Man

In the year 1131 of the Sacred Era, during the summer.

This is a cruel world. Although the continent appears vast and boundless, the places suitable for human survival are few and far between. Among countless races, humans without any special abilities can only gather together and build towering walls, living under the protection of the barriers forged from the Holy Stones. If they leave the city and the shelter of the barrier, they will face attacks from the "Calamity Beasts".

What are the "Calamity Beasts"? Like Warcraft, they come in many different types, but they are not weak. Each individual possesses abilities that can rival natural disasters, and they can be said to have evolved from some kind of disaster, embodying the symbolic representation of disaster, hence the name "Calamity Beasts" - monsters that bring calamity...

Humans have a total of seven main cities. The only means of transportation from one main city to another is by carriage, but to travel to other cities, one must leave the protection of the barrier, which greatly increases the likelihood of encountering Calamity Beast attacks. Therefore, apart from the large families, only large caravans have the ability to travel to other cities.

Hitching a ride with a caravan is also one of the few means of mobility for ordinary people in this world.

Of course, caravans only have one carriage at most to offer for ordinary people to ride in. It is common for dozens or even hundreds of people to cram into a small carriage.

"Ugh..."

On the bumpy journey, a black-haired man in a cloak was awakened by the wooden board behind him after he had just fallen asleep. Although he was used to this environment, he still felt uncomfortable. They had been in the carriage for six days with so many people, and the smell was indeed quite strong without taking a bath for six days.

The petite silver-haired girl next to the black-haired man also woke up because of his movement, rubbing her eyes with her hand.

"Hey, young man, you don't look like someone from the Telvis Empire, are you also going to participate in the Rain Praying Festival there?"

Just as the black-haired man was feeling dull, a middle-aged man next to him suddenly struck up a conversation. Judging from his attire, the man was probably a farmer, and the farming tools in his bundle behind him were the best proof.

"Yes, although leaving at this time may not necessarily get us there in time."

The black-haired man replied with his usual insincere words to the man who had started the conversation.

"It's okay, my intuition tells me that I will definitely catch up. Every year during the Rain Prayer Festival, there are many foreigners like you who come from far away just to catch a glimpse of Lady Eda. I have to say, her charm is irresistible. Young people risk their lives to attend the festival and see her. " The middle-aged man reminisced about the blue-haired girl who sang at the altar during last year's Rain Prayer Festival, and a happy smile spread across his weathered face.

"Eda?" It was a familiar name, and finding this person was the only purpose of the black-haired man's journey. He had very little information about her and gathering more before taking action would undoubtedly be the wisest move.

"Excuse me, do you know anything about this person?" he asked.

"Ah... Lady Eda. Even if you say that, we can only see her during the Rain Prayer Festival. And, young man, there are many people who like her just like you. No one has ever seen Lady Eda alone, and the church's management is very strict." The man scrutinized the black-haired man from head to toe, but couldn't see his entire face because of his cloak. Judging from his physique and the exposed parts of his face, he was handsome. However, everyone in the town knew the rule that no one except those involved could meet Lady Eda alone.

The black-haired man seemed to be regarded as another admirer of Lady Eda's beauty.

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it then." The man's face showed no disappointment, as if nothing had happened. This piqued the curiosity of the man next to him.

In any case, he would gather more information after reaching his destination, as he always did. Lady Eda was one of the "materials" he needed, and although she was not irreplaceable, being able to "get ahold" of her was the best outcome.

"Is this little girl with you, young man?" The middle-aged man's gaze turned to the petite girl next to the dark-haired man, who looked very out of place with him. She seemed to be this dark-haired man's companion, but it was hard to believe that this was an ordinary girl, with her exquisitely doll-like appearance, expressionless face, and lifeless, pale skin.

"Just a 'prop'," the man casually said something that surprised him greatly, and the petite girl still showed no expression, as if being called a "prop" was nothing out of the ordinary.

The dark-haired man closed his eyes again, intending to sleep a little longer. There was still about a day's journey ahead, and he had to get his body adjusted before then.

...

The Telvis Empire. Strictly speaking, it couldn't be called an "empire" because there were no traditional nobles or royals in this city, nor was there anyone with the title of "king". This was a country ruled by the church, where all laws were made by the church, and the people who lived here had to support the church's expenses unconditionally.

Although the laws were so unreasonable, no one felt dissatisfied because without the church, they would not have their current way of life. The only ones who could protect the country and humanity were the church.

Of course, becoming a priest in the church was also the wish of everyone living in this empire.

After completing the tedious immigration inspection, the black-haired man couldn't help but yawn. This seemed to be due to the bumpy ride, which resulted in a lack of sleep during the final leg of the journey. He walked slowly into the city ruled by the church.

He was a young man in his twenties with short black hair, except for a bundle of long hair left at the back of his neck, which was a tradition of the aristocracy in this era. He had a strong yet not exaggerated physique and a subtle aristocratic aura.

He deliberately lowered the hood of his cloak to cover up his black hair.

Looking at the bustling streets and lively atmosphere of Telvis Empire, he couldn't help but exclaim, "What a peaceful city."

To be precise, the streets were particularly crowded because of the Prayer for Rain ceremony. Most of the people were not locals, but came here to see Eda. The black-haired man confirmed the location of the altar by observing the direction of the crowd.

"The time is... two hours from now."

This was information he had overheard from someone's conversation. For him, paying attention to everything around him had become an instinct, which was indeed a necessary skill.

"..."

The petite girl next to the black-haired man lightly tugged at his clothes, as if to prevent them from getting separated in the crowd.

The man with black hair let out a yawn after completing the tedious immigration inspection. It seemed that the sleep on the carriage was still not good due to the bumpy ride. He slowly walked into the city ruled by the church.

He was a young man of about twenty years old, with short black hair and a bundle of long hair left on the back of his neck, which was a tradition of the nobility of this era. He had a not too exaggerated but strong physique and a slight noble temperament.

He deliberately lowered the hood on his cloak to cover up his black hair.

Looking at the bustling streets and lively atmosphere of the Telvis Empire, he couldn't help but sigh, "It's really a peaceful city."

To be precise, it was really the Rain Prayer Festival. There were a lot of people in the market, and most of them were not locals. They all came here to see Eda. The black-haired man confirmed the direction of the altar by roughly distinguishing the direction of the crowd.

"It's... still two hours away."

This was the information he heard from the conversation of others. Observing everything around him had been trained into an instinct for him, and it was indeed a very necessary skill.

"...?"

The petite girl next to the black-haired man gently pulled the corner of his clothes, as if to prevent them from getting separated in the crowd.

"Eve, can you feel the power of the church?"

The man seemed to understand, and he took the small hand of the silver-haired girl and led her along the crowd towards the direction of the altar. But before that, they needed to go to a place. Due to the strict immigration inspection here, it was impossible to enter the city with certain items, so some of his personal belongings were transported by other means and needed to be retrieved before going to the altar.

"No."

The silver-haired girl still answered in a short, toneless manner, like a "prop," without any emotions or thoughts of her own. But... even so, the black-haired man did not treat her roughly like a tool, because her appearance was exactly the same as the person who had passed away.

"Really worthy of the church."

He was not afraid of the unknown, even if there were powerful enemies, they could not surpass him, one of the "Seven Heroes," who had experienced countless life and death situations...

He was an anonymous hero who gave up his name, only existed as a "prop" to make up for his regrets, giving up emotions and identity, simply to complete "that thing" and see that person again.

All his actions were just to see that person again.

The operation would begin in two hours, and the mission was to obtain the heart of the church's "princess," the protagonist of the Rain Prayer Festival, "Eda."