Handover

Bai Xuan put away the crest and watched him quietly, waiting for him to continue.

Carson let out a bitter laugh, his voice dropping. “I don't know how you found me, but I am indeed a member of the White family, a spy planted inside the Cross family.”

“That invisibility ability from earlier is my life-saving skill. Relying on it, I managed to blend into the Cross family under a false identity for a long time, until I finally obtained a critical piece of intelligence a few days ago.”

At this point, he paused, a flash of lingering fear crossing his eyes. “But I didn't expect them to set up reveal magic circles and tracking tools in the Inner Wall. I accidentally triggered one of them and was exposed on the spot.”

“Pursuers swarmed from all directions. I risked my life to escape, and that time, I had to play almost all of my trump cards.”

He lowered his head and gently rubbed his leg. “Now, I don't dare use Shadow Stealth at all. Since they know I have this ability, they will definitely set up targeted anti-stealth measures at every exit.”

“Moreover, the town gates are completely locked down. Going out is suicide, so I can only hide here and wait for an opportunity.”

Bai Xuan glanced at the panel, which showed Carson's status as “Sincere.” He was clearly telling the truth.

He looked at Carson and asked, “Go on. What exactly is this critical intelligence you overheard?”

Carson raised his head, looked at Bai Xuan, and asked in return, “Do you know who Zane Cross is?”

Bai Xuan did not answer, merely nodding slightly to signal him to continue.

“He is the genius of this generation of the Cross family, regarded as their future hope,” Carson said slowly. “His coming here is nominally for family training, but in reality, it's for the dungeon near the town.”

“His Class is related to the undead, but I haven't been able to find out the exact details.”

Bai Xuan's eyes flickered slightly, clearly quite concerned about this news.

Carson continued, his voice dropping unconsciously. “There is a ‘gemstone’ inside the dungeon. It's said that it can grant Zane unimaginable power, and also allow the Cross family to master some kind of special ability.”

“They have been searching for that ‘gemstone’ in secret, but they don't dare make a big fuss about it for fear of attracting the attention of other families. That's why they secretly sent slave-hunting caravans to scout the dungeon.”

The words “slave-hunting caravan” instantly brought to mind the scene at the street corner that night, but Bai Xuan did not interrupt Carson, choosing to listen quietly.

“Recently, they finally found the approximate area of the gemstone,” Carson said, his tone carrying a trace of urgency. “They are currently conducting a search and capture in the dungeon. I estimate they'll succeed in a few days.”

“Once they succeed, they will definitely transport the gemstone back to their family. The transport route will be our best opportunity to strike.”

Bai Xuan remained silent for a few seconds. The amount of information Carson provided was massive, and he needed some time to digest it.

After a moment, he spoke slowly, his gaze locked onto Carson. “You've told me all this. What do you want me to do for you?”

Carson raised his head to meet Bai Xuan's gaze, a hint of avoidance flashing through his eyes first.

But then it turned incredibly sincere, and he nodded gently. “I can't get out. The town gates are guarded too tightly, and I don't dare use Shadow Stealth. Even if I could, they have anti-stealth measures waiting for me.”

“But you, you are an honored guest of the White family. You have the ability to help me.”

Bai Xuan was in no hurry to agree, merely watching him silently with an unreadable expression.

Seeing this, Carson hurriedly fumbled around his clothes, eventually pulling a palm-sized piece of gray cloth from his shirt.

The fabric was ordinary, its edges frayed, looking just like a scrap torn from old clothes.

Bai Xuan was slightly taken aback. He had originally thought the man would produce some sort of crest or token as proof, but he hadn't expected it to be such a rag.

“Don't you have anything more proper?” He frowned and asked, “How am I supposed to win the White family's trust with this scrap of cloth?”

Carson let out a bitter laugh and handed the gray cloth over. “An undercover agent can't carry conspicuous tokens. If I'm caught and they find a White family crest on me, it would expose the entire undercover operation.”

“But this cloth is different. Even if it falls into the hands of the Cross family, they'll just throw it away as trash and won't care at all.”

Bai Xuan took the gray cloth and turned it over several times. There were indeed no markings on the fabric. It was as ordinary as could be; anyone else would have simply tossed it aside.

“Then how do I prove my identity?” he asked again.

“Go to the White family, find a steward named Jesse, give him this cloth, and tell him, ‘White Bird is Silent.’”

Carson said seriously, “Once he hears this phrase, he will naturally know that you were sent by me.”

Bai Xuan clutched the cloth in his hand, remaining silent.

Seeing him silent, Carson hurriedly said, “I know I can't let you do this for nothing. I don't have anything of value on me right now, but once you deliver the message, the steward will definitely reward you.”

“It won't be less than the bounty on my head, that I can guarantee.”

Bai Xuan glanced at him.

Carson grew a bit nervous under his gaze, his voice dropping. “I really can't produce anything else right now...”

“I'm thinking, you want me to deliver this message, but what if I get caught on the way?”

Bai Xuan interrupted him. “I'm taking such a big risk to deliver a message. A mere verbal promise makes it hard for me to do this for you.”

Carson froze for a moment, then said helplessly.

“You have our White family's honored guest token. As long as the intelligence is delivered, you will definitely not be treated poorly.”

Bai Xuan tucked the gray cloth into his shirt and asked no more.

With things being so tense lately, staying in Blackcreek Town wasn't safe to begin with. Although there was no movement from the Information House for now, no one knew what would happen next.

If he could take this opportunity to re-establish contact with the White family, it would count as gaining an ally to deal with the Cross family.

Moreover, he absolutely could not let Zane get his hands on that “gemstone.”

The guy was already troublesome enough. If he obtained the boost from the so-called “gemstone,” he would only be harder to deal with in the future.

Having thought it through, Bai Xuan slowly nodded. “I promise you.”

Carson instantly let out a sigh of relief. He leaned weakly against the wall, a look of relief appearing on his face as he said softly, “Thank you.”

Bai Xuan said no more, turning to walk out of the alley.

Carson stood in place, watching the white-robed figure gradually recede until he vanished at the end of the alley, before letting out a long sigh.

He turned and went back into the hidden underground passage, the metal hatch slowly closing behind him, shutting out everything from the outside.

Walking on the way back, the words he had just heard repeatedly circled in Bai Xuan's mind.

Thinking of the terms “slave-hunting caravan” and “gemstone” made him unconsciously slow his steps.

The “gemstone” required the help of slave-hunting forces to search for, which meant that the “gemstone” was highly likely a living being.

The slave traders were merely a disguise, using the pretext of slave hunting to carry out their actions.

And in the eyes of the nobles, slave hunting was a standard operation to begin with, so it naturally wouldn't arouse much suspicion.

But what kind of person were they trying to capture that was worth Zane Cross's secret planning?

Bai Xuan's brow furrowed slightly. Zane's Class was related to the undead. Could those captured people be useful for necromancy—used for sacrifices, or some other purpose?

He shook his head gently, feeling that everything before him was a mix of truth and falsehood, illusions and reality.

Either this was a smoke screen from start to finish, or the truth was hidden beneath layers of disguise and power struggles, resulting in the current situation.

A wave of fatigue quietly welled up in his heart. Bai Xuan sighed inwardly; surviving in this world required far more than just raw power.

One also had to know how to carve out a viable path of survival from the webs woven by others.

He stopped overthinking. After all, the intelligence was already in his hands. He only needed to find the White family and inform them of the situation when the time came, leaving the remaining conflict to be resolved by the two major families.

A clash between the two families was destined to be a life-and-death struggle, but his target had been Zane alone from beginning to end. If he could eliminate the accomplices around Zane in the process, it would be an unexpected bonus.

Lost in thought, he had already arrived at the small cabin behind the abandoned church. He raised his hand and knocked gently on the door.

The door opened quickly, and the old nun's face peered out from the crack.

When she saw Bai Xuan, she was clearly taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

“Back so soon?” Her voice was raspy, carrying a hint of worry. “Did you run into some trouble? If you really can't get it back, it's fine. There's no need to force yourself.”

Bai Xuan shook his head, pulled the holy crest from his shirt, and gently handed it to her. “I got it back.”

The old nun instantly froze in place, her gaze falling upon the bronze holy crest, unable to react immediately.

Only after several seconds did she slowly stretch out her hand, carefully taking the holy crest, her withered fingers gently caressing the badge.

The edges were already chipped in several places, and several new scratches had been added to the already blurred patterns.

Yet she still caressed it over and over, as if to confirm that this was not an illusion.

“It's this...” she murmured in a low voice, her voice trembling slightly as she repeated, “It really is this.”

Bai Xuan stood quietly at the door without speaking, simply watching her in silence.

“Thank you, young man.” The old nun caressed it for a long time before slowly raising her head, her eyes already reddened.

She paused, then scrutinized Bai Xuan carefully for a moment.

Her gaze was entirely different from before, carrying a bit of scrutiny, yet also a trace of warmth.

“Even though you wear the attire of a Healer, you are not a cleric, are you?”

Bai Xuan was slightly taken aback.

“Although you carry an aura that makes me feel close to you,” the old nun spoke slowly, her tone peaceful, “it is different after all. You also carry something else on you.”

Bai Xuan did not hide it, nodding gently. “I have traveled here from another country. The power I use is somewhat different from the one here.”

The old nun nodded in understanding and did not press further, merely lowering her head to look at the holy crest in her hand once more.

Then she raised her hand and pointed to the abandoned church outside, asking softly, “Do you know what this place used to look like? That church was not always in such a ruined state.”

Bai Xuan followed her gaze. In the twilight, the church's outline was only a blurry silhouette, its ruined spire tilted sideways, exuding a sense of desolation.

“Forty years ago,” the old nun's voice drifted over slowly, carrying a distant reminiscence, “this church was the most decent place in this entire area.”

“The townspeople would come here for worship, weddings, and to name their children. Back then, there were three priests and six nuns here. People came and went all day long, making it incredibly lively.”

Her voice gradually grew lower, her tone carrying a hint of melancholy. “Later, the Cross family arrived.”

“They came from the Great City and brought their own clerics. Their strength and influence were far greater than ours.”

“After they arrived, they built a new church on the other side of the town, larger and grander than this one. The townspeople slowly drifted over there.”

The old nun lowered her head, looking at her withered fingers, her tone as flat as if she were telling someone else's story. “Some of the clerics on our side left, while others... had no choice.”

“In the end, I was the only one left guarding this place.”

Bai Xuan remained silent, listening quietly to her tale.

“The people of the new church set new rules, forbidding unauthorized healing in the town.” The old nun shook her head, a trace of stubbornness flashing in her eyes.

“They also came to find me and told me to leave, but I didn't want to go. This is the place where I have spent my entire life.”

She raised her head to look at Bai Xuan, saying with a bitter smile, “Later, they stopped coming. The people in the new church changed wave after wave.”

“But this old church grew more and more dilapidated, colder and quieter, with no one ever setting foot in it again.”

Bai Xuan still did not speak. In his mind, images of the people from the Information House, Zane Cross, and those destroyed villages flashed.

What the Cross family brought from the Great City was never just new clerics, but also oppression and plunder.

“I don't mean anything else by telling you this today,” the old nun sighed softly. “It's just that this holy crest has accompanied me for so many years. I always feel that it should know where it came from and where it is going.”

She held the holy crest gently in her palm, her fingertips tenderly tracing the patterns on it. “This was handed to me personally by the old priest when I first arrived.”

“Back then, the church was still prosperous. The old priest said this holy crest was passed down from when the church was built, and told me to keep it safe. Later, the old priest passed away, and the other clerics scattered. Only it remained, keeping me company all this time.”

With that, she handed the holy crest back to Bai Xuan, her tone firm. “Now, it should accompany you.”

Bai Xuan was completely stunned, asking subconsciously, “What do you mean by this...”

“This thing has accompanied me for most of my life,” the old nun said with a smile. “I can feel that there is an unusual power hidden within it, but I cannot use it.”

“For so many years, in my hands, it has been nothing more than an ordinary piece of bronze.”

She looked at Bai Xuan, her gaze earnest. “Take it. It no longer has any use with me, but in your hands, perhaps one day it can unleash its original power.”

Bai Xuan looked down at the holy crest, and the phrase ‘Perhaps there is some other secret’ on the panel surfaced in his mind once again.