A Core Ship From The Start Chapter 947

Chapter 947: Chapter 657 Mysterious Curse_2 Chapter 947: Chapter 657 Mysterious Curse_2 “This isn't right.”

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai furrowed his brows.

“A dead infant remained in the stomach for many days, wouldn't it have rotted long ago? The mother would likely have been poisoned by corpse toxin by now.”

“I too am unclear about the cause, but according to my investigation, the appearance of the dead infant is not the effect of some Devil's curse or magic, but rather seems like a natural outcome.”

“A massive number of individual cases, right?”

Duanmu Huai immediately understood and realized why Master Kelben was so troubled by this. Indeed, in this world with its lower level of civilization, it was not impossible for a childbirth to be difficult or for some reason to cause the infant to die before birth. However, such cases should be rare, but once these rare occurrences became common in number, then it was a different problem altogether.

“I've heard that similar situations have occurred in the Silver Moon Alliance, and Miss Elascoe is also looking for a solution, although we are not clear about the problem yet, but all origins point to the Lost Ground. According to some rumors, even the Supreme Forest seems to have encountered related problems, it's just that we do not have enough information to confirm this.”

“So, you want me to resolve this issue?”

“That is your request.”

In response to Duanmu Huai's question, Master Kelben chuckled and spread his hands.

“Indeed, the Lost Ground has shown signs of what looks like the effects of a curse, but we have yet to find the source. Moreover, the place is filled with twisted monsters, and very few people dare to go there…”

“Alright, I get it.”

Duanmu Huai nodded and then stood up.

“I will go and investigate the situation. By the way, could you tell me in which temple the lady gave birth?”

“Of course, it was at the Temple of the God of Justice, Tyler… ah, Miss Emilia and the others should also be there.”

Duanmu Huai didn't care about Master Kelben's unnecessary response and simply nodded.

“That will be all, I take my leave.”

Watching Duanmu Huai and the others disappear into the Magic Circle, Master Kelben's expression turned grave. Although it seemed like just another ordinary meeting, Master Kelben had indeed made some gains. He first noted that the Tribunal seemed not to be a fanatical religious organization. Secondly, they did not appear to follow certain doctrines similar to those of the Church. The impression they gave was more akin to a Mage organization with some sort of cynical and bizarre covenant, and they seemed to have little interest in most matters of this world.

So, where did their strength come from?

The Church's strength comes from the Deity, the Mage's strength comes from Magic.

What about the Tribunal?

Master Kelben could feel a powerful oppressive force emanating from Duanmu Huai, a sensation so strong it made him tread on thin ice as if a wrong step would lead him to the Bottomless Abyss.

Master Kelben was certain that the problems of the Lost Ground would be solved, and when that happened, Deepwater City, the Supreme Forest, and the Silver Moon Alliance would have to face a new neighbor.

One wonders if this new neighbor will be amiable…

Master Kelben shook his head and then withdrew his gaze. As he did so, the interior of the Mage Tower darkened once again, save for the flickering light of the lit candles. Master Kelben then sat down at his desk and started browsing through the Magic Book.

He had many things yet to do.

Finding the Temple of Tyler was not a difficult task, especially with Master Kelben's referral making it incredibly easy. However, it was unfortunate that by the time Duanmu Huai and his companions arrived at the Temple of Tyler, they were informed that Miss Emilia and her group had already set sail for Baldur's Gate the day before–it was a bit regrettable not to meet everyone, but Duanmu Huai didn't particularly mind this small matter. After all, the problem of the Lost Ground was of greater importance to him.

Because it seemed much like a prelude to Subspace encroachment, similar to the plague of Neverwinter City which at first appeared to be common sickness but as the numbers grew, it started to accumulate–the barrier between reality and Subspace became thinner, until the strength of the Evil God began to invade.

If that was the case, it meant that a problem had surfaced somewhere.

Duanmu Huai found the Tyler Priest who had assisted the Lady of Locke Town with her delivery. She was a middle-aged woman in her forties, her face marked by a sorrowful compassion.

“I have received Master Kelben's message. What would you like to ask?”

“Please tell me about the situation concerning the Lady of Locke Town, I need a detailed explanation.”

“Okay…”

After hearing Duanmu Huai's inquiry, the priest nodded, and Mary, who was beside them, took out her notebook and tape recorder–an identity she was becoming more and more accustomed to.

“It was half a month ago when a lady suddenly came to our temple, begging us to save her child. She said she came from Locke Town, and that the place was cursed. All the women there gave birth to stillborn children, and she was pregnant too. She feared she would also give birth to a stillborn, so she came to the temple asking for our help.”

“I heard that Master Kelben said you dispatched Sacred Knights and priests to investigate… What were the results?”

“No findings whatsoever.”

The priest shook his head.

“Indeed, many infants died at birth, and just looking at the small graves was heartbreaking. But we didn't find any useful clues–no magic, no sorcery, no curses. Not even Tyler gave us clear guidance; it's as if it was all just an accident.”

“An accident where every newborn in the town is dead.”

Duanmu Huai continued the thought, and the priest nodded with a complex expression.

“We didn't find any clues, so we returned to the church. We provided the best protection for that lady, letting her bathe in Tyler's Holy Light, until the time for delivery arrived, but…”

At this point, the priest paused, looking at the young girls beside Duanmu Huai.

“It's okay, you can continue.”

Duanmu Huai understood her hesitation and just shook his head, prompting the priest to continue.

“I was in charge of the delivery. Truth be told, I have done this work thousands of times, and giving birth to infants is not challenging for me. Under Tyler's Holy Light, I was confident I could do my job. But that infant was different. The moment I reached out and touched it…”

“You're saying… 'it'?”

Duanmu Huai sharply noticed the unusual choice of words by the priest.

“Yes, I apologize for using such impolite language, but personally, I cannot think of a better adjective… That infant was ice-cold, without any warmth, like a lump of flesh that had already lost life. When I took it out, its entire body was blue… To be frank, it didn't seem like it had just died, it seemed more like an infant that had been dead for days and then stuffed back into the mother's womb…”

“Ugh…!”

Upon hearing this, Greiya covered her mouth, and Ann grew pale, while Mary was visibly shaken, biting her lip so hard she stopped writing in her notebook.

“Were there signs of necrosis?”

“No, but… it's hard to say.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Its appearance was… very strange.”

The priest pondered for a moment, as if considering how to describe it.

“Its appearance was human, but part of its body had the characteristics of a wild beast. We even wondered if the lady had been seduced by a demon or devil, but… we did not feel any evil presence from that dead infant. Sorry, although it appeared similar to children born of a Taiflin-like devil hybrid, I still feel there's something quite not right.”

Subspace contamination.

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai's expression darkened.

“Is the infant's corpse still present? If possible, may we see it?”

“…Of course, you can.”

Confronted with Duanmu Huai's request, the priest fell silent for a moment, then nodded and stood up.

“Please follow me.”

Chapter end

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