Adrian was transported just outside the Holy City of Light, Sanctus. He was teleported to a paved road that was made using marble. If anyone were to see the city then it could only describe it as shining. This is one of the independent cities that is not in the control of the empire despite near the borders of the empire.
The reason the Holy City of Light is not regulated by the Empire is that the Pope of the Church of Light manages this city. Since even the empire does not dare control the Holy City, how could other kingdoms do so. Another reason is that the current Pope is related to the Emperor. Another reason is that the imperial family is said to be descendants of the Sun god which in turn is a son of the Goddess of Light.
Adrian walked on this paved marble roads and immediately stopped in his tracks. He looked for a nearby shady area where no people could see him and went there.
“If my hunch is correct then I could not waltz inside the Holy City of Light. There should be some kind of True Sight item in the gates. If there wasn’t then the Holy City would not be deemed as a safe haven. If there was no true sight then the Daemos would have easily infiltrated the city.” Adrian thought.
Ascalor once told Adrian during their training session that they could not easily infiltrate holy cities. Adrian was told that it was very difficult to even teleport inside because they could be detected. Adrian would have to reevaluate how to get inside the Holy City of Light.
“I could use the mask. It could transform me in a cellular level to what I was when I was human. I just need to confidently go inside and present my adventurer ID.” Adrian thought as he pulled the mask that was inside his inventory.
Adrian placed the faceless mask on his face. The mask looked like contorted group of flesh mashed together. It was like a mask that something one would wear for a horror house. A system notification then appeared before Adrian.
[Please choose an image from your archive.]
Images of all the people that Adrian encountered appeared before him. Some were even NPCs but most importantly, they were all the people Adrian spent some time with. Adrian then realized something skin crawling.
“This item is scary! As long as you spent enough time with them then you could transform to become them. It is a great item to infiltrate fortresses of any safeguarded city.” Adrian muttered while another system notification appeared.
[If the individual cannot be chosen or is not in the archive, obtaining a sample gene of the person will be added. The sample will only last for one transformation.]
Adrian was once again shocked by the usefulness of the item. If he wants to become someone he is unfamimiliar with then all he needed was something like a strand of hair or a drop of blood. Adrian was then saddened that he could only use the item ten times.
Adrian chose the image of when he was human. The faceless mask that was barely clinging to his face suddenly latched onto it. It was not even a comfortable feeling. It feels like an eel or a slimy thing was on his face. The feeling was disturbing but Adrian kept up with it as he did not want to break the transformation.
If Adrian was viewed by someone who has seen a faceless one then they would probably scream in horror. Adrian’s face transformed first into a faceless one followed by his body. His body then slowly but surely morphed into his human avatar. His clothes also change to look just like his beginner garb. He looked like a beginner that started in the Holy City.
Adrian then cooked up a plan that would guarantee him entrance in the Holy City. He then started gathering simple herbs and fruits near the woodland area. Since the Goddess of Light was worshipped in Sanctus, the wildlife in the area was bathe in wondrous light that the goddess herself watches over. .
About thirty minutes later, Adrian went up towards the gate. The line was moving quick as the guards will only inspect you if the gate crystal glowed red or if you have not gotten proper identification. When Adrian’s turn was up, the gate crystal glowed a red light and he was asked to raise his hands.
A sorcerer looking woman dressed in a grand white mage robe appeared and cast magic towards Adrian. Since Adrian’s physiology was change to his starting stats, he was weak. Adrian was even holding a bag. When the guards checked the bag, all they saw was a bag full of herbs and fruits.
“State your name and where you come from.” The guard said in a probing tone.
“I am Keros from a village south of here. I was just on my way to the city so that I could sell my herbs and fruits. It is my first time here as my mother became sick so I journeyed to this city for her. I have been told that herbs are sold a lot more in the city.” Adrian said and even acted a little afraid.
Adrian even searched for videos in the internet about acting. He would practice for ten minutes in front of a mirror every single day. His terrible acting has leveled up from mildly terrible. Nevertheless, it proved effective for the guard because his belongings were only fruits and herbs. The sorcerer even said that he was clean, weak, and poses no threat.
“Is that so? You could go inside then but get an ID from the adventurer’s guild or somewhere so that you could go inside cities freely. It is a burden for both you and the guards if we will always inspect you each time. Take care of you mother when you return to your village.” The guard said.
“Yes. I will do as you have ordered good sir. I thank you for your understanding nature. Keep up the good work.” Adrian said as he bowed and entered the city.
When Adrian entered the city, his smile was from ear to ear. The first thing he did was to go to the adventurer’s guild and get an ID for his current look. He wanted to go to a black market dealer for it but the black market is only available for players 18 years old and above.
“Seriously, even the black market has an age limit. That is fine. There probably is no black market here in Sanctus anyway since paladins even roam the place. The first thing to do is find a priest that I could trap in Sirius’ shadow. Transform into that priest and infiltrate the church.” Adrian said as he looked at a tall structure in the middle of the city.
The church located in the middle of the Holy City of Sanctus was hailed by players as one of the most beautiful structures in all of Pandemonium. Even Adrian would agree that it was beautiful but he has seen other structures that could compare or even much more beautiful than it.
“Even the Paradox Plane is much more beautiful than that white gold coated building. The Paradox Plane looks like a constellation brought to life if viewed from above. The Paradox Plane looks like a sea of stars that one would even wonder if it was even real.” Adrian muttered as he looked for the adventurer’s guild.
Adrian hurriedly got an ID from the adventurer’s guild and immediately set his plan in motion.
“Why am I getting excited doing something bad? Wait. It is not bad I am just stealing…I mean returning back what belongs to the owner anyways. Yes! That’s what it is. I am just returning what was stolen from the owner. I am basically stealing the stolen item. Two negatives cancels each other out.” Adrian told himself while he was circling the square.
Adrian could now see what was different inside a holy city. The people were rather cheerful and order was observed. There was not even small fights in the scene. There were bars in the city but it seems that you cannot walk the streets drunk or else you will get detained until you sober up.
The city was bustling with life and emotions. It made Adrian feel a little jealous because he must take proper caution if he were to reveal his true form. Nevertheless, great power also comes with circumstances. He was wandering the city square in search for priests but all he saw was players in priest garbs.
What Adrian needed was an NPC priest. There was only location where he could find one and that was the church itself. Adrian hoped that the Goddess of Light does not actively observe every priest worshipping her or else his plan was doomed before it even began. Adrian in deep thought as he went towards the giant white castle like church.
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