Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

"Which foolish descendant would seal off their ancestor's tomb? Moving those heavy stones took me a lot of effort."

Ariane emerged from the hollow of the tomb chamber, her fingers tracing the ancient walls, examining the marks left by the pressure of the stones.

"The stones inside the tomb chamber are the smallest, and the diameter of the stones gradually increases as you move outwards."

Karen watched with wide eyes as her companions fiddled with the pebbles.

"What's so strange about stones? Aren't different sizes perfectly normal?"

Ariane patted the dust off her palms. "Of course there's something strange about it. When people want to block off a road, they first pile up large stones to fix it in place, and then fill the gaps with smaller stones. So there's a strong pattern to man-made rock blockades. Usually, the further out you go, the smaller the diameter of the stones."

As Karen listened to the explanation from the Holy Light senior, she also fell into deep thought, rubbing her head and muttering to herself while staring at the large rocks.

"However, the rocks we encountered actually got bigger the further out we went. In other words..."

"It's not that the outside world is sealing off the tomb, but rather that the tomb is sealing off the outside world."

Karen blinked her large eyes in surprise. "The people in the tomb did this?"

"Perhaps they were people who escaped from the tomb. That tomb had two exits. Or perhaps it was the work of those dead you purified. They were afraid of something outside..."

As Ariane looked in that direction, she saw a town bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun. Sunlight shone on the side of the statue in the town center, making the shaded side appear like an abyss.

"There's a small town over there, Sister Leona! We've been training all day, let's hurry and find an inn to eat!"

"Karen, you're such a silly little thing."

"???"

There is a brick path between the mausoleum and the town, through overgrown weeds.

Karen walked ahead, the knee-high blades of grass rustling against her nun's skirt.

She stared nervously at the dark woods not far away. The breeze stirred the shadows of the plants, making it seem as if monsters were roaring in the forest, ready to leap out at any moment.

The road leading to the town was downhill. The tomb was located on the side of a huge mountain. Ariane looked up at the hillside, where a noble castle stood almost blended into the falling night.

The two saw the road fork, one leading to a distant town, the other stretching into the unseen mountains below.

When walking at night, the worst situation is a fork in the road, because you never know what you'll encounter around the corner.

What you fear comes to pass; this is one of the ways fate manifests itself.

In Karen's eyes, two slender figures emerged from the darkness of another road and came to stand directly in front of them. They were one in black and one in white, with their backs to Karen, creating a unique dreamlike scene.

Karen's paladin instincts awakened before Ariane could even intervene.

"Investigate evil!"

A yellow light descended upon the two phantoms, and two marks, one gray and one red, appeared above them.

That is evil!

"The Holy Light will punish..." Before he could finish speaking...

The black phantom had appeared before Kallen, its scarlet eyes looking at her with amusement.

A white figure drifted over slowly, yes, drifted. Its hazy form was shrouded in a light, soft veil, exuding an ethereal beauty.

Karen's expression began to waver; she wanted to embrace the figures before her, yet she was also afraid of them. This strange feeling was shattering her will, turning her into a puppet.

Ariane stood in front of Karen, and the soft light seemed to sprinkle dust on Karen's head, instantly sobering her up, but the allure she had felt earlier still made her uneasy.

……

Ariana nodded to Ariane, looking at the timid girl hiding behind the nun, and decided not to pursue the matter further.

She leaned down, the veil gradually approaching Karen's panicked face.

"You mustn't go astray."

The gentle voice made Karen momentarily dazed. She nodded subconsciously, her face flushed with embarrassment. Then, her body trembled, and she shook her head violently, her eyes regaining their clarity. She made a snarling gesture, like a fierce-looking but cowardly little dog.

"I will definitely purify..." Before the threat to save face could be uttered, Ariane grabbed Kallen's little ear. "Sister Leona! It hurts!"

Karen's comical appearance amused the ladies present, and Beatrice burst into a melodious laugh.

Karen rubbed her ears and glared at her fiercely.

Beatrice smiled at this, her sharp canines gleaming.

Ariana took her sister's hand and turned back to say goodbye to Ariana.

"We're heading to Hamlet town first."

The two sisters left first.

Ariane stayed where she was with Karen.

"Do you know what you did wrong?" Arian's voice was lower than ever before, which reminded Karen of the premonitions of her father's anger, and her heart pounded.

"My mistake was that I was too weak."

"No, your mistake was in not assessing the opponent's strength before provoking them. You should know what detecting evil means to other races."

Karen muttered to herself, "But that's how paladins do it."

"Who says paladins all do this!"

"In the legends of the Crusades, they all started by scouting out evil."

Did they defeat their opponent?

"Defeated! All the crusaders who began their investigations into evil, as recorded in the book, have triumphed."

"That's because all those who couldn't be defeated have already been killed by the enraged enemy, and the dead won't be written into the book."

"Karen, don't use your intelligence to provoke others!"

"But they really are evil!"

"Hmm?" Ariane let out a soft hum, startling Karen, who quickly covered her ears and agreed to the request.

Ariane sighed. The habit of immediately launching a scouting attack upon meeting someone seemed to have been introduced to her by someone.

"Damn Archbishop."

Chapter 171 The True Gathering

Hines groped among the lush grass, the lantern he held emitting a white flame that caused all the plants within its reach to fall over. He stirred the roots and stems until he finally found a patch of dark black soil.

A magic circle, a spell, a falling white spark. The surrounding plants withered, and black dust fell to the ground, merging with the cracked soil to become dark brown, moist earth.

Fanila scanned the surroundings for any potential threats, while William stood silently at the furthest point from the elven girl.

Kevin turned to Lyle beside him and whispered, "The Plague Doctor, this elf's weeding skills are really good. Do you think I could take him to my family's manor to weed, and while we're at it, destroy my dad's favorite violet field. When I was a kid, I picked a few violets and he gave me a good beating."

Hines had just stood up, his elven ears twitching, clearly having overheard the conversation.

“I only correct plants when they show signs of disease. Every normal living thing in nature has the right to struggle for survival. Humans, even if you are the victors of your time, should still respect other living things.”

"Mr. Hines, what are you doing?"

"This land has been polluted, and I am purifying it."

"How was the result?"

“It’s temporary. The root cause of the pollution hasn’t been addressed. All our efforts and measures are just temporary fixes.” Hines raised his head, looking at the castle on the mountainside that had already fallen into darkness.

"It's getting late, we should go and rest."

……

The inn was dilapidated, with only a rope hanging from the door, swaying in the air. It was mostly stone, but the floor was made of a few rough wooden planks that creaked when stepped on.

Two heavy doors, one completely nailed shut from the inside, the other ajar. All the windows, like those in other buildings, were nailed shut; the only sound from inside was the howling wind outside.

The old counter looked empty, without any drinks or cheese decorations. The countertop looked like it had been frequently washed and was very clean. It was just a pity that no one was standing behind the counter.

Five lonely keys were neatly arranged on the counter, as if they had been prepared in advance. Under one key was a piece of paper that looked like tree bark, with writing on it in messy handwriting.

"Fifty jules a night, bring your own food and water, and leave the money on the counter. If you don't have any, I'll come to your room tonight."

Well, it seems no one is willing to take the risk. They obediently piled the coins on the table, creating a small mountain, and Lyle and the others, holding the keys, went into the room.

Lyle and his two companions entered one room, and the two elves followed. Just kidding, who would choose to be alone in this godforsaken place?

Nia climbed onto the ceiling, her tentacles forming a large net in the air, stuffing the small devices made from the thieves' parts into various parts of the room—flesh-and-blood devices that served as both alarms and barriers.

William inscribed a magic circle on the wall. When the large magic circle with its blue-green patterns was completed, Lyle and the others heard a faint sound as magic was injected into it.

"Perception array. It can amplify the sounds of living beings."

Lyle heard the elves talking.

"Fanila, in the following operations, never be alone. You must stay by my side."

"Is there any danger, Uncle Hines?"

"This place is more dangerous than you think..."

The sudden sound of footsteps interrupted the elves' conversation. They remained silent, listening to the voice coming from behind the counter.

Lyle looked at his friend.

"Someone else has arrived."

"Maybe it's the hotel owner; he has a huge pile of coins on his table."

"Should we go take a look?"

"Of course, there's nothing we can do staying in the room. But be careful, we'll quietly open the door..."

Lyle and his two companions tiptoed open the door, making no sound with Nia's help. They crouched down, peering through the second-floor railing at the counter.

The mountain of coins had disappeared, and four keys lay on the counter, just as they had been, corresponding to the four people in the hotel lobby.

A petite nun, a person in silver armor, a beautiful woman in black, and an elegant veiled lady in white.

"The Plague Doctor, isn't that the paladin who's your sheriff's colleague?"

“Yes.” Lyle swallowed. He recognized all four figures. “William, Kevin, remember, I am the Plague Doctor, not Lyle.”

"clear."