Half an hour later, in the lower left third district of the ruins, everyone stood on top of a ruin covered in moss, where the original architectural shape was barely recognizable.
In the distance, there was a row of stone houses with Bloodthirsty Vines used as exterior walls.
Next to the biggest stone house, there was a bonfire, smoke rising, and a tall flag. The flag depicted an image of Dawnlight breaking through dense fog.
"Dawn Adventure Group, vine stone house, should be here, right?" After Dox spoke, he clicked his tongue twice: "Quite an artistic name, yet living so ruggedly. It’s not even as good as that underground supply point of the Hero Squad."
"Not all adventure groups are as lucky as the Hero Squad to have a foothold in The Garden Labyrinth. For adventure groups made up of ordinary people, this is already very commendable," Angel gave a positive evaluation.
Although The Garden Labyrinth has been nearly rampaged by the Wizards, it was once the Extraordinary City, and there still exist mechanisms that haven’t been destroyed, as well as Magical Creatures lurking in the shadows.
The Hero Squad was fortunate enough to find a haven. Other adventure groups, especially those smaller ones with not much strength, need courage and wisdom to survive here.
Whether the Dawn Adventure Group has courage remains unknown for now, but their wisdom is evident from the outside of the stone house. For instance, by using certain methods of preservation, they adorned the dead Bloodthirsty Vines on the stone house. The aura of the Bloodthirsty Vines effectively prevents monster invasions, granting the Dawn Adventure Group a relatively safe living space.
Though Dox scoffs at this, in Angel’s eyes, it is considered a clever survival strategy.
"As if these adventure groups are carving out territories, in reality, they’re just a bunch of blood-sucking worms nurtured by Traveling Merchants."
"At least, both parties get what they need." Angel did not argue with Dox on this topic. The exploitation of ordinary people by Transcendents is not uncommon, especially in this kingdom ruled by King Gumman. Traveling Merchants provide supplies and Gold Coins in exchange for the adventure group’s profits, at least abiding by the principles of transactions, even if such trades are unfair.
Angel turned to look at Mathusa, who hadn’t recovered yet.
"The Traveling Merchant you saw earlier, are you sure it’s here?"
At this moment, Mathusa was still enveloped by the light wind created by Speedy Spirit, and that feeling of lightness, coupled with the experience of walking on air earlier, left her somewhat dazed. Until hearing Angel’s question, Mathusa snapped back to reality: "Ah, ah... Yes, yes. It’s here, the Dawn Adventure Group’s camp."
Having confirmed the location was correct, everyone jumped down from the ruins and headed towards the vine stone houses.
As they walked, spiritual power swept across. Almost everyone in the camp was scanned by their spiritual power.
At the same time, illusions continually appeared before Mathusa’s eyes. These illusions were of people in the camp. They brought Mathusa not only to show her around but also for a crucial reason: identifying personnel.
"I haven’t seen this one before, probably logistics... This woman seems to be an archer’s wife..."
"These three are the backbone of the Dawn Adventure Group, very strong."
"..."
"The one wearing the Dawn Church’s yellow and white armor is their leader, who calls himself Dawnlight. He is very powerful and has a heavy sword that can even compete against Crow’s staff."
Angel captured a keyword: "Dawn Church, what is this?"
"It’s an ancient Sect from the southern part of the Gumman Kingdom, worshipping a deity called Dawnlight. They believe the first ray of the sun wheel provides life to all things, and this light is transformed by the Goddess Dawn," Mathusa explained.
Angel muttered softly: "This doesn’t sound like an Evil Sect?"
"Indeed, it’s not counted as an Evil Sect," Black Earl spoke up.
"Sir knows about this Sect?"
Black Earl: "One of my offspring traveled to the Gumman Kingdom and visited this Sect. I inquired about it along the way. The teachings of this Sect are considered positive, but in recent years, King Gumman’s plan is nearly complete, the tusks are bared, and previous tolerance has vanished, beginning to suppress all religions, with Dawn Church naturally being a victim as well. Now, there should be very few members of the Dawn Church left..."
"King Gumman’s plan is about to be complete? The tusks are bared?" Dox looked at Black Earl with surprise: "What do you mean, sir?"
Black Earl said blandly: "It’s of no concern to you, and you cannot get involved."
Although Dox said he wouldn’t go to the Gumman Kingdom, in his heart, he still had some curiosity about the matters of the Gumman Kingdom. Hearing Black Earl unwilling to answer, he turned to Angel, hoping Angel would stand on his side, and probe these secrets.
After all, Dox believes Angel should also be interested after they jointly experienced the events at Princess Town.
But when Dox looked at Angel, Angel seemed to completely ignore the mystery in Black Earl’s words and continued questioning about the Dawn Church.
Dox didn’t believe Angel hadn’t heard that sentence.
Yet how could Angel be entirely uncurious and remain so calm? There must be some hidden agenda... Could it be that Angel already fully understood King Gumman’s plan?
But he and Angel had always been together recently, where did he learn this? Witcher Organization methods?
While Dox lamented the slow news of Wandering Wizards, Angel had already fully understood the Dawn Church through Black Earl and Mathusa.
Confirmed it wasn’t an Evil Sect, he sighed in relief.
It’s not about overreacting, but due to Seed’s influence, Angel now is somewhat wary of all religions. Especially, with Lord Reine and others on the Pamiji Plateau probably engaging in a battle of wits and courage with Seed followers, increasing his sensitivity to religions again.
So just hearing the word church made him overly tense.
"After all this idle talk, it’s time to get back to the main topic." Angel coughed twice to draw everyone’s attention.
"You know it’s idle talk?" Dox muttered.
Angel ignored Dox and continued to ask Mathusa: "I’ve shown you everyone in the camp, is there a Traveling Merchant?"
Mathusa shook her head: "No, but I’m sure I saw a Traveling Merchant earlier. Maybe the Dawn Adventure Group has already completed their transaction with the Traveling Merchant?"
"That might be it; the living supplies in the back scattered stone houses are brand new, probably just traded from the Traveling Merchant," Kaier remarked, noting the detailed observations.
"Where will the Traveling Merchant go after the Dawn Adventure Group? Do you know?" Angel asked Mathusa again.
Mathusa shook her head: "The person sent by the Traveling Merchant for transactions varies each time, so the route is very unpredictable, everyone’s preferences differ."
"Are you familiar with the distribution of nearby adventure groups?"
This time, Mathusa didn’t hesitate and nodded: "I’ve infiltrated several adventure groups secretly. When it comes to familiarity with the third area, no one should be better than me."
"Since you have this confidence, finding the traces of the wandering merchants shouldn’t be a problem."
As Angel finished speaking, a group of people was already approaching from a distance, led by the leader of the Dawn Adventure Group, clad in yellow and white armor.