The figures in robes and hoods naturally noticed Duncan standing right in the middle of the road without budging.
Duncan still looked as he had when he first left the cave: a thin, withered body wrapped in tattered clothes, with scraps of cloth hastily draped over his upper body to cover the large hole in his chest. He stood brazenly in the middle of the road, yet looked as if he had been frightened by the sudden appearance of these "hooded figures." The robed figures were clearly just as surprised. They froze for a moment before the leader suddenly shouted, "A Sacrifice has escaped!"
Duncan then watched them run toward him. Another one shouted as he ran, "Quick! Stop him! Don't let him get away!"
Duncan shrugged and merely continued staring expressionlessly at the figures charging toward him, figures who looked like bad news no matter how he viewed them. After weighing the situation, he had no intention of running at all, but the others still rushed over while yelling, "Don't let him get away!" "A Sacrifice has escaped!"
As a result, Duncan's obedient refusal to dodge or flee made the atmosphere awkward. The people shouting as they ran clearly realized halfway through that something was wrong, and their cries gradually died out. Yet they had no choice but to keep running toward him. Duncan could practically smell the embarrassment mixed with anger beneath their dark hoods—then these embarrassed and angry people surrounded him from every direction.
Only then did Duncan look around at the figures surrounding him. After hesitating briefly, he said, "Should I have tried running just now? I mean, the mood was already there..."
The robed figures seemed not to hear Duncan's dry joke. They merely gave him a wary, cautious look before turning their attention behind him. Two of them quickly lowered their heads and exchanged a few words. Duncan vaguely caught what they were saying:
"Why did one come out?"
"Could those Church hyenas have discovered this hideout... But he doesn't look like he was released by anyone..."
"Take him back first. There's something wrong with this escaped Sacrifice... We need to deal with him quickly."
"Let the Emissary decide."
Duncan had no idea who these people were, much less what the "Emissary" they mentioned meant. But recalling what he had seen along the way and the word "Sacrifice" they kept using, he had already vaguely guessed part of the truth.
He did not know how a "normal Sacrifice" was supposed to react, nor did he have the slightest intention of playing along with them. Outside the Lost Homeland, and using only a temporary body, he clearly had far fewer things to worry about. So after briefly observing his surroundings, he simply asked, "Where are you taking me?"
The robed figures were clearly surprised to hear the "Sacrifice" before them speak so calmly. Their hoods were covered by black veils that completely concealed their faces, but even so, Duncan could guess their astonishment. One of the black-robed figures glared viciously at the "Sacrifice" through the veil, his voice low and heavy. "You have no right to ask questions—take him away!"
Several black-robed figures immediately stepped forward, but before they could lay a hand on him, Duncan took the initiative and stepped forward. "No need to touch me. I'll come with you."
The black-robed figures exchanged looks, probably thinking this "Sacrifice" was somewhat mentally unsound. However, the leader waved a hand. "That's for the best. You can't escape anyway... Come with us. Perhaps you can still greet glory with dignity."
The black-robed figures gathered around Duncan, blocking every possible "escape route" in front, behind, and to either side, then led him deeper into the sewers.
The foul, filthy stench in the sewers was nauseating, but these black-robed figures walked calmly along the grimy, moldy passages as if they noticed nothing. Duncan followed them in expressionless silence, listening carefully to their conversations. They did not speak much among themselves, but from their occasional remarks, Duncan still caught useful words such as "Pland," "Archon," and "Church."
"This is Pland City-State?" Duncan suddenly asked, as casually as if chatting with an acquaintance.
"Obviously..." one of the black-robed figures replied instinctively, only to realize what he had said a moment later. He looked at Duncan as though he had seen a ghost. "You're awfully calm, kid. Do you know what's about to happen?"
"I can probably guess," Duncan said with a nod, even smiling slightly. Then he asked tentatively, "The true Sun God... right?"
The black-robed figures visibly halted for a moment. They seemed to have drawn the wrong conclusion from Duncan's unusual reaction. One of them whispered to his companion, "Wait, could he be one of Our Lord's followers too?"
"Impossible. He's clearly an escaped Sacrifice..." another black-robed figure said quietly. Then he glanced at Duncan. "You're pretty clever, but don't think that will spare you from being offered up... Our Lord has already judged your fate. You'd best accept it gladly."
Duncan neither confirmed nor denied it. He knew his excessive calm had led these suspected cultists to imagine the wrong thing. They probably thought he was pretending to be calm and posing as a "believer" in an attempt to survive, but only Duncan knew the truth.
This temporary body could barely even move normally, and the muscles in his face were as stiff as if the nerves had died... Of course all that was left was a calm, expressionless face!
But he did not care what these cultists thought. He only wanted to gather as much intelligence as possible during this "one-time exploration," so he casually asked, "You believe the current 'sun' in the sky is a False Sun? You think it will fall eventually?"
"The false sun will naturally fall eventually!" This was clearly a topic that could stir up these cultists. Just as Duncan had hoped, one of them responded eagerly and fanatically. "Even those lapdogs of the Holy See have to admit in General History that the sun in the sky is a twisted, grotesque thing that only appeared after the Great Annihilation! The one who truly brought vitality and order to all things was the Sun God, but Our Lord's authority was usurped by that vile counterfeit... Sooner or later, that vile counterfeit will come crashing down from the sky!"
Immediately afterward, Duncan heard the cultists around him echo the declaration. "The False Sun will fall eventually!" "The true Sun God will soon awaken!" "The excess seawater in this world will be driven back into the void of space by the Sun God's divine power, and the land will return to an age of abundance and stability!"
As he listened to the cultists grow increasingly heated, Duncan's thoughts raced. He knew that fanatical cultists could not be reasoned with, and what they believed was most likely distorted or falsified information. Yet some of the intelligence they revealed was still worth considering—
The "sun" hanging in the sky was a counterfeit...
The true sun had been stripped of its authority...
They believed the true sun was a fallen god, and that this god would "awaken from blood and fire"...
They had also mentioned the world's excess seawater, and an age of abundance and stability... What did those words mean?
Duncan's mind was filled with tangled thoughts, while the cultists gradually calmed down shortly afterward. They still remembered their task, still remembered that they were escorting an escaped "Sacrifice." The people nearest Duncan fell silent again, while the two walking at the rear of the group muttered softly:
"Don't you think this 'Sacrifice' is a little creepy?"
"He doesn't seem right... I've got a bad feeling."
"Could it be that he spent too long in the lightless underground when he escaped, and something did something to his mind..."
"Then all the better. Our Lord's power will cleanse him."
Duncan listened to the conversation behind him, paying particular attention to the phrase "lightless underground." But just as he wanted to gather more information from their exchange, the leading black-robed figure stopped.
"We're here."
The black-robed cultist spoke in a low, icy voice.
Duncan immediately felt some regret, but then the sight before him drew his attention.
Ahead lay the end of a passage, where several sewers converged. Within that broad space, like a small underground hall, was unmistakably a gathering of black-robed cultists!
Before you continue