Elaine's office door was ajar.
Mark knocked on the door.
"Please come in." Ailian's slightly lazy voice came.
Pushing the door open, Ai Lian was buried in a pile of documents. When she saw Mark, a hint of subtle surprise flashed in her eyes, and then she returned to her usual lazy demeanor.
She motioned for Mark and the others to sit down, her eyes sweeping over Mark, Monica, Anna and Enzo, and finally stopping on Mark's face.
"Hey, Mr. Mark, your team has grown again? It seems that you have seriously considered what I said about forming an adventure group!" Ailian smiled without any awkwardness.
Mark didn't beat around the bush and looked directly at Ailian:
"Ms. Ellen, I'm sure you're aware of the issue with the temporary adventurer camp's dark magical erosion being resolved by a purification potion from the Dragon Slayer City pharmacy. I suspect there's something wrong with that potion, and it could lead to even more serious consequences."
Ailian paused slightly as she gripped the quill. She raised her eyes with a playful expression.
"Oh? Mr. Mark, this is a very serious accusation. As far as I know, that potion was distributed by Father Linus of Dragon Slayer City on his own, and supported by the Lisbon family. The effect was immediate, and now most adventurers in Osborne Town are thanking the Holy Light for its grace and the potion's magic. Do you have any solid evidence?"
"The evidence..." Mark frowned slightly. "What we have so far is based on a preliminary analysis of the potion's ingredients and the inference of the logic of the incident. The potion contains an extremely special catalyst that temporarily suppresses the superficial manifestations of the dark encroachment, but at the cost of potentially triggering deeper, more uncontrollable mutations..."
While Mark was still talking, Monica had already placed the bottle of medicine they bought on Ailian's desk with a "bang".
Then Monica looked directly into Elaine's eyes and waited for her to say the next perfunctory words to Mark.
Others don't know Ailian's identity.
Their adventurer team all knew about Airen's hidden profession as an appraiser.
And she might even be able to identify the same information as Monica through the werewolf's heart. At least in terms of identification, her professional skills should be almost the same as Monica's before.
Since she wanted evidence, Monica gave it to her directly.
Ailian looked at the crystal bottle on the table in silence for a moment, tapping her fingertips lightly on the surface.
She didn't even touch the bottle of potion.
The atmosphere in the office was somewhat stagnant, with only the faint noise from the hall downstairs coming through the window.
"Mr. Mark." After a moment, Ailian finally spoke, "As an ordinary clerk, I understand your caution and concerns. Any incident that may threaten the safety of the adventurers in Osborne Town is the guild's responsibility to pay attention to. But..."
She paused, her eyes becoming quite amused:
"A bottle of potion of unknown origin proves nothing. Questioning a 'miracle drug' with pronounced effects endorsed by local leaders of the Holy Light Church will in itself cause enormous controversy. You might even be retaliated against and accused of disrupting public order and causing panic."
She gently pushed the potion on the table back with her slender white fingers and said:
"Given the abilities you demonstrated in Osborne Town and your status as a clergyman... I will pretend I didn't see this today."
Mark's heart sank.
What Ailian expressed was very clear. Even if Ailian knew that there was something wrong with the potion, the Adventurer's Guild would not care.
Come to think of it, the Adventurer's Guild has been a neutral organization since its establishment.
If there is trouble somewhere, they may be commissioned to issue relevant tasks.
But the Adventurer's Guild will never easily intervene in the incident.
Just when Mark looked back in disappointment and decided to try the last possibility.
Ailian changed the subject and pulled out a parchment scroll with the special seal of the Adventurer's Guild from the bottom of the documents on the desk and pushed it in front of Mark.
"As the saying goes, the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility." Ailian looked at Mark with deep eyes, and beneath that laziness seemed to hide a light of insight into everything.
"Mr. Mark, you may not be able to bear the responsibility of offending the Holy Light Church and the Lisbon family in Dragon Slaying City, but you should be able to take on the responsibility of this mission. In other words, only someone like you is worthy of this 'invitation'."
Mark's eyes fell on the scroll.
[Invitation from the Rot Dragon Swamp] (Single/Special?※)
Location: Central Warcraft Mountain Range, core area of the Rot Dragon Swamp. (Mission coordinates attached.)
Description: We sincerely invite a clergyman with pure faith in Holy Light and extraordinary courage to come to the core altar of the Corrupted Dragon Swamp at midnight on July 15th of the lunar calendar.
At that time, you will be able to witness the ultimate truth of the interweaving of "decay" and "rebirth" - the advent ceremony of the Fallen Corruption Dragon, the Lord of Skeletons.
This ceremony will gather the souls of the departed, condense the essence of the living, and reveal a new chapter in the cycle of life and death, darkness and light. This is a door to enlightenment, waiting for those who are destined to open it. (Note: This is an invitation to observe the ceremony. Please do not disturb without permission.)
Reward: "Original Record of the Advent of Holy Light" (a fragment of the original sacred text abandoned by the Church of Holy Light.)
Special requirements:
1. Clergy only.
2. Only one person is allowed to attend the appointment.
3. You need to have awe for the “truth”.
4. Do not bring any "unclean" or "heretical" items that may interfere with the ritual process.
5. Please arrive on time. Latecomers will not be waited for.
At the end of the scroll, a special distorted eye-like symbol flashed ominously.
Mark's pupils suddenly contracted!
"The Rotten Dragon Swamp… The Fallen Rotten Dragon, the Lord of Skeletons… The Rite of Advent… Gathering the souls of all the dead to condense the essence of the living soul…"
He understood as soon as he saw these words for the first time!
Enlightenment meeting!
This is definitely the work of the Enlightenment Society!
This is not a commission at all, but a naked and malicious "invitation"!
In other words, a declaration of war!
He raised his head and stared at Ailian, his eyes full of scrutiny.
Seeing that Mark's breath had changed, Monica and Anna reacted immediately. They stood on either side of Mark, one on the left and one on the right, their hands reaching for their weapons, and their magic power was activated.
Xiao Mu also jumped out of Anna's arms and landed on Mark's shoulder, his pair of big pink eyes staring at Ellen's chest.
Only Enzo didn't react for a moment. After a second or two, he jumped up from the sofa, took out the hammer from his waist bag and started spinning around.
Seeing that the members of Mark's team were ready to face the enemy in their office.
Not only was Ailian not angry, but she leaned back in her chair as if she was enjoying everyone's performance, picked up the coffee beside her and took a sip.
Ailian leisurely put down the coffee cup, and gently stroked the rim of the cup with her slender fingertips.
Facing the tense attitude of Mark's team, her lazy tone carried just the right amount of helplessness and ridicule:
"Tsk, why are you reacting so strongly? I'm just an ordinary guild clerk, issuing a quest scroll. If you don't want to accept the quest, just let it go. We're still good friends!"
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