Catastrophe Card King

Chapter 1504: Chapter 461: Witch Doctor, Priest, Sect of Light Chapter 1504: Chapter 461: Witch Doctor, Priest, Sect of Light The so-called “trust,” in layman’s terms, is that once the relationship is good, any secret will be shared with you.

That too is human nature.

Normally, in any Alternate Dimension, this method can be used to conquer Non-Player Characters and gain their trust.

But this Trial Space had specifically used Enlightenment to remind the Trialists.

From Leonard Churchill’s perspective, it couldn’t have been more obvious.

The Spatial Will intended to hint that by increasing trust, one could obtain the hidden plot known to the Non-Player Characters.

Therefore, once Leonard discovered this rule, he began to use various psychological techniques to carefully strategize.

“Finding the missing Hunter” was a C-level quest.

The normal approach would definitely be to complete the quest and receive a reward.

Not to mention what the tailor, Caroline, would offer, this quest-line would also count towards the clear rating.

Leonard chose not to ask for compensation.

This also allowed him rapidly to gain the tailor, Caroline’s, trust.

Firstly because he didn’t care for such meager rewards, and secondly because in his deductions, this side quest was likely the “prelude” to certain hidden tasks.

Numerous S-level quest-line completions had taught him that A-level tasks could still be adventured through with one’s own strength. But for S-level, it was necessary to rely on using the plot-related characters and items to possibly survive.

Now that he had guessed someone among the academy’s higher-ups planned to pull a stunt in this space, Leonard couldn’t help but make some preparations in advance.

He certainly didn’t believe that mobilizing such a large force and bringing in so many strong teams was just for a main storyline that, at most, could be A-level.

…

Of course, this complex line of thought was known only to Leonard himself.

Like playing poker, it seemed as though he’d played only a single hand, but in reality, he had already considered several moves ahead.

Moreover, as more information came to light, his thought process became increasingly clear.

But for his teammate, David, it was somewhat dumbfounding.

David hadn’t been able to get a word in edgewise, just watching “Allen,” his teammate, ask a series of increasingly shocking clues from the seemingly unremarkable tailor and village woman.

“Where do the bandits from Black Crow Fort come from, do you know?”

“I heard they’re professional bandits who drifted in from other places. The leader of those thieves is called ‘Red Smoke Gun’…”
“When was that ancient fort built, and who built it?”

“It’s been in ruins for many centuries now. The time is too long past; I don’t know who built it. However, my grandmother once said that a beautiful Countess once lived there…”
“We heard before coming here that there were once ghosts in the ancient fort?”

“Oh, that legend is at least a hundred years old, whether it’s true or not, nobody knows. It’s just said some hunters who went up the mountain have seen…”
“…”
Leonard’s questions were very shrewd.

Playing the role of “Bounty Hunters” well, he led the conversation gently, asking those questions as subtly as possible.

To most people, there would seem nothing amiss.

But in reality, this was Leonard’s valuable experience from going through so many Alternate Dimensions.

Don’t treat quest-lines as Non-Player Characters, but as normal human beings. At the same time, you must immerse yourself in the plot’s world, seeing yourself as a character in the storyline.

Many people upon entering an Alternate Dimension instinctively feel that since they won’t be coming back, they can act recklessly without consequence.

This, in turn, alienates them from the world, almost as if they have “outsider” written on their foreheads.

This would cause Non-Player Characters to instinctively be on guard.

That is why Leonard now could easily glean so much information from the tailor, Caroline.

If it were anyone else, the Trialists, upon contacting her, would probably just trigger the quest and learn of a missing Hunter, nothing more.

But Leonard uncovered many more hidden clues.

“Could you tell me more about the Holy Church?”

“Of course. That was a very long time ago. According to my grandmother, the Witch Doctors in several nearby villages were actually Priests of the Church of Light. They could heal diseases and also dispel and purify the Dark Contamination in the mist from the Abyssal Rift…”
“The Church of Light?”

“Ah… That was also over a hundred years ago. At least by my grandmother’s generation, the Witch Doctors were people from the village itself. When I was young, the village chief thought I was handy, and there were plans for me to learn medicine to heal the villagers’ illnesses. Unfortunately, thirty years ago, the village’s Witch Doctor went to the forest to collect medicine and was attacked and killed by a Demon Beast… After that, there were no more Witch Doctors in the village, and that’s when the forest became dangerous… Oh, we’re not allowed to tell outsiders about the Witch Doctors. You mustn’t say I told you.”

“…”
When Leonard initially heard “Holy Church,” he knew the plot was deeply entangled.

He did not rush to inquire but only brought up the topic after sufficient trust had been established.

Indeed, things were getting more interesting.

The “Church of Light” of the Altranc era was not the same as the current “Holy Tribunal.”

Usually, this would also mean that the deity presiding over this land was not the same.

When Leonard heard that the village’s Witch Doctor was a Priest, tasked with dispersing the miasma’s contamination, he had a rough idea on which direction to explore outside the main plot-line.

…

Leonard continued his inquiry.

“Why is there such a high fence around the village? Are there large Demon Beasts nearby?”

“Yes. Every night, the fog from the Abyssal Rift spreads, and the forest will be filled with man-eating monsters. Therefore, one must never leave the village after dark. Even the most experienced old hunters in the village could meet with accidents…”
“…”
Upon hearing this, Leonard finally understood where that sense of crisis came from.