Chapter 591: A New Star Among the Dead

Night had fallen.

After keeping Watching Yuna company for dinner, Rod returned to the ranger's cabin.

Curled up on the beast-skin sofa.

Yesterday had been far too indulgent.

Naturally, he wouldn't let the succubus feel pampered again, making it clear she couldn't stay the night tonight.

After a brief moment of dejection, Tally chose to take a two-birds-one-stone approach.

A perfect dinner was thus settled!

Rod watched Tally's meticulous cleaning work, leaving no spot untouched.

He reached out and gently toyed with her earlobe.

"Time's up, Tally."

"Nooooo~~~~"

Rod knew perfectly well what she was thinking; he tugged her ear, ignoring her yelp of pain.

And pulled her away.

Tally ran her delicate, vivid red tongue around her lips, muttering a few discontented words.

"You should head back."

"B-but I'm tired from eating, I need to lie down for a bit before I go—that's what you said, Master! No exercise after meals!"

Saying so,

she boldly squeezed herself into Rod's embrace.

After being glared at, she began fake-sobbing.

Dejectedly curled up on a wooden chair padded with a cotton cushion, she gazed up at Rod with a pitiful look.

And very calculatingly loosened her collar, revealing a large expanse of snowy-white cleavage.

Rod couldn't be bothered to deal with her.

Listening to the chirping of night insects drifting in from outside the window.

The Campbell underworld family, huh?

Honestly, the composition of this current conscription corps is quite complicated.

From the warning letter sent by the Tooth Fairy two months ago, it can be known that the Yige Sect is serving as the overseer of this conscription corps.

But in actual frontline operations, it's military personnel like the Shadow Hunters.

Like those five brash, provocative and probing soldiers led by Seyn.

Their manner is not that of church personnel; they're clearly members of some knightly order.

Though it's very likely that these knightly order members are already Yige Sect people.

So the question arises.

Besides extorting money, what else is the purpose of the conscription corps?

The Yige Sect's influence reached Shi Ying Town a year ago, and the beloved youngest daughter of the Argyle family was implanted with a psychic construct as a result.

Not long after, they set up the giant sand tornado ritual 【Dark Vortex Rift Barrier】 in the Death Desert, which was later blocked by Rod, Lady Kali, and others using the cutting-maze method.

The current sand tornado is barely different from a small vortex.

Since then,

the Yige Sect has not involved itself in Shi Ying Town again.

So what is the purpose of this visit?

Because of the Holy Fire Sect's annihilation?

Then forget it.

In just these two months, the Yige Sect has acknowledged over a thousand large and small branches and minor cults—basically at the level of "sign a contract the moment you come to surrender."

They'd be damned if they could manage all of them.

However, one point still needs to be noted here: direct contact with a person bearing a psychic construct may result in the discovery of the 【Ke Yin】's existence.

Is it because the Yige Sect wants to do something to the Death Desert again, in order to achieve the goal of summoning the Yige race?

Hmm.

The president of the Bahadur Image Society, Seamus, who was parasitized by 【Despair Mycelium】, once revealed.

The emotionless killing-machine husk warriors he is currently developing are a key project in cooperation with 'a certain organization,' and are the top priority being vigorously pushed forward.

And the manufacturing of husk warriors is also to reduce the increasing 【influence】 of the real dimension on the other-dimensional space.

In other words.

The Yige Sect, the national religion of Etheron controlled by the Yige race, in releasing itself and weakening the other-dimensional influence, chose to prioritize the latter?

You're quite cold, rational, and great, aren't you.

Although the price is directly culling the human population.

Then the streets of the Campbell underworld family might be because of this, perhaps?

Rod shook his head.

Too lazy to get tangled up and ponder over matters without leads.

He simply contacted our inside man, Mr. Seamus, through 【Despair Mycelium】.

Seamus should be crafting image stones.

Startled by Rod's voice in his mind, he gave a jolt and directly flung the expensive image stone behind him away.

With a face full of heartache and distress.

After learning of Rod's mission request, he said nothing more.

After all, a man has to bow his head when he's under someone else's roof.

Seamus was a big macho man, and Rod couldn't be bothered to chat with him further.

He hung up directly.

Suddenly, mmm-mmm, mm-hmm~ sounds came from the cabin.

Rod turned his head to look.

He saw Tally's two plump thighs, doing god-knows-what.

Her breath came in heavy gasps, her eyes fixed tightly on Rod's face.

Her gaze was filled with lust and teasing.

Her brow slightly furrowed, clearly already at a deeply passionate stage.

"What are you doing?"

"M-Master doesn't allow Tally to just—"

"Then why are you looking at me like this?"

"Looking at Master—"

"—my furniture."

"Tally just~~~ Tally is—~~"

You really can't deny that a pretty face can excuse everything.

What Tally said was utterly lewd, but she just happened to have a face capable of bewitching all living beings.

And she looked at you with a face full of longing and humility.

It was hard to feel disgusted.

Rod felt a slight stirring in his heart, but still suppressed it, not wanting to let this one get her way.

He shifted his gaze.

To today's newly unlocked shared skill from the ghoul Pan Ni.

【Extraction Successful】

【Shared Skill: Death Nova】

【Details: Causes a unit of the undead legion to release a burst of corrupting energy, dealing additional piercing damage from bone-shard splash to living beings within 5 feet.

Note! This skill has a chain effect. If other undead units or corpses are within a 5-meter blast radius, they will also trigger a chained 'Death Nova'! For each corpse chained, power stacks by 3%.】

"Yo-ha."

Rod had no use for this skill himself.

But it could be used on Pan Ni's undead legion.

Looks like the stacking power isn't bad at all.

Just have to be careful to keep distance from other undead units when using it, otherwise if they all blow up at once, Pan Ni would inevitably come crying and playing the pitiful act in front of him.

Shi Ying Town.

The town had no curfew.

When night fell, it should have been the time for the New Lank Street night market to begin, and for the residents' nightlife revelry.

But because of the arrival of the conscription team, all of this was on a business pause.

No glittering lights, no bustling crowds.

A certain rented-out inn sat on the edge of New Lank Street, and the top-floor room happened to offer a full view of Shi Ying Town's most bustling street.

And at this moment.

An old man in a splendid red-and-white ceremonial robe looked solemnly through the glass window at the silent street below.

The colorful house facades, the swaying light decorations, the exaggerated signs.

"Quite a fine way of running a night market—perhaps Brilliant Light City could learn from it as well."

The old man said as much.

Not far from the room stood a middle-aged man dressed in magnificent armor and a pure white cloak, in the bearing of an imposing soldier.

He swirled his wine glass and chuckled.

"Even the tricks of a backwater town have their merits. I heard it was the idea of that forest warden called Rod."

(End of this chapter)