Wizard: Adventures in Two Worlds-Chapter 384 - 150 Dark Market_2
His heart at ease, Carl delved into other memories.
Boken had been brought to the Holy Hall as an infant and raised to become a fanatical Holy Temple Knight. For a large part of his life, he recited doctrines and offered meaningless prayers to the Divine. Of course, some of this knowledge had its uses.
The Holy Hall! The Holy Hall’s mission is to find and save the Moon Goddess; it is the sacred land in the hearts of all Holy Knights who believe in the Goddess. It has one bishop and nine elders. The bishop has never shown his face, while the nine elders appear only occasionally. In Boken’s memory, he had met three of the elders. Decades had passed with almost no change to their appearance, suggesting that the Holy Hall’s elders might very well be Legendary beings or possess other means to extend their lifespans. So, does the Holy Hall have any Second Order beings?
Carl pondered. It was indeed possible!
The War of the Gods was only a few hundred years ago, and Second Order beings theoretically live for five hundred years. However, with the aid of certain Secret Techniques or other life-extending Potions, living a few hundred years longer would not be a problem. Surviving from the War of the Gods until now was not a major issue.
But what was strange was that whether it was the several Dukes or the other powerhouses who survived the era of the War of the Gods, they rarely showed themselves. This was especially true in the past few decades. It seemed the stronger one was, the more reclusive their personality became. This, of course, was impossible.
There must be some kind of constraint in this world preventing beings above Second Order from easily showing themselves or taking action. With Second Order beings not emerging, this actually works in my favor!
However, it was certain that no one within the Holy Hall had mastered the four major inheritances passed down by the Moon Goddess. This was also what made Carl special. He had mastered the Giant Spirit Breathing Technique; this inheritance itself was secondary, but proving the Goddess had not fallen was key.
During the era of the Gods, Knights from the Mortal World could only enter the Holy Hall for cultivation after strict selection. With so many Holy Halls in the world, only a few Holy Knights could enter the divine realm’s sacred domain each year, and only the top beings within the sacred domain could receive the four major inheritances. Even during the era of the Gods, there were very few Guardians around the Goddess who cultivated the Giant Spirit Breathing Technique.
But... Holy Skills! As I suspected, the Gods merely viewed the Guardians as their toys and slaves, and did not bestow anything too powerful upon them. Only Guardians who participated in the Gods’ arena competitions were bestowed with Holy Skills to increase their chances of victory. Unfortunately, very few Guardians who entered the arena survived, so Holy Skills were never widely disseminated, until... the invasion of the Evil God from beyond!
Carl’s eyes lit up.
To resist the Evil God from beyond, the Gods had no choice but to increase their investment in the Guardians, bestowing various Holy Skills, Divine Weapons, and armor. This even gave some mighty Guardians the power to slay gods. In that indescribable period, the power of the Guardians greatly increased, and various Holy Skills, even Divine Skills, began to spread. The Holy Hall does indeed have Holy Skills! And not just one! Even the Martial Arts Boken practiced are a simplified version of a Holy Skill; it’s a pity his memory doesn’t contain any complete Holy Skills. Hmm... The Holy Hall’s Deacon Lev, who traveled with him, seems to possess a Holy Skill, and he has now gone to the Dark Market. Boken came to find me with six profaned ancient beasts, while Lev went to the market with two. It seems my identity as the Moon Goddess’s Guardian is indeed more important! The Dark Market... interesting!
Boken’s position in the Holy Hall was not low, second only to the bishop, the nine elders, and some deacons. His access to information and understanding of the world far surpassed Carl’s. For example, he knew about the Dukes’ titles of honor, the extent of their territories, and the Dark Market.
The current Holy Hall could not bear public scrutiny; some elders did not even dare to venture outside. Many similar forces operated in the shadows. These hidden forces established the Dark Market to facilitate communication among themselves, and the Dukes tacitly allowed its existence.
Dharma Seals, Curios, slaves, information... All these things are for sale in the Dark Market. I just don’t know if Holy Skills or even Divine Skills are available.
Stroking his chin, Carl flicked his hand, and a Magic Flying Carpet appeared.
In Boken’s memory, Deacon Lev is as much a zealot as he was, so he will also come looking for me. Heh... No need for such trouble. I’ll go find you now!
「On the outskirts of the City of Death.」 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
Carl jumped off the Magic Flying Carpet. In front of him was a very rudimentary wooden house, still bearing the residual aura Yana had left.
Gone?
With a Wizard’s methods, he could sense Yana if she were nearby.
Did they also go to the Dark Market?
The Dark Market’s location was not fixed; for some unknown reason, it had been chosen to be in the City of Death this time. Speaking of which, this was Carl’s first visit to the City of Death.
On the main roads, wide enough for eight horse carriages, pedestrians and merchants streamed by ceaselessly, with city guards patrolling intermittently.
After entering the city, the commercial streets bustled with prosperity, and the residential areas were filled with the aroma of cooking fires.
What a bustling metropolis!
Carl sat cross-legged on the Magic Flying Carpet, using witchcraft to conceal his form, his gaze sweeping across the city.
A pity! What goes up must come down; prosperity is followed by decline! The prosperity of the City of Death is due to nearly all the people from surrounding cities flooding in, but this situation cannot last. The land continues to crack and dry, food production decreases year by year, Freedom Port has also been destroyed, and with no source of fish, food is becoming increasingly scarce.
