This was a narrow room, with a dim oil lamp burning inside.
Other than a leather sofa and a table, there was nothing else.
The bartender led Mu Xuan in, gestured for him to sit on the sofa, and then fetched a stool for himself, sitting down across from Mu Xuan.
“Honored sir, what is it you wish to ask?”
Mu Xuan remained calm, his fingers tapping slowly on the tabletop as he spoke, “I want to know about that blonde female knight.”
The bartender immediately understood who Mu Xuan was asking about. After a brief moment of thought, he looked at Mu Xuan and said, “That lady is the Saintess’s personal knight, known as Silvermoon. As you know, the position of the Saintess has yet to be filled, so the Silvermoon Knight is currently unoccupied. The Pope has sent her here to investigate the anomalies with the mine vein.”
Silvermoon Knight? Saintess?
Hiss… It seemed there really was nothing about a Saintess in his memory. That being the case, the Saintess must be important—so why would the Church leave her position vacant?
But Mu Xuan’s attention wasn’t on that.
“Mine vein?”
Some things about the Church could wait; besides, he had the Goddess on his side.
“That mine tunnel to the right of the city gate—the one that’s been detected to contain a massive vein. But the slaves and servants sent to mine it have either disappeared or gone mad…”
The bartender explained at once.
Mu Xuan compared the general location with the map he’d memorized… Wasn’t that the mine Bu Zhaqi originally discovered?
So the mining tools inside were left there before the Calamity descended?
“How’s the investigation going?”
“Not well. In short, all the manpower’s been pulled back. Even though those lords in the city center don’t see the lives of these lowborns as lives, too much loss without enough gain still pains them.”
Mu Xuan shook his head. Everything he’d discussed with the bartender was only on the surface—nothing hidden or crucial had been touched on.
“Now, let’s talk about what I truly want to know.” In truth, Mu Xuan didn’t really know what to ask, so he could only say this.
“Hmm…” The bartender fell silent for a while, as if weighing what could and couldn’t be said.
“Silvermoon Knight has been making moves recently—seems she wants to eliminate some people…”
“There are rumors that one of the two Holy Artifacts of the Church of Light is in Silvermoon Knight’s hands…”
“And also, Silvermoon Knight transported a batch of supplies to the mine area, but no one knows why…”
“…”
The bartender went on to say more about the Silvermoon Knight—some things were vague, some just rumors, and others concrete facts.
But ultimately, what Mu Xuan cared about most was the Holy Artifact.
According to the bartender, the artifact was most likely with Silvermoon Knight. But one thing wasn’t clear—why were there only two artifacts, not three?
The Goddess had clearly said there were three Holy Artifacts under the Church’s control…
In any case, he’d have to probe Silvermoon Knight. At present, she was the only lead regarding the artifact.
Even if she didn’t have it, as the Saintess’s personal knight, she should at least know something.
Remembering that cold expression that seemed to keep everyone at arm’s length, Mu Xuan felt a bit apprehensive.
The strength of the Saintess’s personal knight was on par with the head of the Temple Knights. They’d both reached the terrifying Moho tier—if he did anything rash, Mu Xuan had the feeling she could crack his skull open in an instant.
While he was pondering what to do next, Mu Xuan and the bartender had already returned to the tavern.
The bartender went back to his post at the counter, while Mu Xuan took a glass of wine and casually found a seat.
“Hey, brother, you have no idea—that Brightstone, it’s the first time in my life I’ve seen one!”
No sooner had Mu Xuan sat down than a burly, shirtless man came over, his cheeks flushed red, clearly having drunk a lot and still riding the high.
“Why is Brightstone so valuable?” Mu Xuan frowned, following up on the big man’s words.
“Heh, you’re asking the right guy! Brightstone only ever appears in places with an extremely dense concentration of Light’s power—not only can it heal and save lives, it can unleash powerful attacks. Hic, you know spell scrolls, right? Brightstone is a hundred times more useful than those!” The man grew animated at the question, even a bit proud, “The densest Light’s power is at Church headquarters, but all their Brightstone is used internally—none ever reaches the outside world. It’s nearly impossible to buy it out here, and no one can just break into headquarters.”
“As for those scattered churches elsewhere, if they can produce even a single ordinary Brightstone, those priests and deacons can get promoted to bishop right away! That Brightstone of yours is something you only see in legends. Thanks to you today, I finally got to see one!”
“By the way, brother, where did you get it?”
Mu Xuan glanced at the man, a bit exasperated. After all that talk, he still wanted to know where Mu Xuan got his hands on it.
Still, Mu Xuan had learned the true significance and uses of Brightstone. No wonder everyone had been so shocked…
It also made Mu Xuan realize the deeper value of the Light’s power within him. The followers who’d been granted Faith’s power only had a single ability with Light’s power inside them.
His own Light’s power was on a higher level…
Sighing to himself, Mu Xuan slowly said, “I have a friend in the Church.”
The big man’s face lit up in sudden understanding, and he immediately filled in the blanks as to why Mu Xuan had no idea of the market value of Brightstone.
What a joke—maybe everyone in the Church had some; of course he wouldn’t know it was precious.
They drank a few more rounds, and after some idle chatter, the burly man finally staggered away.
Seeing that no one else came over for a while, Mu Xuan took the chance to slip out of the tavern.
The tavern’s atmosphere had felt so normal that Mu Xuan almost forgot this wasn’t some safe place. Not until he left did the world turn silent again, and Mu Xuan finally regained his vigilance.
Yes, he was still in this strange place, not somewhere normal.
Taking a deep breath, Mu Xuan walked straight to the other side of the street.
Just now, with the bartender, Mu Xuan had already learned where the church was.
The Lord’s Mansion was out of the question; there was no way he could get inside. But the church wouldn’t be so heavily guarded.
Besides, the current target was Silvermoon Knight, so heading to the church made more sense. Though he’d spent quite a while in the tavern, Silvermoon Knight probably wouldn’t be back so soon.
And even if she did return, Mu Xuan could still try to speak with her.
The only thing he didn’t know was whether the church would be as different as the tavern. At the very least, he hoped it wasn’t as eerily silent as the city. Conversation, after all, was the best way to get information.
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