The captain of the guards had a mixed expression of frustration and anger on his face, his fists clenched tightly.
"But these bastards! They took the money and then turned their backs on us! They ambushed us on the road! Damn, the bandits around the Thirty-Six Towns have been going crazy lately! They have no respect for the rules of the road! They rob caravans whenever they see them, regardless of whether they've paid tolls or not! I heard... I heard they were forced to do this by the Church of Holy Light!"
"Forced by the Holy Light Church?" Mark raised his eyebrows, rubbing his forehead and pausing. "What do you mean?"
The bearded captain said angrily:
"It's all because of that monster incident in Osborne a while ago! The Church of Holy Light is cracking down on heretics, and in doing so, they've also cracked down on all the unruly forces nearby!"
"Many small gangs of bandits were wiped out, and the remaining large gangs like Shanhu were chased away like stray dogs, hiding here and there. Many of their supply points were destroyed!"
"When life gets tough, desperate dogs will just jump over the wall and bite whoever they can get their hands on! Damn it, those bigwigs from the Dragon Slaying City Church used to be so arrogant, they got a good share of the tolls, and now they're just doing nothing! It's so hard on us serious businessmen! This world..."
Mark listened and understood.
The Dragon Slaying City Church was unable to take care of itself, so the Holy City Knights wiped out the heretical minions among the Lisbon family and the Dragon Slaying City guards, and also cleaned up the dependent bandits.
The remaining bandit groups lost their protection and supply points, and faced the possibility of continued high pressure from the Church of Holy Light, so they naturally became mad dogs that bit anyone they saw.
He glanced at the caravan that had suffered heavy losses and was still in shock, and then glanced at the broken bodies of the thieves on the ground. There was really nothing to gain.
Mark pulled the corner of his mouth, revealing a smile that was not very enthusiastic:
"Alright, the roadblock is cleared. Let's pack up and get on with our journey. This place smells too much of blood, don't try to attract anything else."
He paused, then casually said, "By the way, does your caravan... or anyone you know, want to find some exciting yet safe work? Osborne Town needs a lot of adventurers right now, and the pay is excellent!"
His eyes seemed to casually sweep over the fairly strong guards.
The bearded captain was stunned for a moment, not knowing whether to say "F**K" in his mind or not.
I’ve seen people repaying favors, but I’ve never seen anyone repaying favors like this!
After sending away the robbers, a new wave of people came to poach people openly!
Although the bearded captain knew he was no match for Mark and Enzo, he thought for a moment and finally shook his head: "Thank you for your kindness... Let's... Let's go back to the base and rest..."
Mark shrugged indifferently and didn't force it: "Whatever you want. If you have any ideas, just go to the Grizzlies Tavern in Osborne Town and tell us about Team Mark."
The contact with the Graystone Caravan was just a coincidence. At least Mark and his team knew through the Graystone Caravan that it was now difficult for the bandit groups in the Dragon Slaying City area.
In the past, they had the support of bigwigs in Dragon Slaying City, allowing them to jump back and forth in the gray area.
The big guys are busy with their own affairs now, so there shouldn’t be anyone so blind as to target their team.
Monica woke up with a jolt.
Consciousness is like a survivor struggling to surface after a shipwreck, and every ascent is accompanied by tearing pain.
She struggled to open her eyes, her vision blurry. The first thing that caught her eye was the rough, mud-spotted, gray-brown canvas roof and the dazzling afternoon sunlight filtering through the gaps.
"Well……"
She let out a slight groan and tried to move her body, but she felt as if every limb was filled with heavy lead, and her brain was more like being repeatedly pierced by countless red-hot steel needles.
"woke up?"
Mark's voice came from the side, hoarse with relief.
Monica turned her neck with difficulty and saw Mark leaning against the shaking wall of the carriage, one hand stretched out in the scorching sunlight.
The pink body of Xiao Mu in his arms was limp, like a ball of mud that had lost its elasticity, with only slight movements proving that it was still alive.
Memories were like a flood bursting through a dam, carrying with them golden-red honey, the animated giant tree, the twisted Lord of Sweet Devouring, and the terrifying existence that tore through her cognition and brought absolute silence, violently crashing against the barrier of her consciousness.
Monica suddenly closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembled violently, and her face turned even paler in an instant.
"That... that... altar..." Monica's voice was as dry as sandpaper. "And... Him... how did you..."
She suddenly propped herself up, ignoring the severe dizziness and nausea, and stared at Mark with her wine-red pupils.
Her eyes burned with the appraiser's almost crazy desire for the ultimate secret, and there was also a hint of fear that she herself was not aware of.
"Him? Why did He respond to you? What method did you use? What is the mechanism of the altar's descent?..." The questions came out like a machine gun, and the speed of speech was astonishingly fast.
Mark smiled bitterly and shook his head, then raised his hand to signal Monica not to be anxious.
"Method? I wish I knew." His voice was slightly indifferent. "It feels... more like He sensed His prey Himself. The aura of the Lord of Sweet Devouring is like flesh and blood thrown into a shark tank... I just happened to be a transit station that helped transmit His aura."
He paused, recalling the throbbing sensation from the depths of his soul before the altar descended, and added, "Or perhaps... the Gan Shi Lord's job transfer 'contract' itself violated the mysterious being's authority. Is the mysterious being just here to give me some benefits?"
"Don't ask me for details. My mind is a mess right now. All I have left is a bunch of weird knowledge about how to make dishes that 'touch the soul'."
He pointed to his head, looking helpless.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have let Enzo spend money to buy such a broken carriage from the Graystone Caravan as a means of transportation. To be honest, this speed is not even faster than their team's full speed in the wilderness!
"Prey...Contract..." Monica murmured to herself, the enthusiasm in her eyes faded slightly, replaced by deep thought and a trace of unspeakable regret.
For an appraiser, failing to glimpse the mechanism of the higher being's active arrival is tantamount to missing the ultimate treasure.
Of course, Monica didn't know that the mysterious existence had already known some of her unknowable knowledge before leaving. She didn't ask Mark, and Mark didn't think of telling her about it.
She took a deep breath, forced herself to suppress her surging curiosity, and turned her gaze to Mark and Xiao Mu.
"Let me take a look at you." The appraiser's instinct took over.
She sat up straight, and deep in her wine-red pupils, the subtle and complex identification array was like a sleeping star, ignited by her will again and began to spin silently.
Her eyes first focused on Mark.
He was still a ■■ priest, and identifying magic power was still like a tide hitting an invisible barrier, and all that was fed back was a chaotic fog that refused to be peeped into.
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