'As I thought, this Hooper guy has already been corrupted by some demon. But somehow, he is resisting the demon's temptation. It seems he has a strong heart. Well, it's just a matter of time.' Abium felt pity for the wavy-haired adventurer and spoke.
"Hooper, I need your help on something. If you and your team complete my job, I may find a way to eliminate that demon mark in your heart." He spoke while giving him a piece of paper and made a request.
"I want you and your team to find out where I can get mermaid's blood and Moon Sugar. I need at least 250 ml of an Elite Mermaid's blood and 100 to 200 grams of Moon sugar."
"My Lord, I know where we could get that 'Moon Sugar.' A few months ago, I heard that the royal family of the Keris Kingdom is using Moon sugar to make tea on special occasions. If you need this ingredient, I can ask the Royal chef to give us a hundred grams." Nadine, who always acted silent, suddenly raised her hand and spoke.
'Oh? It's not a precious item?'
"That will be helpful." Abium couldn't help but nod with a smile.
Then, he thought about the blood of Elite Mermaid and began to ask,
"What about Mermaids? Do you have any clue?"
But Nadine shook her head, causing Abium to sigh in disappointment.
'Where can I find those mermaids? Mermaids appear very rarely to the seashores and always reside in deep sea. And even if they did appear, humans would capture them and sell them to slave traders for hefty prices.' Abium stopped for a moment and quickly said.
"Hooper, I think you should ask slave traders about those mermaids. If you managed to find one, try your best to buy it from the trader and keep it in a good place. Also, don't try to do anything funny."
"I wouldn't dare to do, My Lord." Hooper muttered stiffly.
After some discussion, Nicolaus and Roysia bid farewell to everyone and left Silverland city before dawn.
...
8th September, in a large tent outside Silverland City,
It was around 8 p.m.
A 30-year-old lean man sat on a luxurious chair and looked at the dark sky through a small transparent hole in the tent.
At that moment, he held an opened book in his right hand and appeared to be in the middle of muttering a strange incarnation.
Two blue magic lamps were placed on both sides of the table in front of him and gave a bright glow to the surroundings, making his face look paler.
He had hooded jade eyes, ordinary eyebrows, and frizzy chestnut-colored hair. He also wore a white-colored rochet; covering it was a red-colored cassock and black tippet. At that moment, he also held a golden brass crozier in his left hand and looked more mysterious.
He was none other than Bishop Piers.
While he was looking at the dark sky, a white-robed man around the same age suddenly opened the tent and walked in with a solemn look. He had a round face, fair skin, elongated eyebrows, and short blonde hair. He also had a unique, beautiful long sword on his waist and looked more like a knight.
"What happened, Arkos?" Piers kept his eyes locked on the sky and asked casually.
"We found something odd on today's reports, teacher," Arkos said while looking intensely at his Teacher.
"Arkos, do you know why I always look at the sky and watching the stars?" Suddenly, Piers retracted his gaze from the sky and glanced at Arkos.
Arkos was startled a bit and replied after a short deliberation,
"You are learning more about the astrology and the trajectory of fate, Teacher. You always watch the sky whenever you feel troubled about something and then tell us about accurate future events using strange divination."
"Yes. These mysterious stars hold so many secrets. By understanding those stars, one could not only guess the accurate future but might even shift the trajectory of the fate itself. But that was long ago. Before the destruction of Itera, it was very easy for anyone in our world to understand 'Time' law. But now, only seers and diviners have the ability to see some future events." He deliberated for a moment and then let out a laugh.
"Alas, mages found another way. During the Ancient Era, the astrologers created some mysterious formulas and applied them on the stars to predict future events," Piers said with a mysterious smile and gave that black-covered book to Arkos,
"Take this book, Arkos. I got this book when I killed a Seer from Arcane Empire long ago and found more about the stars' secrets. Although we are forbidden to use magic, that doesn't mean we can't research those magic books. This book will help you learn some truths about those stars."
Upon hearing his Teacher's words, Arkos stunned for a while and soon asked with a confused expression.
"Why are you giving me this book now?"
"My time has come, Arkos. It's been almost 250 years since I became a servant of our Lord, and now I think it's time for me to rest. Haa! Just now, I also watched my own future and was deeply saddened by that." Piers said with a bitter smile and continued without minding his disciple's shocked face.
"Don't worry. I have already laid out the plan, and all you guys have to do is follow the steps and complete our mission, even if it costs your life. Don't lose your heart when I die in a few days. Continue with the plan and purify this land from those sinners. We must kill all those filthy royalties and nobles and let these poor citizens break away from these evil sinners' claws." As his words ended, his eyes were filled with complete determination.
"We will achieve that in two years with our lord's guidance, teacher." Arkos showed a determined look and replied, full of devotion.
Meanwhile, Piers was pleased by his response and slowly shifted his gaze toward the documents in Arkos's hand.
"What did you find odd in the report?" He asked.
"It's about that necromancer, Teacher. During the past few days, he has been acting strangely and meeting with a commoner boy. It seems he is plotting something." Arkos said with puzzlement.
"Leave him alone. He is definitely after the 'Death Cane' like those filthy beasts. Our Holiness ordered us to get that artifact at all costs, so we don't need to think about any mercy when we enter that Dark dungeon." Piers waved his hand and then asked, as he thought of something,
"What about those two fox beasts?"
"That child and her mother seemed to have got some help from a mysterious spatial mage. As for that assassin squad, I don't think they are still alive." Arkos said while shaking his head.
Upon seeing this, Piers got disappointed and spoke coldly.
"Don't underestimate those filthy beasts, Arkos. They would have already ruled half of this plane if not for the Moon's Crown in our Holiness's hand. Our sixth Holiness stole that crown from the Moon Goddess's fallen divine kingdom during the ancient war and kept it hidden all this time. If the Ancient Mages had known the truth, they would have stormed into the Holy See and gotten that Moon's Crown.
Those beasts must be kept under control or must be eliminated. Even a single beast roaming freely in this land threatens our Lord. That's the reason I put those beasts on my first killing list. They must be eliminated from this world at all costs." Piers's words shocked Arkos. Although he didn't hate the beastkin like his Teacher, he still felt them as inferior beings and nodded his head in approval.
After a short pause, Arkos began to speak again.
"Teacher, I also got strange news from the Thieves guild members. They are talking about some demon participating in tomorrow's mission, and it seems to be targeting you." As he spoke, he placed a slip on the table, which contained all the news about the rumors.
At first, Piers didn't put his words into his ears. But as he started reading the document, his face turned serious.
Soon, he turned his face gloomy and spoke gravely,
"Contact Archbishop Rafe and inform this news to him. We might need his assistance if these rumors are real."
Arkos became stunned and ran out of the tent anxiously, leaving Piers alone again.
"At first, it was Necromancers, then these Filthy beasts, and now demons. Haa! Chaos era did start like the oracle." He muttered solemnly and slowly turned his gaze towards the endless dark sky.
...