Chapter 104: The Gathering Point

For various reasons, scattered across the worthless jungle wastelands were unrecorded human gathering points.

These gathering points generally had no Extraordinary guardians. As long as their scale did not exceed a certain limit, the local lords turned a blind eye. Caravans or mercenaries traveling in the wilds would sometimes stop by such places to resupply. If the environment was not too harsh, life in these gathering points could even carry a touch of utopian peace.

But the disadvantages were just as obvious.

Once a crisis beyond their ability to resist appeared, such small gathering points could be destroyed in an instant. A few hunting rifles, cold weapons for chasing game—these were little more than trifles before a malicious Extraordinary.

Like candles that could be snuffed out with a breath…

The carriage could only take them to the nearest small town in the Harvest Territory.

From there, Miss Maria had to ride her horse to the designated gathering point. The journey was uneventful. Along the way, she had the fortune to behold the towering magnificence of the Razor Mountains, which rose abruptly from the vast plains. Truly, anyone who saw that endless mountain range for the first time would feel a sense of dissonance—

As though, upon an infinite flat plain, someone had picked up a mountain range and dropped it there.

“The Razor Mountains, a natural barrier leading into the Northlands.”

Bouncing atop her black warhorse, Maria instinctively compared the range to the Wall of Despair, finding each wondrous in its own way. The Razor Mountains were a spectacle of nature; the Wall of Despair, a man-made miracle.

A trace of longing flickered in the clear crimson of her eyes.

Beyond those treacherous peaks lay the Northlands—her birthplace, the home of Maria von Cainhurst. She bore little affection for Cainhurst itself, yet ever since awakening the blood of the Pureblood Sovereign within her, she could not shake the faint call tugging at her heart.

…………

By the time Maria reached the gathering point marked on the map, it was already sunset the following day.

As the saying goes: a horse will run itself to death chasing a mountain. After traveling a day and a night, Maria found the Razor Mountains looked scarcely different, only slightly larger. Yet as she neared the dense forests at the base of the range, the temperature dropped sharply.

Fortunately, Maria’s body ran naturally cold; rather than discomfort, the chill invigorated both her body and spirit.

Inside the gathering point—

This one was pitifully small, its limits visible at a glance. Riding in, Maria immediately spotted the signs Arthur and Liline had left behind, brazenly hanging before a wooden hut, fluttering in the wind.

Sweeping her gaze subtly around, she tethered her warhorse, then entered the hut with calm poise.

“Good day, Sir Arthur. Good day, Lady Liline.” Entering and seeing two familiar figures, Maria bowed slightly.

“Hii~ dearest Maria~”

The dazzling Lady Liline greeted her cheerfully. Her voluptuous figure was wrapped in a fur coat, though even that garment strained against her exaggerated curves. From its seams peeked pale skin and a plunging ravine deep enough to drown any man’s gaze.

To stand beside such a god-given beauty was a trial of confidence for any woman.

Even Maria, firm of heart though she was, could not help but feel the urge to find a mirror and measure—where, exactly, she compared against Liline.

Arthur inclined his head in quiet acknowledgment.

“Maria, why not join our Lady of the Lake’s faith? Following the Radiant Lord is such a waste.” Cupping her face in her hands, Liline’s bright eyes sparkled with mischief as she teased Maria to defect.

The Lady’s faith favored beauty in both men and women.

Maria, not yet fully matured, already bore the promise of great beauty. The Lady of the Lake was never stingy with her gifts.

“Mind your words, Lady Liline!” Maria’s scalp prickled at the thought. Were the Radiant Lord to hear such poaching, no matter His usual patience, He might react harshly. She herself was no ordained clergy—who knew how the Lord regarded her?

“Don’t be afraid, dear. The Lady favors you as well. Consider it later~~”

With an innocent smile, Liline blinked her enchanting eyes, her natural allure shining through every gesture. In truth, among the just gods, the Lady of the Lake and the Radiant Lord shared good relations: His domains of light and joy, Hers of beauty and love—complementary by nature. Some whispered that many of His aesthetic ideals were influenced by Her.

Maria had to avert her gaze from Liline’s deliberate charm. Yet none forgot the true matter at hand.

News of the Forbidden Lord of Cinder had reached Pastor Arthur through the gathering point’s wardens. Given Arthur’s silence, Lady Liline spoke in his place.

The news was grim.

According to seal monitoring, the Forbidden Lord of Cinder—tainted by Chaos—was showing signs of waking. Yet due to his unique lifeform, the power of the First Flame still within him was suppressing and purifying the corruption.

The Bell capable of awakening and controlling the Lord had already been carried into the forest by clergy of the Sun God system, bound for the seal.

After resting and resupplying, they would enter the woods at dawn. The Cathedral’s orders were clear: should the Lord lose control, this special squad would assume command and, together with the Sun clergy, either re-seal or destroy him.

That was, of course, the worst-case scenario.

The Sun clergy dismissed concerns, boasting of the seal techniques from divine Lordran, certain they could not fail. But Maria and her companions, who had faced Chaos firsthand, were far less optimistic.

Maria in particular knew the terror of Chaos.

Most of all—

‘So, both the Noble Council and the Church have been influenced by the Closed Beta players. This trial mission concerning the Lord of Cinder is bound to go awry. And us—the Church’s so-called “special squad”—Arthur, Liline, and I—aren’t even Sun clergy. Did that old man blunder out of senility, or by design…?’

Maria’s elegantly lacquered red nails tapped lightly against her arm. Her mission was simple: if the Lord of Cinder was corrupted, she must kill him and seize the rare materials from his body.

Materials that would form the key ingredient for her next bloodline potion.