The Great Thief

”Now I have some good news and some bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?” The girl only stopped after half a day’s effort. It seemed like time manipulation was no simple matter.

”Just give me the news.” Lu Li wasn’t in the mood for any games.

”Well, the good news is that the Annals of Darrowshire have been changed to some extent thanks to my magic. In order words, everything that has happened can now be changed.” The girl then scratched her head and continued, ”But the bad news is that there were some survivors of the battle and you need to get their permission before I can continue.”

”Who are they?” Lu Li asked.

”How should I know? There’s only one wedding ring. Maybe you can ask Pamela or her aunt.”

Chromie was helpless here. She needed a relevant item to determine something from the past.

Lu Li went to look for Marlene first, but she wasn’t there anymore.

The only thing he could do was to meet that poor girl again.

When Pamela saw Lu Li, her face lit up. ”Big brother, you’ve come back! I thought you would have left me behind just like my father did.”

This damned quest was making him feel so sad.

Lu Li quickly told her why he had come so that Pamela could recall who else was there.

Pamela tilted her head and thought for a while before saying, ”Oh yes, sometimes late at night I can hear Uncle Carlin crying. The sound seems to be coming from Far East. I hope that he isn’t crying for me. Big brother, can you find my uncle and tell him I am well? Also, tell him that I am here waiting for him and that I really want hear the story he always used to tell. The one about the rabbit and the jam – it’s a really funny story!”

East… Carlin…

Lu Li suddenly remembered that there was someone at Light’s Hope Chapel called Carlin.

Yes, it must be him. Carlin Redpath.

”Big brother, will you be back quickly?” Pamela wanted to grab onto Lu Li’s clothes but she missed and her hands passed right through Lu Li’s pants.

”I will,” Lu Li nodded. He also secretly decided that if he couldn’t finish this quest, he would come and visit this girl often.

Despite how difficult the travel was, Lu Li eventually reached Light’s Hope Chapel.

”Visitor from a faraway land, how can I help you?” a sentry greeted Lu Li as he walked forwards.

”I’m looking for Carlin. I bring news about his hometown,” Lu Li greeted in response.

”Oh, Carlin. That poor man. I’ll take you to him.”

The sentry, who was a member of the Silver Dawn, then led Lu Li to Carlin.

Lu Li had just begun his explanation when he mentioned Pamela.

”Have you seen Pamela? How could she still be alive?” Carlin exclaimed. He had fallen during the battle of Darrowshire and although he was seriously injured, he was lucky enough to not be infected.

A few days after the war, the Silver Dawn organization discovered the dying Carlin Redpath who was thirsty, tired and had a fever. He had collapsed near the Crossroads Outpost. A Paladin healed his injuries and took him into Light’s Hope Chapel.

Thanks to their compassion Dawn, Carlin Redpath joined the Silver Dawn and fought alongside them against the Scourge…

As for Pamela, no one thought that the little girl was still alive.

Due to his immense sorrow, Carlin never returned to his hometown. Whenever he felt weak, he let it out by killing monsters and when he was alone, he would be choked with his tears.

”She has already died, but her soul remains in her hometown. She…” Lu Li explained her circumstances with great difficulty.

Every time he told Pamela’s story, it felt like torture. It was like a rope around his heart that tightened as he progressed through the narrative.

”Heavens. Oh Pamela, why does your soul still suffer on this earth? You’re so young; I wish I was dead. Why am I not the one that died!?” Carlin’s emotions flared up as he beat the ground. Two Paladins who heard him came in and held him down on either side.

Seeing the reddened eyes of this jaded man, Lu Li sighed, ”I’m now trying to change her fate in the hopes that she will be able to meet her father.”

”That’s impossible. Joseph has already died and he became a monster. He let me kill him but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t face him…” Carlin knelt on the ground and could barely speak.

”Read this book,” Lu Li said as he handed him the Annals of Darrowshire.

Carlin looked at the book for a long time before finally rubbing his eyes and facing Lu Li. ”Speak, brother. What do you need me to do?”

”I want to travel through time and maybe alter fate itself. Mr. Carlin, I need your permission to do so and some relics from that time. Do you have anything for me?” Lu Li asked.

”Of course. I have no problem with any of this. Can I come with you as well?” Carlin Redpath immediately wanted to participate when he heard about the time travelling.

”Carlin, it’s too dangerous,” one of his Paladin companions said.

”He’s just a level 32 Thief; how can he time travel?” The other Paladin also didn’t want to risk their leader.

”I believe him,” Carlin said firmly. ”Both he and I have a heart of compassion. May the light be with us!”

Refusing the protests of the other two Paladins, Carlin and Lu Li travelled alone. The Paladin stood in front of Lu Li and killed the monsters that stood in their way.

”Where do we go to find the relics?” Lu Li helped by poking his knife from one side.

”The book mentioned a Dave Crawford. After his sacrifice, the Scarlet Crusade put his emblem in the townhall of the Fireplace Valley. They are a group of fanatical warriors; we probably don’t stand a chance against them,” Carlin rejected that relic and continued, ”The book also mentioned my brother – the Redpath leader. After his rebellion, his shield was crushed and abandoned. It was thrown away in a barn near Gahrron; let’s get that one.”

Gahrron…

If he wasn’t mistaken, Gahrron was where the ‘Abominations’ gathered. They were a kind of monster that was made up from the corpses of other monsters. If Lu Li met one of these, he could only turn away, as a level 32 player like him would be no match for it.

However, with Carlin Redpath by his side, the situation was completely different.

After experiencing so much hatred and bloodshed, Carlin had become a very powerful Paladin in the Silver Dawn.

When Lu Li expressed his admiration for him, the last survivor of the Redpath family was silent for a moment before saying, ”If my brother Joseph was still alive, he definitely would have been the strongest Paladin in the land.”

The crushed shield that had once protected Joseph in battle was picked up. This item would serve as a medium for them to complete their time travel.

There was Plunderer Horgus’ Head and the Undead Paladin’s sword. All of these were attributed because of Carlin – if it weren’t for him, there was no way that Lu Li could have gotten these items.

These relics were also haunted by spirits of the past, so Carlin’s holy light also came in handy.

The spirits there were unwilling to leave were chased away by the holy light. Carlin did this resolutely as his body appeared to be completely shrouded in the light.