[ Pond Fish and Old Abyss ] is "weaving a net," while [ Dark Archmage ] is perched on the roof of a house, observing the distance.
Did he report it?
"Looks like someone reported it."
"That's great! I can't wait!"
"Wrong."
"What's wrong?"
He's gone home again.
"Shouldn't you go home after reporting it?"
"No, no, in this kind of situation, you should definitely detain him as a guide, otherwise what if he runs away?"
"That makes sense, so what's going on?"
I don't know.
The two talked for a while and realized that things were not developing as they had expected. The night watch priest who had accepted the report quickly continued to beat his war drum and walk into the distance, showing no intention of reporting the matter.
Something's definitely wrong. There wasn't a curfew last night, so why is there one today?
This is likely related to the commotion caused by other players. It seems the higher-ups in Fir City have already reacted to this incident; it's just unknown what will follow the curfew...
The Dark Archmage lay on the rooftop, deep in thought. She recalled some ancient films and television shows she had seen, where, in addition to the regular street patrols, there might be some special operations after curfew.
So she thought for a moment and said:
"I think that in a while, the Holy Crusaders might start searching house to house."
[Pond Fish and Old Abyss] sneered:
"This is so real, and is it really okay for us to go through all this trouble?"
[ The Dark Archmage ] was speechless upon hearing this:
"In a sense, we're the ones messing with them... How's your internet?"
"It feels about right, you can try it out."
"Good."
The Dark Archmage leaped lightly from the rooftop, using his primary stat allocation of Agility to land on the ground, protruding from the buildings on either side of the alley.
The alley ahead was completely dark; only upon close inspection could one see delicate, Fragility vines intricately intertwined within.
There were three poles in front of her, one above, one in the middle, and one below, while the alley ahead was even denser with them.
She took a step forward and casually stepped on the bottommost vine.
The slender vine snapped instantly, without any noticeable sensation.
Meanwhile, [ Pond Fish and Old Abyss ], sitting deep in the alley, felt a finger twitch. After thinking for a moment, she said:
"It's the one at the bottom."
"That's right, how about this one?"
"A bit further in, in the middle."
What about this one?
"The one at the left alley entrance."
"I don't think there's any need to test anymore."
The two exchanged a glance and nodded, preparing to face the arrival of the enemy.
Although the local residents' report was not accepted by the authorities, this does not mean that the two will come up empty-handed tonight.
The curfew itself speaks volumes; it's highly likely that the local Holy Crusaders will be patrolling this alley tonight.
Clearly, well-trained Holy Crusaders soldiers are superior to priests who spend their days worshipping and conducting experiments in churches, both in terms of individual skill and overall combat capability.
So for the two of them, it simply meant that the number of enemies had increased, and their quality had also improved.
But a better enemy often means a greater reward, and the two were very interested in this, so they began to lie in wait like two real spiders.
Fir City, beneath the cathedral.
Antiya Lisi, holding a candle, walked slowly through the dark and empty underground area.
On either side of him were rows of individual prison cells, from which sounds that were neither human nor inhuman could be heard from time to time.
Whenever he entered this place, he felt as if he had shed his identity as an archbishop and was instead more like the "emperor" of this dark and boundless basement.
He often thought of that word from before the Demonic Tide, even though he knew it was meaningless. But it was clear that the basement was only a part of his life, but it was the entirety of those experimental subjects.
To them, they were indeed like emperors, able to decide life and death at will.
However, he wasn't here today to kill any of the experimental subjects, but for something else—
Rat extermination.
Rebels have entered the city. Although I don't know how they got in, at least I can do a good job of clearing them out.
Once the reinforcements sent by the teacher arrive, I can launch a general offensive against the rebels.
Now, it's time to clean up the city, which is full of filth.
Antiya Lisi reached the end of the underground space and placed his hand on a stone wall.
His voice was steady and cold; though not loud, it echoed throughout the underground space via the stone walls, reaching every cell in the prison.
Listen carefully, you will be granted temporary freedom, but this is subject to certain conditions—
Rule 1: You may not leave Fir City, nor enter any enclosed building, but you are free to move around anywhere else.
Rule Two: You must not knock on any building door to lure others to open it, and you must not meet with your relatives, even if they may not recognize you.
Rule Three: Return to your cell before dawn, and bring back any prey you find.
"If you violate any of the above rules, you will die immediately."
With his palms pressed against the wall, Antiya Lisi could already feel the excitement of the experimental subjects, and a smile crept onto his lips:
"A bunch of rats have gotten into town, let's go play with them."
With that, he slammed his hand against the wall, and countless hidden roots immediately connected with Antiya Lisi.
The wooden bars of all the cells began to slowly close inwards, and pairs of eager eyes lit up from the darkness.
Antiya Lisi activated his root system once more, and at the end of the underground corridor appeared a passageway leading directly to the outside world. Faint moonlight streamed down from the entrance of the passageway, appearing like sweet rain to the thirsty experimental subjects.
Haha, hahahahahaha.
One of the test subjects ran to the entrance of the passageway, basked in the moonlight, and let out a healthy laugh before leaping away into the distance.
His figure began to change little by little under the moonlight, and soon it was no longer in the category of "beginning to take on a human form", but rather like a tree that was walking.
His voice also changed from a normal voice to one that constantly switched between sharp and hoarse.
The other test subjects also left the underground prison, leaving only Antiya Lisi alone.
The elderly archbishop wore a sickly smile, revealing his undisguised desire for control.
He pulled a bottle of liquor, aged for who knows how many years, from a cabinet at the far end of the underground space, poured himself a full glass, and raised it to the empty cell in front of him:
"Go forth and bring your suffering upon others!"