Holy Avenger

There were many pedestrians coming and going in the town.

This desert city is called Hadar, which seems to mean 'watcher of the desert,' an ancient Eastern language that even many learned Wizard probably don't understand. Stepping into this city gave Soren a feeling of returning to the Medieval Western Regions. The mixed population somewhat resembled Jerusalem, with both Desert Race and Western people trading in different accents. Some Eastern merchants were reluctant to venture into the western continent, so many of their goods were sold off in cities on the edge of the desert.

Upon arriving here, Soren realized he had forgotten something very important.

That is to learn the Spell of ' Comprehend Languages '.

Damn dialects!

Although many people here speak Common, the dominant language is still Eastern Language, with Desert Region accents. Since he doesn't have a language translation system, he can only understand a fraction of what's being said, making normal communication quite difficult. Fortunately, he's only passing through; if all else fails, he'll have to find a merchant who Common to communicate.

The city's architecture is characterized by domed buildings, with the most striking structure being the Desert Temple.

That is the Church of God of Death.

The Death Portfolio has always been a crucial area of contention among the gods, thus almost every Pantheon has Deity involved in the Death Domain. The Desert Temple before them is the Church of Nephthys, the ' Goddess of Wealth and Death ' of the Eastern Pantheon pantheon. At the top of the temple's Church, Soren saw a golden bowl with Ring of Life floating on it, Crest of a goddess of chaotic Good Alignment. Her Portfolio extending from the Death Domain is that of ' Guardian of the Dead,' a Portfolio that protects the deceased from disturbance.

Therefore, the goddess's followers are not difficult to deal with.

The Eastern Pantheon originated from outsiders during the Ancient Empire era. Their exact origins remain uncertain, but these Ancient Empire reportedly abducted large numbers of people from other worlds. Thus, the Eastern Desert Pantheon came into being. For countless ages, the Eastern Desert Pantheon has rarely intervened in the struggles of other Deity; even during the chaotic era of the Arcane Empire, they remained mere observers. Deity faith is confined to the Desert Region, while the Eastern Realm remain a blind spot in their Deity.

Because of the influence of Monk, Eastern Realm tend to believe in 'nature' [the Way] rather than any specific Deity.

This path is somewhat similar to the so-called ' Heavenly Dao '.

However, it is not the same as the Heavenly Dao that people know. Rather, it is a Dao that is more spiritual, and the pursuit of Monk is a personal sublimation.

If I had to use just one word to describe it...

Soren thought that must be what's called ' Harmony between Man and Nature '!

To this day, he still cannot distinguish the difference between the spiritual transcendence pursued by ' Nature Druid ' and ' Monk '. In his view, ' the Heavenly Dao ' and 'Nature' are basically the same thing, and Soren is not the kind of person who is too attached to the spiritual world.

There is a passage that reads like this.

That was a book written by a wandering druid who Travel to the Eastern Realm. This druid eventually became a powerful and Legendary warrior, also serving as Monk.

"Besides daily training, the practice of Monk is primarily spiritual. They have a direct, mystical connection with the spiritual world, experiencing the mysteries of nature through meditation. Therefore, they do not need priests or gods. During my Travel in the East, I met many powerful Monk who knew no Spell at all, yet they mastered many wondrous abilities through practice. These abilities did not come from Deity, nor from any Arcane Magic I knew; they were more like a gift from nature to the practitioner."

I believe this is another Way of Nature.

Therefore, I decided to join them, to seek the mysteries deep within nature through the training of Monk."

Soren found a hotel to stay in temporarily and then prepared to gather some information.

Finding a place in the vast desert is extremely difficult. Even he himself only knew the general direction, and since no one had explored the area before, Soren, as a pioneer, might need to dig a hole first. His next target, the ' Anti-Detection Cloak,' was located in an underground ruin, buried deep within the desert. Exploring such ruins wasn't like randomly entering a dungeon or cave for adventure; it was more like an archaeological excavation.

For specific operational methods, one can refer to the excavation of the Egyptian pyramids by Europe Pillage. The first batch of underground ruins that were opened up were almost all passages dug by Adventurer who paid people to do so.

The desert's geographical environment also prevented it from having an entrance left for later generations over thousands of years.

Soren wandered through this desert city, where Adventurer from the East could be seen, and every year Monk embarked on their training journeys. Visiting the Druid Church on the other side of the continent and sparring with other professionals were part of their daily training. The number of Monk increased as they approached the East, but most Monk still kept their hair long. Only those who were prepared to Monk's vows, or those who had taken the [Vow of Poverty], would shave their heads.

"Violence."

"If it's not for Justice, then it's meaningless!"

Soren first circled the area, but just as he was about to return to the Inn to rest, a commotion suddenly broke out ahead, followed by a loud, hoarse voice that made him stop in his tracks. A large crowd had gathered in front of him; it seems to be human nature to love a spectacle, with layers upon layers of people surrounding the area. Even the nearby Guard were drawn in, but they didn't seem to care, their expressions suggesting a bit of bewilderment.

Soren also quietly walked over.

Then a weathered Paladin appeared before him. His face still looked young, but the heavy aura of hardship made him appear at least ten years older. The Paladin wore tattered silver armor and Scale Bracers on his wrists. In front of him was a man dressed as a desert warrior, who held Scimitar in his hand, unable to stab or pull it out.

The Paladin's face startled Soren for a moment, then he seemed to remember something, and his expression changed slightly.

"Judgment of Justice!"

Facing the desert warrior who looked somewhat panicked, the Paladin's palm glowed with a white light. He suddenly released his grip, drew his Two-Handed Greatsword from his waist, and pointed it at the enemy before him.

A crimson light appeared.

The man standing before the Paladin emanated an aura representing Evil.

The crimson aura startled everyone. Anyone with a modicum of knowledge involuntarily retreated, for the desert warrior before them clearly had hands covered in blood.

"He's a sand bandit! He's one of the Skeleton Sand Bandits!"

A merchant nearby seemed to remember something, and then said in an angry yet fearful voice, "They robbed passing merchants, and never left any alive."

The Paladin paid no attention to the others around him.

He stared at the man before him and said in a low voice, "A week ago, you attacked a caravan from the Oasis City and killed twenty-seven innocent people."

You should pay the price for the crimes you have committed!

The Paladin gripped his heavy greatsword with both hands and slashed horizontally. The desert warrior in front of him awkwardly raised his sword to block, but was sent flying backward.

Bang!

His body slammed into the wall behind him, and he involuntarily coughed up a trickle of blood.

"Justice!"

"Either force or law."

The Paladin swung his greatsword down again, saying in a deep voice, "However, the laws here seem to be protecting you, so I have no choice but to rely on force to uphold Justice!"

A faint glow appeared on the Two-Handed Greatsword he held, as the Paladin swung it down again.

Click!

A crisp snapping sound rang out.

The sand bandit in front of him had his Scimitar severed and died instantly under his sword.

--"Smite Evil!"

The Paladin glanced at the others, lingering for a moment as he passed Soren, but quickly looked away.

He didn't recognize Soren.

He walked to the corpse of the sand bandit, leaned over and whispered a few words in a special language, then glanced at the stiff-faced Guard around him, picked up the corpse with one hand, and walked out of the city.

No one else heard what he had just said.

However, when Soren heard the strange language, he was startled, because he was very familiar with it.

This is a very ancient language.

Even its origin is unknown, but this is roughly the meaning when translated.

"In the name of Justice, avenge the weak!"

There is a very important sentence in the Paladin's creed.

"Sympathize with the weak and protect women and children."

Even Soren himself probably didn't expect that his words would actually lead the young Paladin he met in the City of Wealth onto the path of becoming the ' Holy Avenger '.

However, it seems he hasn't completed his trials yet, because the true Holy Avenger isn't what Soren sees now. Yet, Soren can see from him that he has undergone much training, as the Holy Avenger also undergoes trials of asceticism. A truly formed Holy Avenger possesses strength approaching Legendary Tier. Although the sword strike he just unleashed was powerful, it was still far from the level of the Avenger Soren remembered.

Furthermore, his weapon was not a replica of the ' Holy Avenger ', but an ordinary Two-Handed Greatsword.

This means he hasn't truly earned his qualifications yet!

The Paladin left alone.

No one dared to stop him. The city Guard just stared with grim faces at the sand bandit's corpse that the Paladin was carrying in one hand, and then watched him leave.

Every city has its dark corners.

The goods looted by Desert Bandits eventually need to be sold.

Soren watched the Paladin's departing figure, his gaze seeming to flicker slightly, before he quietly followed.

...(To be continued~^~)