On the other side, a man approached [ Zhongde ] and asked:
"Boss, what do we do now?"
[ Zhongde ] also thought for a few seconds before speaking:
"It's just that the attack has changed from a sneak attack to a full-scale assault. The plan remains unchanged and will continue!"
"Yes!"
Realizing they had been exposed, the players simply stopped pretending. Some, finding the priest's robes uncomfortable, even went to a corner to change, emerging fully armed in combat gear.
Nuolun, preoccupied with his own Soul Returner, led his last hundred or so men toward the church.
To maintain formation and to guard against potential ambushes along the roadside, her marching speed was not too fast, but the [ Dark Archmage ] arrived from behind at this moment.
Driven by some inexplicable sense of ritual, she ultimately chose to join the three hundred Soul Returner on this mission, intending to witness the entire process of the last town changing hands.
Is there something you need?
Nuolun asked the somewhat temperamental Soul Returner, who had left a complex and profound impression on her.
"Yes, we want to be the main force in this attack on the church."
"You? You mean you three hundred people?"
[ The Dark Archmage ] shook his head:
"Some of the Soul Returner were ordered to clean up the town. Black Locust Town is quite large, and there are about 150 people available to launch an attack."
Upon hearing this, Nuolun shook his head vigorously.
"I'm sorry, please convey my message to the senior Soul Returner: we have never questioned your bravery, but there are fewer than two hundred of you, and your current physical condition is still too weak... Please leave this to us."
"Besides, this was the task we were tasked with, and we must prove our loyalty to the Second Holy See."
[ The Dark Archmage ] also shook his head:
"No, no, no, actually there's a tacit rule (just made up) -- after new partners join us, we need to let you observe a real battle so that you can understand our combat style and cooperate better in the future."
This statement is half true and half false. The truth is that players are indeed willing to showcase their combat styles, but the false part is that they don't care at all about whether they can cooperate with NPCs; they just want to show off.
What is the combat style of the Soul Returner?
Nuolun raised an eyebrow.
Indeed, how exactly would our ancient predecessors demonstrate their bravery through battle?
She suddenly felt a surge of excitement and looked into the [ Dark Archmage's ] eyes, saying:
"Are you really confident you can take that church? Black Locust Town is one of the core towns of Aduolin. According to the quota, there are nearly a hundred priests here. We just captured less than ten. If the rest retreat into the church, plus those temporary workers, the number of enemies will not be small."
[ The Dark Archmage ] pondered for a moment (sending a message), and quickly gave Nuolun an affirmative reply:
"Don't worry, we will definitely succeed."
"Of course, your Holy Crusaders can serve as reserves, joining the battlefield if the situation changes."
Nuolun looked at the Soul Returner's confident expression, hesitated for a moment, and nodded:
"Can."
Having reached an agreement, the group quickly arrived near the church in Black Locust Town.
As expected of one of the two wealthiest towns in the Aduolin Province, even its church is a size larger and a floor taller than that of White Wax Town.
At this moment, the bishop in the church was already on guard because of the sudden turn of the Holy Crusaders.
The church ahead, though appearing to be just an ordinary three-story wooden and stone building, was already filled with Fallen One gleamed with malice.
Nuolun looked down at the tightly closed doors below the church, sensing that the Soul Returner were about to face a fierce battle.
She knew almost without thinking that behind that door lay a trap set by the enemy.
Even if they could be resurrected and reborn, wouldn't their predecessors be completely indifferent to pain?
Nuolun was clearly overthinking it; to care about pain, one must first be able to feel it.
The players also realized that something was strange behind the door. Several of the Soul Returner usually took charge whispered amongst themselves for a while, and then one of them turned to look at his companions:
"Send a scout; all resurrection costs will be reimbursed, and there will be a bonus for gathering more information."
The Soul Returner around him immediately cheered:
"Me! Me! Me! I'm agile enough to see more information!"
"What's the use of high agility? I have high constitution, so I can get a better view of the enemy before I get killed."
"Why is everyone thinking about dying? I'm strong enough, send me in and I'll blow them up!"
After some debate, [ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ] ultimately won the first scout spot because of his higher physique, while the team leaders' explanation was --
Scout test launches carry the risk of failure; those with superior physical attributes have a higher chance of survival.
Although he didn't know how the scouts and test firings were connected, Nuolun chose to continue observing.
"Hey, isn't this Warm Brother?"
Several Soul Returner home were joking with [ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ], when one of them suddenly switched to a professional broadcaster's voice:
"Dear passengers, welcome aboard [ One-Way Airlines ] single-occupancy aircraft. All energy for this flight comes from elastic potential energy, ensuring no environmental pollution."
Listening to the other party's purely human-generated broadcast, [ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ] laughed in exasperation:
"Would it kill you to give someone an auspicious name?"
The man shook his head and looked at the church:
"No, but you will definitely die."
As they spoke, the two players had already nailed the huge ironwood frame to the ground in front of the church. Nuolun watched these people bustling around, completely clueless as to what they were trying to do.
After confirming that the shelves on both sides were installed stably, the players began Cultivation Aberration plants on their bodies.
They recently discovered a new application for [ Oil Vine ].
This plant is incredibly valuable; it secretes oils that can Ignite directly, and the product after being burned has excellent flexibility.
In previous bondage play with some priests, they also found that fresh Oil Vine were more elastic than Deadwood Vine and Strangler Fig.
Several players attached the Cultivation Oil Vine to the wooden frames on both sides, and then [ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ] was led to the middle of the vines to begin the operation.
Nuolun doubted her eyes; she roughly knew what it was.
A slingshot? Isn't that the slingshot I played with when I was a kid?
The other Holy Crusaders watching also exclaimed "Oh, oh!" in surprise, as if they had just realized that such a tactic was even possible!
[ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ] already knew what awaited him. He stretched out his arms and Alienation his ten fingers to make them easier for players to drag.
Then, five players on each side of the ten players came to his side, grabbed his arms, and began to pull him backward frantically.