The Holy See's Radiance

Outside Nanmu Forest.

Just as Chen Cheng and the other two were about to enter the forest, Chen Cheng smacked his head, as if he'd remembered something.

Then, Chen Cheng rummaged in his embrace and pulled out a small cloth bag. Inside this small cloth bag lay a pitch-black pill.

He re-wrapped the pill in the small cloth bag and handed it to Fini, saying:

"Take this. This is the Beast Repellent Pill I prepared for you."

Fini, who was about to take it, retracted her hand upon hearing it was a Beast Repellent Pill.

"I'm a mage who has already inscribed magic arrays. You should keep this for yourself."

At this moment, Fini didn't know that Chen Cheng had also inscribed magic markings within his body, and that his methods were even more numerous than hers.

However, Chen Cheng ignored Fini's words and directly stuffed the Beast Repellent Pill into her hand, saying:

"Take it if I tell you to. Even though you're a mage now, it doesn't make sense for a young lady like you to protect a servant like me."

Fini wasn't someone who didn't know what was good for her. She knew this was Chen Cheng's kindness.

She put away the Beast Repellent Pill and said somewhat proudly:

"Don't worry, if we really encounter powerful magical beasts, I won't abandon you two. I'll use my newly learned magic to protect you both."

In her heart, Fini also secretly resolved to protect Chen Cheng, this interesting little slave.

Meanwhile, Little Fatty Akasto, standing beside them,'s eyes lit up when he saw the Beast Repellent Pill. The name alone made him smell a huge business opportunity.

He had heard that the reason those savages could establish themselves in the forest was because they had their own secret methods to prevent magical beasts from harassing their villages.

Those 'peddlers' who entered the forest also seemed to have mastered this method, but they kept it a secret.

As long as this Beast Repellent Pill could truly repel beasts, and if he could strike a deal with Chen Cheng, then his House of Sto would truly be more than just a merchant family from now on.

He plastered a fawning smile on his face and approached Chen Cheng, saying:

"This, we're good brothers, you know? Why didn't you say anything about how to make this earlier? This is a huge business, you know..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Cheng directly cut him off, making him give up hope.

"The ingredients are very simple: the excrement of a Black Dragon, or remnants from a powerful magical beast. If you can get them, I'll tell you the method."

Of course, Chen Cheng said this very quietly. Fini, who was walking ahead, naturally didn't hear it, while Akasto beside him drooped his head like a defeated rooster, trailing behind the two.

He should have realized that if such a secret recipe existed, those who captured slaves and destroyed so many savage villages would have obtained this technology long ago.

And those 'peddlers', the nobles they relied on should have already released such products and made a fortune.

However, thinking about the foul substance Chen Cheng had just given him, his desire for it significantly decreased.

Inside Nanmu Forest, Achilles' Blood Sacrifice Technique had reached a critical juncture. Countless blood mist surged from his pores, and accompanied by his incantations, formed a colossal magic array over a hundred meters in diameter.

The power emanating from this magic array already possessed the might of a full-power attack from a Platinum Rank mage.

The Vine Dragon Withered Wood, which had just entered the Platinum Rank at level 13, also felt the danger. The frequency of its vine attacks became increasingly rapid.

The vine strikes, imbued with an aura of destruction, caused ripples in the void. The defensive barrier formed by the surviving Counts and Knights, under these vine strikes, was on the verge of collapse.

As the vines fell one after another, in an instant, several more Counts and Knights forming the defensive barrier were sent flying backward, spitting blood from the recoil. Several Silver Rank Knights perished.

These Knights were the foundation of this Count. Every death saddened the Count, especially his teacher, Achilles, a level twelve Gold Mage.

This time, he had suffered heavy losses. His years of accumulated power would also be gone after this.

At this moment, Hui Dun's eyes were bloodshot as he looked at the Vine Dragon Withered Wood before him. The nearly depleted mana storage was squeezed for the last bit of magical energy to cast Chaos Magic.

However, the suppression of rank remained. Someone like him, who had just advanced to Gold Mage, could not inflict much damage on the Vine Dragon Withered Wood. Only a temporary boost in power, like Achilles' exchange of his own Blood Essence for a brief surge of power, could shatter its vine cage.

Meanwhile, outside the Nanmu Forest, Chen Cheng and the other two had been wandering in the forest for a long time. Perhaps because of the Beast Repellent Pill on Fini, they hadn't encountered any low-level ferocious beasts along the way.

However, in a place the three couldn't see, Coles, who had been following them, was in a miserable state.

This guy had ill intentions. Since the Count couldn't come, he had set his sights on the hunt.

His plan was simple: have the large brute beside him attract the magical beasts in the forest, and then have these beasts attack Chen Cheng and the others.

However, he had tried to trick others but ended up harming himself. He didn't manage to harm Chen Cheng and the others, but instead, he had gotten himself into trouble.

However, when calculated, his current points were far ahead of the other trainees.

After shooting down the last Magic Bouncing Rabbit subdued by the brute with an arrow, Coles angrily punched a nearby tree. Then, perhaps due to too much force, he cried out in pain.

However, while this young boy shed tears, he also cursed Fini and the others. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Why was he always bullied by this pair of master and servant?

The more he thought, the angrier he became. Finally, this young boy Coles made a firm decision to go all the way.

Of course, "going all the way" didn't mean he would personally kill the two of them. He didn't have that much courage yet.

Moreover, even if he killed the three of them with the help of the brute, Fini's father would be easy to deal with. But the richest family behind Little Fatty was not so easy to handle. It was possible that his William Family would have to die with Little Fatty in the end.

However, as for other schemes and tricks, that was yet to be determined.

Coles called out to the brute who was resting nearby. This time, he would make Fini and the other woman suffer. As for the Little Fatty Akasto beside them, there were always one or two unfortunate souls who died on the true path to success.

The guy directly took the big guy across Melinda's designated safe hunting grounds and deep into the forest.

Meanwhile, inside Hui Dun City, Tofis, the city's administrator, had been extremely anxious for the past two days. The Earl had been gone for five days, and during that time, the city felt as if they had lost contact with him.

Today was the last day agreed upon for the Earl's return, yet he still had no news from him.

Tofis went to the Church of Light in the city to request an audience with Bishop Jamir, who was leading the prayers that day.

Jamir, who was diligently studying the Codex of Light in the church's backyard, showed a subtle smile when he heard that Administrator Tofis had come to visit. He then sternly instructed the priest to invite Tofis in.

With a wave of his robe, Jamir conjured a tea set onto the stone table in the backyard. As he poured tea, Tofis was led in by the priest.

"Please have a seat, Your Excellency the Administrator. This is the latest batch of Mengshan black tea from the Holy See. Please, try it and tell me what you think."

Tofis was a man of great etiquette. Despite the urgency of the situation, he politely sat down, took a sip of tea, and then offered a string of compliments.

Once these pleasantries were concluded, Tofis got straight to the point.

"I apologize for disturbing your meditation today, Bishop, but the situation is quite urgent..."

Tofis then explained the matter of Earl Huidun to Jamir.

When Jamir heard that Earl Huidun had left Hui Dun City for Nanmu Forest five days ago and there had been no news since, a great weight was lifted from his heart.

No one would have suspected that he, the Bishop, would be involved in the Earl's predicament.

Perhaps the people of Hui Dun had already guessed. After all, a crucial function of the Church was early warning. The fact that no church personnel had been dispatched for rescue in so many days might have led Huidun to the truth.

But none of that mattered. As long as he could provide a reasonable explanation to outsiders, that would be enough.

However, he put on a worried expression and said:

"Why wasn't this brought up sooner? About half a month ago, there was a sudden surge of Demonic Energy, and the warning statue in the church malfunctioned. The new statue hasn't arrived yet."

Only then did Tofis's hidden worries dissipate. He hadn't expected things to be such a coincidence.

Jamir quickly summoned his chief Knight of Light and ordered him to lead all the Knights of Light from the church to Nanmu Forest to search for Huidun.

Seeing Jamir's decisive action, Tofis was greatly relieved. To express his gratitude, he took it upon himself to allocate funds from the city's government treasury for the church's renovation.

He also promised that if Earl Huidun were rescued, he would propose to the Earl to expand the current church grounds.

By the time Tofis left, the Knights of Light had already departed. This time, Jamir had not given his subordinates any orders to be passive; he wanted to appear anxious and concerned in the eyes of outsiders.

This way, the Holy See would still appear righteous, and its divine light would continue to shine across the continent.

Watching the contingent of Knights of Light leave the city, many inside believed that powerful heretics had appeared somewhere.

Later, a government announcement informed everyone of the reason for the Knights of Light's deployment: they were searching for the Earl, who had been missing for five days.

The common folk didn't think much of it, assuming the Earl had simply gotten lost. However, only the nobles knew that the Earl's disappearance must have been due to something significant.

After all, before this, the Earl had left with almost all of his Imperial Knights.