Chapter 708 – Charlatan vs. Charlatan
To be honest, our group was quite conspicuous, dragging such a large metal beehive and pulling a cart filled with naked girls. We should have been the most striking sight in the village.
However, the villagers’ attention was completely captured by that charlatan. Only a few noticed us. It wasn’t until the charlatan pointed his wooden stick at us that they all turned, casting their collective gaze upon us.
They were holding farm tools like rakes and pitchforks. If they had charged, it wouldn’t have been a threat, but it would have been troublesome. Besides, we only wanted a clean place to rest, not to kill anyone.
Just as the atmosphere between the two sides became tense, a soft Holy Light suddenly descended, focusing on Lorna. Her silver hair shone brightly, as if the surrounding area was engulfed in darkness, and she appeared like a Saintess.
This was genuine. The corrosive aura had been thickening, and the surrounding atmosphere was somewhat oppressive and dark. When Lorna’s light descended, that dark aura receded, making her appear like a Saintess.
“Demon spreading heresies to confuse the masses! Who allowed you to spread your heresy in this place favored by the gods? The prophesied day of judgment is far from here, yet you are merely adding to people’s sins! What are your intentions?!” Lorna said sharply. The Commoners were so frightened they dared not look directly at her. They all put down their weapons, and some of the timid ones even knelt down.
There was no help for it; Lorna’s temperament was truly sacred. She glowed all over, with a Cross pattern formed of light behind her, making her appear even more radiant and noble. The mad old man opposite her, who looked like a beggar, completely lacked that aura.
I had to admit, sometimes it’s a case of fighting poison with poison. To deal with such a charlatan, one had to be even more of a charlatan. When it came to preaching, Lorna was a professional. If I were a villager, I would choose to believe this Saintess over that crazy old man.
“Foolish and shortsighted woman! You are the deceiver! You are traveling with disaster, so you must be one of its kind! You intend to drag everyone into the abyss of destruction, don’t you?!” the charlatan shouted emotionally.
If a normal person saw Lorna as she looked now, they would likely feel ashamed and dare not meet her gaze. But as luck would have it, the charlatan was blind. He couldn’t see the Holy Light filling the screen, so he dared to continue confronting Lorna.
And so, the two began arguing about the apocalypse. Those around them were utterly confused by the jargon they were spouting. The illiterate villagers couldn’t understand them at all.
In my opinion, they were talking past each other. They didn’t even know if they believed in the same god, yet they were quoting scriptures as if they were, like Guan Yu fighting Qin Qiong.
However, I was somewhat wary of the old charlatan who looked like a madman. It wasn’t just because he had pinpointed me with a single gesture, but also because he had just said that he had known about the monster attack on the village beforehand, and even knew that we would be coming to this village.
“Senior Sister, are there really people who can predict the future?” Paris voiced the question I wanted to ask the most.
Milti nodded. “There are indeed. Although it’s not common among Wood Elves, Humans have done some research in this area. Paris, you weren’t paying attention in class again. Haven’t you heard of Divination spells?”
“I’ve learned about them, but I always thought the Divination school was for detection or calculation spells, not for truly predicting the future. At least, not like him,” Paris said, looking at the arguing charlatan. He didn’t seem like a master of the Divination school at all.
“Paris, that’s where you’re mistaken. Professors from the Divination school can indeed truly predict the future. I’ve seen it,” Lair said.
“But this man is clearly not a Mage. He should be a Prophet among your Human race, one of those who claim to have received Divine Revelation and can see through destiny. Of course, whether he’s real or not, I don’t know,” Milti continued.
These so-called prophets often lurked in streets and alleys. Nine out of ten were likely fake, but until an event was actually verified, no one could be sure if the person before them was a true prophet or an imposter.
I listened to their conversation and also felt that the man before me was a prophet, and a real one at that. This was because I had long known about prophecy’s existence. Not to mention other things, I myself had prophetic dreams and had also asked others to perform Tarot card readings, which were all very accurate. At least, as far as can be seen now, they would eventually come true.
Moreover, he was blind. If I wasn’t mistaken, he had blinded himself. Books record that to see unseen things more clearly, one sometimes needs to sacrifice something. The most typical example is sacrificing sight, so that external things no longer interfere with you. After losing sight, one’s inspiration greatly increases, allowing them to see more of the future in their minds.
Judging by his words and actions, although this man was somewhat crazy, there was a high probability that he was a true prophet. He insisted that I would bring disaster, and in fact, he wasn’t wrong. The source of the corruption was indeed me, which indicated that his words were not baseless.
If that were the case, perhaps he could see a different future and help me find a solution. After all, I didn’t want to continue being a mobile source of infection, spreading corruption wherever I went.
At this moment, Lorna and the old charlatan finally realized they were talking to a brick wall. Historically, such religious disputes ultimately came down to who had the bigger fist.
So, Lorna took out her Page Hammer. She didn’t think the guy holding the nail stick opposite her would be her opponent.
I had to remind Lorna not to hit him too hard and kill him. I was still hoping he could help me find a solution to the corruption, or at the very least, interpret my dreams.
“Heh heh, I knew this day would come when I would perish here, but you are not the one who will send me to my grave,” the charlatan said more incomprehensible words and raised his nail stick.
Just as he jumped off the stage to fight Lorna, I suddenly felt a tremor under my feet, and then another. Was it an earthquake?
The villagers seemed very familiar with this sensation. They cried out in panic, “The monsters are here again!!!”
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” I could even hear the footsteps from over there. The footsteps were heavy but dense, like several colossal beings advancing simultaneously.
With such an anomaly occurring, the fight naturally couldn’t proceed. Lorna and the madman stopped their impending battle and turned to look at the source of the footsteps.
Then I saw several huge monsters appear at the village entrance. They walked towards us unhurriedly and swaggered into the village. In front of them was a person dressed in very peculiar attire.
“The Priest is here!” a few people who had opposed the charlatan’s prophecy shouted Ecstatic.
