Chapter 122: The Abandoned City
“Okay… wait, what did you say?”
Hearing Peiya’s request, Nara was completely shocked. What kind of strange request was that?
Miss Peiya didn’t seem like that kind of person…
“I’m asking if there are any suspicious people in the Church with a large chest. I’m serious. This is information I collected before. I’ll explain the details to you later when I have time.”
Nara awkwardly scratched her head. “So it’s about serious business… oh my, I misunderstood again. Sorry, sorry.”
“What were you thinking about?”
“N-Nothing! Don’t think about it.” Nara waved her hand. “To be honest, we don’t know much about the Church on the surface, let alone something this specific. How about I bring Victoria here? She definitely knows a lot of gossip. She’s praying at the local church right now. If you ask her, she might tell you something.”
“Alright, that could work. Does she need anything recently? It wouldn’t be good to go empty-handed.”
“You mean that…” Nara thought for a moment. “She’s been preparing an academic report lately, so she probably needs some research results.”
“That’s easy. I still have some potions that I haven’t patented yet. I can give those to her.”
“You still have unregistered potions…” Nara opened her mouth in surprise, but then quickly felt it was normal. With Peiya’s ability, nothing she did seemed that surprising anymore.
“Yes. It’s a small item that can improve one’s sensitivity to magical power.”
“Oh, I see. A support item that gives a buff. That’s definitely something valuable. To be honest, many adventurers are struggling with beginner equipment right now. If you really want to make money, you could look into that area. Even though new adventurers don’t have much money, if the product is useful and affordable, people are still willing to buy it.”
Nara sincerely gave her suggestion, feeling it would be a waste if Peiya’s talent was not used well.
Peiya thought for a moment. “Thank you. I’ll consider it.”
After chatting briefly, the two set off toward the Church.
At this time, Victoria had just finished setting up various alchemy tools. She was thinking that she had finally finished those annoying tasks like praying and cleaning the statues.
At last, she could focus on her unfinished research. She had been worrying about how to complete the assignment given by her teacher, but until now, she still had no good solution.
Just as Victoria was thinking about how to deal with her assignment, a voice came from the door.
“Victoria, are you there?”
Still writing, Victoria looked up in confusion. She seemed to hear someone calling her.
She stood up, walked to the door, and saw Peiya and Nara, both looking a bit travel-worn.
“Why are you here?”
Victoria opened the door and invited them in. She hadn’t expected them to come at all, and from Peiya’s serious look, it was clear she came prepared.
“It’s like this. While investigating the incident in the Calamity Forest, I found some clues, but they are related to the Church. So I wanted to ask you to confirm some information. Before coming here, I already used a concealment spell around this place. No one can track us.”
“You… saying it like that makes me sound like a traitor to the Church.” Victoria complained in a restrained tone, but still cleared her throat and said, “Alright, go ahead. What do you want to ask?”
Peiya nodded and asked Victoria the same question she had just asked Nara.
Victoria, who had not taken it seriously at first, frowned slightly.
“Are you talking about Bishop of Thorns, Theresa?”
“You know her?”
Peiya had some impression of that name. It seemed she was also the author of a book called Practical Alchemy.
Could it really be that the person behind all of this was Madam Theresa? That would be quite unexpected.
“That’s right. She used to be a teacher at the Holy Academy. But her personality… let’s just say it’s very strange. Many students are afraid to attend her classes. Her reputation is quite bad. I never took her class myself, but I’ve heard from my fellow students that she often talks about the past of the gods and criticizes them heavily…”
“...Normally, teachers in the academy are supposed to be very devoted, but she invented Practical Alchemy, so the Church couldn’t just let someone like her stay outside. So they promoted her to a bishop. Students jokingly call her the ‘Bishop of Thorns.’ As for the reason… it’s said she has blood ties to Blackwater City.”
“Blackwater City?” Peiya heard the familiar name.
“Yes. It’s one of the abandoned cities. Miss Peiya, do you know about the abandoned cities? If not, I can explain.”
“I know a little, but not very well.”
Victoria smiled. “Then I’ll explain briefly. Blackwater City is said to be a town covered by a plague. It’s also called the Land of Night. Since the moment black water flooded the first farmland, more unknown substances began to spread across the land. Crops were slowly destroyed by these strange things, and the once fertile land became barren because of the black water…”
“...Even the towns, which once had smoke rising from cooking fires, became empty because the harvests failed. The people had no choice but to leave the land they depended on. But the plague didn’t stop just because they left. On the contrary, the first group of people who escaped began to suffer. Their skin rotted, and black spots appeared on their bodies. The villages they fled to also started showing similar symptoms…”
“...Later generations called this disease ‘Blackwater Disease.’ From then on, people stopped welcoming those who escaped from Blackwater City, even now when the lost lands have been reclaimed. Blackwater City is still something people don’t like to talk about. The prejudice hasn’t completely disappeared even today. Some older people still call it the ‘City of Thorns,’ hinting at the dangers inside the city. That’s why Theresa is called the Bishop of Thorns. So, do you understand?”
“I understand. Victoria, you really know a lot. I should learn more from you when I have the chance.”
Peiya smiled and nodded. Most of her knowledge about Blackwater City came from major historical events. She knew there was a buried history behind it, but beyond that, she didn’t have much useful information.
Peiya raised her left hand.
“Would people treat Theresa badly because of this?”
“Yes, and quite a lot. You might not know this, but there are many different factions inside the Church. Because of different beliefs, small groups often form. Sometimes people with different beliefs will unite just because they dislike the same belief…”
“...But fortunately, this kind of situation is not very common. Most still follow the Pope’s orders, so it doesn’t cause major trouble. If you’re asking about a church member with a large chest and suspicious behavior, then the only one I know is Bishop Theresa.”