The Trial Was Turned Up a Notch in Difficulty

"Are you all alone?"

And what about that Erudite Scholar?

After seeing the Blind Man off, Cheng Shi looked at Qin Xin again. He finally had a chance to have a proper conversation with this Believer of the [Memory] who was suspected to be the founder of the Passing the Flame.

Qin Xin smiled slightly, first glancing at the other corpse in front of Cheng Shi, then pointing in the direction outside the town and explaining:

"The Scholar trusted me completely, so he decided to increase efficiency again and have me act separately from him."

He knew a bit about lava crystal mines, so he went there, while I stayed in town and wandered around.

As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Shi's expression turned strange.

"Aren't you curious when he sent you to the mine alone?"

"Of course I was curious. I secretly followed him for a short time. He was very cautious and seemed to have noticed that someone was there, so he behaved normally."

This was a Trials of trust, and I couldn't waste time following a teammate without a reason. So, after a while, I returned empty-handed.

"You've come to see us?" Cheng Shi was slightly taken aback. He sensed from the other person's tone that they were directed at him and the Blind Man.

"Indeed, more than my Scholar desires, I'd like to know your results, but now I do."

Pity."

"..." These people are all shrewd, each and every one of them is a shrewd person. In their eyes, it seems that they don't need to say anything. Just by looking at the scene, they can deduce the relationship between the two people present.

Cheng Shi admired her inwardly, but then frowned, because he suddenly remembered Qin Xin's attitude in the hotel earlier, which seemed different from her current one.

He remembered the other man frowning at the Blind Man several times, his expression clearly showing surprise at the Blind Man's prophecy and his decision to stay. But why was he acting this way now...?

"Who is this person?" Qin Xin interrupted Cheng Shi's thoughts. He looked at Yadelik and asked.

"Yadelik, an imprisoned miner, we found that his Memory was somewhat confused, and we suspected that it was the breakthrough point of the Trials, so we took him with us to find the second breakthrough point, a shack girl named Aromani."

As he spoke, Cheng Shi looked up at the sky, but the tracing threads that had long been invisible to him had completely vanished with the Blind Man's death.

Qin Xin nodded. "In that case, we'll probably have to meet with the Scholar."

"Interesting. You don't seem worried about the Blind Man's death, nor do you care whether I join the Fire Keeper."

The Blind Man must have had your permission to invite him, right?

Cheng Shi picked up Yadelik again, preparing to go to the mine with Qin Xin. As for the Blind Man, there was no need to waste time staying in the same place before he returned.

Qin Xin smiled slightly and casually took the miner's body. The burly miner looked rather petite in comparison to his full protective gear.

Unlike Cheng Shi, who carried the person on his shoulder, he simply lifted him by his legs and walked forward effortlessly.

"You're curious about my identity, and you might guess correctly, but not necessarily all of them."

I told you, Cheng Shi, I trust you, so I'm not worried about the Blind Man.

As for whether you are willing to join the Fire Keeper... I once discussed the invitation with the Blind Man. She is a very perceptive person about the future. In a way, she is very similar to you. She is not a true Fire Keeper. We are just colleagues. However, she chose to join while we were colleagues, while you chose to refuse.

Perhaps that's why she wants to bring you in too.

I initially thought this would be a disturbance to you, because I knew that Fire Seeker Fire Keeper met you, she might have invited you as well, given her personality. But the fact that you chose to remain anonymous means that you have already rejected us once.

But the Blind Man insisted on doing it and convinced me. She said it wasn't an opportunity for me, but an opportunity for the Fire Keeper. She could feel my help to us, just as she could feel that she would stand with the Fire Keeper in the future.

However, I had already anticipated your rejection.

Cheng Shi, I'm sorry. Perhaps we were too weak, which is why we wanted to fight for this opportunity. But you don't need to worry too much, because after this Trials, the remembrance and mourning will make me and the Blind Man forget everything.

Old Man will die at the hands of the Fire Keeper, and Chen Shu... although he chose to join us, I made him swear an oath of silence, so you are safe.

I'm also very fortunate that the Fire Keeper didn't have any further impact on you.

"..."

This was the first time Cheng Shi didn't know what to say in response. Qin Xin's explanation was comprehensive, covering everything from the cause to the process to the result. He even thought of the aftermath that Cheng Shi usually had to handle. All he could do was listen.

Suddenly, the scene fell silent. A heavily armored warrior, carrying a corpse, walked side by side with a Fate Weaver towards the mine outside the town.

But the two hadn't walked far when they ran into Wang Mou, who was returning from the mines outside the town.

Like Qin Xin, this Erudite Scholar was carrying a woman who appeared to be unconscious when he bumped into the two on the path leading out of town.

Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Scholar, the lady in your hand isn't some shack girl named Aromani, is she?"

Wang Mou was taken aback, then turned his head to look at the corpse in Qin Xin's hand, and nodded:

"It seems we've both made progress. I found the confused woman in the mine's medical room; she was being treated by a quack."

Of course, I can't say for sure whether it was a treatment or a transaction. In any case, I found something fishy in their conversation. It seems that the woman's Memory is having some problems.

So I disposed of the quack doctor, intending to bring the lady back and, in front of everyone, try to extract some clues from her."

Upon hearing this, Qin Xin nodded in agreement, while Cheng Shi chuckled.

He looked at the Scholar with great interest and smiled, "Why don't you ask him privately first? You should know, Scholar, that sometimes clues are fleeting."

"We have plenty of time, and besides, that Investigator is Believer in the Order. I don't want my private investigation to arouse his suspicion, as that would only reduce efficiency."

What you said makes sense, and you acted quite cautiously, but...

Cheng Shi curled the corners of his lips and smiled again, "Scholar, since you care so much about efficiency, then eavesdropping on other people's treatments... won't that affect efficiency?"

"?" Wang Mou's face suddenly froze. He glanced at Cheng Shi, then looked at Qin Xin, who was smiling warmly beside him, and looked away slightly. "I overheard it by chance while looking around for clues. Actually..."

"Alright, it's not that important. I was just joking. Why are you taking it so seriously?" Cheng Shi chuckled teasingly. "The mine looks quite large. Besides this lady, are there any other clues?"

"Yes, but one unit of manpower is far from enough to explore the standard. Since we have set a meeting time, we should first conduct an intelligence exchange and formulate a more in-depth plan, and then gather everyone's strength to re-investigate this place."

"A methodical approach to work leads to efficiency; I suggest..."

Before they could finish speaking, the three of them heard a deafening "BOOM!" The town suddenly erupted with a deafening roar. When they turned around with grave expressions, they were shocked to find that a certain area in the southeast of the town had been completely erased from reality by someone.

"!!!"

Ember Annihilator!

The volatile Mage ultimately couldn't control her destructive urges, truly intensifying the Trials.

Wang Mou's gaze was deep, Qin Xin's brows furrowed slightly, and Cheng Shi looked astonished.

To be honest, at this stage, if you can't control your destructive urges, the Believer of [Annihilation] are easily attacked by the masses. So generally speaking, players who can get to this point usually have a way to balance their destructive urges.

But Wu Cun was perfectly fine just now, what happened to him now?

The three people present exchanged a serious look, and could see in each other's eyes that they all wanted to win this Trials. So they shouted "Go!" in unison and rushed towards the erased area.

Before the Ember Annihilator completely erase all clues in the Trials, they must find a way to control them. If they are allowed to get out of control, there will be no hope of passing the Trials. However, they do not yet know what kind of opponent they will face. If the situation collapses, they will have no choice but to kill even their teammates if necessary.

Thinking of this, Cheng Shi recalled the prophecy made by the Blind Man.

Five people!

On the last day, only five people sat around a table and talked.

At that moment, he glanced at his watch. It was just past the hour, only two and a half hours before the crowd dispersed. Could this prophecy be coming true on the morning of the first day?

Today marks the 914th day of writing novels on Tomato. From today onwards, I'm a diligent writer with a two-and-a-half-year writing streak... Happy.