The old man walked out from the arched passageway, and Melvin swiftly followed after him, he began explaining as he pointed towards the north of the city, "It's very simple. You keep walking on the main road, and when you reach the first turn to the right, continue walking. When you reach the second turn to the right, continue walking. And when you reach the third turn to the right, you can take it and then continue walking. Just keep walking and you'll see the church close to the lake."

As he finished speaking, he turned around and glanced at Melvin. A strange silence ensued as both of their faces with filled with confusion as they scrutinized the other.

The old man thought strangely, 'Do even bums change cities now? How does he not know where the church of the Goddess Everen is?'

And Melvin thought with an incredulous expression, 'What kind of convoluted way of giving directions was this?', his expression then quickly morphed into a smile saying, "Thank you elder, and may you have feathery blessings as well..."

The old man nodded with a smile and returned to his stall, and Melvin naturally raced against time and walked speedily across the sidewalk.

From time to time he would encounter street vendors with their products on top of simple rugs on his path, which would prompt him to descend from the sidewalk and make a big turn around the other stalls, and then get back on top of it before continuing his journey.

People would immediately make way for him as he walked with their noses scrunched up in disgust, doing their best to avoid him. However, he paid it no heed as he continued studying the city.

On the other side of the street, above the arched passageway filled with shops that sold all kinds of products like meat, vegetables, clothes, and even weapons.

He noticed how the first and second stories of those buildings were residential areas because as he was walking one of the windows suddenly jolted open and a beautiful woman's upper body that had but a brassiere opened, and their eyes met.

Finding the situation slightly amusing, the both of them smiled simultaneously. Melvin gave a slight friendly nod before he averted his eyes and continued walking.

'Aren't I taking this too easy?' Melvin thought with a puzzled expression, he knew that he had but an hour left of his life, and to make matters worse, he still had no idea how he should go about solving it.

He was stuck at the very first step which wasn't even learning how expensive would his treatment be, but just to take a bath so that he could be eligible to ask.

Understanding that the fact that he started from a pit filled with flies and dead bodies, and now he was in a whole city bustling with life gave him a false sense of progress, his expression couldn't help but turn serious as he increased his walking speed at the protest of his aching body.

Although he contemplated running, the sight of walking armored guards from time to time made him change his mind. Not only was he smelling like trash, but his clothes were also bloody, something that still puzzled him as to why people hadn't shown the appropriate reactions he was expecting from them as most seemed more concerned about the smell.

The first turn that the old man mentioned quickly came into view, and Melvin couldn't help but turn around to look.

A long street came into view, and he noticed that it was narrower than the main road, with no archway passage or shops in sight, but it was wide enough for a big carriage to pass through easily.

The houses lining the street appeared to be residential, each with its unique charm. Small children dressed in red clothes played with miniature bird figurines in front of some of the houses, adding a touch of whimsy to the scene.

Taking all of that in, he quickly crossed the brick paved road and continued on his path, and soon he finally reached the third intersection which made him momentarily pause.

Unlike the previous two, this one was much bigger, and the houses lining this street were markedly different from the previous ones.

Many of them boasted sturdy chimneys that sent plumes of smoke curling into the sky, hinting at the warmth within. Each house was set back a little from the street, with a wider sidewalk in front.

Some of the houses featured small staircases with steel railing leading up to their exquisite and imposing wooden doors, their frames reinforced with steel supports. These structures exuded an air of grandeur and solidity, and Melvin reasoned that these houses belonged to more wealthy people.

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Similarly, there were a lot of children and young adults in front of these houses as well, and they were all wearing red-colored clothing.

'It seems like the clothes are a part of the mentioned ceremony.' Melvin thought after noticing that similarity.

It was then that he suddenly thought of something dangerous, 'What if that old man only said some random directions to get rid of me, won't I be wasting my precious time for nothing?'

On the same sidewalk that he had been using this whole time, he made a sharp turn to the right and slowly walked next to the new stone houses.

Along the way, some small children almost bumped into him as they were playing, but he swiftly evaded them because he could tell their clothes were very clean and tidy, and the last thing they needed was the rotting smell of corpses.

True to his expectations, some women who were watching the children play from their windows had their expressions eased by a lot after seeing him that considerate and seemingly goal-oriented in his demeanor as he walked briskly among them.

However, the person who was paying the most attention to him was none other than a man who seemed around his thirties who was sitting on the small steps in front of one of the houses on the other side of the street.

Melvin who doubted the old man's direction, had his eyes moving around the street wanting someone to ask, and thus the moment he made eye contact with the man and he nodded back towards him, Melvin decided to ask him since he seemed more approachable.

When the man saw that the person who he nodded towards was coming towards him, a wry smile made its way into his face as he stood up, anticipating Melvin's question.

The man was adorned in fine red attire, consisting of a tailored coat with intricate gold embroidery along the lapels and cuffs. Beneath the coat, he wore a crisp white shirt with ruffled cuffs, complemented by dark trousers that tapered elegantly at the ankles. His tightly combed-back medium hair exuded a sense of sophistication, framing his strong, chiseled features. Despite his young age, his demeanor radiated an air of authority and confidence.

Quickly crossing the empty road, Melvin reached the man and asked from a distance as he didn't want the other to get a whiff of the smell, however, the wind seemed to have other ideas as the man's nose scrunched up and yelled, "Goodness, what happened to you?"

He could tell that something had happened to this sunny youth in front of him, because other than the dirty clothes he looked rather neat and clean, and thus he knew that something must've happened to cause the smell.

Feeling overjoyed by the reaction Melvin quickly expressed, "Ahh It's a long story brother. I just want to ask where is the Everen Church please?"

The man had an understanding look on his face as he replied, "You just need to continue down this road, and you'll see it when you reach there." Saying that he gestured towards the end of the street where a vast, verdant clearing stretched out, carpeted with lush green grass and devoid of any buildings.

Melvin was quick to smile and express his gratitude, but just as he was about to leave the man offered after seeing the state of his clothes, "I have some old clothes, if you want some?"

The offer quickly and immediately made Melvin pause in his tracks, and he uttered in disbelief, "Really, would you do that for me?"

The man broke into a sunshine smile and said confidently, "Of course, it's the festival!"

"Thanks a lot, I need some fresh clothes." Melvin thanked him once again, however, this time seeing that the man was receptive and patient, he began to recount his story, "Yesterday, I was just on a walk outside the city when I decided to take a look at the irredeemable pit. I got curious, and I just wanted what kind of people were in there. Unfortunately, it seemed like because I hadn't eaten anything in a long while coupled with the intense heat wave and the strong rotting smell, I completely lost consciousness and I fell..."

Unbeknownst to the two, a very faint movement of mental energy emerged out of Melvin's head and started circling the two of them, and the young man couldn't help but feel himself engrossed in the small story, and by the end of it he was even able to imagine what the sight was like, how it smelled, and how Melvin must've felt throughout all of that.

Melvin was quick to continue and give the end of the story, "To make matters worse, I woke up in the very dead of the night and I almost peed myself with fright when I registered where I was, and as much I wanted to get the hell out of there, I couldn't. The pit was too deep. Thus, I decided to start piling up the corpses on top of one another to give me somewhat of a foundation to get up, but... As I climbed on top of the pile I had made, I stumbled and fell backward, my head directly hit the head of another corpse from that height, and I immediately lost consciousness."

Once those words were uttered the man was already shocked by the end of them, and murmured in disbelief, "By the gods?"

Melvin who began to understand some of their manners of speaking, quickly answered with a smile as he sighed, "I swear, but wait this isn't even the worst of it."

For some reason, he felt such a flow when recounting the story that he just wanted to get it all out, it felt way too satisfying, and at the same, it proved to be a good way to distract himself from his impending death.

The man playfully nudged Melvin on the shoulder and asked, astonished, "There's still more??" His incredulous gesture was a friendly jab, a result of his disbelief at the unfolding situation.

Melvin then mysteriously asked, "Do you know how I woke up?"

"How?" Impatiently asked the man, dying to hear how this absolutely strange story ended.

Melvin started tenderly massaging his still-aching lower back and remarked, "You know the old man who's tasked with disposing of the bodies there every day?"

Seeing the man furiously nodding in agreement, he continued, "Well when I fell from the pile of bodies, I had fallen face first. That was why the next morning when the old man came, the first body that he threw into the pit landed exactly on top of my lower back, almost breaking it. Now, I could feel it aching with pain with every step that I take, it's terrible."

"How can you be so unlucky?" The man murmured after hearing the rest of the story, and he remarked, "And just on the day of the ceremony. It's as if the gods are angry at you."

Melvin smiled in his mind and thought, "That actually might be true!"