The First Hall was not in the north of the city; it was located on Central Avenue in the very heart of Rhode City.
From the Cornflower Inn to the First Hall, it took about half an hour by carriage.
Lu Mao hailed one on the side of the street. The driver, a middle-aged man wrapped in an old blanket, held up a single finger.
“Going to the Central District at this hour will cost you one silver coin.”
Lu Mao pulled his hand out of his pocket, thought about this month's equipment maintenance bill, the two Low-Grade Healing Potions he had just bought, and the silver coin he had to pay Elliot to charge his Slime Cloak every time he went out—and shoved his hand right back in.
“Never mind, I'll walk. It's good exercise.”
The driver shrugged, shook the reins, and the carriage rattled away, disappearing down the cobblestone road.
Lu Mao wrapped his cloak tighter and began to jog toward Central Avenue.
If he lost his life, he could always get it back, but if he ran out of money, he was truly finished.
Besides, a one-hour walk in the night was just extra physical training.
...
The facade of the First Hall was even grander than the rumors suggested.
Two iron-bound oak doors gleamed with a dull golden luster under the light of the oil lamps. Carved on the lintel above were three gilded words: “Steel and Fire.”
Lu Mao stood at the entrance for a moment, took a deep breath, and stepped inside.
As soon as he pushed open the door, before he could even get a clear look at the hall, a female receptionist in a dark blue uniform walked up to greet him.
She wore a bronze badge pinned to her chest. Though a professional smile was plastered on her face, there was a hint of scrutiny in her eyes—she was clearly waiting for him.
“Mr. Lu Mao? Lady Novia is waiting for you. Please follow me.”
The receptionist led him across the hall and turned down a corridor carpeted in a dark hue.
Unlike the bustling hall, this place was so quiet that he could hear the soft rustle of his boot soles brushing against the carpet.
At the end of the corridor was a heavy iron door.
Four adventurers stood outside the door, all wearing identical scale-shaped badges. Two of them were whispering to each other.
Interrupted by the receptionist's footsteps, they stopped talking simultaneously. Their gazes swept over Lu Mao before turning away.
The receptionist knocked thrice on the iron door in a sharp, rhythmic pattern.
“Lady Novia, Mr. Lu Mao has arrived.”
A low response came from inside. The receptionist pushed open the door and stepped aside.
The moment the iron door opened, a damp, metallic scent of rust washed over him, accompanied by faint sobbing and a sigh.
“The target likely has the blessing of an evil god; my detection methods have failed.
“It is also possible that none of these people are Servants of the evil god, and we have arrested the wrong ones.”
Only a single oil lamp was lit in the dark room, casting a dim glow that barely outlined the silhouettes of several chairs.
Lu Mao stepped inside. The first things he saw were the people in the chairs—or more precisely, four people bound to the chairs.
“My Lady! I really didn't know that was a statue of an evil god! Someone told me it was the incarnation of a holy envoy under the Goddess of Life! They said that as long as we helped them recruit other believers, we would receive divine blessings!”
Novia sat opposite them, wearing an oversized guild uniform. The extra-long sleeves hung loosely at her sides as she leaned back in her chair with her legs crossed.
Standing beside her was a blindfolded nun dressed in black with silver patterns. Her hands were clasped in front of her, and the faint silvery-white light at her fingertips was slowly fading away.
“There are no signs of lying.”
The blindfolded nun shook her head, facing Novia's direction.
Novia did not reply.
She was highly irritated right now.
Under normal circumstances, when dealing with suspected cultists of an evil god, she would absolutely adopt the stance of rather killing everyone by mistake than letting a single one go.
In fact, no human kingdom would tolerate its citizens worshiping some obscure, nameless deity.
Once such a situation arose, they would always execute first and report later, eliminating the threat as quickly as possible.
These rules were lessons paid for in blood.
However, the four suspects in front of her were all branch members of great noble families from the Famlok Royal Capital. If she acted rashly, it would likely stir up a massive public relations storm, which would severely affect the guild.
This was also why she utterly detested those who rose through the ranks using connections.
She turned her head, her gaze landing on the figure in the gray cloak at the doorway.
Including this one.
“You, come over and take a look at these people.”
Before Lu Mao could take a step, the two Dragon Rank adventurers who had been whispering at the door spoke up.
One of them, dressed as a heavily armored warrior, leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed. His tone carried blatant contempt.
“Captain, even the Sister of Penance's Spell of Truth couldn't extract anything from them. What do you expect a Silver Rank to see? Is he just going to stare at them?”
The other, possessing elven ears and dressed as a ranger, chimed in. His tone was slightly more diplomatic than his companion's, but the sentiment was the same.
“The captain probably wants him to identify them. After all, these guys have been swindling commoners at the bottom of society. Maybe he's crossed paths with some of the victims.”
The blindfolded nun remained silent. She simply looked at Lu Mao, her eyes behind the black ribbon seemingly lingering on him for a brief moment.
“You two, shut up.”
Novia first barked at the two who were sneering from the side, then immediately put on an expression of complete indifference toward Lu Mao.
“I hope you're not as useless as I think you are.”
If someone hadn't told her that Lu Mao possessed a peculiar scanning ability, she would never have summoned this nepotism case.
Lu Mao ignored Novia and the two Dragon Rank adventurers playing off each other at the door. Before entering the dark room, his gaze lingered on the blindfolded nun for a moment.
【Target: Sena】
【Race: Human】
【Level: ???】
【Identity: Sister of Penance, Church of the Goddess of Life in Rhode City】
【Status: Spell of Truth cast completed, mild fatigue in mana circuit】
【Equipment: Veil of Truth (Epic) — Blindfold ribbon, seals vision in exchange for a massive boost in magicules perception precision】
【Remarks: Her attitude toward you is not friendly; she seems to have noticed the aura of death on the host】
Lu Mao withdrew his gaze and turned to the first person tied to a chair.
It was a bloated middle-aged man wearing a well-tailored but sweat-drenched silk shirt, clearly of noble birth.
Tears and snot streamed down his round face as his small eyes darted back and forth over Lu Mao, filled with pleading.
【Target: Grover von Heinrich】
【Race: Human】
【Identity: Third son of Viscount Heinrich of Famlok Royal Capital, Vice President of the Heinrich Chamber of Commerce in Rhode City】
【Status: Extremely terrified. No mana circuit in body, no traces of an evil god's blessing. Belongs to the Church of Light, but has not paid tithes for three years】
【Remarks: A pure merchant, greedy and afraid of death. Over the past three months, this person has frequently donated to an organization called “Fountain of Rebirth,” believing he was making offerings to a branch holy envoy of the Goddess of Life. In reality, he was scammed and doesn't even know what an evil god is】
Lu Mao remained expressionless and walked up to the second bound suspect.
This was a tall, thin man in his early thirties. He wore a faded dark blue robe with indelible ink stains on the hem, and his fingers bore calluses from long-term writing.
Unlike the panic of the others, he appeared relatively composed, though the dark bruise at the corner of his left eye lent a touch of wretchedness to his calm.
He looked up to meet Lu Mao's gaze, his eyes holding a hint of intellectual caution and curiosity.
【Target: Conrad Adenauer】
【Race: Human】
【Identity: Collateral branch of Count Adenauer of Famlok Royal Capital, Second-Class Clerk of the Rhode City Archives】
【Status: Nervous but relatively calm. No mana circuit in body, no traces of an evil god's blessing. The bruise at the corner of his left eye was caused by hitting the corner of a desk during his arrest】
【Remarks: A descendant of a fallen noble branch, obsessed with ancient text research. He believed “Fountain of Rebirth” was some ancient and orthodox faith revival movement and has been organizing and translating ancient documents for them, with no subjective intention to worship or promote an evil god】
Lu Mao withdrew his gaze and shook his head.
“These two are fine.”
Before his voice could fade, the heavily armored warrior leaning against the doorframe sneered.
He lowered his arms and looked at Lu Mao with an “I knew it” expression. His signature yellow hair looked exceptionally glaring under the dim oil lamp.
“That's it? You stood in front of them for ages without asking a single question, and you already figured it out? Even I could do that!”
Lu Mao ignored him and walked up to the third person.
This was a man in his early twenties, wearing a neatly tailored dark gray suit. Pinned to his collar was a silver family crest, crafted with a level of sophistication that was several notches above the cufflinks of the previous two.
Even though he was securely bound to the chair, his posture was far more upright than the first two. His back was straight, his chin slightly raised, and there was even a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.
It wasn't a forced calm—it was genuine composure.
He seemed extremely confident that they could never find anything on him.
“My friend, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I will do my best to cooperate with the guild's work.”
Lu Mao swept his gaze over him, only to see a screen full of question marks.
His brow furrowed. He subtly leaned closer to the space between the Sister of Penance and Novia, positioning them in front of himself.
“It's him.”
Before Lu Mao's words could even settle, Novia was already in motion.
The moment her right hand slid out of her sleeve, her fingers were covered in dark-golden dragon scales. Her entire forearm swelled and transformed under the oil lamp into a dragon claw as thick as an adult's torso, tearing through the air with a heavy whoosh as she clawed down toward Lucius's head.
Before the smile could fade from Lucius's lips, his entire body exploded into a cloud of black mist just an instant before the dragon claw made contact. The hemp ropes slid off the chair, binding nothing but empty air.
The black mist swept across the floor, rapidly passing through the gaps in the stone tiles beneath the dark room's carpet, rushing toward the doorway.
Lu Mao barely had time to catch a faint scent resembling sulfur before the black mist brushed past his feet, the draft of air rustling the hem of his cloak.
The sudden turn of events sent the other suspects into a panic, and they began screaming in terror.
“Lightning Infusion.”
The elven ranger had already nocked an arrow.
The half-elf drew an arrow from the quiver at his waist. Blue-violet electric arcs crackled around it. His emerald-green pupils constricted slightly the very instant the black mist slipped through the crack of the door.
The bowstring released with a low hum, and the lightning-infused arrow shot forth, trailing a blinding wake of electricity.
The arrow struck precisely half an inch in front of the black mist's path, and the mist collided straight into it.
The electrical arcs exploded.
Lucius was forcibly blasted out of his mist form back into his physical body. He convulsed in midair, his back slamming hard against the stone wall of the corridor.
The right sleeve of his dark gray suit was scorched black by the lightning strike, and the smile on his face finally twisted into rage.
Before he could even steady himself, he dissolved into black mist once more, drifting along the ceiling toward the guild hall.
Novia had already given chase.
Her dragon claw gouged a large chunk of stone fragments from the doorframe. Her petite figure blurred down the corridor at a speed that completely defied her size, her slitted pupils locked onto the fleeing black mist.
“Eve, watch out for any traps or teleportation marks they might have left along the way. Aubrey, follow me. Cedric, keep shooting to disrupt them.”
Her voice was not loud, but it carried the majestic, layered resonance of a dragon.
The three Dragon Rank adventurers named outside the iron door moved instantly, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Shouts of alarm and commotion echoed from the main hall, but soon, that end of the corridor fell completely silent.
The dark room was now left with only Lu Mao, Sena, the three noble suspects bound to the chairs, and—
The current leader of the Steel and Fire Adventure Band, who was also the only one of the four Dragon Rank adventurers outside the door who hadn't joined the chase.
He had to stay behind to watch the remaining suspects.
“If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave.”
Lu Mao turned and took two steps toward the door, his peripheral vision catching the man standing there.
He leaned against the doorframe with his eyes closed, an old scar cutting horizontally across both his upper and lower eyelids.
Messy red hair fell over his forehead. His bare, muscular torso was crisscrossed with old scars of varying depths, the most prominent one slicing diagonally from his right shoulder to his left ribcage.
A black-lacquered wooden sword hung at his waist, its leather-wrapped hilt worn smooth and shiny.
“My lords!”
Unbeknownst to anyone, the fat merchant's pants had become wet. Terrified that he would be implicated by what had just happened, he began to plead desperately.
“My Lord! I was really tricked! Please plead for me! Once I get out of here, I'll give you thirty percent of my chamber's profits—no, fifty percent! Fifty percent is fine!”
Lu Mao turned and walked two steps toward the door, then stopped.
Something was wrong.
He turned back around, bypassed the still-shivering fat merchant and the elderly man who had already fainted from fright, and walked up to the last person who hadn't been scanned yet—
It was a young man around Lu Mao's age.
His eyes were red and swollen, and he hadn't uttered a single word from beginning to end.
Lu Mao squatted down, stared into those bloodshot eyes, and made a silent command in his mind.
The system panel popped up a beat slower than usual.
Name, identity, mana circuit detection—everything was obscured by a hazy, gray barrier.
He looked up, only to lock eyes with a pair of pupils that completely lacked sclerae.
The young man of similar age before him had stopped crying at some point.
A razor-thin, inhuman sheen floated on the surface of his pitch-black eyeballs, and his lips curled into a bizarre grin.
He was smiling directly at him.
A single thought instantly surged in Lu Mao's mind—
Oh crap, we've been backdoored.
Rate on N.U.
