Frontier Town

The next morning, Lin Qin and Aileen continued on their journey. By noon, they arrived at a border checkpoint of the Yulan Empire. Compared to the desolate regions they had passed through earlier, this place was significantly more regulated. With towering stone watchtowers and soldiers clad in standard-issue armor, everything displayed the order of the empire.

While waiting in line for inspection, one could hear the discussions of the people ahead.

"Did you hear? A village in the north was slaughtered two days ago. It was those bastards from the Dark Church again!"

"Damn it, these rats in the gutter are getting more and more arrogant!"

"The empire has already dispatched the Purple Flame Legion to clear them out. Hopefully, they can drive them back to their lair."

Lin Qin and Aileen exchanged glances, both seeing the gravity in the other's eyes. The scope of the Dark Church's activities seemed to be expanding.

When it was their turn for inspection, the soldiers saw the magic robe on Aileen and the extraordinary temperament of Lin Qin, and their attitude became much more polite. After briefly inquiring about their origins and purpose, they were allowed to pass.

Crossing the checkpoint meant they had officially entered the territory of the Yulan Empire. The roads became wide and smooth, and along the way, they could see more villages and farmland, all in good order.

By evening, they arrived at a border town named Blue Water Town. The town was much more prosperous than the small mining town from before, with shops lining the streets and people coming and going.

They found a hotel that looked clean and checked in. After settling down, Aileen suggested going to the town market to browse, replenish travel supplies, and incidentally gather some information.

The market in Blue Water Town was very lively. Aileen carefully selected fresh fruits, vegetables, and dried meat, while Lin Qin looked around at a weapon shop nearby, but found nothing that caught his eye.

"Have you heard? The Purple Flame Legion had a battle with people from the Dark Church over at the Withered Bone Hills!" a leather merchant said to the person next to him.

"How did it go?"

"Not sure, but it seems they didn't gain much of an advantage. There are some tough characters on the Dark Church's side; it's said that a Saint Realm necromancer even took action!"

"A Saint Realm necromancer?! Doesn't that mean..."

"Shh... keep your voice down!"

Lin Qin took these discussions into his ears. The Purple Flame Legion was the elite force of the Yulan Empire, and if even they felt it was troublesome, it seemed the Dark Church had mobilized a significant amount of power this time.

Just then, a commotion broke out nearby. Several people wearing temple attire were distributing something in the market, their attitudes quite arrogant.

"May the Light Sovereign protect you! Lost lambs, accept the baptism of the light!" a leading priest proclaimed loudly, stuffing wooden plaques engraved with the Light God Rune into the hands of passersby.

Many people took them respectfully, but some showed impatience and quietly avoided them.

"The people from the Radiant Church are also becoming active," Aileen said to Lin Qin in a low voice. After the destruction of Fenlai City, the influence of the Radiant Church had been greatly diminished; it seemed they were eager to expand their influence within the empire.

Lin Qin nodded. The frequent activities of the two major churches within the empire were definitely not a good sign.

They finished their shopping and were just about to return to the hotel when they suddenly heard crying and shouting ahead. A ragged woman was kneeling on the ground, holding a young boy who had fainted, crying bitterly: "My child! Someone save my child! He was fine just a moment ago, and then he suddenly collapsed!"

People around gathered, discussing the situation.

"Did he catch a sudden illness?"

"Doesn't look like it, his face is turning blue..."

"Could it be... he was struck by an evil spell?"

Lin Qin's gaze sharpened. He sensed a trace of extremely faint dark energy entwined around the young boy, originating from the same source as the feeling in the mine and the Death Desert, but even more concealed.

Aileen felt it too, and she looked at Lin Qin. Lin Qin nodded slightly.

Aileen immediately stepped forward: "Let me see, I am a water mage."

The woman acted as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw: "Master Mage! Please, save my child!"

Aileen knelt down, her hands glowing with a soft blue light, and gently covered the young boy's forehead. Pure water-elemental healing energy was injected, dispelling that trace of dark energy. At the same time, she chanted in a low voice, and a detection spell was quietly released.

A moment later, the young boy's complexion gradually returned to normal, and his breathing became steady. He slowly opened his eyes, looking around in a daze.

"He's okay! He's okay! Thank you, Master Mage!" The woman wept with joy, thanking her repeatedly.

Aileen, however, frowned slightly. She stood up and said to Lin Qin in a low voice: "It's dark erosion, very weak, but very pure. It's as if... it's being spread through the water source."

Lin Qin's eyes turned cold. Spreading dark erosion through the water source? This method was even more insidious and impossible to guard against than creating monsters.

Just then, those people from the Radiant Church walked over. The leading priest glanced at the awakened young boy, then looked at Aileen, a strange glint flashing in his eyes before he put on a warm smile: "This young lady mage is truly kind-hearted and possesses superb medical skills. May the light be with you." He changed the subject, "However, to dispel darkness, one ultimately needs the purification of the power of light. The residual dark energy on this child likely still requires the holy water of the Radiant Church to be completely cleared."

His words seemed well-intentioned, but they subtly belittled Aileen's magic while elevating the Radiant Church.

Aileen frowned slightly and did not respond.

Lin Qin stepped forward, looking at the priest calmly: "No need to trouble yourself, it has already been cleared."

The priest felt the unfathomable aura on Lin Qin and felt a chill in his heart, though his smile remained unchanged: "Since that is the case, then that is good. May the light protect you both." He said no more and left with his people.

Back in the hotel room, Aileen was somewhat worried: "Lin Qin, the Dark Church is even using methods like this; what exactly are they trying to do?"

"Creating panic, weakening order, collecting souls... or perhaps there is another goal," Lin Qin said. "Their activities are becoming more and more frequent; there must be a greater scheme behind it."

He looked at Aileen: "Your water magic is very effective at purifying this kind of dark erosion. Next, we might be able to investigate by following this lead."

Aileen nodded firmly: "Okay! What can I do?"

"Rest first. Tomorrow, we will go to the town's water source to take a look," Lin Qin said.

The next day, they arrived at the main water source of Blue Water Town—the upper reaches of a small river that flowed through the town. Lin Qin's spiritual power scanned the river water and the surrounding environment carefully.

"Did you find anything?" Aileen asked.

Lin Qin pointed to an inconspicuous patch of grass on the riverbank: "There, there is a faint residual fluctuation of dark magic. Someone cast a spell here and threw something into the river."

He walked over, pushed aside the grass, and discovered several shattered black stones engraved with twisted runes; the aura on the stones was identical to the dark corruption on the little boy.

"So it really was deliberate poisoning," Aileen said indignantly.

Lin Qin collected the stone fragments. "The method is very subtle, and the dosage is well-controlled. It won't be immediately fatal, but it will slowly erode vitality and the soul, making it difficult to detect. It seems the Dark Church has a stronghold here, or at least someone lurking."

They followed the river upstream for a distance, but the trail ended there; the culprit was very cautious.

"It seems they are very careful," Aileen said.

"No matter. Since we've discovered it, they won't be acting in just one place," Lin Qin said. "We will continue toward the heart of the Empire and keep an eye out for similar situations."

Leaving Blue Water Town, they traveled southeast along the main road. Along the way, Lin Qin taught Aileen how to more precisely perceive and distinguish that faint aura of dark corruption, as well as how to use water magic for efficient purification. Aileen learned very earnestly, and her magic control was improving at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Several days later, when they passed through a larger town, they once again discovered a situation similar to that in Blue Water Town. A few residents were suffering from unexplained weakness and comas; after Aileen investigated, it was confirmed that the water source had been tampered with.

This time, Lin Qin did not alert the enemy. He had Aileen secretly help those who had been corrupted to purify themselves, while he lurked near the town's water source, waiting for the rabbit to hit the stump.

After lying in wait for two consecutive days, in the middle of the third night, a figure dressed in night-traveling clothes appeared stealthily near the water source. He vigilantly observed his surroundings, then pulled several black stones from his bosom, preparing to throw them into the water.

The moment he raised his hand, the ground around him suddenly softened, and two giant rock hands burst from the earth, grabbing him tightly! The black stones in his hands also fell to the ground.

The man in black struggled in terror, only to find he could not move at all.

Lin Qin stepped out from the shadows and picked up the black stones; they were indeed from the same source as those found in Blue Water Town.

"A member of the Dark Church?" Lin Qin asked coldly.

The man in black gritted his teeth and said nothing.

Lin Qin couldn't be bothered with nonsense and directly used soul-searching techniques to extract his memories. A moment later, the man's eyes went vacant, and he went limp.

From the fragmented memories, Lin Qin learned that this man was indeed an outer member of the Dark Church, responsible for poisoning the water sources in several towns. Their goal was to create panic and a large number of "weakened" souls to collect energy for a "large-scale ritual" that was about to be held. As for the location of the ritual and other details, this outer member did not know.

"A large-scale ritual..." Lin Qin's eyes were icy. The Dark Church was indeed brewing something major.

He disposed of the unconscious man, wiped away the traces, and returned to the inn.

"How did it go?" Aileen asked with concern.

"I found out something. The Dark Church is planning a large-scale ritual that requires a large number of weakened souls," Lin Qin said. "We must find the location of their ritual as soon as possible."

Aileen felt a chill. A ritual that required a large number of souls was absolutely evil.

"What should we do?"

Lin Qin spread out the map, his gaze sharp. "According to that man's memories and previous intelligence, their area of frequent activity is concentrated in the southwest of the Empire, near the direction of the Dark Forest. We are going there."