As Todd stepped out of the cabin, he glanced back at the half-closed door and sighed softly.

Back on deck, Todd saw Evie binding Selma's hands with a rope. Puzzled, he went over and asked, "What's going on?"

"She wanted to end her own life."

Todd was taken aback, then squatted down and looked at the dark-skinned Arab girl.

There was no despair or fear in their eyes after being captured, only fanaticism for their faith.

"The Mother Goddess watches over everything in the mortal world! She is all-knowing and all-powerful! My body may die, but my soul will live forever in the Mother Goddess's temple!"

Hearing the words coming out of Selma's mouth, Todd frowned and asked, "The Mother Goddess knows everything? Are you sure? Including your failed mission and arrest today, all of this was within her expectations? Then why did she send you here to die?"

Selma paused for a few seconds, then shouted, "What do these foolish mortals know?! Our failure is nothing more than part of the Mother Goddess's grand vision..."

Evie delivered a swift chop to the back of Selma's neck, then shook her head at Todd and said, "This is the best way to shut up a fanatic."

Todd looked at Selma, who was lying slumped over, and gave Evie a wry smile.

Evie shrugged: "Sometimes, I really can't understand why you're always so...gentle with women..."

What should have been a compliment was twisted in a sarcastic tone by Evie, leaving Todd scratching his head in exasperation.

"As for him, what should we do?"

Evie turned her gaze to the dying Hyatt and reminded Todd, "I don't need to say anything more, you should know how powerful this guy's abilities are..."

Todd first looked at the collar made of magic magnetic crystal around Hyatt's neck, then looked at the river, and said, "An old friend of his will be coming to see him later. Until then, just keep him alive."

Evie nodded: "Then there's only one last question: what should we do with this thing?"

A uniquely shaped iron box, secured with several brass locks, appeared before Todd.

"Is this the thing used for the resurrection ritual?" Todd took the metal box, examined it from all angles, and then asked Evie, "Have you tried opening it?"

Evie smiled and drew the sword from her back, saying to Todd, "If you don't mind..."

Todd waved his hand repeatedly and said, "Forget it, just to be safe, let's send this thing to Muxi City."

At the city gates of Holy Guard City, the Knights of Twilight were locked in a tense standoff with the guards on the city walls.

"Step back! Don't make me repeat myself!" The commander of the city gate guards roared at the troops below the gate, "Your behavior is a shameless betrayal of our Heavenly Father and brothers!"

Mounted on horseback, Cumberland picked at his ear with his little finger and said to his adjutant behind him, "Gather the explosives, have the heavy infantry cover the craftsmen as they advance, and blow open the city gates!"

Upon hearing this, the adjutant quickly dissuaded him, saying, "Sir, this is completely different from the tactics Lord Emerson instructed us to use before we set off! Wasn't it agreed that we would first lure them in with bribes, and then launch a full-scale attack?"

Cumberland sighed heavily: "Then let's proceed according to the original plan, but don't waste too much time... You should also know that the Church's army is heading towards Holy Guard City, and now is the time to race against time!"

The adjutant nodded hurriedly and waved for several large carts loaded with food and wine to drive to the area below the city gate.

"The Knights of Twilight received news of the attack on the mission, so we came here specifically to protect the king's people!" The adjutant ordered his men to push the cart forward to ensure that everyone on the city wall could see it. "We have also brought a new batch of aid. If you let us in, all of this is yours."

Seeing the carriages laden with wine and meat beneath the city gate, the Saint Guard soldiers, who were short of food and clothing, immediately swallowed hard.

A short while later, a burst of arguing and shouting came from the city tower.

A few minutes later, the voice of the city gate commander rang out again: "Get out of my sight right now! Otherwise, I don't mind driving a few arrows with my name engraved on them into your buttocks!"

Cumberland laughed and patted the saddle: "Good! This guy is really good! This is more like the style of the Holy Guard! Messenger! Order the whole army to prepare for battle, and send the explosives up from the rear!"

A scream interrupted the old knight's laughter.

A corpse with a dagger stuck in its back was thrown down from the city wall.

"We surrender! We surrender!"

Amidst the pleas of a crowd, the drawbridge was slowly lowered and the city gates were gradually opened.

Cumberland, who had captured St. Defence without losing a single soldier, led his troops into the city's streets, but his face showed no sign of pleasure.

A thin man hiding in the shadows by the roadside bowed to Cumberland on horseback and said, "My lord, the chieftain ordered me to meet you here. I have been waiting for a long time."

With a grim expression, Cumberland asked the man, "Was it you who assassinated the city gate commander just now?"

"It's nothing, not worth mentioning." A dagger suddenly appeared in the man's hand and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Our men have already been placed in the three city gates of Holy Guard City, as well as the guards in the inner city of the royal palace." The man winked at Cumberland. "You only need to send a team to these places, and you can take these important strongholds without breaking a sweat."

Cumberland stroked his beard, frowned, and remained silent.

The man reminded him, "Sir, the church's army could arrive at any moment. Controlling the situation sooner is to our advantage! Please don't forget, everything is for the sake of the Kingdom of Muxi..."

Cumberland, his brow furrowed, paused for a moment, then turned to his adjutant and said through gritted teeth, "Do as he says!"

On the top of the bell tower of the Holy Guard City, two women stood looking towards the city gate.

One of them said, "Sister, the Twilight Knights have successfully entered the city."

A gentle breeze lifted the hood of another person, revealing a face that was none other than Rachel's.

Rachel said, "Everything in Holy Guard City is going as we expected. We just need His Majesty to enter the city so we can proceed with the second step of our plan..."

"Is this alright?" the first woman asked, puzzled. "We've put in so much effort and thought, only to have a woman who refuses to acknowledge her alien identity win the victory."

Rachel took out a snake-scented fruit from her pocket, smiled, and took a bite: "There's nothing wrong with that. If she's smart enough, she'll naturally know when to do what..."

"But what if she's not smart enough?"

The fruit in Rachel's hand was instantly shredded into pieces by her mental power: "That would be more interesting... because I have a hundred ways to ruin her reputation, destroy her will, and condemn her to a life of hell from which she can never escape!"