Chapter 73 “Incomplete Memory”
Duncan quickly withdrew his gaze from the golden mask to blend in like an ordinary believer once things started rolling. This was so he wouldn’t attract further attention since he hadn’t heard anything useful yet.
Then, when he lowered his head to act inconspicuously, Duncan suddenly got that strange sensation of being stared at again.
The man frowned slightly in annoyance. Then searching around, he again found the source, and like before, it was the child wearing that strange bell collar around the neck, averting eye contact when he looked over.
Now, this got the guy wondering.
He’s sure they didn’t know each other. In the memory of the original owner of this body, there was no information regarding this child.
Why is a follower of the sun god looking my way so frequently?
Is it because of Ai on my shoulder? She’s that much of a chic attraction?
He thought about this possibility, but then the cult leader interrupted that train of thought by speaking in a somewhat echoing and divine voice that demanded attention. Talk about a transformation.
“The prayer is over. The Lord has witnessed our piety and awe. Grace has shone on our souls, so my brothers and sisters, be gratified that we have persevered for one more day in this difficult and dark world. We’re one day closer to seeing the day when our sun is reborn and recasted upon this world!”
The “priest” wearing the golden mask then spreads his hands and casts his gaze at the corner where a certain person stands.
“But before proceeding with today’s gathering, I would like to welcome two of our compatriots who were once trapped by darkness in these difficult times. Thanks to the guidance of our Lord, they’ve been reunited with us… Go ahead my fellow faithful, introduce yourself.”
Two compatriots?
Duncan suddenly remembered that the leader mentioned he was not the only new face around these halls. For some reason, the ghost captain’s attention shifted to the little girl wearing that black frilly dress.
“You can call me Shirley.” The girl took half a step forward and spoke frankly, “My parents are both followers of our faith. Unfortunately, they were killed by the minions of the Storm Church four years ago. I have been hiding around the Crossroad all these years without managing to make contact with our siblings…. It’s great that you’re all here now.”
Her voice was not loud to the point of being quiet and well-behaved. In fact, Duncan could never match the girl with the picture of a bloodied cultist willing to sacrifice innocent lives.
“Welcome back among us, young sister.” The leader nodded, then turned to face the surrounding worshippers, “Shirley’s parents were killed by the purge four years ago, and we have found her parents’ names on that year’s list. Next is another compatriot that joined us today.”
The ringleader’s gaze finally fell on Duncan.
“Duncan, I live in the Lower Sector,” he had already prepared for this, so he wasted no time in the introduction. “A few days ago, the Storm Church attacked a sacrificial ground me and my local siblings created. I am the only survivor left.”
He said this briefly but sincerely, like someone that didn’t want to recall a terrible memory. Since the news of the Storm Church’s raid had made the news, the cultists had no reason to doubt his story.
Seemingly pleased by the smooth introduction, the ringleader began again by nodding and adding: “This is a tested compatriot. After experiencing the cruelty of those hounds from the Storm Church, he is still trying his best to return to the Lord’s embrace. We also found the blessed keepsake of our faith on him, so his words are credible.”
Some of the cultists sighed over the tragic story, and some nodded in approval. Duncan on the other hand, only wanted to get things moving by putting on a blank face and reciting the multiplication table backward.
“The brief introduction is over,” the leader finally got onto something interesting, “and now to update you all on the situation.”
Duncan’s ears immediately perked up.
“…… At present, there are still a large number of compatriots gathering in this city. This includes ordinary faithful like us and powerful emissaries and priests overseeing the whole mission. Fret not, our powers are gradually growing, and the day of re-order is fast approaching…”
“But it is undeniable that the minions of the Storm Church have caught onto our presence. They and the crooks inside city hall are making entry stricter and investigating foreigners entering Pland. At this point, several of our siblings have already been captured by the police. Be warned. We must succeed in our objective. Do not let your guard down, be wary, be on watch, and look out for the hounds from the church. It is fine to slow down the progress in collecting the sacrifices. The heirs of the Lord know about our plight, and they have issued a decree that they will personally take care of the remaining half of the sacrifice pool if we can’t solve it….”
The surrounding cultists all reacted like they’d been greatly moved by the news and started praising the sun god. Duncan, on the other hand, wasn’t so pleased. He didn’t forget the mass carnage in that sewer, and it seems that the mastermind – whatever Sun Heirs or Sun Children – will personally take charge and participate?
“… At present, our main task is to determine the specific location of the sun fragment. Remember, our goal is always to bring the real sun god back to life, and finding the lost sun fragments is the most important part!”
Duncan’s heart shuddered
Sun fragments? What is that stuff?
Can a stack of sun fragments make the Spear of Arden bigger?
The bird on his shoulder suddenly grew agitated, which manifested in Ai issuing a low cooing sound from the throat and bobbing her head up and down.
Duncan naturally could tell what the bird wanted through the ghost fire connection. However, there’s no way Duncan would allow Ai to start crying out something like “slaughter the enemy with the solar tomahawk” in the middle of a cultist gathering.
“Shhh,” he hushes the bird in a mumble. Then caressing Ai’s head to soothe the girl, the guy knew this was asking a lot from a yappy mouth.
“Are we able to determine the approximate location of the sun fragment? Is there a way to detect it?” Then another cultist spoke up to ask the question they all wanted to know.
“The sun fragment is currently asleep and cannot be detected by any means.” The leader shook his head in disappointment, “But the Lord has sent down guidance, telling us the nearest fragment is currently hiding in Pland. Out of consideration for our new compatriots that have joined today, I will explain the full situation again.”
“According to the information available, the fragment should have first appeared eleven years ago and has likely caused some kind of large-scale vision in the city. It could be a large fire, an abnormal heatwave in the entire neighborhood, or the spontaneous combustion of the collective human body. Whatever the scenario, we must investigate the matter now.”
“The city-state authorities have detailed information about the phenomena of transcendence events over the years. Our job now is to gather these clues to deduce where our next lead lies.”
“But beware, all inquiry must be done with caution and planning. Although the authorities have always been lax in the management of the lower city, the hounds of the Storm Church sometimes have a particularly sensitive sense of smell when it comes to us… They are already on their toes.”
While the leader explained the current situation to the surrounding congregation, Duncan’s mind was spinning rapidly, and paying special attention to the part about “eleven years ago”. It’s not because the sun fragment made an appearance that year, but because that’s the year Nina lost her parents….
From what he recalled, Nina’s parents died in a fire.
Is it just a coincidence? Is there such a coincidence?
Duncan tried to sort out the messy and broken memories in his mind to little avail. Nevertheless, there were two crucial images he picked out from the chaotic picture: the original body owner ran out of the fire while carrying his dying niece. Behind them were the burning embers of an indistinguishable building, and the phantom-like streets were packed with crowds of frenzied civilians running for their lives….