The Grey-robed Ones had looked as fierce as tigers when they came, but now they fled in just as miserable a state.
Luo Er, the Fire Mage leading them, did not even have time to gather his subordinates. He ignored several cultists whom Vivian's enormous Magic Shield had sent flying and sprinted toward the Monster Nest deep in the forest with only the few people still beside him.
"Damn it!" As Luo Er ran, his resentment grew heavier. Some people's self-esteem could recover frighteningly quickly because they were good at finding all sorts of reasons and excuses for themselves.
"If it weren't for that strange illness that suddenly became widespread in Huodian City, my strength wouldn't have been so severely suppressed. Otherwise, how could I possibly fail to even deal with a lowly, filthy villager? Cough... cough, cough."
Luo Er's expression twisted viciously. Perhaps he was panicking and worked up, causing his blood and energy to churn. After coughing violently, he spat forcefully onto the forest floor.
The sputum was streaked with blood and carried a faint, eerie blackness that gave off an evil feeling.
Actually, Luo Er had not been making things up. After Fire God Alice was secretly corrupted, the first ones to suffer and become poisoned were the middle- and high-ranking members of the Fire God Cult.
Then, through attending various gatherings and banquets, they spread it further, eventually causing many of Huodian City's high-ranking nobles and major families to develop similar symptoms of infection.
By contrast, the ordinary people at the bottom of Huodian City were still safe for the time being, with very few poisoned or infected.
After all, they usually could not even come into contact with those great lords from the upper class. Naturally, the infection had not reached them yet. But if the situation was not stopped, it would only be a matter of time.
It was precisely because of this strange contagious disease that Huodian City had entered a minor state of emergency and sealed itself off from outsiders. Foreigners without a travel permit were forbidden from entering.
In fact, Huodian City was not the only place like this. Many cities throughout the Flame Domain had developed the same situation.
Everyone assumed someone else was the source of the virus and wanted to seal off their cities to isolate themselves. Yet at this point, no matter how hard they racked their brains, they would never have guessed that the source of the contagious disease was actually the ruler of the Flame Domain—the very Fire God Alice who had always sheltered and protected them.
"This failure is the perfect opportunity. I have to beg Lady Eugenia for mercy and ask her to give me a few more stalks of Purple Crystal Grass so I can cure this strange illness quickly!"
"We secretly planted so much of it anyway. With Bishop Eugenia's mercy and love for me, she definitely won't begrudge me a mere few stalks!"
It was not only Liao Zixuan—or rather, someone within the Fire God Cult had originally discovered that Purple Crystal Grass could suppress and alleviate the contagious disease. That was how Liao Zixuan in his previous life had learned about it as well.
However, Purple Crystal Grass was extremely rare because of its strict growing conditions, and there was nowhere near enough to meet the needs of an entire city.
Thus, someone thought of an unorthodox method and tried to force its growth. After all, Purple Crystal Grass was priceless in Huodian City. Many high-ranking nobles would fight over a single stalk and spend huge sums of money for it.
This showed just how enormous the profits would be if someone could control the supply of Purple Crystal Grass.
And so, driven by those immense profits, some people secretly sought out Monster Nests suitable for growing Purple Crystal Grass. Then, using an evil secret technique of unknown origin, they secretly stimulated the power of the monster leaders, making them release vast amounts of magic power. They used that magic power as nourishment to plant and force the growth of huge fields of Purple Crystal Grass.
Finally, through their connections, they smuggled the large quantities of Purple Crystal Grass into Huodian City and resold them through the black market and auction houses. A massive chain of profit was formed.
Bishop Eugenia was the most crucial link in this chain of profit. Her role was to provide the supply.
As for the largest monster territory near Huodian City, Claw Forest naturally came first. Thus, its leader, "Terror Claw," the king of the forest, was targeted.
But this method had one extremely fatal flaw. To force the growth of Purple Crystal Grass, they would continually stimulate the monsters' potential. The evil secret technique destroyed their minds and made them violent and ferocious. If they lost control, they would create a super monster many times more terrifying than before.
If this method were made public, the council would absolutely ban it, because the consequences were too severe.
Once a super monster whose strength had expanded several times suddenly ran amok, it would cause unimaginable devastation. At the very least, the dozens of villages of all sizes around Claw Forest would be slaughtered to the last person.
That was why Luo Er's group had come to intercept and kill Vivian and stop them from going deeper into the forest.
"Hmph. A villager who has never even attended an academy or received a higher education is an idiot. She actually let us escape just like that. She's practically asking to die!"
Some people were vile by nature. Others did not kill them, yet they still looked down on those people afterward for not killing them.
"She doesn't even know that she has to wipe out her enemies completely. Letting one escape means endless trouble later. She doesn't even understand such a simple principle. A commoner is a commoner, nothing more than a sow with a body full of magic power from who knows where!"
Even though Vivian had single-handedly beaten them all to a pulp, in Luo Er's eyes—and in the eyes of every member of the Fire God Cult—Vivian was still equated with a sow.
Don't ask. If you did, the answer would be that city people were born superior, while country villagers were inferior. No, they were not even people. In the eyes of the high-ranking nobles, they were livestock.
"Once we return and have Bishop Eugenia deal with that female villager Spellcaster, I'll slaughter the entire village she comes from! And her seriously ill younger brother too. Heh heh, I'll roast him into charcoal with fire right in front of her!"
Only action could wash away humiliation.
Luo Er had always kept the Fire God's teachings firmly in mind.
Who knew whether Fire God Alice would immediately turn dark and fall if she learned that this was how he had interpreted her meaning, without even needing to wait for the corruption.
Indeed.
If they were truly allowed to escape like this, Luo Er could probably gather a new group of Fire God Cult believers within a day. Even if Vivian could protect herself, could the girl protect the entire village?
That was the tragedy of insignificant people.
They had a faction behind them, while you were alone. Once you made enemies, you would always be the one to suffer.
Therefore, the more things were like this, the more ruthless you had to be, giving the seeds of hatred no chance to sprout.
Vivian could not do that now, but someone else could.
"Ah! Lord Luo Er, save me... save me!" A subordinate's scream suddenly came from behind, making Luo Er's eyelid twitch.
Had that female villager changed her mind and come after them again!?
The Fire God Cult mage turned around in a panic, and what he saw was a scene that would terrify him for the rest of his life.
Luo Er did not see Vivian's figure as he had expected. Instead, what terrified him was that he could not see any enemy at all!
However.
Like a line of falling dominoes, or an invisible fuse, the few cultists behind him suddenly began igniting with strange black flames one after another. In the blink of an eye, they turned to charcoal, unable to let out more than a few screams.
Sometimes, what was frightening was not death.
It was watching others die one by one while knowing that soon it would be your turn—you were next.
Finally,
When the most trusted subordinate following directly behind Luo Er was also swallowed by the strange black flames and burned to death, Luo Er's mental defenses completely collapsed.
With a smack, he fell to his knees.
"Don't—don't kill me! I have Bishop Eugenia's Magic Stone on me. The Bishop can see everything happening here. You... if you kill me, the Bishop definitely won't let you off!!!"
Before you continue