Becoming a god starts with enhancing fire arrows.

Inside the bedroom.

Ash stared sadly at her hands.

Half of her right hand had turned into grayish-black stone, and the fingertips of her left hand also showed signs of petrification.

"Don't worry, dear Ash."

"A kind-hearted pastor is willing to help."

Harvey did a graceful spin, which made Ashe smile.

Ashe recognized the two people in front of her as people she had met once before, nodded to them, and indicated that she could begin the treatment.

Paril clearly didn't understand what that meant.

"Try the healing spell."

As Rhodes spoke, he quietly chanted the Appraisal spell.

Race: Human

Age: 23

[Occupation: Ranger]

[Rating: Trainee Level]

[Description: An agile ranger skilled in using a hand crossbow, her body is being petrified.]

I can't see anything.

Rhodes shook his head.

After undergoing treatment, Ash's condition showed no significant change.

Harvey bowed upon seeing this: "In any case, thank you both for your help."

Rhodes didn't leave; instead, he asked, "Mr. Harvey, did anything happen to you last night?"

Harvey smiled and countered, "You suspect we accidentally touched a source of infection?"

Rhodes shook his head: "I suspect you guys offended someone last night."

Harvey's smile remained bright even after hearing this.

His voice suddenly lowered: "You also think petrification isn't contagious?"

"also"?

It's easy to talk to smart people.

Rhodes said, "You also arrived in this town yesterday. Judging from your clothing, you must have traveled all the way from the northern part of the continent."

"There's no reason why someone could be infected and develop petrification symptoms in just one day."

"I suspect petrification is a curse."

Aisha, who had been listlessly hanging her head, was suddenly startled upon hearing this.

Harvey reached the same conclusion when he discovered he was petrifying that morning.

Their captain may seem carefree, but he actually has an extremely calm mind.

Harvey looked Rhodes straight in the eye, his gaze scrutinizing.

After a long pause, he finally spoke: "We're new here and don't know anyone."

"If I may say something offensive, last night we were drinking at a pub when Clint got into a fight with a drunk."

"The drunkard was weak; Clint threw him out in no time."

"Before he left, he made a threatening statement, saying that his organization was very powerful and would not let us go."

"Later I found out that the organization he mentioned was called 'Black Hand'."

A mastermind?!

Rhodes remembered the name.

He recalled the adventurers who had attacked him before, led by Kurin.

When the identification technique was used, he was described as a member of the town's underground organization, "Black Hand."

He then asked, "You suspect that Ashe's petrification is related to the Black Hand?"

Harvey shrugged: "It's just suspicion. After all, we haven't offended anyone else."

"I'll try to look into this organization."

But if the petrification disease is indeed the work of a "black hand," what is their purpose?

Creating panic?

Or is it necessary to hold some kind of ceremony?

There is too little information to draw any conclusions.

Rhodes also memorized the name of this underground force.

Just as I was about to continue my conversation with Harvey, I heard a commotion from the crowd at the door.

"It's the president!"

"The guild leader has arrived."

"The president actually came in person?!"

Is he the guild leader of the Adventurers' Guild?

Harvey Rhodes exchanged a glance, and the two walked toward the door at the same time. Paril was a beat behind and hurriedly followed.

According to Rhodes's memories, although he had never met this chairman, he seemed to have some respect for him.

Long ago, all human towns were governed by a separation of powers.

The town's administrators, the adventurers' guild, and the church.

But since humanity was abandoned by the gods, the church has gradually declined, and the existing towns are now jointly governed by the remaining two parties.

In addition, the former guild master led the adventurers in battle against the alien races, protecting the people of Phil Town. The current guild master, Stanley, also benefited from this, gaining a great reputation that surpasses that of the mayor.

He is undoubtedly one of the key figures in Phil town.

The onlookers quickly stepped aside to make way for them.

The man who walked in was a middle-aged man with mixed black and white hair. He had a refined demeanor and the air of someone in a superior position.

He wasn't wearing any fancy clothes, just simple cloth armor, and looked no different from an ordinary adventurer.

His mere glance was enough to instill a sense of pressure in everyone present.

President Stanley's gaze finally settled on the guard, and he spoke in a deep voice:

"Put down your weapons!"

"Whether the enemy is an adventurer or a civilian, you must remember that as the guards of this town, your weapons should always be pointed at the invaders."

"Good!" The surrounding crowd cheered excitedly, and the four guards lowered their weapons upon hearing this.

Although they were under the town mayor's jurisdiction, they could not disobey the orders of the Adventurers' Guild Master.

When Clint saw the chairman arrive in person, he silently put down his long-handled axe.

"Someone has already reported to me that you are the captain of this squad, right?" Chairman Stanley looked at Harvey.

Harvey nodded respectfully.

The chairman instructed his personal guards: "You few stay here and don't let anyone else near. Let's find somewhere to talk."

The innkeeper said respectfully, "I have a spare room available for the Chairman."

Harvey gave Rhodes a look, and Rhodes understood.

Let Paril return to her room and follow Chairman Stanley with Harvey.

Race: Human

Age: 55

[Class: Warrior]

[Rating: Mid-tier]

[Description: The guild master of the Adventurers' Guild in Phil Town, and also a powerful adventurer]

After the initial examination, Rhodes was somewhat surprised.

The person in charge of managing the guild was actually at level four in terms of strength.

There are probably only a handful of adventurers of this caliber in the entire town of Phil, right?

A fighter of that caliber could probably kill me with a single punch...

Lost in thought, the boss led everyone to an empty room with luxurious sofas and chairs, and politely closed the door.

"The president is not afraid of the petrification disease and came to the scene to deal with it personally, which is truly admirable."

Harvey bowed deeply.

Rhodes raised an eyebrow slightly.

Is this a test of how much the chairman knows about petrification disease?

"Heh." Stanley chuckled softly.

"Quite perceptive, bards. What are your names?"

Harvey Olsen.

Rhodes quickly introduced himself: "Rhodes Gary."

He continued to use the pseudonym Gary.

"Hmm." The president nodded steadily, his gaze sweeping over the two faces.

After a long while, he finally spoke: "You must be adventurers who have just arrived in town. It's understandable that you might suspect that petrification is a contagious disease."

"Actually, I suspected it was a man-made curse when the petrification symptoms first appeared in Phil Town six months ago..."

Harvey asked, puzzled, "So where did the term 'infectious disease' actually come from?"