Chapter 201: Shepherd’s Insignia

‘Yeah, even though I haven’t seen anything related to the sewers in any of the deaths, maybe it was one of the reasons for their deaths. They could have been captured after searching it, or something similar.’

After an hour of Darwin leading them through Xesie’s sewage passageways without anything major happening, Cillian began to lower his awareness, as maintaining it was becoming too tiring.

[Mental load: 15%]

Adding to the fact that his mental load still had a lingering amount of strain was making his already exhausted mind even more exhausted. He trusted that whatever came up, the three people he was with should be able to handle it.

‘But just to be sure. I’ll keep my Nearby Flag Presence activated.’

It was enormous.

The sewage system beneath the great family’s estate was made up of wide stone paths and huge tunnels that branched in different directions.

Dirty water flowed through the channels beside the paths, while damp walls and rusted pipes surrounded the area. Despite being underground, the place was well-built, showing the wealth and influence of the family above.

The air was thick with the foul smell of sewage, mold, and stagnant water. Water dripped from the ceiling, creating soft echoes throughout the dark tunnels.

The atmosphere felt cold, the floors were slightly sticky, and the smell was slightly unpleasant, with only the sound of flowing waste and the occasional scurrying of rats breaking the silence.

Amidst the huge sewage system, Darwin confidently moved forward.

For the first couple of minutes, he was at a loss, looking for something, some sort of lead that he had researched beforehand. Eventually, he no longer looked lost and started leading the group confidently.

That’s why the research bore fruit the moment Cillian saw Darwin stop. He then signaled the group to peek through the edge of the wall.

At the end of this particular sewage path, after over an hour of moving around, they found what seemed to be a hidden stone entrance built into the wall, its clean surface standing out from the dirty surroundings.

There’s no denying that it gave off the atmosphere of what a secret passage would look like.

But there was one particular clue as to why it belonged to the Shepherds.

An evidence.

It was also Cillian’s first time seeing it.

“An insignia…”

The Shepherds’ insignia was a simple symbol of a shepherd’s staff standing behind a single eye, with several thin lines spreading outward like rays. Despite its simple design, the insignia carried an unsettling feeling, as if whoever bore it was always watching from the shadows.

Darwin, who had already seen it during one of the missions he had done in the past, nodded slightly before revealing some information.

“Our interpretation of that is simple. The eye represented their watch over the world, while the staff symbolized guidance and control.”

‘Guidance and control my ass. If we look at their actions, they are not an organization that aligns with the good.’

Cillian scoffed at the description before adding,

‘No wonder Meister is confident that this was part of the Shepherds’ hidden base. Even if Zeist was a traitor and potentially planning to trap them there once they searched for it, that proof was enough for Darwin to consider it. And they didn’t even tell us about this when we were at the abandoned house.’

Then, Cillian, Aster, and Darwin all looked toward Cale, who stood beside them with a tired expression.

He knew what kind of look he was receiving from them.

It was the look of someone who wanted him to work to the bone.

There was a reason why Cillian had brought Cale here, as he wasn’t a stranger and had taken on a guarding duty for Aster.

-He’ll be useful to you since he can phase through walls.

That was what was said in the letter that Aster had written, which had come from Oliver himself and was brought once Cale came to Xesie.

It was an interesting ability that Cale had probably informed Darwin about right before they entered the sewers.

“Ugh…”

Cale let out a short groan before extending his hand forward.

“I’ll apply the group phasing together. Remember to hold your breath while we do it, okay?”

Of course, the group wasn’t planning on entering the entrance that was screaming, “break me!” even if Aster and Cale didn’t know about Zeist’s involvement with the Shepherds, this was the right way to do it.

That’s what Darwin and his group had been planning at first, which was why they were ultimately planning to bomb it.

‘But we don’t have to do what they were planning.’

Cillian and the current group could search for it without doing anything drastic. And that’s what they were about to do.

Phasing through the wall would lead them inside instead of using the traditional way.

“All right—”

The four men, who were planning on holding hands together, looked at each other for a brief moment before scrapping that idea.

It didn’t look like the conditions for applying the group phase really required them to hold hands, but just to maintain physical contact with one another.

Cale even clarified it.

“Yes, it’s okay. Just hold somebody’s shoulder.”

Cale shook his head once he realized what they were thinking, becoming even more convinced when he saw how the three were reacting.

Only then did they start working together.

Aster touched Cale’s back while Cillian rested his hand on Aster’s shoulder, and Darwin was at the very rear of the group, touching Cillian’s shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

Cale was the first one to give the signal as he started walking forward before touching the wall in front of him. Yet instead of stopping there, he ‘phased’ through it as if there were nothing blocking his path.

‘Amazing ability.’

[Mimicry Activated]

‘Don’t mind if I do.’

Once Cillian saw Aster enter the wall as if it were just an open path, Cillian curled his lips upward as he started attempting to copy Cale’s phasing ability.

Nothing unusual.

If there was something unusual that Cillian was hoping to see in this secret ‘base’ that Meister and Zeist had been trying to find by looking only through the unusual door and the Shepherds’ insignia at the entrance, it was that it didn’t look like the Shepherds had been here at all.

The secret base was a huge underground room, its walls made of dark concrete and old stone. Dim lights hung from the ceiling, casting a dull glow over the scattered tables, shelves, and equipment. The air was cool and still, with the faint smell of dust and metal.

Scattered around the room was the same insignia of the Shepherds.

Yet that’s what made it weird.

‘This ‘looks’ like a hidden base. As a matter of fact, I would’ve believed it if it weren’t for the overreliance on the details placed here, where the Shepherds’ insignia was scattered around openly. They weren’t doing it before, so why now? Unless…’

Unless someone deliberately made it that way.

“Have you found anything?”

Cale scoffed.

“Found? There are a lot of things described in the books on the shelves. I’ve found a lot of information dating all the way back to before the emergence of the Runic Gates. However, it wasn’t too important if you’re looking for the Shepherds specifically.”

Aster and Darwin also said the same thing.

“Hmm…”

There’s no denying that Zeist had known about this right before ‘accidentally’ encountering it, judging from the complicated structure of the sewage system.

Cillian was thinking about how he should expose Zeist without Zeist knowing that he had been discovered.

‘This search is nonsense. It feels like a waste of time.’

That’s when an idea popped into Cillian’s head.

“Hey, Darwin. You’re still planning on searching this place tomorrow, right? Leave everything as is and don’t take anything.”

Cillian smirked as he planned on trolling someone while, at the same time, giving Darwin a way to determine that Zeist was a traitor to his group without actually informing Zeist.

“I’ve got a plan. Hear me out.”

‘You want proof that Zeist is a traitor? Then, I’ll give you one.’