Chapter 1611: Combining Information

Erend looked at Erebus, who returned his gaze without showing much emotion.

Although the man’s expression was still as even as ever, Erend could sense his impatience and how badly he wanted to hear some good news from the investigation.

Erend released a quiet sigh, thinking that the man really needed to learn some patience, but he kept the thought to himself and addressed him calmly instead. "As you just heard, we’re doing the best we can. You already know this won’t be quick or easy."

Erebus continued looking at him for a moment before releasing a slow breath.

His expression barely changed, yet Erend and the three Archmages could still sense his frustration.

He wanted answers, and he wanted them quickly, but Erebus also understood that he couldn’t simply demand results from people who had just begun examining the problem.

Erebus himself realized that his impatience had gotten the better of him. His desire to save his people was driving him to expect too much from the three mages, even though he and the other council members had spent decades trying to solve the curse without success.

If they had failed to find a solution after so many years, he couldn’t reasonably expect these newcomers to accomplish that in such a short time.

With that realization in mind, he finally accepted that he would have to give them more time.

"Alright. Do your work, then. You’ll return to your own world when you’re done for the day, right? We can’t spare any accommodations for you," Erebus said.

"Yeah, don’t worry about that," Adrius replied.

Erebus gave them one final look before turning away and walking off, leaving the four of them to watch his back as he disappeared into the distance.

Lysander frowned, clearly displeased with the way their host had treated them, and shook his head in irritation. "I don’t like his attitude. We came all this way to help him and his people, yet he acts as though we’re wasting his time."

Adrius remained calm as he listened to his apprentice’s complaint. Having lived long enough to encounter people in all manner of difficult circumstances, he understood that desperation could make even reasonable people difficult to deal with.

"His attitude isn’t surprising, considering what he’s been through. Imagine spending decades searching for a way to save your people while watching them suffer without being able to do anything about it. I doubt any of us would remain patient forever under those circumstances," Adrius said.

Sylmira nodded in agreement. She had seen the condition of the inhabitants with her own eyes and the suffering made it difficult to blame Erebus for his behavior.

His words were unpleasant but his desperation came from a place they could understand.

"I agree with Adrius," Sylmira said. "He’s been dealing with this problem for a long time, and I don’t think he knows how to trust anyone who claims they might be able to solve it. He probably expects us to fail just like everyone else who came before us."

Erend crossed his arms and glanced in the direction Erebus had gone. "I won’t pretend his attitude doesn’t annoy me, but we’re not here to make friends with him. We’re here to help these people, and that’s what we should focus on."

Lysander’s expression softened a little as he considered Erend’s words. He still disliked Erebus’s behavior but he understood the point his companions were making.

Whatever their personal feelings toward the man, the people trapped in that cursed district were the ones who needed their help the most.

"Yeah, I know," Lysander replied before turning his attention back to the others. "Anyway, we should talk about what we found, master. I noticed something strange while I was investigating my section of the district, and I think it might be relevant to understanding the curse."

Adrius nodded and began sharing his own findings. He explained that the cursed energy did not behave like ordinary curse Magic that had become corrupted over time.

Instead, it seemed to form a vast presence spread throughout the district, almost as though an enormous structure existed within the air itself.

He also noticed several tiny lights blinking in the sky, appearing and disappearing so quickly that they were easy to mistake for distant stars. Their unusual positions suggested that they were not natural stars and he suspected they might be connected to the curse in some way.

Lysander listened carefully before describing the light he also had observed.

He had seen a similar point hovering above the district, close enough to suggest that it existed within the city’s immediate surroundings.

He said that he chose not to approach it because he could not predict how it might react.

If those lights were connected to the cursed energy, disturbing them without understanding its nature could provoke an unexpected response.

Sylmira then described the inhabitants and the changes she had observed throughout her section.

The dark tendrils drifting through the air, the black stains spreading across the buildings were not isolated.

The ground also changed and she also told them about the protective inscriptions on several walls that had faded beneath newer symbols that someone had carved or drawn over them.

She also told them about her encounter with a young girl suffering from severe illness who asked if she could heal the people living there. The girl’s words had stayed with her.

As they compared their observations, the four of them began to recognize several details that might be connected.

The curse affected more than the inhabitants’ bodies, as it had also corrupted the surrounding environment and seemed to spread through the district in a manner they did not understand.

The dark tendrils, blackened ground, strange lights above the city, and the unusual structure of the cursed energy might all be parts of the same phenomenon rather than separate symptoms.

However, they still lacked enough information to determine how those elements interacted or what lay at the center of the curse.

Erend listened to each of them before looking toward the district with solemn expression. It seems that he also needs to consult with an expert he knows.

—