"Second row, from the left... yes, the one on the right."
"The second book from the left in the fourth row."
"Let's put those sample containers over there in too."
The old man gave orders to the young man in front of him with satisfaction. [ Howling Pothos ] felt that this was another unexpected joy. Not only was he not disgusted, but he also hoped that the other party would let him bring out more.
The bag was soon full, but [ Howling Pothos ] didn't return it to the old man. Instead, it carried it in its own hands, acting as if it wanted to help him carry it all the way.
Seeing this, the old man stopped refusing and didn't ask for his pocket back. [ Howling Pothos ] quickly went a step further and helped the old man up by the arm.
With just one movement, he could sense that the old man was not so powerful. The first few steps the old man took after sitting for so long were so shaky. It seemed that he was a research-oriented talent, and perhaps not a strong opponent in combat.
Thinking of this, [ Howling Pothos ] immediately felt reassured.
He estimated the time it would take for the Soldier Bee to arrive to meet him, and carefully reached his hand, which was holding the bag, inside his coat to break off the signal stalk filled with a large amount of pheromones.
An old man and a young boy arrived at the entrance to the dark room. The old man asked in confusion:
Where did the guards go?
[ Howling Pothos ] continues to spout nonsense with a straight face:
"They've all been reassigned to arrest those thugs. It's precisely because we're short-handed that we can't ensure your safety, which is why I'm taking you to the cathedral."
The old man was shocked again upon hearing this:
"They even removed the guards from the secret room?"
He thought for a moment and said:
"Take me away from here quickly."
"Yes, sir."
The journey was silent, and [ Howling Pothos ]'s heart gradually calmed down, while the old man beside him quickened his pace, seemingly genuinely afraid that someone was targeting him.
The two quickly descended to the ground floor via a secluded staircase in the chapel. The children's hymns were still in progress, and many priests were gathered around the choir, commenting on them.
He led the old man, avoiding the priests as they went, and quickly arrived at the entrance of the small chapel. Using the old man's identity as cover, they successfully passed the two unfriendly-looking priests guarding the door and entered the chapel.
Just as [ Howling Pothos ] was about to leave with his people, a tall figure suddenly appeared in front of him.
The squad leader, who had killed three thugs, looked at the two men before him, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes:
Where are you going?
Before [ Howling Pothos ] could even open his mouth to defend himself, the old man beside him looked at the squad leader, who was a head taller than him, and said:
"The archbishop invited me to the cathedral, are you not allowed to?"
The squad leader, with his robust and well-proportioned physique, looked at the old man:
"Who are you?"
" Zarke."
The old man, his face grim, uttered a name and pressed on, demanding to know:
"Squad leader, am I entitled to leave this church?"
Although not deeply involved in human experimentation, the squad leader had heard of the name Zarke.
The other party had spent most of his life in Fir City and was Antiya Lisi's Left and Right Arms in the field of experiments, with more seniority than that archbishop.
If it weren't for a lack of talent, Antiya Lisi would never have been chosen as the archbishop of the Aduolin Province.
After a moment's hesitation, the squad leader nodded:
"Of course you can, but what about him...?"
He looked at [ Howling Pothos ] who was helping the old man, but his tone didn't sound like he was trying to stop him; rather, he seemed to be hoping the other person could give him a plausible explanation.
"To be honest, he's a complete stranger. A priest has already been murdered, and when I found out, his robes were already gone. I now suspect that this spy is in the chapel."
Zarke was quite satisfied with [ Howling Pothos's ] previous performance, and since he hadn't sensed any fear or murderous intent from the person beside him, his wariness towards him had reached its lowest point.
"He's the guard Antiya sent to pick me up. I've taken all my important belongings with me. Arrest the spies in the chapel if you need to; no important information will be leaked."
After saying that, he looked at the squad leader and added in an unfriendly tone:
"The underground guards have all been transferred away. If I don't go with him, who will guarantee my safety?"
The captain of the guard was speechless with embarrassment upon hearing this. Zarke snorted and then left the chapel with the help of his attentive bodyguard.
"How do I get here?"
The biting wind whipped against his face, and the old man felt the bodyguard leading him on a longer route.
"There was an accident on the nearest road; a house there is still burning."
[ Howling Pothos ] explained, and the old man turned his head and indeed saw some faint flames flickering not far away.
This young man is indeed cautious.
Zarke secretly pondered whether he should ask Antiya Lisi for this person to use himself.
She has a keen eye, is meticulous and cautious in her work, and is simply perfect to be my assistant.
With this on his mind, he had no more doubts and let the young priest lead him through the winding paths—
At least in his subconscious, this road did indeed lead to the cathedral, just a bit roundabout.
After walking for more than ten minutes, [ Howling Pothos ] heard a buzzing sound in the wind, knowing that Soldier Bee had come to meet it.
He looked around at the alleys and felt they weren't good places to evacuate, so he led Zarke to a secluded but somewhat open location.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing the bodyguard leading him to stand in the cold wind, the old man was instinctively taken aback, while [ Howling Pothos ] remained completely absorbed in his bodyguard role as if it were perfectly normal:
"There may be danger around, please don't stray too far from me."
"Good."
The old man clenched his weak fists and looked around warily.
Two minutes later, the buzzing sound finally reached above the [ Howling Pothos ].
As the Soldier Bee landed, Zarke realized something was wrong:
What is that sound?
He asked cautiously, only to see a look of relief on his bodyguard's face:
"Sir, our messengers have arrived."
As a thin line, about the thickness of a thumb, descended from the sky, a sharp blade sprang from below the bodyguard's right wrist and instantly pierced Zarke's mouth.
"Ugh!"
[ Howling Pothos ] used the knowledge she had acquired beforehand to twist the sharp blade at her wrist and pierce the vocal cords in the middle of Zarke's throat. Then she pried off his jaw and stuffed a fist-sized Vine Bandage Pack into his mouth.
His dislocated jaw drooped limply, and Zarke's mouth and throat were filled with viscous plant repair tissue that had been activated. He couldn't call for help and could only protest with all his might by making "uh-uh" sounds.
A translucent thread circled the old man again and again. With an "OK" sign, the thread tautened and carried the two away from Fir City in the cold winter night. The quest information then popped up in [ Howling Pothos's ] field of vision:
Player [ Howling Pothos ] successfully evacuated.
Task duration: 4 hours and 12 minutes
Value estimate: 9 gold, 2 silver, 22 bronze