Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 424 - 283: Hunter and Prey (5)

Chapter 424: Chapter 283: Hunter and Prey (5)

Pushing open the great doors of the Prayer Hall, the Assistant Priest looked towards his own Bishop, "News has come from the Mage Tower, Your Excellency; they have found the battlefield. A squad of Tech Hunters, who had accepted the bounty from the town hall, died in combat in the Northern Forest, merely three kilometers from the scene."

"Did the Tower Master from that Mage Tower say what infernal thing it was?" the Bishop asked, turning around.

"Undead. We have discovered two sites where the Undead appeared. One was at that battleground, where a false Lich and the last of the Tech Hunters perished together. The other was by the river, where a false Lich was slain near the riverbank, with the battling Mages unable to find a shooting position nearby."

"It must have been a shot from a very distant location. These deceitful false Liches are but puppets in someone else’s hands. They may possess self-awareness, but they would never have imagined that an Archer capable of striking them down from three hundred, even four hundred yards away, would pull the trigger that signifies judgment," the elder Bishop said before posing a new question, "Lord Malin, Prince Faye, and the little Werewolf, where are they?"

"The battling Mages have found their traces further north. They must have passed through the forest heading northward, most likely towards Rodar and the Sibis area. They should be crossing the Southern Plains to reach Sibis City... Dispatch a messenger, and tell our brethren to receive them well."

"Yes, Your Excellency," the Assistant Priest yielded.

The old Bishop turned back to continue gazing at the small statue in front of him.

Eventually, he smiled.

"Cunning little fellow."

In the Prayer Hall, his evaluation echoed along with the joyful laughter of an old man.

.........

"Marian, I have good news and bad news for you; which do you want to hear first?" The young man who entered looked at Marian, who sized em up, "You better make it quick, or I’ll have to crack your skull before you finish talking."

"Well, the bad news first, everyone in that camp is dead. Seven Apprentices, all dead," the young man said with a shrug.

"Then you’d better make the good news something I can take."

"Okay, the good news is we found those two Ogres. They were killed in the forest and were confirmed to be killed by the arrows exclusively used by Malin Gaiate. A Punisher squad from the Church of Justice found their traces up north and also discovered quite a lot of Undead traces. He fled from the pursuit of the Undead and Ogres."

Upon hearing this news, Marian impatiently walked over to a map of Carterburg and its surrounding areas.

"You say they headed northward, then they must have gone to Rodar and the Sibis area in the Southern Plains. The most likely destination is Sibis City. This cunning youngster... he must have sensed the presence of the Undead, then instinctively felt something amiss. For safety’s sake, he chose the longest route for them, which, with the aid of the Church of Justice’s War Dogs, also became the safest."

"What you said is the same as the old Bishop from the Church of Justice. He also thinks so," the young man nodded, somewhat convinced.

"He’s a sly old fellow; don’t take it too seriously. He has lived longer than both you and me," Marian said, furrowing his brows, "I think you shouldn’t stand there looking like a fool now. Seven Apprentices have died in battle, and what you need to do now is return to your office, prepare every one of their battle death reports, and then I will accompany you to meet the parents of these Apprentices."

"Oh, I heard the old Bishop say that you used to write them." The young man scowled.

"That’s because that damn man who should go to hell bet with me, and I lost. Now you, as his successor, haven’t made a bet with me. So, go back to your office right now, this very instant, otherwise I’m going to thrash on behalf of your family until you are as dumb as an imbecile," Marian said.

"Oh, you nag even more than my father." Marian’s new boss tapped his own head.

"That’s why I am friends with your father. The insane and the mad are fast friends who never run out of things to say. So, get moving and write those reports," Marian snapped.

After sending the young man off, Marian gazed at the map in front of him, "Old Hoffman, my dear friend, I never thought that, even in death, you turned out to be the luckiest one among us brothers."

Marian sighed and turned towards the Prayer Hall.

If that kid had been my Apprentice, I would be waking up laughing from my dreams.

Unfortunately, Fate ordained that he would be your Apprentice, and you, of all people, would never believe that this child would one day save you and your secretive sect in a way no one could have anticipated.

.........

For Malin, Rodar and the Sibis area were cities very unfamiliar to him, the only thing he knew was that Sibis City, serving as an essential passageway between the Western and Eastern provinces, boasted numerous towns. The prosperity brought by the caravans had given this area a development level not inferior to Carterburg, even surpassing it in some respects.

Along the way, Malin led his group to spend the night in a town where, in the Benevolent Church’s infirmary, Jessica’s brother Link received decent treatment. At least he no longer needed a tourniquet on his severed arm.

Regenerating an arm requires a lot of materials, and the clinic here won’t hold back, but Malin doesn’t think it’s a big deal—after all, he has already escaped from the forest, and it’s a victory to bring Link back to Carterburg alive. As for regeneration, it can wait until they get back. As long as the head is still on the shoulders, any illness that can be cured with money is not really an illness.

Early the next morning, when Malin and his companions left the town, Link was able to direct his War Dog by himself, but Malin specifically bought a cart to put the young Werewolf in, and then rode the War Dog, dragging the cart behind.

By noon, Malin felt that something was off—they had been passing through villages, and he turned to look at Faye, "How far are we from Sibis City?"

"We’re here." Both girls and the cub in the cart responded in unison.

"What?" Malin felt a swarm of question marks over his head.

"Rodar and the southern area of Sibis region is Sibis City, while the north is Rodar City. Originally, these were two settlements. The ancestors of the City Lords pioneered these two areas and seventy years ago, for administrative convenience, the administration of that time merged the two cities into one region. Speaking of which, Southerners from Sibis have always had a bit of a strained relationship with the Northerners from Rodar," Faye said, sighing, "kind of like how the Southerners always disdain the Northerners for being poor."

Alright then, it’s the old indestructible alliance model.

With this in mind, Malin noticed a city appearing in the distance, beyond the hills underfoot, the sight of which astonished him—looking at those buildings, three, four, and even five stories tall.

Even though they weren’t exactly skyscrapers, it certainly exceeded Malin’s imagination—in his opinion, buildings typically three stories high, like those in Carterburg, already represented the height of an era.

"No wonder Logan always says that Carterburg is a backwater place." Malin felt a sense of admiration at everything before him.

"You’re listening to cousin Logan’s tall tales. He also claims that the Eastern Kingdom has the most natural scenery, yet he forgets that over there, it’s said that they wipe their butts with their hands, and a person only bathes three times in their life," Link said with a laugh.

Malin turned around, "How can Logan be considered your cousin?"

"Hmm." Link nodded, "He’s also my sister’s cousin."

Malin’s face went numb, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings—Logan, your family should be surnamed Habsburg, right?

Nevertheless, upon entering the city, Malin was still shocked by the efficiency of the Church of Justice—they had been on the run for a day and a night without telling anyone, yet the Bishop of the Church of Justice in Sibis City somehow managed to have people watching the main road into the city from the previous night.

With a Paladin to escort them, Malin and his companions were let in after their luggage was checked. The inspection took a while, all because of Link; it seemed there had recently been an assassin who, just like Link, had his hand chopped off and was now on the run.

The City Guards found Link suspicious—though they didn’t have the audacity to accuse him of anything false in front of a Paladin of the Church of Justice. After Link passed the lie detection, the Guards issued him a proof of identification and then collected the entrance fee, which wasn’t expensive, just half a gold.

It’s said that this is to prevent refugees from the North from always trying to sneak into the city.

Charging half a gold is because the lazy good-for-nothings don’t have money in their pockets, while those who can find work wouldn’t roam around aimlessly.

After receiving the news, the local Benevolent Church of the Goddess of Harvest took Link for further treatment. Jessica didn’t accompany her brother—according to her, having her brother alive and back home was the best gift she could give to her father.

Malin handed over the War Dog to the local Church of Justice and then prepared to take the girls back to Regensburg.

At the transport portal, Malin was stopped by a Mage Tower member in charge of managing the portal. They said the Tower Master of the Mage Tower in Carterburg had a small question for him.

If Malin could answer this small question, the transportation would be free, and the next five times they would get a fifty percent discount.

Ha, you Mage Tower folks think you can buy the time of a rising capitalist with money? Do you really think Malin Gaiate has so much time to waste?

Or is it..."You’re asking me where I killed that Undead? To the North, walk along the river about five hundred and seventy-nine yards, on top of a small hill."

Seeing the eagerness for knowledge in the eyes of the Tower Master in front of him, Malin ultimately provided an answer.

It’s not because the Tower Master said that once he receives Malin’s answer, he would share half of the betting pool’s prize money with Malin.

Malin could swear it.

As for how much money was in the prize pool... well, not much, just around two hundred thousand or so.

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