The 15th Altar of Lilith was located in a very unique area.

To begin with, this was one of the few places in Scosglen that Michael didn't get the chance to explore while he was questing previously.

Now that he was back, the fog covering the northern part of the MAP was slowly dissipating as the group slowly advanced toward their objectives.

Returning to the location, the party found themselves at the foot of a hill with strange monoliths and flights of stairs ascending.

Furthermore, halfway up the hill, they encountered one of the many strange statues covered in magical fog the Necromancer found across Sanctuary.

[Oh! Is this the strange statue you were telling us about?](Neyrelle)

"One of them, yes. Actually, this is my first time seeing this one as well."

[It looks like a woman praying.](Evelyn)

[Judging from the way her clothes are sculpted with such fine details, I'd say a nun or priestess.](Neyrelle)

Nodding in agreement, Michael approached the plaque and infused some of his Essence into it.

The magic fog around the statue roiled a bit, and the strange purple spiral formed one ground under his feet.

Neyrelle curiously approached the spiral and began inspecting it, as the Necromancer and the other two girls were more interested in the plaque.

[ Faded Plaque

Most of the inscription has been lost to time.

A few barely legible words read: ...ATONE... thy darkest... sins... ]

Unable to make heads or tails out of the words, Evelyn and Tia quickly lost interest and turned to inspect the other three statues sitting a bit higher on the hill.

Michael waited for Neyrelle to finish her assessment of the magic spiral on the ground, curious to see if she had any insight.

Probably sensing his gaze, the little scholar waved him to move closer until he was back into the area covered by the spiral.

"Seems like you found a clue."

[I think so. As soon as I figured it out, I got a strange symbol above my Life Points. When I checked it out, it said, 'You feel a strange presence gazing deep into your soul.'](Neyrelle)

"And do you? I see the same thing, but I cannot feel anything."

[Same here. But... I think I know what this is.](Neyrelle)

"Oh?"

Hearing the conversation, the hyperactive duo immediately joined in on the fun, curious to see what all this was about.

[Well, rather than knowing what it is, I know what this strange spiral is made of. Runes. To be more specific, Horadric runes. I am almost 100% sure this statue siphons the power of nature, and the runes act as a formation to cast a spell.](Neyrelle)

"Do you think it's dangerous?"

[Hmm... most probably not. This isn't something one can do on a whim. It was likely planned and set up through the work of many Horadrim. If you said you found more of them, then they are probably similar to Inarius's shrines, offering something to the Wanderers traveling the Wilderness.](Neyrelle)

"To be safe, step out of the magic area for a while. I'll try it out first since my Blood Mist can also dispel any sort of curse or damage I am being dealt. What should I do to activate the rune formation?"

[If I am not mistaken, it should be a puzzle. You said that all the plaques you found had the exact same format. However, don't you find it odd that one word is capitalized while the others aren't?](Neyrelle)

Stupefied, Michael turned to look at the faded plaque and stared at it dumbly for almost a full minute.

'That's right! How come I didn't realize something this simple? I thought they held mysterious meanings due to the various forms of the statues, but I never considered the truth to be hidden behind the words.'

[So, for this one is 'Atone'? What should we do to atone? And what should we atone for?](Tia)

[It doesn't have to be something specific. It's probably a gesture more than anything since it's a puzzle. Since a formation was created through runes, it was probably made in such a way that it would recognize different forms of atonement. Like crying, apologizing, and so on.](Neyrelle)

Nodding in agreement, Michael gestured for the nosy Assasin to get out of the spiral, after which he bowed his head and uttered, 'I'm sorry' to nobody in particular.

The dense fog covering the statue dissipated slightly, and six red balls fell from the sky around the Necromancer, scaring the shit out of him.

Upon a closer look, the party realized what they were.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

[Healing orbs?](Evelyn)

"Looks like it."

[This... doesn't make much sense.](Tia)

[It actually does. Imagine you were hunting monsters in the Wilderness and encountered an Event that depleted your Healing Potions. Now, you are being chased by monsters and heavily wounded. You come across this statue and decide that if you die, you can at least pick a decent spot for your burial. Crying, you stand in the circle, and suddenly, six Healing Orbs drop around you.](Neyrelle)

Eyebrows twitching at the wild but vivid description, Michael felt like smacking this over-imaginative child.

'However, she's not fully wrong. If the formation can recognize different forms of atonement, as she implies, then the way formations work is similar to coding back on Earth. As long as certain conditions are met, the reason for the 'program's existence will be triggered and offer a 'response.' In this case, Healing Orbs.'

Wondering what else the other statues would offer after you solved their puzzles, he instructed Neyrelle to call and let Aylin know about their discovery.

Since it was she who solved the mystery, it was only natural to be the one to brag about it.

Soon after, the call ended, and a slightly excited Neyrelle bounced up and down.

[Big sis Aylin said she'll tell the other Wanderer Representatives. They'll locate all the statues like they did with the Altars of Lilith. If they offer things like buffs, it would be good to know what and how long they last. She'll also hire a high-level Wanderer party to roam around Fractured Peaks in search of similar statues and try to figure out their puzzles.](Neyrelle)

Smiling at the happy brat, Michael took them further up the hill, where they found the Altar of Lilith.

After activating it, they carefully scrutinized the statue of the three people. However, the only thing they agreed upon was the fact that they might be Druids.

Anything else, time and weather made sure to hide.

Another thing worth being happy about was the fact that the girls saw a large body of water in the distance from atop the hill.

Since it was a similar situation to Túr Dúlra and the land marked by the MAP ended slightly north of their location, it was highly probable that they would soon reach the beach.

'I wonder if it's an ocean or a sea. The continent is pretty big but not as massive as a large continent back on Earth. I'd say it is somewhere between Australia and Africa. Maybe Europe-size.'

Judging from the edges of the continent being filled in as they traveled toward their next objective, Michael concluded the area they were in was similar to the Raritan Bay in New Jersey, US.

He didn't bother the girls with the useless knowledge and instead followed behind them as they passed through The Strandflats and searched for Altar number 16.

They encountered plenty of 'new' monsters, such as the Wretch and the Deckhand, both of which looked like drowned victims.

Furthermore, the entire area was filled with strange siren-like statues. They reminded Michael of figureheads used on sailing ships in the past, but they appeared to be made out of stone... probably with some religious intent behind their creation.

The girl trio immediately ignored all the drowned zombies and made a beeline for the water, leaving the Necromancer to deal with the mobs.

He could understand their excitement, as the salty smell of the water in the air made even him happier about the change of pace.

Watching them take off their boots and enter the water almost made Michael scream, worried about what sort of monsters might be hidden in there.

After some thinking, however, he realized that there shouldn't be any dangers since most of the monster populations in Sanctuary were created one way or another by the demons of the Burning Hells.

'Even the demons can't mess with the fishes in the water... probably. *Sigh* I really don't want to ruin their fun, but it feels that we won't be able to wrap things up today if this continues any longer.'

Fortunately, thirty minutes later, the girls had enough fun and wanted to return to killing mobs, so they continued their search on the Razor Shoals until they found their target.

Moving on the shores and watching the remains of multiple shipwrecks, the Necromancer realized just how dangerous sailing must be in Sanctuary.

Adding 'sea-faring' to his list of things to be improved in this world, the party soon found the ruins of a watchtower built atop the cliffs, where the Altar of Lilith was shining with a bright red light.

The area not even 100 meters further ahead was called Caen Adar, which the piece of paper told them to steer clear of with no other instructions attached. It was strangely white and covered in fog, exuding a deep sense of mystery.

Michael decisively shut down Tia and Evelyn's thirst for adventure and asked Neyrelle, who was slowly being corrupted by those two imps, to set the destination.

[Then, let's go to Corbach next. There's another Waypoint there, as well as Altar number 17 nearby.](Neyrelle)

The group traveled on horseback at the highest speed their mounts could muster since it was already 4:20 p.m., and they were VERY behind schedule.

Remembering Corbach, the only thing the Necromancer could link it to was famine.

Fortunately, Celeste had already solved that problem, so the settlement should be doing much better now.

Such hopes were dashed as soon as the party was granted entrance by the guards.

The depressing atmosphere was back, and from what he could tell, it was even worse than before.

[Did you hear about the cobbler's boy?](?)

[Not since his little outburst at the town council. Did they find him?](?)

[Aye. He signs nothing but praise for the chieftain's Cathedral now.](?)

Seeing Michael's furrowed brows, the girls realized the situation here might be bad, so they quickly inquired about the situation.

From what the people on the streets were saying, this place should be suffering from a lack of food provisions.

Taking a deep breath, the Necromancer explained, using vague and general terms, the overall situation he had encountered a while back and the fact that Celeste had already taken care of it.

Neyrelle suggested they investigate the situation further before reporting to Celeste.

Nevertheless, Michael decided that if nobody did anything about the chieftain, he would make sure he 'suddenly' disappeared during the night.

[*Sob* Seen too much. Far too much. Couldn't look away. Animal!](?)

[*Sigh* I'm sorry, Ritha.](?)

[They tore him apart. Why him, Ancestors? *Sob*](Ritha)

The more he listened, the worse Michael's mood dropped. This entire village was protected through druidic charms meant to repel the goatmen and other monsters.

To hear that people were still dying even with that in place... there had to be a bigger issue at play.

[Here, take my token. Eat.](?)

[Really? Can I?](?)

[Spirits alive, I'm going soft. Yes, really, girl. Quick, before I change my mind.](?)

Watching the interaction between a middle-aged man with sunken eyes and skin sticking to his bones and an equally skinning girl less than ten years old, the Necromancer infused Essense into his Ring of Communication and contacted Celeste.

[*Sigh* I did all I could, Michael. I sent them tons of provisions, but the Chieftain refused to accept any more. I tried to send Wanderers to inspect the surroundings, but the village is under the supervision of the Cathedral now, and it would be a clash if I meddled too much. It's not like I don't want to, but our forces are spread thin as it is. If conflict with the Cathedral arises now, we'll suffer too much.](Celeste)

"Is that the villagers' decision or the chieftain's?"

[...](Celeste)

"I see. I'll let you know what happens."

[Thank you. Don't overdo it.](Celeste)

Walking toward the chieftain's house, Tia almost took out her daggers after hearing a woman talking to her old dog.

[*Sniff* I can't eat you. *Sob* I can't... Oh spirits, we've been best friends for ages. No matter how hungry *sniff*, it's just you and me, boy.](?)

Evelyn was even more confused, as she didn't sense any demonic corruption. She thought the village should be able to farm until it reached self-sufficiency without any issues.

Michael shook his head and explained the issue with the goatmen plaguing this village due to the nearby Dungeons and plains swarming with them.

Passing by the chieftain's house and hearing laughter from inside, as well as sensing the taste of at least two types of meat being cooked, the Necromancer's eyes got increasingly cold.