Night Shift

Slyther...

Wu Heng tried hard to recall the name.

It seemed he had heard it somewhere before.

He quickly searched his memories. There were few chances to encounter the word "Madam" in Blackstone Town.

Before long, he remembered where he had heard the name.

Cavina had mentioned Madam Slyther on the train back after they completed the Mining Village mission.

She was the Vice Deacon of the Blackstone Town Adventurer's Guild and the female owner of Money Cat.

She was someone truly wealthy and influential in Blackstone Town.

Her status within the guild was also quite special. Not only was she a Vice Deacon, but she was also a Whisperer.

An adventurer skilled at and keen on gathering all kinds of intelligence.

Wu Heng glanced at her curiously and found that she was also studying him with great interest.

"Wu Heng, this is Slyther, the guild's Vice Deacon." Deacon Yazde introduced her, then said to the beautiful woman, "He's Wu Heng. He joined Fourth Squad not long ago."

"Oh? So you're the little Necromancer who investigated Mining Village?" Slyther's eyes continuously swept over him, as though she wanted to see right through him.

Her interest was completely undisguised.

"Slyther, don't tease him," the Deacon reminded her from the side.

Slyther withdrew her gaze but continued smiling as she asked, "How did you kill those Wolf Head Mercenary Group mercenaries?"

"I was just lucky. The captain and the investigation team deserve most of the credit."

Slyther continued watching him, her smile unchanged. "Then why did you choose to become a Necromancer?"

Was she trying to gather information on me?

People had asked him these questions before, though. He just had to answer as usual.

"It was the only profession related to mages that I could find, so I chose it."

"Where are your skeletons? How many do you have?"

"Only one."

"Not bad." Slyther said it casually, lazily reclining against the sofa.

Everyone present could tell.

This Vice Deacon was deeply interested in Wu Heng. They had only just met, yet she had already asked him several questions in succession.

Seeing that Slyther had stopped speaking, the Deacon continued, "All right, let's get to business. The guild has a coordinated operation tonight..."

Damn it!

There really was a mission.

Wu Heng felt a little troubled.

Yazde continued, "Your squad has too few people, so you don't need to participate in tonight's operation. You'll remain behind to guard the guild. Ortluk knows the details and will assign the task to you later."

Phew!

Wu Heng let out a sigh of relief.

He had thought they were going somewhere to investigate something strange again.

A night shift was fine. He only had to endure one night.

"All right, that's it. Go back and get ready."

The three nodded and left the study together.

The sky had darkened.

In the somewhat dim hall, the Adventurer Teams gathered in the center.

They stood by squad, every one of them armored and armed with swords, ready for battle.

Before long, Deacon Yazde emerged from the back.

"This operation targets Bawudong, an elder of the Divine Punishment Cult. He is a Level 12 adventurer, and he has several core cult members under him. Our operation will coordinate with Blackstone Town's Guard Squad, but this will still be dangerous. Everyone must proceed carefully. Safety comes first."

At those words, the expressions of every squad turned grim.

A Level 12 adventurer was already considered a rare powerhouse.

Yet one had appeared in a small place like Blackstone Town.

At the same time, everyone understood.

No wonder the entire town had been searching for criminals and Wanted Criminals some time ago. They had probably been searching for members of the Divine Punishment Cult.

They simply had not revealed anything then. Only now that they had solid leads did they announce it.

A Level 12 powerhouse truly was an unstable factor.

After the Deacon gave them a few more reminders,

someone hurried in from outside. "We can depart now."

"Fourth Squad will remain behind to guard the guild. The rest of the squads, move out." The Deacon waved a hand and led the Adventurer Teams out of the guild.

They joined up with the Guard Squad along the way and hurried toward the North Gate.

After the squads left, the hall fell silent once more.

Wu Heng had Bartholomew close the Main Gate.

He casually asked, "Captain, is this Divine Punishment Cult elder really that powerful? They mobilized so many people."

Ortluk thought for a moment before answering, "I don't know much about the Divine Punishment Cult either. I only know that they're a church active in the eastern regions of the kingdom, established by a group of fanatics. They often conduct sacrificial rituals and have a terrible reputation."

Many professions in this world were connected to gods.

For example, priests, or warlocks, whose reputation was not much better.

The direction of those professions involved gaining or exchanging power from the gods they believed in.

Wu Heng had once been an atheist, but he could already travel between two worlds using a key. It would not be strange if a god appeared before him someday.

Of course, it was best if he did not provoke one.

"Then what are they doing in Blackstone Town?" Wu Heng continued asking.

"Perhaps they have some purpose, or perhaps they were merely passing through and stopped for a while. I don't know the specific intelligence, but members of the Divine Punishment Cult have been on the Wanted List for years," Ortluk said softly.

"Oh." Wu Heng was not particularly interested in such matters, so he changed the subject. "Captain, I've been practicing swordsmanship lately. If possible, could you give me some guidance?"

"Sure. Practice once and let me see."

Wu Heng immediately took out Iron Sword and began practicing the movements he had learned while training with Sword One.

"Raise your arm a little higher. Your muscles are too stiff." Ortluk walked over and continued instructing him.

Cavina stood nearby, watching the two practice swordsmanship while brewing three cups of fruit tea.

Inside a house in the Residential Area.

The Black Feather Crow flew in through the window and landed precisely on someone's shoulder in the pitch-black room.

A gaunt hand gently stroked the crow as its owner said, "Blackstone Town's guards and Adventurer Teams have left through the North Gate. Their destination should be the place we prepared. Only four people remain at the central guild."

The curtains were drawn open, allowing moonlight into the room. Under the faint light, three men could be seen seated around a round table.

One was tall and muscular, with a crew cut and bare arms. One wore leather armor with an iron sword at his waist. The last was wrapped entirely in a black robe, with the Black Feather Crow that had just flown in resting on his shoulder.

"Heh, a bunch of idiots." The man in leather armor sneered.

The crow man did not answer. His gaze fell on the large man as he continued, "Elder Bawudong, in a place like Blackstone Town, there shouldn't be many troops left in the city."

The man tilted his neck and said, "Since the Adventurer's Guild is so determined to capture us, let's take this chance to send them a grand gift."

"Then let's begin."

The three rose to their feet and headed outside.