Destiny Had Indeed Given Guidance, but the Timing Was Long Since Out of Step

The trial had ended, but history was far from over.

The answer Cheng Shi had submitted was only a key. It had opened the door to passing the trial, but unlike a consumable, it wouldn't vanish after being used. So when all the "lords" disappeared into thin air, the "answers" to the trial were left staring at one another, as if reborn.

They exchanged glances, then quickly sprang into action.

The first to react was Xilolin. Though she'd been tied up more tightly than anyone else, the ropes could bind her body, but not her voice. The moment she realized she was "free" again, she threw back her head and sang a filthy song of Filth and Decay for all the men present.

In the next instant, two sages, a smuggler, and a miner were tangled up together, driven by the instincts of desire.

Once she was sure no one posed a threat, Xilolin wriggled toward the side, searching for a way to escape.

The siren was clever enough to slip out of her bindings in short order. Then, frowning, she knocked out the miner reeking of urine and the disheveled smuggler. She tied up the two sages, who were clinging to each other so tightly they couldn't be separated, in the basement of a nearby room, then hurried down the mountain.

She'd been away from the shantytown for too long. Now she needed to check on the Brotherhood and make timely, effective arrangements for the situation.

Though those mysterious big shots had used up all the Abyssal Crystals, Xilolin wasn't shortsighted. As long as the Tower of Reason on the surface still stood, the Proxy Hand wouldn't stop mining. More Abyssal Crystals would be unearthed sooner or later. So long as she kept the two sages under control—or, no,