Chapter 77: The Mystery of the Diving Bells

"Hang them!"

"Kill every last member of the Radiant Path!"

"Revenge! Blood for blood!"

Furious shouts rolled across the square. The people raised their fists and brandished their rifles, their rage burning hotter by the second.

Amid the roaring crowd, Milton Jenkins—the only follower of the Radiant Path present—stood frozen, his eyes vacant.

His left arm was still bandaged. His wrinkled face had gone slack, and his already stooped body bent even lower.

Ever since Milton had converted to the Radiant Path several decades ago, his faith in the Holy Radiance had never wavered. Throughout those years, he had prayed to the Holy Radiance each day.

But now, that steadfast faith had fractured and collapsed like an iceberg breaking apart.

Around him, people raised their fists and rifles, shouting for revenge and swearing to make the Radiant Path pay in blood.

Trembling, Milton reached into his red robe with his right hand and pulled out a black handgun. It was already loaded. He flicked off the safety and placed his finger on the trigger.

Everyone nearby was focused on the center of the square. No one noticed the hunched old man's movements. They continued shouting for vengeance.

Bang!

The gunshot rang across the square, throwing the enraged crowd into confusion.

Once the commotion subsided, they saw Milton Jenkins—the elder they had always held in high esteem—lying on the ground with blood and brain matter splattered behind his head.

He still clutched the grip in both hands, the barrel lodged in his mouth. His eyes remained wide open, refusing to close even in death.

The surrounding crowd fell silent.

But the rage subsided for only a moment before blazing up once more.

High Priest Frank Griffin was tied to a wooden stake, his legs trembling and his face deathly pale.

He held considerable power within the Radiant Path and had always craved authority and status. That only made him more desperate to stay alive. Unlike a Martyr, he had no grim resolve to embrace death.

Unfortunately for him, there was no chance he would leave this place alive.

Finn approached the High Priest, intending to squeeze more information out of him and learn what the Radiant Path was planning.

"Tell me. Will the Holy Radiance really descend? Where will it appear? And what preparations have you made to welcome it?" Finn asked in a low voice.

"Of course the Holy Radiance will descend!" Beads of cold sweat rolled down Frank's forehead as he hurriedly pleaded, "Lord Tier-Five Vanguard, I had nothing to do with detonating the nuclear reactor! It was all the Holy Pontiff's plan. I wasn't involved at all—I'm innocent!

"I know the answers to everything you just asked. Let me go, and I'll tell you everything I know! Please, spare my life!"

Finn considered this for a moment. "So if I don't let you go, you won't talk?"

Frank's face was drained of all color. He quickly forced a fawning smile. "It would be a simple exchange. My insignificant life in return for the information you want!"

"I'm not interested in bargaining with a fraud of a cult leader." Finn forced Frank's jaws apart. A vial of pale blue liquid appeared in his hand.

It was Veritaserum, a potion from a magical world, brewed through alchemy to compel its drinker to tell the truth.

Finn poured the entire vial down Frank's throat.

Frank's gaze immediately grew unfocused, his eyes turning glassy.

"Where will the Holy Radiance descend?" Finn asked.

"I don't know. The Holy Pontiff has always kept it secret. Only a handful of priests in the innermost circle know," Frank answered honestly.

Finn frowned slightly.

This High Priest was a compulsive liar who would say anything to survive. A moment ago, he had claimed to know all the answers. Only now was he finally telling the truth.

"What has the Radiant Path done to prepare for the Holy Radiance's descent? Have you been deploying troops to any particular location?" Finn continued.

"Two months ago, the Holy Pontiff ordered us to excavate two diving bells from pre-Cataclysm ruins. He had them transported to the Alderon Sea, then sent divers down to search for an offering for the Holy Radiance.

"The divers all disappeared afterward. No one knows what they found. Aside from that, the Holy Pontiff has been continuously redeploying troops to the north, all to prepare for the Holy Radiance's descent!"

Diving bells...

Finn knew what they were: unpowered chambers lowered into the water to support divers.

Put simply, a ship would carry one to a designated location and lower it to the seabed. The bell maintained a supply of breathable air, while helmeted divers could leave it to walk along the ocean floor. Air hoses connected their helmets to the bell, allowing them to breathe and work underwater for longer periods.

Why had the Holy Pontiff sent people into the Alderon Sea?

And why had they needed equipment capable of operating at such depths? What exactly had he been searching for?

Finn recalled the Cool Prophet's astronomical data. A large number of Heaven-sent Objects had followed trajectories toward the Alderon Sea.

Something had to be hidden beneath its frozen surface.

Suddenly, Frank began foaming at the mouth, pus leaking from between his lips. His vacant eyes went dull, and his breathing turned rapid and shallow, each breath weaker than the last.

A moment later, his head slumped to one side.

He was dead.

Finn picked up the Veritaserum vial and found several lines of instructions printed on its side.

"Dear customer: Whether or not you read the instructions is up to you. However, the manufacturer bears absolutely no responsibility for any resulting problems.

"Warning! This Veritaserum may have toxic side effects when administered to organisms from nonmagical worlds. Minor reactions include dementia and brain damage. Severe reactions include paralysis and sudden death.

"The primary cause is the incompatibility between organisms from nonmagical worlds and magical energy, which can lead to severe rejection or even conflicts between the laws of different worlds.

"Do not use Veritaserum on ordinary organisms from nonmagical realms. If the subject possesses a soul, we recommend soul-probing techniques instead. Alternatively, try brain dissection or memory extraction.

"Keep out of reach of children. We hope you enjoy our product."

Finn's expression soured.

He decided that next time, he would buy a different brand of Veritaserum instead of going for the cheapest option.

The residents of Black Mountain had no objections to Frank's sudden death. They had wanted to kill that Radiant Path lapdog anyway.

Several Radiant Path prisoners remained in the center of the square, along with four members of the Wilderness Rhino caravan, including their captain.

The furious crowd surged forward.

Countless fists and boots slammed into the prisoners' faces. Everyone wanted to land a punch or stomp on them at least once to vent their rage.

The savage beating continued for half an hour, until the Radiant Path followers' flesh and bones had been pulverized. They looked as though they had been put through a blender, their remains spread evenly across the ground with nothing recognizably human left.

Then a man came running over, panting hard. He shouted in terror:

"The Radiant Path's Fifth Holy Army of Deliverance is here! They've got at least five or six hundred men—and they brought tanks, self-propelled artillery, and attack helicopters!"