Wizard: Surviving in the Steam Age with Points for Demon Hunter

Chapter 31 The Place Where Faith Is Stored

A repository of faith?

The word "faith" was not unfamiliar to Wayne.

The city-state of Caster is mostly inhabited by followers of the Church of Dawn or the Church of Storms, and the radiance of dawn and the ocean of storms are their beliefs.

The collection point refers to the surrounding area?

This must be the place where the Eternal Life Society preached, as Lacey and the others had mentioned!

Wei En frowned as he looked at the panel. He hated all these mysterious things; they were all outside his area of ​​knowledge.

However, seeing the profits on the panel made him feel a little better.

He even wondered what would have happened if he had fired a shot at the shadowy figure just now.

Perhaps it won't just be about helping with eye contact anymore?

I'll try it next time!

Then Wayne glanced at his current attributes and found that his mental level had exceeded 25.

Name: Wayne Loft

Bloodline: Salut people

Occupation: Wizard Apprentice (Beginner)

Toughness rating: 20 (21-1) (Temporary)

Spiritual Level: 25.64

Origin: 3 (4) (1 point of Origin sealed)

Talent: None

Partner Contract - Calamity Species: Increases wound healing speed and body recovery speed.

技能：幽魂冥想法2级（0/100），贡萨雷斯语熟练（0/100）

Runeology Knowledge Tree: Introduction to Runeology, Soul Devouring Rune Level 1 (0/1)

Survival Point: 47

There's an additional item: Partner Contract - Calamity Species.

Is Tina's talent self-healing?

Wayne recalled the battle scene from just now, that dark perspective, called Tina's Vision...

Is this the world as she sees it?

In the vast darkness, only the person beside you shines, while everyone else is just a black silhouette.

If that's really the case, it would be too tragic.

"Wein?"

Wayne snapped out of his daze and looked at Lacey's concerned eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Are you alright?"

"No," Wayne quickly waved his hand, "With you and Captain Ariana here, I'm sure everything will be alright."

"That's absolutely right."

Ariana walked over and said smugly, "Who cares about any of those people from the Eternal Life Society, as long as I'm here..."

boom!

Lacey punched him in the face. "Save those words for fooling your people in Department Two."

Ariana stumbled from the blow, clutching her face and glaring at her: "Lassie!!"

"Um?"

"What I meant was, when do we continue?"

Ariana shouted in embarrassment and anger, "The Eternal Life Society dares to preach here! I can't wait to wipe them out!"

Wayne: "..."

Well done, Captain Ariana.

He used the harshest tone to utter the most cowardly words; that's impressive.

"Now."

Lacey looked to the other side. "Marco, leave this to the city guards. We should get going."

"good,"

Marco dropped the corpse in his hands and grinned at the city guards, "Brother Guisep, I'll leave this place to you guys. I have to go and carry out a mission with my superior."

"Yes, don't forget what we talked about before. We've been waiting for your party for a long time."

"Shh!"

Marco quickly covered his mouth, turned to meet Lacey's cold gaze, and said with an embarrassed smile, "Sir, he, he was just joking."

Lacey scoffed, "Get over here right now!"

After saying that, she turned and walked deeper into the Laos neighborhood.

Now is not the time to worry about these things. We'll teach him a lesson when we get back.

This time, there was no contract with Tina to help him recover from his injuries...

"Coming, coming!"

Marco released the city guard from his grasp and jogged over, muttering under his breath, "It's over, it's over, we're doomed. It's all that Guissep's fault."

After Wayne arrived, he followed Lacey and the others.

Just like before, Tina clung to the hem of his clothes with her little hands, unwilling to let go for even a moment.

Wei En hasn't figured out how to handle his relationship with her yet, so he can only let her follow along like this for now.

"Brother Marco, Sister Lacey probably won't lay a hand on you here, but it's hard to say what will happen when we get back."

"Actually, you didn't need to be so kind as to remind me."

Marco gave him a resentful look; knowing Lacey as he did, such a thing was very likely to happen…

However, this mood only lasted a moment. Soon, a smile returned to his face, and he asked mischievously, "The fight just now, didn't it scare you?"

"No,"

Wei En shook his head. "I'm just a little surprised. I didn't expect to encounter something like this on my first mission."

"It's been a long time since we've seen anyone from the Eternal Life Society."

"Who exactly are they?"

"A bunch of madmen, a bunch of madmen who crave 'immortality'."

Marco, recalling the records about the Immortal Society in the Secret Investigation Department, said with apprehension, "Many of the strange cases that our investigation department couldn't solve were later found to be their doing."

Do you yearn for immortality?

Wayne said thoughtfully, "The name of the Society of Immortality was on the parchment we translated this morning. It must have been a long time since the Third Age, right?"

"I'm not sure about that. The change of eras has erased many traces. Perhaps only a behemoth like the Church of Dawn would have relevant records."

The Ghost School should also have it.

Wayne remembered that one of the pieces of advice in the manuals issued by the previous school was left by the Third Age.

Knowledge is power! But remember, when you pursue knowledge, knowledge also pursues you! (Left by the wizard Lister, founder of the Ghost School, in the year 138 of the Third Age.) (Chapter 3)

The school was founded in the Third Age, and it is likely that there are records of events that occurred during that time.

If you have the chance, ask someone from that school of thought.

"What about Claire?"

"A relatively active and dangerous figure within the Immortal Life Society."

Marco's face rarely showed a serious expression. "I heard that she has been active in the city-state of Kland, causing the Secret Investigation Bureau there to lose face."

"It is said that no one has ever seen her true appearance. All that is known is that her ability is very strange, and she can transform into the shape and appearance of anyone."

"I didn't expect her to come to Caster. I'm afraid the Secret Investigation Department will be quite busy from now on..."

The city-state of Kland is the capital of the kingdom of Charland.

The person who can cause such destruction in that place must be incredibly powerful.

No wonder Lacey and the others went all out from the very beginning of the battle.

Wei En understood immediately and exclaimed, "So that's where the 'Thousand Faces' comes from..."

Marco reassured him, "Don't worry too much. Now that we know she's here, Castel will find a way to deal with her."

With the strength of their Secret Investigation Division, they are not afraid of a thousand-faced Claire, but she is very troublesome.

At this moment, Lacey stopped in front of them. "Ariana, try here and find a way to locate the Immortal Society's gathering place in Laos."

Ariana looked around. "The stench of decay from the Eternal Life Society is even stronger here."

"Let's begin."

"it is good."

As they were talking, Wei En and the others followed and stood behind them, looking around.

Wayne didn't smell the rotten odor coming from Ariana's breath; he only sensed that this place was ten times colder than the previous one.

In addition, compared to the dilapidated buildings outside, this place is actually very well preserved.

However, in the dim environment, it appeared even more eerie and silent.

Wayne looked up at the sun overhead, then glanced at the gloomy surroundings.

A strange thought popped into my head: I doubt even the experts and professors from my past life could explain what was happening before me.

"Simon, Phantomhive, Hein, Hoefen..."

At this moment, Ariana clasped his hands together and chanted loudly again, "Sesbuda, Krilang..."

changed?

Oath, great guardian spirits—the spirits of the Holmes family, we beg your guidance in our search…

When he heard him chanting hymns, Wei En was almost afraid to look him in the eye.

Ariana's body swelled up again, but this time it wasn't his head, but his limbs.

Tentacles pierced through his clothes, wriggling and waving incessantly. At the end of each tentacle was an open eye, exploring its surroundings.

Sure enough... it's that awful look again.

"No matter how many times I see it, I still find it hard to accept."

Marco looked at Ariana with the same disdain. "It's a good thing our family's bloodline isn't like that, otherwise I would definitely choose to be an ordinary person."

Wayne nodded in agreement. "Captain Ariana has it tough too. When I saw him like this before, I thought he had undergone a mutation."

"Those mutants are indeed very similar to his abilities, though they are much more insane and terrifying."

"You two!"

Ariana turned and glared at them. "When you're talking badly about me behind my back, can you at least keep your voice down?"

"..."

Wayne and Marco quickly shut up and moved closer to Lacey.

I'm really worried that this captain of the second division might suddenly go berserk and charge at them...

After waiting a short while, Ariana pointed to a three-story building at the deepest part of the building and said, "There, the aura is strongest there, Lacey?"

"Let's go take a look."

Lacey gripped the two-handed axe again and walked ahead in the direction he pointed.

The group also took out their weapons and followed.

It was then that Wayne realized that Marco's weapon was a staff.

The black, twisted wooden body, instead of the gem seen in the game from my previous life, had a lantern hanging at its top, its flickering flames scattering the surrounding darkness.

The staff is aesthetically pleasing, but paired with Marco's appearance... it's quite comical.

It would make much more sense if he were wearing a black robe.

"Brother Marco, didn't you come here when you came to investigate yesterday?"

Marco shook his head. "Tina and I only investigated the outer perimeter. Finding nothing, we had Tina use her psychic vision to locate..."

"etc!"

Ariana suddenly spoke up from behind: "Not over there, over here, Lacey."

He pointed to a slightly dilapidated house on his right, his eyes full of suspicion.

"Um?"

Lacey flashed to his side, looked at the house, and frowned, saying, "Ariana, you're not mistaken, are you?"

From the outside, the house looks quite inconspicuous compared to the tall buildings around it.

"The heroic spirits discovered something special there and are eager to go and see it."

Ariana frowned as he looked at the tentacles around him. "But they're certain that the aura inside isn't left by the Eternal Life Society; it's very unfamiliar."

"Let's go in and take a look."

Without thinking twice, Lacey grabbed her two-handed axe, darted forward, kicked open the door, and rushed inside.

Marco reminded him, "Keep up."

Wayne nodded, gripped his musket tightly, and carefully followed with Tina.

When they entered the house, Lacey, who was walking in front, had already gone up to the second floor and was chopping at a locked iron door with a two-handed axe.

The moment Ariana entered the house, his tentacles stretched straight toward the iron door, even dragging him along as he ran.

"Hey? Slow down, hey?!"

After glancing at it, Marco instructed, "Wein, you wait downstairs, I'll go check it out."

"Um."

Knowing his strength, Wayne realized he couldn't be of much help anyway, so he simply stayed where he was with Tina.

He looked around the house; it wasn't very big, and everything was laid out before him.

The paint on the walls had long since faded, revealing the mottled bricks. Cracks were often visible on the walls, and a faded photograph hung there.

He walked over and wiped the dust off the photo. It was of a family of three: a man, a woman, and a girl.

However, compared to a group photo of members that he saw in the logistics department, this photo was in black and white.

What's more noticeable is the serious expression on these three people's faces?

Even the little girl in the middle didn't have a smile on her face.

Wei En looked away and glanced around.

The furniture inside was very simple. An old wooden bed was placed in the corner, and an alarm clock was placed on the bedside table, but the hands had long since stopped turning.

The ground was covered with a layer of old tiles, which were covered with a thick layer of dust.

On the other side of the room were some miscellaneous items.

A simple table was piled with clutter, and empty bottles and old newspapers were stacked in the corner.

The windowpanes had been temporarily repaired, and the sunlight filtering through shone faintly.

Clearly, no one has lived here for a long time.

And with their intrusion, the small room felt unusually crowded, giving people a suffocating and oppressive feeling.

At that moment, a deep red notification flashed in Wayne's mind.

[You have entered the unknown realm of faith, and because your mental level is greater than 20, you have successfully resisted the erosion of despair. Evaluation: Excellent, commendable courage. Special Reward: Survival Points +3, Mental Level +1.]

A place to enshrine faith?

Before he could even warn them that something was wrong, a loud "boom" came from upstairs.

The iron gate was opened?

Wei En looked up and saw a black aura rushing out from there.

"It's the power of despair! Lacey!" Ariana shouted in exasperation.

Lacey raised her two-handed axe, "Kurd!" (Shield Guard!)

Marco hurriedly waved his staff, the light from his lantern flashing by, "Rashid, Roman..." (Broken Wind.)

Blades of wind shot out, cutting and splitting the black energy.

The black aura did not engulf them; instead, it seemed to have discovered a more delicious target, and a plume of smoke rushed down directly.

"Damn it!"

Lacey glanced down at Wayne and Tina downstairs, cursed, and jumped down.

Wei En noticed the black aura and instinctively rolled to the ground to dodge, firing a shot from his musket. "Bang!"

A flash of fire appeared, but the imagined scene of energy dissipating did not materialize.

The black aura suddenly increased in speed, drawing an arc as it rushed straight into his body.

Damn, there's no escaping it...

What the hell is going on?

P.S.: Thank you so much to the chemistry enthusiast for the donation!

(End of this chapter)