Nol brought the doll's head close to his ear, as if the spit from Witch Lynn was about to traverse space and spray onto his face.
Ben, who had keen hearing, got startled and tumbled down from Nol's knee, scrambling up Teest's leg.
"Why didn't you take the initiative to contact us, huh?" Lynn raised her voice angrily. "It's bad enough you told Anakin about the 'Demon King' matter, but what's with sending someone to relay your message?"
"I wasn't sure if your magic could be eavesdropped on, so I didn't dare to use it recklessly," Nol replied in Country C's language. "Now that I know it's safe, sister, please calm down…"
Lynn's volume didn't decrease in the slightest. "Everyone is worried about you! Let me tell you, I've put you on speaker. Anakin has informed me about the situation. You're handling such an important matter all by yourself?"
In the background, Officer Luo's "yes, yes" and Dr. Zhu's agreement could be heard, along with the distinctive smacking sound of Uncle Ma.
All of them had witnessed his mental breakdown, and the urgency in their tones didn't seem feigned.
Nol felt a warmth in his heart and couldn't help but sneak a glance at Teest. "I'm really fine. It's just been a couple of days. Rather than hiding and crying, I'd prefer to expose the mastermind behind this… I'll tell you guys some insider information. I actually have a clue now."
He hesitated for a moment, ultimately not revealing the truth about the four eyeballs. Such information would only add to their stress. It was better for him to handle it alone.
Thanks to someone, Nol's mindset had indeed stabilized significantly. That "someone" was currently resting on his shoulder, with ears stretched long, blatantly eavesdropping on the conversation.
Just in case, Nol didn't divulge everything to Anakin. As a supplement, he briefly explained the "world will authorization" of the two worlds and his plans for the future.
"…We'll first head to Ice Rock City to completely escape the Temple's surveillance. Then I can return home for a visit," Nol said earnestly. "After that, we must make a trip to the Dragon's Lair. There are neighbors there, and I have some matters to investigate."
Such as why there was only one moon over the Dragon's Lair and the origin of Kando's dragon blood.
With some luck, the dragons might even provide more clues—as formidable immortal beings, they had lived from the emergence of Tahe World to the present, serving as living historical records.
"You said you didn't like going on business trips, right? I thought you would stay to support the Lost Tower… Never mind, on the way there, just set up a few more surveillance dolls for me, and I'll continue my work." Lynn sounded like she was gritting her teeth.
"Of course," Nol readily agreed.
"Be careful of Eugene and Golden Sword," Lynn emphasized at the end.
"What language is that?" Nol had just ended the call when Saint Bernard curiously asked.
To the locals of Tahe, the language of Country C was completely encrypted. Inside the carriage, not just the baffled Knight Saint Bernard but also Painter and Fischer could only exchange bewildered looks.
"It's the home language of Noli. Her family is really attached to her." The height difference between them was subtle yet comfortable, so his head was seemingly stuck to Nol's shoulder. "Communication was poor at the seaside earlier. She was just checking in."
He seemed to be answering Knight Saint Bernard, but his gaze swept over Painter on the opposite side.
Nol nodded. In a sense, Teest's explanation wasn't wrong.
"Oh." Saint Bernard nodded seriously, without doubt.
Suddenly, the carriage shook violently. Knight Alaskan raised his voice. "I smell Ice Rock Giants—!!!"
Saint Bernard's fur bristled. "Here?!"
Ice Rock Giants, monsters made of rock and voodoo clay, belonged to the golem category. These creatures were usually not wild. There must be a Player behind them—without system assistance, natives simply lack the capability to create them.
In the setting of "Tahe World", only Alchemists, Swamp Wizards, and Archaeologists could create them. Ice Rock Giants were high-level, excellent killing machines, even capable of besieging cities.
The shadow wolf's fur stood on end, making a purring sound. However, the remaining four—especially Nol and Teest—showed no sign of tension or movement.
These humans certainly didn't understand the severity of the situation. Saint Bernard's paws touched his sword. "It's Demons, definitely the Eternal Church's Demons!"
"Isn't the border defense of Shiva very strict?" Nol asked curiously—despite swallowing a potion to change his voice, it didn't sound too out of place. However, he still wasn't used to it, preferring not to speak unless necessary—a true "shy type".
"It's strict. Those Demons must have killed the border guards to enter. Anyone can stop those crazy humans in Ice Rock City, except those Demons… Even if we chopped up those Demons, they can't be killed!" Saint Bernard's tone was full of hatred, his teeth bared.
"They might not necessarily be coming for us. But if things go south later, don't worry about us. Just run as far as you can!" He added firmly.
[I also don't think they're coming for us.] Teest hugged Nol, pretending to be scared, but he sent his thoughts languidly. [At a guess, something must have happened to the First Regiment, making them a target for those people—like the captain being away, or recent personnel changes—things like that.]
Ben shivered and jumped back onto Nol's knee, squeezing into the gap between the two. However, Nol ruthlessly picked him up by the nape of the neck and placed him back on the cushion.
You're stronger than an Ice Rock Giant. What's there to fear?
Ben looked puzzledly at Teest, who was clinging to Nol in "fear", and let out a whimper of grievance. Nol had no choice but to pet it a couple of times, letting it stay at his feet.
[We'll see how things go,] Nol said, his fingers brushing over the letter opener in his pocket.
A few plumes of gunpowder smoke appeared not far away. Knight Alaskan decisively halted. Unfortunately, he underestimated the Demons' taste for mischief—the earthquake grew closer, and just as the goat carriage turned around, two figures flashed in front of the snow goats.
"Ah, it's a puppy," a man's voice said cheerily. "Can we take them back to play? I've kept Alaskans before."
"Let's see what they're here for first." Another voice approached the carriage, straightforwardly poking his head in. "Let me see, let me see… oh, the Evergreen Nuns! Two girls, jackpot."
The man looked to be in his twenties, with a very ordinary round face and excessively developed muscles, looking like a weathered potato. The high aesthetic standards of Tahe's art department for warrior equipment seemed oddly matched by this person's earthly taste.
Nol: "..."
"What girls?" The other man, curious, also leaned in.
This guy had a donkey face that he thought was handsome, but it looked more like a beginner's overconfident 3D model. Seeing his Swamp Wizard outfit, Nol could roughly guess the source of the Ice Rock Giant… but this man had added quite a few gaudy gems to his plain wizard's attire, and the pointed hat was adorned with a star, shining like a cheap Christmas tree from a street stall.
Watching these two paper tigers, Nol's eyes began to hurt.
"How are these two considered girls?" Donkey-Faced Christmas Tree said, his gaze sweeping over Fischer with disdain. "One old lady and one country bumpkin—only the other two look decent."
Fischer looked at them with a gaze that was almost full of pity.
Muscle Potato was already climbing into the carriage. "Which one do you want? I—"
"What have you done to the Knight Order?" Nol couldn't stand the possibility of sleazy remarks and took the initiative.
Potato paused, then chuckled twice. "Still counting on the Knight Order? Those guys were beaten black and blue and couldn't even save themselves. As long as you behave… Fuck!"
Knight Saint Bernard suddenly moved, biting the hand he extended. The dog-headed beastmen's bite force was so strong that it snapped Potato's wrist right off. He reacted very quickly, immediately jumping out of the carriage with an extremely ugly expression.
Magical light flashed, and a new hand sprouted from the wrist.
Seizing the opportunity, Knight Alaskan created a snowstorm to disrupt their vision, driving the goat carriage to flee madly. The carriage hadn't managed to get ten meters away before two explosions were heard. The wheels completely shattered, and the carriage crashed heavily to the ground. Knight Alaskan, trying to stabilize the course, didn't dodge in time. He slammed into the ground and was knocked unconscious.
"Kill those two damn dogs." Muscle Potato cursed. "Later, let someone dig up their hometowns. We'll go in for a batch of dog skins—what's it to you if I mess with some women? Looking for death?"
"The guests haven't been handed over yet." Saint Bernard helped up Painter, who looked the oldest, with blood still dribbling from his mouth. "We are responsible for our guests."
His voice was mixed with angry growls.
Donkey-Faced Christmas Tree sneered. The Ice Rock Giant behind him took two steps forward and threw a punch at Saint Bernard and Painter. Teest glanced at Nol, about to make a move, when the warm body in his arms suddenly disappeared.
The agility of a Demon King was no joke. Nol teleported in front of the Ice Rock Giant's fist, raising his right hand. The fist, as large as a house, was forcibly stopped mid-air.
The frail "nun" stopping the monster with a slap was too surreal, leaving both Demon Players and Knight Saint Bernard dumbfounded.
In their bewildered gaze, the black-haired nun's fingers slowly tightened. The Ice Rock Giant's fist made a cracking sound under the strain. The spider web-like cracks spread rapidly along its arm from the hand. In less than five seconds, it exploded into ice shards and rubble on the spot.
The still-glowing core of the golem clattered to the snow, flickering on and off.
At this moment, Nol felt more contemplation than relief.
Throughout this journey, thanks to the curse of "Physical Destruction", he had been constantly hammered into the ground by formidable enemies, barely surviving each time. Thank god, he could finally experience what it was like to be "a monster".
The two Demon Players lost any inclination to mess around, almost simultaneously activating their magical items, ready to flee. However, the moment their thumbs were about to press the buttons, they found themselves unable to push them down.
In the snow, delicate golden threads glinted faintly.
"So, you weren't planning on letting them go after all." Teest deliberately reverted to his male voice. "You could've said so earlier."
Muscle Potato's face turned extremely ugly. "Fuck, a damn tranny… Argh!"
Before he could finish cursing, the letter opener was deeply stabbed into his shoulder. Potato's body frighteningly swelled, and the next second, he vanished into thin air right before melting completely.
Done.
Nol withdrew his hand.
For some skill tests, he had been suffering from a lack of test subjects. Like his "seal"—that was, system custody—whether it could work on pure Earthlings. Since the Demon Players willingly came knocking, he wouldn't miss this excellent opportunity.
Now, it seemed the answer was affirmative. Even Earthlings, without a trace of game elements, could be "saved" by the system, which was quite interesting.
Nol pondered this as he turned to the remaining Donkey-Faced Christmas Tree.
To Christmas Tree, the opponent's move was nothing short of terrifying. That strange nun had merely stabbed his teammate with a small knife, and the next second, his teammate's body swelled like a bubble and disappeared into thin air.
Not only that, but their team relationship also vanished! Even the name in his friend list was gone!
Impossible. Christmas Tree shivered. Aren't Players supposed to be immortal?
Seeing the terrifying black nun turn towards him, Christmas Tree almost pissed his pants. Unfortunately, he was a magic class, not cut out for close combat with enemies.
"Explain the situation."
The black nun was beautiful, but her voice was ice cold. The small knife in her right hand still had blood on it, and at that moment, the thin letter opener was more intimidating than a Berserker's ax.
"How many of you are there? Why did you attack the Knight Order? What is the current situation within the Eternal Church?" she asked, word by word. "You'd better answer me directly. If you dilly-dally, I'll have to let this person deal with you."
"Don't." The cross-dressing… man? Boy? chimed in. His eyes curved, circling the black nun. "You look even better when you're interrogating, honey."
This guy seems to be using gold thread? Although the age doesn't quite match, but—
Thinking of that notorious Mad Monk made Christmas Tree tremble even more. All the bright gold decorations on his outfit clanged wildly. "I'll talk. I'll tell you everything!"
"I heard the captain of the First Regiment went to Eternal Day City." Christmas Tree glanced quickly at Teest, whispering, "We just took the opportunity to have some fun."
"Enlightening." Painter smiled. "I heard the intelligence security of the Investigation Knights is very good… So, you all kept a close watch on the Knight Order's intelligence and movements, daring to sneak into the Shiva just to play games with the Order, huh?"
Christmas Tree was sweating bullets.
"Alright." He cleared his throat. "It was the Eternal Church's orders! They somehow got information and sent us to disrupt the Order, to dampen the spirits of the Temple of Life. We were just following orders… It was all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding…"
"You're so loyal to the Church?" Fischer interrupted with a sneer. "Unless there's a shared interest, Demons wouldn't lift a finger. You guys wouldn't even pass the soy sauce at the dining table, but now you're all about 'orders'."
Christmas Tree's sweat was about to freeze on his skin. What's the deal with this bizarre nun group?
These people were so outrageous, they couldn't possibly be high-level Players from the Temple, right?
…But Temple Players wouldn't know so much about the Church…
"Last chance," Nol said calmly, the letter opener in his hand flashing with a hint of snow light.
"I-I can't." Christmas Tree turned pale. "I have a contract. All my assets are mortgaged to the Church… If I talk, it's all over, all over."
Fischer's expression blanked for a second. "Oracle."
"Only an oracle could make you agree to such a deal."
Christmas Tree stared blankly at Fischer.
"What oracle? God's selection prophecy, God's feedback, or what…?" His reaction had already proven everything, and Fischer relentlessly pursued.
Teest said nothing, idly playing with a small clump of corruption. The corruption, like a living object, crept up on the bright gold decorations, making them instantly decay and wither.
Not Temple Players. This group is definitely not Temple Players, not even normal Tahe people.
Christmas Tree had a flash of insight. He looked at the corruption, then at the inscrutable black nun in front of him, somewhat dazedly saying, "The Demon King's army…"
Nol smiled at him.
Christmas Tree's eyes welled with tears. Gone was his earlier bravado. He opened his mouth, his voice terrifyingly small. "The Temple of Life is searching everywhere for the heroes who defeated the Demon King. The previous divine route was disrupted by the Temple…"
"The day to heed the oracle is coming. The Pope hopes we can carve out a new divine route, passing through Shiva…"
Before he could finish, he suddenly choked, and his tongue swelled terrifyingly in his mouth. Christmas Tree's face turned purple, his eyes desperately rolling—this was probably some kind of contract curse. Nol felt a clear wave of dark magic.
But it didn't matter. They got the information they needed.
The letter opener's light flashed, and the convulsing Christmas Tree began to melt on the spot, then was firmly sealed by Nol into the system. While he was dealing with Christmas Tree, Teest's corruption crept over the fragments of the Ice Rock Giant, corroding it into nothingness.
From the two Demon Players' attack to the complete disappearance of all traces, the whole process took less than ten minutes. Knight Saint Bernard stood dumbfounded in place, turning into a dog-headed knight statue.
What to do?
The guest needs protection… but the guest is strong and doesn't need protection…
The guest is dangerous… but the guest saved him, never showing hostility…
Knight Saint Bernard tilted his head, unsure of what to decide. If only the village chief was here, it thought in distress. The chief would know how to deal with humans.
While it was deep in thought, Nol approached.
"Please forgive our secrecy," he said softly, "We have our reasons, but I swear to Sheepskin Ball Village, we bear no ill will towards Shiva. You just need to hand us over to the Temple of Life—once we get our identity verified, we'll leave Shiva immediately."
"That Demon said 'Demon King'…"
"We tricked him. It was all an illusion." Teest quietly retracted the corruption. "We just came back from the Endless Sea and were tainted with the scent of corruption, so he was fooled."
"I see." Knight Saint Bernard tried to think, while Nol looked at it with a gentle gaze.
Although "altering memory" was an option, memory modification had certain side effects. He really didn't want to harm these fluffy good knights.
Besides, this seemed to be just a human internal issue. The races of Shiva were mostly of gentle nature and not prone to causing trouble.
Sure enough, Knight Saint Bernard scratched his head, deciding to give up thinking. "Uh… okay, but I have one condition!"
"Say it." Nol stood up straight.
"Let my friend go back first." He pointed to the unconscious Alaskan, moving his nose slightly warily. "The two of you don't need our protection, so I alone as a witness is enough."
Painter walked over to the Alaskan promptly, the gentle light of healing magic shining. The wounds of Knight Alaskan healed quickly, and soon he opened his round eyes.
"Ah!" He got up alertly, his nose twitching wildly.
"It's okay now." Painter soothed softly. "We… wait, someone's here!"
With a snap, the "timid" Teesti stuck to Noli. Nol also instinctively shrank, assuming a defensive posture. They all sensed the presence—very cleverly hidden, but still exposed due to the vast difference in level.
A knight in red armor rode towards them, the hooves of his horse emitting faint magical waves, making no sound. As he got closer, they realized it wasn't red armor—the knight was covered in blood. The originally silver-white armor was stained with blood.
The horse was also covered in bloodstains, emitting a strong smell of blood.
He stopped in front of them, quickly dismounted, and surveyed the situation. Then he took a few steps forward, approaching the seemingly oldest "Sister" Painter and the "injured" who hadn't yet managed to stand up.
"Good afternoon, respected madam."
The Blood Knight took off his helmet. Nol was about to gasp but was preemptively restrained by Teest.
This is bad. Eugene Malloy came faster than they had imagined.
"Please do not be afraid." He extended his hand politely to Painter. "The situation is under the Temple's control. I am just here to pursue deserters. Madam, did you encounter Demons?"
"Pfft…" Seeing the "affectionate" scene between sworn enemies, Teest almost laughed out loud, but was pulled back in time by Nol.
Painter hadn't yet had the chance to bluff when Alaskan jumped up.
"Saw them!" He cried out sadly. "Two Demons, one with an Ice Rock Giant. They blew up our cart, and the goat—two goats!"
"I can't smell them. They must have run back the same way!"
The author has something to say:
The dog can't figure it out, so the dog stops thinking! Anyway, humans fighting humans. As long as it's not the Demon King, it's fine.
Demon King: That's right (sincerely)