The young man turned his head and said to the person next to him, "Twenty, take good care of her. I'll be back soon."

Twenty silently glanced at the other party and asked, "I'm better at tracking. Should I come with you?"

The young man shook his head, just about to say something.

Suddenly, from deep within the Forest, an extremely piercing shriek echoed, sweeping through the air and causing the entire woodland to rustle violently.

The needles of the pine trees fell to the ground.

Everyone turned their heads in that direction.

"That's the incarnate of Dragon's Golden Eyes."

The man squinted slightly and was the first to dash towards that direction.

The young man was shocked for a moment but followed swiftly after. Then, followers of the Dragon Worship Sect and other members of the Dragonfire Guild also hurriedly pursued their leaders and chairman.

Big Sister, who was still pouting in anger, saw this, gritted her teeth, and chased after them.

...

About twenty feet above the ground, in the tree canopy, a faint golden light flashed momentarily, and a Clockwork Fairy jolted, almost falling to the ground from the impact of the shriek.

Fang Hong was startled.

He hurriedly lunged forward to catch the Clockwork Fairy, preventing it from falling into the bushes. He turned his head back with a cold sweat and looked around.

The shriek must have come from the direction of the Forest near the City Hall. He hadn't expected the incarnate of Dragon's Golden Eyes to still be lingering there.

Mainly because during the time at the Traveler's Rest, the impressive tracking ability of the incarnate of Dragon's Horn had left him with a deep psychological shadow. It seemed to accurately perceive the Crown Mark he carried—the thing called Pale Glory—wherever he was.

Then it locked onto him firmly, managing to find him without fail, wherever he was.

But here, the incarnate of Dragon's Golden Eyes didn't make him its primary target, which left him somewhat disoriented for a moment.

Because Fang Hong felt that someone as extraordinarily unlucky as himself is usually the protagonist in various novels.

It appeared he did not count as the protagonist—

Fang Hong was unsure whether to feel happy or worried at this moment.

After recalling the Clockwork Fairy, Red Leaf asked from the side, "How is it?"

"How is what?" Fang Hong hadn't snapped back to reality yet when he replied with a question, "Are you asking about Dragon's Golden Eyes?"

Red Leaf rolled her eyes, "Have you gone stupid? I was asking about the situation outside. Did I not hear that mother lizard's loud scream, why would I need to ask you?"

"Aren't you curious about what happened?"

"What's there to be curious about? I wish it stays as far away from us as possible," Red Leaf answered impatiently.

Fang Hong scratched his head and said honestly, "I thought you were in a hurry to seek revenge on it."

Red Leaf's face reddened. "I was just blind with rage then. How could I possibly seek revenge on it? What's the point other than to add another casualty? That's not called revenge, that's humiliating yourself."

Suddenly suspicious, she looked at Fang Hong, "Did you ask that just to make fun of me?"

"Ah?" Fang Hong jumped, "No, no, I just mentioned it in passing."

"I bet you wouldn't dare."

"Hey, you two, can you stop flirting here and tell a poor Papalarian what exactly is happening outside?" Parker bounced and hopped under the bushes, but no matter what, he couldn't see what was happening outside.

Red Leaf, annoyed, kicked the guy far away with one foot, "A dog can't spit out ivory."

Watching Parker slap the dust off himself and get up like nothing happened, Fang Hong figured the guy must be used to being bullied by Tianlan. He turned once again to gaze at Hilveld, who also seemed to be waiting for an answer, and he launched the Clockwork Fairy once more—

Just outside the thicket, they were already at the outskirts of Haggston Cemetery, where the dim lights of Mist Shield Manor could be seen flickering in the distance.

Between the cemetery and Mist Shield Manor lay a small copse of hazel trees, cut through by a wide carriage path.

Thirty years ago, it must have been the nobles of Dolifen who rode in black carriages and wore black mourning attire to attend the funerals of relatives and prominent social figures here.

Further beyond the woodland loomed the silhouette of a tall building, like a two-headed giant standing above the treetops—that was Hustings Cathedral.

In fact, Haggston Cemetery was originally part of the cathedral, which was tended to by the clergy before their departure.

After all, in this fantasy world, if the deceased did not find peace, they could indeed turn into real vengeful spirits.

Just like now.

Fang Hong saw through the Clockwork Fairy in that direction some scattered points of firelight, and not just a few; if nothing went wrong, those people should be followers of the Dragon Worship Sect.

However, the forest was shrouded in a dense fog, and the Dragon Worship followers seemed to be wandering around the outskirts without approaching the cathedral.

Only then did Fang Hong withdraw the Clockwork Fairy. "There are people outside, and quite a few of them."

"What should we do then?" Red Leaf asked, "Take advantage of their distraction and break in?"

"Dragon Worship followers are on average at a higher level than the Dragonfire Guild, are you sure we can break in?" Fang Hong curiously asked.

Red Leaf immediately shut her mouth.

It was just an offhand suggestion; after numerous encounters with the Dragon Worship Sect and the Dragonfire Guild these past days, she certainly knew all too well the strength of their opponents.

Fang Hong thought for a while and then said, "However, there's still a chance. First, it's night, which favors offense rather than defense. Second, the fog in the forest is so thick it's a bit eerie; I think this may have something to do with the area's quest, which is to our advantage."

He paused for a moment, picked up a stick from the ground, and drew a sketch of Hustings Cathedral—essentially a crooked rectangle: "I think we can split up and move in pairs, with Parker, who specializes in stealth, and Miss Xiesta, who has the strongest combat power, each carrying a Zealot's Mark of Sacrifice and a Steadfast's Martyr's Mark into the cathedral. The rest will be responsible for creating diversions and coordination. This way, our chances are much greater than if we simply try to break through alone."

He looked up at the others and asked, "What does everyone think?"

Before Red Leaf had a chance to express her opinion, the Papalarian beside her quickly raised his short, chubby hand, eagerly saying, "I think it can work!"

Fang Hong glanced at him, feeling puzzled, thinking he must be off his rocker; he had thought it would take some effort to persuade him.

Miss Hilveld, however, shook her head: "I can only partly agree with the plan. Think about it, Captain, what's the difference between moving in pairs and acting individually? If discovered by the Dragon Worshippers, the outcome won't change."

"Acting on our own?"

The noble lady nodded: "If we each act on our own, the targets are more scattered, and the waters murkier, right?"

Fang Hong found her point somewhat reasonable. Just as he was about to speak, Miss Hilveld already interrupted him, continuing, "Moreover, it would be best for the captain to carry one of the marks."

"Me?" Fang Hong was startled, not understanding why Miss Hilveld would choose him; he was the weakest in combat among them. Although he 'exploded' Fox's equipment and acquired a Walker III-type Flexible Construct, it still needed adjustments—and at the very least, he needed to swap out for a Non-Attribute Core Crystal.

Miss Hilveld should know this, right?

He looked at her, puzzled.

But the noble lady answered, "Because no one here understands the core of this mission better than you, it's simple logic. For others, it's knowing the what without knowing the why. What if there's an emergency?"

Red Leaf, who subconsciously wanted to object, saw Fang Hong as a bit of a dolt with no combat power and didn't feel comfortable entrusting something so important to him.

But upon hearing Miss Hilveld's words, she couldn't help but nod: "Miss Hilveld makes sense, Ade, I think you should consider it."

Fang Hong looked at her with a wry smile.

He thought, Red Leaf, you big and burly traitor, you've turned against the cause too. Though what Miss Hilveld said indeed made a lot of sense, knowing the habits of the noble lady—

Fang Hong couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to her wanting him to take the mark than met the eye.

He hadn't forgotten how Elpaxin had made a fool of him.

...

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