Chapter 98: The Mysterious Mist

The dim candlelight illuminated the moss-covered stone walls, and the clanking of armor echoed through the dark and damp corridors.

This is the base of the Trident Knights in Thunder City, or to be more precise, the dungeon below the base of the Knights.

Unlike the small dark room in the cemetery, there are no skeletons telling ghost stories here. Instead, there are only the most authentic punishments and screams and wails that penetrate the soul.

Strictly speaking, as the lord's army, the Knights do not have the power to enforce the law in an autonomous city like Thunder City.

However, if you have the lord's warrant, it won't be a problem.

The man holding the candlestick walked to the end of the corridor, stopped in front of a wooden door with an iron frame, and cast his eyes on the knight's squire guarding the door.

"Where's Mel?"

The young knight's squire stood at attention with a nervous expression and glanced quickly at the wooden door next to him.

“…Inside.”

The moss-covered wooden door exudes a stale smell, like a back door leading to the depths of hell.

Listening to the faint pleas and howls coming from behind the door, the man frowned slightly, but in the end he said nothing and just reached out and grasped the door handle.

With a slight creaking sound, he pushed open the rotten wooden door and walked in. What greeted him was the strong smell of blood and the pungent smell of rotting fat.

"Miles?"

An armed priest with a mace hanging on his waist stood outside the compartment of the interrogation room and cast a surprised look at the knight who walked in, as if he did not expect him to appear here.

"What brings you here?"

"I am here to see the progress of your work by order of the Lord."

The man named Miles looked around and his eyes fell on the closed door of the interrogation room.

There was one thing he didn't say.

The local citizens were quite dissatisfied with their actions, and the public resentment was so intense that the lord had to respond.

The interrogation room was busy and he vaguely heard the sound of nails being hammered, so he asked casually.

"Mel's in there?"

"Yes." The armed priest nodded and said with a smile, "In addition, there was another accomplice of Miranda... He refused to admit anything at first, but his poor acting skills failed to deceive the eyes of Knight Commander Mel, and we finally pried his mouth open."

Miles nodded and continued to ask.

"And then? This is the nth accomplice you have arrested."

"The eleventh," the armed chaplain said proudly, "thanks to Mr. Meier's reasoning, we are getting closer and closer to the truth."

"Eleven." Miles did not show any joy when he heard this. Instead, he frowned slightly and muttered to himself, "What kind of necromancer... actually has so many accomplices."

Generally speaking, with so many people united around a necromancer, this is no longer an ordinary criminal gang.

It is a secret religion.

Placing the candlestick in his hand on the wooden table beside him, he did not go in to disturb his colleagues' work. Instead, he sat down at the table with a small window and reached out to pull up the partition.

The moment he pulled up the partition, a strong smell of blood wafted into his nose.

Although he had tortured many guilty people, the horrific scene before him still made him tighten his face involuntarily.

I saw the man sitting on the interrogation chair with his head covered with a bloody white cloth.

A thick rope was hung around his neck, and dozens of iron nails pierced his shoulders, arms, knees and ankles, nailing him to the chair.

Miles couldn't think of a more appropriate description other than "horrific".

There wasn't even a single intact piece of skin on this guy's body. I guess the torture chamber in Hell must be just like this.

In order to prevent the prisoners from fainting, the interrogation room is specially equipped with an armed priest trainee who releases healing and holy light magic from time to time.

Myers couldn't see the prisoner's face because it was covered by a white cloth.

However, he could clearly see that the young man wearing the apprentice knight badge had a face as white as paper, with beads of sweat on his forehead, as if he might faint at any time... One could imagine how many times he had used the Holy Light today.

However, in contrast, Knight Mel's face still had a meticulous expression.

He crossed his fingers on the table, and his focused eyes were like torches, as if no evil could escape exposure in front of those eyes.

That perseverance is certainly admirable.

But unconsciously, a slight chill rose in Miles' heart.

Let's finish it soon.

He couldn't help but pray silently for the prisoner in his heart.

At this time, Knight Commander Mel cleared his throat and waved his hand to signal the executioner holding nails and hammers to retreat.

"So, Mr. Bracken... do you remember anything about your accomplice?"

"I……"

The intermittent voice made it difficult to tell whether it was a confession or a repentance.

Knight Commander Mel signaled to the people standing next to him to tear off the white cloth on his head, and recited the spell to summon the Holy Light.

Bathed in the milky holy light, the prisoner sitting on the interrogation chair regained some spirit.

As a mouthful of blood came out of his mouth, the insane voice seemed to become a little clearer.

"I...I am guilty. The day before yesterday...no, it should be last month. I did meet Miranda."

Except for the prisoner, everyone in the interrogation room was shocked. Knight Commander Mel stared at the prisoner who was slowly speaking and asked in a stern voice.

"Tell me the exact time and place!"

Black blood flowed down the cracked corners of his mouth onto his heels. The prisoner named Bracken panted softly, opened his mouth, and let his fragmented consciousness dissipate freely.

He could be sure of that.

I don’t know that guy named Miranda, and I don’t know what he has done wrong.

but--

He knew that if he answered like this, the Knight Commander in front of him would definitely not be satisfied.

It seemed as if something was sticking to his ear, whispering beside his shaky consciousness.

"You really haven't seen it?"

Isn't it? Bracken stubbornly answered the voice that emerged from his heart, but the response he got was an unquestionable one.

"What you have seen...remember it quickly."

I... have seen him? The hazy black shadow floated to the side of Knight Commander Mel, and seemed to overlap with the majestic and holy figure.

Faced with that unquestionable gaze and the distant echo, Bracken suddenly became undecided.

If he really hasn't seen it...why is he sitting here?

Why was he tortured like this? There is no doubt that——

He had indeed met Miranda, the crazy alchemist and necromancer.

That’s not all.

He was also his servant, serving the same gods with him - the gods that came from Chaos.

"The time... should be the day when Grand Duke Campbell held his triumphal ceremony. The location seems to be... the Pavilion of Swords and Broken Swords." Under the influence of the irresistible force, he spoke these clear words in a trance, "I saw that face, it was a face... that was hard to forget once you saw it. Handsome is not enough to describe him, he seemed to not belong to the human world..."

Pavilion of Swords and Broken Swords!

The moment they heard the name, everyone present, except Miles, showed excitement on their faces.

Especially Mel.

He was so excited that he wanted to stand up.

All the prisoners they interrogated mentioned that place in unison.

The tavern behind the Thunder City Adventurer's Guild!

"And then? Keep talking!" Mel clenched his fists, leaned forward, and stared at him intently. "What is your organization? What evil spirit do you serve? Were you holding a rally that day? And - what did you see at the rally? "

This was the most sober prisoner he had interrogated.

When the other prisoners talked about this, most of them were either crazy or dead.

It's obvious.

Miranda cast an evil curse on them to prevent them from revealing anything about the organization.

This guy is in good shape! Mel has full confidence that he can make a breakthrough in this guy! As if infected by the strong momentum on him, Bracken slowly raised his head, and under the guidance of the voice in the dark, he slowly opened his mouth and gently uttered the most truthful lie.

"Novel..."

"Novel?" Mel felt like he had heard this name somewhere before. He stared at him and wrote down the name on a piece of paper. "Is this your organization?"

Bracken shook his head, his eyes gradually became empty, as if he had become a different person, mumbling to himself.

"He is the name of the strange fog, the embodiment of knowledge and conspiracy, and one of the great beings wandering in the chaos—"

As he spoke, Bracken stared at Mel with his hollow eyes, and his voice gradually became crazy.

"At the same time, He is also the true God that we who thirst for the truth truly serve!"

The devil finally showed his tail.

In the presence of Holy Light, all evil will be exposed!

Seeing the evil energy suddenly emerging from the prisoner and his nearly self-destructive speech, all the knights present widened their eyes.

Especially Miles who was watching.

When he saw this poor guy before, he was completely blinded by his own softness. For a moment he even had doubts, suspecting that Knight Commander Mel had caught the wrong person.

Now it seems——

Mel is right.

Only the cultists would pronounce the names of the outer gods without hesitation, and the aura emanating from that guy is undoubtedly the evil energy in chaos.

That is purer evil than the undead! Miles showed a look of shame on his face.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

Expressions of shock and astonishment were written on the faces of every knight present.

Only Mel was different.

In addition to shock, his face also showed a hint of ecstasy! Novel! Weird fog!

I see--

He should have guessed it was this person! That mysterious voice had been whispering in his ear, and now he finally knew what the name was! It was the embodiment of knowledge and conspiracy!

Only those who pursue the truth can face the truth!

An unprecedented joy filled every cell in his body, spread to every nerve in his body, and even engulfed his soul.

A hint of fanaticism appeared on Meier's face, and even he himself couldn't tell who the fanaticism was directed at.

"And then! Miranda, what did he tell you?"

The prisoner had completely given up resistance and told all the information without reservation.

"He...was not talking to me. He was talking to a woman."

"woman?"

"Yes, a woman with freckles on her face, if I remember correctly... her name is Chrissy, and she is affiliated with the Silver Scimitar."

All the clues are connected together.

The truth then came to light!

Mel's index finger trembled slightly, and his bloodshot pupils danced with joy.

The name of the evil organization is Silver Scimitar!

The woman named Chris is an important member of the organization!

Unlike those peripheral members, this woman had direct contact with Miranda, and they were suspected to have a close relationship!

As long as he catches this guy and tortures him, he can not only find Miranda's hiding place, but also uproot the entire cult! Mel stared into the prisoner's eyes and questioned him in an unquestionable tone.

"Tell me, where is that woman named Chrissy? Miranda is there!"

Bracken stared at the Knight Commander with his hollow eyes, his shaky consciousness seeming to be about to leave his broken body.

The first thing to disappear is vision.

Then came touch and hearing…

But for some reason, even though his five senses fell into darkness, he could still hear the voice from the unknown and respond clearly.

'Tell him.'

What to tell him? I have no idea.

"You know, think about it..."

What are you thinking about? Just as Bracken was thinking this, he suddenly saw a fog and a forest covered by the fog.

There seemed to be a wooden castle, or a small town, in the forest, and figures in twos and threes were walking towards the town.

He recognized the place.

To be precise, every adventurer recognizes it.

Under the gazes of everyone, Bracken, who had been silent for a long time, slowly spoke.

"A maze... a misty forest and a small town... out there..."

“Who’s there!”

Mel shouted excitedly, but this time Bracken didn't react at all.

The trainee priest standing nearby came to his senses and quickly cast the Holy Light spell, but no matter how hard he tried, the man stopped breathing.

Miles pushed the door open and walked into the interrogation room. He went straight to the interrogation chair, reached out to check the prisoner's breath, and found that he was dead.

"He is dead."

Miles withdrew his hand, looked at Knight Commander Mel and another jury knight who stood up from behind the interrogation table, and continued with a serious expression.

"Novel, the Weird Mist... one of the four evil spirits of Chaos. If what he said is true, then we are in big trouble. This Miranda may be more dangerous than we thought."

"That's right," Meier nodded solemnly, "but there's still time...as long as we can find him."

After saying that, he turned around and looked at his deputy outside the interrogation room.

"Gather everyone! Get ready to head to the maze!"

The deputy nodded seriously.

"yes!"

The target's location has been determined, it's in the misty town on the fourth floor of the maze... It's the outpost operated by the Adventurer's Guild in the maze.

Although he had been there before, he did not conduct a thorough search but simply handed the wanted warrant to the local guards.

Now it seems necessary to focus on searching there.

Miles stepped forward and held his shoulder.

"Let me and my men go with you. It will be easier to have more people to look after us."

Mel wanted to nod, but a sense of unreasonable suspicion came over him, causing him to change his mind.

"No need, I can handle it on my own."

Miles gave him a surprised look.

"Are you sure?"

"Wait for my good news."

Mel patted his shoulder and then snapped his fingers.

With a slight click, the prisoner sitting on the interrogation chair fell into the bottomless abyss along with the chair under him.

The taut rope snapped Bracken's neck.

From the beginning he had no intention of letting this guy walk out of the cell alive.

Looking at the ruthless Mel and his group of departing backs, Miles couldn't help but hold his breath, feeling that this colleague seemed like a different person.

At the same time, Chris, who was serving as the "Thief Occupation·Novice Guidance NPC" far away in the cemetery, suddenly sneezed without warning and muttered something out of the blue.

"Damn it, who is scolding me..."

On the other side, deep in the Misty Forest, in a small town run by the Adventurer's Guild.

A pale young man was huddled in a narrow, dark hotel room, shivering with his head covered with a quilt.

Ever since he accidentally completed the ancient ritual, that mysterious voice has been chasing him...

He only regretted one thing now, which was that he shouldn't have tried so many random things.

Listening to the constant whispering, Miranda roared under the quilt.

"That's enough...get out of my mind!"

No response—

As if mocking his incompetence, the voice continued.

"You can't escape..."

"No one can escape his fate..."

'My servants will find you soon.'

(End of this chapter)