Refueling

However, the scene inside the office area was quite different. The room was warm and cozy from the charcoal fire, and several well-dressed businessmen sat around it, their faces beaming with undisguised joy.

"This time we really hit the jackpot! Our client is incredibly generous!" a businessman exclaimed, beaming.

"We should also get rid of those defective products that the customers didn't choose..." another merchant chimed in.

"The Winter Solstice Festival has passed, and the market isn't doing very well right now," a merchant suggested. "You could stock up for a while."

"The more you hoard them, the worse their condition gets. Don't you know what kind of scoundrels are guarding them?" another merchant said, and the crowd burst into laughter.

Suddenly, a loud crash shattered the cheerful atmosphere inside. The door was violently smashed, and sharp wood chips flew like raindrops.

A biting north wind howled in, causing sparks to fly from the charcoal fire inside.

The merchants were so Soul·Scatter by this sudden turn of events that several of them slid off their chairs and fell to the ground like wolves and foxes.

The owner of the trading house was about to shout when he was horrified to find the thugs he had stationed outside lying haphazardly on the ground. These usually fierce-looking guards were now groaning in pain, their mouths open but strangely unable to utter a sound.

A priest emitted a faint light from his hand, and a semi-transparent soundproof barrier enveloped the entire area, completely isolating it from sound. Yise stepped into the room, her cold eyes not even glancing at the human traffickers. She went straight to the inner chamber, her boots stepping over scattered ledgers, on which were written a disgusting list of "goods".

The floor of the inner room was cleaved open by Yise's sword, revealing a dark passage below. Without hesitation, the girl leaped down.

A long sword came flying straight at him. The blade in Yise's hand gleamed with a sharp light, cleaving the enemy and weapon in two. Blood splattered like a fountain onto the mottled wall.

She pulled an alchemical illumination orb from her cloak pocket and smashed it on the ground. The orb immediately shattered into more than a dozen small pieces, which rolled in all directions. The dungeon was instantly illuminated.

This was a fairly large dungeon, with rusty torture instruments hanging on the walls, covered in congealed dark red blood. The air was thick with the stench of decay and despair, making one want to vomit.

A group of mercenaries frantically grabbed their weapons, several of them naked. Behind them, dozens of young girls lay sprawled on the ground like rag dolls. Some of them were already on the verge of death, their exposed skin covered with horrifying wounds.

Yise's eyes were dark as he rushed forward and beheaded another enemy with a single sword strike.

More priests entered and quickly brought the situation under control. A mercenary ran towards the girl, only to have his head smashed by a priest.

Several mercenaries who were already mixed in with the group of girls immediately found weapons and took hostages. Yise didn't care what they were doing at all, and with a single slash, he cut one of them into pieces.

She turned to another hostage-taker, who held a knife to the girl's neck, but Yise still managed to cleave his head open, severing his arm holding the knife as well.

The last mercenary quickly dropped his weapon, covered his head, and crouched down, crying, "No, don't kill me!"

A priest was about to step forward to cast a spell, but Yise raised his hand to stop him.

"Even sinners can receive divine grace," she said calmly. "Let Silver Mask 'question' him, lest an innocent person be wrongly accused."

The mercenary, overjoyed at being granted a pardon, kowtowed repeatedly, "Yes, yes! I didn't kill anyone, I didn't bully the girl, they did it all!"

The priest glanced at the mercenary on the ground with pity and dragged him upstairs.

More priests entered and began to heal the girl.

****

When Yise returned to the ground, the interrogator wearing a silver mask had already begun his work. The not-so-sharp knife moved across the merchants' obese bodies, each cut precisely avoiding vital points while inflicting maximum pain. The piercing screams echoed within the silenced barrier, yet remained completely hidden from the outside world.

The mercenary who had been dragged up was so frightened by what he saw that he collapsed to the ground, with a suspicious wet patch seeping from his crotch.

The Temple of Light has never lacked such legacies. Yise used to think they were too cruel, but now, she only wished they were even more cruel!

"I am a nobleman! I belong to the lord's family!" the leading merchant shouted, tears streaming down his face, his obese body writhing beneath the ropes. "This is Desecration! This is treason!"

Yise ignored her and carefully examined every corner of the trading house to make sure nothing was missed.

When she returned to the room, the merchant's screams gradually turned into hoarse whimpers, and he answered each question cooperatively like a tamed dog.

The masked interrogator's methods were chillingly skillful.

The statements were quickly compiled and handed to Yise.

They arrived too late; the buyer had already finished selecting the "goods" and left. The merchants had no idea where the buyer had gone, or even which direction he had gone.

Then it's worthless.

"Clean it up," Yise ordered coldly. "We have no jurisdiction here; we cannot be seen here."

The Northern Lands Light Branch needs to maintain the principle of "non-interference" with local rule of law in order to legitimately enter and leave various parts of the Northern Lands to spread its doctrines.

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

The Adjudicator Squad immediately began clearing the scene, eliminating every survivor. They disposed of all traces of light magic, stripped the dead of their belongings, disguised themselves as bandits, and severed the connection between the livestock trading post and surrounding buildings.

"Some of the town's officials, and even the mayor, are all involved," a priest suddenly said. "Should we include them as well?"

Yise understood what he meant; normally, things should have stopped there. But with Su Ming and Liya having inflicted heavy losses on the Lords' Alliance Army, it wasn't unreasonable for them to act a little more arrogantly now!

The situation here has angered everyone.

Silver Mask calmly replied, "Don't create unnecessary trouble; finding the buyer is the key!"

The people from Wazhuang Town can't escape; they can be dealt with later. But there are a large number of young girls waiting to be rescued in the hands of those buyers who are still running around.

Yise took a deep breath and made a decision, "Everyone, hurry up and clean up the mess, let's set off as soon as possible!"

"Yes," the priests replied.

The group put the rescued girls to Sleep Spell and gently lifted them onto a cart covered with hay. They were pale and covered in wounds. As rejected goods, the seller no longer cared about preserving their appearance.

These girls will be taken to a safe place for treatment and identity verification through questioning. Afterward, their memories will be erased by magic, which is better for both parties.

Those who are able to return home will be sent back; those who are homeless will be taken in and cared for by the Dawn Territory Guardian.

Yise unfolded the map; the buyer hadn't left any traceable trail, but this wasn't their first trading point.

Based on the information currently available, this group of mysterious buyers landed at Moon Bay Port, the easternmost point of the Northern Continent, and traveled westward, continuously "purchasing" along the way.

"Their behavior is wrong," Silver Mask said.

He explained the intricacies to Yise: for the noble children of the Northern Lands who had been bullied since they were ten years old, starting with maids, they had lost all interest in ordinary toys as they grew older.

The most popular "commodities" in the Northern Lands are girls of other races, or other exotic or unusual items. Similarly, the best market for these human girls is exporting them to regions inhabited by other races.

"Shouldn't a normal 'consignee' travel from the mainland to the port?" Yise realized.

"That's how it is." Silver Mask nodded, his voice beneath the mask carrying a hint of gravity. "The origins of these buyers are unknown, and their actions are illogical. Lady Katharine had a feeling there was more to this than met the eye, which is why she dispatched us, her most elite members, to investigate."

Yise's finger followed the lines on the map, continuing westward, all the way to the Dome Mountains and the Holy Mountain and the Sea of Divine Grace Sacred Mountain Grace further west.

Local "old consumers" lack purchasing desire, but there is a group of young, energetic, and wealthy potential customers who have been disciplined for a long time.

"I hope I don't find out that you're the ones behind this!" Yise said through gritted teeth.

A raging fire broke out in the trading house, the greedy flames quickly engulfing the entire building and turning all evil into ashes.

"Keep chasing them." Yise's voice was exceptionally clear in the howling wind, "They can't escape!"

****

On the morning of the third day, the two charcoal masters reported to Newman that the charcoal in the two earthen kilns that were lit at the beginning had completed the firing process.

"The charcoal temperature is still too high." One of the craftsmen wiped the sweat from his brow and explained, pointing to the steaming earthen kiln, "In such a large kiln, the charcoal needs to cool naturally for at least two days before it can be safely removed."

Newman simply waved his bone claws, signaling his two masters to step aside.

Zijin summoned the Divine Favor Staff Divine Favor Staff, which she gracefully raised, its tip gleaming with dazzling light. With a slight turn of her wrist, the layer of soil covering the first kiln was lifted by an invisible force, revealing scorching hot, dark red charcoal inside.

"Oh, sir, this will catch fire!" the charcoal burner cried out in alarm, instinctively taking a few steps back.

Before the words were even finished, the dark red lumps began to brighten upon contact with fresh air. Accompanied by a series of crackling explosions, raging flames shot into the sky, and thick smoke carrying fine carbon fragments flew everywhere.

"The Ring of Vacuum!"

Qiluo's clear voice rang out amidst the chaos. A halo of azure light descended from the sky, enveloping the entire pile of burning charcoal. The raging flames, like a chick being strangled, instantly subsided and came to an abrupt end.

Qiluo's "Ring of Vacuum" is so powerful, how come the fire at the Asitake family's house in Lisi City wasn't completely extinguished?

A hint of doubt arose in Su Ming's heart.

Although the girls "awaiting rescue" have been proven to be accomplices and deserved to die, and Sheriff Alessandro was actually Bulenleifu's puppet, the ordinary security team members and the priest who entered the cellar should not have been subjected to such persecution.