In the front hall, Kaili was guarding the only survivor, the Black Inn Boss.
“Tell me, what’s going on with the people in those Underground Chambers?”
Jocelyn walked over from the direction of the Kitchen and hoisted up the middle-aged man from the ground.
“We killed all the guests. Previously, everyone from that Merchant Caravan was transported to the Underground Chamber. After the Dedication, the excess parts were all thrown into the Swamp.”
The man spoke like a repeater, repeating his previous words exactly as they were.
“What is Dedication?” Kaili couldn’t help but ask.
A dazed look appeared in the man’s eyes, which quickly turned into a fanatical excitement, “Dedication… is, sim, ply, beau, ti, ful!”
As he spoke, his neck began to twist from side to side, and at the moment he reached the final word, his entire head snapped around instantly.
His neck was snapped by his own force.
Kaili retreated half a step in shock and exchanged a look with Jocelyn, who had just walked over; both saw the terror in each other’s eyes.
“He… twisted his own neck?”
***
Everyone gathered in the front hall and sat around a table to analyze the current situation.
The eight small Orcs were settled in the guest rooms on the second floor, with Naili and Jocelyn looking after them.
“Is it a Curse? Or some kind of contract backlash?”
Kemel’s brow was furrowed as he glanced at the dead Black Inn Boss and asked everyone.
This bizarre way of dying was far beyond his understanding.
“When I asked what Dedication was, he twisted his own neck.”
Kaili recalled the scene, still feeling a lingering fear.
The will to survive is the most important desire of any living being; how could that man suddenly commit suicide in such a gruesome manner?
“He was under Illusion Magic. ‘Dedication’ is a Taboo word set by the caster, a collective term for everything the caster doesn’t want him to think about or let outsiders know. When an outsider asks what Dedication is, the Taboo word is triggered, and he will commit suicide.”
Li Qiuchen explained to everyone.
“Is it Illusion Magic?”
Kairui’s expression was grave.
He still remembered that grey emblem in the academy that almost never lit up; Mr. Aisika, the dean of the City-State Magic Academy, was said to be a friend of the former Philosopher Mage, Ellen.
When students enroll, they are tested for eight types of talent emblems: Heaven, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Water, Fire, Mountain, and Marsh.
The Marsh Emblem, which includes Illusion Magic, was said to have rarely lit up even once in a single session.
Learning Illusion Magic was even more of a fantasy.
Kairui had attended a few classes where the teacher emphasized sensing power from the subtle details; in the entire classroom, only a few people could sense the so-called illusion elements, but they were completely unable to control them.
Many people called this series of Magic the chasm between a Mage and a Great Mage.
“The merchants rumored to have gone missing before were likely killed while under Illusion Magic. As for those empty Orc Tribes, the merchants were actually under Illusion Magic, so they didn’t see the Orcs who were also under that same Illusion Magic, and they even stuffed those Orcs into crates as goods and sent them to The Inn.”
Li Qiuchen could completely imagine that scene—the merchant slowly walking into the tribe, seeing only a peaceful and harmonious picture in his eyes, noting that soup was still boiling on the Campfire.
But the Orcs were all “gone”.
He packed the precious “medicinal herbs” growing in the tribe into crates, never noticing the abnormal weight or the bloodstains on the edges of the boxes.
He set off on his journey in high spirits, thinking he had made a fortune, and might even chat with passersby about that strange occurrence of the empty Orc Tribe.
Finally arriving at The Inn, he “Dedicated” himself.
Not even a trace of excess was left behind.
Hearing this, Aili’s hands trembled.
“Cousin, let’s… let’s leave quickly. Let’s go back to Blackwater Town.”
She had reached the academy using a teleportation array and then followed the people from the City-State Court’ here; after meeting Kaili, she had dismissed her protectors, planning to return to the Phoenix City with Kaili first to help Kairui settle down before heading home.
She hadn’t expected to encounter these things; for the first time, she clearly understood what her Father meant when he repeatedly emphasized that the journey was unsafe before she left.
“The situation is uncertain right now, so going back to Blackwater Town is a good idea. Master, what do you think?”
Kairui looked at Li Qiuchen.
The others also looked at Li Qiuchen, as if waiting for him to make a decision.
“It’s too late. We disrupted their Dedication Ceremony. They should be on their way here right now. If we leave, there’s a high probability we’ll run into them.”
Li Qiuchen shook his head.
“Then let’s go to Phoenix City! Let’s leave right now.”
Aili grabbed Li Qiuchen’s arm with both hands and pleaded.
“We’ll be caught halfway. Why do you think that Magic user who employs Illusion Magic went to all this trouble?”
Li Qiuchen rejected her proposal again and asked in return.
“Why did they transport so many corpses here? What for? If it’s a sacrifice, shouldn’t they keep them alive?”
Kemel was puzzled.
“It’s for the meat—human meat.”
Wright thought of those cleaned bodies, and a chill ran through his heart.
Food.
That reminded him of a kitchen he found in a Magical Beast army after a victory—those human-shaped dishes laid out on a huge dining table.
In the eyes of a Magical Beast, humans are their food.
They are also picky and care about cooking methods; it was precisely because of this that Wright detested the Magical Beast kind deeply.
“No wonder that fake Aescher wanted to resurrect Mankor. They have a remnant of the Demon King Army in their hands; because of the upper-level control principle within the Demon King Army, they urgently need a sufficiently powerful commander.”
“This The Inn is the mess hall for that remnant army, while the merchants and nearby Orcs are the food. According to their plan, after resurrecting Mankor, they could attack the nearby towns and eventually rush toward the Phoenix City.”
Li Qiuchen speculated on the opponent’s intentions, roughly understanding why Aescher would choose to betray the organization to merge with Mankor.
With such powerful strength, why would he care about the survival of a remnant army?
What couldn’t he get if he escaped on his own?
“What nonsense are you talking about? How could there still be a remnant of the Demon King Army now? Three years ago, after the Sin Demon King was defeated, the Demon King Army was completely annihilated.”
Aili pushed his arm away and stood up to deny it.
She looked around, trying to find some like-minded friends, but no one responded.
“Illusion Magic is not as terrifying as you imagine. It must first subtly invade your cognitive system before it can begin to distort your perception.”
Li Qiuchen comforted her, “With me here, I won’t let that kind of Magic affect everyone. Besides, don’t you know the Rain Spike Technique? Great Mage?”
“You say it won’t affect us, so it won’t? Who do you think you are? Your Source of Mana is already shattered! You’re going to get everyone killed.”
Aili felt that Li Qiuchen was arrogant and unreasonable.
She turned to look at Kaili, “Cousin, let’s go. Phoenix City or back to Blackwater Town.”
“Qiuchen is right; this is the safest place right now.” Kaili patted her younger sister’s shoulder reassuringly and whispered in her ear: “Didn’t your Father leave you something?”
Aili gripped her Magic Staff tightly; the fear in her heart didn’t dissipate at all, and she also didn’t know if that thing would be effective against Illusion Magic.
The fear of the unknown always lingered in her heart.
“In short, staying here and preparing immediately gives us the highest chance of survival; the Demon King Army’s combat power is weakened during the day. Therefore, they will most likely come at night. There is still a bit of time left.”
Li Qiuchen naturally took over the task of commanding, “Uncle Wright, go and prepare some food; everyone is hungry. Kaili and Kemel, go check the weapons—crossbows, spears, and the like. Then reinforce the house, leaving only the front and back doors, and seal all other windows and openings. Kairui, stay with me to set up some reinforcement Magic Arrays.”
***
Under Li Qiuchen’s command, everyone began to act.
Naili came down from the second floor, “Those little Orcs are all awake. Sister Co’er said their leader of the sheep wants to see you.”
Leader of the sheep?
Li Qiuchen found it strange.
After letting Kairui continue to inject Mana into several Key Nodes according to the drawings he had made, he got up and followed Naili to the second floor.
Well, it was indeed a lead sheep.
The young girl before him looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, carrying the agile aura of the mountain forests.
A pair of horns grew out from between her fluffy white hair.
A pair of furry triangular ears, the same color as her hair, were twitching sensitively with the surrounding sounds, revealing the curiosity and alertness in her heart.
The girl had a beautiful face with a hint of childishness, wearing a slightly old dress made of a blend of coarse linen and cotton.
There were small patches of different colors sewn onto the hem, but it was washed very clean.
A wide leather belt was fastened around her waist, with several small leather pouches and a somewhat worn bronze Bell hanging from it.
With her movements, it would emit a crisp “ding-ling” sound.
Beneath the hem of her skirt, a short and fluffy white tail was swaying restlessly, revealing her current anxious mood.
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