Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Chapter 725: Chapter 524: The Beginning of the Heroic Epic

Hill sat on the terrace, looking at the cliff outside the Tyr Temple.

On the steep slope that had not come directly into contact with the undead presence, there were now lush lawns, low shrubs, and clusters of flowers scattered among them.

In the North, even in summer, this was quite rare, but it appeared quite normal near the domain of a nature mage.

A few paladins were patrolling back and forth on the L-shaped slope top, which was like a city wall, occasionally stopping to admire the brilliantly blooming wildflowers.

From their leisurely pace, it was clear that the Black Dragon Brothers, who might have come here looking for treasure, were indeed unlikely to appear.

Even the most arrogant chromatic dragon wouldn’t think they had the ability to take on the Paladin Legion of Tyr.

Not to mention the crafty brothers.

They probably never came to the northwest of Ferun at all but chose another direction.

Then they wouldn’t have acquired the key to the entrance of Bhaal Temple halfway.

The key could well have ended up in human hands, finally allowing this group of rich and idle young fellows to get it.

If this were in the past, even the most powerful of humans would never dare to dig into the Temple of the God of Murder, given the possibility of his resurrection at any moment.

Just like with the temples in Baldur’s Gate, they wouldn’t dare kill the Children of Bhaal no matter how problematic they were.

If a Child of Bhaal didn’t die at the hands of their own siblings, the remnant soul of Bhaal within their spirit would suddenly awaken, killing all who were nearby.

Facing the remnant soul of such a powerful divine force, even a demigod could only save themselves, not anyone else.

Everyone in Baldur’s Gate felt as though they were living on a powder keg, but they couldn’t abandon their homes because of the potential misfortune that might happen.

The people of Ferun were the same. Everyone knew there was the treasure of Bhaal in the Undead Swamp Temple, but no one dared to enter.

The people of this continent believed that the remnants of Bhaal would definitely linger in his own temple, facing Bhaal in his prime, the God of Murder would allow no one to escape alive by chance.

The deaths of numerous clueless low-rank thieves only strengthened this belief. At least until now, not a single person who entered the temple had returned alive.

But Bhaal’s failure this time in Baldur’s Gate gave them enough courage; in order to resurrect formally, he had mobilized all his forces in The North. Naturally, the Undead Swamp was not an exception.

The successful establishment of Hill’s Domain also reinforced this belief. Bhaal simply let a nature mage, accompanied by deities of the Kind Alignment, establish a domain and a surface Divine Kingdom next to his own divine realm.

He certainly had no power to interfere.

And it seemed that the big cities of the Silvermoon Alliance wanted to establish a closer alliance.

But they didn’t want to discontent other nations and city-states.

So they simply sent these restless kids out?

The way Prince Bane seemed about to speak but stopped indicated he wanted Hill to find out for himself since it wasn’t something to be said out loud.

Their parents definitely didn’t know what foolish thing these kids wanted to do.

Even the Tyr Temple nearby had tacitly approved of this treasure hunt.

Although the Bhaal Temple was next to Hill’s Domain, it was not within his Puzzle Lock’s range, but permission still needed to be sought.

Hill surely didn’t plan to interfere; he decided to play dumb, just like the demigod paladin in the temple.

Although the maliciousness next to Bhaal’s temple had been diminished considerably, the danger was still great. At the very least, there were more than a thousand shadow souls in the temple.

Moreover, Hill fiddled with the magic book in his hand and seemed to be in a trance.

Bhaal wasn’t completely gone after all!

Although the remnants of power in that underwater temple were not strong, the several thousand shadow souls imprisoned within the temple could attest—he was still there.

Hill dared to disregard the presence of the remnant souls in Bhaal’s temple because he had the ability to do so.

To Bhaal, who could only survive in the darkness, Hill was akin to a natural enemy. The power of exorcism and purification he carried within the Water Maze Lock was not due to the Puzzle Lock; it was Hill’s innate talent.

He wouldn’t even talk about finding someone in the town to help him resurrect—holding out was only possible because his temple defenses were strong, and the remnant soul was hidden beneath layers of surrounding spectres.

One should know that the Pure Water purchased by Neverwinter at great expense was something people within the Puzzle Lock could naturally enjoy.

Those wounded by devils, demons, or even the undead would have their injuries controlled upon entering the range of the Puzzle Lock; at the very least, their conditions would not worsen.

Hill hesitantly looked towards the Tyr Temple. Did the paladins of the Silver Shield know what was going on inside that temple?

Could it be that among these youths, there were some remarkable beings capable of completely resolving that Bhaal remnant soul?

It couldn’t be that the plots of the Nights of Neverwinter and Baldur’s Gate were playing out together, could it?

As soon as Prince Ban mentioned that the disease created by the Arcane Brotherhood required Pure Water to resolve, Hill knew just how deep the waters of this matter were.

Nevertheless, it was quite normal to encounter something like devils in a ghastly place like Luskan; the Lich and others were not few.

The most evil of the Red Robe Mages couldn’t even gain an upper hand there; they were all bad news.

The sailors who appeared in Hill’s Domain were like angels in that place, able to control their desires when that was unthinkable elsewhere.

Hill suddenly looked to the sky, really wondering if his domain had already been etched onto a slate somewhere.

He should have realized earlier that the slate only cared about the outcome, not the process.

It’s not unusual for such terrible events to occur in Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter, but that doesn’t mean the nearby areas escaped being dragged in.

It’s not impossible for Hill’s Domain to become involved from the outset.

After all, aren’t the great achievements of heroes often built upon the ruins of countless others?

But if they died, they died; Hill had just pulled Lynn out of one pit and certainly wouldn’t let him fall into another.

The heroes might as well return to their own homes with their myriad scars and display their tragic grandeur there!

Hill clenched his teeth and finally brought out his Holy Relic Painting.

Soft yet brilliant sunlight soon shone upon Hill’s Floating Castle, and the painting began to absorb and decompose the power of Toril’s Sun.

Teraxil’s Sun God, who was extremely stable and calm, had no intention of becoming the only sun.

He was aware that there were other Sun Gods in other worlds, with completely different dispositions.

This painting was particularly neutral, capable of absorbing any power of the sun god.

Hill hung the painting in the attic at the top of his castle, feeling as though he could sense Lansendel’s curious gaze.

That intense feeling was too obvious; it seemed Lansendel had long been paying attention to the happenings here. Shouldn’t his focus be on Mistral at this time?

Even when demons occupied it, Lansendel had once called his followers to build his Temple there, so why was he paying attention to Hill’s Domain now?

Hill sighed deeply in his heart, indeed confirming his suspicions that this was the beginning. All Gods must have understood and were watching everything here.

Otherwise, Lansendel’s response would not have been so swift.

That’s why he was reluctant to bring out the Divine Artifact, even though it could save everything in the town.

The power of other worlds’ Sun Gods would definitely attract this impulsive optimist.

By evening, Suren would undoubtedly take notice as well.

The Mother Earth Goddess Shantia should be fine; she was more steady and must already be quite clear about the powers Hill possessed.

Even if she did take an interest, she would only transform into an inconspicuous animal to take a look and feel the Earth Force from other worlds.

Hill had purposely created a rose garden under his Floating Castle’s forest, hoping Shantia would like it.

Occasionally, he would wonder if any of the animals that became enamored with the rose garden were her avatars.

But the Sun God and Moon Goddess of Toril were truly troublesome beings.

Unfortunately, Toril’s methods were always methodically problematic, and it’s unknown if this world has some peculiarity that compels it to keep foreign deities here.

Compared to the prospect of Baal showing up in his domain, Hill preferred to just lose some hair.

He just hoped that he wouldn’t immediately see a handsome youth in a golden robe and a flower crown in his domain.

After hanging the painting, Hill noticed the air in his domain becoming fresher, and the agitated winds from the North calmed down.

The beach seemed particularly warm and inviting, beckoning people to sit and relax.

Some residents had already chosen to unwind on the beach, even young girls with picnic baskets.

Passersby on the main road slowed their pace and smiled at everything on the beach.

Hill summoned a lounge chair, listened to the automatic playing of romantic music, and decided to take a nap.

But he probably only slept for half an hour before a sharp, pleasant chirping sound startled him awake.

Hill sat up, still groggy, but the feeling instantly vanished as he turned his head.

His gaze froze: You’re reacting a bit too quickly, aren’t you?

The long golden tail feathers, the proud plume atop its head—wasn’t this Lansendel’s avatar, the Sun Peacock?

Hill, looking at the large bird poking its head around the attic window, was bewildered.

Even if it came tomorrow, Hill wouldn’t have found it strange, given Lansendel’s famously proactive nature.

But this quickly? Had Lansendel dashed down here as soon as he noticed, without even thinking?

He hadn’t even bothered to notify his own Church!

Hill waved his hand to open the window in the attic, letting the curious large bird hurry in to take a look.

He certainly didn’t hope that fiercely impulsive young worshippers of the Sun God would pilgrimage here.

For many young nobles, serving Lansendel and adventuring was their last rebellion before they embraced their noble duties.

Those rebellious young nobles in the apartment building probably included followers of the Sun God.

The corner of Hill’s mouth twitched suddenly.

Lansendel was attempting to take the painting that Hill had carefully positioned in the middle of the attic!

Luckily, it was Hill’s personal Divine Artifact; others, including deities like Lansendel, couldn’t easily move it.

But Hill now had a deeper understanding of this Sun God.