The scale of this sewer system is extremely large. In Duncan's eyes, it has even completely exceeded the necessity of its single function of "urban sewage disposal". The gas lamps with runes that can be seen everywhere in the sewers and the reinforced structures that can serve as shelters make him have many guesses about the location of this underground facility.
But no matter what ideas the builders had when this place was first designed, one fact is obvious: deep in this huge facility, beyond the sight of the world above ground, this dark and cold place has become a nursery for the growth of some evil force.
A cult that nominally worships the sun but only makes people feel cold.
At the intersection of several sewer corridors is a wide underground space. Solid cement pillars support the brick and stone dome. Metal-cast pipe structures are connected crisscross near the dome, like a spider web. Bright gas lamps illuminate the entire space and the crowd gathered at this "intersection"—
At a glance, there were at least hundreds of people in black robes gathered in this dirty and damp place. In the middle of them was a high platform protruding from the ground, and on the platform stood a tall figure also in a black robe. He was obviously the person with the highest status among this group of people in black robes.
The man standing on the platform did not wear a hood like the others, but a golden mask. The mask had a strange style, like a disk radiating endless flames in all directions, and its surface was also engraved with a large number of fragmented cracks.
Behind the masked man, there is a strange totem on the platform - it is a tall wooden stake with a blazing fireball fixed on the top of the stake. The core of the fireball seems to be some kind of metal with many small holes on its surface, and flames are gushing out from those small holes.
This was the scene Duncan saw when he was "escorted" here.
The black-robed people gathered in the assembly hall also noticed him.
"We caught a fleeing sacrifice on the way to the gathering place!" One of the black-robed men who had been in charge of the escort stepped forward and said respectfully to the "leader" on the platform, with a tone that seemed to be seeking credit. "This sacrifice has been in the dark for too long, and his mind is a little confused. May you use your power to bring the glory of our Lord to this pitiful body!"
The cult leader wearing a golden mask on the high platform turned around and stared at Duncan, who had an expressionless face. There was a hint of surprise and coldness in his tone: "The escaped sacrifice?"
Duncan did not react at all. He just observed the place curiously, including the golden mask on the cult leader's face and the burning fireball totem behind him.
Perhaps, these symbols are strange and bizarre to ordinary people in this world, but he could tell at a glance that these things... were imitating the sun.
It was not a "ball of light" that was bound by a large amount of flames and two rune rings in the sky, but it was a burning sun that Duncan was familiar with, emitting brilliant light.
These people were really worshipping the sun, a sun that seemed to have "fallen" in ancient times, and they were worshipping it as some kind of god.
Duncan raised his head and looked calmly at the black-robed priest who was overlooking him from the high platform. However, perhaps due to the necrosis of his facial muscles, his calm look seemed more like some kind of numbness that indicated a loss of intelligence in the other party's eyes.
The priest wearing the golden mask stared at Duncan for less than two seconds, then turned around and instructed a person standing next to the platform: "Go check the place where the sacrifices are kept, and come back quickly."
After giving the order, he nodded to the black-robed men who "escorted" the sacrifices back, and said with a hint of praise: "You have done a good job. Even if it is a small contribution to the Lord, it will turn into your eternal glory after the sun shines on all things again."
It was just a routine compliment, but the black-robed men seemed to be greatly encouraged. They became excited and praised the "real sun god" while pushing Duncan to the front of the platform. The masked priest did not speak to Duncan until this moment: "Poor man who has gone astray... Can you feel the deep cold between the lightless rocks and soil?"
Duncan had no idea what the charlatan was saying and could only wait in silence. The priest obviously didn't care about the reaction of the "sacrifice" in front of him. His words were not spoken to Duncan, but more to the believers around him and to the "Sun God" he firmly believed in:
"Cold and darkness are the sufferings left by the false sun to this world. Under the rule of the false sun, the deep dark ocean ravages the world, and only fragmented small pieces of land allow living beings to survive. But even on these fragmented lands, people can hardly escape suffering. The shadows of the past linger underground, and their claws and teeth that devour people are wriggling in the lightless caves. The earth is filled with hatred and disputes, and the pure souls of mankind are tainted by the breath of the evil god...
"How can we endure this long suffering? How can we endure this distorted and absurd world brought about by the false sun
"We cannot stand this. We only hope that our Lord will return. We only hope that the real Sun God will come to the earth again, burning in blood and fire, and bring order and prosperity back to the world!"
Under the extremely inspiring tone of the masked priest, Duncan could clearly feel that the atmosphere in the gathering place had changed. The believers in black robes became excited one after another. They first echoed, and then the echo turned into fervent shouts: "May the real sun god come to the earth again! Burning in blood and fire!" "May the real sun god come to the earth again! Burning in blood and fire!"
"May the true sun god descend upon the earth again," the priest on the platform said loudly, and then pointed at Duncan, "and today, my lord will further awaken from his slumber—the blood of the lost will heal the wounds left by the sun's collapse!
"Bring up the sacrifice!"
Several men in black robes rushed over from the side, but Duncan was faster than them - he didn't even need anyone to push him, he turned over and climbed onto the altar by himself.
Although this body is not very useful, it is still possible to climb a platform.
After climbing up, he came to the front of the masked priest, who still maintained the majestic and mysterious posture when he gave the order just now - the change happened very suddenly, and the way it unfolded was completely beyond past experience, so that the cult leader could not react at once. He and Duncan looked at each other through the golden mask, and the area around the altar suddenly became strangely quiet.
Duncan seemed to have not noticed the change in the atmosphere around him at all. He just felt that he had collected more information about this world and was looking forward to seeing more rare scenes before this temporary body was "scrapped".
"Well," Duncan rubbed his hands with a sense of exploratory anticipation and inquired seriously, "then what? What's the next step?"
Masked Priest: “…”
"Didn't you hear me?" Duncan frowned, but because the muscles on his face were not working well, he didn't frown. "I say, what should I do next?"
At this time, the priest finally reacted. Although he was wearing a mask, there was a moment of confusion in his eyes. But soon he spoke in a low voice: "The shadow in the darkness has indeed affected your mind, but don't worry, the most holy sun will end your suffering... Bring the sacrifice to the totem!"
Two men in black robes immediately walked onto the stage from the side, pulled Duncan's arm and walked towards the totem pole with the fireball on top. Duncan didn't quite understand this step, so naturally he couldn't "cooperate in advance", but he still remained non-resistant, and obediently stood under the burning fireball under the "clamp" of the two men in black robes.
Although Duncan did not show any physical resistance, the two men in black robes who grabbed his arms still used great strength to clamp the arms of the "sacrifice", as if they were afraid that the sacrifice would resist violently and break free at the last moment. Their strength was so great that Duncan could even feel the bones of this temporary body bursting bit by bit, which made him look at the two men in black robes in surprise.
And then, the masked priest came over again.
Duncan's attention was immediately drawn to that place. He saw the priest pull out a peculiarly shaped dagger from his arms. The dagger was oddly bent like dry and twisted knuckles, and the blade was pitch black as if made of obsidian. The surface of the dagger reflected the firelight on the totem, and it looked very strange.
Duncan silently prepared to cut off the "soul projection". He knew that this was the limit of the information that this temporary body could collect.
The cult priest's prayer sounded from the high platform:
"Oh, the most holy sun god! Please accept this sacrifice on the altar! I offer you the heart of this sacrifice, and I hope you will return it from blood and fire!"
Duncan immediately stopped the action of cutting off the soul projection and looked at the cult priest in front of him as if he was a fool.
(Oh my god!)