Jiang Lin continued to flip through the pages.
The next page was a separately bound report. The paper was rougher than the previous pages, and the words “Investigation Archive” were written in red ink on the cover.
The beginning of the report recorded the death of Viscount Hart’s wife.
She had died of a sudden illness, passing away only three days after its onset.
Viscount Hart had taken nearly a month of leave after that, neglecting all territorial affairs.
Then, the changes began.
First, several old farmers reported to the inspector that the lord “hardly showed his face anymore.”
He kept himself locked inside his manor, leaving even the daily patrols to his butler.
Then came reports of disappearances within the territory.
Initially, it was just one or two elderly people living alone. Everyone assumed they had died of old age or wandered off, so no one paid much attention.
But later, more and more people went missing—teenage children, young peasant women, and even men in their prime.
“Between the years 488 and 491, a total of thirty-seven disappearances were reported in the territory.”
The report listed a table, with each row recording a name, age, occupation, and the time of disappearance.
The date on the very last row stopped in the early autumn of the year 491.
And then, a page had been torn out.
Judging by the remnants on the spine, an entire sheet of paper had been intentionally removed.
The tear was very clean, as if cut with a sharp blade.
The content that followed skipped straight to the deep winter of the year 491.
“On the night of the seventeenth day of the twelfth lunar month, anomalies occurred simultaneously in the homes of all farmers in the territory. According to the description of the only surviving witness afterward—a twelve-year-old boy who hid in a woodpile—after the hour of Zi that night, all adult villagers walked out of their homes at the same time and headed toward the lord's manor.
“The boy had been punished by his father that day and had hidden in the woodpile out of spite, so he was unaffected. Out of fear, the boy later fled into the woods and hid in the mountains for three days before being discovered by a passing caravan.”
A brief record of the interrogation was attached to the back of the report.
The boy described the villagers as walking with stiff postures, as if being pulled by something, with no light in their eyes.
By the next morning, nearly half of the territory's population was gone.
Along with the lord, Viscount Hart himself, they had vanished without a trace.
Upon receiving the report, the Royal Capital Temple dispatched a small team consisting of three deacons and two paladins to investigate.
They found evidence inside the lord's manor.
There were numerous rune remnants in the basement, sacrificial patterns that did not belong to the Seven Righteous Gods carved on the walls, and several dried, blackened stains on the floor.
Upon testing, those stains were blood, originating from different individuals.
Deep within the cellar, they found a small altar. The altar was constructed from black stone, its surface carved with the distorted runes unique to secret cults, and some grease-like black substance still remained at its base.
The conclusion of the investigation report was written very temperately:
“Preliminary assessment suggests that after his wife's death, Viscount Hart gradually strayed from the faith of the righteous gods and turned to the doctrines of a secret cult, performing sacrificial rituals using the residents of the territory as offerings.
“The specific target, purpose, and scale of the sacrifice have not been determined. The altar has been destroyed, and the remnants on site have been purified. Viscount Hart's whereabouts are unknown; it is presumed he perished along with the sacrifices during the final ritual.”
The report ended there.
Jiang Lin closed the file and sat before the desk for a while.
Judging by the report's content, the Temple's investigation had concluded back then, and the conclusion they reached was “deceased.”
However, Viscount Hart's body was never found.
Sitting at the desk by the window with the file spread open in front of him, Jiang Lin fell silent for a moment, not closing it immediately.
He had not told Temple Master Eamon about the hidden door.
He already had a judgment in his mind.
The investigation report stated that the Temple's investigation team had found the basement, rune remnants, and the altar in the manor, but they had not discovered the hidden door or the teleportation array.
This indicated that the hidden door was either already sealed at the time, or it was hidden deeply enough that even the Temple's professional investigation team had overlooked it.
And the subsequent lords had clearly never discovered it either; otherwise, this territory would not have fallen into his hands decades later.
When Viscount Hart vanished, there was no sign of him, dead or alive.
Even the conclusion of the investigation report was merely “presumed to have perished along with the sacrifices in the final ritual,” rather than “confirmed dead.”
Would someone capable of setting up a secret cult altar in his basement and sacrificing over thirty living people leave himself no way out at the final moment?
The possibility was very small.
A more reasonable deduction was:
After the ritual ended, Viscount Hart had gone through the passage hidden behind the wall, entered the teleportation array in the basement, and then vanished into some unknown coordinate.
The Temple's people had not found the hidden door, so they naturally did not discover the teleportation array either, leading them to the conclusion of “deceased.”
Jiang Lin gently closed the file and placed it back on the shelf.
For now, he did not intend to mention this deduction to anyone.
If he reported this to the Temple, they would certainly dispatch a team to investigate.
At that time, the hidden door, basement, and teleportation array would all be unearthed, then sealed off, recorded, and archived.
The teleportation array would either be dismantled or taken over by the Temple.
And if the secret cult got wind that someone had discovered this passage, they might actively send people to sever or destroy it.
By then, he would get nothing, not even the chance to study it.
But if he kept quiet for now and went through the teleportation array alone to take a look, the situation would be entirely different.
If he were only at the 1st or 2nd-rank, he wouldn't have made such a decision.
At that time, facing anything that might involve a secret cult, he would choose to report it, leaving it to those with more experience and strength to handle.
Just like his choice when he first discovered cultists in Boulder City, that was the safest and most rational approach.
But now, he was no longer the same person as back then.
With a cultivation level of the 5th-Rank early stage, his actual combat power crushed most peak 6th-rank powerhouses.
Intermediate condensation sword intent, the soul-targeting attack of his ice soul power, Instant Light Double Flash, the absolute defense of Divine Grace, the sword token left by his master... along with the combat experience and survival instincts he had accumulated along the way.
If that teleportation array truly led to the core region of the secret cults' sphere of influence, he at least had the ability to retreat safely if he encountered danger.
And if there was something good on the other side, it would be even more worth a trip.
A secret cult's altars, runes, codices, and magic constructs were all contraband that “should be destroyed” in the Temple's records. However, if they fell into the hands of someone who knew how to discern their value, they might not be useless.
But if he reported it, these things would be destroyed, and nothing would remain.
Leaning back against the chair, he quickly ran through the feasibility of this plan in his mind.
The coordinate anchor of the teleportation array had already been read during the repair process. Although it wasn't extremely precise, the general direction was certain.
He only needed to further calibrate those anchors to stabilize the teleportation channel, and then he could attempt teleportation.
Even if there were indeed people from the secret cult guarding the other side, with his current speed and reflexes, he could at least react the moment he landed.
He stood up and pushed the chair back under the desk.
Temple Master Eamon was still sitting behind the desk. The teacup in his hand was empty, but he showed no intention of getting up to refill it.
His light brown eyes looked at Jiang Lin, seemingly waiting for him to speak.
“Thank you, Temple Master,” Jiang Lin bowed slightly. “This information is very useful.”
“Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Yes.” Jiang Lin did not elaborate. “At least I know what happened in this territory in the past.”
Eamon nodded and did not press further.
He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Jiang Lin, gazing out at the courtyard illuminated by the morning sun:
“Viscount Hart's matter is an old case from many years ago. The deacon who led the investigation team back then has already retired and returned to his hometown. The records in the file are all the information there is.”
“I know,” Jiang Lin said. “I just wanted to understand the history; I don't intend to look deeper into it.”
Eamon turned around and glanced at him.
Those light brown eyes were calm and sharp, as if assessing the credibility of his words.
After a moment, he nodded slightly:
“That's good. You currently have the authority of a Mid-Rank Apostle. If you want to look up more information regarding secret cults, you can access any of the common files in the archive room. For higher levels, you'll need to apply to me.”
“Understood. Thank you, Temple Master.”
...
Jiang Lin walked out of the restricted room, retracing his steps along the corridor, through the archway, and around the corners back to the main building of the Temple.
The magic lamps on both sides of the corridor emitted a soft, pale gold glow, and a faint scent of incense drifted through the air.
Occasionally, white-robed deacons walked past, bowing slightly to him, and he nodded in response.
Instead of leaving the Temple directly, he turned toward the Statue Hall.
Since he was already here, he might as well check the Temple's quest board to see if there were any quests related to secret cults.
If that teleportation array truly led to the territory of a secret cult, he would have to deal with them sooner or later.
Taking on a few hunt quests in advance would not only yield rewards but also give him a clearer objective during his actions.
Furthermore, quests taken through official Temple channels offered solid rewards upon completion, including Temple points, apostle authority, and even eligibility to exchange for high-tier holy arts.
There was nowhere else outside to claim such rewards.
He pushed open the doors to the Statue Hall.
The stained-glass windows of the vaulted ceiling filtered the midday sun into a soft, pale gold light, draping over the seven divine statues.
The tall stone statues gleamed warmly in the light, each facing the circular space in the center of the hall, as if watching over the believers who came to pray and the apostles who came to claim quests.
There weren't many people in the center of the hall.
An old man in a worn gray robe knelt before the statue of the God of Contracts, his head bowed, hands clasped, his lips moving silently.
A young woman sat on a bench in the corner, holding a well-worn book in her hands. Her eyes rested on the pages, but she was clearly not reading.
Two adventurers in light leather armor stood before the bulletin board near the east wall, discussing something in low voices.
Jiang Lin walked to the statue of the God of Holy Light, sat cross-legged on the stone steps beside the pedestal, closed his eyes, and sank his mind into his Apostle Brand.
A gentle and vast consciousness enveloped him, and a line of text condensed from holy light appeared before his eyes:
【Quest Board · Unlocked】
【Current Status: Mid-Rank Apostle】
【Available Quest Scope: Cross-Plane Quests, Regional Cleansing Quests, Secret Cult Infiltration Quests, Faith Propagation Quests】
【Tip: Quest rewards are proportional to quest difficulty. Please choose carefully based on your own strength.】
Once the text faded, the list expanded.
Densely packed quest entries laid out before him, arranged by quest type and difficulty zones. Jiang Lin's gaze swept quickly over the entries, filtering out those that met his current needs.
Most cross-plane quests involved traveling to planets uncovered by the faith of the righteous gods to establish anchors. These easily took months to years, which was unsuitable for his current situation.
Regional cleansing quests targeted magical beast dens and wild monster gathering spots within the East Continent. The rewards were average, and he had no interest in them for now.
His gaze paused on the “Secret Cult Infiltration Quests” section. The number of entries was noticeably larger than the previous two sections, and the rewards at the end were also far more generous.
The first entry:
【Quest】: Cleanse Secret Cult Contact Points Along the Clearwater City-Ironforge Route
【Description】: Secret cult members have recently been discovered establishing at least three contact points in this region. The scale is relatively small, and they are expected to be guarded by low-level cultists. Suitable for low-rank apostles to train or high-level apostles to handle in passing.
【Difficulty】: Low
【Required Authority to Claim】: Low-Rank Apostle and above
【Reward】: holy light origin (small amount), gold coins
The second entry:
【Quest】: Investigate Secret Cult Smuggling Route at the Southern Foot of the Ash Mountains
【Description】: Recent intelligence indicates that the secret cult is smuggling forbidden runes and evil god sacrifices into the Saintas Kingdom through the southern foot of the Ash Mountains. The specific routes and outpost locations have yet to be further confirmed.
【Difficulty】: Medium
【Required Authority to Claim】: Low-Rank Apostle and above
【Reward】: holy light origin (medium), Quest Points
Jiang Lin continued to scroll down, his eyes moving rapidly among the entries.
The third, fourth, fifth... most of the quests targeted low-level cultists, and the rewards were no longer worth his attention.
His gaze did not stop until it landed on an entry marked with a “Difficult” rating.
【Quest】: Hunt Secret Cult High Priest · Blood Raven
【Description】: Secret cult High Priest “Blood Raven,” real name unknown, 6th-rank late stage, specializes in blood-attribute spells and curses, active year-round in the secret cult-controlled area west of the Ash Mountains. Recent intelligence shows that he has broken through to the 7th-rank and is moving toward the Ash Mountains. Quest Objective: Confirm his specific location and eliminate him.
【Difficulty】: High
【Required Authority to Claim】: Mid-Rank Apostle and above
【Reward】: holy light origin (large amount), Quest Points, Apostle Experience
A 6th-rank late stage who had already broken through to the 7th-rank.
It was uncertain whether his breakthrough to the 7th-rank had stabilized, but at least the description in the report used “moving toward the 7th-rank” and “suspected breakthrough,” indicating the opponent's realm was not yet fully consolidated.
Jiang Lin assessed it in his mind; he could take this on.
He continued to scroll down, where several similar quests followed.
...
Rate on N.U.
