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Chapter 126 The Crystal of Lies
Chapter 126 The Crystal of Lies
The city gate was wide open, measuring ten meters wide and seven or eight meters high.
Two rows of fully armed guards stood at the entrance, checking the people and vehicles coming in and out.
Their armor was far superior to that of the guards in Elwynn town, and each person had a uniform emblem engraved on their breastplate—a combination of a tower and waves.
"Upper City Guards," Kyle explained casually, noticing Xia Lin's gaze. "One of the kingdom's most elite city defense forces. You know, this city is too big, with too many people; without them keeping order, it would have been in chaos long ago."
The carriage stopped briefly at the city gate. The guard peered into the carriage, his gaze lingering on Alice for a moment before he bowed respectfully and let it pass.
The wheel started rolling again.
The carriage passed through the city gate and entered the city.
Xia Lin's vision suddenly opened up.
The streets are wide and paved with neat bluestone slabs, with shops and residences lining both sides.
The shop signs were incredibly diverse: a blacksmith's hammer, a pharmacy's medicine bottles, an inn's wine glasses, a bakery's bread rings—you name it.
The crowd surged like a tide.
Humans make up the majority of the population, but dwarves, elves, halflings, and gnomes are also commonly seen.
Occasionally, you can see a few rare species like Kyle, or some races that Xia Lin can't name.
They wore all sorts of clothes, spoke different languages, and went about their own business in the city.
The carriage turned onto a wider main street.
Xia Lin saw an even more breathtaking sight—in the distance, a huge black stone statue, a hundred meters tall, stood in the direction of the port.
It depicted a warrior, clad in heavy armor, holding a shield in his left hand and a sword in his right, the tip of which pointed skyward, overlooking the entire city.
"The Sword of Oath." Kyle followed his gaze, a hint of pride in his voice. "The symbol of the city. It's said to have taken over a hundred years to build."
Xia Lin stared at the giant statue, speechless for a long time.
The street continued forward, passing through a bustling commercial district and rows of buildings of varying styles—from towering mage towers with their spires to domed, white-walled temples, and the headquarters of merchant guilds adorned with colorful flags.
Then, he saw a particularly striking group of buildings.
It was a massive, complex building constructed of white marble, with a circular main structure surrounded by several spires.
The most striking feature is the enormous sculpture at its top—a cluster of burning silver flames that faintly glows even in the daytime.
The carriage slowed down.
Alice opened her eyes, looked at the building, and said calmly, "We've arrived."
Xia Lin took a deep breath, gazing at the cluster of silver flames, silently encouraging himself:
They absolutely refuse to acknowledge the existence of sacred objects.
Answer the questions directly, and don't say what you shouldn't say.
Try to leave as soon as possible; safety first.
The corridors of the Silverflame Church were more profound than Xia Lin had imagined.
The white marble floor gleamed, and every few steps along the walls on either side stood a magic lamp that never went out, emitting a soft, milky-white glow.
Church members in robes or light armor passed by from time to time at the end of the corridor. Their gazes swept over Xia Lin briefly before looking away without scrutinizing or paying attention, as if he were just an ordinary tapestry on the wall.
Charlin followed Alice through several corridors and finally stopped in front of a heavy oak door.
Alice turned around, her beautiful eyes now devoid of any extraneous emotion, only displaying a businesslike calm: "Go in."
She raised her hand to indicate the door.
"This is the investigation room." She paused, then added, "It's specifically used for interrogating—well, suspects' rooms. You know, some people aren't very cooperative, so there are some special things set up here."
Xia Lin raised an eyebrow: "What special thing?"
Alice didn't answer directly, but gave him a meaningful look: "Anyway, don't even think about lying. You can only tell the truth inside."
The truth?
Xia Lin felt a chill run down her spine.
Could there be a high-level mage inside? Someone who knows the kind of mind magic that can detect lies?
As he was thinking, Alice suddenly frowned and looked down at his shoulder.
"Where's your raven pet?"
Xia Lin had already prepared her explanation: "It's rather sensitive. It doesn't adapt well to this serious environment, so I'll let it rest for a while."
He certainly wouldn't tell the truth.
The real reason was that before entering the church, he had already had Woody take the silver flame ring and temporarily "disappear" to the realm of his pets.
The ring is with Woody now, and Woody is in a place that even the church's prophetic wizards can't find.
As long as the ring isn't on me, they can't do anything to me.
Alice stared at him for a few seconds, seemingly assessing the credibility of his words.
A few seconds later, Alice looked away.
"Alright," she said. "We'll talk about the summoned creatures later. Now, let's go inside."
She made a "please" gesture.
Xia Lin took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy oak door.
The wooden door closed slowly behind us with a dull thud.
The room was small, even somewhat empty.
In the very center was a simple table, on which sat a completely transparent white crystal stand.
The surface of the crystal shimmered with an extremely faint glow, like some kind of dormant magical artifact.
Across the table—
Xia Lin squinted.
It was a water curtain created by magic.
The water curtain flowed gently, as if alive, obscuring everything on the other side. Only a few swaying silhouettes could be vaguely seen, with no discernible number of people.
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.
Xia Lin stood still, not rushing to the table.
A few seconds later, a voice came from behind the water curtain.
The voice was neither male nor female, and after some kind of manipulation, it showed no emotional fluctuation: "Name."
Xia Lin was stunned for a moment.
He subconsciously looked to the side and saw that Alice had walked in at some point and was standing by the door with her arms crossed, looking like a bystander.
You should have already sent your information here, right? Why ask this unnecessary question?
Xia Lin looked at Alice with a questioning look in her eyes.
Alice said expressionlessly, "Answer what I ask. Answer honestly."
Xia Lin: "————"
Fine.
He turned to the water curtain and cleared his throat: "Xia Lin."
As soon as he finished speaking, the white crystal on the table suddenly flashed.
Green light.
Gentle and stable.
A voice came from behind the water curtain, with a hint of confirmation: "The lie detection crystal's feedback is correct. He wasn't lying."
Xia Lin's heart skipped a beat.
So that's what it is.
He stared at the crystal, his mind racing.
This thing seems to function similarly to the lie detector from my previous life? Except that its principle isn't to detect physiological reactions, but rather some kind of—psychic magic?
No wonder Alice said you can't lie.
This is much more advanced than a lie detector; it directly detects your emotional fluctuations.
"Mr. Xia Lin."
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