1280 Night Scouting
Karkkila’s expression was solemn.
In less than two days, what had happened in Lincoln City?
He had arrived in a hurry, so he had only skimmed through the latest information regarding Lincoln City at noon.
Rumor had it that many apprentices of the Mage Association had gathered in Lincoln City to further their studies.
At that time Karkkila had thought that it was a little strange.
Why did they have to go to Lincoln City?
Only now did he realize the seriousness of the problem. Given the thickness of the undead ghost fog, it was obvious that they were practicing necromancy!
While he was thinking, the merchant carriage slowed down.
The entrance of the city could be seen in front of them. The Chamber of Commerce was preparing to go forward to inspect.
Karkkila stuck his head out of the window and looked out. His heart sank even more.
It was already late at night, and the gates of Lincoln City were wide open.
The entire city was shrouded in a thin layer of undead ghost fog. The fog even affected his vision, making it difficult for him to see the city clearly.
The guards at the city gate were extremely lax. They looked at the Chamber of Commerce’s qualification certificate and reached out to let them in. They were too lazy to even open the accompanying materials to check.
The convoy stopped for less than half a minute before continuing to move. Under the urging of the guards, they quickly entered the city.
The members of the Holy Court team in the carriage couldn’t help but find it strange. They exchanged glances with each other.
According to the information he had received, the city gates were sealed at night, and the guards were usually very tight.
Why were they so relaxed today?
The group continued to move forward for a few minutes. A young man from the Chamber of Commerce jumped onto the carriage and said respectfully, “Gentlemen, we have successfully passed the inspection outside the city. We will immediately send you to the hotel area and drop you off at the entrance of the Sunset Hotel. Please be prepared.”
“Yes.”
An elderly Holy Paladin from the team asked, “Little brother, what happened in the city? Why are the guards at the entrance so lax?”
“Oh, I’m afraid you don’t know since you’ve just arrived from the outside. The entire city is now open to the public. The Mage Association and Lord Chadwick have already reached an agreement to build Lincoln City into a sacred place for the study of necromancy. There are so many people coming and going outside now, most of them are merchants and mage apprentices from the Chamber of Commerce. Ordinary people won’t come to the city at all. There’s a large number of supplies delivered every day, so there’s no need for the guards to check.”
One of the judges of the Holy Court, Mary Fiel, frowned and said, “Aren’t you worried that spies will sneak in?”
“So be it. If a powerful character really wants to sneak into the city, the city’s entrance inspection won’t be enough to stop them. As for ordinary thieves, there’s even less to worry about. Everyone knows that this is the territory of Lord Fang Heng, the owner of the Land of Plague. It’s a holy land for necromancy. With so many mages here, who would dare to come here and seek death?”
“We’re about to reach the hotel area. Please get ready.”
As the young man spoke, he lifted the greatsword on his back and jumped off the carriage again.
“The holy land for necromancy…”
Karkkila looked out of the window at the situation outside the carriage. He felt increasingly uneasy and muttered to himself.
A moment later, the carriage stopped outside a hotel.
There were many hotels along the street that was open for business. The lights were bright, and one could hear the noise from the hotels at the door.
A clear voice called out from outside the carriage, “Friends, we’ve arrived!”
Karkkila led everyone down from the carriage.
The manager of the Chamber of Commerce cupped his fists at Karkkila and the others.
“I still have a batch of emergency supplies for the mages that I need to send to the City Lord’s fortress. As you can see, the city isn’t very safe right now. Magic arrays have been set up in the hotel area, so it won’t be affected by the undead ghost fog. Take care, everyone.”
“Thank you.”
“Let’s go! Remember, be careful!”
The supervisor reminded him again and waved his hand to signal the Chamber of Commerce team to continue transporting the supplies.
The seven members of the Holy Court looked at Karkkila.
“Yes, we need to be extra careful this time. Let’s go.”
Karkkila led the way into the hotel.
Ding dong, ding dong…
The door of the Sunset Hotel was pushed open by Karkkila, causing the crisp sound of wind chimes.
“The hotel is full. You can go to other places to take a look.”
The young man in front of the counter had a pair of thick dark circles under his eyes. He raised his head and looked at the person at the door in a daze. After saying that, he continued to lie on the table to catch up on his sleep.
Karkkila looked around.
Even though it was already late at night, there were still many young people gathered in the hall.
Most of them were wearing the accessories of a mage apprentice.
Judging from their auras, most of the mages had the scent of the undead.
More than 80% of them were apprentices who practiced necromancy!
Karkkila subconsciously clenched his fists.
Fang Heng! What was he trying to do?
A young man in the corner of the hall noticed the person who had just arrived. His lively eyes lit up as he walked up quickly and whispered, “Is this the archbishop? I’m Gert. I’ve contacted you before.”
“Yes.”
Karkkila nodded at Gert and gestured at the Holy Court rune on his wrist. He asked, “Are there always so many guests in the hotel?”
“Archbishop, these apprentice mages have just arrived today. The nearby hotels are all full. They have no place to stay, so many of them are resting in the hall for the night.”
It had already reached this level?
Just how mages were there in Lincoln City practicing necromancy?
Karkkila’s heart sank.
The Holy Court had always viewed necromancy as its foe. Seeing that necromancy was gradually becoming the mainstream of the academic field, the faces of the people from the Holy Court who were accompanying them turned ugly.
Mary Fiel asked, “Are they all here to learn about necromancy?”
“Yes, the Mage Association has already set the necromancy as an advanced assessment. Mages who study necromancy can also have priority in entering the ghost tower for further studies. The various feudal lords are also competing to recruit necromancy scholars, so the scholars can enjoy higher subsidies. Many factors have made most of the mages who have entered the school choose the study of necromancy.”
“I heard that many mages who have studied for a few years or even more than ten years are also preparing to transfer over to necromancy.”
Gert told him everything he knew and continued to explain, “It’s not just this hotel. Several hotels in the city are already full. The news about the undead holy land was released yesterday afternoon. I’m afraid there will be more people coming here these two days.”
Karkkila, the few Holy Paladins, and the two judges who came all had ugly expressions on their faces.
Fang Heng!
For hundreds of years, the Holy Court had worked hard to instill the idea that the study of necromancy was a disaster in the world. As a result, necromancy was one of the most unpopular studies on the continent.
However, ever since the appearance of the necromancer Fang Heng…
Damn it!
Fang Heng’s actions were digging up the foundation of their Holy Court!
Karkkila’s expression became increasingly unfriendly.
He even felt that Fang Heng had been targeting the Holy Court all along.