Chapter 48 -48-The Dark Realm Battlefield!

Chapter 48: Chapter48-The Dark Realm Battlefield!

Sunset City Lord’s Mansion.

Two black gates nearly ten meters tall slowly opened.

Rudy led John through a long corridor.

Fully armed members of the city lord’s personal guard could be seen everywhere along the way.

John discreetly scanned the area.

Even the weakest among them was at least Lv40.

The City Lord’s Mansion appeared peaceful on the surface, yet its defensive strength was more than enough to effortlessly destroy any player guild at the current stage of the game.

Several minutes later, Rudy stopped before a heavy wooden door.

"My lord."

"The person you requested has arrived."

A weak, exhausted voice came from inside.

"Let him in."

Rudy pushed open the door.

After John entered, he withdrew.

Click.

The door closed from the outside.

The city lord’s office was far larger than John had imagined.

The entire space was practically a small council chamber.

Military maps of Sunset City and the surrounding regions hung across the walls.

Weapon racks on either side displayed longswords, battle axes, heavy shields, and several staffs still emitting elemental fluctuations.

A large sand table occupied the center of the room.

Small flags of various colors covered its surface.

Near the windows were piles of monster specimens, mineral samples, and magical devices that had only been partially dismantled.

Documents and weapons were mixed together in complete disorder.

John followed the mountain of paperwork with his eyes.

A messy white head slowly rose from behind the desk.

John froze.

The city lord looked no older than seventeen or eighteen.

He was tall and slender, with an unusually pale complexion.

His white hair was so disheveled that it looked as though he had been struck by lightning.

Two extremely obvious dark circles hung beneath his eyes.

His entire body radiated the aura of someone who had worked overtime for half a month straight and might suddenly drop dead at any moment.

The young man yawned and raised a hand to rub his hair.

His already chaotic white hair immediately became even more unruly.

He looked at the documents filling the room and released a long sigh.

"At this rate..."

"I’m going to work myself to death in this office sooner or later."

Only then did he turn his attention toward John.

"Raymond Dickstrong."

"Lord of Sunset City."

"I’ll ask the questions. You answer."

"Don’t lie. There’s no point..."

John’s expression remained unchanged.

Internally, however, he could not help repeating the surname.

Dickstrong.

Wasn’t that name a little too impressive?

John activated [Scan].

[Raymond Dickstrong]

[Identity: Lord of Sunset City]

[Level: ???]

[Rank: ???]

[All Other Information: ???]

He could not even see Raymond’s level.

That was even more outrageous than Rudy, who was Lv50.

This man would not be easy to deal with.

Raymond lowered his head and casually asked while flipping through the documents,

"You entered the Underground Cathedral of the Holy Candle?"

John immediately understood where this investigation had come from.

Lorne had died inside the underground cathedral.

John had killed Sever, the former bishop.

The bodies of five Holy See Deacons had also been hung at the entrance to the ruins.

Unless every member of the Holy See was blind, there was no chance they would let the matter go.

It was still unclear which side Raymond stood on.

John would simply adapt to the situation.

"I did."

The sound of turning pages abruptly stopped.

Raymond raised his eyelids and glanced at him.

"You admitted it quickly."

"The seal inside the underground cathedral has completely failed."

"The Holy See suspects that you were involved."

"Is there anything you wish to explain?"

He pulled a sheet of paper from the pile of documents and began brushing the dust from its surface.

"Of course, you may also choose not to explain."

"I don’t know what seal you’re referring to."

John’s expression remained calm.

"I entered the underground cathedral to search for the missing City Guard investigation team."

Raymond flicked the dust from the edge of the document with one finger.

"Is that so?"

For the first time, he truly raised his head.

His previously exhausted and unfocused eyes became exceptionally alert.

"Then you must also know that the bodies of five Holy See Deacons were found hanging at the entrance to the underground cathedral."

The office fell silent.

Raymond stared at John.

John did not avoid his gaze either.

The two remained silent for several seconds.

Raymond suddenly leaned back and returned to his half-asleep appearance.

"The Holy See has approached me many times regarding this matter."

"They demanded that the City Guard immediately arrest the culprit and hand over everyone involved for judgment by the Holy See."

"However, the Holy See occupies a special position."

"Without complete evidence, I cannot directly investigate their internal records either."

He picked up a pen and lightly tapped it against the desk twice.

"What happened this time was far too unusual."

"The missing investigation team."

"The living sacrifices inside the underground cathedral."

"The seal that suddenly failed."

"The dead bishop and five Deacons."

"Until the truth is uncovered, I’m afraid you’ll have to endure some inconvenience."

John frowned slightly.

"?"

Raymond pulled out two documents and pushed them across the desk toward John.

"You have two choices."

"First."

"Enter the house-arrest wing of the City Lord’s Mansion."

"Meals and accommodation are included. The environment is comfortable, and you’ll even have access to a private training ground."

"Once the investigation is complete and we confirm that you had nothing to do with the Holy See’s accusations, I will naturally release you."

John looked toward the second document.

Raymond continued,

"Second."

"Join Sunset City’s expeditionary force and travel to Dawnstar City."

"The Dark Realm has recently launched a large-scale offensive against the borders of the Human Realm."

"Dawnstar City has sent seven consecutive requests for reinforcements. Three sections of its walls have already fallen."

"The expeditionary force will depart today."

"As long as you make sufficient contributions on the front lines, the City Lord’s Mansion will restore your status as a free citizen."

"If you perform exceptionally well, you may even have the opportunity to receive a noble title from the human kingdom."

Raymond leaned back in his chair.

He interlaced his fingers and calmly watched John.

"The Holy See needs an explanation."

"I hope you can understand."

John looked at the two documents on the desk and quickly understood Raymond’s intentions.

This young city lord had no desire to become the Holy See’s puppet.

"I choose the second option."

Raymond raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Wise choice."

He picked up his pen and signed the second document.

Then he added,

"I hope you don’t die before I do."

John’s expression darkened.

Which of them looked more likely to die first?

Raymond raised a hand and tapped the desk.

Knock, knock.

The door immediately opened.

Rudy entered.

"My lord."

Raymond tossed the signed document toward him.

"He has chosen to join the expedition."

"You will escort him to the assembly point."

"Until he reaches Dawnstar City, do not allow the Holy See to take him away."

Rudy caught the document.

"Understood."

Raymond lowered his head and buried himself in the mountain of paperwork once again.

"Good luck."

"Goodbye."

Rudy stood beside the door.

"Let’s go."

"The expeditionary force has already begun assembling."

John tightened his grip on the Void Staff and followed him out of the office.

He had failed to obtain an independent Appraisal skill.

Instead, he had unexpectedly acquired a ticket to the Dark Realm battlefield.

This deal...

Did not seem like a loss at all.