Chapter 114: Very Nice to Meet You

Seeing Ange hung his head, trudging dejectedly toward the town, looking even more pitiful than the Angel Skeleton, though no one knew if he had learned it from the creature.

If Lisa Anna and the others were present, they would surely have softened their hearts by now: "Plant them, plant them; we'll finish planting these fields before we leave."

Unfortunately, no one present had a soft heart; ignoring Seeing Ange's pitiful appearance, Nai Ge Li Si even said, "The Angel Skeleton shouldn't go; its wings are too conspicuous. I won't go either. Throw me back to the Palace of Rest, and I'll project myself onto you."

"Awooo..." Seeing Ange let out a cry.

The Angel Skeleton obediently ran to Seeing Ange's side; perhaps sensing his bad mood, it behaved very well.

Tear off the wings, throw them into the Palace of Rest, wipe them with Holy Light, and there—done, no longer conspicuous.

"Sss—" Luther and the others winced at the sight; tearing them off so brutally made everyone's teeth ache, even though they all knew the Angel Skeleton felt no pain.

Nai Ge Li Si, being a corpse lich who felt no pain, felt his own wings throb faintly upon witnessing this scene.

In the end, only Nai Ge Li Si himself was thrown back into the Palace of Rest.

The group walked toward the distant Keren Town.

Meanwhile, not far away in a mountain ravine, Fale and the Paladins, having finished escorting Seeing Ange and were returning, knelt in a row on the ground, hands raised above their heads, palms holding the items they had earned from Seeing Ange, basically Demon Crystal coins and the like.

There were also small packets of Holy Mushroom Powder and Holy Water; these two were essentials for home and travel, one for stopping external wounds, the other for stopping diarrhea.

Xia Mala, who had somehow snatched a set of coarse cloth robes, paced back and forth before them, asking coldly, "These are what Seeing Ange gave you?"

The wings manifested by the Angel's Descent were gone; Xia Mala, clad in coarse hemp and cloth, was no longer conspicuous, except for her slightly slender waist.

But the black Holy Light in her hands made everyone freeze like winter cicadas; even the Holy Light in her hands had become corrupted, the degree of fall becoming deeper and deeper.

Fale and the Paladins nodded with bitter faces, sighing inwardly: "No more side income; let's hope we can keep our lives."

Xia Mala had no interest in these items; shaking her head, she drew out the Holy Light power from each of them one by one: "Holy Light, give it to me."

Xia Mala's technique grew more and more proficient; stripping the Holy Light did not harm Fale and the others' lives, but left them feeling completely drained, utterly exhausted.

When drawing from the Paladin Captain, Xia Mala recognized the man and couldn't help but ask two more questions: "Your wounds have healed; Seeing Ange treated them?"

"Y-yes... yes, Xia Mala, my lord." The Paladin Captain didn't know how to address her; should he call her "my lord"? She had fallen.

Should he call her by name? What if she got angry? Hesitating and wavering, he finally decided it was better to be respectful; after all, he was a polite Paladin.

"Why do you still have Holy Light on you?" Xia Mala said as she drew a wisp of Holy Light power from the Paladin Captain.

"My lord Seeing Ange helped me restore some of it," the Paladin Captain answered honestly.

Xia Mala's eyes lit up: "No wonder it's the purest Holy Light; it can still help you restore? Amazing. That's a great idea; this way, you won't be a believer of the Church anymore."

Xia Mala's words left everyone looking utterly confused; why wouldn't he be a believer of the Church anymore? Wasn't it the purest Holy Light? Why mention the Church? Wasn't it all about the faith of Light?

Xia Mala didn't explain anything; instead, she pressed her hand on the Paladin Captain's shoulder and said, "I'll help you restore a bit too." Black light from her body surged into the other's body.

After all the Paladins and Fale had their Holy Light power stripped, it was then injected back with black Holy Light.

Fale looked at his own hands with a bitter face, murmuring, "So this is corruption? It's over; we can't go back. If the Church of Light discovers us, we'll be the first to be purified."

Seeing Ange's group entered Keren Town.

The Bronze Dragon was thrown into the Palace of Rest; the Angel Skeleton's wings were torn off; without these two most conspicuous features, Seeing Ange's group no longer seemed...

Alas, they were still so conspicuous; for instance, the wingless Angel Skeleton, appearing outwardly as a dull, two-eyed, Bai Xi-skinned, petite little girl.

She looked like a noble family's little princess; appearing in a desert border town was as conspicuous as a heavenly staircase in the dark night.

As soon as they entered the small town, they attracted everyone's gaze; two mercenaries dozing on the tavern steps near the town entrance brightened their eyes, nudged each other, and one pretended to be nonchalant as he slipped into the inn.

The other mercenary stood up and greeted them kindly: "Travelers from afar, welcome to Keren Town. I am the free mercenary Mark. Hello to you all."

For the first time, someone had greeted him; Luther responded enthusiastically: "Hello, Mark. I am Luther. Very nice to meet you."

Luther had grown up in the Abyss of Rest since childhood; this was his first time in the human world, and Keren Town was the first proper human town he had truly encountered, making everything seem fresh.

"Oh, Luther, what a good name. May I ask where you come from, what you are doing in Keren Town, and if there is anything I can help you with?" Mark said with a smile, very kind, very enthusiastic, carrying a neighborly uncle-like warmth.

"Oh, thank you very much. We are just passing through. We heard a Bronze Dragon dwells in the desert oasis; we are going to find it. I have a friend who wants to ride it," Luther said truthfully.

"Oh my, that idea is fantastic; you are very brave. I wish you success. This is the last small town before entering the desert; if needed, you can get ample supplies here," Mark said with an admiring expression.

Luther smiled and replied, "No need; we have them all with us, but thank you for the advice anyway."

"You're welcome, brave travelers. May Holy Light bless you," Mark said with a very sincere smile.

"Oh, may your soul find peace," Luther responded happily; only after walking away did he say to everyone, "People in the Material Plane are truly enthusiastic and kind."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

After they passed through the small town and left, more than a dozen ferocious-looking mercenaries surged out of the tavern, each looking fierce and menacing.

The mercenary who had dozed with Mark earlier approached and asked, "What's their background?"

Mark laughed: "Probably noble sons who got stupid from reading knight novels; they want to find the Bronze Dragon and say they want to ride a dragon."

Hahahaha! The room erupted in laughter.

"I hope they don't wet themselves when they see the Bronze Dragon; the last time I saw one, I almost wet myself. It was dozens of meters long, and one toe was thicker than my waist."

"What 'almost'? You already did wet yourself, right?"

"Alright, alright, get ready quickly; these are big fish," Mark stopped everyone's laughter and urged, "They must have spatial artifacts; that horse has only a sand-proof bridle on its head, no bundles, yet they claim to have prepared supplies; they must have stored them in spatial artifacts."

Spatial artifacts? Upon hearing this term, everyone's eyes instantly sparkled; if there were anything high-value, small-sized, and easy to sell off, spatial artifacts were undoubtedly ranked first, far more practical than any divine or holy artifacts.

After all, equipment and weapons are picky about users; sword-users dislike knives, armor must match body size, magical ornaments require specific attributes; only spatial artifacts can be used by anyone, making them the easiest to offload.

Whoosh, everyone surged out of the tavern and mounted their horses.

Mark hurriedly said, "Do not hurt them, especially that little girl."

"Don't worry; we won't hurt her. Who wouldn't like someone so white and tender?" The group galloped out of the small town.

Mark didn't go with them; a few noble sons who had read too many knight novels could be handled by a dozen people; no need for him to step out; staying home might even let him encounter other big fish.

Whether it was the God of Fortune taking pity or the God of Misfortune possessing her, Mark's wish truly came true; another woman arrived outside the town, wearing coarse hemp clothes, yet her waist, skin, and face were utterly captivating, only her expression was somewhat cold.

"Haha, I love this kind of cold-outside, warm-inside type," Mark eagerly rushed forward and greeted enthusiastically: "Oh, beautiful lady, welcome to Keren Town. I am Mark. Very nice to meet you."