After leaving the temple, Robin made a beeline for Hoy's Tavern. He was famished and needed food to regain his strength.
"Hoy, I want five pieces of black bread with butter and a glass of beer!" The moment he entered the tavern, Robin plopped down in a seat and lay slumped over the table, not moving an inch. God only knew how he'd managed to make it back. He was completely drained.
Hoy was sipping his drink. When he heard Robin's order, he nearly spat out the wine in his mouth. He slammed his glass down on the table, fuming. "Are you trying to eat me out of house and home?"
"I'll pay!" Robin waved a silver coin in his hand, grinning.
"Keep your money. Save it for when you want to marry a wife. Go find Anna in the kitchen yourself. Don't bother me here." Hoy glared and blew his beard, drawing laughter from the tavern's other guests.
With no other option, Robin dragged his noodle - like body into the kitchen. He looked as if a gentle breeze could topple him over.
Old Sid witnessed this and pointed at Robin, chortling. "Did this kid have a wild time at the temple and get himself all worn out?" The regulars at the tavern were well - aware of Robin's situation.
"Maybe he did!" The mercenary Maglai, who'd been knocked unconscious with a single punch in the morning but was now back in the tavern, full of energy in the afternoon, said lewdly. "I've got some news. One of my buddies saw that stinky brat Su getting into the city lord's carriage on the street. Guess who was in the carriage?"
"Who?" The drunkards were immediately intrigued, bombarding him with questions.
"A glass of beer, or I'm not telling." Maglai held back the information, shaking his head as he sat in his seat, waiting to see if anyone would bite. No beer, no story.
One drunkard gritted his teeth, dug a handful of copper coins out of his pocket, and flung them at Maglai. "Spit it out. Was it the mayor's daughter?"
Maglai pocketed the coins, his eyes squinting with glee. "You're spot - on, brother. It was indeed the mayor's daughter, and she was alone!"
"Wow~" "Hiss~" "What luck!" Exclamations filled the tavern. The drunkards' attention quickly shifted from Robin to the city lord's beautiful and unrivaled daughter.
In the kitchen, Anna had already prepared food for Robin. There was not only black bread but also a small piece of highly nutritious cheese, which made Robin's eyes light up. He grabbed it and devoured it in a few bites.
"Slow down. Don't choke." Anna smiled, her face radiating the same gentle warmth.
"Yeah, yeah." Robin mumbled, shoving the remaining black bread into his mouth as he answered absent - mindedly. In less than five minutes, several large pieces of bread had disappeared into his stomach.
"You've really grown up. You can eat more than before. It's good that you can eat. You're still too skinny." Anna said, satisfied.
Once his stomach was full, Robin didn't linger in the tavern. Hoy gave him a day off every month on this day. And he had to get back to the cemetery before dark to activate the rune stone. Otherwise, at night, those restless undead would surely come knocking, and that would be a disaster.
In the past, the cemetery was patrolled by the Wildfire City guards during the day. But now, with the orc invasion looming, the soldiers in Wildfire City were in a state of high - alert war preparation, and many patrol missions were called off.
After leaving the city, the road was deserted. Robin quickened his pace, hurrying towards his cabin.
"I must be the unluckiest person alive. It's freezing cold, and I'm all alone outside the city. If the orcs really show up, I'm done for. Maybe I should hope they don't eat dead human flesh." Robin muttered as he entered the wooden house and plopped down on the low wooden bed, sighing.
As far as he knew, if the orcs were hungry enough, those green - eyed brutes charging out of the Thunder Mountains wouldn't hesitate to dig up some "frozen meat" from the cemetery. And he was a warm, living target.
"No, I can't stay here. I need to activate the rune stone right away, and then stay at Old Hoy's tavern tomorrow." Thankfully, kind - hearted Miss Jasmine had come to his aid, allowing him to stay in the city legally.
He wasn't one to overestimate his capabilities. He knew exactly how much he could handle at the moment.
Robin was certain that 60% of the people buried in this cemetery were warriors slain by orcs, and each one of them was stronger than him. This harsh reality quickly made him abandon any thoughts of witnessing the orcs' power firsthand. That would be nothing short of suicidal.
After finishing his bread, Robin took out the Justice Rune Stone from his pocket and retrieved the discarded Holy Light Rune Stone from under the bed, examining and comparing them carefully.
The lines on the Justice Rune Stone occasionally glowed with a flowing light. There was a layer of translucent, unknown substance engraved on the lines, from which the light emanated.
In contrast, the Holy Light Rune Stone was dull, showing no signs of anything out of the ordinary, just like an ordinary rock.
Robin soon realized that the lines on the Justice Rune Stone were not random. In fact, compared to the Holy Light Rune Stone, the pattern of this line had more similarities with the engravings on the boulders of the temple's outer wall. However, these were merely superficial resemblances and were essentially useless.
Activating the rune stone was a simple process. All Robin had to do was focus his mind on the starting structure of the energy line for a certain period. Although he didn't understand the principle, it always worked.
Pastor Paul had clearly marked this starting point on the rune stone, and the starting structures on both rune stones were identical.
Remembering Pastor Paul's instructions, Robin took off his leather robe, folded it neatly, and then carefully placed the Justice Rune Stone on top.
The moment the rune stone touched the robe, a familiar wave radiated from the leather robe. According to Old Hoy, this was element resonance!
But what exactly were elements, and what was the robe resonating with? Robin was completely clueless.
The leather robe seemed to sense the danger. The mysterious wave grew stronger and stronger, and it even started to move on its own, attempting to shake the rune stone off.
Robin was taken aback. He hadn't expected the leather robe to be so strange. But he quickly pressed down on the rune stone and began to concentrate.
According to Su's memory, this process usually took at least half an hour to take effect. It was a delicate task that required patience, not something an ordinary, rough person could manage.
But memory and reality often differed.
This time, as soon as Robin focused his attention on the starting point of the rune stone, in less than ten seconds, the entire Justice Rune Stone suddenly blazed with a brilliant light, illuminating the previously dim wooden house.
The leather robe immediately ceased its struggle, and a shrill wail seemed to ring directly in Robin's mind, making him feel slightly dizzy. But he quickly regained his composure.
Under the light of the Justice Rune Stone, it was clear that a layer of black air covering the leather robe was being rapidly dispelled.
The light from the rune stone was no ordinary light. It grew brighter and brighter, and it began to penetrate the wooden house as if it didn't exist.
At that moment, the thin wooden boards of the cabin became transparent like crystals under the light's illumination. Robin's vision passed through the wooden house, and he could see the entire cemetery.
Above the cemetery, there was a dark and thick aura, even deeper and more chaotic than the one on the leather robe. But under the all - penetrating light of the Justice Rune Stone, it melted away quickly, like snow in the sun.
Suddenly, the cemetery was no longer filled with a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere. Instead, it became bright and clear. Under the light of the rune stone, it was almost like a heavenly place.
Robin stared in disbelief. "What the hell! What kind of technology is this?!"
Even X - rays, which could penetrate wooden boards, were just the rays themselves. He'd never heard of the human eye being able to directly have an X - ray - like transmission function without the aid of instruments. In the Milky Way, no light had such a property. This was completely against the laws of science! It was like a dream.
Yes, it had to be a dream. Robin pinched his thigh hard. The sharp pain that followed immediately reminded him that this was reality.
Robin was left stunned. His entire worldview was shattered at that moment.
...
In the Wildfire City Temple, Pastor Paul stood on the temple's spire, gazing at the light illuminating the sky outside the city.
"I didn't expect that kid to trigger the Justice Rune Stone so quickly. He has quite a talent. The cemetery should be peaceful for the next few years."
In the wizard tower within the city, a middle - aged man also looked in the direction of the suburban cemetery. He shook his head slightly and said with a smile to the disciple beside him, "Such a large - scale release of faith elements. Hiss, old man Paul really had too much time on his hands to create such a complicated rune stone."
The disciple was left speechless. The middle - aged man could call Paul "old man," but he didn't dare to. Moreover, he couldn't see any strange phenomena in the direction of the cemetery.
To perceive these spiritual faith elements, one had to open the Eye of Elements, and he was still a long way from achieving that.
In Robin's eyes, the scene was truly spectacular. In Wildfire City, aside from the two men mentioned above, no one else noticed anything. They simply couldn't see it.
Just like the two figures stealthily entering the cemetery at that moment. All they felt was that the cemetery no longer had its usual depressing and cold atmosphere.
"Boss, something's definitely up. This place feels different. It doesn't have that creepy cemetery vibe anymore." A thin - framed figure whispered to the tall and burly man beside him.
The tall and strong figure snorted coldly. He lifted his head, and the snow's reflection illuminated his face, revealing several fresh and terrifying scars. It was the man who'd been knocked out of the tavern by Hoy with a wine glass that morning.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Skinny, go dig up the best tombs here. Grab all the valuables inside, and then we'll make a run for it. Anyway, the people in Wildfire City won't be around much longer, and no one will come after us for tomb - robbing. I'm going to deal with that night - watchman over there. Damn it, he's the one who gave me this wound on my face. I'll tear him apart for revenge."
The thin man sneered. "Boss, catching him will be a piece of cake. That kid won't make it through the night."