In the alternate world where the sub-mist was located, time returned to the period when Harold left the City of Mist, before the Monster Association unified the world.
Patter, patter!
Rain poured down, and although it was seven in the morning, the sky was pitch black.
Beep, beep!
In the rain, a gray cloaked carriage was heading towards a hazy city in the distance.
Inside the carriage, a young man stared intently at the muddy road ahead, as the vehicle struggled to move through the mud.
In the back seat of the carriage, Harold's eyes lost focus as he watched the rain outside the window and the passing trees.
After returning from the City of Mist, he immediately reported the matter to his superiors via phone.
Initially, when the operator answered Harold's call, they thought he was drunk and simply brushed him off.
It wasn't until the next day when Harold realized no one had contacted him and called again that the matter was recorded. It took another two days for the news to reach the higher-ups.
Now he was being summoned to the branch church in this area.
"Priest Harold, we've arrived in Hoburn City," the driver in front suddenly said, interrupting Harold's daze.
Harold gradually came to his senses and looked at the streets on both sides.
Although the rain was heavy, many people from the lower classes were already out in raincoats, bustling for their livelihoods.
After driving for another ten minutes, the vehicle arrived at the entrance of a white church, seventy to eighty meters tall.
At this hour, the church's main gate was ajar, and figures of black-robed clergy could be seen moving inside.
Click! The driver in front opened Harold's car door and stood there with an umbrella.
Harold got out, took out his wallet from his pocket, pulled out a gold coin, and handed it over: "This is what you deserve."
The young man took the gold coin, his face filled with excitement, and led Harold to the church entrance: "Priest Harold, thank you for your generosity!"
Harold nodded and walked into the church.
The young man looked at the gold coin in his hand, then at Harold's retreating figure, his face incredibly excited: 'I knew the church people were rich, but I didn't expect them to be this rich. This gold coin is at least half a month's income for me.'
Inside the church, Harold saw a group of believers kneeling on chairs, hands clasped, eyes closed, praying to a three-meter-tall goddess statue with a gentle face, dressed in a long robe, at the very top.
Below the eternal goddess statue, there was also a Caucasian old man in a black robe, facing the crowd and praying with them.
Harold found a spot in the back, knelt down, and prayed with the surrounding believers.
In the Eternal Church, unless there was an extremely important matter, the morning prayers could not be skipped.
"Great eternal goddess, You descended from heaven to save those who struggle, it is You who led us out of the quagmire of war, it is You..."
Harold followed the people around him in prayer, which lasted for more than ten minutes.
Dong dong dong!
Three chimes rang from above, and Harold stood up.
"Priest Harold?" an uncertain voice came from Harold's left.
Harold looked in the direction of the voice and saw a Middle-aged Woman Investigator in a black robe looking at him.
Seeing the Middle-aged Woman Investigator, Harold quickly showed respect: "Archpriest Meli, I'm here to see the Patriarch."
An Archpriest is a level of management above a Sacrifice Master. Meli was also the manager of this church, responsible for daily affairs and the management of Sacrifice Masters in surrounding towns and churches. She was also Harold's superior.
"I know why you're here. The Patriarch is very concerned about your matter. Follow me to see him," Meli motioned for Harold to follow her.
"Yes!" Harold was surprised to hear that the Patriarch wanted to see him; he had thought Meli would handle this matter.
An Archpriest already had the qualification to coordinate the transcendents of their world, which meant Source-Artifact Users.
And a Patriarch was not only a powerful Source-Artifact User but also existed above an Archpriest, usually responsible for the management of dozens of cities.
The entire Eternal Church had only five Patriarchs, and above them was the Pope.
Harold followed Meli through a small door next to the church. Passing through the small door, there was a gray-yellow, five-story building wrapped around the back of the church.
The two walked under the eaves extending from the building. After a while, Harold and Meli arrived at a large red door at the very back of the building.
At the entrance, there were also two burly men carrying black boxes and wearing tight black clothes.
The two strong men had noticed the two approaching from a distance, and after sensing their auras, they no longer paid attention.
Dong dong dong! Meli walked to the large door and gently knocked on it: "Patriarch, Harold has arrived."
"Come in!" a majestic voice came from inside.
The large door opened automatically, revealing a table piled high with books to Harold's eyes. The source of the voice was behind the books.
Meli looked at Harold: "Harold, go in."
Harold nodded and walked inside. The surrounding space was vast, and the light bulbs on the ceiling emitted yellow light, illuminating the area.
On the left, there was also a pile of books casually stacked on the floor, and a man in a brown linen shirt was lying on the books, a book covering his face.
"Respected Patriarch Malo, good morning!" Harold stood in front of the table, his tone respectful.
The sound of turning pages came from the opposite side of the table. A few seconds later, a voice came from the other side: "I've also looked into the matter you reported. Because of the existence of source artifacts in this world, there are strange things in some areas."
Listening to Patriarch Malo's voice, Harold, who didn't know much about Source-Artifact Users, said with some uncertainty: "Patriarch, do you mean...?"
"Idiot, the old man is saying that what you encountered might be caused by a source artifact, that a powerful Source-Artifact User is causing trouble." A voice with morning grumpiness came from the left.
Hearing this voice, Harold dared not show any dissatisfaction; he knew that anyone who could be here had a much higher status than him, a low-level Sacrifice Master.
Malo's voice continued at this moment: "Harold, I will send people to investigate this matter. At that time, I will ask you to lead them back into that City of Mist, after all, you are the only one who has been in there once and is familiar with the situation inside."
Harold's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. He suddenly recalled the unpleasant memories from inside, and re-entering would be a great psychological torment for him.
However, Malo didn't care what Harold was thinking.
There was a movement from behind the book stack, and then Harold saw a figure in the church's black robe walk out.
The edges of the robe were embroidered with gold trim, and a fist-sized crescent moon pattern was embroidered on the chest with gold and silver threads.
Harold looked at Malo, who was 1.9 meters tall, with a strong physique that filled out the black robe. His face was stern, with short golden hair and a neatly trimmed golden beard at his nose, wearing ordinary round-rimmed glasses.
Malo came in front of Harold and patted his shoulder: "I understand how you feel. It's not easy to have your companions disemboweled beside you, but this time the Church stands behind you. I will never forgive anyone who harms my subordinates."
"Patriarch Malo!" Listening to this top figure in the Eternal Church comfort him, Harold's face showed a look of emotion.
He hadn't expected the Church's big shot to value his people so much.
Malo continued, seeing his reaction: "So this time you must lead the way, whether for revenge or for the safety of the Church's Source-Artifact Users."
"I understand, Patriarch Malo, I will definitely lead the way for all Source-Artifact Users!" At this moment, Harold's expression was firm.
Malo saw Harold's resolute appearance and showed a look of satisfaction: "Very good, Harold, none of my Sacrifice Masters in the Eternal Church are cowards. You go out and find Archpriest Meli to arrange accommodation, and you'll depart in a few days."
"Understood, Patriarch Malo, I will withdraw now." Harold respectfully addressed Malo, then exited the room.
After Harold left, Malo walked to the pile of books on the left, lifted his foot, and kicked the leg of the man lying on top, saying with disappointment: "Stop lying there! I called you here to study and enrich your cultural heritage, not to sleep!"
The man reached up and took the book off his face. There was a scar running from his forehead to his chin on his handsome left cheek.
He looked at Malo and said helplessly: "Old man, I'm also studying while lying here. I feel like knowledge pours into my brain when I'm dreaming."
"Stop spouting nonsense. Go see which Holy Soldier Squad is free during this time and send them with Harold to investigate the situation there." Malo looked at his grandson, full of disappointment.
He just knew how to fight all day, without his grandfather's level of culture.
Oliver Garcia, seeing this, could only stand up from the pile of books and reply: "Old man, all of our Holy Soldier Squads are currently cooperating with the Empire in suppressing the Revolutionary Army. It will be another ten days before a Holy Soldier Squad returns."
In the Eternal Church, the department where Source-Artifact Users were located was called the Holy Soldiers, and each squad had a hundred members.
"When they return, you can arrange for them to go directly. To be able to create such a massive city, it must be at least a Dominator." Malo's face showed a thoughtful expression.
The Tianlun Empire had long had a specific classification for the strength levels of Source-Artifact Users. In this world, source artifacts were weapons that could grow.