"Please wait a moment."

Fang Zheng's voice was not loud, but it echoed throughout the square. Upon hearing his voice, the bald man who was about to throw the torch was stunned and turned to look at Fang Zheng.

"Who are you?"

Looking at Fang Zheng's luxurious and somewhat strange clothes, the bald man became more cautious. The overall level of this world is still the Middle Ages. In this era, men generally wear long or short sleeves on the upper body, and pants similar to tights on the lower body, and then put on leather boots on the outside. However, Fang Zheng's clothes are obviously different. He wears a black suit and leather shoes, and a windbreaker on the outside. He doesn't fit in with the others no matter how you look at it - Liz and Miaojie at least put on a cloak, which is not strange from the outside.

But Fang Zheng's outfit is very strange...

"I'm just a stranger."

In response to the bald man's question, Fang Zheng smiled, walked slowly forward, and pointed at the two women tied to the stake in front of him.

"May I ask, what crime did they commit that deserved the death penalty?"

"Because they are freaks! They are warlocks! Evil power flows in their blood! So they must be purified!"

The bald man shouted again, and at the same time, the crowd around the square also shouted.

"Holy fire! Illuminate, burn, and purify everything!"

Hearing the cheers from the crowd, Xili frowned, Lisi's face also looked very unhappy, Miaojie glanced around, although she didn't say anything, but her expression also looked much stiffer. Fangzheng narrowed his eyes, still smiling at the bald man in front of him.

"Oh, so these two ladies didn't commit any crime like murder. They were executed just because they have different blood and different powers from ordinary people?"

"Of course, they are the embodiment of evil, the offspring of the devil, the minions walking in the darkness! They are inhuman!!"

"No, I didn't do anything."

Hearing the bald man's shout, one of the women suddenly screamed.

"I haven't done anything bad! I'm innocent! I just want to live the same life as you! Save me!!"

"Witness the gift and mercy of fire!"

The bald man held the torch high, walked up to the girl and stared at her. Not far behind him, a priest in a red and white robe also began to pray loudly.

"The flame ignites us and protects us from evil. The pure and supreme flame heals our hearts. The most sacred flame drives away all beasts. The flame will burn everything and burn the hearts of the enemies. The flame keeps dancing, illuminating the most brilliant path for us. The red flame shines brightly, protecting us from suffering. The flame gives warmth and guides the direction of our lives. Eternal fire, we pray to you. Eternal fire, we place our faith in you. Eternal fire, there is no other god in our eyes!!!"

As the pastor prayed, the bald man raised the torch high and looked at the woman with a ferocious smile.

"Freak, this is a special pyre made for you. Let you slowly enjoy the taste of being burned to death. Sooner or later, you will beg for mercy with all kinds of sounds, just like other freaks!"

As he spoke, the bald man threw the torch into the fire, and flames suddenly rose up - and then disappeared without a trace.

"What's going on?"

The bald man was shocked when he saw this scene, and the others were talking about it. But then, an even more surprising scene happened.

The flame went out silently.

Not only the torches in the soldiers' hands, but also the pillars of fire that illuminated the surroundings and the flames in the candles and oil lamps lit in the homes of the people disappeared silently.

The free city that once burned with an eternal flame is now plunged into darkness.

Even the sun's brightness began to dim, and thick dark clouds appeared from nowhere, covering the entire sky.

Citizens took to the streets, looking at everything in front of them in surprise and horror. They talked about it, having no idea what was going on.

"I see."

And in the square, Fang Zheng's voice sounded again. He put his hands behind his back and stared at the bald man in front of him with a smile on his face.

"Because I can't understand it, I'm afraid of it. Because I can't accept it, I reject it. Do I get a twisted pleasure from burning those beings with extraordinary powers to death easily?"

“…”

No one spoke, and many people looked around in panic, not knowing how to react. Fang Zheng, however, stood with his hands behind his back, and walked forward slowly.

"That's why you all gathered here, cheering and jumping for joy, because it makes you feel powerful, a power that allows you to fight against those inhuman beings... Well, unfortunately, this is just an illusion."

"You did this?!"

The bald man was not a fool. Seeing Fang Zheng like this, he immediately determined that the strange situation in front of him was related to this man. So the bald man waved his hand, and immediately soldiers came forward and surrounded him completely.

"Who are you? How dare you act so presumptuously in front of the Eternal Fire!"

"Eternal Fire... Well, the prayer is well written, but it's a pity that the people who believe in it are so cheap. They are a bunch of stupid mortals who seek comfort with the power of fire."

Having said this, Fang Zheng raised his head and revealed a cold smile.

"Then, let me show you what real fire is."

As he spoke, Fang Zheng stamped his feet lightly.

"boom--!!!"

The ground cracked, and hot air burst out instantly, blowing away the people and soldiers around. The bald man screamed, hit the wall and fainted. At this moment, the crowd watching the execution panicked and fled screaming. Fang Zheng also walked slowly to the stake and made a gesture. Soon, the ropes binding the two women broke and shattered, letting the two women down.

"Thank you, thank you for your help, kind sir."

"You're welcome. It's just a small favor."

In response to the woman's thanks, Fang Zheng waved his hand.

"Leave this damn place and go live somewhere else. It may be hard, but it's better than being tied to the stake."

After hearing what Fang Zheng said, the two women bowed deeply to him and then turned away. At this time, Xili and the others also came to Fang Zheng.

"What on earth are you thinking about?!"

Xili wanted to grab Fang Zheng by the collar. She had hoped to keep a low profile at this time, but Fang Zheng messed up everything!

"This will put us in big trouble!"

"Trouble? I don't see any trouble, Miss Ciri."

Fang Zheng reached out and held Xili's hand, staring at her at the same time.

"Perhaps you still don't understand. Then I'll say it again. Those with power make the rules, and that means I can do whatever I want. No one can stop me... Anyway, if you have time to complain to me, why don't you go interrogate that bald guy and ask him where your good friend is? Maybe he knows."

Hearing Fang Zheng's words, Xili glared at him speechlessly, then rushed to the unconscious bald man not far away. Miao Jie walked to Fang Zheng with a smile and took his arm.

"As expected of Mr. Fang Zheng, he is indeed very manly. He is willing to fight against a sect for two suffering women. It is really admirable."

"The goddess will never forgive their evil and barbaric behavior!"

Liz clenched her fists and wanted to take out her chain sword. She wanted to burn the other party to death just because he possessed strange powers. In Liz's opinion, this behavior was clearly a cult heresy - oh, by the way, she was also a believer.

Now there is no compromise between pagans.

Just then, Ciri also came back.

"I found out that Dandelion is imprisoned under Temple Island... Let's get out of here quickly!"

"Do you know where Temple Island is?"

"Sure...what do you want to do?"

Facing Xili's puzzled question, Fang Zheng rolled his eyes.

"To save people, of course."

"Are you crazy?"

Hearing Fang Zheng's answer, Xili was stunned and horrified. She originally thought that Fang Zheng would take advantage of the chaos to escape after saving the people, but she didn't expect that he would continue to move forward and go directly to the Temple Island?

"Are you going to make an enemy of all of Novigrad and the Cult of the Eternal Flame?"

"So what?"

Fang Zheng glanced at Xili with a smile.

"Ms. Ciri, you are just too cautious. You are used to running away, and you have given up thinking. In fact, there is not only one choice in this world. Maybe in your opinion, we should act cautiously, find clues, and then seize the opportunity to rescue your friend. But for me, there is a simpler solution to this problem, which is to go directly over, break down their door, and take the person away."

"You...you don't understand what kind of power you are fighting against!"

"It's you who doesn't understand, Miss Ciri."

Fang Zheng narrowed his eyes again and stared at Xili.

"I can tell you clearly that in this world, no one is my opponent. No matter if it's the Northern Alliance you mentioned, Nilfgaard, or the Eternal Flame, I won't frown even if they are all combined. Moreover, compared to being annoyed by others and pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger, I personally prefer to show my strength from the beginning and let those guys with ulterior motives weigh their options carefully."

Having said this, Fang Zheng turned around and continued forward.

"Okay, let's go. Where is the Temple Island? Please lead the way."

For Novigrad, at this moment, they fell into unprecedented chaos.

The whole city was wrapped in a sudden cold. It was still midsummer, but it felt as cold as winter. Many people closed their doors and windows and shivered at home. Even the wealthy merchants and nobles were no different. They huddled tightly in their quilts and shivered. All methods of keeping warm had no effect. Whether it was using flint to light a fire or using magic props to create a flame, nothing worked. It was as if the flame had completely disappeared from this world.

Soon, these people also learned what happened in Novigrad Square and quickly identified the source of all the disasters - that was Fang Zheng! !

In their opinion, Fang Zheng might be a powerful sorcerer. Perhaps it was because of this that he had the courage to come here and challenge the Eternal Flame face to face. But could this be tolerated? Of course not!!

Soon, fully armed soldiers were gathered together, and the witch hunters and temple guards also took up their weapons and attacked Fang Zheng and the other four.

But then, an unbelievable scene happened.

Hundreds of arrows that could turn an enemy into a hedgehog flew out from all directions, but they completely melted into the air before they could get close to Fang Zheng and his companions. Some witch hunters and temple guards also tried to attack Fang Zheng by sneaking up on him, but as soon as they rushed out, they were like they had hit an invisible wall and started burning. In a short while, they turned into a pile of charcoal.

Is this ok?

Following Fang Zheng, Ciri was stunned by the scene and had no idea how to react. She knew Fang Zheng was very powerful, as evidenced by the metal warships. But what Ciri didn't expect was that Fang Zheng himself possessed a power that she couldn't even imagine. Ciri had seen the most powerful warlocks in the world, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't think of anyone who could do what Fang Zheng did.

In fact, until now, Xili didn't know what Fang Zheng had done. He just stood with his hands behind his back and walked forward leisurely. He didn't recite any spells, didn't make any magic gestures, and couldn't see any magical power fluctuations, but the soldiers who rushed towards him just burned one after another, and then completely turned into black charcoal.

Thinking of this, Ciri suddenly found herself getting excited.

If all this is not a dream, then does it mean that he really has enough power to fight against the entire Eternal Fire Sect, or even the entire city?

Is this the value of power?

For Ciri, who had been on the run from the pursuit, she had never thought of such a thing. She was used to being hunted and used to running away. Even if she had a stronger power, Ciri just thought it would be easier for her to escape. She had never thought that after having a strong power, there would be another choice.

That is to do as Fang Zheng said, to fight back head-on!

So what if I provoke you? So what if you come to kill me? What can you do to me? No matter what you do, it's meaningless to me, so what can you do?

Staring at Fang Zheng, who was walking ahead leisurely and without any pressure, Xili clenched her fists tightly.

This feeling... seems to be really good?