Black Crow Vanished

Crunch, crunch. Several green beasts chewing on bones with the crisp crunch of wafer bars suddenly jerked their heads up, then scattered in flight. In the distance, a colossal green beast raised its head as well, its eyes burning like green flames so vivid in the dark night, like a death trap luring prey closer. It was none other than a 'Deep Sea'-class green beast! Yet it, too, hurriedly shut its eyes, terrified of drawing notice, and tiptoed away as fast as it could. Before long, a group of sorcerers crossed the corpse-strewn battlefield and arrived at a spot sheltered from the wind by a cliff face. They hammered in ground stakes to pitch a large tent, laid down floor mats and moisture-proof tarps, and slipped inside. Having camped out for days on end, they already knew how to make living in the wild comfortable. Chikala brought out a portable stove, conjured fire from a flame sorcery spirit, and set to work preparing a midnight snack. As a fire sorcerer and a slave, he naturally accepted the role of cook. Only they would dare cook a midnight snack out in the dark. Smelling the aroma from afar, the green beasts' eyes grew even greener with hunger, yet nothing on earth could convince them to step within a hundred meters of the tent. "What's on the menu tonight?" "Spicy perilla Lalafell." "Damn, my mouth's watering already. Got anything I can pad my stomach with first?" Just then, a wine bottle was held out before Yaxiu. Yaxiu took it and had a sip, then glanced at Black Crow in surprise. "You actually took someone else's wine? Warrior Attendant Tamashi, the Inquisitor deems your self-reflection rather substandard..." "It belonged to Four Pillar cultists anyway," Black Crow said. "Robbing them is an act of justice." "What do we do next?" Harvey asked, trimming his fingernails and letting the clippings drop into Alice's lunchbox. "Never mind that the Four Pillar Cult has it surrounded—there's an actual main battle force of the Four Pillar Cult stationed inside the Silent Spiral. There's no way we can get in." "I can't shake the feeling that Senluo has it out for us," Yaxiu said gloomily. "When we weren't heading for the Silent Spiral, nobody gave a damn about it. The second we want to go, the entire continent starts fighting over it!" A full month had already passed since they departed Black Robe Town. The journey was originally projected to take only ten-odd days. However, because the battle lines were consistently half a step ahead of them, they had been forced to spend twice as much time on the road. Wherever they traveled, the front lines advanced right along with them, almost as if they were the ones igniting the war. The real reason had nothing to do with them, of course. It stemmed from a rumor that had suddenly erupted: as long as the Four Pillar Cult seized the Silent Spiral, they could summon the phantom of the Four Pillar Gods to crush the Harp Sun Alliance's resistance! The Silent Spiral had always lain within the territory of the Harp Sun Alliance. Once this rumor spread, the Four Pillar Cult truly went on a relentless offensive toward the Silent Spiral. Regardless of whether the rumor was true or false, the Silent Spiral was the most vital holy land of trials for the various sects, shared collectively by them all. Even the Calamitous Fire Sanctuary was entitled to use it. The Harp Sun Alliance could never permit such a sacred site to fall into the hands of the Four Pillar Cult. Both sides engaged in a fierce tug-of-war around the Silent Spiral, turning the surrounding areas into active war zones. People like Yaxiu and his companions, who belonged to neither faction, naturally ended up taking blows from both sides. Getting caught in the crossfire was one thing, but the war zone was also strewn with traps and landmines. The four Sanctuary sorcerers—Yaxiu, Igola, Harvey, and Chikala—were thoroughly sickened by it all, to say nothing of Black Crow and Gwen, who lacked instant defensive measures. They had originally hoped to slip into the Silent Spiral amidst the chaos, only to discover they had arrived one step too late. The Four Pillar Cult had already taken control of it. Worse yet, a legendary sorcerer was already stationed inside. A legendary sorcerer whose name had shaken the wasteland for years! Of course, a legendary sorcerer couldn't just steamroll Sanctuary sorcerers—even if the latter couldn't win, couldn't they at least escape? Sanctuaries were hardly just for show. However, Yaxiu and his group entering the Silent Spiral wasn't simply a matter of reaching their destination and calling it a day. They had to conduct continuous experiments, which might take several days or even half a month to refresh and open an Empty Door passage leading back to Gospel. Playing hide-and-seek under the nose of a legendary sorcerer for ten-plus days? Even Harvey, the one most eager to seek death, wouldn't entertain such a thought. "Let's wait," Black Crow's distorted voice sounded inside the tent. "Once the Four Pillar Cult withdraws from the Silent Spiral, we'll head inside. There's no need to cross paths with them." "Indeed," Igola agreed with a nod. "We've already spent three months in Senluo; another month hardly makes a difference. Since we have a definite way home, there's no need to stir up unnecessary trouble. More importantly, we can afford this time." Yaxiu nodded in silence. Indeed, he held a deep, mortal grudge against the Four Pillar Cult of Senluo, and he would gladly ruin their plans. But forfeiting the chance to go home over it would be utterly foolish. Besides, they couldn't beat the Four Pillar Cult right now anyway. Once their sorcery reached greater heights in the future, coming back to Senluo to settle scores with the Four Pillar Cult would be perfectly fine. But right now, returning safely to Gospel was the top priority; everything else had to give way to that. If he insisted on barging into the Silent Spiral now and getting swept up into danger, Yaxiu was certain that once the Sword Princess found out, she would have the Witch tie him up so she could slap his face while cursing him out as a little bastard. Everyone understood the reasoning, yet one minor detail remained rather unsettling. "Yaxiu," Igola suddenly chimed in, "did you finish all of that already?" "Huh?" Yaxiu looked down at the bottle in his hand. "It tasted pretty good, honestly. The more I drank, the more flavorful it got, so before I knew it..." "Do you like it?" Black Crow said calmly. "That's a specialty of the Kill-All-Crows Cult: Crow Blood Wine." He paused. "Made from corpses." Yaxiu: "..." Harvey's eyes lit up, followed by a flicker of regret, and he gave Yaxiu a silent thumbs-up. "The Kill-All-Crows Cult possesses a Grey Fox relic known as the 'Blood Spring.' The Blood Spring cannot be expanded by any other means; only by casting corpses into it will new wine well forth. The patriarch of the Kill-All-Crows Cult discovered that throwing in the corpses of evil people not only produces more blood wine, but the quality is also superior. Drinking it grants many benefits: refreshing the mind, enhancing comprehension, and accelerating sorcery power recovery." "Apart from our own consumption, Crow Blood Wine can also be sold. It is the primary source of income for the Kill-All-Crows Cult." "This is why we call ourselves crows." Black Crow looked around. "Crows are scavengers by nature. We sustain ourselves on the corpses of the wicked." "Honestly, it has nothing to do with whether they were wicked or not," Igola replied, thoroughly ruining the romanticism. "Only sorcerers possess the power to commit evil. As long as you throw in a sorcerer's corpse, it'll gush blood wine all the same." Noncommittal, Black Crow continued, "The Kill-All-Crows Cult has no delicacies; Crow Blood Wine is the finest banquet beverage we could find. At every gathering, dozens of barrels of Crow Blood Wine are consumed. Some even throw the retrieved corpses of the wicked straight in and drink the freshly brewed blood wine on the spot—many feel the new brew makes for a merrier drink." Though it sounded somewhat revolting, it fit the style of the Kill-All-Crows Cult to a tee. Yaxiu looked at the empty bottle in his hands and said with a guilty conscience, "Sorry... I drank all your wine." "It doesn't matter," Black Crow said. "Everyone in the Kill-All-Crows Cult craves Crow Blood Wine like life itself. Except me." No one noticed the peculiar expression that flitted across Igola's face upon hearing those words. "Midnight snack is ready!" Chikala popped open the pressure cooker and handed out plates, dishing up a portion for everyone. Whatever was left in the pot belonged to the orc. "So, are we camping nearby from here on out?" Yaxiu asked. "We could also pull back to a town," Gwen suggested. "We can return to the Silent Spiral once everything blows over." "Out of the question," Harvey countered. "If the Harp Sun Alliance takes over the Silent Spiral, getting inside will be just as troublesome. The chaotic window right after the Four Pillar Cult withdraws is our best opportunity to sneak in." "Then we'll have to find a good campsite nearby to keep watch," Yaxiu said, looking toward Black Crow. "Tamashi, during this period..." "I won't go hunting the Four Pillar Cult," Black Crow stated clearly. "I already know that is pointless. As long as Tanomu lives, cultists of the Four Pillar Gods will only multiply. For every one I kill, she recruits two more. Only by slaying Tanomu can the problem truly be resolved." "Yet ever since my near-assassination, Tanomu has grown exceedingly cautious. She always commands the Four Pillar Cult through proxy vessels while her true body hides in some unknown pleasure den. At the slightest hint of trouble, she immediately summons powerful experts to protect her." "Unless I know Tanomu's exact whereabouts, I will not act rashly." Yaxiu breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear." The next day, Black Crow vanished.