Duncan quickly pulled his gaze away from the golden mask, lowering his eyes like the other ordinary worshippers around him, pretending to be ready to listen attentively to the teachings.
He hadn’t heard anything useful yet and didn’t want to draw the attention of this cult too soon.
Just as he bowed his head, he felt that familiar sensation of being watched again.
Frowning slightly, he followed the feeling and, sure enough, saw the girl in the black dress with the strange bell around her neck watching him again. When he turned his gaze toward her, she calmly looked away.
This left Duncan feeling puzzled.
He was sure he didn’t know her, and there was no trace of her in the memories of this body’s original owner. Why would a follower of the Sun God, someone he had never met before, be so interested in him?
Could it be because of the unusual pigeon on his shoulder?
Lost in thought, he suddenly heard the voice of the cult leader coming from the front. After putting on the golden mask, the leader had become a sort of embodiment of divine power, and even his voice sounded deep and authoritative. It was hard to tell if he was intentionally controlling his tone or if the mask was mixing another consciousness into his voice:
“The prayer is over. The Lord has witnessed our devotion and reverence—grace has shone upon our souls. Brothers and sisters, let us be grateful. We have endured another day in this dark and difficult world, bringing us one day closer to the rebirth of the blazing sun and the reestablishment of order.”
The masked “priest” opened his arms, speaking in a captivating tone, then suddenly his gaze fell on a corner among the worshippers, his tone becoming softer and more approachable.
“Before we proceed with today’s gathering, we must first welcome two fellow believers—who, during these tough times, were once trapped by darkness but have returned to the community thanks to the Lord’s guidance… Please introduce yourselves briefly.”
Two fellow believers?
Duncan remembered that the leader had indeed mentioned that he wasn’t the only stranger in this gathering. He looked in the direction the leader was watching and saw the girl in the black dress.
For some reason, he didn’t feel surprised.
“You can call me Sherry,” the girl stepped forward confidently and spoke, “My parents were both believers, but they were unfortunately killed by the Deep Sea Church four years ago. I’ve been hiding in the Cross District all these years, without contacting any other believers… Luckily, you all have come.”
Her voice was soft and sounded gentle. If he hadn’t seen her with his own eyes, it would have been hard to connect such a child with a bloody cult.
“Welcome back among us, young sister,” the leader nodded and then looked at the surrounding worshippers, “Sherry’s parents were victims of the church’s purge four years ago. We found her parents’ names on the list from that year—now, let’s hear from our other fellow believer.”
The leader’s gaze finally landed on Duncan.
“Duncan, from the lower district,” Duncan had prepared himself and stepped forward calmly, “A few days ago, the Deep Sea Church disrupted a sacrificial ceremony in the sewers, and I was a survivor.”
He kept it brief, but his attitude was sincere and calm. The news about the Deep Sea Church’s raid on the sewer cult base had been widely reported, taking up several front pages, so after he spoke, several worshippers nearby began to whisper among themselves. The leader nodded and added, “This is another tested believer. After enduring the attacks from the Deep Sea Church’s dogs, he is still trying to return to the Lord’s embrace—he bears a blessed mark as proof of his faith.”
As the leader finished speaking, the worshippers who were unaware of the situation turned their gazes toward Duncan. Some nodded, while others sighed. Duncan continued to cover most of his face and recited the multiplication table backward in his mind…
“The brief introductions are over,” the leader finally spoke about the part Duncan was interested in, “Now, let’s announce the latest situation.”
Duncan perked up immediately.
“...Currently, many fellow believers are gathering in this city, including devout ordinary believers and powerful messengers and priests. Our strength in this city is gradually increasing, and the day of reestablishing order is drawing near…
“However, it cannot be denied that the Deep Sea Church’s minions have also reacted. Recently, the city authorities have been cracking down harder on outsiders. Several of our gathering points have already been destroyed by the authorities, so our brothers and sisters in the city must be cautious. The collection of offerings can be slowed down—the Lord’s offspring have sent a message. We have already gathered more than half of the strength we need, but there are still gaps that the Lord’s offspring will personally address…”
The surrounding worshippers seemed deeply moved, starting to praise the Sun God’s kindness and greatness. Duncan immediately thought of the sacrificial ceremony he had seen in the sewers. These cultists were indeed using such rituals to gather power, and it sounded like… the group known as the “Lord’s Offspring” was personally getting involved this time?
It seemed that the cultists still needed more power because the city hall and the church had already noticed their activities. But if those offspring were also getting involved… their plans would likely continue to move forward!
At that moment, he heard the leader continue, “...Our main task now is to determine the exact location of the Sun Fragments. Remember, our goal is always to bring the true Sun God back to the world, and finding the lost Sun Fragments is the most crucial part!”
Duncan’s heart stirred—Sun Fragments? What were those?
Could gathering a bunch of Sun Fragments allow the Spear of Aton to make a big move?
He felt the pigeon on his shoulder suddenly become restless, as Ai Yi shook its body and let out low cooing sounds.
Through the connection from the spirit fire, he could vaguely sense what the pigeon wanted.
It wanted to chatter, to shout loudly, to get Duncan to grab the solar battle axe and rally another group of troops.
But it couldn’t speak—it was just a pigeon here.
This was making it very frustrated.
“Be quiet.” Duncan could only mutter softly while rubbing the pigeon’s head with the back of his hand to soothe it. Meanwhile, a worshipper close to the leader asked, “Can we determine the approximate location of the Sun Fragments now? Is there any way to… detect them?”
“The Sun Fragments are currently in a dormant state and cannot be detected by any means,” the leader shook his head, “But the Lord has given guidance that the fragments should be hidden near the lower district of Prand. Considering that we have new fellow believers joining today, let me explain the situation again:
“According to the information we have, the fragments first appeared in the world about eleven years ago and likely triggered some kind of large-scale extraordinary phenomenon—possibly a major fire, an unusual heatwave in a whole block, or even collective spontaneous human combustion and mass hallucinations. This is the direction of our investigation.
“The city authorities have detailed records of extraordinary phenomena over the years, and the great divine watchers have already begun searching for these records. There may still be ordinary people living in the lower district who remember the ‘strange events’ that happened here eleven years ago. Our task is to gather clues in this regard to infer the location of the Sun Fragments.
“But be careful with all inquiries. Although the authorities have always managed the lower district loosely, the Deep Sea Church’s dogs can sometimes be particularly sensitive… They have already become alert.”
The leader explained the current situation to the worshippers, and Duncan’s mind was racing. He especially noted the phrase “eleven years ago”—according to the leader, eleven years ago was when something called the “Sun Fragments” appeared in the world, but Duncan remembered that time for another reason.
Eleven years ago, a six-year-old girl named Nina lost her parents.
It seemed to be due to a large fire.
Was it just a coincidence? Could there be such a coincidence?
Duncan tried to sort through the chaotic and fragmented memories in his mind, but more than half of those memories had vanished with the death of the original owner of this body. He struggled to recall, managing to remember only a couple of vague snippets: the original owner of this body rushing out of the fire, holding his barely alive niece, while an indistinct building burned fiercely and collapsed behind him, and in the distance, a distorted, dim city street, with countless frantic people running and shouting…
(End of Chapter)