The Creators: From Night City

Page 357

The old scholar traveled extensively in his youth in pursuit of knowledge, and he naturally visited Lut Gholein, a crucial transportation hub between the Eastern and Western kingdoms.

“There’s been recent damage to the city walls, and the city guards have disappeared. The ones maintaining order are even a group of mercenaries. What exactly have the Dark Wanderers done to this city?” The paladin rode alongside the carriage. As a member of the paladin legion, he paid close attention to military details.

Suddenly, the caravan leader, Varif, approached from the front of the caravan, lowering his voice to plead for help: "We might be in trouble."

Several mercenaries dressed in traditional desert attire surrounded the caravan. Although they were resting their spears on the ground, the threat they posed was quite obvious.

Who is the caravan leader?

"The Sultan has granted all caravans unimpeded passage here, I'm sure you're all aware of that." As a seasoned veteran in this long-distance trade, Varif was naturally not intimidated.

The mercenary, led by “Of course,” had an unusually thick beard.

“We are from the Grez Mercenary Group. We stopped you on behalf of His Majesty Sultan Jehain.”

The mercenary pulled a search authorization letter signed by the Sultan from his pocket and handed it to Varif.

"The Sultan will prioritize purchasing all military-related goods. We hope you can cooperate with us by sitting down for inspection. Rest assured, the money you are owed will be calculated at a price far exceeding the market value, and you will not be shortchanged by a single penny."

As the local ruler, the Sultan had been a hereditary ruler for centuries and had a good reputation in Rug Gowin. Varif chose to believe his orders.

However, he still invited the barbarians over in advance, after all, it's easy to invite the King of Hell, but difficult to deal with his underlings.

Who knows if these mercenaries were originally sand bandits from the Akanok Desert? It's not surprising that they would use the inspection as an opportunity to pull off some 'street fighting' tricks.

"The car was filled with 'tarstone' and some alchemical materials that were special to the Western Kingdom, such as dried Westma nightshade and other herbs."

"All alchemical materials are considered war supplies." The mercenary did not hesitate to direct his men to unload the carts. With the Sultan as guarantor, Varif was happy to sell off all the goods at once, saving time and effort. He cheerfully directed the caravan workers to unload the cargo.

It is said that fortune favors the bold, and this is certainly true. Under the influence of the demons, the prices of various goods in different places have skyrocketed, and Varif has made a fortune on this trip.

"Has the city become so short of supplies?" During the conversation, two bottles of 'Anti-Entropy Craft Beer' had already passed from Varif to the mercenary leader.

As a caravan, intelligence is their livelihood, so Varif will not give up any opportunity to gather intelligence.

"You should have seen it when you came from the west. Demons are everywhere in the desert, surrounding Rug Gowin." The leading mercenary didn't hold back and directly broke open a bottle of beer, tilting his head back and gulping down half of it.

"Although we repelled the demons' two attacks, the cost was heavy casualties among the defending soldiers, and large swathes of land outside the city were lost."

"Although the land and sea trade routes have not been blocked, demons are in power, and no caravan dares to take such a risk at this time. In fact, you are the first caravan to arrive from the land recently."

Rug Gholein is located deep in the desert. Although commerce is developed, resources are scarce. Most daily necessities need to be transported by various caravans. The rampage of demons has led to a significant decrease in the number of caravans coming here, and the supplies in the city are becoming increasingly scarce.

This led to the situation where Sultan Jaihayin directly monopolized the goods of the caravan.

Another small box of high-quality 'tartrate' was unloaded from the truck by Varif without him noticing and disappeared silently into the mercenary group.

With the money given as a tip, the mercenary captain's attitude softened considerably when Varif inquired about the situation in the city.

The two chatted enthusiastically for a while.

Apart from Varif, the other members of the entourage were not interested in this business; they were simply traveling east to follow in the footsteps of the Dark Wanderers.

However, it now appears that the other party has already left Ru Gholein and entered the depths of the Alarok Desert to search for his sealed brother, the Lord of Destruction, Baal, leaving everyone empty-handed once again.

The heroes were not discouraged. They all said they would find a place to stay first and then make further plans.

So the caravan that was handing over the goods stopped where it was, and the group went to the inn recommended by Varif to settle down.

"Rain in the Desert" is a very famous inn in Rut Gholein, known for its large number of high-quality prostitutes and its excellent value for money. However, the timing of their stay was unfortunate. When the demons attacked, all the prostitutes in the city were taken to the palace by the Sultan and have not returned since.

The innkeeper was a one-eyed cripple who wore a leather apron and looked more like a butcher than an innkeeper from a distance.

Fortunately, no one was picky about their living environment, especially Jiang Bing, who had just gotten off the 'air-conditioned carriage'. He had no intention of staying here for long, nor did he intend to chase after the dark wanderers.

He came here despite his busy schedule, solely for the Horadric Cubes buried in the desert.

Chapter 733 Warming Wine to Slay the Dead

There is a counterintuitive fact about Rugóin: located at the eastern end of the Great Desert, Rugóin is a port city in every sense of the word.

It is located near the desert and also close to the Twin Seas that connect the eastern and western continents.

In the past, ships came and went at sea, filling the docks on the east side of the town to capacity.

However, at present, there are only two or three small boats in the wide dock, most of which are merchant ships that are transporting daily necessities into the city at great risk because of the gold given by the Sultan.

A few sailors sat idly at the entrance of a tavern near the dock, gazing at the calm Twin Seas. Due to the recent shortage of supplies, even the most famous tavern on the dock, 'Scorpion Claws and Stone Anchors,' had hardly any business lately.

After all, a tavern without drinks is as pitiful as eating dumplings without vinegar.

Fortunately, the tavern has finally come back to life and returned to its former liveliness.

Alcohol is the best lubricant.

Whether it's friends, casual sex partners, gay friends, lovers, spouses, or business associates, it can smooth out the relationship or sexual position between the two.

Giglites was a powerful warrior, of course, that's what he said when he was drunk and carrying a wine jug.

He was indeed tall and strong, but he had a fatal flaw: he was a heavy drinker.

Whenever he got drunk, he would boast to others about his achievements, his martial arts skills, and his strong physique.

But today he has clearly met his match, because the barbarians have arrived.

Encouraged by the surrounding drinkers, he quickly sat down at the same table with the other person and they began to compete.

The competition format perfectly matched the pub's vibe—arm wrestling.

The orange candlelight illuminated the greasy solid wood table, around which bored drunkards gathered, enjoying a rare form of entertainment.

In a world without the internet, ordinary people have a severe lack of entertainment options.

In fact, the usually stern paladin and the two spellcasters were also curiously observing the match.

Only Jiang Bing skillfully sat at the tavern counter and called over the proprietress behind the counter.

"What would you like to drink?"

The proprietress has a graceful figure, is in her prime, and exudes a mature charm, making her a true beauty of Lu Gauin.

Many people came to the tavern specifically because of her, especially after she became a widow.

Jiang Bing, the "Honey Beer" vendor, laid out three Kejistan mixed gold and copper coins on the counter.

After the drinks were served, he called out to the person who was about to turn and leave.

"Atma?"

The widow finally raised her face and looked Jiang Bing in the eye for the first time.

She had a typical Alanok face, her skin roughened by wind and sand, and a lingering sadness between her eyes and brows.

What can I do for you, sir?

"I heard about you from the owner of Desert Rain. Your husband and son were kidnapped and killed by monsters that lived in the sewers some time ago, so you've been looking for someone to help you get revenge, right?"

"You want to take on this commission?" The newly widowed woman made no attempt to conceal her scrutiny of Jiang Bing's appearance, but ultimately shifted her gaze to the muscular barbarian standing to the side.

She didn't believe Jiang Bing had the ability, after all, his attire made him seem very 'refined'.

I don't want to.

Jiang Bing picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and nodded in approval.

Mead is simply heated light beer mixed with a suitable amount of local honey. The taste is average, but drinking it while it's hot gives it a unique exotic flavor.

“I heard that you saw what the murderer looked like before the soldiers tricked them into the sewers. I just want to know from you what that monster looked like,” Jiang Bing said, revealing the information he had gathered.

"A tall, mummy-like spirit with a deformed face resembling a snake's head, about one and a half times the height of a person, with green skin and deformed claws."

Although they didn't know Jiang Bing's intentions, the other party still shared the information without hesitation.

Everyone who wanted to cause trouble for the murderer was a friend of hers, Atma.

Having confirmed that the target matched the information in his memory, Boss Jiang didn't waste any words. He simply said, "Keep my wine," and got up to leave.

"Hey, you~" Before the landlady could finish speaking, Jiang Bing's figure disappeared through the door.

"What a strange person."

Atma's attention then shifted to the barbarian who was using one hand to fight against Giglites' two hands.

Just as she was pondering what price she could pay to persuade the barbarians to avenge her, a violent tremor came from the depths of the earth beneath her feet, causing the scattered ornaments on the tavern walls to rattle and clang.

"An earthquake?" The proprietress was startled.

But the earth quickly returned to calm, and she put the thought out of her mind again.

Just as the barbarian used one hand to knock down both of Giglites' arms for the second time, the tavern's wooden door was pushed open.

Jiang Bing returned, carrying a huge, skeletal head, and tossed it to the landlady.

"Is this it?"

Despite the deep footprint on the white, deformed head and the fact that most of its white hair had been plucked out, Atma immediately recognized the monster that had killed her husband and son and harmed many residents of Lu Gholein.

"You~!" The widow's beautiful eyes widened, revealing a large number of blood vessels in them.

Jiang Bing picked up the mead and drank it all in one gulp. Without saying a word to the other party, he patted his behind, finished his business, and left without a trace, concealing his merit and fame.

Hmm~ the wine is still warm.

…………

Deekka Kane preferred the air-conditioned floating carriage to the dry, hot hotel room.

Soft light illuminated the space inside the carriage, and also a scroll lying on the low table.

The Horadric Scroll, a trophy Jiang Bing obtained from a monster in the sewers, contains information about the whereabouts of the Horadric Cube, just like his memories.

"I was just talking about this monster with a mage in the city, I never expected it to die at your hands so quickly!"

Deekka Kane stroked the scroll, which was made of an extraordinary material, his eyes filled with an eager thirst for knowledge.

"The Horadric Scroll, I never expected it to be hidden on a monster."

"Kane, I need the information from above," Jiang Bing urged bluntly.

"certainly"

This scroll is a top-secret document of the Horadrim organization, recording all the measures taken by Horadrim members to seal the Great Demon Lord Baal. The information is encrypted with multiple layers of encryption, and it would take considerable effort for anyone other than an insider to decipher its contents.

Fortunately, Kane is not an outsider.

“If the contents of the scroll are true, I believe the monster’s true identity is an ancient Horadric mummy named Rodament.”

Deekka Kane's face flushed with excitement, as if he had discovered some earth-shattering secret.

"He was one of the original members of the Horadrim. Shortly after his death, the other members mummified his body according to the traditional Horadrim rituals and buried it deep in the Alanok Desert to guard the secrets on this Horadrim scroll."

Jiang Bing's eyes flickered slightly.

"But for some reason he awoke from the tomb and wandered to Lu Gholein with this burial scroll. After killing a large number of residents, he was imprisoned by soldiers..." Deckard Kane suddenly stopped speaking, realizing something was amiss.

This is far too much of a coincidence!

Chapter 734 The Whereabouts of the Horadrim Cube

There's definitely a mastermind behind everything, a black hand.

Deekater Kane and Jiang Bing exchanged glances, both understanding the situation.

But this was just speculation, without any concrete evidence, so the two could only keep their guesses to themselves.

"The scroll records that when the Lord of Destruction was sealed, the corresponding Soul Stone was damaged due to an accident. As a last resort, Tal Rasha had to use his own body as a sealing vessel, inserting the Soul Stone into his own body and engaging in an endless battle with the Lord of Destruction on a spiritual level, before he was able to successfully seal him away."

"In order to hide Tal Rasha, the remaining Horadrim members built seven massive tombs, one real and one fake, in the desert and used magic to completely conceal the tomb where Tal Rasha was located. The Horadrim Staff, which served as the key, was split into two parts by the Horadrim Cube and kept by the members of the organization."

"Where is the Horadric Cube located?"

Deckard Kane adjusted his newly fitted glasses, squinting comfortably as he said, "Temple of Death."

The Temple of Death, hidden in the arid highlands, is a sanctuary built during the glorious period of the Tritheism.

This church, which outwardly worships determination, creation, and love, actually worships the three great demons of hell.

Their three gods are Barak, Morpheus, and Diallo.

The name isn't exactly the same as the three demon gods of hell, but it's practically identical.

Therefore, the Tritheism was quickly suppressed by the Cathedral of Light founded by the angel Inarius, and after the War of Original Sin, it completely turned to the dark side of the world, spreading throughout Sanctuary.

Even now, these cultists remain active, occasionally engaging in bloody sacrifices, demon worship, and dark summoning practices across the mainland, silently reminding the world of their existence.