Mystery: The Last Shepherd.

Chapter 651 Mystery Surrounding Promotion (Bonus Chapter)

"Um?"

Looking at the record cover, Derrick let out a soft gasp.

The cover of this battle log contains a list detailing the members of the squad at the time. Besides Elder Lovia and her husband, there were several extraordinary individuals... including even one of the current elders of the "Council of Six," Wait Hillmon.

Derrick noticed that many members' names had an "X" crossed out after them, including Elder Lovia's husband.

The "×" indicates that the person is dead.

Elder Lovia's husband must have died during that expedition... Could it really be true, as the rumors say, that she ate her own husband...?

With this question in mind, Derrick turned to the records.

The record was quite old; the animal hide had turned yellowish and the writing on it was very blurry.

Derrick patiently continued reading.

[Exploration Record of XX Year]

[Target: A ruined city-state three days' journey northeast]

[Original plan: Travel for four days, reach the destination, begin exploration, determine the reason for the city's abandonment, and search for supplies]

[Actual process: Arrived as planned, split into multiple teams to investigate separately, until the unexpected occurred]

[Unexpected Incident: As a small team entered the temple, a lurking monster suddenly attacked, causing the temple to collapse and blocking the entrance. The team and the monster were trapped inside the temple. Due to the temple's location inside the mountain and the large area of ​​the collapse, the rescue operation will take a considerable amount of time.]

A day later, the rescue team successfully dug open the temple and found that almost all the trapped team members had been wiped out, with only Lovia Alicia as the survivor. The scene showed signs of a fierce battle, a large amount of blood, and the corpse of a monster. The other members had either been killed by the monster or crushed by falling rocks, but Lovia's husband was missing.

When Lovia was rescued, she had already advanced from the "Reader" pathway, Sequence 6, to the "Mystic" pathway, Sequence 5.

According to her explanation, a Sequence 5 extraordinary attribute remained within the temple. After venturing into it, she was fortunate enough to ascend successfully and defeat the monster.

She did not explain why her husband had disappeared.

That concludes the main points of the record. Following this are the signatures of the exploration team members to ensure the accuracy of the reported information.

A confined space, her husband gone, blood everywhere... No wonder people are saying she ate her husband.

Derrick understood to some extent why rumors would arise.

He was both frightened and bewildered, unable to fathom how Lovia had spent that entire day in that dark cave. The terrifying monster, the constant deaths of her companions, the desperate situation... how had she risen to become a shepherd, and how had her husband disappeared...?

"Knock knock knock!"

Just as Derrick was lost in thought, there was a sudden knock on the door of the library. He was startled and jumped up from the table, almost knocking over the lamp.

"What is it?!"

Derrick's heart pounded as he called out through the door.

"Come out quickly, the chief is looking for you."

The guard shouted from outside.

The chief is looking for me?

What a pity, it was so hard to find some valuable information...

Derrick glanced reluctantly at the documents on the table, then said, "Wait a moment, let me tidy up the documents."

"Don't delay, the chief urgently needs to see you."

The guard said, "I'll take care of the documents. You can go over there now."

"Uh, okay."

Derrick had no choice but to leave the room. After being checked by the guards and confirmed that he had not brought any documents with him, he was allowed to leave and headed towards the chief's room at the top of the round tower.

He ascended the spiral staircase with steady steps, and soon arrived at the room of Colin Iliad, the chief of Silver City.

"Chief, I'm here."

Derrick knocked on the door first, and only after receiving a reply did he push it open and go inside. Inside the room, Colin Iliad was facing away from him, looking out at the dark world. In the pitch-black sky outside the window, only the occasional flash of lightning was the only embellishment.

The chief is probably worried about the future of Silver City...

Derrick couldn't help but think to himself.

Just then, he suddenly felt someone's gaze upon him.

It turned out that there were more than just the two of them in the room; a third person stood in the shadows of the candlelight, intently observing their own face. This person wore a mysterious black robe, had silver hair and gray eyes, and possessed a refined and striking appearance. They stared intently at Derrick, as if trying to see into his very soul.

Elder Lovia.

"...Elder Lovia, hello."

Derrick suppressed the urge to scream and bowed with all his might. It wasn't that he was a coward, but he had just read a horrific file about her, and to find her staring straight at him was bound to frighten him.

"Um."

Lovia curled the corners of her lips into a slight smile and gave him a soft laugh, without saying a word.

Why is she here...?

Derrick muttered to himself, then looked at Colin, who was slowly turning around.

"Chief, is there something you need from me?"

'

he asks.

"Yes, something is indeed wrong."

Colin's face was aged, with deep nasolabial folds. He looked at Derrick and calmly said, "The ceremony is ready. Elder Lovia is about to advance to Sequence 4."

what?

So fast?

"Have we collected 1 monsters yet?"

Derrick asked instinctively.

Because he had delivered the potion recipe to Luze, he remembered the details of the ritual very clearly.

"Not that many, less than 4000."

Lovia whispered from the side, "The ritual is just a means; what matters is the effect... The quality of a monster's soul is higher than that of a human, so the effects of corruption can be several times greater."

"Another key problem is that Silver City can no longer be searched."

The chief added, "There's not enough space, and we're also short on supplies to feed the monsters... Monsters are starting to die one after another."

"However, Silver City also needs Lovia. If she can advance to Sequence 4, she will be a great help and make our investigation into the Giants' Court much smoother."

The chief continued.

In other words, although the preparations for the ceremony were not yet complete, given the resources of Silver City, they had no choice but to proceed anyway.

I understand the reasoning, but why did you call me over?

Derrick looked bewildered.

"6

""

Seeing his expression, Colin knew he hadn't understood him, so he explained in more direct terms, "Do you think this ritual is possible, or are there any ways to improve it?"

"You previously redeemed the Black Knight recipe from me. Did you get any inspiration from that?"

Colin's words were quite direct; he was practically asking Derrick directly, "Ask the person behind you if Lovia can succeed in what she's doing."

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