Chapter 981

Tranquil and peaceful, desolate and barren, littered with crystal pillars, remote and backward, bathed in sunlight, and with poor transportation, the village of Ju Jing recently saw the arrival of a strange group—these people had money, grain, leisure, and connections, and soon the village was brought firmly under control.

“Who are you?! Do you know who I am?! How dare you?! My uncle is with the border patrol squad—when he comes back, I’ll report you!” A flashy young man was being dragged toward a secluded spot by a stone golem, struggling and shouting loudly.

“Shout all you want—it won’t help. Do you know who I am?” Negrilis stood with hands on hips, haughtily declaring.

“Didn’t you just ask that? Who are you?!” the young man shouted, still struggling.

“Listen well—I am Nefalians Uzmos Rafalet Babuguli Gregori… Knowledge, Negrilis. Got it?” Negrilis spent several minutes reciting his full name.

The young man was stunned, shaking his head: “Who can remember something that long?”

But it no longer mattered. Negrilis had finished his name, and they had reached their destination. The flashy young man was hung upon a pyre.

Anthony sat at a table directly ahead, studying the case files, and turned to two hooded figures seated beside him: “Is this him?”

One of them, a thin man, shrank back timidly; the taller one glared bitterly: “That’s him. I’d recognize him even if he’d rotted in the sewer.”

Hearing that voice, the flashy young man’s eyes widened in shock: “You? No, no, it’s not my fault! It wasn’t my idea! No…”

Anthony waved his hand—the young man suddenly found he could no longer open his mouth.

“Giralemor, you—” Anthony stared at Giralemor on the pyre. As he uttered “you,” his eyes turned golden, and another voice, not his own, spoke: “Guilty.”

Clang! Clang! Clang! Three chains snapped up, binding Giralemor to the pyre.

Negrilis peered over, astonished: “Huh? How can I see the inscriptions on the chains? Rape, murder, robbery? Isn’t that the Original Sin Shackles?”

Anthony’s eyes glowed gold, expressionless: “Multiple crimes, combined punishment—fire execution, immediate.”

As he spoke, Giralemor bound to the pyre burst into flames, screaming in agony, thrashing wildly.

Among the two hooded figures, the thin one remained hunched behind his companion, head bowed, wishing he could vanish.

But after hearing Anthony pronounce the sentence, her body trembled slightly. She lifted her head toward the pyre. Seeing it burn, her hunched back straightened involuntarily. Hearing the screams, she shuddered all over.

The holy flames burned for dozens of seconds. Giralemor was reduced from living flesh to skeleton, from skeleton to ash. Until the final second, he screamed in agony, thrashing desperately—his struggles revealed the intensity of his suffering.

Halfway through, a skeleton writhed in the crackling flames—grotesque to behold—but the two hooded figures watched with excitement. The thin one clenched his fists tightly.

Only when he was fully reduced to ash did the holy flames die out. Yet the pyre remained unscathed. Anthony said calmly: “Next.”

The stone golem dragged out another person. Before becoming a Black Knight, Anthony had been a mage. Though not specialized in earth element magic, summoning a few stone golems was easy—though commanding them was tedious, requiring divided attention.

Unfortunately, they hadn’t brought everyone along—like Gray Stick Najilisah—so everything had to be handled personally.

“I need to recruit more people quickly,” Anthony muttered to himself—when suddenly, the thinner of the two hooded figures, who should have left, ripped off her hood and dashed forward, falling to her knees before Anthony and banging her head three times.

When she lifted her head, her delicate face was streaked with tears, yet her eyes burned with unwavering resolve.

Anthony smiled and nodded: “May the Radiance illuminate your path.”

A fair trial straightened the spine of a timid girl—and left a deep impression on all who watched.

Anthony had “invited” most of Ju Jing’s residents, hoping to spread his faith swiftly. Merely granting favors wasn’t enough—he needed deterrence.

Most people remember punishment, not kindness. Pure benevolence carries no weight. Only when you hold a sword in one hand and a scripture in the other does the carrot you offer become truly precious.

First kindness, then fear—soon, Ju Jing swelled with many Radiance followers. Even Old John and Aji, when on duty, occasionally muttered under their breath: “May the Radiance illuminate the path.”

After the trial, Anthony burned four utterly wicked men—each guilty of murder, rape, or other grave crimes. But due to their strength, connections, or lack of evidence, they had never been punished.

In truth, their power only let them bully remote villages like this—their level was no better than village bullies. Anthony summoned a few stone golems and subdued them all at once, revealing just how isolated this place was.

Anthony packed up his table and turned to leave when Farati blocked his path, shoving the thin hooded girl toward him, exasperated:

“She’s got a stone in her head, her brain’s clogged, she’s full of mud! She says she wants to spread the Radiance—no matter how I try to persuade her, she won’t listen. Third one! I say, you’re a girl—why not get married and have kids? Is faith so easy to spread? Meet someone strong and they’ll cut your throat…”

Farati rambled on, but the thin girl ignored every word. She stood there, gazing at Anthony with unyielding determination.

Anthony looked at her with kindness: “Whoever carries the Radiance in their heart may become a Herald of Radiance. May the Lord of Radiance walk with you. Come with me—I shall guide you in the Radiance.”

The thin girl immediately followed behind Anthony. Farati opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She could only glare angrily as they walked away.

Behind them, a bronze dragon drifted slowly by, squinting at her with a peculiar expression.

Farati took a deep breath, steadied herself, and asked the bronze dragon: “Are you married?”

The bronze dragon immediately covered his ears and sped up to catch up with Anthony and the girl, making Farati stamp her foot in frustration.

After catching up with Anthony, Negrilis whispered: “Ku Bada, you haven’t even subdued her yet, and you’re already making her work for you?”

Anthony glanced back at the thin girl and whispered: “Use what’s at hand. Those filtered by the God of Marriage are surely the most steadfast fanatics.”

Negrilis was utterly awed. Making your own followers work for you isn’t impressive. Making enemies and strangers work for you—that’s true mastery.

Back at base, Ang had already slipped off to plant trees. He was the one who had judged those criminals—only a primary deity like Ang could easily alter the Original Sin Shackles.

Anthony gave the thin girl a fitted soft armor, a holy robe, a pendant, a staff, a scroll, and a pouch of magic crystals, instructing: “Remember three phrases: My Lord is omnipotent. The Radiance illuminates all realms. Save me, my lord. If you’re in danger, unroll the scroll—it will teleport you back. If you can’t open the scroll, shout ‘Save me, my lord.’ Understood?”

The thin girl nodded vigorously.

“Go. The Radiance walks with you.” Anthony nodded to her.

The thin girl strode away with firm steps. Negrilis couldn’t help but frown: “You’re being too casual! Just like that? You’re sending her out as a missionary—that’s dangerous!”

Anthony replied: “With my protection, what danger could there be? Better to worry about the danger facing those she targets.”

“Huh? Her? That little thing?” Negrilis exclaimed in shock.

…

That night, a patrol airship with a massive cannon slowly hovered above Ang’s airship, the cannon aimed at it, energy building—its muzzle glowed white.

But before it could fire, a cloud of smoke erupted inside the cramped cockpit, barely large enough for two—and a third person squeezed in.