Chapter 374
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Chapter 374: Clues of the Decaying Disaster
The Continent of Zeuo.
This was another village that had fallen victim to the Decaying Disaster.
Snowflakes fell endlessly, blanketing the entire world in a cold, white shroud. The village was completely covered, as if nature itself had been swallowed whole by the disaster.
At the entrance of the village, the knights of the Sacred Heart stood in stoic silence. They were burning a pile of bodies—men, women, children—stacked together without distinction.
“This is truly an endless nightmare,” Aurora, the Sacred Heart’s Chosen, said softly as she surveyed the scene. “Trying to break free but only sinking deeper, until the day you drown.”
Her bright and cheerful demeanor seemed out of place as she stood amidst the tragedy, but there was no reason to smile.
The knights had arrived too late.
By the time they reached the village, hundreds of villagers had either been transformed into demons or slain by monstrous creatures, their bodies left lifeless in the snow. No one had survived.
Despite their best efforts, the knights had been powerless to change the outcome.
Aurora didn’t think to herself, I can’t do anything. But she still pondered: If I could become stronger, could I do better? Could I save more lives?
In the world of super beings, strength wasn’t easily attained. Unless one embarked on extraordinary adventures or received divine blessings, becoming powerful was a gradual process… under normal circumstances, of course.
But the existence of the Babel Tower had changed everything.
A few days ago, during a gathering at the Babel Tower, Aurora had spoken with Mu Ling. Learning of their rapid progress, Aurora had felt both astonished and filled with overwhelming joy.
Perhaps the Savior’s gift was the turning point they’d all been waiting for.
Aurora’s smile and confidence had been the foundation of the Knights of the Sacred Heart for years. But behind that smile, she had long been physically and mentally drained.
She knew that helping here and there wasn’t enough—it was like patching holes without addressing the root of the problem. To save the Continent of Zeuo, they had to find a fundamental solution.
“Savior… I thank you for the hope you’ve given me. Without it, on this endless journey of despair, I would have been lost, heading toward my demise,” she murmured to herself.
Before her, the air was thick with smoke, and a large number of transformed demon corpses were being incinerated by the flames. If the bodies weren’t burned, the blood within them might mutate and infect anyone who came into contact with it.
“Aurora Captain, look at this!”
Suddenly, her assistant rushed forward, holding something in her gloved hand. It was a dark red pebble, stained with what appeared to be blood.
“This is a special stone we’ve found a few times before.”
Aurora’s heart sank. Over the course of her rescue efforts on the Continent of Zeuo, she had encountered these stones numerous times.
After every Decaying Disaster, these strange pebbles—dark red in color, emitting the scent of blood—always appeared.
Aurora had seen them before, but she had never found them unusual until now.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, sensing her assistant’s urgency.
“This time, we discovered something more,” the assistant said, swallowing nervously before handing Aurora a yellowed sheepskin scroll.
Aurora took the scroll, and as she began reading, her expression grew increasingly grave.
She had been investigating the Decaying Disaster for years, and now, she finally held a small clue to uncovering its origins.
The parchment spoke of someone named Harris, a person commanded by a mysterious being to release something called “Dark Gravel” in this very village, which had summoned dark-dwelling creatures.
Aurora’s mind quickly pieced the puzzle together. The dark red stones scattered around her were likely the so-called Dark Gravel. And it was these very stones that had caused the Decaying Disaster.
At last, she thought. The truth is within reach.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her excitement.
“Why has the truth been hidden for so long? How has it managed to stay concealed all these years?” Aurora mused, her mind racing.
She had long suspected that the Decaying Disaster might be man-made. She wasn’t alone in this belief—many wise minds had relentlessly sought the origins of the disaster.
But after so many years, Aurora had finally found the missing piece of the puzzle.
It was strange. Why had the truth remained hidden for so long? Why had the perpetrators made a mistake this time, allowing her to discover the truth?
Aurora fell into deep thought, her brow furrowed.
She turned to her assistant. “We need to find this person, Harris, and we need to locate the source of the ‘Dark Gravel.’ These are our only two leads, and they are the key to unraveling everything.”
The assistant hesitated before asking, “Should we inform the church about this?”
Aurora nodded. She had been raised by the Heavenly God Church and understood its power. Though she despised the church for isolating itself while the world crumbled, she knew that informing them of this discovery might change things.
With the right information, the church could take action. Perhaps they would no longer remain in isolation, waiting for death.
The people of the Continent of Zeuo were running out of time. To locate “Harris” and the “Dark Gravel,” they needed the resources and manpower of the Heavenly God Church.
“We can’t just inform them,” Aurora added, her tone firm. “We need to convince the church to join us in this search. It’s the only way we can make any real progress.”
“Understood,” the assistant replied.
Aurora turned to address her knights and followers. “Next, we’re heading to the Holy Light Kingdom. We depart immediately, to the Heavenly God Church!”
As the knights and followers exchanged uncertain glances, Aurora could sense their apprehension. Many of them harbored deep resentment toward the church. But they obeyed their captain without question.
Aurora sighed. She had long since given up on the idea of returning to the Heavenly God Church as a homecoming. But now, she had a mission—a mission to convince the leader of the Heavenly God Church, King Silger, to help search for Harris and the Dark Gravel on the Continent of Zeuo.
Just as they were about to leave, a thick black mist appeared on the horizon.
“Be careful, Captain!” the assistant called out.
Aurora paused, recognizing the black mist for what it was—a teleportation from the Babel Tower.
The people of the Babel Tower?
It was no surprise. After all, the Core Operators of Noah’s world had crossed into their world, so it made sense they could return the favor.
The Savior truly wanted to save this world!
Aurora felt a surge of hope as a figure materialized from the mist—a woman in a red dress.
Aurora’s heart skipped a beat as she recognized the woman.
It was her.
The Scarlet Moon—the most powerful Core Operator of Babel Tower, a vampire.
“Is that really you?” Aurora muttered under her breath.
The Scarlet Moon, dressed in a crimson cloak that stood out against the endless snow, noticed Aurora and the others. With a slight nod, she greeted them.
“The Savior’s new mission is to protect you on your journey to the Heavenly God Church… Sounds boring, to be honest,” she said lazily.
Aurora wasn’t surprised. After all, it was the Savior of Babel Tower who had entrusted her with this task.
The Scarlet Moon, seemingly uninterested in the charred remains around them, urged the group to hurry.
“Let’s go. We’ve got a mission to complete.”
Aurora hesitated. A vampire. It still made her uneasy, despite the mission at hand.
“I hope you can promise me,” Aurora began, her voice firm, “that you won’t harm anyone or eat people along the way.”
“Ah?” The Scarlet Moon’s eyes widened in disbelief before she broke into a mocking smile. “I’m not some kind of wild monster. Why would I eat random people?”
The knights, however, couldn’t shake the unease in their hearts. But vampires are monsters, they thought.
Aurora shook her head and decided to trust the Savior’s judgment.
“We’ll be fine,” she said, addressing her followers. “This lady is just like me. We’re both chosen by the Savior of Babel Tower. She will protect us on our journey.”
Despite their reservations, the knights and followers had no choice but to trust their captain. In a world teetering on the brink of collapse, belief was all they had to keep going.
As they set out, the knights and followers kept their distance from the Scarlet Moon. Their eyes, filled with caution, followed her every move.
The situation seemed impossible, like sticking one’s hand into a wolf’s mouth and expecting not to be bitten.
But Aurora’s conviction was unwavering. The Scarlet Moon was a companion now. And as a member of Babel Tower, she would protect them—no matter the cost.
As the Scarlet Moon settled into the carriage, she opened her eyes suddenly, her expression as cold as the snow.
“So, you’ve also come,” she said, her voice sending a chill through the air.
