Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1475 Entering the War Zone
Lu Ning kept her word, and she had complete confidence in Vanessa's ability to manage the Clockwork River District.

The pharmacist was a gentle person, after all, she was a saint of the Saviors. She might be tough when dealing with evil people, but she was too concerned about ordinary people. When teaching her apprentices, she followed the principle of gradual progress. She did not realize that Vanessa was essentially someone who should be trained to be more ruthless and decisive.

Having personally heard about Vanessa's actions and used the plague for so long, Lu Ning had higher expectations for her and knew that she was certainly capable of shouldering greater responsibilities.

She didn't have much to take; aside from essential items like the syringes from the Sacred Heart, she could leave everything else belonging to the apothecary at the Minute Church. After saying goodbye to Father Thorne, she left. With the Holy Symbol, she faced no obstacles in Violet City.

—As long as she avoids the Church of St. Ist, where identity verification is frequent and dangerous for her.

"Looking at it this way, Violet City is really blooming in many places." After Lu Ning walked out of the Clockwork River District, she could already see a column of smoke rising.

Isolation is not just about closing off people's access routes; it also has the function of filtering out abnormal phenomena. Otherwise, like when the "pituitary gland" descended, filth would be displaying itself in the sky, and probably 70 or 80 percent of the city's population would go crazy.

The reason why the vast city of Violet was only divided into forty-six isolation zones is precisely this; internal barriers would not have the same effect. However, given the construction capabilities of this foundational structure, it is estimated that only this many zones can support a large-scale containment of pollution.

She walked toward the direction from which the smoke was rising, and the closer she got, the stronger the acrid smell became. Lu Ning was already very familiar with this smell; it was the smell of burning corpses.

Several cultivators came into view, including those from the Burial Pivot and the Secret Vision Pivot; their battle appeared to be nearing its end. Normally, even corpses that were to be cremated would be taken to a designated area, so this was probably done to clean up the battlefield.

"Oh……"

When Lu Ning saw the specific situation, she understood. This was the place where the plague broke out in the "Blood King's Palace". Six or seven houses in a row on a street had become structures made of flesh and building materials. They continued to spread their bodies outward, making a piercing wail with the sound of things rubbing against each other inside the houses, while the flames burned these houses mercilessly. The burned-out areas were indeed no longer active.

Even a powerful spell isn't necessary; the second-tier divine spell "Incinerate" is sufficient to achieve the desired effect.

Several cultivators noticed Lu Ning, but since she had already hung the Holy Emblem around her neck after coming out, they didn't ask any questions after recognizing her as one of their own. Some of the injured cultivators even rushed over.

"Hello, the situation is urgent. I wonder if you could treat us? There might not be enough time for a slow recovery..."

The injuries on these cultivators weren't too serious. Lu Ning looked at them and asked, "Are there any other seriously injured people?"

"Uh...no. This plague is rather special. If someone is severely injured and unable to resist, they will be immediately devoured by the house, so the severely injured cannot survive," a person from the Burial Grounds answered honestly.

"Be careful in the battles to come." Lu Ning cast a healing spell, instantly restoring everyone to their healthy state.

“Oh… thank you!” another monk from the Secret Vision Center said happily.

"Please tell me which district the high-risk target is currently in. I don't have any missions right now, so it would be best if you could provide support as soon as possible," Lu Ning said.

"You? I'm not doubting you... it's just that the combat strength of the people in the Savior's Pivot is generally not very high..." The honest man from the Burial Pivot spoke up again.

"what happened?"

Lu Ning looked up and found that someone she knew was walking over.

Kyrios, the friar she met when she borrowed a place for a medical check-up.

"Madam Pharmacist, I didn't expect to see you here again."

"Kirios, it seems you have vanquished the evil spirits and returned. May the gods bless your blade to remain forever sharp."

“Thank you. I just heard you wanted to go to a dangerous place?” Kyrios pulled a map from his sleeve. “Although the Church has ruled out the possibility of extraterrestrial corruption, even if the danger originated here, it may still be somewhat contaminated. Please be prepared. You just used Rejuvenation—to be honest, a healing spell would have been enough for that kind of injury. You wasted some Na.

"Don't worry about me. Just tell me where I need support, Kyrios."

"The battles in Districts 12, 33, and 40 are all in a state of fierce fighting. If we didn't have to eliminate the threats everywhere, we would probably go to one of them to provide support."

“In that case, I have a favor to ask of you all.” Lu Ning took out the list of plagues that she had transcribed from the Fountain of Youth and handed it to Kyrios, saying, “I inquired with the gods and obtained a list of some plagues that are currently rampant in the city. Because of my own spiritual strength, it is probably not very complete, but I hope you can spread this list and ask your colleagues to take precautions.”

Kyrios accepted it, nodded, and said, "Thank you for your help. May the gods protect you on your journey."

After exchanging blessings, Lu Ning headed towards the nearest district, District 33, as indicated on the Kyrios map.

Apart from the central district, which houses the most important Grand Duke's castle on the mountain, the divided areas are not much different. The sheer size of Violet City dictates that each area is well-equipped, with the most minor differences being that the Clockwork River district has more rivers, and other districts may have a few more towers.

The battles didn't break out everywhere. The two districts that Lu Ning passed through were relatively peaceful, with only some cultivators patrolling and exchanging nods and greetings when they saw each other.

However, at the blockade leading to District 33, there was indeed a heavy guard—a whole squad of paladins stood watch at the entrance. Lu Ning stepped forward, placed her hand on the holy emblem, and bowed slightly to them.

One of the paladins stepped forward, raised his sword in salute to her, and said, "The area ahead is blocked, and we are in a state of war. If you wish to enter, you must follow the commander's orders; otherwise, we will not allow you in."

A state of war? Lu Ning frowned. Sharing memories with the pharmacist, she naturally knew that a state of war was different from the extermination situation like that of Kyrios.

"What? A large number of hostile targets have already appeared?"

"It's actually a three-way conflict... so it's become very dangerous here. Many residents have been evacuated, but there are still a lot of civilians trapped in the area."

Please explain in detail.

"The outbreak occurred within the manor of a nobleman named Lugo. He instantly transformed all his servants into ferocious monsters, characterized by cracked, bluish skin, sharpened fingers and teeth, immense strength, and a significantly increased physical resilience. They would bite and suck blood. Those bitten would transform into the same monster after approximately fifteen minutes, but with even greater ferocity." "Any more characteristics of the Bloodthirsty King?"

"The exact origin of the other enemy group is unknown, and by the time we discovered them, they had already spread extensively. They tirelessly roam various places, their bodies showing no obvious mutations, but their body temperature is extremely low. We haven't yet observed any means of them transforming into their own kind. Furthermore, the commander speculates that these people may possess the ability to become invisible, which makes them difficult to track down. When they encounter those monsters, they will fight, but they will immediately flee if one side feels outmatched. Since one side has superior physical abilities and the other side seems to possess invisibility, they can easily escape."

"That's not easy to guess... Who is the current commander-in-chief of District 33? What is the troop deployment?"

"The Church side is under the overall command of Grand Knight Commander Quiriner. The support from the various cardinals will first be organized there before being deployed for combat. Currently, there are four standard knightly orders and one paladin order, three extermination squads from the Burial Cardinal, one reconnaissance support group from the Secret Vision Cardinal, one reconnaissance team from the Warning Cardinal, and some cardinal members who are not operating in teams. There are three churches in the area, with more than 120 combat personnel inside," the paladin quickly reported.

"So how do I find Quirina to join the squad?"

"His Excellency the Grand Knight Commander has designated the Riftstone Church as the command center. Enter from here, proceed two hundred meters forward, and turn right to see the church's spire!"

“Very well... let me in, I will go find the Grand Knight Commander.”

The paladin nodded and waved to his colleagues, signaling them to make way.

"Please do not act on your own, Your Excellency. The place is in chaos right now, and even someone like you could easily encounter misfortune."

"Do not worry."

Lu Ning passed through the blockade as if she had passed through a thin membrane. The scene before her suddenly changed, and a strong smell of blood immediately filled her nostrils.

Some of the houses on the street were destroyed, and no one could be seen, only flames burning in the distance, sending up plumes of smoke. Some areas had clearly been used as defensive positions, with furniture, broken walls, and sandbags forming sniping points, but many of these positions were covered with dried blood.

The battlefield isn't here; gunfire can be heard in the distance, and occasionally, artillery fire. Judging from what the person just said, Kishi has not officially joined this battlefield, meaning it hasn't reached the point where large-scale bombing is needed to resolve the issue; it's merely a personal action.

Without hesitation, Lu Ning walked two hundred meters, turned around, and ran towards the church.

In the past, she might have acted alone, but since leading troops, Lu Ning has come to fully understand that in such urban warfare areas, without a superior force, it is best to advance the war in an organized manner.

The Riftstone Church was clearly the result of a battle; its outer walls were covered in dirt, and many of the surrounding bunkers and magic arrays were damaged, with some people currently repairing them. Lu Ning walked over and showed her the holy emblem, and immediately a knight led her into the church.

The normally solemn and majestic Eternal Sanctuary had now become a temporary command post. Several monks beside the Grand Knight Commander were using magic to maintain a map. The markers on it were constantly changing positions, and Lu Ning could see that the attacks and defenses were extremely intense.

Upon seeing Lu Ning enter, the Grand Knight Commander immediately asked, "Cardinal, what is your name?"

"The Savior Pharmacist".

"What level of divine magic?"

"Below the fourth rank".

“Okay…” Quirina turned to look at the map, then waved to Lu Ning. Lu Ning had a good impression of him because of his straightforward style. She went to the map, saw the war situation, and frowned slightly.

The map only shows three factions: the Church, the Guard, and Lugo. As previously known, the hidden forces are scattered throughout the battlefield, with no indication of them engaging in large-scale battles.

“Sister Apothecary, I hope you get to this location as soon as possible.” Quirina pointed to an area on the map, near a main road in District 33, a relatively wide area.

“Our team just clashed with Lugo’s servants a little ahead, which inevitably resulted in some of our comrades being injured. They need the healing of the Saviors. Although we have members of the Saviors here, we have too few who have mastered fourth-order divine magic. We need someone like you. Do you have enough resources?”

"It should be okay if it's under a hundred people."

"Alright, there are some logistical supply points prepared by our church servants there. If you need to make medicine, you can go directly to them to get the raw materials. Lugo's servants will become more ferocious if they don't drink blood for a long time, but they will also become more vulnerable, so please be very careful. In addition, you should also pay attention to those people who appear and disappear on the battlefield. They are another force that we have not yet identified. They are also hostile and attack both us and Lugo's servants."

“I know. Please replenish my weapon, Your Excellency Grand Knight Commander. I need a one-handed sword.” Lu Ning tapped the ceremonial sword. “If a real fight breaks out, this might not be able to withstand it.”

"Of course, nothing else is needed? I can provide you with a set of light armor and a small round shield as protective gear."

"I don't need protective gear. I'll get to the designated location as soon as possible. Do you have a way to contact me?"

"Each team is equipped with two warning friars for communication. If they are unfortunately killed in action, a knight will serve as a messenger. This team should be led by the Knight Roman. You can ask him."

"understood."

Soon, a monk brought over a one-handed sword. Although it was a standard weapon, the quality of the weapons stored by the church was very good. Lu Ning swung it a couple of times, nodded in satisfaction, and immediately set off for the destination.

The straight-line distance might not be far, but now that the area has become a war zone, Lu Ning had to take a detour. The area outside the church was very clean, but as soon as she entered the neighborhood, Lu Ning saw a head peeking out from an alley.

It was a child, probably only fifteen or sixteen years old, with strange eyes, staring at Lu Ning without blinking. He ran across the street in front of Lu Ning with an odd running posture and disappeared into another alley, showing no signs of aggression.

Lu Ning's gaze fell on the ground he had run across.

A family's water vat had probably been broken recently, as water had accumulated on the bluestone pavement. The footprints of the child running through the area were clearly visible in the broken ice.

Happy New Year~