When they emerged from the tunnel, a silver forest lay before them. The towering pine trees glistened under the moonlight, reflecting a sacred radiance that made it appear like a beautiful sanctuary.
"Big brother Alan, where is the town? What about the town you were guided to by the old folks, Creek Town?" Dennis looked around anxiously.
Erika answered, "Creek Town has already vanished. Perhaps hundreds of years ago, there might have been such a place, but now all that remains are dilapidated earthen walls covered by the pine trees; they are no longer visible."
"You actually know about it!" Alan was astonished. Erika knew about Creek Town, something that he had only discovered after studying historical records. The first time he heard his father mention the town's name, his initial reaction was whether there was such a place near Castle Enchim.
Later, when he combined the historical records with the maps, Alan was dumbfounded. If it was a town, he could seek clues, but in such a vast virgin forest, did he have to ask the trees themselves where the treasure was hidden?
However, when Erika mentioned the name Creek Town without hesitation, Alan's hope flared up in his heart. He turned to Erika, who was standing behind him, and said, "Continue speaking. Tell me everything you know!"
"A long time ago, when I was chosen as a saint, I read about the name Creek Town in the incomplete holy scrolls," Erika replied.
The memory of a mage was extraordinary because casting magic required complex formulas. These formulas were a mixture of mathematics and physics, written in a unique syntax with strange symbols that had hindered Alan's path to learning magic.
The calculations involved in translating such a mix were beyond the capabilities of someone from Alan's era. The acquisition of power was directly proportional to the effort invested, and that was perfectly suited in this case.
"At that time, I still believed in the Holy Angels, and I remember the story vividly. The scrolls contained numerous ancient texts about the origin of persecution and corruption by the Devil's slave masters—Creek Town. The original Creek Town was a blessed little town given by God, but it was wickedly buried here underground."
"Falling, buried, God's blessing!" Alan caught onto these words and looked at The Mark of Abandonment on the back of his hand. He said, "Erika, imagine for a moment if this forest used to be a town, where would they build the church or the holy pilgrimage site?"
"I know!" Erika confidently replied, "The construction of a church considered the terrain of the mountains, the flow of water, and the arrangement of houses. A typical town would have a few thousand square meters. In order to purify the water and turn it into holy water, they would choose a location near the water. Maybe it would be around there!" Erika pointed towards a large tree in the distance.
Then, the sound of rustling leaves and grass could be heard.
"What's that sound?" Alan sharply turned his head, hearing a wolf's howl coming from the mountains behind him.
"This is..." Dennis turned around and saw a giant wolf-like creature slowly emerging from the darkness. There wasn't just one, but more than ten mercenaries riding on gigantic black wolves, neatly lining up in the valley.
"Master Alan, it seems your journey ends here!" The person who shouted this was a knight wearing pitch-black armor. The black wolf head insignia on their chest emitted a magical aura. It was the magic of Holy Light Blessing.
Alan squinted his eyes, seeing behind them floating three mages, radiating a strong magical glow.
The three elderly mages were all platinum-level mages. The one on the left wore a black robe with a wolf fur coat over his shoulders. He was none other than Alan's father, Master Mage Rika, the captain of the Iron Wolf Mercenary Group.
To the right, a person wearing a mask and a black robe was unwilling to show their face. They were the insurance sent by the Kingdom of Stana to ensure Alan's downfall.
In the middle stood a person wearing a white robe, their eyes slightly narrowed. The pristine white robe emitted brilliance, the blessing magic of the Holy Angels, which had already been bestowed upon the entire Iron Wolf Mercenary Group.
"What? Gildan! High Priest, why are you with those Slave Guild people!" Erika's pretty face was filled with disbelief.However, right after that, the old man in the white robe waved his hand casually, and Erika was pushed back by an invisible force, hitting the tree behind her and causing her white veil to flutter down.
The old man's eyes were filled with cold light. "Hmph, Lady Saint, it is indeed you. I don't want to become a slave like you were, blindly adhering to useless doctrines. Now, I am an envoy of Lord Haibarin in the Slaver's Guild!"
