Come Believe in the Way of White
"Excuse me, sir, we worship Gwyn of fire, and we do not follow your White Church."
"Vulcan? Gwyn? Huh?"
In the Zane Dungeon, at the Firelink Shrine.
Hervey righteously refused the preaching offered by the fat man's afterimage and turned to leave with the Starfire Knight.
Meanwhile, the afterimage of the fat man, who was clad in full armor, was bewildered in the wind, completely disoriented by Hervey's words.
Wait, when did a new afterimage besides the Hui Xin Ge appear in the Firelink Shrine?
This all started when Hervey and the others re-entered the Firelink Shrine.
Some time ago.
"Report! Dragon grease, freezing arrows, steel drills, and fairy breath are all ready. We are prepared to slay the dragon at any time!"
"Very good, this time we must slay that red dragon!"
The Starfire Knight and Hervey appeared near the campfire, and their words as they entered the portal were also teleported in.
Everyone had changed into brand new armor and red robes, and they all looked radiant and extraordinary. They were all handsome and talented. Hervey, who was wearing dragon-shaped armor, looked like a hidden BOSS who would break his armor and start a second phase when he was low on health.
Each person also carries items specifically designed to counter dragons: steel, ice, and fairy. People have long known that weapons with these three properties are particularly effective against dragons, almost as if they are a counter to them.
Now, the items used to control dragons will include dragon-damaging oil produced in the Zane Dungeon, which is exceptionally effective!
As the strongest team among the Sparkfire Church forces stationed in Hypha Town, Hervey's purpose in coming here was very clear: to advance the overall exploration progress.
They played the exact same role as the Strategy Team here; whoever was stronger and cleared the maps faster became the Strategy Team!
To advance the exploration of the Zane Dungeon, you must defeat the Red Wyvern blocking your path.
I wonder if I can catch them by the tail again. The Wyvern Sword is pretty powerful, Hervey thought to himself. It's just too fragile and breaks easily, even faster than ordinary weapons.
Because the structure of the Undead Burg was too complex, they overlooked some paths during their exploration, to the point that they now believed they had to kill the Red Wyvern to continue, without realizing that there might be other paths they could take.
The props they carried were not cheap; some were extremely difficult to obtain, all thanks to the strong support of the Sparkfire Church.
This support comes with a condition: they must find a way to move from the new area to the old area as soon as possible!
Compared to the new areas that have only just begun to be explored and for which they know nothing about the terrain and local products, the bishops of the Sparkfire Church prefer to scavenge for supplies in the more familiar old areas, especially since the old areas are all-encompassing and can find almost anything.
Just finding a Gourmet Area is enough to ensure the troops have plenty to eat and drink. You can catch some Roasted Whole Pig with Poké Ball to feed the troops, not to mention other foods that have amplifying effects.
Unfortunately, other churches think the same way.
Although no one said it outright, a race to find the old area roads had already begun in secret.
Meanwhile, a group of nature priests from the Wild Forest Church, whose skills rivaled those of the Starfire Knight, entered Sein. They possessed a natural intuition for treasure hunting, which gave Hervey a sense of crisis.
Just as he was about to lead everyone away from the Firelink Shrine, he heard the sound of something breaking coming from behind the inconspicuous ruins next to him.
There shouldn't be any danger at the Firelink Shrine, right? Unless you accidentally beat up the Hui Xin Ge.
Despite thinking this, Hervey still drew his weapon, unleashing Choking Dragon Fang like a kagune, and slowly walked toward the ruins they had previously overlooked.
Then they found a fat guy with a bowl cut inside, another afterimage character.
The first thing the other person said upon seeing them was:
"I am Petrus from Solrond. You all seem to have a special connection. Why don't you come and learn miracles from me? All you need to do is show a little sincerity, hehehe."
Hervey swore this was the first afterimage that made him feel uneasy from the first impression, and for some reason, he felt that the fat man had an annoying quality.
"What sincerity?"
Therefore, Hervey didn't say much, but directly asked the question that was on his mind.
Was this guy in Firelink Shrine from the beginning? Why didn't I see him when I explored this place before? The Starfire Knight wondered.
"Nature is the soul. Teachers always need to receive some sincerity in order to continue teaching. I'm doing this for your sake. When you're out in the world, you should help each other."
Although she had already guessed it, Hervey was still amazed when she actually saw the afterimages using souls as currency, marveling that this was a spectacle that could only be seen in the Zane Dungeon.
He was quite interested in learning more magic—people often just call miracles and prayers "magic" for convenience—so he asked, "What can you teach?"
But what Petrus said next completely killed his interest.
"We, the clergy of the White Cult, are proud to teach you all kinds of miracles that can help you on your adventures. But first, you need to abandon your original vows and join our White Cult family."
Abandoning the original vow?
The moment Petrus uttered those words, Hervey began waving her hands repeatedly.
I'm sorry, I can't do that!
Thus, the opening dialogue took place.
Hervey turned and left without looking back, leaving Petrus bewildered by what he had said, his mind struggling to process it.
When did Gwyn become associated with Vulcan? Is it because they're related by marriage?
But when he saw that Hervey and the others were really about to leave, he suddenly spoke up:
"Wait a minute, since you're unwilling to learn miracles, I have some information here. All it takes is some sincerity—"
Before he could finish speaking, a Starfire Knight threw a soul at his face, saying, "Speak quickly."
It was obvious that this afterimage was a tool for teaching magic and passing on information, so the group felt there was no need to communicate with it too much.
"You're going to that town where the undead gather, right? Then do me a favor."
Petrus wiped the sweat from his brow with a human touch and said with a kind smile:
"Many different beliefs exist on this ancient land, and each belief has its own heroic legends. Our White Religion is no exception. Skilled painters once depicted the figures of those heroes. As time passed, those exquisite paintings were endowed with magical power, forming an existence similar to Painting World. Those who share the same oath as those heroes can enter the paintings and obtain incredible power. It's simply a miracle."
He suddenly sighed, shook his head, and said:
"It's a pity that all the paintings have been lost. I've received information that paintings once appeared in the place where the undead gather. I need your help to find them. Once you find any paintings related to the White Cult, bring them back to me. Paintings from other faiths are also acceptable. My reward will definitely not disappoint you."
Looking for paintings?
Hervey and the others instantly understood that the fat man's request was the super classic afterimage quest that appears in almost every dungeon—finding XX.
The Zane Dungeon is no exception, after all, this design is just too good to pass up.
When Petrus learned of the painting, Hervey's first thought was not to agree, but something else entirely.
There are paintings depicting various vows, which means...
Will there be Sun Warrior too?
"Okay, I agree."
A smile immediately appeared on his face beneath his helmet, and he affectionately put his arm around the fat man's shoulder.
"However, you'll need to provide some more accurate location information."