The Calamity Church lay a hundred meters beneath the desert, occupying an enormous area. Far larger and more heavily defended than Dark Curtain Headquarters, it resembled a small city.
Though underground, it was not dim. Brilliant magical lighting orbs filled every corner, without any of the gloom or dampness Han Shuo had imagined. It was divided into several districts, with alchemical workshops producing all kinds of weapons and magical implements, temples where evil gods were enshrined and worshipped, trial grounds for meditating on mental power and practicing martial techniques, ancient libraries housing all sorts of magical texts, and a wide variety of storerooms holding precious materials harvested from magical beasts and accumulated over hundreds of years...
Everything a strictly organized religious order should have could be found here. Beyond that, there were many places for relaxation and rest, such as a hot spring pool fed by an underground water source where the weary could recuperate, and broad corridors for discussing magic and martial techniques, their surrounding walls covered with carvings of many unknown evil gods.
The Calamity Church was an organization with a strict hierarchy, yet the atmosphere here did not seem particularly oppressive. Following Edwin and Belinda, Han Shuo toured the underground districts with a smile on his lips. He even bathed and changed clothes at the hot spring, appearing thoroughly relaxed.
The Calamity Church followers they encountered along the way did not know who Han Shuo was, so none showed any alarm.
Han Shuo observed them and found that the Calamity Church followers they encountered all looked fairly relaxed, as though something happy had happened. Curious, he could not help asking Belinda beside him, "Has something good happened to the Calamity Church recently? Why do all the followers we've met along the way seem so cheerful?"
Belinda looked