The Record of Unusua Chapter 347: The Return of the Holy Orb

Chapter 347: The Return of the Holy Orb

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The sudden and safe return of the orb brought the town into a furore. Leyton was a special township, only sparsely populated by normal civilians. It was mostly inhabited by clergymen as well as royal knights, and perhaps a contingent or two of militias. All present had been involved in the search for the missing Orb to some extent, because they were aware of its significance to the kingdom. So, it was no surprise that the entire town rose into a huge cheer when a knight came bearing good news across the street, shouting, "The Orb has been found!"

Hao Ren and his group followed a group of knights as the latter escorted them into Leyton. They were soon mobbed by the townsfolk, who came to see what was going on and they were soon joined by the receiving troops. As they reached the town's trunk road, someone toiled away in the town's bell tower. The distant and loud sounds of the bell seemingly functioned to dispel the gloomy atmosphere that had canvassed the town for about half a month. The ringing also drew an ever bigger crowd and Hao Ren could not help but turn towards the leader of the knights beside him. "Is it alright to let the news out? Logically speaking, the return of such an important treasure would normally be kept secret..."

"This is the land of the goddess." The mander's face was grim as he pointed towards the church. "The people here are the most loyal servants of the goddess. The Orb of the Holy Synod has returned to its rightful home and..." The captain stopped for a moment as he broke into a smile. "Every sorry sod here needs something to be happy about. It has been nothing but sorry news for months. We need good news to let everyone know that the goddess is watching over her people."

Big Beardy as well as the three other ascetics were surrounded by knights and they could not care less about the motion. The young ascetic with the hoarse voice only glanced up for a second before looking back down again. "...Too noisy."

"At least, we've pleted our mission," Big Beardy said softly. "Much has happened since and I will be praying for the night once we get back. Perhaps this is an omen by the goddess."

The town still bore the scars previously left by the rock monsters' invasion. The main road had clearly been repaired recently and some parts of the pavement were obviously new as well. The houses along both sides of the road had sustained visible damage while some had totally collapsed. Hao Ren still remembered how the town looked when he first came. Some of its buildings had since disappeared and only rubble or wooden frames were left where the buildings originally stood. Simple wooden shelters or tents dotted the streets and that was how the citizens of Leyton had been living since the attack. Based on the mander's description, the rock monsters had charged directly through the centre of town, ignoring the two side roads. Their objective was obvious and the headlong charge destroyed the trunk road and everything around it. The only structure still unscathed was the church in the centre of the town. As it was protected with a powerful, magical forcefield, the rock monsters had circumvented the church and laid waste to everything else around it.

Thus, the plaza on both sides of the church was nothing but rubble now.

It did not take long for the group to reach the church. In front of it, an old man in magnificent robes was waiting for them. Hao Ren recognised the figure as Bishop Gelton. The clergyman had personally e out to wele the return of the Orb of the Holy Synod. The old man looked even frailer in the cold wind and Hao Ren really wondered how long this man could hold on. Since the last time they met, the bishop had aged even more, and he was now as gaunt as a corpse.

The group dismounted from their horses and the four ascetics walked forth towards the bishop. Big Beardy and the bishop then exchanged greetings. "Bishop Gelton, it has been a while. By the goddess' mercy, we have made it back alive."

Gelton nodded and quivered as if his frail body would collapse at any time. But, his voice was still crystal clear. "It is great to see all four masters back, safe and sound. The thought of putting your names into the Book of Martyrs just did not feel right."

The ascetics were a special group within the Disciples of Glory. To receive the title of a "master