The journey from Tristram to Wortham took longer than Alex had expected. When the boatman woke him up and he stepped onto the docks at Wortham, five hours had passed.

'Did I just waste five hours?'

Watching the boatman leave, Alex frowned. He hadn't anticipated that Wortham would be so far from Tristram, and it was a one-way trip—the boatman had made it clear he was only responsible for the drop-off, not the return.

Initially, Alex was puzzled, but then he remembered the teleportation array under the Wortham chapel. That was much faster than any boat.

Alright, let's find the fragment first.

With that thought, Alex walked into the town of Wortham.

Wortham was still peaceful, unlike the game where it was under attack by cultists. People went about their daily lives, boats moved along the water, and children played in the fields. Seeing this, Alex couldn't help but feel a bit melancholic. He knew that if the cultists attacked, few would survive.

Unfortunately, Alex was like an ant sitting on a leaf—he could barely protect himself. His only hope was to find the fragment quickly.

If he could take it away, the cultists might not have a reason to target Wortham, potentially sparing the peaceful village.

Alex's presence didn't attract much attention. Most people were busy with their work, and the town was calm and serene.

He found the church without incident and knocked on the door. Soon, a priest appeared, looking at Alex curiously.

"Hello, stranger. What brings you to Wortham?"

"Hello, Father."

Alex nodded at the priest and handed over a letter from Captain Rumford.

"I am a militia from Tristram. A fallen star crashed there, and I heard some fragments might have landed in Wortham. I'm here to see if I can find any clues."

"A fallen star?"

The priest looked puzzled for a moment, then nodded in understanding.

"I know what you're talking about. We did find something unusual. Please, follow me."

He stepped aside, allowing Alex to enter. Alex gave the priest a meaningful look before walking into the dimly lit church. The faint light from candles provided just enough illumination to see inside.

"What exactly is it?"

Alex asked as he walked deeper into the church. Just then, the door behind him closed with a creak. The priest's voice came from behind.

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"It was caught by one of our fishermen. It emanates a strange power. Not knowing what it was, he brought it to the church. I intended to keep it safe, but I had no idea it was related to the fallen star..."

As the priest spoke, he closely watched Alex's back. He silently drew a dagger from his robe. Alex, seemingly unaware, continued to look around curiously.

"So, where's the fragment?"

"Just ahead..."

The priest quickened his pace, sneaking up behind Alex, dagger in hand, ready to strike. But at that moment, a cold flash of light swept through.

"Shhhk!"

"How could... this... be..."

The priest's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the cold blade embedded in his body. Frostmourne's chilling aura spread, filling him with a soul-freezing terror.

"How did you... notice..."

"Your acting is terrible, go home and practice."

Seeing the stunned priest before him, Alex sneered. In fact, when he first met the priest, Alex had sensed something was off.

The priest's eyes initially held worry, but upon hearing Alex's purpose, there was a flicker of anxiety.

The biggest red flag was that the priest barely checked Captain Rumford's letter. He opened it hastily, skimmed it, and then invited Alex into the church.

Alex had always been good at reading people, which helped him gather information. It was this skill that tipped him off that something wasn't right.

What confirmed Alex's suspicions was the priest walking behind him instead of leading the way. Normally, if the priest had hidden the fragment, he would need to guide Alex. Instead, he lingered behind, using the excuse of closing the door. This was a major red flag.

The final confirmation came when Alex heard the priest's breathing become heavy for a moment—a human's instinctual reaction when they are either very excited or very nervous. Sensing danger, Alex summoned Frostmourne and struck behind him without hesitation.

The priest was indeed a cultist!

With a scream, the cultist's soul was forcibly pulled from his body and absorbed into Frostmourne. Meanwhile, another system message appeared before Alex.

【Soul Power +45】

As expected, the soul of a living person was stronger than that of the undead.

Seeing the system prompt, Alex smirked. He sheathed Frostmourne and began searching for the holy sword fragment. Since this priest was a cultist, Maghda likely knew about the fragment.

Reflecting on it, Alex realized that the cultists were probably stalling the Nephalem on purpose. In the game, the fragment might have been taken by Maghda before the Nephalem arrived in Wortham!

The more Alex thought about it, the more he believed this was the truth. Otherwise, why did the Nephalem encounter Maghda's illusion in the cellar, calmly waiting for him? It was clearly a trap!

"It really isn't here."

After thoroughly searching the church and finding nothing, Alex wasn't worried but rather convinced of his theory. The priest hadn't moved the fragment from the church to the cellar as in the game. It had been hidden in the cellar all along!

Believing the cultist thought his plan was foolproof, Alex, who knew the cellar's location from the game, left the church and headed to the cellar.

Though the door was locked, Alex didn't let this small obstacle deter him. Anticipating the arrival of cultists and their leader at any moment, he heightened his vigilance. With a swift strike, he cut open the cellar door and entered.

The cellar looked much like it did in the game. Alex walked down the corridor and soon reached the central platform, where the sword hilt lay, emitting a soft glow.

This is the fragment! Good, it's still here!

Seeing the fragment, Alex felt a wave of relief. He carefully inspected the surroundings for traps. Finding none, he reached out and pocketed the sword hilt. Finally, he could relax.

"Alright, everything's set. Now I just need to get back to Tristram..."

"Whoosh!"

Before Alex could finish his sentence, a flash of light appeared behind the platform. Several men in yellow robes, clearly cultists, emerged from it. They stared at Alex in surprise, and Alex, equally startled, quickly realized what had happened.

The cultists had used a teleportation array to get here!