After being rejected, Nossa didn't rush to respond, he stared at the boy in front of him, as if he was making a difficult choice.

Eventually, the bounty hunter let out a long sigh and nodded, "Alright, Jude, your choice. ”

After Nossa packed his belongings, the boy saw him off. When the two reached the tavern, it was raining heavily in the dark sky.

The bounty hunter put on his light brown broad-brimmed top hat and stood silent at the edge of the rain curtain outside the eaves.

"Jude, since you've decided to stay, there's something I have to tell you. Nosa turned to look back at the boy with a rare seriousness, "The Light is not as holy and warm as it seems, and the Church is not a savior, they are all mortal like us. ”

"No one can create a world where everyone can be happy. The actions of the Church of the Light are only carrying out some kind of transfer, a transfer based on sacrifice. The bounty hunter stared into Jude's eyes, "You'll soon be close to the truth." If you believe my speculation, remember: act decisively and carefully. ”

"Remember what I told you? Everything in the world is intricately connected, and any small factor will eventually be reflected in a major change. Nosa's expression became more serious, "It all depends on the choice you make. ”

With that, Nosa turned around and stepped into the icy rain, leaving the boy alone in contemplation.

Jude looked at Nosa, the bounty hunter who was drifting away in the dark night rain, his back so lonely.

Until the darkness of night, Nossa never looked back.

-

The bounty hunter's words cause the boy to toss and turn, and the next morning, Jude arrives at the Cathedral of the Wind District, where he finds it in a state of pre-war readiness.

It turned out that after the archbishop had spoken to Worensis about Mordres's last words last night, the lord sent scouts to the north overnight to investigate, and sure enough, an army of walking corpses, skeletons and other necromantic monsters was found less than ten kilometers away from the snowfall.

Talking about their number, the frightened scout described them as "a vast ocean", "tens of thousands", and "with no end in sight".

It seems that what Mordres said before his death is true, although it is unknown why those undead creatures can still move after the death of the manipulator, but there is obviously no time for them to think about this at the moment.

The lord has gathered all his army and managed to hire all the adventurers in the city, and the church is organizing its members into battle. The church was full of worshippers walking briskly and carrying supplies, but there was no Leia, the archbishop, and others.

After questioning a priest, Jude learned that the Archbishop had gone to the Lord's Palace in the morning to discuss the defense with the Marquis of Walensis, and that the Holy Maiden and the Lightbringer were accompanying him.

The boy then hurried to the Marquis's Mansion in the Sky District, and was led by the servants to the humble chamber, where he found the Marquis of Worensis, Archbishop Alfonsos, Leia, and Kirekanon gathered around a long table in the center of the hall.

A map of the snow-covered suburbs was on the table, and Jude noticed that the Marquis and the Archbishop were discussing the mountains north of the city.

"We should perform the ritual at the top of the mountain, where the view is wide and the purification waves can spread to the fullest. "If Mordras's minions attack in full, we will be able to destroy them all. ”

"You're right, Archbishop. After Modres' death, these spirits are supposed to only carry out the last orders he gave during his lifetime. The Marquis of Wollenses approved of the proposal, but at the same time had some concerns, "The top of the hill is indeed easy to defend and difficult to attack, but there are still two mountain roads leading here, and we must divide our forces to defend it in two ways. I doubt we'll be able to buy enough time for the ceremony in the northern foothills. ”

"Mordres' army of the undead is in the tens of thousands, and those monsters are tireless or fearful. Even if we are equal in numbers, we can't compete head-on, especially now that we are outnumbered. Alphonsos pointed to several locations on the map, "We should use these narrow breaches to build positions layer by layer, and fight and retreat, just try to delay as long as we can." ”

"That being said, I still don't have confidence in that. The Marquis of Wollensis had a solemn face, and the situation was obviously not optimistic.

Archbishop Alphonsos paused for a moment and did not speak again: "As you know, this is our only hope at the moment. At the moment, we have no choice but to go all out according to this plan. The Light will bless us. ”

After deciding on a tactical plan, Jude returned to the Cathedral of the Wind District with the congregation to make final preparations.

Along the way, the boy has been observing Leia, who still maintains the dignity and reserve of a saint, but inadvertently shows unusual nervousness. Combined with the "rituals," "purifications," and related plans described by the archbishop earlier, Jude could almost conclude that Nosa's speculation was true, and that it was.

However, this time the boy did not rush to behave, but pretended to be normal and continued to accompany the girl - he already had his own plan.

After returning to the Cathedral of the Windy District, the church invited Jude to his last meal before the war, but the boy did not refuse, considering the harsh dietary conditions in the north.

Jude arrived at the Holy Cafeteria only to find that the lunch was unexpectedly rich, and to the boy's surprise, he tasted a familiar meal. The stew was rich in content, fragrant and intense, and Jude was reminded of the "soup of the dead" he had tasted at Levis in the past.

The soup of the dead, the soup of eternity. The boy recalled the story Nosa had told him, and recalled his impressive words: "Battles are always accompanied by death and wounding. ”

At first, I just felt that I had heard a slightly sad and heavy story, but now that I tasted this stew again, Jude felt completely different. It's hard for him to tell what it feels like, as if he were the young warrior in the story who was about to go to war.

After lunch, the boy went to the kitchen to find the cook, and learned that he was from Levis, who had come to Lanlens to join the Church because his hometown had been destroyed by the earthquake.

Jude sighed to himself, the chef had suffered a similar story, as the earthquake in the Scott Plains had caused too many people to be displaced.

The boy then realizes that most of the people present in the Church had also come to the Northlands from the West, and unlike him or Nossa they were not here for a bounty, but simply to eliminate the threat of Modres and save the people of the Northlands.

This selfless determination was admirable, though they were probably only encouraged by the archbishop and his doctrinal rhetoric, Jude thought that they would never be allowed to take advantage of Leia in any case.

As he swore an oath, the boy also told himself to be at ease: Nosa reminded him to be cautious and decisive, and this time, he would wait for the best time.