Published at 10th of September 2026 7:13 am

Chapter 1999: Next Stop

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A week later, Luca finally emerged as a Templar Paladin.

After congratulating him, Adam and Luca sat down on the floor as Adam began telling him everything he had learned in the Sun Temple.

Luca’s expression gradually became more solemn as he listened.

"So, those Stone Angels... they were once children?" he asked with complicated emotions.

Adam nodded. "According to the journal, yes. They were choristers of the temple."

Luca stared at him for several seconds, then asked, "And you killed them?"

"I did." Adam shrugged.

Luca fell silent. He didn’t blame Adam, of course. He just couldn’t help but wonder how he would have reacted if he were in his companion’s shoes.

Adam continued, "The High Priest was also a victim of the curse. Everyone who once lived in this secret plane basically succumbed to the curse. He and a woman named Shireen created the talismans to help future generations survive in this plane."

He paused for a moment before saying, "The Lamiyan Talismans, they are called..."

"The Lamiyan Talismans," Luca murmured.

Adam nodded. "As you must have already noticed, those talismans are carved with the image of the sun and the moon. They are a product of magic and deep symbolism. As for what they symbolize... I do not know yet. And then there’s the number 108."

Luca’s brows furrowed. Of course, he had long since known about these details. He had even tried to study them, trying to make sense of them. But it was fruitless. It was akin to trying to form sentences without knowing the alphabet.

But now, Adam had finally returned with the alphabet.

"The High Priest mentioned the number repeatedly in his final moments. He also left behind something in the basement," he continued.

Luca’s expression changed. His interest piqued, he asked, "What is it?"

"The Morning Star."

Luca quirked a brow in curiosity.

"I found this in the basement," Adam said as he pulled out the weapon and placed it on the floor between them.

Luca stared at it with interest, brushing his fingers along the hilt and the chain-like whip.

"A Grade 2 artifact, hmm." He nodded. "Not bad."

He studied it for almost a minute, feeling the refreshing warmth it radiated. Then he passed it on to Adam. "What does it do?" he asked.

Adam’s brows rose in slight surprise. "You don’t want to keep it?"

Luca, being a Paladin, if he asked for the Morning Star, Adam would have handed it over to him without hesitation. After all, the man had lost his armor and weapon to Sandra half a year ago.

"Nah." Luca waved his hand dismissively. "I’m more suited to heavy weapons. A whip like that requires an agile build. It will suit you better."

"Very well." Adam put away the Morning Star.

"So what does it do?" Luca asked again.

"It contains the power of the sun," Adam answered. "Fire and light magic, basically."

Luca stroked his beard, nodding in deep thought. "The power of the sun, hmm. And you found it in the dungeon below the Sun Temple."

"It was probably created or preserved specifically to deal with the undead in this place," Adam said.

Luca remained silent for a long moment before mumbling:

"And this was one of the two spots marked on the map. I wonder what the other is... probably a moon temple? Maybe there’s something waiting for us there. Perhaps a vampire-killing weapon?"

Adam chuckled. "Yeah, that’s pretty much my line of thought, given that the inhabitants of this secret plane used to worship the sun and the moon."

"Hmm." Luca nodded, convinced that his theory was on the mark.

"And what of this Shireen?" he asked after a few moments.

"I don’t know." Adam shrugged. "The journal ended before explaining what happened to her. The High Priest had already begun transforming when he wrote the final entries."

"You think she turned into some kind of monster as well?"

"Very likely." Adam nodded. "I don’t see how she would be an exception to the curse."

The pair remained silent for a long time. Jacob finally asked, "What about Jacob?"

Adam snorted. "According to what I could piece together, Jacob was losing the war," he said.

"Then how did he win?"

Adam’s expression darkened. "He made a deal with the devils."

"The devils?" Luca’s expression immediately changed, and he sat up straight. "How the hell did you arrive at that conclusion?"

Adam briefly explained about the Brand of Evil and how he had escaped from the Antlered High Priest the first time. Needless to say, Luca was dumbfounded. However, he was more intrigued by Hannibal’s Handwraps than the devil’s mark.

"...And after that, everything changed. Jacob won the war. The land was cursed. The people began turning into monsters. The sun disappeared, and the moon turned blood red."

Luca had a dark look on his face. "So all of this started with Jacob."

He then quickly shook his head. "No. To be more accurate... that bastard of a king, Louis."

After a long pause, he asked again, "So you think Jacob became a vampire after he made a deal with the devil?"

"I suspect so." Adam nodded. "But these are just my speculations. I have no proof."

After another long pause, Luca couldn’t help but ask, "What about the number 108?"

Adam scoffed. "That’s what I’m trying to figure out as well. The High Priest was oddly specific about the number for some reason."

He then went on to explain how he had pressed 108 bricks simultaneously inside the dungeon, and then gotten his hands on the Morning Star.

"So the number isn’t merely some religious symbol," Luca murmured.

"Apparently not."

"Then what does it mean?"

"Beats me." Adam sighed helplessly.

"Since this one was connected to the Sun Temple," Luca began. "I’m becoming more and more certain that the other X marked on the map will most likely lead to the Moon Temple."

Adam couldn’t help but tease. "Whatever happened to not trusting Sandra? Didn’t you say this was all a big conspiracy?"

"Details. Details." Luca shamelessly waved his hand.

But the next moment, his expression turned grave and he said, "But Constantine, we must still be wary of her. She knew about the importance of the Sun Temple, and that’s why she marked it on the map. We still don’t know her true motives."

"Aye." Adam nodded. "I don’t trust her fully, alright. Our goals just happen to align."

He paused before quickly adding, "And that is assuming that she wants to escape the secret plane just like us."

Luca nodded. Excitement gleamed in his grey eyes and he said, "So, what now? Are we heading to the other spot marked on the map?"

"Actually, not yet." Adam shook his head. "I explored the city a little while you were advancing, and there’s a place I wish to visit first. There’s something I want to confirm."

Luca shot him a curious glance, gesturing for him to continue.

Adam looked him in the eye and answered, "I’d like our next stop to be the castle northeast of the city."

Then, as if to fully convince Luca to follow him there, he casually added:

"And you can battle the Last Knight that guards the throne room and consolidate your strength. What do you think?"

Luca stared at Adam for a moment, then grinned.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

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