Compared with the heated discussion atmosphere in the church on the surface, the atmosphere below the church and in the dungeon seemed particularly silent.
Dazzling gray-white holy light was emitted from Artanis's fingertips. The mold and black blood that were illuminated were like water stains under the scorching sun. They were completely evaporated and purified in an instant. A strong holy aura surrounded the old bishop's side. A small sanctuary was formed.
On the side, Joshua used fighting energy to burn the chaos monsters transformed from the cultists. In the shrill screams, those twisted and disgusting disgusting monsters were ignited into nothingness bit by bit by the flames containing the power of order.
It didn't take the two of them long to purify the dungeon. After a few minutes, they completed purifying the cell hall.
"Cultists are really unsettling... Let others practice the rest."
Moving his wrist and walking towards the exit, Artanis glanced at other areas of the dungeon and couldn't help but sigh: "Obviously, the weather around Moldavia is still smooth, and even the demon tide from the year before last did not cause much harm. , how could anyone fall into the arms of the evil god?"
There was a hint of doubt in his voice. You must know that ordinary people will become cultists mostly because they can't survive.
The most important reason why there are many cults gathering in the human settlement area in the west is that there was a severe drought forty years ago. Crops in the entire Xishan area generally failed. Even with the help of mages, many farmers could not even eat, but they still managed to survive. They had to pay taxes as usual. In desperation, these poor people either committed suicide or fell into the arms of various cults, and they have continued to cause trouble to this day.
War and natural disasters are the soil for the development of cults, but apart from the great demon tide the year before last, there were no natural disasters in the North. Logically speaking, there should not be so many cultists.
"Reasons can be found at any time. As long as desires are not satisfied, chaos will continue to spread."
Standing on the right side of the old bishop with his hands behind his back, Joshua looked unconcerned. He raised his head slightly and recalled: "We are pretty good here. Today, the Far South is the worst-hit area where cults are rampant. You We also know that because of the dragon disaster, the entire coastal and southern forests have fallen. The kingdom's three major legions guarding the central front and the Nanling Fortress have no time to worry about anything else. There are still hundreds of thousands of people who have not escaped from the fallen areas, which are the most degraded areas. A good breeding ground.”
In Joshua's memory, because the mad dragon would not attack those on the Chaos side, the occupied areas in the Far South in his previous life were basically filled with villages controlled by cultists. They lured refugees with safety and food. Brainwashed and created fanatics as spies, sneaked into the Royal Army's defense lines and waited for opportunities to destroy.
In the previous life of Far South players, their task at the beginning of the second version was to battle wits with various cultists and detect their disguises. Some people even did the opposite, pretending to be cultists and sneaking into villages in occupied areas to search for enemies. Party information.
"The recent situation in the south is indeed not good."
Following the topic raised by Joshua, Artanis also remembered some information sent by the church. As he walked, he said with some worry: "The five-color dragon clan has not sent a large-scale dragon beast army for two weeks. Attacked, the Holy Mountain side speculates that they plan to gather enough troops, then attack the central defense line in one fell swoop, and completely occupy the Far South Kingdom."
If the Far South Kingdom really falls, then the Holy Mountain will not be able to survive alone. This is what the old bishop is worried about. No matter how powerful Pope Eagle is, he cannot stop the attack of the entire five-color dragon clan.
"So, they came to the Empire..."
The faces of Robzek and Saya immediately appeared in Joshua's mind, and he recalled the performance of the church's group in the imperial capital - it was obvious that they did have a special mission.
The Holy Mountain is now joining forces with the Far South Kingdom to fight against the dragon disaster. They must also be suffering from the current situation... Maybe the church mission came to the imperial capital just to negotiate for assistance
However, the empire has just finished its last battle with the orcs. Whether it is the emperor's five direct legions or other troops, they have been overworked for a long time. It is unlikely that they will cross half of the continent to fight the dragon beasts. They should also know this, and they have not done so in the previous life. There was news about the alliance between the empire and the forces in the far south.
While the warrior was thinking about these things, footsteps sounded at the entrance of the dungeon.
In a quiet place, the sound will be particularly clear. Joshua can easily hear that there are three people coming. He knows without guessing that they must be Ying, Rin and Loranda.
"Owner."
Sure enough, a crisp sound sounded, and the figure of the silver-haired girl quickly appeared in the warrior's field of vision. After seeing Joshua, Ying quickly stepped forward. She happily hugged the warrior's right hand, then raised her head and reported: "Luo Mr. Landa said he has something to do with you, and I feel like I have something to do again!”
"Something is not a good thing. Don't be so happy just because you think you can kill people."
Letting the girl hold his right hand, Rin silently walked to his side. Joshua shook his head with a smile. He also discovered that since returning to the world of Ilgna, Hotaru's personality has undergone some subtle changes. Even if the silver-haired girl wants to be used, she rarely expresses her expectations so directly, but now, she can express her expectations in a cheerful tone.
—It feels like... growing up
Indeed, as a divine machine, Rin was instilled with knowledge by the previous generation of earls and old housekeepers as early as the beginning of his creation. His memory core records the knowledge required for divine machines of all generations. Therefore, as his younger brother, Rin's Her personality is a little more mature than Ying's, and you can tell how she behaves with others on weekdays.
As for Hotaru, she initially lost to Rin in the synchronization rate experiment, so she was not trained as a weapon for the next generation of Radcliffe family head. When Joshua signed a contract with her, the silver-haired girl's His personality is like a blank slate, and he even seems a little "cold" because he doesn't know how to express it.
But in the past two years, Ying has been living with soldiers and communicating with people in the main city. Ying has gradually learned various communication skills - for example, holding Joshua's arm and acting coquettishly like this, before, this was Absolutely impossible.
"Loranda, your face doesn't look good."
Turning his head, Joshua looked at the Paladin who was walking slowly. He did look a little tired.
"Of course, after all, I only rested for half a day and then started working hard again."
Loranda joked with himself with a wry smile. In fact, Loranda also knew that he was in a bad state now. It was not just because of the all-night interrogation last night. The battle in the world of Ilgna was also the main reason. For him, that battle The battle was still a bit too hard.
After all, the Paladin is not Joshua. With the Azure Orb and Father Nature's treatment, he can quickly recover.
"Speaking of which, Loranda, I met your friends from the church in the imperial capital."
Since he had been thinking about the purpose of the church mission before, Joshua quickly remembered this matter after seeing the Paladins: "They look very familiar with you, and I can tell at a glance that I have been in contact with you."
"...Really, who is it?"
Loranda originally wanted to tell Joshua and Artanis about the new group of cultists, but after hearing the soldiers' words, he suppressed the question and asked curiously: "My comrades-in-arms are subordinate As for the Holy Grail Knights, they should still be stationed in the Plague Land, and they should not be in the Imperial Capital."
"The leader of the Knights of the Hammer of Freedom, Robzek, and the nun of Glendon Abbey, Saya."
After simply telling the full names of the two people, Joshua keenly noticed the change in Loranda's expression. He couldn't help but frowned: "Why does your face become more ugly? Don't these two people belong to you? friend?"
"No... they are my friends."
Compared with before, Loranda's face did become uglier, but this was not because of fatigue, but for other deeper reasons: "But, this is impossible... even if the entire Holy Grail Knights are on an envoy The Imperial Capital is more likely to come than them... "
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Joshua did not continue speaking, waiting for the paladin to explain.
After Loranda thought for a while under the gaze of the soldiers and Artanis, she frowned and whispered: "Captain Robzek is a friend of my mentor. He is usually responsible for my training and also teaches me." I use the mysteries of the war hammer, and Saya... She is like a sister to me. She has been taking care of me since I entered the church... "
After finishing speaking, the Holy Knight raised his head, with only doubts and worries in his blue eyes: "But two years ago, they accompanied the Glendon Second Battle Monk Regiment to station in the Abyss of Anos for a five-year mission. The garrison mission, logically speaking, they will never come back now, unless something big goes wrong in the Abyss of Anos!"
I owe three chapters. Well, my fault is that I am really stuck. I really don’t know how to write foreshadowing. It’s obviously a mark for the next copy. I just can’t write it. My head is spinning... I owe three chapters this month. It must be completed. I don’t believe it. Every time I say I need to add more updates, I get stuck...
(End of chapter)