365
Inside the half-collapsed temple, only a few stone pillars remained reasonably intact, together supporting a small portion of the main hall.
At the very front of the main hall stood an altar covered in cracks, with an enormous pitch-black cross erected at its center.
A naked man hung upside down on the cross. Rust-colored iron nails visibly protruded from his ankles, his thighs, and his body, accompanied by bright red bloodstains.
The Fallen Creator's eyes were tightly shut, as though he were bearing guilt and pain.
-Before today, although the City of Silver had discovered many destroyed cities during its explorations and found some written records pointing to evil gods, most residents had never seen a so-called evil god's statue.
And looking directly at an evil god's statue could often pose a danger, so everyone averted their eyes after a brief examination.
The portion of the temple remaining aboveground was not spacious. Splitting into groups of two or three, the Exploration Squad soon finished inspecting it and found nothing unusual.
Seeing this, Colin, Chief of the Council of Six, considered for a few seconds before saying:
"Head underground."
As he spoke, he drew one of the two swords on his back with a swish and coated it with an ointment that shimmered silver-gray.
Immediately afterward, he took a small metal vial from a concealed compartment in his belt, pulled out the stopper, and gulped down the potion inside.
At that instant, Derrick felt that the Chief's pale blue eyes seemed to brighten a little.
The Exploration Squad members made their most cautious preparations one after another. By the light of four Beast-Skin Lanterns, they followed the stairs to the left of the statue, advancing step by step into the underground area.
Derrick's turn to carry a lantern had come.