Identity Confirmation

Haodos got up and called his clerical assistant, then he and the assistant followed the minor official who was sent to deliver the message towards the city gate.

All the way, he observed the rapidly deteriorating streets, contemplating his next move.

However, after some thought, he realized that the safest course of action, the one least likely to offend anyone, was to follow Jamir's instructions.

His ascension to a church priest was fueled by his own ambitions; he wished to advance further in his lifetime and become a bishop.

Currently, the internal power struggles within the church were incredibly complex, and the church took in countless orphans who often turned out to be geniuses.

Let alone becoming a bishop, even his current position as a priest was highly competitive.

Because Jamir had promoted him, he was inherently labeled as belonging to Jamir's faction. While Jamir's current power was not less than that of a cardinal, his status was ultimately only that of a bishop.

Upon this realization, Haodos's somewhat fervent heart quickly cooled down.

Perhaps a detached, calm, and passive mindset was the correct attitude for every qualified clergyman.

At this time, rumors of alchemists had already begun to spread throughout the city. The nobles who usually enjoyed showing off by going out and causing a stir were all holed up at home today.

Merchants and shops on the streets had also mostly closed their doors in a hurry.

The city gates were now under martial law, and the soldiers on the city walls were alert, constantly monitoring the movements in the forest outside the city, in case of an attack by alchemists.

Meanwhile, in the sentry rest room at the city gate, the corpse of the man who had brought the news about the alchemists and subsequently died was being moved.

And outside the rest room, a man wearing a linen tunic and a long sword at his waist was explaining the situation to the guards.

"This deceased person is a gravedigger from our lord's territory. He disappeared three days ago, and all the graves in our lord's territory have been thrown into disarray, with the bodies also missing.

I have come to the city to report this matter to the governor.

At the same time, I need to go to the academy to deliver a letter and gifts from our lord to my young lady."

Upon hearing that the man was going to see a young lady, the guard couldn't help but ask.

"Who is your young lady?"

The man, assuming it was a routine inquiry, replied:

"My young lady is Fini Kekebor, the only daughter of Baron Kekebor.

Our lord heard that my young lady has become a genius in magic, and he was very happy, so he sent me with gifts."

When the curious guard heard that the young lady the man was looking for was Fini, he had heard of her. This young lady was the only genius in the entire Hui Dun territory in recent years who had independently entered the Sea of Magic.

Of course, when it came to true genius, Chen Cheng was the one. After only a few days of contact with magic, he had created Variable Magic and was the first known person to survive using Super-class Magic.

However, his status was merely that of a slave. The nobles, proud of their status, naturally did not want the public to know that a slave genius was surpassing their children in magic.

Therefore, the voices calling Chen Cheng a genius were suppressed, while Fini's genius status was frequently mentioned.

At this point, the guard had no more questions. When he saw the young lady, he would know if the man in front of him was lying.

Before the guards could go to the academy to fetch Fini, they saw Hui Dun arriving with Chen Cheng. The guards immediately knelt and paid their respects.

Hui Dun told everyone to rise and began to inquire about the incident.

Meanwhile, Chen Cheng, standing nearby, immediately recognized the man.

"Wilson? What are you doing here? Where is Lord Kekebor?"

Wilson initially thought Chen Cheng was a slave by Earl Hui Dun's side. Although Chen Cheng's appearance seemed familiar, he remained silent out of caution.

After all, Chen Cheng was wearing the academy's uniform, and his previously thin face had become a bit rounder.

Furthermore, Wilson's social class was different from Chen Cheng's when they were in the Baron's territory. They had only met briefly less than twice, so he didn't recognize him at first.

Now, hearing Chen Cheng speak first, he confirmed Chen Cheng's identity. Considering that Chen Cheng had come with Earl Hui Dun, Wilson didn't want to put on airs as a baron's guard knight.

"I am here on my lord's orders to report the mass grave robberies to the governor, and also to deliver my lord's gifts to the academy for my young lady."

"And where is my young lady? Why are you here alone? Shouldn't you be by her side? And why are you wearing the academy's student uniform?"

Speaking of Fini, the guard knight immediately became serious and began to question Chen Cheng in a reprimanding tone.

In his opinion, Chen Cheng, as a servant by Fini's side, was negligent for not being with her outside. If it weren't for the fact that he had come with Hui Dun, Wilson would have already drawn his sword to discipline him.

Of course, Chen Cheng knew that this guy wasn't a bad person. In his view, he should be by Fini's side, protecting her at all times.

So, as Hui Dun frowned slightly, Chen Cheng quickly explained.

"Don't be so serious, Wilson. The young lady is doing well at the academy, and she recently received a Paulownia Wood Staff as a gift from the Earl.

I came here to see if this deceased person is related to Lord Kekebor, and as for why I've become a student, that would take a long time to explain."

Chen Cheng's eyes darted around, thinking of a way to shut Wilson up. Many people here were simply too rigid.

When Wilson heard that Chen Cheng was acting on Fini's orders, his tone softened considerably. He then moved closer to Chen Cheng and spoke in a low voice.

"The deceased inside is the gravedigger Peiqi who used to live on that desolate mountain.

Do you remember me mentioning the grave robberies? My lord and I suspect foul play. I just heard them mention alchemists, and I think those guys are most likely responsible.

The territory is not safe right now. If this news reaches my young lady, you must persuade her not to return, understand?"

However, Chen Cheng completely ignored the latter part of his words. He wasn't stupid; knowing the temper of that little loli Fini, how could he possibly tell her?

When he heard that the entire mountain's graves had been robbed, he knew that the alchemist who had come this time likely already had an undead army by his side.

"Don't worry, everything is fine within the city. But why didn't your master come to the city with you to take refuge this time?"

To be honest, Chen Cheng was still a bit worried about Baron Kekebor.

At the very least, it was thanks to him that Chen Cheng was able to be sold by those slave traders, and then, in such a short time, truly come to this world's higher learning institutions to study its knowledge.

However, Wilson said with a firm expression:

"My master said that he is the Baron of the Kekebor territory. Therefore, for the sake of the commoners within the territory and to live up to his identity as a Baron of the Kingdom of Komo, he will remain in the territory to organize the commoners to deal with the upcoming crisis."

Although his words sounded a bit affected, the fact that his master was willing to stay in his territory to comfort the people was enough to explain everything.

Moreover, Chen Cheng also thought that if that Alchemist really intended to destroy Kekebor Town, he would have done so already. He wouldn't have sent this person named Peiqi to the city to deliver a message.

The reason he was sure that the Alchemist had deliberately driven them away was that, from Wilson's words, Kekebor himself didn't know about this, only thinking that grave robbers had been at work.

After Wilson finished speaking, he took out a wooden box from his clothes and handed it to Chen Cheng, saying, "Brown, give this box to Miss. It contains the gift from the master for Miss. I need to return immediately to help the master and bring back the news about the Alchemist."

Chen Cheng also knew that these Alchemists were all research fanatics. Although he guessed that Kekebor Town wouldn't have any problems, who knew what went on in the minds of these scientific maniacs? It was possible they would turn around and slaughter Kekebor Town for some experimental data, so Chen Cheng took the box without delaying Wilson further.

Perhaps with this Silver Rank knight by Kekebor's side, if he encountered danger, he could also help him escape.

After handing the box to Chen Cheng, Wilson was about to leave the city. Hui Dun, giving Chen Cheng a lot of face, let the guards allow him to leave the city.

"Count, it's now almost certain that the Alchemist is responsible. However, to be 100% sure, we still need to wait for the priests from the church to examine the bodies with Light Magic."

And just as they were talking about it, they saw from the street corner that the newly appointed priest Haodos and Tofis, whom they had just met on the way to the church, were walking towards them.

Upon arriving in front of Hui Dun, Haodos bowed his head and then, with the cultivator, entered the lounge to examine the body.

Chen Cheng and Hui Dun also followed them in.

Upon entering, they saw Peiqi's dirty face had turned ashen. Beneath the cow dung, corpse spots were already faintly visible.

"Fermented cow dung can dispel evil spirits. The subcutaneous corpse spots have formed large patches, the pupils inside the eyes are dilated and cloudy, and the entire body already has a distinct smell of decay."

As the cultivator carefully wiped away the cow dung and opened the eyelids, Haodos slowly extended his hands and placed them steadily directly above the body.

Immediately, his lips twitched slightly, and a low, solemn voice emanated from his mouth:

"God of Light, please listen to the devout call of your servant—True Sight Radiance."

As soon as the words fell, a dazzling brilliance erupted, like the first ray of sunlight at dawn, making it impossible to look directly at.

The radiant sphere flickered between Haodos's palms, like a miniature star, emitting endless light and warmth.

However, when this mysterious light shone upon the body, an astonishing scene occurred.

A clearly visible black resentment, like smoke, rose from the body. The resentment was dense and deep, as if containing endless grievances and anger, sending a chill down one's spine.