Karun came out of the washroom and inspected the situation. Bart and Ventura's hands were no longer cramping. When they had just come down from the arrow tower, they couldn't even hold a spoon.

Mas stopped his nosebleed and was using a wet handkerchief to apply pressure to his forehead. Blanche was no longer nauseous and sat quietly, drinking water.

Eisley was in good spirits because she had the lightest consumption.

Sylvie had been vomiting continuously and her chest was rising and falling.

If it weren't for Blanche's almost overdrawn blessing earlier, everyone would have probably collapsed long ago. And Sylvie's recent treatment had given everyone a breath of fresh air.

This highlighted the importance of having a priest in the team. Although they couldn't directly participate in the battle, they played a crucial role in the team's endurance and post-battle recovery.

The more excellent the team, the more they needed a priest, as she could greatly enhance the overall strength of the team.

In short, this saved Karun a lot of time and they didn't need to stop and rest at this moment.

Karun clapped his hands and said, "The second wave of pursuit will arrive in about two days. The number and quality of the pursuers will be greater. The distance from our current location to the Tajima Village is too far. Currently, we have lost all our weapons of war. Once we encounter the second wave of pursuit on the way, we won't be able to resist like we did this time.

However, through the examination of the pursuers' remains, I found that none of them came out of the Fiery Valley. So I suspect that something special must have happened in the Fiery Valley, and it's likely that the influence of the God of Order, Rierlsa, cannot reach there. Moreover, the Fiery Valley is close to our current location.

Therefore, I have decided that we will all set off immediately, without rest, and head to the Fiery Valley at the fastest speed.

I don't know what's there, but I only know that there is a possibility for us to survive."

After a brief analysis of the situation and explanation of the command, no one in the two teams had any objections.

The facts were already in front of them, and they had no choice but to follow Captain Karun's arrangements.

Everyone left the castle, and Karun dismissed its existence. Many damaged war equipment was left behind, which needed repairs. If they could bring them out intact, they would definitely fetch a huge sum on the black market.

But now, it was obviously impossible to take them on the road.

After a moment of silence for these things, everyone headed towards the Fiery Valley.

After two days of marching, when a huge monster appeared again in the rear, Karun and the others finally entered the territory of the Fiery Valley.

Bart and Demel came over from the rear and reported the latest news. The second wave of pursuit might arrive in half a day. The pursuers not only used teleportation arrays between the big cities to gather, but the ferocious monsters that were usually extremely aggressive were now willingly serving as mounts for others, greatly increasing their pursuit speed.

Everyone sat together and had a meal, their faces filled with seriousness.

Karun ate a bowl of black paste, and Eisley handed her water pouch to Karun, who took a big sip.

"Captain, there's something I'm curious about. You previously speculated that the people chasing us are all those who have practiced and comprehended at the Pool of Mourning Thoughts. Why didn't the contract souls in the three of us react?" Karun asked.

"Have you asked the contract soul inside you?" Karun asked.

"Yes, I asked, and she was also curious why she didn't go crazy," Karun replied.

"I guess this kind of influence may have a triggering mechanism, similar to the relationship between a missionary and a believer, but shallower than that. It's more like a relationship between a creditor and a debtor. And now, you have signed a soul contract. It seems to be an equal contract, but in fact, you are the one in control. The one in control is different, so your contract soul is not affected."

"I see..."

"The contract soul is originally a mutual help between partners. Not only does she help you, but you also help her. The fact that she didn't go crazy is the best example." Karun looked around and asked, "Is everyone done eating?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Yes, Captain."

"Then let's go, into the valley."

The team of twelve entered the valley. The ground and surrounding rocks of the Fiery Valley were all red, and the temperature suddenly rose.

And not long after they entered, everyone felt restless. These emotions were also reflected in their small movements.

Although people tend to be irritable when feeling hot, these people were all elite members of the Order of the Gods and were not so emotionally imbalanced by this situation.

"Blanche, Sylvie, bless everyone and remove the negative effects," Karun ordered.

"Yes, Captain!"

The two priests began to bless their teammates, and everyone's restless emotions finally calmed down.

This was probably the intention of the Fiery Valley. It was not just the scorching temperature, but also the stimulation of the fire within one's heart.

However, they had been walking for so long and hadn't encountered a single native of the Fiery Valley, which was somewhat strange.

Karun raised his hand and said to Eisley, "Eisley, summon Xianti..."

Oh, Xianti is already dead.

"Eisley, choose two monsters, one that can fly and one that can burrow, to investigate the situation ahead. The rest of you, be on guard!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Eisley rolled up her sleeves, selected two summoning targets, and began to chant."My dearest two friends, I need your help now..."

Soon, a large crow and a beast that looked like a pangolin were summoned. One flew up while the other burrowed down, beginning their investigation.

Karun tapped his fingers on his hand, waiting for the results of the investigation.

After about a quarter of an hour, the crow flew back, and Karun noticed that it was actually panting. How long had it been? It was already exhausted?

Shortly after, the pangolin also burrowed back, panting on the ground.

It was clear that Aisley had a consistent standard when choosing them.

"Captain, there are people coming this way."

"That's it?" Karun asked.

Aisley paused for a moment and said, "That's it."

"They couldn't find anything else during the investigation?"

"No, they said they were under a lot of pressure in this environment and got lost just now. It was difficult for them to find their way back."

"Alright, prepare for defense!"

Just as everyone was setting up their defensive formation, a group of knights appeared in front of them. Flames burned on the hooves of their horses, and their eyes glowed green. They were fully armored.

As for the equipment on the knights, it was much simpler, all black cloaks.

"Undead Knights?" Bart exclaimed, "Captain, their horses and the cavalry horses of the Order Knights seem similar."

Karun nodded. He had followed the captain into the Order Knights' base before and witnessed the Order Knights' expedition. He had seen similar warhorses.

The leader, who was at the front, took off his hat, revealing a face full of scars. His gaze swept over everyone in front of him and said, "Oh, so many auspicious people. Am I lucky enough to take a bath in water today? Hehe."

The leader's reaction was quite normal, basically the standard reaction of a big boss when facing challengers who came to him.

But when he took off his hat and removed the aura isolation effect from his cloak at the same time, Karun's pupils suddenly contracted.

No, he wasn't a native!

People are divided into groups, and each group gives a different impression, with distinctive features. The most obvious feature is appearance, but even appearance can be difficult to distinguish.

For example, when normal people try to distinguish between different races with different skin colors, they often experience "face blindness" and feel that white people look the same, yellow people look the same, and black people look the same if their gender, height, and age are similar.

But in reality, people of the same race can capture more details and feel that they are very different and easy to distinguish.

Karun now had this feeling of distinguishing and recognizing among people of the same race, but it wasn't based on appearance, or even temperament, but... a feeling.

Because for a long time, his body had retained the traces of Laindell's transformation, and even though Kevin slept in a separate compartment in the bedroom instead of on his bed like Puerh, they still slept in the same room.

This familiarity was usually imperceptible but still existed. At this moment, it could be felt instantly.

It was illogical, but "familiar" was enough to explain everything logically.

He was Laindell's spiritual imprint!

Laindell's spiritual imprint not only awakened, but he also came up. So, what was this body of his? Was it attached to a puppet? Were his subordinates also puppets used for carrying goods?

And where were the natives, the natives of the scorching valley? Why was it so empty here?

Suddenly, Karun had a guess in his mind. This guess might be cold, but it was probably close to reality.

When a bear wakes up from hibernation, the first thing it does is to find food.

So, why didn't anyone from the scorching valley come out to chase them?

Because... the scorching valley was already "empty-stomached."

This was what his own dog's spiritual imprint had done. After waking up, it slaughtered the entire valley for food.

The scar-faced guy in front of him was really hard to connect with the bald golden retriever that liked to ride with Puerh everywhere.

"Now that you're here, you're guests. Who among you is the leader?" Scar-face asked.

Karun adjusted his emotions and stepped forward, saying, "It's me."

"What's your name?"

"Karun."

"Karun, hehe, you can call me Lord Dar."

"Hello, Lord Dar."

This name was really lazy.

"I see that you're wearing the robes of the Order Gods. I have a good relationship with the Order Gods. Since you're here, it must be fate. I want to entertain you. I hope you won't refuse."

Upon hearing that the leader wanted to entertain them, many members in the back showed a relieved expression because they really needed protection now.

Karun, on the other hand, couldn't relax because he knew what the leader meant by having a good relationship with the Order Gods.

The Wall God was sealed by the Order God, and after awakening, he naturally harbored hatred towards the Order God. The person in front of him was also sealed by the Order God.

However, judging from Kevin's attitude towards order, he didn't seem to have such extreme hatred towards the Order God. Perhaps it understood that it deserved the consequences for all the chaotic things it had done?

But no matter what, Karun understood that Laindell was definitely not a hospitable person.His hospitality was likely a "demon's dinner."

Both himself and his teammates would be his ingredients tonight.

"Why, don't you want to?" Lord Darl asked when he saw Karun didn't respond.

"No, it is our honor to receive your invitation."

Leaving the scorching valley would undoubtedly lead to death, but staying here would allow them to observe and find an opportunity.

The knights escorted them on both sides, and they walked in the middle, arriving at a huge cave. Inside the cave, it sloped downwards.

After walking for a long distance, a rusty giant gate appeared ahead. The gate was open, and the marks around it indicated that it had been opened not long ago.

At this point, the team members already had a bad feeling, but seeing Karun continue to follow Lord Darl inside, they could only continue to follow.

Behind the giant gate was a platform, and outside the platform was an underground lake. The lake was clear but too quiet.

Lord Darl dismounted and walked to the edge of the platform. He reached out and grabbed something from one of his subordinates next to him, then threw it directly into the lake. Suddenly, countless lost souls jumped out of the calm lake like fish, biting the bait and then falling back into the water.

This scene was very shocking!

Because everyone could perceive that those jumping lost souls emitted extremely powerful aura. Outside, they were probably at the level of a city lord, but here, they seemed like pets being raised.

"Do you want to feed them? Don't worry, they are well-behaved and won't bite."

After speaking, the guards brought several pots of bait, which were yellowish-orange like sand. Everyone grabbed a handful and scattered it into the lake from the edge of the platform. Their faces were nervous but excited at the same time.

It was probably a feeling of feeding dinosaurs.

Muri walked to Karun's side and looked at him with questioning eyes. Karun pressed his hand to signal him not to be impatient.

They had already entered someone else's lair. To put it bluntly, whether it was fried or grilled, they had to follow the host's wishes.

Lord Darl walked behind Karun and Muri and said, "Aren't you going to play?"

As he spoke, he even handed them a handful of bait.

Muri smiled and took the bait, scattering it down below, where a group of powerful lost souls jumped out to eat.

Karun placed his left hand on the railing, which was very cold and had a frosted texture. This meant that this place had been in a state of absolute freezing for a long time, including the lost souls in the lake.

"This is my home. I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. This is also the first time I have invited guests to visit since I moved in here."

"That is truly my honor."

Lord Darl said, "You have already said this before, and I don't really like it. I don't like to be perfunctory or please others."

"Yes, I can tell. You are very casual. From your eyes, I can see a kind of perseverance."

"Oh?" Lord Darl pointed to his own eyes. "You can see something from my eyes?"

"Eyes are the windows of the soul. What we see is not the eyes, but the soul."

"Then tell me, what specific things did you see from my eyes, oh no, my soul? Where did the perseverance you mentioned come from?"

"Your background is definitely not noble."

"Hehe, in this world, there are not many truly noble people. Nobility itself implies rarity."

"But I think someone like you, with an ordinary background, is also rare."

Karun remembered the image of that family deep in Rane Dahl's memories. From the perspective of an ordinary person, Rane Dahl's family was extremely poor.

"Tsk, are you insulting me?"

Karun shook his head and said, "People who have climbed to the peak through their own efforts won't mind others mentioning their past living at the foot of the mountain. It won't make them angry, but rather proud, because it affirms their unremitting struggle in the past."

"Hehehe." Lord Darl covered his mouth and laughed. "You young people are interesting. Let's go. The dinner I prepared for you is about to begin, and I believe you will be satisfied."

After speaking, Lord Darl licked the corner of his mouth. It was clear that he was looking forward to it.

Under the guidance, or rather, semi-monitoring of the guards, the group lined up and moved deeper from a corridor on the platform.

Along the way, there was a circular platform on the outer side of the corridor, with a statue of a woman on it. She was beautiful and natural.

Unfortunately, this civilian-like representation removed the characteristics of a "divine statue."

Originally, the members of the Order of the Gods would not pay much attention to these small churches, nor would they be familiar with their gods, let alone recognize the statue after its characteristics were removed. It would be strange if they could.

So, everyone whispered and speculated, but no one had a definite answer.

Karun stopped and faced the statue.

When Karun stopped, everyone else stopped as well.

Karun solemnly saluted the female statue in the way of praising the God of Order. After finishing the salute, he let out a sigh, with a touch of crystal-like tears in the corners of his eyes.

Lord Darl walked to Karun's side and smiled, "What, do you know who she is?"

Karun pointed to the surrounding team members and said, "They all know that I am an orphan."On the record, Karun was an "orphan", and he believed that most of his team members, as well as those from Murina's side, had investigated his background.

"And then?" Lord Dar asked.

"I grew up in an orphanage. You know, not every child in an orphanage gets the chance to go to school. Most of them are sent to factories as child laborers at a very young age. I was lucky, I had a sponsor who funded my education.

Later, I tried to find her, and I did. She was in Vien... um, do you know Vien?"

"A country?"

"Yes, a country. I lived in its capital, York City. There's a street in York City called Richard Pastry Street."

"Pastry Street?"

"It's a street full of small brothels. My sponsor worked there, her name was Annie.

She was a prostitute. While other girls charged 40 Rael each time, oh, Rael is the currency of Vien, she only charged 20 Rael because she thought she was getting old.

But some customers would insist on giving her 40 Rael, telling her that even though they were younger, her skills were better and worth 40 Rael.

She would be very happy whenever she encountered such customers.

She praised a god every day, devoutly.

After interacting with her, it was she who showed me the gentleness and greatness of the Goddess, the great Goddess Mils."

The most truthful lies are those that contain some truth.

When Karun got to this point, he was truly recalling Miss Annie. It was no longer pure acting.

Lord Dar kept his eyes on Karun and asked, "I want to know, where is she now?"

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"She's no longer with us."

"Gone?"

"Yes, I personally held a funeral for her. On the day of her funeral, all the pastry shops on that street closed. Everyone came to send her off on her last journey."

"Oh, that's nice."

"Yes, it is."