I'm really not a Sanctuary Warlock.

"What's your name?"

"Lynn."

"My name is Vera."

The woman finally revealed her name.

"Vera Noshvan".

When she uttered the name, Gron, who was standing next to her, suddenly shuddered, as if he was very surprised that the high priest would say such a taboo word.

But Vera didn't care.

Her gaze passed through Lynn, as if she were looking at something very far away.

"You say you can cure the plague," she said softly. "Then are you willing to... make a deal?"

Lynn raised her eyebrows.

"What deal?"

Vera did not answer immediately.

She reached out and pointed to a stone door deep in the hall that Lynn hadn't noticed before.

"Come with me."

She turned and walked toward the stone door.

"Gron." Vera said without turning her head, "Go and guard the door. Don't let anyone in."

Gron nodded and turned to walk towards the gate.

Before leaving, he gave Lynn a meaningful look, which roughly translated to: "You better serve the High Priest well."

Lynn ignored him.

He followed Vera through the stone door and into a downward-sloping staircase.

The smell of herbs in the air grew stronger, and the temperature gradually rose.

After climbing about twenty steps, another door appeared at the end of the passage.

Vera pushed open the door.

The scene behind the door completely stunned Lynn.

The space was filled with beds.

Dozens of dwarfs lay on dozens of simple stone beds.

Their bodies were covered in dark purple spots, their breathing was weak, their faces were distorted, and some had fallen into a deep coma.

"These……"

“These are dwarves from the surrounding villages,” Vera’s voice came from ahead. “My isolation array can only protect people within a certain range. Those outside who couldn’t evacuate in time have all been infected with the plague.”

She stopped and stood in front of the hospital beds.

The shadow of the hat brim fell on her face, obscuring her expression.

“I tried thirty-seven recipes,” she said calmly, “but they all failed.”

"I can slow down their symptoms, but I can't cure them."

"If we can't find a solution... they have at most seven days left to live."

She turned around, her pale purple pupils staring straight at Lynn.

"Could you... save them?"

Lynn looked at the hospital beds in front of her.

Dozens of dwarves lay there, their bodies almost entirely covered in dark purple spots. Some of their skin had begun to take on a grayish-brown hue, as if their life force was being slowly drained away by something.

"Yes, but you need to answer a few questions for me first."

Vera showed no surprise; she looked at him calmly and said, "Speak."

“First, tell me exactly how this plague started.” Lynn held up one finger. “Not in general terms, I need specific information.”

Vera was silent for two seconds.

"can."

“Second,” Lynn held up a second finger, “I need to go to Holy Song City. Tell me the safe route from here to Holy Song City, and what I need to be careful of along the way.”

"That's fine too."

"third."

Lynn looked into her eyes.

"Are you truly a follower of the Lord of the Abyss?"

Vera's brow twitched.

Then she smiled.

"What exactly did that big mouth, Gron, tell you?"

She shook her head, the brim of her hat swaying slightly.

“I am not a follower of the Lord of the Abyss.”

"Where are Gron and the others?"

“They… aren’t either.” Vera paused. “To be precise, they just don’t know how to distinguish.”

"Being able to borrow the power of the Abyss and having faith in the Lord of the Abyss are two different things. I use the rules of the Abyss to construct an isolation array, which in their eyes is equivalent to me being the spokesperson for the Lord of the Abyss."

Lynn nodded.

"Then where does your power come from?"

Vera glanced at him.

"I have no comment on that."

Row.

If you don't want to say, then don't say.

Lynn stopped asking questions and turned to look at the dwarf patients lying in bed.

"Okay, then I'll treat them first."

He closed his eyes, communicating with the Siren's imprint in the spiritual world.

A familiar, gentle wave emanated from within his body, spreading outwards from him.

Countless silver specks of light appeared out of thin air, like a silent snowflake, slowly drifting down to every corner of this underground space.

The points of light fell on the dwarves and instantly blended into their skin.

The effect is immediate.

On one of the dwarves recently, the dark purple spots began to fade at a visible rate, and his previously ashen skin regained a healthy rosy hue. His breathing became steady, and his furrowed brow gradually relaxed.

The second, the third, the fourth...

Throughout the underground space, dozens of dying dwarves seemed to be awakened by something at the same time; their spots faded, their complexions returned to normal, and their breathing became steady.

The few dwarf children huddled in the corner were the first to open their eyes.

"Ugh..." A little dwarf rubbed his eyes and sat up blankly. "My tummy doesn't hurt anymore..."

Vera stood still, motionless.

Her pale purple pupils reflected the countless silver specks falling from the sky, and her expression gradually changed from indifference to disbelief.

"This……"

She took a step forward, crouched down, and grabbed the wrist of the nearest dwarf to examine it.

A few seconds later, she checked the second one, and the third one.

With each examination, the shock on her face deepened.

“It’s completely gone.” She stood up, her voice clearly showing emotion. “The traces of the abyss’s corruption have disappeared.”

She turned to Lynn, her pale purple eyes filled with confusion.

"What exactly is this ability of yours?"

"No comment," Lynn said, shrugging.

Okay, Vera smiled and didn't press the matter further.

"Come up with me, and I'll tell you everything else."

Lynn followed her back up the steps to the circular hall where the large iron pot was placed.

Vera walked to a long table against the wall and pulled out a map from a pile of messy parchment.

“This is a topographical map of the northern part of the Duchy of Toussaint.” She spread the map on the table and pointed to a location. “We are here now, in the Northern Sui Valley.”

Her finger traced south along the map.

“The City of Holy Songs is here.”

The location she pointed to was in the south-west direction of the map, separated from their location in the Beisui Valley by a large area marked with various place names.

“The straight-line distance is about four hundred kilometers,” Vera said. “But in Toussaint now, it’s impossible to travel in a straight line.”

Her finger traced a winding route on the map.

"Several major cities in the north are now under lockdown, preventing outsiders from entering and people from leaving. Some cities have even been occupied by the private armies of various nobles and have changed hands."

"The central plains are the most dangerous. They are the main battlefields where several dukes fight. There are fleeing soldiers and bandits everywhere, as well as monsters that take advantage of the chaos."

“If you’re going to Holy Song City, the safest route is along the western edge of the Azure Sky Mountains.” Her finger traced a path close to the mountains. “The terrain there is complex, making it difficult for large armies to move, so there are fewer conflicts, but…”

Her finger stopped at a certain point.

"But there's a problem here."

Lynn leaned closer to take a look.

Vera's finger hovered over a place marked with a name: [Bone Canyon].

"What's the problem?"

Vera was silent for two seconds.

“Three days ago, the dwarves I sent out to scout returned and reported that a large-scale undead activity had occurred in the Bone Valley.”

"Undead?"

“If the bodies of people and creatures that die from the plague are not properly disposed of, there is a certain probability that they will transform into low-level undead in the polluted environment of the abyss.” Vera’s voice was calm, but with a hint of solemnity. “And the Valley of Dry Bones… has seen too many deaths.”

"The number of those undead is growing rapidly. My scouts estimate there are at least a thousand now."

"And there seems to be something governing them."

Thousands of dead souls.

There are also leaders.

Lynn frowned.

"Can we go around it?"

“Okay.” Vera drew another line on the map, “but it will take seven more days to travel, and the road will pass through the territory of Duke Gran. He is one of the few nobles who are currently vying for the throne. Martial law has been imposed in his territory, and any outsiders will be killed on sight.”

Is there a third way?

“Yes.” Vera moved her finger to the other side of the map. “Go around from the east. Pass through Black River Town, and then…”

She stopped moving.

"what happened?"

“Black River Town is a place I’m familiar with.” Vera’s voice suddenly became very soft. “But three days ago, news came that there was a large-scale outbreak of plague there. If I’m not mistaken, there are no living people left there now.”

Her tone remained calm, but Lynn noticed that her fingers, which were resting on the table, curled slightly.

“So the most realistic option is still to cross the Dry Bone Canyon,” Lynn concluded.