Lucius's Decision

"Please give us some time to consider..."

"No problem!"

Simon, a Black man, personally led the six men to a closed room with a simple stone door.

The information provided by the indigenous people was spread out on the stone table.

One of the maps depicting the entire Adelaga Mountain immediately caught everyone's attention.

The map is old and shows signs of having been modified and rebuilt many times.

But it clearly records every mountain path in the Adelaga Mountain, and even some little-known shortcuts and cave passages.

in addition.

On the map, the area covered by "Scarlet Villa" is circled with different shades of red paint.

This map is extremely valuable. If Lucius brings it back to the city, not only will they be able to complete their mission, but they will also receive excellent reviews and rewards.

Apart from the map.

On the stone table was a stack of intelligence about "Scarlet Villa".

The information about "baron" and "Earl" mentioned in the intelligence report piqued Han Dong's interest.

"The Baron, favored by the Blood God, was endowed with pure blood wine, which evolved into a high-level being called the ' Nascent Body Demon,' and belongs to the manager of the Scarlet Manor."

The Earl, the Lord, and the founder of the Scarlet Villa, was the one who brought the manor to the Adalaga Mountains and then tamed, ruled, and exterminated the other evil life forms in the region.

Rumor has it that it is a "Mature Body - Otherworldly Demon".

Han Dong had read about the classification of alien demons in a basic knowledge book in the library.

As a major threat to humanity.

The strength of the demons is not on the same level.

There are also different levels among them, just like the difference in strength between Formal Knight due to the difference in the number of Destiny Points invested in their Talent Tree.

[Extraordinary Demon] In addition to being directly derived from 'King'.

It can also be achieved by ordinary life forms through their own talents and efforts, and through subsequent advancement.

Such evolution is extremely difficult. Many evil beings, Wild Monster, or supernatural beings who have reached their limits die directly during the advancement process due to a small mistake.

Life outside the city is different from that of humans in the Holy City; it can grow steadily by being given points through the Destiny Space.

They grow by acquiring uncontrollable extreme energies such as chaos, madness, impurity, and rage.

If you are not careful, you will lose your physical form and your will, turning into a pool of unconscious, Unspeakable Things.

A very small number of individuals, after stabilizing their form and consciousness, will eventually form a "Demon Core" within their bodies, officially stepping into the ranks of Demons, and their essence will undergo a complete change.

The Oldest One demons to form were the "Nascent Body".

Once a demon is formed, it must accept a completely new way of growing – [faith].

They need to develop their own power and obtain "Power of Faith" from the absolute worship of their servants.

This is the fundamental reason why, when the eternal night descends and the demons rampage, they choose to cultivate the fallen humans into heretics rather than kill them outright.

Having gathered enough Power of Faith, the Otherworldly Demon will enter the next stage - "Maturity".

It may seem simple, but the collection process is extremely complex and lengthy.

The demons at this stage will undergo a fundamental change, with their ability system becoming almost complete... The book's assessment is - "extremely deadly".

Blood Knight Lucius's eyes were somewhat solemn. "The Earl of ' Scarlet Manor '... Mature Abyssal Demon? No wonder he has so many nascent Otherworldly beings under his command, and was able to almost take over the entire Alagad Mountains in just half a year."

Carrying a "Medium Deed" all the way here, it seems they have some ulterior motive for the Holy City.

Since the manor's owner is Mature Abyssal Demon, that explains the disappearance of the knight squad several weeks ago.

When facing a bloodline of this level, if you haven't made any defensive preparations beforehand, or if you are directly ambushed by the other party, it is indeed possible that no message can be sent back.

Just after the team had reviewed all the intelligence.

Simon, the Black man, also entered the Stone Chamber.

The stated purpose of this trip was for Abel's "Seed Breaking Plan".

"Mr. Simon, according to our intelligence, a nascent Otherworldly being with beast-like attributes should be active in the Adalaga Mountains ... Do you know its area of activity?"

When Simon received the message, he immediately showed a surprised expression, and his cracked stone eyeballs spun wildly.

"This... this is the Earl's pet!!"

A truly terrifying monster; it was among those attacking our cave.

"The Earl's pet?"

This makes things complicated; if we want to deal with this demon, we will inevitably have to get involved with the Scarlet Villa.

As things stand at the moment.

Abandoning the goal of breaking the seed and finding an opportunity to return to the Holy City is the wisest choice.

"Honorable knights! Are you preparing to slay this evil beast? Our Earth Clan is willing to provide assistance."

This evil beast is kept free-range by the Earl outside the manor area, freely devouring other life on the mountain. We know its main habitat, and I will guide you there."

Just when Han Dong thought Lucius would definitely refuse and then try to get away from the mountains.

Lucius's answer surprised everyone.

"Okay... we'll leave in ten minutes."

"Good!" Simon was overjoyed. Killing this evil beast was a way of avenging his master.

Jane and Renze quickly pulled Lucius aside for a private conversation, "Blood Team, our mission is just to get them to the foot of the mountain... Why are you getting involved in such a troublesome matter?"

Jane didn't quite understand Lucius's decision.

This investigation outside the city has yielded a wealth of intelligence, enough to report back to the city.

Secondly, a Knight Order may have once vanished here in an instant.

Furthermore, the intelligence report mentions that a Mature Abyssal Demon is suspected to exist in the manor.

In conclusion, there is absolutely no need to take such a huge risk and get involved with "Scarlet Villa".

Lucius's answer was firm, "I think I understand the true meaning of the investigation... It is no coincidence that Mr. Black and White arranged it, and that Commander Shaya assigned us to investigate the Adalaga Mountains."

Jane, could you accompany me deeper into "Scarlet Villa"?

Fortunately, we have obtained a detailed map of the mountain roads and the distribution of mountain villages from the refugees.

These junior students are pretty good too. If Commander Kaimon's grandson can successfully break through to the next level, he could become a formidable force... Would you like to come with me to the manor?

Lucius himself is associated with blood; the Knight Order he belongs to, [Grand Master - Char Cromwell], personally requested him to investigate the Adalaga Mountains.

Based on the current situation, Lucius understood the captain's arrangement... deliberately bringing him into contact with "Scarlet Villa".

As the team leader.

Blood Knight Lucius rarely made such a 'selfish' request; most of the time, he considered the interests of the two of them or the team.

Therefore, Jane and Lenzer both smiled and nodded.

"Anyway, we've been training in the Knight Order for more than half a year, and we brought plenty of equipment and supplies with us when we left the city this time... Let's treat it as a high-intensity combat training exercise."