While his eyes were blindfolded, he could roughly estimate that it had been at least eight hours since he was kidnapped because he could access the Player forums.
The carriage finally stopped when Angora felt as if his entire body was about to fall apart.
'Thank the heavens, my butt is going to split open if this continues … Still, this carriage isn't bumpy at all. Carriages wouldn't be this bumpy even if they were traveling on a small path. I'm afraid that this isn't a carriage, but a special carriage pulled by a tamed monster that can travel at extreme speeds. Judging from the bumps and the sound of the wind, it's probably three times faster than a normal carriage?'
Then, he felt himself being carried out of the carriage by two people. They carried him for a while.
Angora tried to talk to the people who were carrying him along the way, but they had no intention of replying no matter what he said.
Left with no other choice, Angora had to start from another place.
'I can hear the sound of water, but it's weird. Is it a fountain? Judging from the movements of the two people carrying me, there seems to be a staircase? There's also the scent of cypress in the wind. It's a rare plant in Tierra, and no one in the north would plant it. However, Valla's former emperor loved it, which is why it became popular as a garden plant in the imperial capital a few years ago. Also, the light hasn't changed even after walking for so long, which means we haven't entered any buildings yet … '
Even though the blindfold was still on, Angora could guess his current situation from other places.
He concluded in his mind.
'So this place is at least a twenty-four-hour drive from the town, close to the imperial capital, and has a huge courtyard. The owner of the courtyard must be someone of considerable status …'
There were no natural fountains near the imperial capital, which was why fountains had to be artificially made. Strictly speaking, there was no Water God in this world, and most beliefs related to water came from Minadoakua, the Goddess of Wisdom and the Ocean.
However, the Sea God had been beaten up by the Seven Divine Fathers in the last Divine War, so he hated the Seven Divine Fathers very much. The Seven Divine Fathers were the main religion of the humans, so the Sea God hated the humans as well, which directly led to the absence of any religion related to the water element among the humans. The Sea God also relied on the murlocs and other simple-minded aquatic subhumans (including the frogmen) as his source of faith, so he looked down on the faith of the humans.
It was precisely because of this that humans had very few abilities related to the water element. Only a portion of the believers of Magic Purple could obtain the ability to use water elemental magic through long and arduous training. You couldn't possibly bury a great sorcerer underground just to create a fountain, right?
That being the case, the only way to artificially create a fountain apart from drawing water from the highlands was to use water-type Illum crystals. Still, the Imperial Capital was a flatland, and it was forbidden to build anything taller than the Imperial City walls (around ten meters). That was why the former was impossible, and the only way left was Illum crystals.
But here came the problem: Illum crystals could directly replace most offerings and be used in most rituals. Aside from its high religious significance, it was also a strategic resource that was strictly regulated!
Such regulations would definitely be stricter the closer it was to the Imperial Capital. Even wealthy merchants who could hoard Illum crystals in secret would not have the right to build a fountain here, and only nobles who could openly build a fountain in their courtyards near the Imperial Capital would be able to do so!
Vela's reply popped up in less than ten seconds after Angora posted his theory on the forums.
It was obvious that the girl was still very anxious and worried. Since she was just a girl from the border, she did not have much decorum in her words, and simply told Angora that they had found special tire tracks and were following them.
Even if Angora had told her that the God of Games had given him a hint in the quest that he could revive like other Players even if he died, the girl still hoped that Angora would view his life as the most important thing and not give it up so easily, and try to wait for them to arrive.
Angora was very moved, but he did not agree to it easily.
As one of the elders of the Church of Games (excluding Tierra's remnant citizens like Princess Leah), he had certainly enjoyed many blessings from the God of Games.
Moreover, the more he learned and the more things he learned, the more he understood how rare and precious the Church of Games was, and in turn, he began to respect and worship the benevolent and loving deity from the bottom of his heart.
It was probably a unique charm of the God of Games.
That was precisely why he was mentally prepared to sacrifice himself for the deity he worshipped, not to mention that the deity had patted his chest and assured him that he would not really die …
After a long while, the cloth covering his face was taken off.
After getting used to the darkness, he could not help narrowing his eyes at the sudden light, even feeling the urge to tear up. Still, he did his best to suppress that physiological reaction, and tried to see who it was that stood before him.
It was a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his thirties or forties, with a fierce expression on his face and a rather burly physique. There was even a faint scent of blood around his body, and the first impression he gave was that he was a fearsome person!
Angora, however, frowned slightly after a single glance at him.
"You're not the one in charge here, are you?" Angora said before the man could say anything. Isn't it a little too rude to use such a crude method to invite someone to a place like this without even showing his face? "
The middle-aged man did a double take before anger appeared on his face. He raised his bear-like palm as if about to slap Angora, but Angora simply stared back fearlessly.
Even before the man's hand landed, his expression changed once more.
"Sir, are you really going to do this? … No, I'm not doubting you. Alright, I understand! "
Then, he added.
[Legendary Source Changer APP]
Not bad, worth installing since you can save books and read them offline!]
He muttered to the air for a while, a hint of fear slowly creeping into his voice.
Angora did not find it strange at all, and instead felt a subtle sense of familiarity. Void Ancestor was a traditional skill of the Players …
Still, he made a mental note of the man's ability to secretly communicate with others.
The burly middle-aged man led the two men who had carried Angora out of the room.
Angora, on the other hand, took the time to study the room.
It was a standard guest room, and the furnishings were rather old. While not all of them were antiques, they were quite elegant and placed with great care, clearly not something a nouveau riche could do.
The decor had a strong Valla style, but there were hints of Tierra, such as the prominent fireplace. Still, the two complemented each other without clashing or standing out.
It was a pity that the thick curtains on the windows could not be seen, or he might have gotten more information.
There were many books on a nearby bookshelf, but most of them were poetry, classical stories, and some historical documents. He could not tell what the owner's faith was, but from a certain point of view, it was quite meticulous.
After all, faith could largely determine a person's ability in this world, and could even determine a person's personality and weakness if it was some special faith. That was why many adventurers would do their best to not expose their faith in their adventures.
'Many of the books look like they've been flipped through, and they weren't just bought for decoration … It seems that the owner of this place is quite cultured in the arts and has deep roots. He must have had contact with Tierra before, but was deeply trusted by the Valla Imperial Family to the point that the Imperial Family wouldn't suspect him even if he used Tierra's decorations in his residence … Considering that Tierra's faction would never gain such trust, could it be a local noble of the Valla Empire who kidnapped me?'
Was the reason behind his abduction the Silver Eagle Duchy, which was undergoing drastic reforms, or the Church of Games, which had been making more eye-catching moves recently, or both?
Just as he was thinking, the door to the guest room opened once more.
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