"Take it, and henceforth I will never trust anyone again."

Unbeknownst to himself, Fang Hong found that the Scholar had already come to his side, also quietly watching this scene. "Wait," Fang Hong looked at him with some confusion: "Scholar sir, you can move?"

At this moment, the girl's figure turned into a wisp of cloud and dissipated into the night sky.

And Fang Hong subconsciously looked down only to find nothing on the ground.

The Scholar didn't answer his question but walked forward, revealing another phantom scene behind him—many people surrounding an altar. And upon seeing this scene, Tianlan let out a cry of alarm, retreating two steps in fright.

Everyone then realized they had regained the ability to move.

And that phantom realm, without any sound, vanished in the blink of an eye, reverting back to that slender figure, appearing before everyone once more.

She quietly looked at each person.

"Do not trust false victories."

Then the figure gradually shrank in height, and her voice also started to sound innocent.

"Hold on to hope, do not fear the dark—"

The figure continued to change, becoming indistinct in form, and the voice mysterious and unpredictable.

"Leave this place."

Before Fang Hong could react, the elderly Knight behind him suddenly stepped forward, righteously exclaiming, "Foul demons and spirits, be gone!"

He raised his hand, and from the Magic Guided Reactor to the palm, a flash of golden light appeared, shooting into the mist. The twisted shadow suddenly let out a shriek and then dissipated into nothingness.

The Scholar turned his head, fixing his gaze upon the Knight, but after only a brief look, he turned to continue walking. Passing through rows of tables, he once again approached the statue in the center of the square.

Fang Hong then turned to ask the elderly Knight: "Mr. Diket, did you feel that the last voice harbored ill intent?"

He knew that Paladins were always very sensitive to malevolent auras.

Mr. Diket nodded his head.

He suddenly took the Great Sword from behind his back and held it in his hand: "It's not just that."

As the shadowy phantoms parted, the Scholar had already reached the foot of the statue.

The Knight's statue had, unknown to them, developed cracks.

And embedded in the base was a gleaming sword.

At the sight of that sword, Hansen was taken aback: "The Blade of Victory born of delusion!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Hong was startled—he had clearly observed the statue before, and there was nothing on it. On the other hand, could the Blade of Victory also indicate the end of this bizarre nighttime spectacle? Was it a sign that things were returning to normal?

He pondered this question.

And the Scholar reached out his hand.

Until a voice called out to him. "Wait a minute." The speaker was Atira, the Elf Girl warily looking at him, asking: "Do you believe that by taking up that sword, we can leave this place?"

"Of course not," Hansen hurriedly explained: "After getting that sword, we still have to defeat the Shadows of the Past, then head to the City Hall, and then..."

But the Scholar did not let him finish, coldly cutting him off. "Without picking up this sword, nothing will happen."

"But you also said that what happens may not necessarily be a good thing." This time it was Gita who spoke up.

Atira stood protectively in front of the little girl, letting everyone understand, that the previous statement by the Elf Girl was just speaking on her behalf.

Gita rarely stood her ground with such severity, her stern attitude even startling Tianlan, who couldn't help but tug at the hem of her clothes quietly: "Gita..."

"Don't talk, Tianlan." Fang Hong saw something brewing, pulling the little girl from France back. He reached behind him, where his Magic Guided Reactor and other things were placed...

The Scholar glanced indifferently at Gita; he did not speak at first, as if listening to something—indeed, everyone could hear a heavy sound from the outskirts of the square, growing closer and closer.

The Scholar turned his gaze back and finally began to speak, "But it might not necessarily be a bad thing."

"No, I can almost assert it will definitely be a bad thing," Gita answered seriously.

"Why, little girl?"

"Do you still remember what that voice warned us? 'Do not trust in false victories.'

The Scholar scoffed. "Do you believe its words? We are the collaborators."

"We don't trust it, but we don't trust you either." Atira stepped in front of Gita, taking down her spear.

"Nonsense," the Scholar shook his head.

With that, he reached out for the sword, but before his fingers could touch the hilt, a crossbow bolt flew from a distance and hit the stele. The Scholar withdrew his hand and looked at them coldly.

"That joke is not funny," he said.

"By the rules, these spoils of war are ours," Parker, holding a heavy crossbow, told him.

"Hansen," the Scholar called out darkly.

"Sir, they are not wrong; this was the agreement..." Hansen said, sounding a bit helpless.

"Don't forget I am your employer, and your team's reputation record is not good. If I go to the Adventurers' Guild and complain again, you should be clear about the consequences," the Scholar replied.

"Bullshit—" Hansen rolled his eyes and turned back with a bitter smile to Atira: "Madam."

"Mr. Hansen, don't let him take up that sword; we'll all die here," Gita answered.

The Scholar was stunned for a moment, then snorted: "I don't know what has gotten into you, but look around. The bygones of Dolifen are fleeing in all directions. Can't you feel it? The Shadows of the Past are coming. Only by taking up this sword can we defeat it—"

"You indeed know everything, Mr. Scholar," Gita looked at him seriously: "Then why do you conceal it? Tell me, what is the premise of all this?"

"Premise?"

"The premise is the presence of The Faithful's Martyr's Mark," Gita said: "You clearly know this. The Blade of Victory is the 'sword,' The Faithful's Martyr's Mark is the 'shield.' To defeat the Shadows of the Past, both are indispensable. Why pretend to be unaware and attempt to draw that sword?"

Having said that, she turned back to Fang Hong and Atira: "Brother Ade, Sister Atira, the official procedure of the mission is like this: the adventurers must obtain The Faithful's Martyr's Mark first, then proceed to Grey Oak Square to take the Blade of Victory, and finally, the Scepter of Pride. One cannot be without the three artefacts of Dolifen—however, if we do not obtain The Faithful's Mark, it's not that such situations haven't occurred in the past, like mission escort failures. But in that case, the Blade of Victory must not be drawn."

"Because only by drawing the Blade of Victory do we need to confront the full entity of the Shadows of the Past. If we don't draw it, we can leave this place just by defeating a mere phantom illusion. It's just that we won't receive the reward of the three artefacts of Dolifen."

She looked at Hansen and asked, "Mr. Hansen, am I correct?"

Hansen was slightly startled, nodding subconsciously: "That's what was said..."

He was still preoccupied with the matter of his employer.

But the Scholar had already turned around once more and reached out for the sword.

There were several light clicks, and suddenly, Hansen's Gunslingers raised their guns, aiming at him.

Their Captain might be hesitating, but that didn't mean these young men would also waver, for this was a matter of life and death, and no one dared to be careless. Seeing this, Hansen was startled and hurriedly tried to mediate: "Wait a minute, wait a minute."

But at that moment, there was a soft sound, and the Scholar suddenly grunted, turning into a cloud of black smoke as he stumbled backward. When he reformed into human shape—everyone clearly saw the Scholar clutching his arm where a bloody crossbow bolt was embedded, his expression a mix of shock and anger.

"Who is it!" Hansen yelled furiously—attacking the employer, was this person seeking death?

But as he turned back to look, all of his own men were clearly motionless. Fang Hong also looked instinctively at Parker, but the Papalarian was giving them an innocent look, indicating with a gesture that his crossbow bolts were still on his crossbow.

Was there an outsider?

A terrible thought flashed through Fang Hong's mind, but just as the thought arose, he saw a shadow rush out from the crowd, heading straight for the statue.

Fang Hong recognized who it was and couldn't help but be shocked:

"Hudi!?"

...

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.