"The bishop and the city lord took the Dawn Knights of Numas with them before they left. Going to find them is indeed a good choice, at least it can guarantee the safety of His Highness the Holy Son and Miss Melody," said Pastor Hodgson, wiping away tears from his eyes.
“Alright, South Milly is still quite a distance from here. Follow me.” Miss Melody’s slender fingers shone brightly with golden light, and a golden carriage appeared on the spot.
The carriage was large enough to seat everyone present. Four magnificent horses pulled the exquisitely carved carriage, their hooves burning with flames, creating an imposing sight. The gauze curtains were embroidered with sun patterns in gold thread, and through the curtains, one could see the comfortable seats and the dazzling golden crystals on them. This reminded Phil Gray of Apollo's sun chariot in Greek mythology.
The Cult of Dawn is indeed wealthy.
He admired it in his heart, but then Miss Melody said to him apologetically, "This was originally prepared for His Highness the Holy Son, but now everyone has to use it together."
Huh? For him?
This unexpected joy brought some comfort to his overly sorrowful heart. He shook his head and said, "It's alright, getting on the road is the priority. I don't mind."
Just as the group was about to get into the luxurious vehicle of the Holy Son, they heard the voices of two people talking not far behind them.
What is that?
"Hey! Is that a living person over there?"
"It seems so."
Approaching them were a young man with a cane and a middle-aged man. The young man's right foot seemed to be disabled, while the middle-aged man had a sharp kitchen knife tucked into his waistband and was wearing the robes of a priest from the Church of the God of Food.
“That’s Chef Alvis? And his nephew, the young man who’s doing business here, I’ve forgotten his name,” Reverend Hodgson said with delight, recognizing the newcomers.
“I am Clement, Uncle Hodgson,” the young man said, unable to contain his excitement at seeing so many living people amidst the zombie-infested landscape.
Phil Gray glanced at them; the two possessed considerable divine power, seemingly at the level of the Observer, which explained their survival.
“You’re still alive, that’s wonderful. I thought there was no one left alive in the city,” Hodgson sighed.
"What exactly happened? How could everyone around me turn into zombies overnight?" Alvis asked worriedly.
They all shook their heads; no one could explain what had happened.
“We are going to find the city lord and the bishop, what about you?” Reverend Hodgson asked.
“We plan to return to our respective churches, and if possible, we will request their assistance.” Alvis and his nephew exchanged a helpless glance. The Food God Cult and the Commercial Church had completely wiped out their shops in Numas City. Apart from the two prominent followers, the remaining employees had become part of the dazed zombies inside.
“Alright, thank you.” Reverend Hodgson bowed slightly to them, his face showing a mixture of shame and anger. The Church of Dawn had never encountered such a situation before.
This is a slap in the face to the first religion of Ver.
After exchanging pleasantries, they said their goodbyes. Phil Gray and the others boarded a carriage and headed towards South Milly. The carriage was much faster than the Grand Train, and the horses' hooves trod over the rugged mountain roads and streams as if they were walking on flat ground.
Before the sun was even at its zenith, they could see the walls of South Mile City.
"We haven't seen anyone along the way," Reverend Hodgson said. The villages they passed were deathly silent. There were no farmers carrying hoes like before, and not even the zombies they had expected.
Phil Gray did not respond to him, for the instant he saw South Milly, he heard an old whisper in his ear: "Dispel the fog of plague and let the dawn of life return."
Is this the saying of the daytime prophet?
Before he could fully grasp the meaning of the proverb, he heard a cold, deep voice again: "Purify the corrupted spirits of the dead, expel the source of evil..."
Phil Gray was somewhat surprised that the words of the two gods appeared at the same time. Could it be that they were talking about the same task?
How to resolve the current zombie crisis in the city?
If he resolves this issue, will both proverbs be considered complete at the same time?
"Plague"? So this incident was not caused by the followers of the god of death, nor is it related to the dead?
It seems that the person who created the virus is highly suspected.
The source of evil? The corrupted spirits of the dead?
Phil Gray pondered deeply, but still had no clue.
He looked up into the distance. Although the city of South Mili was bathed in sunlight, it seemed to be shrouded in shadow, faintly exuding an aura of death.
When they arrived at the city gate, they pushed open the heavy gate, but the scene inside was not quite what they had expected.
The bloodstains on the street had dried and turned black, and the severed limbs emitted a foul stench. Maggots and flies swarmed around them, making the people who entered feel nauseous.
However, there was no trace of zombies. They searched the city casually, but apart from the traces left on the ground, there was no trace of the zombies that were originally humans.
Like Numas City, Nanmili City, though a small city near the border of Dawn, had at least ten thousand inhabitants. Now, it's as if they've vanished into thin air!
"What is this?" Hodgson pointed to the strange symbols drawn on the wall. The symbols were so bizarre that they could make people feel dizzy and inexplicably afraid at first glance.
“There are some here too.” Phil Gray kicked aside some miscellaneous items and saw the same symbols on the ground. These symbols were drawn in blood and looked quite creepy.
"Are these the symbols of the God of Death?" Phil Gray asked, because there was a vague sense of familiarity about them.
“These symbols seem quite similar to the symbols of the gods of hunger, plague, disease, and disaster, and they appear to be fused together, but they are not any of them. Upon closer inspection, they are completely different.” Eli shook his head.
This is strange. In the previous supernatural events, the ones involved were all known gods and their followers. But what is this unknown fusion symbol? Does it mean that these gods' followers are all involved?
It is also possible that this could not be accomplished by the efforts of one party alone.
Phil Gray considered several possibilities, but felt the ground beneath his feet tremble.
Da da da!
The tremors on the ground grew stronger and stronger. He looked up and saw a troop of cavalry galloping toward them. They were dressed in golden armor, and their horses were treading on golden flames.
The two leading figures were Bishop Morris and Lord Steven!
This is the Dawn Knights of Numas City!
Everyone present instantly felt relieved, and Phil Gray also breathed a sigh of relief, his tense nerves finally relaxing.
"Your Highness, Miss Melody, what brings you here?" Maurice dismounted and asked in confusion.
Phil Gray glanced at the bishop and Lord Steven, unsure how to tell them, but Tracy could no longer contain himself. He rushed forward, crying out to Morris, "Uncle, your city is finished!"
"What do you mean?" Morris's expression changed, and he grabbed Tracy by the collar. "Explain yourself."
Tracy stammered as she recounted what had happened in town, with Reverend Hodgson providing appropriate supplementary information.
The two stood there stunned. Steven frowned. "I knew something was wrong with South Milly City. I didn't expect Numas City to suffer the same fate."
Suppressing his grief, Maurice spoke in a deep voice to the newly arrived group: "We searched the entire city of Southmili and found a letter left by the city lord. In the letter, he said that he, the bishop, and the only two remaining Dawn Knights held out in the city. During this time, they tried to send a message out and wait for rescue, but their message was intercepted by a group of black-clad sorcerers. Those people set up a strange array throughout the city, covered with these eerie runes. Did you see them? These are them."
He continued through gritted teeth, "At the end of the letter, the Lord of South Milli said he was going to rush out of the city and report to the Holy See, but two or three days have passed and the Holy See has not received any news. Now South Milli is a ghost town again, and the outcome is predictable."
A formation? Runes? Could it be that all the lives in this city were sacrificed to some god?
Phil Gray thought to himself that, based on the prophecy given to him by the daytime prophet and his previous speculations, these people who had temporarily turned into zombies were infected with some kind of plague and could recover, so this possibility existed.
“Almost overnight, everyone turned into zombies. What kind of power would be needed to do that?” Melody closed her eyes. As the daughter of the Pope, she had a natural sense of responsibility towards the Church of Dawn. But now, her followers and the cities under her jurisdiction were almost wiped out, and she was powerless to do anything about it.
“If it’s a disease, it can indeed spread very quickly, especially through the air. But if it’s airborne, how come Tracy is alright? Among us, except for him, we are all at the 'Prominent' level, and our physical condition is completely different from that of ordinary people. It’s reasonable that we weren’t easily infected. But what about him?” Phil Gray muttered to himself, glancing at Tracy, which made the latter shudder.
“What else could be faster than air…” Phil Gray’s mind raced, his eyes scanning the surroundings aimlessly until he spotted a river flowing through the city in the distance.
He hurriedly asked:
“Bishop Morris, do all the residents of South Mile City drink from the same water source? And is it the same in our city of Numas?”
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