novelonline Chapter 3603 In Search of the Man of War
Chapter 3603 In Search of the Man of War
Chapter 3603 In Search of the Man of War
Shad said to the three of them in an annoyed tone:
Don't you want your companions anymore?
This refers to those who are unconscious on the shore, and before the leading high-ringed sorcerer could speak, Shad narrowed his eyes again:
"Or perhaps, you possess something that, even if you abandon all your companions, no one else can obtain it?"
All three of them were currently bound by a binding spell cast by Audrey. Their levels were already lower than the witch's, and after the battle with the snake, they were even less likely to be able to resist the witch's secret arts.
Since none of the three spoke, Shad asked Emilia and Adelina:
"What's going on here?"
Emilia gave a brief description:
"We originally planned to come here to see the scenery, but when we arrived, we found that this group of people had already arrived. They didn't notice us. At that time, they were trying to break the ice. We could hear them talking in the distance, as if they were looking for something."
But no matter what they did, they couldn't melt or destroy the ice. Then someone said it was impossible; there were no traces of unusual elements, no signs of any rituals or runic locks. And then the snake appeared.
Adelina stood to his side, tugging at Shad's clothes:
“We sensed something was going to happen, so we sent the little guy back to find you. While the other little guy and I stayed here to check the situation, we discovered that these people didn’t recognize Infinite Serpent at first, and by the time they did, it was too late. To prevent the situation from getting out of control, we stepped in to help, and that’s when you arrived.”
The situation is not difficult to understand, and there was nothing wrong with how Emilia and Adelina handled it.
The group then temporarily left the ice surface, where the cultists had a small camp by the lake. Besides their personal belongings, the camp contained numerous survey reports and records of the northern terrain of Fatummst Island, but unfortunately, nothing else of value.
While Shad was searching the camp, Audrey gathered together the cultists who had been severely injured by the Infinite Serpents, as well as a few corpses. After consulting with Shad, she used magic to stabilize the condition of a few people who were on the verge of death.
Shad then looked at the three cultists who remained silent by the camp:
“You should know there are many ways to get people to talk, right? I'll only ask one last time—what are you doing?”
The leading high-ring sorcerer knew this was Shad's last chance, and after a moment's hesitation, he finally spoke:
“Sir, we are very grateful that you saved our companion, but there are some things we cannot say. Kill us, and whatever you find from us afterward is your own reward. We were unlucky to encounter the snake this time, and this failure was not a mistake on our part.”
He has the typical appearance of a northerner, looking close to fifty years old, but his actual age is probably older.
Shad then looked toward the frozen lake and spoke in Delareon:
"There are some things that are probably hidden in your heads. Even if you used psychic abilities afterward, you might not be able to know that you wanted to dig open the ice lake to find a passage to the underground, right?"
Although the three tried to hide it, even Adelina could see the change in their expressions, so Shad knew he had guessed correctly.
Yesterday he was wondering how the candidates would learn the secrets of the meteorite without Luvia's divination. Now it seems his guess was right. Not to mention the Prophet's Association, it's clear that the Tyranny Club also knows what's happening locally, and the followers of the God of Tyranny are also searching for "the destiny of war."
However, this group of cultists clearly did not know about the passage blocked by the Fatu people; they seemed to have only confirmed that the entrance was on the north side of the snow mountain.
Seeing that the three remained silent, Xia De uttered a few words:
"Meteorites, war, destiny. You can exchange secrets for your lives. It's a fair trade. I know you possess enough secrets to buy your lives."
Audrey, standing to the side, then played the role of the "villain":
"Let's just kill them all. When Miss Owl arrives, let her summon the Wailing Wall. Once their souls are on the wall, it won't be difficult to find out any secrets."
Both mid-ring sorcerers looked at the high-ring man, who then asked Shad with a determined gaze:
"Could you answer one of my questions first: Are you a caller of the gods?"
What's the point of this question?
"Being forced to answer questions by you will result in lighter punishments when we return to the cult."
Xia De nodded:
"I'm."
"Alright, you may ask three questions at will. If you feel we are not valuable enough after the three questions, then kill us. We will not complain; without you, that snake would have already killed us all. If you think we are valuable enough, then let us leave. I will only answer three questions; this is for the sake of my colleagues' lives."
"You've been captured and you still have so many demands. But let's see what information you've provided first."
Xia De asked curiously again:
"You act so uprightly, why do you worship that tyrannical god?"
The High Ring sorcerer then explained his beliefs quite seriously:
"War and tyranny are what allow civilization to move forward more quickly and spontaneously. This is not the goal, but the means. I know that some of my colleagues simply enjoy chaos and war, while I simply believe that what we are doing is just—war makes the world a better place."
It was clear that his two companions disagreed with him, and Xia De realized that he was dealing with a mentally ill person and that his attempt to understand the cultist's thoughts was a complete waste of effort.
He then consulted with Claire and Audrey, and quickly came up with three questions:
"Is the star you're looking for the one that fell into the bay? If so, how did you know it existed? That's a question. If you dare say there are two, I'll send you to your doom right now."
The man sitting in the snow by the lake answered with his eyes closed:
"Yes, we are looking for a fallen star. We only know that it is deep in the ocean and can only be reached through a specific passage, which is why we have come here to find a way."
As for knowing about the existence of that star, this wasn't the result of our research. The Order had been collaborating with a knowledgeable 'sage' in the Green Lake region. We provided him with manpower, and he reciprocated with this secret.
Audrey, standing nearby, immediately became very uncomfortable. The "sage of Green Lake" was clearly referring to her ancestor. In fact, everyone knew that the Tyranny Club was cooperating with the beings on the island during the Green Lake incident (Chapter 1677), but at that time, this cult group did not participate much in the Green Lake story, so no one thought about the reason why they did so.
But thinking about it this way, since the cultists learned about the "Ring Beast" from Laplace Howard, and Laplace Howard was a traitor to the Society of Prophets, he probably knew about this secret while he was in the Society, and only conducted further research after his defection.
Therefore, the origin of this secret can ultimately be traced back to those prophets across the sea.
"It's good that his name is everywhere. My second question is, how many of your people are in the Falling Star Bay area?"
I cannot answer this question.
"You only need to mention the number of people, and that answers the first question. Wouldn't it be a shame to give up here?"
The cultist then closed his eyes again and said:
"A third of the cult's forces have come here, but there are very few people on the island; most are hiding on ships at sea. The people who landed on the island were divided into two groups. We were sent to find a passage, and the other group was small in number. They planned to launch an assassination plot to disrupt the situation when the two countries reached a reconciliation, but now it seems they don't need to do anything at all."
Because neither De La Rion nor Kassenrik had any intention of stopping the war.
Although the Tyranny Club was not well-known and did not make much of a move during the peaceful years of the Old World, this cult was notorious, and a large number of them would suddenly appear during times of war.
With a third of the Order's forces present, this is already a considerable undertaking. It seems they are determined to obtain the "Ring of War," but fortunately, they haven't found the entrance yet. In this sense, this group is the true "guide" at the beginning of the fourth act, and all factions will likely encounter them and obtain clues later.
"Alright, one last question: How much do you know about the current situation of the Fallen Star Beast? And what are your plans to do with it?"
This time, the cult member with the high rings shook his head directly:
"I won't go into those two issues. You see, I'm here on a mission. Although I'm considered a high-ranking member of the cult, there are some secrets that are not my area of expertise, and I certainly wouldn't know them."
Let me put it this way: Regarding the Fallen Star Beast, which we call the Beast of War, the bishop consulted our Lord, and the oracle provided some information. However, my position in the Order is insufficient to access the oracle; I only know that the bishop seems to have grasped its weakness.
If even the high-ring sorcerer leading the group didn't know, then the two mid-ring sorcerers were even less likely to know.
"As for how to deal with it, I'm not entirely unaware of the details, but I've only heard that after defeating the Fallen Star Beast and weakening it, something important can be extracted through some means. If this is placed on a specific ordinary person, it will definitely trigger a great war across the entire Old World, and even the entire material world."
"You've successfully avoided all the key points; what's the difference between that and not saying anything at all?"
Shad actually thought they probably really didn't know, and he had already decided to go see Durut Giles and Last Edwards again, hoping that the little girl might remember something.
Alternatively, you could contact Jarvis Edwards, who surrendered to the church. He was placed in the Tyranny Club by the "Ancestors" to act as a liaison. After the Green Lake incident, he was asked by Shad to surrender to the church. He might know the details of the deal between the two parties.