Chapter 617 The Weeping God

With observation skills far beyond the norm, Xia Nan had been lurking in the shadows at the alley's entrance for a while, wanting to grasp the root of the conflict.

As a result, he had witnessed the thugs' entire threat against Winsor from start to finish.

To Xia Nan's eyes, even though the youth never reacted to the thugs' insults and threats, nor raised the dagger in his hand...

He was not, in fact, a complete coward.

When the thugs' verbal threats mentioned his family, Xia Nan clearly saw the anger burning in Winsor's eyes.

Under normal circumstances, the fury that had erupted from him in that instant would have been more than enough for a normal person to rise up and fight back. But the fiery light that briefly flared in Winsor's eyes was instantly smothered by a dark, passive despair. Xia Nan didn't know the exact reason, but he guessed it had something to do with what the thugs had mentioned before they died: that Winsor was "all alone."

That was precisely why he had asked his question after helping the youth resolve the trouble.

After all, those thugs had threatened to his face to cripple him and send him to the mines. Acting so despondent in the face of that left no reason not to fight back—unless he was actively seeking death.

Meanwhile, in the face of Xia Nan's question...

Young Winsor froze for a moment.

He opened his mouth to speak, but a bloodless pallor visibly washed over his face.

He gagged.

Falling to his knees, he began to dry-heave wretchedly.

At the end of the day, he was just an ordinary fisherman who had grown up in a small port town. He had never been on a battlefield, much less experienced killing.

His mental fortitude was decent, meaning he could likely adapt to slightly gruesome scenes, but watching five living human beings stand before him one second only to be slaughtered like livestock the next—leaving organs, minced flesh, and blood scattered all over the ground—was entirely different.

Even if a sense of grim satisfaction surfaced in his heart at the same time, the sheer impact of such a sight was just too much.

He dry-heaved violently for a good while before finally panting heavily, managing to calm down.

Raising a hand, he wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.

Winsor leaned against the wall and struggled to his feet.

Then he bowed to Xia Nan in gratitude.

"Thank you for lending a helping hand, Mr. Xia Nan."

Only after that did he respond to Xia Nan's earlier question.

The young man pressed his fingers naturally together, raised his hands, and crossed them tightly against his chest with overlapping wrists, forming an uncommon religious gesture.

With his head bowed slightly and his eyes half-closed, he said devoutly, "The merciful Lord of the Broken teaches us to bear suffering, guiding me to learn endurance."

Hearing this, Xia Nan kept his silence, though the corner of his mouth twitched.

Thanks to his tireless cramming of Transcendent Tier knowledge over the past two years, he had a solid understanding of this world's major pantheons, as well as the vast majority of deities who held influence across the Aifala Continent.

In fact, through his channels as a professional Adventurer, his understanding of the deities themselves ran much deeper than that of some seemingly devout commoner believers.

The "Lord of the Broken" Winsor mentioned, barring any surprises, referred to the deity holding the domains of "Suffering," "Endurance," and "Martyrdom"—the [Weeping God], the [Great Being on the Execution Scaffold]—Ilmater.

If categorized simply by alignment, this deity belonged to Lawful Good, an absolute god of benevolence.

The Clerics of his Church were often kind and empathetic, dedicated to sharing the pain of those in suffering, offering help, and providing guidance. As a result, the Church enjoyed a lofty reputation among the populace, especially within the impoverished lower classes.

But!

Although his status in this world's divine pantheon wasn't considered high, he was still an orthodox deity, possessing a sizable Church and a massive following on the Material Plane.

If he merely guided his devout followers to blindly endure suffering, how could he possibly survive—let alone grow and expand—on a continent teeming with a sea of competing faiths?

According to the information Xia Nan had previously gathered, Ilmater's doctrines didn't just involve sharing the pain of the suffering and providing healing and aid; a significant portion also focused on leading followers to resist injustice and oppression, encouraging them to fight against atrocities and tyranny.

In light of that, Winsor's earlier display of seemingly absolute endurance clearly contradicted the teachings of the Weeping God.

"Your Lord likely wouldn't wish to see his followers suffer for nothing," Xia Nan reminded him tactfully.

In response, Winsor's reaction seemed somewhat ambiguous, even carrying a sense of self-deception in Xia Nan's eyes.

It was hard to tell if he genuinely didn't know Ilmater's doctrines, or if he was simply pinning what little faith he had left onto the suffering aspect of it. Lowering his hands, the youth changed the subject with a fragile posture that one couldn't bear to shatter.

He warned with genuine concern, "Mr. Xia Nan, the man behind these thugs is Yorkshaw, a well-known pirate Adventurer around Salt Rock Port. He became a professional Class Holder many years ago. I swear on my faith to the Lord of the Broken, I will never breathe a word of what happened today to anyone, even on pain of death. But a big shot like him is bound to have some special method for tracking targets. For your own safety, you should leave Salt Rock Port as soon as possible."

Xia Nan had naturally heard the name Yorkshaw before. The leader of that unlucky band of pirates he had encountered on his way to Salt Rock Port seemed to go by that exact name.

Right now, his corpse at the bottom of the sea had likely already been gnawed down to the bone by various sea monsters.

"Don't worry, he isn't coming back," Xia Nan consoled him.

Looking at the frail, despondent youth who had frozen slightly at his answer, he initially wanted to offer a few more pointers regarding his understanding of the deity's doctrines.

But after careful thought, he swallowed the words back down.

Confirming that the youth had only suffered some minor injuries that wouldn't hinder his daily activities and would heal in a few days, he lingered no longer, turning and walking out of the alley.

Many times, people chose to place their faith in a certain religion or a specific deity not because they found its doctrines overwhelmingly righteous or its Church's actions noble and venerable.

It was purely because life had become far too painful, its harsh twists and turns having nearly shattered their willpower.

Hitting rock bottom with no hope in sight, they were likely only half a step away from actively seeking release.

Under such circumstances, those grand, ethereal faiths that provided a sliver of invisible hope became the pillar supporting their last spark of life, keeping them from turning into walking corpses.

Whether it was Winsor or Xia Nan, they were both just passing travelers on each other's journey through life.

After today, they might never see each other again.

From Xia Nan's perspective, the youth had done him a small favor, so he was willing to lend a hand when the other ran into trouble. But that was where it ended.

He wasn't so kind-hearted as to actively play life coach and solve all the problems for some random person he'd met on the road.

Moreover, judging by the state the youth had shown through his Perception, he probably didn't need any outside interference; he just needed to process it himself.

Once he thoroughly digested the suffering he had endured, his life would naturally enter a new chapter.

And if he couldn't make it through... that was just the way of the world.

Walking down the street, reflecting on the encounter in the alley, Xia Nan thought to himself.

He hadn't disposed of the bodies.

Unlike a core inland city like Nym, things were different here.

The way Adventurers—or rather, Transcendent individuals—overrode the so-called laws of order was on full display at this very moment.

Xia Nan didn't have to worry in the slightest about whether local sheriffs would come knocking on his door the next morning.

Although unspoken, in a small town like Salt Rock Port, an elite Class Holder like him undoubtedly enjoyed invisible privileges. As long as he didn't take things too far, the authorities would basically turn a blind eye.

Not to mention that the people he had killed were a few vicious thugs who abused the locals using the name of the pirate Adventurer backing them.

He figured that by the time the thugs' corpses were discovered, the commoners near the port would probably rush over just to spit on them a few times.

Two days passed by in a flash.

Having stored the vast majority of his supplies into the [White Flask] Pocket Watch, Xia Nan set out traveling light. Following the route to Bloodcast Keep he had mapped out over the past few days, he departed from Salt Rock Port.

Unlike the year-round humid warmth of the Southern Archipelagos, the region near Servia's northeastern border featured distinctly divided seasons once again.

It was late spring, and the temperature was gradually rising. Yet because of its proximity to the northern part of the continent, it still carried a slight chill, making the air rather cool and refreshing.

Although given Xia Nan's current physical constitution, he was already immune to the effects of most external climate changes, being able to travel in such a relatively comfortable environment still put him in a genuinely good mood.

In comparison, his experience with the terrain was somewhat worse.

Distinct from the vast plains near the Misty Forest and the open ocean beyond Barracuda Bay, the terrain between Salt Rock Port and the border stronghold of Bloodcast Keep was like a piece of paper that had been crumpled into a ball and flattened out again. There might not be any particularly magnificent, towering peaks in between, but the land was filled with countless rolling hills of all sizes, the elevation steadily rising. Furthermore, the vast majority of this expanse was pure Wilderness entirely unexplored by intelligent races, harboring large numbers of dangerous monsters.

Even along the few trade routes carved out by various merchant caravans, all kinds of bandits and outlaws lay in wait.

Moreover, because of its geographical proximity to the border of two nations, vicious criminals who had committed heinous crimes and profit-driven opportunists frequently roamed the area.

Stumbling upon a seemingly safe cave along the way could very well mean walking right into the lair of a powerful monster, or a campsite recently vacated by wanted fugitives.

Although Xia Nan possessed decent strength now, he had always been cautious; naturally, it was impossible for him to lower his guard at a time like this.

Furthermore, acting as a lone wolf—even if he was fully decked out in Fine equipment—only provided a certain degree of deterrence against those who still possessed reason. When running into greedy fools who thought their sheer numbers could score them a massive payday, it was inevitable that he would draw their covetous eyes and end up in a clash. Therefore, long before setting out, he had already mentally prepared himself for what he might encounter along the way, ready to enter combat at a moment's notice.

Crunch...

His tough, thick leather boots landed sharply and steadily on the slanted surface covered in dirt and loose gravel.

Exerting a slight force with his stride, a number of small pebbles could be seen scraping backward off his soles and tumbling down the slope.

A small hillside like this would force the vast majority of caravans to take a detour.

Even travelers accustomed to long-distance treks would need to maintain constant focus and control their center of gravity to avoid slipping and falling while crossing such a hill.

Yet to Xia Nan, this sort of minor incline posed almost zero danger; it wasn't an exaggeration to say he walked upon it as if treading on flat ground.

His Class Grade physical constitution was one factor, but the most important part was the balance bonus provided by [Tidal Stabilization], alongside its constant halving of fall damage.

Initially, this innate Feat of the [Meteor Blade Hunter] class had only been treated as a daily utility perk.

But as Xia Nan's Class Level continued to rise and his Adventurer career lengthened, he finally realized its outstanding efficacy.

From the bottom of the slope to the top, Xia Nan's breathing barely even changed.

Gazing out at the towering mountains in the distance, he turned his head to glance sideways at the brilliant sunset already nearing the horizon, a small half of it having sunken between the peaks. Debating whether he should just call it a day here, Xia Nan lightly pressed the side button on his [White Flask] Pocket Watch and took out the map he had bought at a general store in Salt Rock Port.

He began comparing it against the terrain ahead.

Suddenly, an unusual clamor drifted up from below.

He looked over, but the vegetation obscured his line of sight, preventing him from seeing clearly.

Distinguishing the approaching sounds carefully, he could faintly make out the furious shouts of humans mixed with the roars of beasts.

Xia Nan had no intention of getting involved. But since it was happening right in front of him, even if he didn't actively participate, observing from the shadows to see exactly what kind of trouble this was would be the safest bet. At the very least, it would allow him to prepare for any potential encounters since he was sharing the same vicinity.

Concealing his presence and softening his footsteps, Xia Nan shifted his center of gravity backward, practically hugging the hill's incline as he glided down weightlessly.

Thus, his vision cleared the vegetation, allowing him to take in the scene within the valley.

"Roar!!!"

A fierce, savage screech that sounded like a lion's roar echoed between the stone walls of the valley.

One large and two small—a total of three hideous, twisted, and terrifying monsters—were spread across the valley, faintly forming an encirclement.

Their appearance was highly recognizable: massive bodies resting on four limbs like male lions, long tails tipped with razor-sharp spikes, and distinct facial features resembling humanoid creatures—

Manticores, Challenge Rating "3"!

Meanwhile, surrounded by these monsters was a squad of soldiers clad in standard-issue equipment. They looked like they had already clashed with the beasts—battered, yet barely maintaining their formation.

It didn't take extraordinary eyesight. With just a single glance, Xia Nan spotted two figures among the encircled soldiers whose attire starkly contrasted with the rest—wearing loose surcoats and looking somewhat familiar.