The Creators: From Night City

Page 404

The familiar voice made the priest's eyes flicker. Although the raven had worn a mask when it escorted his wife Vera earlier, the two had a brief conversation that was enough for him to remember the voice.

He couldn't help but ask, "Are you the hunter from before?"

Henrik was slightly taken aback by his old friend's question.

"What, you two know each other too?"

"She's the hunter I told you about who saved Vera."

The priest used his arms to straighten the long-handled axe into a short-handled one, then walked back to the two men and explained.

"Gentlemen, reminiscing in this situation isn't a very wise thing to do. I suggest we find somewhere to hide quickly, as the commotion just now was enough to attract monsters from several streets nearby."

The three, having exchanged names, then retreated back into the priest's house.

"Are you OK?"

"Is Dad alright?" *2

Hunters with families are like treasures, while orphans without families are like two blades of grass.

Fortunately, the black tea that Vera brought soothed the sorrow in the two grasses' hearts.

"I need your help, or rather, I've brought a job with me."

"Work?" Henrik sipped his black tea, so comfortable he almost cried out.

"I believe you have already noticed the strangeness of the world," Crow said, putting down her teacup without leaving a trace. Having just come from 'Honey', the black tea in front of her was already hard to swallow.

The old hunter Henrik's eyebrows twitched slightly: "What inside information do you know? And what about you and that sword..."

“I can’t say,” the crow interrupted the question decisively.

The two experienced hunters instantly realized that the inside story must involve some kind of 'higher-ups'.

"And the job you mentioned?" Henrik gently placed his butcher's cleaver out of reach of his old friend's twin daughters and pressed for an answer.

"The work of ending all of this."

"You mean the beastification disease?" Henrik couldn't help but lean closer to ask, but his attention was drawn to the exquisite armor on the raven's body.

Hunters all enjoy wielding knives and sticks; after all, they are their means of livelihood and the guarantee of their lives.

“It’s not just the beastification disease.” The crow raised its hand and drew a circle, as if to encompass the entire world.

"It's about ending all of this."

Henrik had a look on his face that said, "Are you kidding me?"

"What power are you recruiting us for, Miss Eileen?"

Father Gascoigne coaxed his two daughters away with his top hat and then joined the discussion.

"Byrenvis, the Mensis School, the Choir, or Cain Hearst's vampire clan?"

"Neither."

The crow used its fingernail to dab on some blood that had splattered on its body and drew an '∞' symbol on the table.

It is [reverse entropy]

"Reverse entropy?" *2

As a true veteran and a know-it-all, Henrik was certain he had never heard of any such faction.

"That's not important. What's important is whether or not we want to hear about the pay for the job."

The raven glanced at Father Gascoigne's twin daughters. Compared to the four adults in the room, who were burdened with worries and had gloomy faces, their young faces shone with a joy and innocence that could be described as rare treasures in Yharnam.

Therefore, Raven was quite confident that the price he was about to offer would be enough to sway the two old hunters.

In this environment, 'safety' is the most precious thing in Yharnam; to describe it as worth a fortune would be an insult.

So when the priest and Henrik heard the raven promise to provide the priest's family with absolute safety and protection, their first reaction was disbelief.

However, the crow's words were too decisive and its expression too confident, which made the two of them uneasy.

Is there really any place in this world that is absolutely safe?

This world doesn't exist, but other worlds do.

Taking three defenseless women and children through the streets of Yharnam on the 'Night of the Hunt' was undoubtedly suicidal. A single Bloodthirsty Beast was enough to overwhelm the two veteran hunters, and there were countless more ferocious and bizarre 'beasts' hidden in this city called Yharnam.

They can only choose to believe for the time being.

Crow showed no surprise at persuading the two men; after all, even the most hard-hearted old hunter would have to yield to the weakness of having family.

This is also why she chose this place as her first stop.

As the saying goes, many hands make light work, especially when it comes to important matters like hunting down divine children and tracking ancient gods; naturally, the more people, the better.

So the first thing the crow did upon taking up its post was to 'recruit'.

"Where are we going next? Is that shelter you mentioned outside the city or inside?"

The crow led the way, with two hunters following behind, protecting the women and children as they left their home.

The deserted streets were bathed in only slivers of moonlight, and the orange streetlights that were usually seen in front of other residents' homes were almost entirely gone.

"I'm not going anywhere," the crow stood on the street, showing no intention of taking a step. Instead, it raised its lantern again and turned up the light, as if calling out to something.

Henrik then had the opportunity to examine the lantern in the other person's hand more closely.

This is a portable miniature lantern made of metal, with a simple and elegant design. A lifelike long snake is carved on the small lantern, but Henrik can see clearly that the snake has strange wings.

The firelight illuminating the surroundings came from a leaping, immortal golden flame within the cage; it was hard to imagine that such a small flame could emit light that illuminated most of the street.

Of course, what sent a chill down Henrik's spine was that the small lantern had no space to hold the lamp oil, and the flame did not spew out from below, but floated in mid-air inside the lantern, constantly rolling and writhing, as if it had a life of its own.

'Could this flame be alive?' Henrik couldn't help but wonder.

"Dad, look at the moon. Does it look like someone has bitten it?"

Henrik couldn't help but smile at Lillian's innocent words, which subtly eased the tension in his heart.

"How could that be? This is called a solar eclipse..." The priest's voice trailed off.

"Henrik, the moon!" When the other person spoke again, his voice was filled with extreme caution and a barely perceptible tremor, as if he had discovered something earth-shattering.

The old hunter suddenly looked up at the night sky above.

The stars are shining, the moon is high in the sky, and everything is as it always has been.

However, the bright moon, which had always hung high in the sky, overlooking Yanan and all living beings, suddenly had an abrupt gap.

'This is not a lunar eclipse!' the old hunter was quite certain.

A narrow golden line is deeply imprinted on the upper left of the full moon, permanently cutting off a corner of the moon. It does look like a lunar eclipse, but the edges are too smooth.

Although it seemed absurd, Henrik couldn't help but feel that the gold thread looked like a wound.

For no apparent reason, he suddenly thought of the golden greatsword he had seen in the Forbidden Forest.

Only the crows didn't raise their heads, seemingly indifferent to the strange phenomenon of the moon.

Before the two old hunters could even open their mouths to discuss the matter with her, she suddenly raised the lantern two points higher and solemnly announced.

"The car is here."

Chapter 826 Byrkinworth College

Before seeing its form, one hears its sound.

The steam whistle seemed to come from a distant shore, resounding in the ears of everyone bathed in light.

Then, a ghost train, spewing billowing illusory soul steam, drove from nothingness into the golden light reflected by the lanterns.

This scene was truly awe-inspiring, and the people of Yharnam found it difficult to comprehend the true nature of such a massive industrial achievement.

Fortunately, they don't need to know these things just because they are taking a ride.

The train stopped precisely in front of the crow holding up its lantern. The gilded and ornate carriage doors opened automatically, revealing a luxurious interior and meticulously arranged furniture.

"Get in the car."

The crow took the lead and entered the carriage.

The soft carpet made the two old hunters, who were used to stepping on blood and gore, feel a little uncomfortable for a moment.

"Where are we going?" Father Gascoigne held his hunting axe upside down, as if afraid of accidentally breaking the vase that looked quite valuable next to him.

He naturally didn't know that this was a 'mud play' creation by a 'craftsman' named Jiang Bing on a whim, but it was indeed quite valuable in a certain sense.

"As sweet as honey"

The crow sat on the sofa with practiced ease, reached into a storage box beside it, pulled out two plates of macarons, and placed them in front of the two little ones.

"Eat up, the train is still running for a while."

Under the curious gaze of the two old hunters, the car door closed, gradually accelerated, crashed into the alternate dimension outside the golden light range, and sped towards the next stop of the dream community.

The 'Rumi' station is newly built.

This is not surprising, after all, even Rumi is newly built.

The station isn't very big; after all, it only handles one train per day.

When the train arrived at the station, the crow led his entourage off the train, and the first thing they heard was a unanimous "Caw!"

The level of neatness was so perfect that it was as if everyone was exclaiming "Wow!"

However, given the idyllic, picturesque scenery of 'Rumi', coupled with its tranquil atmosphere and peaceful environment, it's perfectly normal for the survivors who just escaped from the sewers of 'Yanan' to act this way.

The two little ones grabbed their mother Vera's arms, one on each side, their eyes brimming with undisguised joy.

Following behind the crow, the old hunter Henrik inhaled the ubiquitous scent of grass and trees, feeling lightheaded all over.

Compared to this, the air quality in Yanan, filled with blood and stench, was simply a cesspool.

"Welcome to 'Rumi', the dream of the [Lord of Eternal Flame]."

The crow recited the script as it was presented, while the two old hunters exchanged a furtive, secretive glance.

"Women and children may reside here in peace, but the two of you will need to come with me to meet the Lord of Eternal Flame and complete the inauguration ceremony."

"Now that we've come this far, I think neither of you will have any regrets."

Neither of them had any intention of backing out, but a whole host of problems had already accumulated.

However, no one can answer these questions for them; they have to find the answers themselves.

…………

If one had to ask who among the people of Yharnam knows the most about the 'higher-ups,' the answer would undoubtedly be Master William, the leader of Byrkinworth Academy.

He was a leading figure in the initial exploration of the underground labyrinth and a learned and wise man.

He was also the teacher of Lawrence, the founder of the Healing Church, and Mensis, the founder of the Mensis School.

But this very person was buried within the Beilkinworth Institute along with the decline of Beilkinworth, disappearing from public view.

But this history will not disappear; it will be remembered when needed.

The illusory train, with unstoppable momentum, crashed through the curtain of dreams and sped from the other side into the forbidden forest.

Three fully armed, transformed 'God Hunters' stepped off the ghost train that ran through the cracks of the dream world and silently arrived at the southern exit of the Forbidden Forest.

The forest at night is even more eerie, with swaying shadows of trees and a sparse, bright moon.

Henrik moved his arms and legs, the armor pendants on his body jingling, and the gloomy surroundings did not dampen his eager enthusiasm in the slightest.

"Byrgenworth is just ahead, but the Church of Healing has been all-powerful in Yharnam for the past few years, and they probably haven't had any new customers here for a long time," the old hunter explained to the two over the shortwave communication channel.

"I can see that; this place is terribly desolate," the priest replied coldly.

As a once-illustrious school of thought in Yharnam, Byrgenworth College had its glory days, as evidenced by the enormous college-style manor in front of the three of them.

But at this moment, it was deserted, with not a soul in sight. A thin mist drifted in the air, and a musty, old smell enveloped the entire area.

The tree was already dead, its dry, sharp branches appearing extremely sharp, like a large, thin cactus, keeping people at a distance.

The once smooth road paved with stone slabs is now uneven, and a large number of weeds have stubbornly squeezed out from various cracks, striving to survive and reproduce.

"That shouldn't be the case. After all, Byrgenworth was once a mainstream school of thought. It can't have declined to the point where there's no one left."

“It’s not decay, it’s distortion. This place is already terminally ill.” The crow held the lantern, gazing at the ‘real’ world illuminated by the dancing flames inside.