If that weapon was made by a higher being, not just a simple demon, then where does that put me? I look at the Father as I take a moment to get the explanation of the curse.
The item went through the System and ignored the existence of it. And then applied the curse directly… a punishment designed against me.
A punishment for what?
What did I do?
"Maybe you got a deity mad at you… I don't know, did you write something erotic about Ellen or something?" Aurelia asks.
"You are an idiot." I answer.
The worst part is that I remember I wrote a fanfic once… but I doubt it.
Please, don't let my lewdness be my downfall here.
"I doubt Princess Orianna is the one that made the blade." Karina explains. "Her soul is not that strong."
"Then who did it?"
"Maybe it has to do with…" She looks at the Father, then back at me. "What you showed us yesterday."
The Gates…?
They wanted to stop me from opening the Gates?
"That… would make sense." I answer.
But that puts me at a disadvantage. I could have been easily killed when I was thrown into the Dungeon.
"You will need to figure out this by yourself. I can provide you with information about the deities and other beings from higher realms. But until the entity that created the weapon is discovered, there is not much we can do."
The Traveler.
The name of that person repeated in my head.
I know they have something to do with this. They are the one causing people to look for the Gates, based on what we know so far.
"Then I have a lot of work to do."
I won't get far without preparing. I need to build that base and find allies. I have been just moving around and escaping from danger mostly.
This time I will take the bull by the horns, or how they say.
"I will return with questions when I have them… now, about the chickens."
"Ah! Right!" Lisa now goes to her book. She had a few pages with bookmarks. "I was searching for curses and rituals to remove them when I stumbled upon this one. The chapters I found reminded me of the chickens."
The book in question showcases different types of rituals and methods to summon energies and other forces.
"Here… 'Sacrificial rituals are considered taboo and a major sin in the belief of the Trifecta. They are designed with the idea that the whole process connects the entrances and exits of the internal flow of energy in the bodies of the executioner and the sacrifice to get their power. These can be in different ways: stabbing, bleeding, even cannibalism.'"
None of that sounds good!
Heck, to think she is reading something like that like nothing but the moment sex is mentioned she can barely take it!
"And later it mentions this." Lisa moves several pages forward to another bookmark. "'But there are types of rituals and sacrifices which are still unknown as they have barely been documented. Sacrificial rituals, for example, require that the receptor is the one that kills the sacrifice. But what happens when it is dedicated to a third party? Theories say it depends on the intention of the perpetrator.'"
Great, then that says nothing to us, rather than the fact that we need to discover the intentions of the perpetrator. Which, as far as we know, has been killing the named victims.
"The chapter recommends paying attention to patterns, like if the order of the deaths give you any information, or if the victims have something in common."
"We have a ritual that names other people and lets the sacrifices die from bleeding out." I scratch my head. I will keep this information in mind, but I have little clues on where to go next.
Maybe I should speak with one of the people that is still alive? Last night we got four new names, and one of them is the teacher.
"You said the other person alive is a homeless man, right?" I asked the Father.
He nods.
"Yes, the poor soul usually comes here to ask for money or food. He is normally around the central park by now, by what he has told me."
"I will see what I can get from him." I explain. "Thanks for everything. And umm, Lisa… are you staying?"
"Yes. I came to show this to the Father. I stumbled across this book while researching your curse. Do you need me for anything?"
She has been very willing to help since we left the forest. I wonder if what happened with the mages attempting to kill her has made her want to be more helpful or if she is still considering my curse a challenge. Maybe both.
When we are outside, I consider my options. The Mayor is running danger if what we have so far is true, the ritual marks him to die soon.
He must have a ton of people defending him and must be observed constantly by other people. I doubt he has not taken any risks since he seems so scared of dying.
But I am not running any chances. If he is attacked, then I must know how it happens at the very least.
"Aurelia, go and keep an eye on Russell, I will check on this homeless man."
The Father gave me the name before we left. Ash, an old man with a scar on his face and dirty grey long hair.
"You sure? You are still barely on your usual power and we have no idea who is behind this or for what reason."
Aurelia tilts her head while talking, crossing her arms.
"I will take some precautions, taking a couple of stops on the way to the park should not be too detrimental."
"If you die I will drag you from hell." Aurelia squints her eyes.
"We will meet at noon in front of the magic shop. Pay attention to anything you see."
"On it!"
She turns around and goes to the city hall.
I move to my objective, but I must make a couple of stops on the way there. It shouldn't take that long.