Chapter 83: Entering the Sewers

Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Entering the Sewers

"The Divine Hall in Frost Valley City doesn’t have resident Holy Knights. Most of the Holy Knights in the Northern Territory are stationed along the fortresses near the east, where the Undead constantly resurrect from the Ancient Battlefield.

"The Dawnkeeper originally wanted to request a dispatch from the diocese, but the fastest arrival would take half a month. During that time, who knows how many people that source would corrupt."

Anya fell silent. After a while, she spoke again, "I want to try and resolve it right now."

Lorin gazed at the blonde girl before him, deeply moved. "What a girl with a strong sense of responsibility and mission," he thought. He felt that if Anya were not the Duke’s daughter, she might not have become a Priest, but rather a Paladin.

Lorin had barely finished his musings when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his calf. Looking down, he realized Erin’s foot was repeatedly kicking him under the counter, even though outwardly, she still maintained her zoned-out expression.

"Sure, I’ll go with you guys," he said, trying hard to suppress a smile, amused by Erin’s antics.

Anya’s eyes immediately lit up. She smiled gently at the two of them and said, "Thank you both."

"Alright, let’s go. If we dawdle any longer, it’ll be dark," Erin said. She stood up from the barstool and reached out to pat Anya’s Shoulder Armor, acting as if she hadn’t just been kicking Lorin moments ago.

"By the way... aren’t we going to wait for Pip?" Lorin wondered what the little guy was up to. It was already dinnertime, yet he still hadn’t returned.

"Pip doesn’t need to join us for now. He has just started his guided training for Frenzy. Interrupting him at this time would have a huge negative impact," Anya replied, as if she had anticipated his question.

Lorin remembered how the short fellow’s hands had trembled when he held that letter, and he nodded in understanding.

"Wait a moment, I need to grab some equipment," Lorin said. He suddenly realized that without Pip, he couldn’t put on his Chest Armor by himself. His eyes wandered for a moment before finally landing on Gustav. "...Gustav, could you help me put on my Chest Armor?"

"Ah? Me?" Gustav opened his mouth in surprise, not expecting to be involved.

"Yeah, it’s a bit difficult to do it alone..."

"Stop wasting time and get upstairs." Erin smacked him on the back, nearly making him spit out the water he had just drunk. Glaring at Lorin with utter impatience, she grabbed his arm and dragged him up the stairs—THUMP THUMP THUMP—leaving behind a few bewildered onlookers.

Anya exchanged a glance with Gustav. She pointed at their retreating figures, looking quite astonished. The old man slowly nodded.

Seeing her suspicion confirmed, Anya looked even more surprised and bewildered. She wondered, "Hasn’t it only been a short while? How did Erin..."

She recalled how the Red-haired Mage had beaten a suitor to the ground on the spot at a noble banquet. It was truly unbelievable.

Anya didn’t have to wait long before the two came back down the stairs. Lorin had already changed into the Silver-Forged Fine Steel Breastplate. Unfortunately, the dent from when he was knocked into a tree by the Bear Goblins hadn’t been repaired yet. Paired with his tattered coat, he looked quite battered and disheveled.

Erin, on the other hand, had changed into a Mage Robe with a shorter hem, exposing her calves to the air. The tips of her ears still bore a faint blush.

That guy had just taken his shirt off right in front of her. "His... his... his figure is really good..." she thought.

"Let’s go." Anya looked at the two of them, her gaze shifting back and forth between them a few times. She sharply noticed Erin’s reddened ears. Her lips parted slightly, but in the end, she didn’t say anything and turned to head toward the door.

The sky outside the tavern had already grown somewhat dark. Lorin walked at the back, and as he closed the door, he heard the Blessings of Gustav and a few patrons.

"Come back alive—"

The streets no longer had oil lamps hung out after the Midwinter Festival. People had all returned home early to rest, leaving the entire area seemingly very quiet.

"There is more than one entrance to the sewers," Anya said, leading the way while explaining the current situation. "The Dawnkeeper already went down through the canal entrance in the Upper City District, but he walked a long way without finding that source. So, we’ll go down from a different spot this time. The Market District also has a sewer entrance, located in the alley behind the Blacksmith’s shop."

Lorin and Erin walked side by side. He hesitated for a moment before telling them about the Midnight Touch, to prevent them from relying on his Shadow Step and making a misjudgment. "The Shadow Step I used to save Erin earlier is actually attached to Magic Items. It can only be used once a day, and I can’t use it anymore today, so you guys need to be a little careful later."

He figured he shouldn’t use Shadow Step recklessly in the future. However, the feeling of being able to teleport was truly fascinating. If he ever got the chance, he definitely had to learn a similar Magic spell.

"I knew it wasn’t that easy to comprehend a Magic spell," Erin scoffed softly. She still remembered Lorin spouting nonsense about how he had comprehended Shadow Step himself. She had actually been envious for quite a while back then.

"I understand. Thank you for trusting us," Anya said. She turned her head to look at Erin’s huffing expression and suddenly felt as if a daughter she had painstakingly raised was finally getting married.

They quickly found the alley and discovered a rusty iron door embedded in the wall near the exit. The iron latch on the door had been pulled open from the outside and was hanging loosely on the doorframe. The iron door itself was left ajar.

"It probably wasn’t forced open from the inside. Someone got here before us. Maybe it’s those missing Adventurers," Anya noted. She took a closer look at the latch by the light of the oil lamp. When the iron door was closed, the latch was completely invisible from the inside. Moreover, the rust on it showed no signs of being scraped off, so it was highly likely that someone had opened it from the outside.

"Then it’s very likely we’re close to the source here," Lorin said. He shone the oil lamp inside, but the light could only illuminate a short section of stone steps leading downward and some dust floating in the air.

SCREECH—

He reached out to grasp the crossbar of the iron grate door and pulled it hard, causing the hinges to let out an ear-piercing groan.

"Wait a minute," Erin said. She waved her Magic Staff and quickly chanted a Spell before touching Lorin’s Shield with her hand. "Prabha!"

The Dragon Scale Round Shield instantly emitted a bright light, but since it was currently hanging on Lorin’s back, it made him look slightly comical.

"Light Magic?" he asked.

"I’ll teach you when we get back."

Lorin nodded in satisfaction. He placed the oil lamp at the entrance, then took the Shield off his back and strapped it onto his left arm.

"I’ll take the lead."

He shifted his scabbard to his waist, drew the Rusted Throat, and held it firmly in his hand.

Without waiting for their reply, Lorin stepped down onto the first stone step. Anya took the rear, effectively sandwiching Erin in the middle to protect her.

TAP, TAP, DRIP...

The contact between boots and stone steps produced crisp sounds, intermingled with the sound of dripping water coming from an unknown source, echoing throughout the vast darkness.

Lorin cautiously shone the glowing Shield around. On the stone steps beneath his feet, he could see some footprints—belonging to about three people—which most likely belonged to a previous party of Adventurers.

Not long after they headed down, the air filled with a musty smell, accompanied by a strange, faint odor wafting over.