Advent of the Three Calamities - Chapter 788: A Reunion [1]
Chapter 788: A Reunion [1]
Splash—!
Crimson waves lapped against the side of the dock, scattering droplets of red across the worn planks as boats drifted in and eased themselves alongside the pier.
“Get the merchandise out!”
“…Make sure that nothing goes wrong with it! There’s a lot of precious material inside!”
“Hey! Be careful…!”
Virellith was as lively as ever. Merchants filled the streets, some docking their ships and unloading goods brought from distant lands beyond the Remnant South.
At this very moment—
“Stop for a moment.”
A voice drifted through the air. It wasn’t loud, yet it slipped effortlessly into the ears of every merchant present, stopping them in their tracks. Soon, every head turned toward the main bazaar connected to the port, where several figures dressed in white emerged from the crowd.
All noise stripped from the surroundings, all eyes focused on the envoys of the Goddess of Light.
At the helm stood a young man dressed in a white uniform. The instant he appeared, a heavy tension swept through the surroundings, pressing down on everyone present.
His cold gaze swept the surroundings before falling on a couple of crates.
Beside the crates stood several individuals, their expressions tense as they glanced at the man, fumbling to strike up a conversation.
“S-sir… collector. Is there anything… we can help you with?”
He stood motionless, his light brown hair stirring faintly in the air, a silver mask gleaming under the pale sunlight. Then, without a word, he turned to the envoys behind him and gestured toward the box.
“Check the contents of the crate.”
“W-wait, sir! Hold on! You can’t do this!”
The merchants immediately tried to protest, but the collector didn’t care as he coldly maintained his gaze over the crates.
“No, wait!”
Despite the merchants’ protests and the curious stares from those nearby, the collector remained completely indifferent.
“Keep checking. Ignore them.”
The envoys obeyed the collector’s command, moving toward the crates and opening them. Inside were rows of candles, their scent wafting through the air and filling the surroundings with a pleasant fragrance.
“Candles…?”
“…There’s more candles here.”
The candles came in a variety of colors, each carrying its own distinct yet pleasant fragrance. The envoys continued their search, but every crate was filled with candles. In total, there were sixteen crates, each containing the same batches of candles.
“Sir, this is all. There’s only candles.”
When the envoys reported the situation to the collector, his expression remained unchanged. He stared at the candles, and then at the merchant who seemed to have picked up some courage.
“See…? What did I tell you? There’s nothing here! They’re all candles that I’m trying to sell. Are you going to reimburse me for the damages?”
The merchant deliberately raised his voice, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
Despite this, the Collector’s face remained the same. He gave the merchant a steady look before turning his attention towards the candles and picking one up.
“What… are you doing? Why are you touching the candles? I’m telling you! You’ve already damaged the goods enough! You’d better stop before I make the situation worse!”
Ignoring the merchant, the Collector brought the candle closer to his nose and inhaled deeply. His eyes closed, and a moment later, his expression softened. When he opened them again, they were slightly bloodshot.
“Take him in.”
His order was absolute.
The moment the words left his mouth, the envoys picked the merchant up and brought him away.
“What!? You can’t do this to me…! I’m innocent! I’m telling you that I’m innocent!!”
Despite his cries, nobody reacted.
All eyes remained fixed on the Collector as he picked up another candle and turned his attention towards a certain envoy. The envoy stepped forward and extended his hand, a faint red magic circle forming. A flame burst out not long after.
Placing the candle on top of the fire, it started to melt immediately.
The Collector placed a ceramic pot beneath, collecting all of the wax.
Drip! Drip!
The process was a slow one. The wax melted relatively slowly, but the Collector remained patient, alongside the envoy, as more and more of the wax liquified.
It took ten minutes for the entire candle to melt under the heat of the flame. As a large pool of wax gathered in the pot, the Collector studied it intently before placing his hand over it. The golden ring on his finger glowed a moment later, and the wax started to stir.
Bubbble! Bubble!
Bubbles began to form shortly after, the wax churning as if it were boiling. Some of it splashed onto the Collector’s hand, yet he remained completely unfazed, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on the wax.
And then—
“There…”
“…!?”
“Collector!”
A black liquid began to bubble upwards, its appearance immediately chilling the atmosphere.
The Collector quickly stopped whatever he was doing, pulling his hand away as the flame also stopped. Putting the pot away, the Collector turned his attention towards the envoys.
“You know what to do. Collect everything and send it over to the Church.”
“Understood!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Mhm.”
Satisfied, the Collector shifted his attention elsewhere and began to move. His steps were slow, his posture perfectly straight. As he walked down the city streets, those around him lowered their heads at his presence, a silent pressure radiating from him as he turned the corner.
The cobblestone streets grew more faded, and the surrounding buildings appeared increasingly worn and gloomy. Signs hung crookedly, and as he stepped over a pool of water that distorted the neon-colored signboards reflected within it, the Collector paused before a weathered wooden door.
Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he removed the silver mask from his face and stripped off his outer garments. With a quiet breath, he pushed the wooden door open, revealing a run-down pub dimly lit by flickering lights, where only a handful of weary patrons lingered.
He scanned the surroundings before eventually moving towards a certain table and sitting down.
“Would you like anything…?”
A burly man appeared before him not long after.
Raising his head, the young man glanced at the man before mumbling, “The same.”
“Alright.”
The burly man left shortly after.
For a brief moment, the entire pub fell into silence. But it didn’t last. The quiet was soon broken by the subtle scrape of a chair against the floor, cutting through the still air like a whisper.
A figure sat opposite the Collector as he kept his head lowered. The silence returned, but not for long.
“Stop acting so mysterious. It’s pissing me off. Look at me, or I’ll toss this cup over your head.”
A bitter smile formed on the Collector’s face as he raised his head to look at the woman sitting before him, holding onto an empty glass cup while she crossed her legs and leaned back against the wooden chair.
“You’re finally looking at me?”
“…Yes.”
An’as could only look at the woman in front of him with resignation.
Despite having reached the rank of a Collector and being hailed as one of the most promising members of the Church of the Goddess of Light, he was still nothing compared to the woman in front of him.
“What? Looking at your face, it seems like you have a problem. Do you have a problem?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
The woman smirked.
“That’s good to hear.”
She placed the cup down, her expression softening slightly. It didn’t last long, however, as she reached into her pocket and pulled something out, placing it on the table.
Clank!
The faint sound of metal against wood echoed through the quiet pub as An’as’s eyes shifted toward it.
His expression immediately turned serious.
“This is…?”
“It’s something I found recently. Word is, it’s been spreading fast among pirates and across nearby cities. They say that if you try it, your strength will increase. It seems like some sort of drug. I’ve yet to try it, but from what I’ve gathered, there doesn’t seem to be any side effects.”
“For now…”
An’as reached for the metal box on the table and pulled out a small black pill. At first glance, it seemed ordinary, just a simple, unremarkable pill, but his sharp eyes detected that something was off about it.
‘It feels similar to what I found within the candles. This can’t be a coincidence…’
Lately, things had felt unusually off. Strange objects and pills had begun appearing throughout the city and across the entire Mirror Dimension.
The fragile order that had once held everything together was starting to crack, and the main church had issued a decree to halt any distribution of such items.
“Do you have any idea as to what this is?”
“No, I’m not entirely sure.”
An’as shook his head.
“Even you don’t know? I thought you were a collector.”
“I am.”
“Then why are you so useless?”
“….”
An’as was left speechless. What do you mean by useless? He was a damn Collector! One of the highest possible ranks within the entire Church, only below those in the Seat of Solas.
Still, he only complained in his heart.
He didn’t have the balls to complain outwardly.
“Ehm.”
Coughing drily, he got on with the conversation.
“My clearance level isn’t high enough to access that information. Right now, my job is simply to locate and investigate anything containing this type of material. Just a moment ago, I came across a batch of candles infused with it. I was able to detect the content within thanks to the ring that I’ve received from the church.”
An’as showed the ring on his finger. Anna’s brow rose at the sight, but she didn’t say anything.
If anything—
“Tsk.”
She clicked her tongue, prompting An’as to flinch.
“Ehm.”
He coughed again, trying to change the conversation again, feeling cold sweat pouring down his back.
“This is the current situation. We’re trying to locate the distributors, but we’ve found nothing as of yet. They’re hiding quite deeply, and the Seats are starting to become impatient. They might make a move themselves soon.”
“That would be quite problematic.”
Anne mumbled, switching her crossed legs.
“If they do start making a move, that would mean the sea will likely be taken over for a bit. That would be less than ideal for me.”
“I… know.”
“Haa.”
Anna sighed, feeling her head throb at the sudden piece of news. If the sea were really shut down, then she’d have to start making some plans regarding what she’d have to do. Should she just lie low for a bit?
Ugh…
She groaned, turning her attention towards An’as, her gaze falling on his hand.
If only this bastard…
Clank!
Suddenly, the door of the pub opened and all heads turned in unison.
Several figures appeared not long after, and the moment Anne’s head turned, she felt every hair on her body stand on end. Especially when she caught sight of the leading figure, feeling the enormous pressure coming from within his body.
‘Dangerous!!’
Before she even had the chance to react, however, the man in question turned his attention towards them.
Time seemed to slow down in that moment.
And then—
“I’ve finally found you.”
