Dealing with the aftermath in Gross Town seemed more troublesome than expected.
The Sanctuary investigated the events in town, focusing on the revival of the Wandering God.
The Night Hunter's traces were clear, and its identity was quickly revealed.
In the Gross mine, Mithra watched the Sanctuary members in grey robes purify the remaining curse and then begin their search.
A group entered the tunnels, while Orph led Mithra to the pile of corpses.
Mithra was there to assist. As a key witness and Safin's apprentice, Orph considered her a quasi-member of the Sanctuary.
Mithra felt like she was being used, but free connections were always welcome.
Although Mithra repeatedly insisted she wasn't angry, Orph didn't seem to believe her.
Orph held a flat "stone" with a wireless signal pattern. This device seemed to function like a phone.
"Confirmed, the Wandering God individual known as the 'Hunter' has revived. However, its power is dispersed and its whereabouts are unknown. Dispatching investigation teams to the surrounding mountains to track it," she said, her voice gentle yet firm.
Remembering that the "Dawn" miracle had been her doing, and although she didn't seem much stronger than Mithra, she was definitely a formidable believer.
Well... outward appearances could be deceiving in a world with gods. Anything was possible.
Mithra briefly wondered about longevity, then realized she had no interest in living a long life.
It would probably be so boring she'd want to kill herself.
Orph lowered the communication device. The other team members were carefully collecting clues, meticulously investigating.
"There's a strong presence of the Hunter here. Thank you for your assistance," Orph said, turning to Mithra, who was lost in thought.
Mithra returned to reality and shook her head. "This is the main path to the tunnel entrance. You would have found it eventually."
Orph was about to reply when another Sanctuary member in grey robes approached and whispered something to her. Orph's expression turned surprised.
"What is it?" Mithra asked.
"Traces of another Wandering God."
"Oh," Mithra nodded impassively.
"Have you seen anything else unusual?" Orph asked, turning to Mithra with a serious expression.
Mithra shook her head. "I was almost killed by the Hunter. I don't know what happened after that. I already told you the Hunter fought something here. That's where I found Safin, and I heard the Hunter's roar in town as well, not just in the mine."
Mithra was mostly honest, but she omitted the details about the Wandering God and the beastmen, which involved Dreamland's internal conflicts.
It was better to slightly embellish the Stranger's involvement, especially since they couldn't seem to detect her other forms.
Ah, she should also embellish her beast form's involvement.
While Mithra enjoyed the embellishments, the Sanctuary had a headache.
They examined Safin's body in Mithra's presence. The Sanctuary members seemed apprehensive, not touching the body more than necessary. After gathering the necessary information, they left, not disturbing Safin's rest.
They confirmed that Safin's body only had residual traces of the curse. The Hunting miracles and, most importantly, the Hunter Greatsword were missing. They concluded that the Hunter hadn't died and had left.
The appearance of another Wandering God, who had apparently clashed with the Hunter, was baffling.
"No distinct characteristics, no unique miracle traces, a faint, weak presence... This Wandering God is probably newly born, hasn't even developed its own power yet," Orph concluded after examining the area with her team.
Mithra stood nearby with her arms crossed, nodding seriously.
"Completely unknown. We'll record it and send it to the Divinity Department for analysis," Orph shook her head.
"Are Wandering Gods dangerous?" Mithra asked.
Orph turned to face her.
Although her eyes were covered, her gaze was palpable.
"Since you faced the Hunter, you should understand the danger they represent," Orph's voice was serious, although Mithra didn't feel threatened.
"It was just a brief encounter. I didn't learn much. Besides, probably because of Safin, the Hunter didn't try to hunt my eyes right away," Mithra touched her eyelids.
"Truly a fearless warrior, as the legends say. It's no wonder the long-dormant Night Eyes chose you, even though the eyes choosing a Planet Blue citizen is practically unheard of in history," Orph commented.
No, no, no, I'm fearless because I was chosen, Mithra thought, but she didn't say it aloud. Instead, she continued, "So I don't understand the specific harm of Wandering Gods, if their individual strength is what makes them dangerous."
Orph explained, "If we could, we would avoid conflict with Wandering Gods. But such powerful, independent entities are inherently dangerous. The established norms of a Wandering God are often extreme. They act on their own whims, disregarding everything else. Moreover, their actions create unique miracles that spread and cause cursed contamination. You've witnessed the tragedy of Gross Town. Those cursed creatures were born that way."
Mithra nodded thoughtfully.
Orph continued, "The Wandering God known as the 'Hunter' has killed a total of eleven Night Eyes wielders, according to our records. Its goal is clear—the Night Eyes—but it doesn't care about anything else in its pursuit. One Night Eyes wielder was a king. Despite offering various concessions to avoid conflict, they were still hunted and killed. The king's death led to chaos in the kingdom, and the resulting surge of cursed creatures led to its downfall."
"They are monsters who only care about their own desires. They cannot coexist with ordinary people. The current state of chaos in Dreamland is largely due to Wandering Gods."
Mithra looked at Orph, saying nothing.
Eleven?
The Hunter Greatsword had thirty-four eyes on its blade, suggesting at least seventeen Night Eyes wielders had fallen victim to the Hunter.
Six more than the Sanctuary's records.
Seeing the somber atmosphere, Orph smiled. "Apologies, I got a bit serious."
"It's fine. It seems I have a lot to consider," Mithra said.
Her next task was to hunt down these Wandering Gods.
This was the destiny given to her by the entities behind the scenes, and she would fulfill it.
But even a weakened Night Hunter had almost killed her. The power of a full-fledged Wandering God was unimaginable.
Fortunately, there was no time limit. She could take her time.
Phaselos's task of collecting god-killing weapons seemed more practical.
And god-killing weapons were specifically designed to combat Wandering Gods, the big shots' plans intertwining once again.
She silently praised them.