The campfire crackled, and the warmth of the food temporarily soothed the tense nerves.

While slurping his fish slices, Mark mumbled to Kyle, "The news's already out, and maybe a new quest from the Rotten Vine Alliance will appear tomorrow... But we still need to find an easy target to pick on tomorrow, get some contribution points, and upgrade our map access as soon as possible. You guys, contact the guild leader about that..."

Kyle swallowed the delicious fish and nodded calmly: "I will immediately try to leave a specific mark on the leader using church secrets. At the same time, we can choose a place with enough fanfare to attract the attention of all parties for our next move."

...

As the campfire died down, the dawn struggled to pierce the perpetual gray-green miasma of the Lor Swamp.

After briefly outlining their communication methods, Mark's team and Kyle's team split up and began their operations separately.

Kyle, along with Ruby, Oak, and the others, quietly disappeared into the depths of the swamp.

They needed to find a relatively safe secret location, try to contact Commander Alfonso using church secret methods, and prepare to carry out the "big enough" operation that Kyle had mentioned.

Mark's team once again stepped into the polluted air of the Black Street.

This time, the target was still clear: the cellar in the backyard of the corner pub.

The air was still thick with the smell of musty tobacco and cheap tobacco, and the wait was still unbearably irritating.

Enzo crossed his arms, his newly forged spare warhammer at his feet, his obsidian-like face etched with impatience.

Monica quietly blended into the shadows of the corner, her languid movements revealing the faint glow of the Ring of Truth.

Anna sat next to Monica, though her face remained pale.

But last night, under the spicy and fragrant boiled blind fish slices Mark made and the silent protection of his teammates, the confusion in his eyes had faded considerably, replaced by a calm and resolute look.

Mark leaned against the wall, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the cross necklace on his chest, a faint, charlatan-like smile returning to his face.

"Squeak—"

The old wooden door creaked open, and that familiar gray figure slipped in once more, like a shadow flowing through water.

He still wore tight leather armor, a half-face mask, revealing only a pair of sharp, hawk-like eyes that held scrutiny and arrogance.

The aura of a high-ranking thief permeated the small space.

But looking at this thief again, Mark felt that he was quite similar to the six gray-clad men he had encountered before.

Unfortunately, this was, after all, the territory of the Rotten Vine Alliance, and Mark wasn't foolish enough to have Monica use her Appraisal skill on this Rotten Vine Alliance manager.

"Bark said your mission failed, yet you're willing to spend money to replenish your mana?" The thief's voice was low and hoarse, carrying a hint of barely perceptible sarcasm. "Looks like you still have some savings. Are you going to continue taking on missions, or get out of the buffer zone?"

Mark stood up, his smile as perfect as if sculpted: "The Holy Light guides us; the path to purifying heresy is always fraught with thorns. We understand the Alliance's rules; if we don't have enough contribution points, we'll make up for it with quests. What 'hard stuff' do we have this time?"

Without a word, the thief tossed several new animal hide scrolls onto the dusty ground.

"The Alliance has released several new quests with generous rewards. Especially the 'Heart of Bloodvine'," he glanced at Mark, a hint of probing in his eyes, "the quest level has been raised. The Deadwood Tribe was wiped out by the Church of the Holy Light, but the Heart of Bloodvine seems to have fallen into the hands of the Church Knights."

"The new objective is to track down and seize the Bloodvine Heart that has fallen into the hands of the Church Knights! Successful completion will not only grant the individual a direct promotion to Level 3, but the Alliance will also guarantee an additional 'Advanced Faith Supply'!"

He deliberately emphasized the words "advanced faith supply," his cloudy eyes fixed on Mark, trying to catch any hint of greed or desire.

For most professionals, professional experience can be accumulated by killing people and monsters, but faith points are not so easy to earn after reaching the mid-to-high level.

After all, how many ordinary people truly possess the same fervent faith as the Holy Knights of the Holy Light Church?

However, Mark's smile remained unchanged, and a faint trace of indifference even flashed in the depths of his eyes.

Advanced faith provision?

Since establishing a connection with that unspeakable "mysterious being," his path to power advancement has become exceptionally smooth.

Each time he touches the barrier to advancement, a vast power will violently tear through the bottleneck and push him to the next level, without him needing to worry about any faith points.

As for Monica, Anna, Enzo, and even Kyle and Ruby in the camp?

They were originally chosen by the gods or were exceptionally gifted, so their advancement was as natural as water flowing into a channel.

Such external supply is not only useless, but may even interfere with the pure trajectory of its own power.

This reward held no appeal for Mark's team; in fact, it seemed laughable.

"By the Holy Light, the Church Knights are exceptionally powerful. Such a heavy responsibility is probably beyond our capabilities."

Mark's tone carried just the right amount of regret and self-awareness as his gaze swept directly over the upgraded "Heart of the Bloodvine" quest scroll, as well as several other scrolls marked "Disrupt human logistics nodes" and "Assassinate a certain Allied lieutenant."

Their bottom line has never changed: they will not wield a knife against their own compatriots.

Mark's fingers swept over the remaining scrolls, finally selecting four with swift, decisive movements:

[Clearing out the 'Cracked Tooth' outpost]: Intelligence indicates that there is a small orc outpost on the edge of the buffer zone, with weak garrison forces, suitable for training troops.

[Obtain the 'Blackswamp Crocodile' Glands]: Hunt down the Blackswamp Crocodile, a magical beast native to the Lol Swamp, and collect its highly venomous glands. These are commonly used materials by orc shamans to create curse mediums.

[Destroy the outer totem poles of the 'Bloodclaw' tribe]: This tribe is a large clan of orc tribes. Only a small branch of the tribe exists in the Lor Swamp. Destroying its outer totem poles can damage morale (not the core).

[Reconnaissance of Orc Movements in Stonethroat Canyon]: Determine the scale and purpose of the elite Orc squads' activities in the canyon area.

“By the Holy Light, it is our duty to purify heretics.” Mark picked up the four scrolls, his tone calm and even. “We accept these missions.”

The expectation in the thief's eyes froze instantly, followed by a fleeting look of astonishment.

Level 3 member!

Advanced Faith Supply!

A reward that would drive Black Street mercenaries crazy was so easily ignored by the other party?

He didn't even glance at the upgrade quest scroll again!

Isn't this priest just a down-on-his-luck priest from the countryside? Why is he ignoring such a generous reward?

This is a reward that even the person who issued the task was envious of!

"Hey! That Bloodvine Heart quest..." the thief couldn't help but ask.

“The Holy Light has its own arrangements.” Mark interrupted him, his smile deepening, appearing both sincere and distant. “To be greedy for quick success is not the act of a wise man. The purification of heresy should be carried out step by step, with careful planning. Farewell.”