Chapter 346: Hero Candidates

Rod had Tally untie Atticus.

After all, they came with sincerity, so some dignity must be afforded.

He sent the other girls back to the forest first, then led Atticus toward the Shi Ying Town Hall.

This dark elf had been urging Rod to gather forces and level Coral Bay; to him, his own kin had become a thorn in the eye.

The Duke of Purgatory within Purgatory could hardly influence affairs on the land directly.

They usually exerted indirect influence by selecting proxies; as long as the Black Moon Clan, acting as proxies, was eliminated, the traitor Atticus would naturally be free to soar.

Yet for all his anxiety, he retained some measure of reason.

Knowing the difficulty posed by the two great dragons and the terror of the undead warlocks on the battlefield, he agreed, after Rod's persuasion, to provide all information regarding the interior of Coral Bay.

They walked all the way to the Town Hall.

Passersby on the road turned their heads in surprise.

Fortunately, Atticus wore a hood enhanced by Tally's 【Shroud of Dark Veil】, so the surrounding people could not see his face clearly, yet the gazes of the passersby still made him feel uncomfortable and fearful.

He feared someone might expose his whereabouts.

But he soon discovered that no one was looking at him; rather, they were focused on the tall Ranger standing beside him.

These people's eyes held hope and admiration; from time to time, bold boys and girls spoke to Rod, and he replied to each one.

Of course, the half-human, half-spider girl behind them was equally eye-catching.

Atticus could not help but think: Aside from this person, who else could be called a hero?

"By the way, how did you escape?"

Rod asked.

"Well, three days ago, a male half-deer who called himself the 【Bestower of Heroes】 used some method or other to cross the ritual ground, entered the interior of Coral Bay alone, and surrendered voluntarily.

The Hero Prophecy of the Great Elder of the Half-Deer has spread across the continent; our leader dared not neglect this matter. Of course, it was not to assist the so-called 【Hero】, but to use the 【Bestower of Heroes】's positioning to kill the person believed to be the Hero.

After all, the 【Hero】 who would pacify a chaotic world targets precisely those who are warlocks, does it not?"

Rod nodded.

He had previously stated that there were two 【Bestowers of Heroes】 who entered the Twilight Hills.

One was Rachel, currently located in Shi Ying Town; the other was the male half-deer in Coral Bay.

However.

It was common knowledge that Coral Bay was controlled by the dark elves; what did it mean to deliberately break in and seek the 【Hero】?

"What happened next? Did you find him?"

Atticus, with a strange expression, said:

"Well, it cannot be said that he was found. The conditions in the half-deer's 【Hero Judgment】 gradually unlock over time and as major events unfold. Currently, two people meet all the unlocked conditions: one is the captive in Coral Bay, and the other is the current leader of the Black Moon Clan."

Rod was also stunned for a moment.

He could not help but laugh aloud.

Was this some kind of black humor?

As they spoke, before they could ask about what followed, the two had already arrived at the Town Hall.

Rod nodded to the clerk at the front desk and went straight to Rosalia's office.

The Tooth Fairy, Rosalia, was as elegant and generous as ever today.

Her dense, wavy, dark-red hair was swept to her left shoulder, reflecting a soft, gentle Bai Guang, while the other side was tucked behind her cicada-wing-like ears, revealing most of her bright, snow-white face.

"Rod, what brings you to see me today?"

She set down the quill in her hand and said with a smile.

"To show you something good."

Seeing Rod's proud expression, the Tooth Fairy's pretty face stiffened, as if she had thought of something.

But when she saw him pull someone in from outside the door, she realized she had misunderstood.

Watching Yuna, who followed closely behind, closed the door tightly, then cast spells for soundproofing and preventing eavesdropping.

Although the Arachne had never learned magic before this, her talent was quite good; within a mere week, she had already mastered many practical spells.

Even more commendably, Watching Yuna possessed considerable potential in the alchemy of magical potions, a fact certified by both Selena and Lady Kali.

She lifted Atticus's hood.

"A dark elf?"

Rosalia could not help but be stunned.

Rod recounted the relevant matters concerning this person one by one.

There was nothing to hide in these matters; Rosalia was already one of the administrators of Shi Ying Town, and even if they later took action against Coral Bay, she would learn of it sooner or later.

At least for now, this ambitious Tooth Fairy appeared to be a trustworthy person.

However, if one were to speak of the person Rod trusted most within the Town Hall, it was still the Witch Dimia.

After listening to the account.

Rosalia also laughed aloud.

"That the person satisfying the 【Hero】 conditions is a dark elf warlock is truly absurd."

"Who would say otherwise? So, what is the stance of your Black Moon Clan?"

Atticus knew that Rod's willingness to bring him to the Town Hall to meet the leadership clearly indicated an intention to act against Coral Bay.

Therefore, he was quite excited.

He suppressed the joy in his heart and said: "Current opinions are divided into two factions. One deems it nonsense and believes it should be ignored; this faction belongs to the leader's close confidants. The other believes one must prevent trouble before it arises and holds that the leader should yield the position to the worthy; this faction belongs to the rival parties."

Rod nodded: "The more chaotic they are, the better."

Rosalia said nothing, silently putting herself in their place and considering how she would respond to this matter.

"Before I depart, there is another opinion circulating in the shadows. After all, the prophecy of the Half-Deer is renowned across the entire continent, so they believe that if the 【Hero】 is truly that leader, then when she achieves her success, will it not also be the moment the Black Moon Clan rises again? Thus, they chose to quietly push the events of the 【Hero Determination】 in a certain direction."

"They want to forcibly make that leader the 【Hero】."

"Yes."

Truly, the prophecy of the Half-Deer lives up to its name.

Even the minds of the sorcerers who worship the Duke of Purgatory have been stirred.

One can imagine how many people on this continent are flocking to it.

Seeing the two lost in thought, Atticus hurriedly expressed his loyalty:

"I have always believed that the 【Hero】 will be my lord Rod!"

Rosalia glanced at the Ranger standing aside, who was chuckling lightly. She knew that this morning, the other party had brought a Half-Deer girl to the City Hall to inquire about records, appearing to be searching for someone.

A Half-Deer from this era, searching for someone... without needing to think, one knows this is the so-called 【Hero Bestower】.

And the Ranger who brought her to search for someone was naturally one who had been rejected.

Knowing full well he is not the Hero, yet making no denial at all—truly a spiteful man.

Rod: "Isn't there another prisoner who also meets the criteria? What about her?"

"That one is a Druid from the Balance Association, who came two months ago to mediate peace. She... um, has some emotional entanglement with our leader."

(End of Chapter)