The Soul Returner in the bushes realized her location had been exposed and there was no point in continuing to lie in wait. So she suddenly jumped up from her hiding place and looked around, only to find that six people dressed as priests had surrounded her.
She glanced around out of the corner of her eye, and instinctively chose a direction where she couldn't see anyone before she started running.
The six priests simultaneously extended their left hands diagonally forward, and a vine shot into the air from their sleeves, converging at a single point in the blink of an eye.
In that instant, the [ Dark Archmage ] understood that such a speed of Directed Alienation and manipulation of plants was something she could not overcome, and her desire to escape became even stronger.
The six vines collided in mid-air, quickly merging into a core. As they fell, they began to branch out towards the two vines closest to them, forming a verdant spiderweb that enveloped them.
The slightly sticky net fell, and the Soul Returner had nowhere to escape; they were quickly bound like dumplings.
[ The Dark Archmage ] had previously watched many episodes about World of Disorder he hadn't experienced, knowing that the Duolin were once bound like dumplings, as were the Stained Ones, and that the vampire count was still bound like a dumpling to this day...
Today, the fate of being bound like a rice dumpling Descent me. Is this right?
He'd never done anything like that before. If he had to put it in perspective, aside from sneaking around and eating Bennett's men, he'd had practically no dealings with the Blood Corpse. What bad luck...
Thinking this Soul Returner returned to its origin with a sense of peace. How could a body devoid of pain, a body that could be discarded at any time, possibly fear interrogation?
I'll just cooperate, then sleep it off and never wake up again. Maybe my bad luck will be passed on to that unlucky interrogator.
And if things go well, we might even be able to extract some information. However, I'm not very good at acting, so it's best not to be seen through.
Vines covered in sticky resin wrapped around the Soul Returner's body, tightening their grip whenever she struggled.
The Dark Archmage, who had given up resisting, saw six monks dressed in simple robes gather around him. The six men and women all had serious expressions and pursed lips.
They quickly lifted the rice dumpling and headed towards the direction of the conversation she had heard.
So, deep in the dense forest near Fir City, the [ Dark Archmage ] was invited into a military camp surrounded by reeds, a place filled with a solemn atmosphere. However, the priests did not notice that this arrest experience, which should have left a psychological scar, was seen by the Soul Returner as an intoxicating outing.
No wonder they were able to find them; the thing that crawled into their nostrils was indeed something special.
Looking at the reeds surrounding the military camp, the [ Dark Archmage ] realized the true nature of the fluffy tuft.
It really is a type of dandelion and reed; it seems there's a master here who uses it as a symbiotic plant...
Although he was arrested, at least he didn't have to exert himself to walk. It was a good thing that someone carried him, although it was a little different from Bennett's "eight-bearer sedan chair".
The Soul Returner, finding a bittersweet thought, began to carefully observe its surroundings.
Everything here seemed to be made of plants. A double-layered military camp fence, consisting of reeds and wooden barricades, enclosed nearly a hundred tents of various sizes. The unique woody fragrance and grassy smell of the plants mingled together, posing a great challenge to her sense of smell.
Upon entering the central tent, the [ Dark Archmage ] was pressed down onto a still-damp wooden chair by several priests.
In front of her was a long table that smelled of wood and was not yet completely dry, with a large number of documents laid out on it. Behind her, a slender figure was carefully examining a map spread out in front of him.
"Grand Knight Commander, the person has been brought here."
A priest spoke respectfully to the people behind the long table.
"Alright, you may leave."
A cold, clear voice came from behind, and the [ Dark Archmage ] realized that the Grand Knight Commander in the shadows was actually a woman.
However, the fact that the opponent's rather thin build was on par with that of Motley, that burly, pureblood strongman, both being high-ranking combat officers, suggested that the opponent was probably much stronger than he appeared.
The Grand Knight Commander, hidden in the shadows, folded the map and set it aside. He slowly approached the prisoner and their eyes met.
[ The Dark Archmage ] paused briefly, then started blinking rapidly (screenshot shortcut) -- This NPC is quite good-looking; someone might be interested if I uploaded it to the forum.
The Grand Knight Commander approached the long table, leaned back slightly, and looked down at the Soul Returner:
"I ask, you answer."
What should I say at this moment?
Clearly inept at handling similar situations, the [ Dark Archmage ] began to conjure up all sorts of bizarre scenarios in his mind. After much deliberation, he finally responded emotionlessly:
I won't tell you anything.
The Grand Knight in front of him froze for a second, finding it hard to believe that someone would say such courageous words in such a cowardly tone. He was momentarily speechless due to the sense of dissonance.
However, according to procedure, she still needs to break down the other party's psychological defenses first.
So the Grand Knight Commander said unhurriedly:
"You shouldn't have communicated with that giant eucalyptus tree; the fluctuations will reveal your location."
The Soul Returner remained silent—she had no idea this would happen, so what was the point of saying anything now?
Seeing a hint of regret on the other person's face, the Grand Knight Commander continued:
"Your reaction when you were parasitized by my reeds was far too violent, completely unlike that of a trained priest. You should know that short-term suffocation is not dangerous to us."
I wasn't originally a priest, just an unlucky guy who put a few attribute points into Plant Compatibility and then got captured by you!
[ The Dark Archmage ] may not say it aloud, but in his heart he has already begun to fearlessly complain.
Anyway, the reeds are about to pop out of my mouth, and they'll probably eventually take root in my seven orifices. Thank goodness I bought insurance; this World of Disorder is just too dangerous...
By the way, this seems like something I could write in a forum column. If it has a positive effect, maybe I can ask Seraphina for some advertising fees.
Seeing the prisoner before him fall silent in remorse, the Grand Knight Commander delivered the fatal blow that shattered the prisoner's psychological defenses:
"Priest from Fir City, Antiya Lisi's depravity has been discovered by the Holy City, and I have come here to deal with this matter."
"We are all servants of the Tree God, please stop being so stubborn!"
The seemingly devastating blow landed lightly on the prisoner in front of her, and this time her expression changed noticeably, though not in the way the Grand Knight had imagined.
She looked up and asked in surprise:
Really? Is there such a good thing?