Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 291 - 4 Endless Visitors_1

Chapter 291: Chapter 4 Endless Visitors_1

"Priest Mento, where was this footage taken from?" Lina asked, holding the Memory Crystal with a grim look on her face. "Did this happen in your diocese?"

"Yes, Sage, it happened in my diocese." Mento admitted with a troubled smile. "These tragedies have been happening periodically in a small town and three villages for about a month."

In the Church of the Earth Goddess, the role of the Sages is somewhat vague, or it can be said that it’s vague in all churches. Sages did not hold high positions or significant power. But due to their qualities, they had immense power and a huge reputation in the grassroots communities everywhere. Despite this, they never used their popular grassroots status to fight for their own interests or get involved in the power struggles within the church. As a result, the church members held this group in symbolic high regard, viewing them more like mascots or spiritual pillars. Take Lina for instance, she had no real power in the church, but apart from the Archbishop of the main temple, everyone else, even the Bishops, had to treat her with respect.

But Lina paid no heed to the respect offered by Priest Mento. Instead, she irritably drummed her fingers on the Memory Crystal and after a long pondering, told Catherine and Pannis, "There can’t be any mistake. It’s at least the same group of people we’ve dealt with before. Their methods are very similar."

"I agree." Catherine nodded, "Activate it once more, let’s take a close look."

Lina bit her lip and activated the Memory Crystal again. The footage inside the crystal was quite blurry, but you could vaguely make out a barren agricultural field in winter. The field was surrounded by local military forces, with lower-ranked professionals from the military and some clergy of the Earth Goddess Church walking around. In the middle of the encirclement, over fifty bodies were piled up. The clothing on the bodies suggested they were local inhabitants. Beyond the clothing, all the bodies shared a common trait: they all looked extremely aged. Regardless of the age suggested by their clothes, their appearances were all of centenarians, without any exceptions, just like those the adventure team had come across a few times before.

"Does our church have a monopoly on the faith in this village?" After the two-minute clip was over, Lina spun the crystal in her hand and asked, "I see only our Earth Church’s priests are investigating."

"Yes, this village only believes in the Earth Goddess." Mento responded, "But this is the only such village, the other three affected locations have more diverse faiths."

"So that means it wasn’t targeted at our church?" Lina pondered, "So it was indiscriminate attacks?"

"That’s what the Archbishop believes." Mento said, "Perhaps it’s a cult..."

"No, it’s not a cult, it’s a group of mages." Lina interrupted Mento. "If it was an indiscriminate attack, why are we the only ones getting involved? Shouldn’t this typically be handed over to Neville’s officials?"

"The officials wanted the churches to contribute as well, given the unprecedented nature of these deaths." Mento explained, "The rest of the affected churches have sent their own investigation teams recently. Our Archbishop is hoping you could personally lead the team, given you once tasked the church to investigate similar incidents."

"Indeed, I did task you." Lina drummed her fingers on the table and asked in confusion, "But it feels like you’re being overly enthusiastic this time. Is there something I don’t know?"

"Actually, we view this as an opportunity." Priest Mento said somewhat awkwardly, "Lately, in East Neville, the growth of our church has hit a bottleneck. We haven’t made noteworthy progress in a while. Considering this incident happened, we consulted with the Bishop and thought that if we handle this case well, it would be like a large-scale regional missionary event. So, we were hoping you could help us, sage."

"You people, what are the lives of your followers to you?" Lina sighed, "Tell me the details of this incident, we’ll discuss it afterwards."

"The information is quite similar to what you received when you commissioned the church to investigate." Mento finally relaxed, realizing they were halfway there, he hurriedly explained, "In the four incidents, all of them happened suddenly. In one village, all the people were affected, and in the other three locations, groups of tens died. According to information provided by our brethren who visited the scene, the villagers were killed using a magic array. And survivors among the victims said..."

"Stop." Lina cried out, "What did you just say?"

"They were killed using a magic array." Priest Mento repeated it blankly, "What’s wrong?"

"No, did you say there were survivors among the victims?" Lina stared at Mento in disbelief, "Are you sure?"

"Yes... yes." Mento was startled by Lina’s reaction, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, nothing’s wrong." The three members of the adventure team quickly exchanged glances. Catherine interjected, "What is the condition of the survivors?"

"Not so good," Mento replied. "Several survivors have died."

"Several? Aren’t there more than one survivor?" Catherine asked, "You’d better explain the situation in detail."

"Erm, here’s the thing. Out of the four locations, three were discovered after the fact. Everyone there was already dead. The scenes were severely tampered with, just like what was recorded in that Memory Crystal. But luckily, at one location, the perpetrator was caught in the act and driven away after a fierce fight, leaving them no time to mess up the scene. Among the victims at this location, some were still alive, although they are extremely weak, and all their organs are on the verge of failure. Any moment they could die. One of the survivors who briefly regained consciousness claimed they were conducting some strange ritual, but he died before he could finish talking."

"I see." Lina frowned and thought for a while, then said to Catherine, "Catherine, I think I need to take a trip there. Although these people only want to use the resolution of the event to expand their congregation, but..."

"I understand. After all, it’s a request from your archbishop," Catherine smiled knowingly. "But, it seems like things have become more complicated. We can’t delay Passion and the others any longer, especially since it’s a task that was officially established."

"Let’s split up," Pannis suggested. "Catherine, you and Lina head to Dirsalun, while I’ll take Vivian to the City of Innocence. That way, neither side will fall behind."

"Is it going to be fine if we divide our forces?" Catherine seemed hesitant.

"We’re not going to fight," Pannis said nonchalantly. "This time, both sides are mainly engaged in investigation and exploration. We’re all in cities and have others to assist us, so we don’t actually need to worry about safety."

"Hmm, I guess you’re right," Catherine nodded. "But let’s switch it up. You and Lina go to Dirsalun, it’s not that far. If the two of you ride horses full-speed, it would only take three days. Try to solve the issue as soon as you arrive and finish up so you can meet us at the City of Innocence. As for us, Vivian and I will leave for the City of Innocence a few days later. Our main task there will be to gather and analyze information. Once you guys arrive, we can commence the formal operation."

"That... works," Lina agreed. "Catherine, you’re planning on utilizing Pannis and my power to break through one front before tackling the other, right?"

Catherine gave Lina a strange look. Seeing Lina’s holy demeanor and the deep understanding she seemed to have about the church’s internal affairs, Catherine knew that Lina had already donned the mask of High Priestess of Catheria and couldn’t help but shake her head with a bitter smile. "Honestly, ever since I started working with Pannis, I’ve lost hope in my own ability to analyze, reason, and find clues. So, for both sides, the burden of work will primarily be yours. Vivian and I can only help out."

"All right, let’s settle on this plan," Pannis said. "Lina and I will head to Dirsalun first. But do be careful when you go to the City of Innocence. Even though you have the invitation from Shadow Hand, the city is essentially lawless and danger lurks at every corner. Never for a moment should your guard be let down. Don’t trust anyone, even the personnel within Shadow Hand, and especially not Passion and Indulgence."

"I understand," Catherine replied. "Don’t worry. We’ll always be on high alert, just as if we were out on an adventure in the wilderness. You guys also pay attention to your safety. Even if you discover something, try not to engage with the people behind the scenes. Don’t forget what the Chairman once reminded us."

"Well, we’re strapped for time, so let’s set off tomorrow." Lina said to Priest Mento. "I’m worried that the survivors won’t make it if we arrive too late. Are you two ready?"

"We can leave at any time," Monk answered, expressionless.

"Then..." Lina was about to say something when the sound of bell ringing filled the mansion. It was someone ringing the bell at the courtyard gate.

"It’s lively today, isn’t it?" Catherine was about to get up to open the door, but Pannis pushed her back down. "Stay put. I’ll get it."

"Since you have guests, we’ll take our leave." Priest Mento very diplomatically stated. "We’ll visit again tomorrow morning. We won’t bother you any longer today."

"That works, let’s meet here tomorrow." After pondering for a moment, Lina nodded in agreement. "I will see you two off and open the door. Oh, and Pannis, think about what we’ll need to prepare for our trip to Dirsalun. We can buy everything in one go when we go shopping later."

"Alright, you go answer the door," Pannis muttered begrudgingly. "I hope it isn’t another unexpected trouble." (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, please head to qidian.com to cast recommendation votes, monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)