to him; I have to at least have some ability to protect myself."

Before infiltrating Sinmag, Elise received some combat training, but only a little. She is only at around level one now. Eric plans to help her reach around level three or four, enough for her to protect herself.

This meant they would act together, and Molly hesitated. Seeing this, Eric said, "Why don't you stay here for a while? You haven't given up yet, so use this time to learn about the market or something."

“Okay.” She nodded.

After staying a while longer, the two left his room and went back to rest.

Eric lay down too, expecting to have a sleepless night, but he fell asleep soon after.

The next day, he woke up early, stared at the ceiling for a while, got up and went to the window to look out. There were already quite a few people on the road below, all walking in one direction.

"Take on an adventure like commuting to work early in the morning..."

He stood there for a while, then heard Elise's voice from the window next to him, "When do we leave?"

Eric turned to look at her, then glanced down below. "Now."

The two met up outside the room, went downstairs together, bought some bread from a roadside vendor for breakfast, and then followed the adventurers toward the outskirts of the ancient battlefield.

“Every day… um… so many adventurers go there to explore and fight. After all these years, can’t they kill all the undead creatures there… um.” Elise stuffed bread into her mouth.

Eric looked ahead. "The map's backstory says that the ghostly aura here is so strong that it has attracted wandering spirits and other unclean things from other places."

"Oh." Although she didn't understand what the map's backstory was, Elise was too lazy to ask. He always spouted some inexplicable words, and even if she didn't understand them, it wouldn't affect their subsequent communication.

The two followed the other adventurers for a while, and the surroundings gradually became desolate, with ruins appearing and fog spreading. Further away, all that remained was a vast expanse of white.

As Eric and Elise broke free from the crowd, someone reminded them that the outermost area had already been thoroughly explored, and there was nothing left in the ruins except for some wandering ghosts and skeletons.

Eric's hand glowed with holy light, signaling to the man that he was there to purify the souls of the dead. The man paused for a moment, muttered something, and then paid no further attention.

Away from the crowd, the two hadn't walked far when they bumped into a slow-moving skeleton whose soul fire in its eye sockets had dimmed to the point of being barely visible.

Elise took a breath, instinctively feeling a little nervous.

Eric observed for a moment, confirmed there was no threat, then walked directly behind the skeleton and grabbed its head.

"Come on, give it a stab."

Elise was taken aback. "Huh?"

"Let me show you what it's like to be carried by a big guy," Eric urged. "Hurry up."

"..."

She drew her short sword, watching the skeleton slowly swing its skeletal arms as if struggling, and plunged it into its eye socket, scattering the flame of its soul.

Eric clearly felt the skeleton struggle for a moment, but it only lasted for a brief instant.

wow-

The gray bones scattered all over the ground and fell silent.

A normal skeleton can reassemble itself after being broken up once, but if its soul fire is disturbed, it will die completely.

Eric's act of squeezing the skull's head could be considered an assist, but the level difference was too great, so he only gained a symbolic 1 point of experience.

He looked at Elise, who was being led around, and asked, "How are you feeling?"

She nodded blankly. "It seems like I've gained something... although I'm not sure exactly what I've gained."

She flicked the short sword in her hand, as if trying to shake off non-existent dirt, then looked at Eric, "Continue?"

"continue."

After eliminating several skeletons in a row, Elise suddenly said, "I feel like I'm a little faster."

Eric understood that she had leveled up.

And she was indeed an agile type.

He can help her level up by fighting monsters, but for training in professional skills, she'll have to go back to town to find a specialized career mentor.

Once she has sufficient combat strength, the two of them can venture deeper into the ancient battlefield together and hunt down higher-level monsters.

“Next, try to deal with the skeletons here by yourself,” Eric said.

Elise gripped her short sword tightly. "Alright."

(End of this chapter)