Yesterday, the group had agreed to meet every day at 11 a.m. at Edmund's house. With a few hours still remaining before the meeting, Rohan decided to walk around the city for a while. He hoped to uncover more clues about Gherman, and at the same time, spread the word of the Storm God.
However, he knew he could not simply ask anyone about Gherman. Doing so would only draw unwanted attention to himself. Logically, he had no reason to be searching for the man. They had met only once and shared no real connection.
For now, all he could do was hope for a chance encounter. As he wandered through the streets, he occasionally stopped in narrow alleys to preach, all the while keeping an eye out for any sign of Gherman. And eventually, he also walked around the military areas, observed their patrol patterns, hoping he would get some clue.
After several hours had passed, he managed to convince some people to become a believer of the Storm. However, he didn't get any clue at all about Gherman.
But he wasn't disappointed. He already expected such an outcome.
He also had the option to use his status as the Storm God to mobilize most of his followers in order to search for clues about Gherman. However, this choice came with serious drawbacks. Not only would it put his weaker followers in danger, but it could also diminish the image of the Storm God. Why would a deity issue such a trivial command? In doing so, he would appear less like a god and more like something far less than a god.
He could also make use of Merlinda, given her status and the influence of her family. However, he had already mobilized three people, including himself for this task. Bringing in another key follower would not strengthen their efforts. Instead, it would make the Storm God appear desperate.
'Besides, I still do not fully trust Merlinda. It would not be funny if I were to acknowledge her as a devout follower, only for her to slaughter dozens of people the next day over something as trivial as stolen food.'
To him, not every crime deserved death. Yet he still could not be certain of Merlinda's nature. Did she limit her judgment to murderers, or did she condemn every criminal without distinction?
After a while, once Rohan realized it was almost time, he turned and made his way to Edmund's place.
It didn't take long before he found himself standing once again in front of the red building, Edmund's house. Moments later, he saw Edmund and David arrive. The three of them wasted no time, entering the house together and beginning to share the clues they had gathered about the mission.
The first to share was Edmund. He spoke of a man named Sollo, who lived and operated in the southern part of the city. There were rumors about how Sollo was connected to a strange cult.
Sollo led a group known as the Light People, an ultranationalist faction convinced that the city rightfully belonged in the hands of its indigenous Light People rather than under the rule of the Octavian family.
The next to speak was David. He had uncovered rumors of a secret gathering taking place northwest of the city, beyond its borders. It was said to be a gathering for slave trade, not just any kind but one that dealt in vampire slaves. According to the information he had gathered, this trade was governed by a member of the shadow cult.
As the details of the gathering sank in, Rohan frowned. "Isn't all slavery prohibited in the kingdom?" he asked.
David scoffed, glancing at Rohan. "And you think that stops anyone?"
Edmund's expression didn't change when he added. "If it weren't illegal, it wouldn't need to be hidden."
As he realized his view of the world was still too naive, Rohan went silent. But not long after, he began to share the information he had obtained. "A military officer. Gherman. He's one of the three influential members of the Shadow Cult within the city."
Edmund's gaze lingered on Rohan. "A military officer. And how did you come by this information?"
"Yeah… sounds too clean. You sure about this?" David also asked with a frown.
Without any hesitation, Rohan told them the truth. He explained how he had killed a Shadow Cult member outside the city and interrogated the man to obtain information about Gherman. He also revealed that he had a way to verify whether the information was true or not, and that he was absolutely certain of its accuracy.
After Rohan finished his report, Edmund was silent for a moment, studying him. "You managed to capture and interrogate a cultist… and extract reliable information. That is… more efficient than I expected."
David let out a low whistle. "You did that on your own? Not bad."
Ignoring the subtle praise from Edmund and David, Rohan asked firmly. "So? What are we gonna do now?"
David smiled, "Ain't that obvious? We go after Gherman first."
"But we need to gather information about him first. We can't just attack blindly," Edmund warned.
David clicked his tongue, his expression turning slightly annoyed.
"You think I don't know that? I said we go after him, not walk in and die."
Edmund didn't react to the tone. "And yet your approach suggests otherwise. A military officer is not a street thug you can simply overpower."
David leaned forward, his gaze sharpening. "And sitting around thinking won't get us anywhere either. We move. We take something. We build from there."
Rohan exhaled slowly before speaking.
"Enough."
Both of them fell silent.
"We're not rushing this… and we're not sitting still either. We do both."
Rohan turned to David first. "You handle Gherman. You're the most fit for this since you have connections with a lot of thugs and beggars. Go and have them to gather information."
"As for the gathering, Edmund and I will handle it."
"As for Sollo, we will deal with him after we're done with the secret gathering and Gherman."
David frowned for a moment, but after a while, he nodded. "Not a bad plan. I like it."
Edmund gave a small nod, offering no objection.
The plan had been set.
Without any further delay, the three of them moved to execute the plan.
Once they left the house, they split into two different directions. David went deeper into the city, while Rohan and Edmund headed toward the city gate. Or at least, that was what Rohan had expected. Instead, Edmund urged him to follow him elsewhere.
"Underground?" Rohan asked.
Without stopping, Edmund answered as he walked, "Yes. We need to be prepared. And I, especially, need to borrow a certain item from someone."
"Can't you use the magical items from your store?"
"Those items aren't mine, and their quality is low. Besides, I already quit that job."
Rohan nodded as he followed closely behind Edmund.
After nearly half an hour, they arrived at a small house. Rohan was a bit confused as to why they had come to such a place.
But moments later, everything made sense to him after they entered the house. Inside, there was a staircase leading down into the underground.
Because the place was underground, Rohan had expected it to be dimly lit like a cave. However, it was the complete opposite of what he had imagined.
"So bright in here… who would spend so much money and essence to light up this place with countless light bulbs?" he asked while looking around at the area filled with people and stalls selling various items.
With a relaxed tone, Edmund replied, "This place is the territory of the Lastbender family."
At that moment, Rohan's eyelids twitched.
'Shit…'