Chapter 538 - 537: The Deciphered Secret

Chapter 538: Chapter 537: The Deciphered Secret

It was now high noon.

Thousand Masts City was as boisterous and lively as ever. An endless stream of carriages and horses flowed down the streets, and people came and went along the roadsides. It seemed quite prosperous.

A sharp sense of disconnect struck Colin.

’Who would have thought that just dozens of meters beneath this prosperous scene lay a place as treacherous as the Undercity?’

Along the way, Colin took out the payment Durkin had given them.

The payment was all in Gemstones, which made them quite easy to divide.

But when Colin handed Dorn his share of the Gemstones, the man frowned and said, "Why do I have a share?"

"Durkin gave it to us as a five-person share," Colin explained.

At that, a very complicated expression appeared on Dorn’s face.

"If you don’t want ’em, give ’em to me." Kase patted the other man’s shoulder. "I like shiny Gemstones."

Dorn reached out and took the Gemstones. "Hmph, I’ll take them then."

After dividing up the payment, all that remained was some loose change and the spoils of their expedition, which needed to be sold to a merchant for cash.

All told, each person would probably receive about one thousand Gold Coins from this trip.

Calculating this, Colin felt a little stunned by the number.

This would double the amount of Gold Coins he had, bringing his savings up to two thousand. And it hadn’t even been that long since they entered the Undercity.

’This money comes way too fast. No wonder Adventurers from all over the Northern Lands flock to the Undercity.’

’Besides, clearing out a monster’s lair really is profitable. The Aboleth’s hoard contributed a great deal to this haul.’

’Speaking of which, what would a Giant Dragon’s hoard be like?’ Colin thought to himself. ’If we could take down a Giant Dragon’s lair, how much money would that be?!’

While he was thinking, he handed the Magic Robe and Dagger they had found in the Aboleth’s lair to Ale and Dorn, respectively.

Dorn took the Dagger and twirled it in his hand a couple of times. "Thanks. This is a good piece."

"Don’t mention it. If you really want to thank me, just put this Dagger to good use," Colin said with a smile.

Dorn didn’t reply, simply giving a silent nod.

The party arrived at the door to Edwin’s office.

Colin immediately spotted the Paladin working inside. Sitting in front of his desk was a figure in a Black Robe—the Master of the Black Tower, Asvir.

Colin reached out and knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in." Edwin looked up and smiled at Colin.

Asvir turned his head. "You’re finally back up. Did you have any unusual encounters in the Dungeon?"

"We killed an Aboleth," Colin said. "So Kase, Orelia, and I contracted dryskin. We came here hoping to get it cured."

"An Aboleth? Well done," Asvir said with a smile.

Edwin, however, stood up and walked over to Colin’s group. "Then we need to deal with this problem quickly. Let’s go. Come with me to the Divine Hall of Morninglord."

"So there’s a cure? That’s great." Kase let out a sigh of relief, then silently unscrewed his waterskin and patted some water onto his head.

Under Edwin’s lead, the group hurried to the Main Hall of Morninglord in Thousand Masts City, the Hall of Justice. Asvir followed silently in their midst, like a black Ghost.

The place was as busy as ever.

In the courtyard, racks were still hung with a seemingly endless pile of bandages and bedsheets, drying in the sun.

Although the effects of the Winter Calamity had greatly diminished, a number of citizens suffering from serious illnesses would still come to request treatment with Divine Arts. The Priests of Morninglord were among the busiest of all Priests.

As they reached the entrance to the Divine Hall, Orelia said timidly, "Maybe I should just wait outside?"

"Don’t be so nervous. The Church members in Thousand Masts City are much more peaceful than the ones in the Holy City. I think you should have realized that by now," Edwin reassured her.

Ale clenched her fists and said, "If anyone gives you a hard time, I’ll beat them up."

"Let’s... try to talk things out first." Hearing her, Colin suddenly recalled the scene of her smashing a Kuo-toa’s jaw with a Heavy Crossbow underwater. ’If an Ordinary person took a hit like that, they’d almost certainly end up with a broken bone.’

The group entered the Divine Hall, chatting as they went.

Most of the Priests and Cultivators were busy with their tasks, and no one paid them much mind.

The group walked to the entrance of the chapel.

Two Guards stood there, holding long halberds and wearing Half-plate Armor. Judging by the Divine Emblems on their chests, they appeared to be Priests or Paladins who followed Morninglord.

The moment they saw Edwin, the two of them hurried over to greet him.

The two young men’s faces were flushed as they said excitedly, "Mister Helder, how can we help you?"

"You two must be new, aren’t you? If your current duty is to stand guard, I expect you to prioritize that task," Edwin said, his tone somewhat stern.

The two Guards silently lowered their heads.

"Always remember your responsibilities," Edwin stressed, then led the others into the chapel.

A few citizens sat scattered on the chapel’s pews, praying. A large cluster of candles burned in the corner of the room, their melting wax slowly dripping down to merge with a mound formed of thick, hardened wax. Judging by the height of the mound, several thousand candles must have burned there.

Sunlight shone through the stained-glass windows on all four sides of the chapel, illuminating the fine dust motes floating in the air.

Edwin walked straight ahead and found an old Priest tidying an Incense Burner.

He stood behind the man and said urgently, "Father Osca, I need two Priests who can cast [Heal]. We have three patients here infected with dryskin."

The old Priest lowered his gaze, glanced at Colin and the others, and let his eyes linger on Asvir for a long time.

Only then did he slowly speak. "Come with me, Edwin."

The old Priest ambled out of the chapel, leading the group through a corridor behind it. He took them all the way to the base of a tall tower inside the Divine Hall, and into a room that looked like a reception hall.

The room contained a long table, and a perpetually-burning chandelier enchanted with Magic hung from the ceiling.

"Please, have a seat, everyone," the old Priest said faintly. "I will go and inform the other Priests."

Colin and the others promptly sat down at the long table.

Edwin, sitting beside them, picked up a teapot from the table. He glanced inside, and a happier expression crossed his face; it seemed the tea leaves within were not cheap.

"While we wait, there’s something I need to tell you, Colin," Asvir spoke up. "The information Morel copied last time has been deciphered."

Colin thought for a moment.

’That must be about what we found in the Elven ruins during our first trip into the Undercity.’

"What did it say?" Colin asked.