Chapter 2224: Suspected Chosen One

Chapter 2224: Chapter 2224: Suspected Chosen One

Shard had arranged a meeting time with the three members of the New World Mutual Aid Society last night. As for the location, he and Mr. Benhart chose the Spider Inn. Although it was very close to Mr. Coroner Albert’s workplace, Mr. Benhart believed that this wouldn’t cause any trouble, and the most dangerous place was often the safest.

The agreed meeting time was 10:30 in the morning. After bidding farewell to Emilia, Shard reached Spider Alley just in time. Mr. Benhart was already waiting beside the wooden fence outside the inn, watching the chickens in the yard.

The two of them entered and took their seats first, and within two minutes, a group from the New World Mutual Aid Society arrived.

However, that morning saw the appearance of John Flynn, the young man who wielded the Sword of the Wind King, alongside a middle-aged man who hadn’t appeared the previous night. The young woman and the hammer-wielding man from the previous night were absent. The middle-aged man accompanying John Flynn looked to be around forty, wearing glasses, and dressed in a brown robe. Somehow, Shard felt from him a similar clerical aura to that of Priest Augustus.

Once both parties were seated, they exchanged pleasantries like ordinary people meeting, and each ordered drinks. On this Monday morning, there weren’t a lot of people at this secluded and simple inn in the Lower District; even the two guards from the Morgue were diligently working instead of coming here to play cards and pass the time.

"Hello, my name is John Flynn."

The first to speak was the young man from the New World Mutual Aid Society, and though he was much younger than his companions, he was clearly the leader. He surveyed Shard and Mr. Benhart and quickly recognized Shard’s current attire as the strong vampire kind from last night:

"Thank you for meeting with us today. To be honest, we’ve encountered too many Circle Sorcerers in cities like this, but most people here remain cautious of each other and are unwilling to speak frankly."

"That’s because most people think they’re no match for you, who wields a Sage-Level Relic Longsword."

Shard replied, although he was confident he could defeat the opponent:

"Let’s not waste time. We’re here today just for information exchange, right?"

He took out his notebook, tore off two pages, and placed one page each in front of himself and his counterpart:

"Do you have a pen with you? Oh, good, you do. We’ll each write down what we want to know, and if both parties agree after exchanging, we can discuss further."

John Flynn, with his blond hair, conferred with his companion, then picked up a pen to begin writing. Shard looked at Mr. Benhart, who nodded lightly, prompting Shard to pick up his pen as well. Of course, he used his left hand.

After writing, they tore off the mutually exchanged lines from the paper. Shard’s note read, "What is your purpose in coming to Moon Bay?" Some time ago, they had met aboard Hawthorn’s ship transporting Dragon Egg Fossils, and their answer was "to find smuggled Dragon Eggs from the New World." It seemed like only part of the truth; otherwise, they shouldn’t still be here.

Meanwhile, the note handed to them read, "What is the Dragon Feast Cult cultivating the creatures imbued with Dragon Veins here for?"

Mr. Benhart raised an eyebrow, as he truly didn’t know the answer to this question, but Shard had some suspicions.

He looked at the two across the table:

"I can answer this question, but the problem is, you probably can’t afford it."

The blond man across the table also shook the note in Shard’s hand:

"I can answer this question, but you probably can’t afford it either."

They exchanged a glance, then the former said softly:

"It involves The Chosen One."

Shard also replied:

"It involves The Chosen One."

After a brief moment of silence, it was John Flynn, who had initiated the meeting, that spoke again:

"This information is still top-secret, but going by previous experiences, it won’t be long before people find out. The Mutual Aid Society sent us to Moon Bay for this reason, and they haven’t asked us to keep it confidential. If your information is worth exchanging, I suppose I can share it now."

"You basically said nothing substantial."

Shard pointed out:

"My information involves a fragment of a Poem Chapter."

The blond young man took a deep breath:

"The reason for our continued presence in Moon Bay is no less valuable than your piece of information. Alright, I’ll need to confer with my companion first."

"Please go ahead."

Thus, the two sitting across from Shard and Mr. Benhart temporarily left the inn. After about half a minute, Mr. Benhart spoke:

"They’ve met their other two companions in the east at Rat Alley. Yes, the same two from last night. John Flynn has a strong perception, so my bats can’t get too close to hear what’s being said... Their discussion has ended."

Half a minute later, the two who had left the inn returned. As they took their seats again, the blond man reached out to shake Shard’s hand:

"Wishing our cooperation goes smoothly. Our purpose here is merely to wait for things to further ferment. The Mutual Aid Society has discovered quite a few fragments of poem Chapters in the New World over the years. They seem to think that I am... the seventh The Chosen One, or at least a candidate."

Shard and Mr. Benhart both remained expressionless, as it was inappropriate to say anything at the moment. Shard couldn’t verify if this was true or false, but the existence of the [Sword of the Wind King] made him initially suspect such a presence:

"Alright, my answer is: [Dragon Feast Cult] cultivating Dragon Blood Monsters is also for The Chosen qualifications. We discovered a fragment of a poem Chapter that includes a description of the ’Hatchling Dragon.’ This refers to a newly formed Dragon Clan, or a non-immortal race with Dragon Strength."

After finishing, Shard paused for a moment:

"Just like you, I don’t know what type of Dragon your Dragon Strength comes from, but it’s definitely related to wind."

The newly devoured drop of divinity granted Shard the ability to perceive Dragon Strength. Sitting so close and talking, it was impossible for him to feel nothing. Unfortunately, Shard didn’t have Luviya’s peculiar ability to determine if someone was The Chosen One solely by "looking."

Both parties were relatively satisfied with the first round of trade. If John Flynn’s self-description wasn’t wrong, Shard even thought he had an advantage. They each picked up the paper and pen again to write the second question, which was discussed last night during a "walk" on the beach between Shard and Mr. Benhart:

[Who is the local vampire kind cooperating with Dragon Feast Cult?]

He didn’t believe the other would know the answer to this question, it was merely further probing.

The question given by the other party this time was:

[Where are the Dragons of the Dragon Feast Cult hiding on the near-sea island?]

This was also a question Shard couldn’t answer, so both shook their heads and moved on to the third question.

The third question was still agreed upon by Shard and Mr. Benhart —

[Why did you want to find that vampire beast last night?]

And Shard saw the question:

[Do you know that a God Summoner appeared locally?]

Regarding his own question, Shard was naturally aware.

This time, he first answered the question:

"A while ago, a God Summoner appeared and contacted a relic related to Fate with the local Church, the location was Belindel Big Bell. Eight days earlier on Sunday, the God Summoner that appeared in the Battle at the Docks needs not much explanation. Our interactions with this elusive Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer are minimal, but at least we confirm he is still local."

John Flynn and his companion exchanged looks:

"Even the Church isn’t certain; the one that appeared during the great battle eight days ago was indeed..."

"Come on, Mr. Flynn, everyone knows that the God Summoner’s anti-divination resistance surpasses that of the Divine Statue and Holy Emblem at the church. He is a living Saint’s body, of course, the Church can’t confirm it was him. But from past experience, seeing that brilliant silver moonlight, who else could it be?"

Shard said, and Mr. Benhart also held back his laughter to add:

"The church wants to find him, everyone wants to know what he intends to do. We can only confirm that the gentleman or lady is indeed still local, any information regarding that person is almost as important as The Chosen One."

Shard continued:

"After all, anything he or she does could directly point to The Chosen One."

It must be said that the outlander has been quite effective this year, even though the information he provided was mostly useless, but the two sitting across, drinking cheap watered-down draft beer, still found this message very significant.

So they also presented their answer:

"We wanted that vampire beast, at first we didn’t realize it was related to the [Dragon Feast Cult]...we only found out after returning yesterday."

Saying this, the middle-aged man who looked like clergy felt somewhat embarrassed:

"We originally thought it was related to the local vampire kind, which is you. Your race is very unwelcoming to outsiders, and we wanted to use it to find a relic."

He confessed honestly without playing coy:

"We are looking for a Sage-Level Relic, you as vampire kind must know it. [Sorrow of Blood], which is..."

"The ’Holy Sword’ regarded by vampire kind, a legendary treasure, supposedly used by a legendary vampire hunter in the Third Era with that sword..."

Mr. Benhart couldn’t conceal his surprise anymore:

"Used that Holy Sword to expel and nearly kill an ancient Evil Spirit Demon. The story of that vampire kind hunter can even be found today in the ’Dawn Church’ and our doctrines, and that Holy Sword is considered the most important treasure of our race."