Chapter 266: In-depth Investigation

Noon the next day.

Following the location marked on the parchment scroll and led by the two nuns, the group trekked across mountains and finally reached their destination.

This was a hidden cave; the closer they got to the entrance, the colder and more oppressive the air became.

A blackened stream flowed slowly from the cave, emitting a foul aura of death that made one instinctively want to hold their breath.

Ansu gazed into the depths of the cave.

The entrance was like the gaping maw of a giant beast, dark and unfathomable, waiting for intruders.

"Only a massive number of corpses could gather such a dense aura of death. It seems this is the place..." Archbishop Paul stopped at the entrance, his expression solemn.

His gaze swept over the two pale nuns behind him, his tone filled with obvious concern.

"If this truly is their secret base for transforming undead, there must be a vast number of them stationed inside. With just the few of us..."

"Ansu, should we wait for reinforcements?"

Freya also looked toward Ansu, waiting for his decision.

Ansu shook his head. "Reinforcements definitely won't make it in time."

He glanced at the two nuns behind Archbishop Paul, knowing the man certainly wouldn't leave them alone to go inside, so he said:

"How about this: Freya and I will go in first to scout. You stay outside in a hidden spot and wait. Don't worry, we'll be out soon."

Archbishop Paul frowned, looking at Freya with some unease.

"Don't worry, Archbishop Paul." Freya blinked with a smile. "Didn't you say it yourself? I'm much stronger than you now. I can even use God-Descent!"

"God-Descent isn't something you can just use whenever you want..." Archbishop Paul shook his head helplessly, then seemed to remember something and pulled an object from his robes.

It was a holy seal badge made entirely of mithril, with a small gemstone embedded in the center that emitted a soft, faint glow.

"This is my holy seal; it has been with me for a long time."

Archbishop Paul handed the holy seal to her.

"This holy seal is quite effective. If you take it with you, I can rest a bit easier."

Ansu looked at the holy seal badge. Such items were the professional weapons of clergy, equivalent to a mage's staff, providing a certain boost to the power of holy light.

"No need, no need!" Freya's lips curled up slightly as she pulled a holy seal of her own from her pocket.

This holy seal was even more exquisite than Archbishop Paul's, with a large central gemstone radiating a pure, brilliant white light.

After seeing this holy seal clearly, Archbishop Paul's expression turned to one of slight shock.

"Isn't this...?"

"Yes." Freya smiled somewhat sheepishly. "It's the 'Heart of Purity' enshrined at the Holy Dome Cathedral in Benalu City. It's said to have been used by a saint... Archbishop Paul, mine is a bit more useful than yours."

As she spoke, she caught Ansu's eye, and the two shared a knowing smile.

She had specifically stolen this holy seal from the Holy Dome Cathedral back then to avoid being hypnotized by Celia's black magic.

Naturally, she found it very handy and had no intention of returning it even now.

Archbishop Paul smiled helplessly, momentarily unsure of what to say.

He had heard of that theft, of course, but never imagined it was Freya's doing.

However, there was no blame in his eyes.

The events in Benalu City were a turning point for both him and Freya. He had later heard that Freya nearly burned to death, so she must have resorted to such measures under extreme circumstances.

Taking a single holy seal badge could not compensate for the injustice and unfair treatment the Church had inflicted upon her.

"Since you have such a powerful weapon for protection, I am indeed much more relieved." He tucked his own holy seal away and continued to urge them: "But you and Ansu must still be careful."

Freya nodded seriously: "I will be careful."

Once everything was settled, Ansu and Freya entered the cave together.

Deep darkness enveloped their surroundings, and Ansu instinctively summoned the system panel.

This trip to the northern border had truly been the most frequent use of the simulation... he had already spent many points.

The intensity was definitely ramping up.

【Future: 10 hours later】

【Starting simulation...】

【Remaining points: 325】

...

Opening his eyes again.

The surroundings were pitch black, the sound of the dark river splashing in the darkness, with only a faint light source flickering at his side.

Freya was pressed close to him, intimately clutching his arm. The light in her palm was as weak as a firefly, barely illuminating the path beneath their feet.

Ansu looked down and saw himself holding 《Future Diary》 in one hand and a pen in the other, apparently in the middle of recording something.

"Lord Ansu, it seems we've lost our way again?"

Soft breathing was right beside him, and Freya's fair cheeks were illuminated by the glow like white jade.

When Ansu turned his head toward her, those beautiful pale gold eyes happened to shift over as well.

"This karst cave is simply too large. We've been walking for so long and still haven't found the place... Is the secret base really hidden this deep?"

Ansu looked around warily and comforted her in a low voice: "We should be finding it soon. I can feel the aura of black magic getting stronger."

"Mhm." Freya nodded gently, clutching his arm even tighter.

It's so cold.

But Lord Ansu is so warm...

Even though it was dark and cold here, and the thick aura of death was unbearable.

As long as Lord Ansu was here, she wasn't afraid at all.

...

Ansu flipped through the notebook as he walked.

Scenes flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern as he read the memories of the past ten hours—

【The cave entrance is narrow, but the interior grows wider.】

【There are scattered Wolfgar soldiers patrolling; must be avoided.】

【The karst caves are interconnected in all directions; need to find a shortcut to reach the destination quickly.】

On the pages, Ansu had drawn many detailed sketches: the directions of branching paths, the patrol routes of the soldiers—a winding map jumped off the paper.

With this, he could speedrun it next time.

Ansu continued to flip forward.

【Continuing deeper, the internal space is even larger. The Wolfgar soldiers have disappeared, replaced by a large number of skeletons on patrol.】

【Despite staying hidden, we were discovered. Had to deal with a large group of undead creatures in the karst caves, barely managing to shake them off.】

【Found many bone cages along the way meant for holding civilians, but they were all empty.】

【The aura of black magic is dense. The method they use to transform undead should be a massive black magic ritual.】

Ansu looked up; firelight flickered faintly ahead.

By that weak light, he could see many cages made of bone lined up on the ground near the rock walls.

Each cage could hold about two or three people, but they were all empty now. A heavy scent of blood permeated the air, making one instinctively want to hold their breath.

"It should be just ahead." Ansu lowered his voice.

The tunnel ahead grew wider, and the faint sound of many people weeping could be heard from deep within.

The two followed the tunnel forward, and the space before them suddenly opened up.

It was a massive circular plaza with no visible end. Under the light of roaring bonfires, countless bone cages were stacked on the plaza floor, stretching out in a dense mass.

The cages held a large number of scantily clad demihumans, with a few humans and dwarves mixed among them. They were huddled together, their faces haggard and their eyes hollow, occasionally letting out suppressed sobs.

Several of the imprisoned demihumans suddenly spotted Ansu and Freya. Terror flashed in their eyes first, followed by shock, as if they couldn't believe humans would appear here.

Ansu immediately held up a finger to signal for silence while pressing Freya's head down. The two quickly vanished into the shadows where the firelight could not reach.

Almost at the same instant.

Over a dozen undead creatures seemed to sense something and turned their heads in unison.

Those hollow skeletal sockets slowly shifted toward the direction where Ansu and Freya were hidden, ghostly green lights flickering within the eyeless holes.

They began to step forward, slowly walking toward them.