The icy water splashed on her face, and Valeria gasped sharply, jolting awake from her unconsciousness.
Her blurry vision gradually focused, and the first thing she saw was a pair of vertical pupils that shimmered with curious golden light in the dim candlelight—it was that terrifying black cat girl, squatting in front of her, tilting her head to examine her.
What followed was a sense of oppression that felt almost tangible, enveloping the entire body.
Valeria turned her stiff neck with difficulty, her gaze passing over Nix and landing on the man sitting in the shadows.
Lind Truk. He wasn't wearing his signature armor, just a simple dark casual outfit, casually leaning back in a hard wooden chair, his fingers tapping the armrest idly.
There was no arrogance of a victor on that young face, only a deep, calm stillness, and those sharp eyes that seemed to pierce through the soul were now scrutinizing her without any warmth, as if assessing the value of an object.
Fear gripped Valeria's heart instantly. She instinctively tried to curl up, but found her hands and feet firmly bound to the cold chair legs with tough cowhide ropes, unable to move.
The soaked cloak clung to her body, bringing a biting chill that made her shiver involuntarily.
The humiliation of being a prisoner and the premonition of death coiled around her neck like a cold, venomous snake.
"The Blood Tomb..."
Lind's voice rang out in the silent room, deep and clear, breaking the suffocating silence.
“Ms. Valeria. This is truly... a unique way to meet.”
His tone was flat and indifferent, yet it sent a chill down Valeria's spine.
Valeria struggled to suppress the sob in her throat and forced herself to lift her head to meet Lind's gaze.
Her voice trembled uncontrollably from the cold and fear:
“Viscount Lind…I…I surrender…I’m willing to cooperate! I know a lot! About ‘Source Matter’…about ‘Ashbringers’…about the Orks!”
She speaks extremely fast, as if afraid that if she slows down even a second, she will lose her value.
"I was forced! Shadow Abyss...they controlled me! I have value!"
Lind did not respond immediately.
He slowly stood up and walked over to Valeria.
The shadows fell upon him as he moved, making Valeria feel like prey being stalked by a wild beast.
Nix silently stepped aside, like a quiet shadow.
"value?"
Lind stopped a step away from Valeria and leaned down slightly.
His gaze was like a cold probe, piercing into Valeria's panicked eyes.
"Of course I know you have value. Otherwise, you would already be ashes like your companions."
His voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable weight.
"But your worth needs to be judged by me, not by your weak and feeble excuses."
He reached out, but didn't touch Valeria; his hand hovered lightly above her wet, disheveled hair that clung to her forehead.
As the halo is activated, the past of things is revealed without a doubt.
The effect of deconstructing the halo is beyond doubt.
Lind quickly found many useful snippets.
In the dark underground cavern, viscous purple liquid churned in the stone trough, soaking twisted and writhing chunks of flesh... painful screams... it looked like a laboratory.
A figure draped in an ashen cloak, its face obscured, handed over a crystal box shimmering with purple light… a hoarse whisper: “…The Heart of the Forge…the core…”
Inside the Orc camp, on the barrel of that ferocious giant cannon, a twisted rune mark, like the heart of a furnace, is clearly engraved!
The portrait of Judge Priest, radiating holy light, was pinned to the wall by a blood-dripping dagger… next to it was a large, hastily drawn cross.
Next came a portrait of Lind, with the words "Capture or Destroy" written next to it.
That's enough.
Linde withdrew his hand, and the lingering cold mental energy fluctuations at his fingertips quickly dissipated.
The deconstruction of the halo has ceased.
What did this man just do?!
Valeria didn't know what the man in front of her had done, but it seemed that he had gotten everything she wanted from her.
She couldn't believe it; it was impossible.
Linde straightened up and looked down at the exhausted Valeria. His face remained expressionless, but a hint of understanding and cold killing intent appeared deep in his eyes.
"The mark of the Heart of the Furnace workshop... I see."
Lind's voice returned to its previous calm, but every word struck Valeria's heart like an ice bead.
"The energy core of that Orc cannon was indeed provided by them. It seems you've made quite a bit of money dealing with the 'Ashbringer'."
Valeria shuddered.
As for me…
Linde narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sharp as a knife.
"Your 'master' seems particularly interested in me? I'm truly... flattered."
Valeria's lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a single word.
Her last trump card, her deepest secret, was laid bare with a single, casual touch from the other party!
In front of this man, she felt like a doll whose packaging had been removed, with no secrets and no dignity left.
"very good."
There was no discernible emotion in Linde's voice.
"Now let's move on to the next step."
He turned around, walked to a table in the corner of the room, picked up a clean cloth and wiped his hands, as if he had just touched something unclean.
"Now, let's get down to business and talk about what I'm really interested in."
Linde sat back in his chair, relaxing a bit, but his eyes remained fixed on Valeria.
Why are you afraid of her?
Linde glanced at the catgirl who was slowly rising from the shadows.
This is why Valeria is still alive. If it weren't for her fear of Nix arousing Lind's curiosity, she would probably be lying in some soldier's pit by now.
"Wh...what?"
Valeria, on the other hand, seemed somewhat incredulous. After all, compared to the secret she had carefully concealed, this question was rather...
Linde's gaze interrupted her thoughts, and she could only say tremblingly:
"M-Sir, are you referring to Him?"
"Otherwise what...?"
Lind was getting impatient, but he also picked up on something from her words.
"You mean... [He]?"
Lind pointed to the bewildered catgirl beside him. Nix was also somewhat confused, blinking her amber eyes as if she were thinking about something.
Valeria nodded shakily, but still dared not look directly at the girl in front of her.
Why do you say that?
Linde became unusually serious. The word "He" was not a simple word, because it involved the divine and specifically pointed to the divine.
Valeria, huddled in her chair, trembling, said:
"because……"
She is a part of Him!
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