Chương 70: Chapter 69: People Like Us

When Greer and Elias finally reached the church steps, they found the traveling merchant Owen waiting at the top. He bent slightly at the waist and gave them a polite bow.

"Good day, gentlemen. I've been waiting for you for some time. I've prepared a place for us inside. We can sit down there and properly discuss the problem you've encountered." Greer's eyes widened as he stared at the man before him in disbelief. He had only guessed that Blackstone Dungeon might know they needed help. He had never imagined that the welcome awaiting them would be so... human. It seemed Blackstone Dungeon possessed far more intelligence than he had imagined. Neither of them said anything else.

They followed Owen into the church. Once they entered the main hall, Greer quickly noticed something else strange. The refugees were still huddled in the corners, but this time, they were unusually quiet. Not a single one of them made any of the moaning sounds mentioned in the records. Greer could not help glancing back again and again, confirming that the scene before him truly did not match what had been recorded.

"Rest assured," Owen suddenly said from up ahead.

"To keep them from disturbing our conversation, I asked the clergy to give them a medicinal broth that would help them sleep." Greer's mouth fell slightly open, and he nodded along without thinking. Only after taking another two steps did he process what he had heard and turn back toward the peacefully sleeping refugees once more. Seriously? They had accounted for even a detail like that? A strange, indescribable feeling came over Greer.

It was as though everything before him were not a scene conjured out of nothing by a dungeon, but a real place that existed somewhere in this world. Greer shook his head several times, hastily dismissing the absurd thought. He let out a few dry chuckles, yet could not suppress the curiosity and hunger for answers growing stronger by the moment.

"Mr. Ashford... is that how I should address you?" Owen paused midstep before continuing forward as though nothing had happened. His tone remained as eager as ever, though it still carried a lingering trace of exhaustion.

"Oh, that's right. Though you may simply call me Owen, if you prefer..." Owen slowly turned his head and glanced at them.

"Names are important." He paused for a moment.

"Once someone dies, their name is the only thing they leave behind in this world, isn't it?" Owen continued walking, but Greer and Elias came to a stop without realizing it. The two exchanged a look.

"Fuck. Did something inside a dungeon really just say that? That's going to take some getting used to."

"Master... I've got goosebumps." Their voices were so low that the words barely carried through the church. Yet the moment they finished speaking, Owen looked back at them. Neither man dared hang back after that. They hurried to catch up with him. Greer secretly glanced at the student beside him. The brat had already reached Adamantite rank. How could something this minor still give him goosebumps? Hmm.

That thought might have been more convincing if the hairs on Greer's own arms had not been standing just as straight. When they entered the small room, Greer discovered that an oil lamp was burning on the table. Beside it sat a teapot and several small teacups. His expression immediately turned a little strange. Hadn't they come to ask a dungeon for a solution to their problem? Why did this arrangement look more like an afternoon tea gathering?

While Greer was still letting his thoughts wander, Elias pulled out a chair and sat down. Naturally, he did not forget to pull out another chair for Greer as well. Greer gave him a sidelong glance before taking his seat. Only after Owen poured each of them a cup of hot tea did Greer finally speak.

"How did you know we were coming in? Did someone notify you?"

"Of course. Bishop Lorian told me." Owen nodded.

"He said the Silver Vow had delivered a divine revelation, telling him that two people in need of help would be coming here shortly. So the bishop asked me to come and welcome you." The Silver Vow? A divine revelation? The name sounded vaguely familiar to Greer, but he could not remember where he had heard it. In the end, he could only turn toward Elias. Elias did not speak. He merely mouthed a reminder.

"The Silver Oath." Only then did Greer remember. Rayne's party had indeed mentioned meeting a priest from the Church of the Silver Oath in Graywood Town. So... did this church belong to the Silver Oath as well? Then something clicked. Greer jolted and stared at Owen across the table, dumbfounded. The Silver Vow... Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Could that be the deity worshipped by the Church of the Silver Oath?

And could that deity even send divine revelations into this dungeon? Or was all of this merely the dungeon pretending to speak for a god? No, that wasn't right. If Blackstone Dungeon merely wanted to play such tricks, there seemed to be no reason for it to go through so much trouble. Then an even more astonishing possibility struck him. The Silver Vow might truly exist. The deity might also have some connection with this dungeon and could even influence this place to some degree.

Greer thought about it for a long time, but he still could not reach an answer. There were simply too few clues. However, if his theory was true, it might also explain why Blackstone Dungeon was so friendly and behaved in such a human way. Perhaps... This really was an ancient ruin left behind by a god, and only now was it beginning to awaken. At the thought, Greer's somewhat tense expression gradually relaxed. The light growing brighter and brighter in his eyes, however, was impossible to hide.

"May I ask where Bishop Lorian is? There are a few things I would like to ask him." To his surprise, Owen shook his head, and much of the eagerness on Greer's face immediately faded.

"The bishop is away for the time being. To better assist you, he has gone to another settlement. He may be able to find quite a few people willing to help." Some of Owen's habitual weariness fell away as he fixed Greer with a serious look.

"However, the bishop left me with many instructions before he departed. Until he returns, I can make decisions on his behalf." Greer fell silent for quite a while as he looked Owen up and down. So... Who exactly was this merchant? What gave him the authority to make decisions in place of the person managing this church while that man was away? Could it be... Was he the Silver Vow's chosen one? There was nowhere near enough information! The more Greer thought about it, the more desperately he wanted answers.

Perhaps he could arrange for a few adventurers who specialized in researching ruins and history to come inside later. As the thought occurred to him, Greer slowly turned his head and happened to see Elias giving him a slight nod. Greer stroked his beard in satisfaction. Excellent. He had absolutely no idea what the brat's nod was supposed to mean, but he'd take it as agreement with his idea anyway.

"Then let me briefly explain the predicament we've encountered." ◆ ◆ ◆ Inside the Core Chamber, Owen listened intently to Greer and Elias's explanation. He even opened the system memo and wrote down the important points one by one. It turned out that the so-called forced contract was completely different from the [Reputation Contract] he had just found. And Gern, the man Greer had mentioned, had rushed all the way to Blackstone after something went wrong at Rockspring Dungeon.

Even worse, the contract binding Gern seemed to prevent him from stating the truth outright. All he could do was deliberately drop several details that did not add up and hope Greer would piece them together on his own. The clues suggested two things: whatever was behind the contract might possess Silver-level strength, and it appeared to be searching for Blackstone Dungeon's location.

"Aaaah! They really are coming after me!" Owen's entire core huddled on the stone pedestal, trembling violently.

"I never should've opened that crappy channel!" So far, the only information they had about the threat's power was that it might possess Silver-level strength. Blackstone Dungeon could probably handle a Silver-level enemy now, but what if this was only the vanguard? The real threat might still be lurking behind it. Worse, what if those demon cores started attacking the people outside and killed everyone nearby? Wouldn't that leave Owen like a lamb awaiting slaughter?

"No! I absolutely can't let that happen!" Owen shot up from the stone pedestal and focused his attention on Greer and Elias's conversation once more.

"Besides... I don't want to sit here and watch everyone die!" Owen thought back over the past few weeks. He had not been in this world for long, yet quite a few people had already come to matter to him. Rayne, who carried the weight of his past yet continued striving forward. The lively, restless Tyren. The steady and taciturn Barton. The kind and dependable Serin. Asar, who somehow seemed to turn up everywhere. And Greer, who was gradually recovering the spirit he had once possessed.

Owen did not want to see any of them devoured by those damned demon cores. Absolutely not! If he wanted to prevent that from happening, then he needed to find a way for his dungeon to help the adventurers grow stronger more quickly. And beyond that, if circumstances allowed... Perhaps he could even take the initiative and help the adventurers conquer those other dungeons instead!

"Maybe... there's some way to use Subordinate Cores for this too?" Owen murmured, then forced himself to rein in his excitement.

"But if I really want to do that, the most important thing is getting the ponytail guy to agree." Owen's gaze involuntarily settled on Elias, who was seated beside Greer. As long as the ponytail guy was willing to give his approval, Owen would be able to do far more. Then those interactable units would no longer have to remain inside the dungeon forever. They could actually go outside and help protect the adventurers.

Whenever something happened outside, Owen would no longer be stuck hiding inside the dungeon and fretting as he watched through a light screen.

"And!" The blue light radiating from Owen's core suddenly flickered several times.

"I could also see what the outside world looks like through their eyes!" At the thought, Owen could not help remembering the time when he had first arrived in this world and drifted around without a care. He had not been able to do anything back then, but at least he had not needed to worry about so many messy problems. Unfortunately, perhaps because his soul had nearly dissipated at the time, those memories had already grown blurry.

Owen looked at Elias on the light screen once more, his blue halo pulsing unevenly with nervous anticipation.

"Please! You have to agree to this!" ◆ ◆ ◆ Inside the church's small room, the traveling merchant sat with his hands folded on the table, his eyes slightly narrowed in a smile as he looked at Greer across from him.

"As for the man bound by the contract, please bring him into the dungeon when the time comes." As he spoke, Owen reached out and gently placed an oval azure orb on the table.

"This is..." Greer picked up the orb. The instant his fingertips touched it, a light screen appeared before him. [Temporary Pass] [Allows the holder to travel through the portal to the church resting room without completing the prerequisite trial in Sinner's Canyon. Consumed upon use. The next time the holder enters the dungeon, the prerequisite trial must be completed as normal.]"Consider this the first step toward building trust between us!"

Owen slowly rose from his chair and bent slightly at the waist toward them.

"As long as you bring the man bound by the contract inside, the Silver Oath is willing to try to help you deal with the problem affecting him." Greer looked at him in silence. After a moment, he solemnly tucked the orb into an inner pocket.

"I understand." He paused, then exchanged a look with Elias beside him.

"However, we would still like to know just how much assistance you can offer us." Greer looked back at Owen.

"To be honest, what we lack most right now is manpower. If anyone is willing to assist us, we would naturally welcome the help." The merchant went still for a moment, as though he had not expected Greer to raise the subject himself. The smile on his face gradually faded. He sat down again and lowered his gaze to the still-steaming cup of tea before him.

"I cannot give you a definite answer yet. I will need to wait until the bishop returns before I can confirm anything." Owen tilted his head, his tone deliberately casual.

"But... the outside world probably doesn't trust people like us very much, does it?" He raised his eyes and looked at Greer.

"Would it really be all right to let us go out there?" Greer's breath caught. He stared at the merchant across from him without answering immediately. The outside world?

"People like us"? What did that mean? They knew they were currently inside a dungeon? They even knew about the human world beyond this dungeon? Then... What exactly were these people? Greer grew increasingly certain that whatever lay behind Blackstone Dungeon was far more than an ordinary dungeon core. The Silver Vow... Perhaps it truly existed. And perhaps the deity was using this dungeon to try to bring about some kind of change.

"I... believe we should be able to establish the necessary rules once we return. We can continue discussing this matter the next time we come inside." Elias nodded as well.

"I'll compile a list of the issues we'll need to address. For my part, I have no objection to continuing this discussion."

"Of course." Owen spread his hands, the warm smile returning to his face.

"You are welcome here at any time. I believe we stand on the same side when it comes to the Demonic Tide." Greer merely looked at him seriously for a moment before slowly nodding. After a brief farewell, Owen led the two men out of the small room and all the way to the church resting room. Even after Greer and Elias passed through the portal one after the other and their figures disappeared into the azure light, the traveling merchant remained where he was, smiling as he watched them leave the dungeon.