Chapter 505: Potter Family

And Elderidge Church is only so big. People go there year after year, and always, more go in than come out. Considering its official footprint, it couldn’t possibly hold that many people; it should have been overflowing by now.

The fact is, it hasn’t.

Elderidge Church remains as “empty” as it should be. His colleague had gone to pray several times, and it was always the same: the number of clergy—nuns and priests—was exactly the same, while the people brought by the Church Court seemed to have vanished into thin air, not a single trace to be found.

But people can’t just vanish into thin air for no reason.

They must have been hidden away.

Furthermore, there’s a Great Magic Array beneath the city that blocks all teleportation Magic. Outsiders can’t teleport in, and insiders can’t teleport out. So, if we rule out a Teleportation Array, the only possibility left is a ‘secret chamber.’

This ‘secret chamber’ might not be a secret chamber in the literal sense, but it can definitely hide people.

It’s just that a place like a church is too solemn and sacred. To put it bluntly, you don’t mess with them. Everyone knows the Church Court values the faith of its followers above all else. As a place where faith is gathered, the church is bound to be heavily guarded. He and his colleague weren’t Grand Mages, so they didn’t dare act rashly. Otherwise, they might have been the next to disappear.

“I understand,” Sean said. ‘It seems what Elise saw when she scouted the church this morning wasn’t the whole picture.’ He trusted Wendos’s judgment. There was almost certainly something beneath the church.

“You plan to force your way in?” Wendos saw the look on Sean’s face and guessed he wouldn’t let the matter drop.

‘After all, we’ve come all this way. We have to get something tangible out of it.’

Sean didn’t hide it and nodded. “That’s the idea.”

Wendos had always been one to respect the choices of others. As an information broker, he had no right to meddle in his clients’ business. He wouldn’t try to dissuade Sean, but there was one thing he had to bring up—

“How about you settle the bill first?”

Wendos said, “I’m afraid if you die in that church, I’ll have done this all for nothing.”

‘He was taking a risk meeting Sean’s group this time, and he was supposed to get a commission.’

‘He couldn’t spend any money in his current sorry state, but he still had family. His daughter was studying at Lawrence Magic Castle, and that was expensive.’

Sean was speechless.

‘He’s being this blunt?’

“Alright,” Sean agreed. “But can you give us some more information?”

‘He didn’t believe that after more than ten years here, all Wendos had discovered was a secret chamber under the church.’

Wendos sized Sean up for a moment before finally nodding. “Alright. Seeing as you’re as handsome as I am, I’ll throw in a bit of intel for free, on the house. I hope you make it out of that church alive.”

“You probably think everyone who lives here is fair-skinned, right?”

“That’s not the case.”

“Some of the people with different complexions, aside from tourists, are members of the Potter Family.”

“Try to avoid asking tourists for information. You never know when you might be questioning a member of the Potter Family.”

“And if you get into trouble, don’t ask tourists for help. Don’t assume they’ll help you just because they’re visitors too. More likely, they’ll turn you right over to the police.”

“Also, there are definitely Potter Family Wizards inside the church.”

“The Potter Family’s legacy stems from one of the twelve great paths of the Era of Polymath—Necromancy. You’ve probably heard of it. That’s why I suggest you don’t take too many people. A small group is enough. Otherwise, you’ll find your own numbers dwindling as the enemy’s ranks swell. In the end, you won’t even have a place to run.”