Chapter 216: Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint (3)

This chapter is sponsored by The Bitch in the Fantasy World Patrons:

• Adventurer GrimV

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Northern Continent Map: https://ibb.co/kBRyb8d

Marbleam Kingdom Map: https://ibb.co/GVtc43t

"This is the latest map of the Marbleam Kingdom that we have," said Anthony.

Vivian's gaze swept through the map on the table for a moment before she returned her gaze to him.

"Please take a seat."

Anthony grabbed a seat and sat down in front of Vivian's desk.

"So the nearest village to us is Fredo Village?"

He nodded.

"Yes, it's under the jurisdiction of a Baron from the Duke's faction named Lord Ricardo F. Estana III. He also rules Estana Town."

Hmm…

As far as I know…

Each kingdom has a Duke, Marquise and Count…

Each of them has their own Viscount and Baron…

They also have their own estate or castle, town and village…

"And he has 4 Magic Arts?"

He nodded once again.

"Yes."

"What about the Viscount and Duke?"

"The Viscount is Lord Lozario T. Plano and he rules Plano Town and Tapa Village. Meanwhile, the Duke is Lord Freca C. Cortez VI and rules Cortez Town and Corazon Village."

"Do you know how powerful they are? Like their Physical and Magic Force?"

One of the things that Vivian realized and learned in this world is that fighting here isn't the same compared in her previous world.

If Vivian were to describe it, it was basically Superman vs Superman -- at least when it comes to the higher echelons of society. Because of this, the Nobility was very secretive and protective in maintaining their family legacy to the point they would do anything, regardless of the morality.

"We only know the basics while some of the information is still up for debate.

"Duke Freca VI has 5 Magic Arts, Viscount Lozario has 4 and Baron Ricardo III.

"And as for their Physical and Magic Force, given that they're leaders of the Aristocratic Noble families and they're all at least in their 50s, we can all assume that they're at the very least close to mastering all of their Magic Art Affinities."

"What about their heirs? Also, do they have relatives that's part of the Temple of Priests?" asked Vivian.

Anthony thought about it for a moment.

"In regards to their heir, so far they've only revealed their less-talented offsprings to the public with only 3 Magic Art Affinities. And when it comes to them having relatives that's part of the Temple of Priests, I can't think of anyone really famous that's related to them. So it's just the usual Gold, Gray and Red Cloak distant relatives."

"I see."

"But there is Sister Esmeralda who has 5 Magic Arts and is said to be related to the Marquis, like a second or third cousin."

My stats right now are STR 11 (+286), VIT 9 (+262), AGI 12 (+273) and INT 8 (+280)…

But despite having a Status Panel, I still have no idea what the exact stats of someone who is close to mastering 4 or 5 Magic Arts…

I only know that 1 Magic Art must be balanced with 2 Physical Arts…

Until I gather more information, I should definitely avoid messing up with the Aristocratic Noble families for now…

Wait…!

"By the way, do they have any Lore Magic?"

"Who? Duke Freca VI, Viscount Lozario and Baron Ricardo III? Or everyone?"

"Just the Duke, Viscount and Baron."

"As leaders of Aristocratic Noble families, they do. But we don't know how many and some of them we aren't even sure if the details are correct. At the very least, here's what we know.

"Duke Freca VI's family is known for their Lore Magic that allows them to see a few seconds into the future. They're also in possession of a handkerchief blessed with Lore Magic that protects the owner from death. 

"Viscount Lozario's family is known for their Lore Magic that boosts and protects them from the Fire Affinity. And according to their family history, back when their family was still the Duke, their first, second and third patriarchs could supposedly summon an immortal giant bird made out of fire.

"And lastly, Baron Ricardo III's family is known for their Lore Magic that allows them to cast a clone of themselves.

"These are just what they revealed and are known. The Temple of Priests suspects that they have many more secrets that they haven't revealed yet."

So they really have Lore Magic…

Hmm…

I guess it's true what they say…

The more you know, the more stupid you realize you are…

"Brother Lieutenant, I must say, you're quite now knowledgeable. Where did you acquire all of this information?"

As far as Vivian knows, Anthony is part of the Infantry Division which was basically the battle junkie division.

And now that I think about it, his accent sounds like someone from the Holy Kingdom…

"In my previous Holy Crusades, I've worked closely with Inquisitors and I also have connections," said Anthony.

"I see," Vivian said and nodded.

As an Inquisitor, aside from eradicating any corruption within the Temple of Priests, working every day from 8:00 - 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. and also being the third commander in this border checkpoint, another responsibility that Vivian had to do is to send out a monthly report to the Fifth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint and the Inquisitory Division headquarters. In fact, everyone here must also submit to her a report every day so that she can compile and review them before submitting them at the end of the month. 

So I really need to make friends, huh…

"By the way, are there any bandit hideouts here?"

"You mean rogue settlements?"

Given that each kingdom can only have one Duke/Duchess Marquis/Marquise and Count/Countess with them having their own Viscount/Viscountess and Baron/Baroness, and all of them are only allowed to have 1 estate, 1 town and 1 village each to keep the balance of power in check, "Rogue Settlements" have appeared.

The rogue settlement falls unregistered villages, bandit hideouts and abandoned places occupied by humans. And since they aren't recognized by any legal governing system and they don't pay any taxes, the basic laws that are granted to citizens of a kingdom don't apply to them. Moreover, the people living in such places are forbidden to elevate their settlement into a proper village and they're also not allowed to reach more than 100 people or they will be culled.

At least that was according on paper.

Just on paper.

"I'm not referring to the unregistered villages. I'm referring to the actual bandit hideouts," said Vivian.

Anthony's gaze landed on the map and he remained silent for a minute before finally answering.

He pointed at the map.

"This one right here in the southwest of the Mobius Mountains, there is said to be a bandit hideout here."

"But?"

Anthony let out a small smile.

"According to ancient history, the Mobius Mountains used to be the lair of a powerful Necromancer named Mobius but he disappeared one day for no apparent reason. Now, the whole mountain itself is used as a hunting or training ground for all kinds of people -- Nobles, Adventurers, civilians, bandits, etc."

"What about the bandit hideout? Why isn't the local Lords and Temple of Priests doing anything about it?"

Anthony shook his head.

"All I know is that the Marbleam Kingdom is an independent kingdom. But if you ask me, all rogue settlements must be purged because they are a breeding ground for demons, demon-kins, the Cult of Infinity and heretics."

"I see," Vivian said and nodded. "By the way, do you have an extra copy of this map? I want to have one if that's okay."

"Actually, I brought this for you so you have can this, Sister Inquisitor."

"Oh… Is that allowed? I believe you mentioned that this is the latest map of the Marbleam Kingdom that we're in possession of."

One of the things that Vivian learned about this world is that maps are treated like state secrets and there is a strict law on how many details on a map can one sell.

The shops can sell maps but it only highlights kingdoms, cities, registered towns and villages, and important landmarks…

Meanwhile, the maps being sold in the Temple of Thieves have more details but it's still limited, not to mention pricier...

However, for a map like this one in front of me which is quite detailed, this is something I can't sell or trade because it's the property of the Temple of Priests….

No, the Holy Crusade…

If I wasn't in the Holy Crusade, I doubt if I could even access such a map if I weren't a Red or Gray Cloak… 

"As long as you don't sell or trade it, it's fine," he said and smiled.

"I see, thank you, Brother Lieutenant. I still have a few questions if you don't mind."

"Of course, what is it?"

"This rogue settlement on the east side of Mobius Mountains is called Mobius Ruins. What exactly is this? Are they treasures there?"

"Like I said earlier, in the ancient past, there used to be a powerful Necromancer called Mobius. He claimed Mobius Mountains as his own and set up a base on that location which became now known as Mobius Ruins."

"He was defeated?"

"I'm not sure of the details. That was in the ancient past and I'm not even sure if it was one or two millennias ago. All I know is that a powerful Necromancer called Mobius used to reside there and then he disappeared. And because of that, some are claiming that perhaps Mobius wasn't real and that Mobius Ruins used to be some sort of secret base of the Royal Family in the past. Regardless, once in a while, people such as Nobles and Adventurers would go there to try their luck in searching for Ancient Rune Technology. But no one has found any -- at least anything significant." 

"Doesn't this mean the Mobius Mountains in general is a dangerous place? It looks like it's filled with so many conspiracies."

"You can say that."

"But not dangerous enough that bandits would even build a lair in these mountains?"

Anthony smiled.

"Just like I said earlier, the Marbleam Kingdom is an independent kingdom."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to accuse you or anything. I was just curious."

Anthony shook his head.

"It's fine. I understand where you're coming from. If I had the power and authority, I would've already eradicated all rogue settlements. I just can't see any other logical reason why someone would choose not to live in legal human settlements if they're not demons, demon-kins, the Cult of Infinity or heretics."

"One last question. Are there any other rogue settlements nearby?"

He pointed at the map.

"Yes, there's the Abandoned Mine and Abandoned Minera's Cave here on the Valley of Draghorn. They have been abandoned because there are no precious minerals left to mine and only monsters and desperate are there."

"What about the Mobius Mountains? Are there no precious minerals to mine there?"

"From what I know, an excavation was done there in the past. The Marbleam Kingdom spent so much resources only to end up mining iron and silver with a little bit of mithril."

"I see," Vivian said and nodded. "That will be all, Brother Lieutenant Anthony. I truly appreciate you giving me this map and sharing so much information. Thank you."

"It's fine. I wasn't doing anything and was bored so this was a nice way to kill time," Anthony said and smiled.

Vivian let out a soft chuckle and then quickly held out her hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh or insult you. I just wasn't expecting your answer."

"To be so blunt?" he said and smiled. "It's fine, you didn't offend me or anything."

"Okay. Anyhow, I want to review this map right now."

"Oh, I forgot to mention, I believe there are some records on the cabinet left by the previous squads," he said and pointed at the cabinet inside Vivian's office. "You can view them to know more about the area and the Marbleam Kingdom but it can be quite a task because there are too many files and notes and some may be not in order."

"I will. Thank you."

"Anytime," Anthony said and got up from his seat.

"Wait!" Vivian said, causing him to stop. 

"I forgot to ask. How many hours does it take to travel from here to Fredo Village? I would like to purchase some things."

"If it's via a carriage and you will be resting during the night, then two days."

"Two days?"

"Yes. If it's really important, you can ask Sister High Sergeant Juana to fly you there or send someone from the Guards to go there and buy the things you need. We also send out a group to go to Fredo Village or Estana Town every end of the month to restock our food."

"Do they accept payment through this?" Vivian said and waved her necklace.

"Only at Estana Town and the maximum is 500 gold coins."

"I see. Thank you. Again, I'm really sorry for taking so much of your time."

"It's fine," Anthony said and smiled before finally leaving.

Vivian leaned back on her chair and stared at the ceiling.

Fuck it…

I need money….

I'm raiding the bandit hideout…

Even if it turns out that someone from the Duke faction is in cahoots with the bandits, I doubt if they can even do anything legal about it…

I'll just make sure not to leave any witnesses as usual…

She turned her head and looked at the cabinets.

I got to check these files to learn more about this area…

***

7:01 p.m.

At the Temple of Priests' quarters.

Vivian picked up a glass of wine and stood up from her seat.

Seated at the dining table were her fellow key personnel of the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint.

From the Priest Squad were Brother Lennon, Anthony, Juana and Finley.

Meanwhile, from the Knights Squad were Edgar, Lamont, Arabella, Trevin and Garcon.

There was also Marcel, the Captain of the Guard Squad. 

"I thank you all for preparing this welcoming party and I look forward to working with all of you. May the God of Light continue to watch over all of us."

"May the God of Light continue to watch over all of us," the Priests said and raised their glass before taking a sip.

Meanwhile, the rest simply raised their glass and then took a sip.

After taking a sip from her glass, Vivian sat down and began eating. She was wearing her Inquisitor Half-Mask so she didn't have to remove her mask.

The rest began eating as well as they chatted with each other.

During the meal, occasionally, Juana would secretly glance at Vivian.

Ever since that incident with Pipi happened, she wanted to know what kind of person their Inquisitor actually was and if the people around her had noticed it. But at the same time, she was also afraid that she didn't tell anyone about her experience.

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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

By the way, I’ve posted this chapter at WebNovel, Royal Road and Patreon. However, the main is P-a-t-r-e-o-n (Immortal_Shades) because I want to post pictures and videos there without any restrictions.

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Thank you once again and I will see you at the next chapter.

Chapter end