NOVPUBChapter 1110: 351. Is it a coincidence?_2
The green light was dazzling, weaving a curtain around the boat, hiding the figures of the small boat and its passenger.
“Your Excellency, in about half an hour, we will reach the first checkpoint controlled by the sect. There, you can board a faster bone boat.”
The low-rank acolyte spoke humbly.
On both banks were mist, vapor, and strangely shaped stones; there wasn’t much scenery to speak of along the way.
Noland Lee thought for a moment and decided to coax some information out of the low-rank acolyte.
Deconstruction could only retrieve memory fragments from the past month; it was powerless against anything older.
...
Many things could only be found out by asking.
“How did you manage to construct this magical river under the watchful eyes of the Earth Vein Pillars? Didn’t those mud people try to stop you?”
Noland Lee asked bluntly.
The low-rank acolyte chuckled with a hint of pride and said:
“Your Excellency, the mud people did try to sabotage our River of the Dead, but that only made things worse for them…”
The low-rank acolyte rattled on, recounting events from six months ago.
He said that once the Earth Vein Pillars detected the river, Earth Vein Wizards began trying to destroy it.
They used various methods, including interception, diversion, concealment, detonation, and purification.
The outcomes were not optimistic.
Often, when the Undead Cult’s polluted river water was stopped, it would severely alter the underground structure, leading to collapses and even minor earthquakes.
After numerous attempts, the Earth Vein Pillars chose to temporarily give up.
They were spending time renovating the geological structure of the Land of Resurgence, ensuring that severing the River of the Dead would not trigger a geological disaster.
The Undead Sect would send out their undead army to interfere with the Earth Vein Pillars.
Roughly speaking, such a vast and arduous project might take about three years to complete.
During this time, the Undead Acolytes on the River of the Dead would continue their journey as before.
“What will happen after those three years?” asked Noland Lee:
“After three years, once the river is cut off, won’t your sect still fall into a passive position?”
The low-rank acolyte placed his hands together in front of him, praising the doctrine of the undead, and then with a hint of zeal in his voice, said:
“No, Your Excellency. At the grand gathering three months ago, the chiefs of our factions, that is, the faction archpriests, declared that in at most half a year’s time, we would receive aid.”
“Aid?” Noland Lee raised an eyebrow hidden beneath his mask.
“Yes, grand aid,” the low-rank acolyte said with a secretive smile, offering no further details.
Noland Lee connected the timeline in his mind.
Half a year ago, defectors appeared within the Empire, and the presence of undead soldiers in the front-line Grave Vaults increased.
Three months ago, the leaders of each faction within the Undead Cult, that is, the faction archpriests, openly announced they would receive aid in half a year.
Calculating the timeline, the so-called “aid” was likely to appear within the next two months.
Considering the Undead Cult’s widespread purchases of magical energy, Noland Lee tentatively concluded that the aid the Undead Cult had summoned was probably from ‘Ghost City of the Dead World’ in Outer Space.
Good, good, this journey has not been in vain; at least he had ascertained the approximate time when the Pollution Zone appeared, and he wouldn’t have to wait blindly.
Noland Lee was inwardly pleased and calmed his mind.
Just as he was about to pry further, he noticed that at the river’s fork, another bone boat had appeared.
The same crude small boat, the same green lantern, and the same control by the low-rank Undead Acolytes, but the passenger on that boat was a humanoid species wrapped tightly from head to toe.
“The undead lantern allows us to see other bone boats that are under the same magical veil to prevent accidental collisions.”
The low-rank acolyte explained to Noland Lee, then raised his bone wand, shooting a harmless dark green light column towards the opposite boat.
The other vessel emitted the same kind of light column.
The two boats communicated with light to arrange the order of passing through the fork.
Noland Lee’s bone boat would go after, while the other boat would go first.
One after the other, both boats merged into the main channel of the underground river.
“The passenger on that boat is probably here to sell magic gems as well,” the low-rank acolyte whispered.
Noland Lee nodded slightly, then cast Deconstruction toward the person.
[System Message:]
[You are about to cast Deconstruction on “a Pure Light Secret Investigator under disguise.”]
Uh?
Wait a moment?
Pure Light Secret Investigator?
Noland Lee imperceptibly paused for a moment.
That Pure Light Secret Investigator wasn’t very high-level.
From the deconstruction requirement, they must be around the strength of the Sixth Ring.
If a conflict did arise with him, the threat wouldn’t be significant. 𝔫𝖔𝖛𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
Noland Lee activated an all-encompassing Deconstruction.
After a faint sense of trance passed, a long string of system texts refreshed in Noland Lee’s mind.
[You have obtained the target’s panel information:]
[Name] Lamont
[Character level] Level 65
[Combat level] Level 55
[Identity 1] Special Pure Light Secret Investigator under Elder Skimming Light
[Identity 2] High-level Wizard of Pure Light Court
(Other identities omitted)
[Feature]
Star Stone Level Extraordinary Feature: Lie Perception
Can spontaneously sense whether the conversation partner is lying. Cannot discern what specific false content is within the lies.
(Other features omitted)
[Status bar]
1. Bewildering Light, Level 89, remaining duration 3 days
Enveloped by Light of Blindness, Lamont can cause everyone and everything around him to fall into “Bewildering Light,” unable to detect Lamont’s Disguise.
Only characters above Level 89 can be immune to “Bewildering Light” and see through Lamont.
2. Advanced Language Interaction, Level 89, remaining duration 3 days
This status allows Lamont to communicate unimpeded with the Undead Cult despite never having learned the Undead language.
[Skills]
High-order scrutinizing light, Level 65, Purifying Light Magic
Examine the target with an invisible Radiance, gathering as much real information about the target’s true appearance, physical condition, and strength level as possible.
Under the influence of “Bewildering Light,” this skill causes no spell fluctuation.
[You have obtained the target’s Memory Fragment:]
[Memory Fragment One: “Lamont Disguised as a Merchant, Boarding an Ocean Sailing Ship to the Tatis Empire,” completeness 100%]
[Memory Fragment Two: “Secret Order Book from Elder Skimming Light,” completeness 100%]
[…]
Noland Lee temporarily pushed aside other Deconstruction results and directly clicked to view the “Secret Order Book.”
Half a minute later, he breathed a sigh of relief.
This Pure Light Secret Investigator wasn’t targeting him.
His encounter with the other party here was a complete coincidence.
Two months ago, Lamont received an order from Elder Skimming Light, setting sail from the Ulnas Circle to the Tatis Empire, to make contact with the Undead Cult.
Including today’s voyage, Lamont had visited the Undead Cult’s territory six times, which could be considered a well-trodden path.
On each visit, he would sell approximately 10 million points of Soul Energy.
And the identity he disguised himself as was a Grey Wizard merchant backed by the mysterious strength of a Grey Wizard.
Noland Lee closed the Deconstruction results in his mind and thought carefully, feeling somewhere not quite right.
When “Bustling Tunnel” appeared, the Pure Light Court was the first to arrive, and they were very well-prepared, almost as if they already knew about such a Pollution Zone.
Before the appearance of “Decayed Wilderness,” the Pure Light Court also dispatched a team to Union City.
Now, near the emergence of the Steel Forest of Mortal World, the Pure Light Court has again intervened, and three months ago they had already sent a secret investigator to make contact with the Undead Cult.
Moreover, it was also three months ago that the faction leader of the Undead Cult announced the matter of “outside support” within the sect.
Is this a coincidence?
Why is it that the Pure Light Court’s presence can always be found before and after the emergence of these three Pollution Zones?
Noland Lee pondered endlessly.
The bone boat drifted with the current, bobbing on the turbulent Underground River.
Several forks were passed along the way, with one or two bone boats joining the convoy at each, drifting westward along the Underground River as one.
Since leaving the Suffering Borderland a year ago, the above-ground had changed a lot, but the underground remained not much different from before.
The watchtowers of the Undead Cult still stood on both sides of the river, guarding the floating, filthy Dark Green River and spreading a dense fog that obscured vision.
After passing close to thirty watchtowers, Noland Lee saw the Undead Cult’s checkpoint blocking the obligatory path ahead.
It was a magic fortress made of piled-up bones, so foreboding that a single glance could plunge one’s sanity.
It lay like a gigantic creature with its mouth wide open, sprawling over the Underground River, swallowing Sea Water, and spreading a terrifying aura for ordinary people.
