Give Me Back My Son!

March 28th, Nameless Town, evening.

Isaiah sat by the window, gazing at the headquarters of the black market, which was incredibly mysterious to outsiders.

In his right eye, which held the entire starry sky, several energy-emitting nodes on the outskirts of the town were exceptionally clear.

That is the core of the "Stars Array".

Shortly after, there was a knock on the door. The shady merchant from yesterday opened the door at his request and gave an elegant bow. "Mr. Isaiah, the Stars Array is ready."

"Yes, I can already sense its presence," Isaiah said with a smile. "You've done a good job."

"It would be our greatest honor to receive your approval," the black marketeer said with a smile. "Before this, we were not sure if we could succeed. After all, it is too ingenious and complex. It is definitely the most profound magic array I have ever seen in my life. Of course, only such a magic array can receive the power of the stars."

Isaiah could tell that half of the black marketeer's words were sincere and the other half were flattery, but he didn't care. He simply nodded slightly. "Yes, it is, after all, the unique skill that our Star Remnants rely on for survival, but at the same time, it is also a shackle that restricts our development. After all, we cannot stand under the Star Sea forever."

"I believe that the scholars of the Star Relics will one day find a way to break free from this constraint," the black marketeer said. "Nothing in the world is static, is it?"

Isaiah knew that the black marketeer was implying to him again, hoping that he would help them clear their names at the upcoming gathering. He still did not refuse and smiled, saying, "Of course, that's what I hope for too."

The two looked at each other and smiled, and the deal was done.

"So is there anything else we need to do?" the black marketeer asked.

"Just leave it as it is, until tomorrow night," Isaiah said. "The Stars Array will begin operating on Spotless Night tomorrow night, and I will resolve everything then, but until then..."

"I understand what you mean." The black marketeer patted his chest again. "Please rest assured, we won't alert them."

After saying this, the black marketeer took his leave, leaving Isaiah alone in the room.

Isaiah turned his gaze back to the window.

So far, everything is going according to his plan.

Once tomorrow night arrives, when the Spotless Night arrives and the Stars Array is fully deployed, he will be able to attack Tongue and Luo Qi, who have been driven here, without any pretense.

However, all of this depends on the premise that Tongue and Luo Qi will arrive here tomorrow night.

That depends on Mina.

According to the plan, Mina will take action against Tongue and that guy named Ai De Wen, who are still in the De La Town, tonight, and force them to come here.

Mina was Isaiah's most prized disciple, and he believed she could do it.

However, just to be on the safe side, Isaiah will continue to monitor that starry sky, and he will know immediately if Mina makes a move.

So Isaiah gazed silently in the direction of De La Town, waiting for the prelude to begin.

But what Isaiah didn't know was that Mina was no longer in the De La Town at that moment.

She was on her way to the outskirts of the Nameless Town, just as planned.

It was just a whole day earlier.

"We can no longer detect Ai De Wen's presence at all," Fenris said. "In other words... unfortunately, we've lost him."

"I don't think you have anything to regret," Luo Qi scoffed. "If you're going to regret losing one person, you'll spend the rest of your life in regret."

Fenris didn't react much to Luo Qi's taunts; he never cared much about such things. This naturally made Luo Qi feel powerless, like punching cotton. He could only turn his attention to Mina: "I say, is your plan even going to work? What if those two guys didn't even come to Nameless Town? Wouldn't we have made a wasted trip like idiots?"

Luo Qi was so angry because they had also rushed here from the De La Town overnight.

To avoid alerting the enemy, they left their troops in the De La Town before coming alone.

This was a real disaster for Luo Qi, considering his injuries hadn't fully healed and his right hand hadn't been reattached, leaving him practically disabled.

Moreover, on the way there, they had to be careful not to be spotted by the Tongues ahead, lest they turn around and kill the three of them instead of going to Nameless Town. That would be a truly unbearable situation.

Fortunately, they had already covered most of the distance and were approaching the Nameless Town. Even if Tongue had discovered them at this point, Isaiah would not have stood idly by. Therefore, they were relatively safe, and Luo Qi now had the energy to pick a fight with his two "companions."

During the days she spent with Luo Qi, Mina had come to know the volatile Rhine Bishop well enough to know that he was just looking for trouble, but she wasn't annoyed. She said gently, "They have no reason not to come. If they don't come here, where else can they find Visas' Corpse Pieces?"

In the past, Mina would have been somewhat dissatisfied with Luo Qi's unreasonable attitude, but now she isn't.

After all, who would hold a grudge against their prey?

Luo Qi, who had followed her here, was already halfway into the trap. To the Hunter, its howls were not jarring but rather melodious.

Her next task was to lure Luo Qi into the Nameless Town according to plan.

With no troops left by his side, Luo Qi faced Isaiah, who had no need to conceal his strength, and the outcome was already predetermined.

Thinking of this, Mina's gaze toward Luo Qi turned cold.

The Rhine Bishop clashed with Wanted Criminal's violent demise. Star Remnant cleaned up the mess.

How pleasant that sounds!

Now all we have to do is wait for those two restless guys to make the first move.

"By the way, Miss Mina," Fenris suddenly asked, "Are you sure it's tonight?"

"Hmm?" Mina looked at Fenris. "Why do you ask that?"

"I just suddenly thought of last night," Fenris said. "The group of Holy Sound Player misremembered the time, which forced us to move our operation a day earlier, and that makes me a little uneasy, so I wanted to confirm... you didn't misremember the time, did you?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Qi also looked at Mina, a hint of wariness in his eyes.

After all, the sudden attack by the Holy Sound Player last night completely disrupted their plans, forcing them to move up their schedules as well.

The group of Holy Sound Player were wiped out because of their rash actions, and to this day they still don't know how those guys got the time wrong.

Upon hearing this, a hint of confusion flashed in Mina's eyes, but it lasted for less than a second.

"It's alright, I've already informed Teacher Isaiah," Mina said. "Teacher Isaiah has responded."

"Move the operation forward to tonight?"

"Yes." Mina nodded slightly, speaking slowly and deliberately, with great certainty, "We'll move the plan forward to tonight."

"So, what exactly are your plans?"

On the other side of the Nameless Town, Ai De Wen looked at He Wei Ni Ya with great confusion.

"You felt this place was a trap, but you still came."

"Don't you think this is a trap?" He Wei Ni Ya glanced at Ai De Wen. "Don't you think there were too many flaws in last night's expulsion?"

"If I had to say, I think the flaws last night were so numerous that it didn't seem like a trap at all." Ai De Wen shrugged. "If they just wanted to drive us away instead of risking their lives, why did they let an entire team of Holy Sound Player die? And if they wanted to kill us, the subsequent pursuit was too chaotic and arbitrary, so I don't really understand what they were trying to do."

"That's why I'm here," He Wei Ni Ya said. "I want to see what they're up to."

Ai De Wen opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Yes, the clumsy expulsion by the three major churches last night naturally made them realize that something was wrong. So, following the idea of "using fake corpse parts of Visas to set up an array," they wondered if the three major churches were using Nameless Town as bait to lure the two of them into a trap.

But why does it have to be Nameless Town?

Is there any special person or force here that can deal with them?

And what was the reason for the extremely clumsy expulsion by the three major churches last night?

These doubts lingered in Ai De Wen's mind, leaving him unsure of what those guys were up to.

However, to be on the safe side, it's always best to stay far away from Nameless Town.

Although Ai De Wen was eager to use the Visas Prosthetic Limbs in the Nameless Town to begin his grand experiment, he needed to ensure his safety first, since death meant nothing. Therefore, Ai De Wen wouldn't knowingly walk into a trap.

But He Wei Ni Ya told Ai De Wen that since it was a trap, there must be bait to lure the prey.

She wanted to see what the bait was, and if possible, take it away separately without stepping on a trap.

Ai De Wen shook his head at this audacious idea, exclaiming, "Too dangerous, far too dangerous!" But because he dared not leave He Wei Ni Ya, he could only sigh and stay there.

However, this was just He Wei Ni Ya's explanation; He Wei Ni Ya did not tell Ai De Wen the real reason.

That is, He Wei Ni Ya had a premonition that everything they had encountered was being controlled by a powerful force. They, the Church, and the Contract Land were all entangled in this force.

Of all the people who could do this, He Wei Ni Ya could only think of one person— Bai Wei.

If Bai Wei was behind all of this, then many things make sense.

He Wei Ni Ya narrowed her eyes slightly, gazing at the Nameless Town not far away.

She had a premonition that something big was about to happen, just like what Bai Wei had done back in Rhine, Lyra, and Holy Sound.

If that's the case, then what He Wei Ni Ya needs to do is actually quite simple.

All you need to do is wait quietly.

Of course, He Wei Ni Ya wasn't without a backup plan, in case her guess was wrong and she ended up in danger...

He Wei Ni Ya glanced at Ai De Wen.

Let's break this guy's legs first, and then run away.

Ai De Wen shivered and instinctively looked at He Wei Ni Ya.

He Wei Ni Ya had already withdrawn her gaze and turned her attention back to the Nameless Town.

What will happen?

As night falls, all things will return to silence.

Countless eyes were watching this ordinary little town.

An unremarkable man, driven by despair and a last glimmer of hope, rushed into the town like a stray dog that had lost its home.

"The numbers match up, right?" Ha Luo said, looking at the rows of closed carriages in front of him. "Don't shortchange me."

"Hey, what are you saying?" the coachman said discontentedly. "How many do you have? Do you think I'd underestimate them? Come back and say that when you're capable of assembling a whole caravan instead of sharing with others."

"It's not that easy," Ha Luo muttered. "The Gold Merchant all have their own territories. Where am I supposed to find new sources of income?"

The coachman raised an eyebrow. "Don't you know Wildfire is?"

"Wildfire?"

"Yes, it's the place that was called Senro a hundred years ago."

"I know what place it is, why are you talking about it?"

"Your information is so outdated, and you call yourself a messenger?" The coachman shook his head and said, "A few months ago, Wildfire was destroyed. The entire Wildfire Holy Sect disappeared overnight. In addition, the Senro God, who died long ago, has now become a veritable land without gods and without a master."

Ha Luo narrowed his eyes slightly. "I've heard about that, but won't that attract the attention of other churches?"

"Heh, who would be interested in that area now?" the coachman said. "The Rhine is no longer what it used to be, Lyra has been rebuilt, and the Holy Sound is in chaos. Only a few other major Esoteric Sect would be interested. But aren't the Esoteric Sect our counterparts?"

Ha Luo became interested. "The way you put it, it actually seems like there's potential."

"Of course, you can't take over the land, but kidnapping a few children isn't so simple." The coachman raised his whip. "But you'd better find Gold Merchant to accompany you, after all, there are too many people eyeing that place now."

After saying that, the coachman drove the carriage away, while Ha Luo walked back, lost in thought.

It's definitely a good opportunity; I should really try my luck.

No, it's not just a matter of being able to, it's a must-go to see, otherwise those Gold Merchant will monopolize the market again.

Ha Luo returned to his place and took out his key to open the Open the door.

I wonder when that idiot Lai Er will officially become a Gold Merchant. If he does, I'll be much more comfortable.

But then again, if Lai Er becomes Gold Merchant, wouldn't it be possible that he's been keeping Lyle's money without returning it...?

The door was halfway open when Ha Luo saw a dark shadow appear in front of him.

Someone was behind him!

Ha Luo was startled and was about to turn around when he was slammed against the door with great force, and a roar like that of a wild beast exploded in his ears.

"Where is my son?!"

Lai Er grabbed Ha Luo's head and slammed it against the door.

"You damned old liar!"

He screamed hysterically.

"Give me back my son!"