If the Norman Empire is divided into five parts: east, west, south, north and middle, then the eastern part of the empire roughly refers to the vast territory east of the Armis Mountains that once belonged to the Kingdom of Basel, that is, the land now under the jurisdiction of the Principality of Idar.
But compared to the entire Norman Empire, the land area in the eastern part of the empire was only equivalent to one-third of that in the western part of the empire.
Starting from the Cecil Mountains in the east, reaching the ocean in the west, reaching the Carter Highlands in the north, and reaching the Norman River Plain in the south, more than a quarter of the entire Norman Empire can be regarded as the western part of the empire.
Early summer.
Cecil Mountains.
The dense mountain forest blocked the blazing midday sun, and the mist halfway up the mountain had gradually dispersed. In the dense mountain forest of the Cecil Mountains, a group of people were trudging through thorns and mud.
This place already belongs to no man's land. Not only is there no human habitation, but wild animals are rampant.
But these "adventurers" still rely on what they have in their hands to move forward with difficulty.
They were dressed in extremely simple and shabby clothes and were covered in dust.
But if you look carefully, you will suddenly realize that what is shrouded under the outermost rag jacket is a solid armor that shines with cold light.
"Click——"
The leading "adventurer" drew his sharp saber, and as a sharp cold light flashed by, the tangled branches blocking the front were immediately cut off.
"How far away?!"
Among the team, a panting middle-aged man finally couldn't help but ask.
"Reporting to the Lord Bishop, this is it, we have arrived!"
The leading "adventurer" replied quite excitedly.
I saw a few people struggling to split the thorns ahead, and the cliff at the end of the forest suddenly appeared in front of everyone.
Under the rugged cliff, there is a deep cave about as tall as a person, hidden in the shadow of thorns and gravel.
Bishop Olsson's eyes narrowed slightly, he snatched the map from the hands of the Crusaders, and compared it with the cave in front of him.
Yes, these people in front of you are all core members of the Church of Light!
If Mike were here at this time, he would definitely recognize at a glance that Bishop Olsson in front of him is the third figure in the Inquisition of the Church of Light!
The adventurers who make up this team are all Crusaders in disguise!
However, the Crusaders who appeared here were not ordinary Crusaders. They even bypassed Cardinal Camus Blanchard and took orders directly from Pope Clement V himself!
"Everyone come in with me!"
Bishop Olsson finally issued the order.
"Your Majesty, don't you need to leave manpower behind to guard you?" A Crusader soldier asked doubtfully.
Bishop Olsson looked at him deeply and emphasized:
"No need, this is no man's land."
The cave was cold and damp, and the light of the torch swayed back and forth in the dark cave, illuminating the surrounding rock walls.
The uneven ground was slightly slippery, and there were many animal bones scattered on it, probably because the cave underfoot was once occupied by wild beasts.
This is actually the first time Bishop Olsson has come to this cave, and it is also the second time a member of the Church of Light has set foot here.
For decades, the bishops of the Inquisition, together with some soldiers of the Crusaders, walked anonymously throughout the continent.
And their only purpose is to find the magic wells scattered across the continent!
Even the church is somewhat unclear about the distribution of magic wells, and their abilities to extract magic power are also different.
Compared with the eastern part of the empire, the vast western region obviously cannot have only one magic well.
Therefore, after going through countless hardships, the Church of Light finally discovered traces of four magic wells in the western part of the empire.
The reason why Bishop Olsson came to the cave in front of him was to activate the last magic well in the western part of the empire and make the western part of the empire a place with as thin magic power as the eastern part of the empire!
In fact, even Bishop Olsson himself does not know the real reason for doing this, but according to what he heard from Clement V, the mission he performed seems to be related to the coming of the God of Light!
The arrival of the God of Light!
Thinking of this, Bishop Olsson couldn't help but turn around and glance at the wooden box in the center that was guarded by the Crusaders.
As far as he knows,
Only the "key" contained in that wooden box can successfully activate this magic well and complete the Light Church's arrangement for the western part of the empire!
The cave gradually extended downwards, and the rock walls gradually became more and more clammy.
finally,
When the leading Crusader soldiers stopped, Bishop Olsson seemed to see the ball of light that the Pope was talking about.
At the end of the cave is a small hall that is not very spacious. On the stone pillar in the center of the small hall, a hazy light group is changing irregularly in the darkness.
The light group sometimes enlarges, sometimes shrinks, sometimes disappears in the darkness, sometimes blooms with soft milky white light.
And it seemed to be able to feel the arrival of Bishop Olsson, because... the moment everyone entered the small hall one by one, the light group seemed to be stimulated and beat violently in mid-air.
"This is a miracle..."
Bishop Olsson made the sign of the cross devoutly towards the light group.
Seeing this, all the Crusader soldiers present followed suit.
Looking at the light group whose beating frequency was getting stronger and stronger, Bishop Olsson finally opened the wooden box protected by the Crusaders.
Then,
Except for Bishop Olsson, everyone present widened their eyes.
because……
What was placed in the wooden box was a broken finger!
Even the bright red blood on the severed finger has not dried up...
Swish——
However, the Crusader soldiers had no time to think too much at this time, because the moment the wooden box was opened, the light group jumped and burst into dazzling white light, filling the entire cave in an instant.
Bishop Olsson only felt that his body was surrounded by an indescribable heat, and the chaotic white became the only thing he could see.
And at the same time,
In the air above the Cecil Mountains, a looming vortex is gradually forming.
The massive amount of magic power seemed to be slowly mobilized at this moment, and began to circle, rotate, and gather at an extremely slow speed.
The center of the vortex corresponds to a towering mountain peak.
At the top of the mountain is a calm lake.
The cave where Bishop Olsson is located is located directly below this dangerous peak!
Bang!
When the bright light gradually dissipated, the sound of the wooden box falling to the ground suddenly came from behind Bishop Olsson.
He turned around as he expected, and saw that all the Crusader soldiers standing behind him had turned into white bones scattered on the ground.
"Everything you have done is for the coming of the God of Light..."