Chapter 610

Chapter 610: A Suspicious Presence

Two days later, a group of ‘black-robed figures’ arrived in Mozwa City.

These individuals, dressed in black robes with their faces covered by veils, revealing only their eyes, appeared quite mysterious. They were indeed the priests and clerics of the漆Night Palace, one of the twelve palaces of the Church, and practitioners of the Necromancer Sequence. Life and death are the two ends of the journey of life, reflecting and opposing each other. In the thousand years since the fall of the Mercury Dynasty, many followers of the Necromancer Sequence have become part of the Church.

However, to many outsiders, these people remain enigmatic. They rarely show themselves, and due to the nature of their sequence, they usually keep their true identities hidden during official duties to avoid unnecessary trouble.

In their daily lives, they generally serve as tomb guardians in cemeteries or night patrols for the church, inspecting surrounding territories to prevent evil necromancers from disturbing the peace of the dead and using dark magic for malicious purposes.

Of course, sometimes they also act as surgeons or work in anatomy-related fields, but such scenes can be unsettling, often causing fear among people.

——

The city was still under martial law after the war. Patrol teams could frequently be seen on the streets, and some special locations were sealed off with tape and barriers, restricting access. Broken stones and debris still littered the ground, but at least it was now passable.

In the refugee camps, many original residents who had initially been worried began to calm down after spending a couple of days there. Although Clancia’s army maintained strict control over them, no extreme incidents had occurred, which greatly relieved everyone.

After all, in history and memory, when many cities were breached, horrifying events like arson, looting, and rape would follow, and this was what they feared most.

Inside a temporary tent in the refugee camp,

“Phew, I didn’t expect these people to be so disciplined. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it if someone told me before,” an old man said to his companion as he returned to the tent.

“Isn’t that right? I told you not to be paranoid every day. Calm down, rest well, and think about how to live after the war is over,” a man in his early thirties lying on a blanket with his hands behind his head replied.

“In my view, if Clancia continues this way, many lower-class people will soon forget the past alliance between Rourna and Frost. After all, back then, only the mage lords benefited; no matter how well the country developed, our lives didn’t change much.”

“And now, as long as Clancia treats us fairly and doesn’t oppress us too harshly, I think those begging at the docks and street corners won’t care who rules the country.”

“It’s all those big shots’ business, what does it have to do with us commoners, haha.” He gave a somewhat self-deprecating laugh. Compared to those in their twenties, he was more experienced and hardened by life.

“Ah,” the old man beside him could only silently agree.

Compared to the man next to him, he had originally lived relatively comfortably as a prosperous merchant traveling between Mozwa and nearby towns, situated in the middle class of society.

In a nation of alchemists and mages, people like him belonged to a group that couldn’t reach the upper echelons but looked down on associating with the coarse masses, given their decent living conditions.

Now, after the city fell, the Frost Alliance was almost completely destroyed, and much of his wealth and property were lost in the war. The network of relationships he had built up was likely to collapse entirely, and it would be difficult to live as comfortably as before.

Therefore, compared to those who originally had nothing, he felt even more anxious and disheartened.

“I wonder what I can do at my age.” He touched his thinning hair beneath his hat with a sense of loss.

“You’re still doing pretty well, Old Brother. At least your daughter is still alive, aren’t you? You met her today, didn’t you? She’s in the women’s camp next door,” the other man said.

Thinking of his ten-year-old adorable daughter, the old man’s heart softened again. Yes, he still had to support this family and see his daughter happily married, achieving completeness in life.

Gradually calming down, he sat inside the tent.

“What do you think they’ll do with us or arrange for us?” The old man peered through the tent curtain at the soldiers standing stiffly far away outside.

“Defeating such enemies, there’s really nothing to say.” Now he had to admit that these determined and disciplined soldiers were both admirable and terrifying opponents.

“Who knows? Maybe they’ll organize us to work first, then redeem ourselves? It’s said that in Clancia, there’s no slavery. As long as you haven’t committed any crimes, you won’t be detained or restricted in freedom.”

“That looks like we’ll have to endure a tough period.” This old man agreed similarly, having witnessed how the “aloof” mage lords treated others however they pleased.

Being in the middle class of society, he was one of the more clear-headed ones because he could see both the luxury and prosperity of the upper class and the hardships and sorrows of the lower class around him.

The only regret was that he clearly recognized that it was hard for him to reach the upper class, and falling into the lower class would be even more frightening, especially since he had experienced a comfortable life and found it harder to accept such a drastic decline.

As he thought about this, he gradually felt drowsy and drifted into a nap.

“Hey, wake up!” After a while, a push came from beside him.

The old man opened his eyes with blurred consciousness and took several seconds to fully awaken.

“What happened?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“Shh, keep it down. Come take a look.” The man in his thirties squatted by the tent curtain, watching the black-robed figures walking by outside. The old man slowly approached, struggled to squat down, and looked out.

“Who are these?” He was puzzled. Even a well-traveled merchant felt strange and curious at this moment.

“I don’t know, but I heard the officer instructing the soldiers in our camp to cooperate with the actions of these black-robed people. They seem to be searching for something.”

“Ah, they’re coming.” A black-robed figure with a veil covering his face walked over.

Perhaps it was the sound of their conversation or a warning against wild speculation, when the extraordinary being in black robes approached, a chilling sensation swept over their bodies, making them unconsciously break out in goosebumps.

The silver-gray pupils under the hood glanced slightly, as if seeing through his mind and soul, stunning the thirty-something man and making him collapse onto the ground. It wasn’t until the figure moved away that he gradually recovered.

“Huff—huff—” He pressed his rapidly beating heart, the scene in his mind lingering incessantly.

On the other side of the camp,

“Oh dear, Zachary, you scared someone again. That’s why our Necromancer Sequence gets such a bad reputation,” a woman dressed in black told her companion. Her voluptuous figure, even wrapped tightly, exuded a hint of allure.

“Now isn’t the time for the Inquisition Office. Hey, soften your gaze a bit; otherwise, you’ll never find a girlfriend this way,” the woman communicated with her companion in encrypted speech. To outsiders, they just seemed to be walking through the camp, searching room by room.

“My personal life doesn’t need your concern, Senior Sister Cécile. Besides, if you’d like, I wouldn’t mind having you as my lover either.”

“Wow, sharp retort! No wonder you’re the feared interrogator. If we got married, would you interrogate me every day?”

This woman continued to make suggestive remarks, fortunately unnoticed by others, or else their mysterious and aloof image in black robes would be shattered instantly.

After receiving the Pope’s instructions, the Night Palace dispatched many necromancer sequence mages, including some subordinates from the Inquisition Office, as intelligence revealed traces of ‘Backlighters’ activities within the Frost Alliance.

These two were part of a team from the Inquisition Office. Their mission included searching the city underground and its surroundings for the secret hideouts of these mages and finding traces of ‘Backlighter’ activities. Therefore, they preferred areas with more refugees rather than going underground with other necromancers, manipulating ghosts to penetrate vast spaces.

While walking, the stern-eyed necromancer suddenly stopped, and his companion quickly realized it.

“Tsk, didn’t expect to find a big fish,” the previously playful woman became serious.

In front of them, in a corner tent of the camp, faint murmurs of prayer could be heard, accompanied by an unusual distortion.

However, the two did not act immediately. After pausing for a few seconds, they continued walking as usual, remaining silent and cautious. Not only did they intend to capture the person, but they also planned to investigate beforehand to see if there were accomplices left behind, avoiding the possibility of losing anyone.

At night, the man who had been frightened earlier slept peacefully in the tent, seemingly recovering from the shock. However, the old man beside him was sleepless. He had to sit up, feeling melancholic as he looked at his snoring roommate.

Suddenly, a chilling scream came from outside, abruptly cutting off, followed by the hurried footsteps of soldiers and the clinking of armor.

He cautiously rose, gently pulling open the tent seam to observe the situation outside.

Under the glow of firelight on the wide road, several struggling people were firmly tied and held down by soldiers, being escorted outside. Their expressions were grotesque and terrifying, while several black-robed figures followed closely behind. As they passed, leaves on the ground swirled briefly in the air and then fell, bringing a familiar chill over his body.

A black-robed figure pointed at one of the bound individuals, touching their forehead with a fingertip, and that person suddenly fainted, ceasing to struggle, making things quieter.

Witnessing this incredible scene, the old man slowly recalled the rare Extraordinary Sequence dedicated to corpses, skeletons, and souls—the Necromancer Sequence.

Terrified, he covered his mouth and slowly retreated, collapsing onto the carpet inside the tent before daring to breathe louder.

——

Under the search of these black-robed necromancers, numerous hidden entities were discovered. Some were wizards hiding deep in basements, others were covert operatives of the ‘Backlighters,’ some were treasures hoarded by wealthy families in their basements, some were dens of thieves, and even some former underground entertainment venues that were once unseen by the light of day.

These discoveries greatly exceeded the previous expectations of the authorities. Initially, they intended to find major enemy figures and large hidden spaces, but instead encountered unexpected gains everywhere.

For this reason, they decided to intensify their efforts, continuing to clean up the dark and dirty places of the city, and even contemplated whether they should conduct similar sweeps in the other cities they had occupied.

Inside the Tower of Engraving, Lolan Hill sat at a large table, looking at the thick pile of various documents in front of her, all recent reports of discoveries.

Gazing at the dense text and descriptions, even this diligent young lady felt somewhat weary.

She shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts, contemplating whether she could seek assistance from other forces to aid her work. As she pondered, she unconsciously summoned the system in her mind.

Can you help analyze these reports? She silently prayed, filled with anticipation.

[Language analysis in progress. Basic deductions can be made based on keywords and logical chains, but results cannot be guaranteed to be entirely accurate. Host verification is still required.]

Hmph, that’s pretty good already. The girl’s spirit lifted slightly as she blinked her eyes. Suddenly, the pages in front of her were blown up into the air, scattering like flower petals before being straightened by the wind and neatly laid out, forming a flat surface full of pages.

Then, a line flew to the front of the girl’s vision, like a locomotive leading a long trail behind it, rolling past her. The contents of each page were quickly recorded by the system in her mind.

After about fifteen seconds, all the pages had passed, and the mechanical voice sounded accordingly.

[System analyzing, please wait.]

[Analysis complete, modeling beginning.]

Subsequently, a translucent pale blue 3D model appeared in Lolan Hill’s field of vision. Of course, from the perspective of others, there was still nothing in front of her.

This transparent model accurately constructed the various regions and buildings of Mozwa, and the previously discovered reports were presented as red dots within it.

Looking at this complex yet clear model, Lolan Hill appreciated the convenience of the system once again, and her gaze began to search for connections between these events.

After a period of inspection and screening, she gradually noticed a somewhat suspicious location. It was in the southern edge of the city, unexpectedly blank with no red dots, and with few refugees around.

It seems worth checking out, she silently noted, looking at the abandoned building at the center of that area on the model.

That coffee shop, so out of place compared to the surrounding environment.