Chapter 471: Chapter 332 Joining Forces, Yet Not Fully United
“I’m grateful for the esteem of the Round Table Knights,”
Chen Lun’s thumb gently brushed over the surface of the black iron box, feeling its coolness and a rough, sandblasted texture. He chuckled lightly and said.
The iron box in his hand was very similar to the “space packaging” from the Silver Dragon Trade Association; both were single-use consumables that would self-destruct once opened and the contents removed.
‘The club really is generous with its rewards, just giving them away like this… Of course, it’s also very possible that this is due to what the No-Face Waiter said, with a serious loss of mbers, so a gesture like this could motivate others to continue to give their all.’
Chen Lun kept a neutral expression on his face while thinking to himself.
‘Regardless, this isn’t bad for … The club has fulfilled all the requests I made offhand, and now I’ve finally collected the ten pieces of Supernatural Knowledge from God’s Pathway Sequence Eight. I’ll need to set aside so ti to organize them.’
At this mont, the carriage slowly ca to a stop.
“Leader, we have arrived at the entrance to the city center isolation zone. It’s surrounded by a circle of tall tal railings, which looks sowhat strange…”
Outside the carriage curtain, Golov’s voice ca through.
“Additionally, the local Law Enforcers have spotted us and are heading this way.”
“Alright, I know,”
Chen Lun replied.
He rose from the leather seat and, holding his silver staff, said to the others:
“Connie, Alec, and Maggie stay behind. The rest of you, co with to take a look.”
“Yes, Mr. Jack,”
The group hastily responded.
Although Maggie was sowhat displeased, she obeyed the boss’s orders.
She was originally the team’s logistics dic, not a combatant. The leader had let her join the fight initially just to assess her practical abilities… After that, she mostly stayed behind to accompany the non-combatants.
Chen Lun led the others off the carriage and imdiately felt a strong gust of cold wind.
Snowflakes began to fall from the sky, lting on contact with their bodies and adding to the chill. Fortunately, the mbers of the Circus who got off the carriage were all Transcendents and didn’t care much for the low temperature.
Chen Lun noticed that the No-Face Waiter had not left for the Spirit World but had followed them off the carriage, standing quietly behind the group. He secretly speculated that this Murder Club’s Spiritual Realm ssenger might have had other tasks to undertake, such as observing him and conveying finer details and developnts back to the Round Table Knights.
The No-Face Waiter, sensing Chen Lun’s gaze, bowed slightly in his direction. Chen Lun responded with a polite smile, neither dismissing him nor initiating verbal communication.
There seed to be an unspoken understanding between them.
Chen Lun shifted his gaze back to the front.
The spacious stone road stretched onward, with landscape trees on either side stripped of their leaves, presenting a barren and desolate scene.
The road was blocked by a horizontal tal fence not far ahead, with dense black railings as thick as an arm and six or seven ters tall, even separating the buildings before and after, like a sudden growth of steel trees in the middle of the city that divided the two sides.
What was most eerie was,
Compared to their current clear environnt, on the other side of the fence, the sky was dark and murky, with extrely low visibility, as if enshrouded by thick, heavy clouds, casting an ominous darkness over everything.
It seed as if the fence marked the boundary between the worlds of light and shadow.
At this mont, dozens of people were walking towards the carriage along the fence. They were roughly divided into three groups: the Investigators from the Shelter in suits and uniforms, the Monks from the Moon Church in black robes, and nine n and won wearing broad-brimd brown hats and short leather jackets.
Leading the Shelter’s contingent was a short, middle-aged man with hair that was even turning white.
“Mr. Jack Spett?”
He asked gravely and solemnly, looking towards Chen Lun.
“That’s .”
Chen Lun nodded his head, confirming his identity.
“I am Corliss, Pine Sand City’s Shelter’s chief officer, acting in place of the Judge.”
The short man extended his hand politely and spoke with a deep voice.
Chen Lun shook his hand and exchanged pleasantries.
anwhile, he discreetly ascertained that this acting Judge before him was a [Nature Faction Sequence Five – Perfur], a Sequence particularly adept at woodland combat, capable of using crafted transcendental perfus for sustained augntation and healing.
“I am honored that Mr. Jack could lead his team to participate in the counteraction against the Red Calamity, and on behalf of all at the Shelter, as well as the residents of Pine Sand City, I salute you…”
Corliss revealed a composed smile.
He then proceeded to introduce the people with him to Chen Lun.
From his words, Chen Lun learned that the leading black-robed, short-haired old man from the Moon Church was a Bishop nad Tobin, also a Sequence Five Transcendent. The n and won in broad-brimd hats and leather jackets were from the Black Knife Brotherhood’s “Black Knife Assassins,” led by a woman in her thirties nad Roxanne.
Corliss made no ntion of the Black Knife Brotherhood’s past misdeeds and was even quite amicable with them.
Chen Lun understood that this was because the Shelter was fully accepting all assistance in the face of the imnse threat of the Red Calamity. Similarly to the Murder Club, the Black Knife Brotherhood had begun contending for the seats within the Righteous God Church.
Though their goals differed, they were temporarily united against a common enemy.
“It seems today is a good day; Lady Roxanne has led her team here to support us, and now Mr. Jack has also arrived… I believe we can take this opportunity to join forces and attempt to clear Pine Sand City of the Red Calamity.”
Corliss said with a smile.
At this mont, Roxanne approached Chen Lun and extended her hand in friendly greeting.
“Pleased to et you, Mr. Jack…”
Her voice was deep and sonorous, not like that of a typical woman.
This leader of the Black Knife Assassins stood nearly 1.8 ters tall, almost the sa height as Chen Lun as she stood before him.
A polite smile hung on Chen Lun’s face. After greeting her with a hello, he was about to shake hands with her when, unexpectedly, she withdrew her hand first… as if deliberately playing a prank.
“Oh, maybe I should call you ‘Spade Knight’ instead, right, Mr. Qiaoke?”
Roxanne glanced at the faceless servants behind the circus folk, her face revealing a playful smile.
She recognized them as the Spiritual Realm ssengers from the Murder Club.
The circus people were instantly alard, as they hadn’t expected the other party to uncover their leader’s alter ego; after all, “Qiaoke” was an S-grade fugitive wanted by the Empire… and at this very mont, the officials from the Shelter were standing right in front of them!
They imdiately felt a surge of anger. This woman nad Roxanne was not only disrespectful to Mr. Jack, but she also revealed this fact on purpose, obviously setting a trap!
anwhile, the mbers of the Shelter and the Moon Church, upon hearing Roxanne’s words, showed shocked expressions and reflexively went on guard, encircling the circus folk.
“I have no idea what you are talking about, Miss Roxanne.”
Chen Lun let his suspended hand drop and smiled faintly.
Without any solid proof, he wouldn’t admit anything. Although unclear how the other party had discovered his other identity, a few words alone were not enough to convince the Shelter.
Moreover, with the competition for the Righteous God’s position imminent, even if he were revealed, it would only an representing the Murder Club in the confrontation with the Red Apple Church… The Shelter’s higher-ups undoubtedly understood the pros and cons.
Chen Lun was certain that the official stance would be ambiguous and they would not act against him lightly.
Just as Corliss had not made a move against Roxanne and her group.
As expected, Corliss and Tobin, the two leaders, imdiately raised their hands to stop their subordinates, urging them not to overreact.
“Miss Roxanne was just joking with everyone, don’t take it seriously… How could Mr. Jack possibly be an S-grade fugitive,” Corliss diated.
He even chuckled, wearing a aningful expression, and added:
“Even if Mr. Jack were that ‘Spade Knight’, he must surely be loyal to the Empire, otherwise he wouldn’t have been hunting the Red Apple Church so relentlessly.”
The subordinates from the various factions cald down, but only Corliss, Tobin, Roxanne, and Chen Lun knew full well that regardless of past identities, their current goal was unified, which was the Red Apple Church.
In the face of the Empire’s great enemy, everything else seed insignificant.
Roxanne raised her eyebrows and chuckled a few tis, then extended her hand again:
“Sorry, Mr. Jack, I don’t like too serious of an atmosphere; I was just ssing with you… Let’s get reacquainted. Roxanne, the leader of the Black Knife Assassins.”
But a touch of regret flashed in the depths of her eyes.
Chen Lun, however, did not engage with her any further but turned to look at Corliss from the Shelter, and asked:
“Mr. Corliss, I would like to know the specifics of the Red Calamity in Pine Sand City.”
“No problem, Mr. Jack.”
The small man glanced at Roxanne, whose complexion had changed due to Jack’s disregard. Her fake smile had vanished, leaving behind only an indifferently impassive face as she politely moved to one side, returning to the front of the group of Black Knife Assassins.
“The Red Calamity here originated from the Red Apple Church that was originally stationed in Pine Sand City. They had planned in advance and sent additional Combat Power before triggering the chaos… As a result, even the combined forces of our Shelter and the monks from the Moon Church can only just hold them at bay,” Corliss narrated solemnly.
“Their Combat Power is currently trapped inside the ‘Nightfall Domain’, but there is a complete ‘Red Rose Squad’ within, a Sequence Five Bishop, nearly twenty Mid Sequence priests, and an incalculable number of Low Sequence Transcendent monks.”
Chen Lun had already conjectured about the main city’s level of the Red Calamity Area, but even after hearing the intelligence, he still found it troubleso.
He pondered for a mont before speaking again:
“The Nightfall Domain?”
“That is an ‘A-grade Mysterious Object – Silent Night Quicksand’ bestowed upon us by the servants of the Gods from our Hermitage, currently entrusted to our use. It can create a Nightfall Domain, weakening the mystical forces within and restricting the entry and exit of living beings,” the elderly man in the black robe beside Corliss interjected.
Chen Lun nodded his head in understanding.
He thought to himself that it was no wonder that an A-grade Mysterious Object had been approved for use in combating the Red Apple Church in a main city’s Red Calamity Area; perhaps it was precisely because of the support of such Mysterious Objects that the ongoing spread of the Red Calamity in Pine Sand City was barely contained.
Chen Lun looked towards the interior of the nearby fence, as if he could see through the gloomy environnt to the Red Apple Church deep within.
“I agree to cooperate, Mr. Corliss, but I do not wish to act alongside the Black Knife Brotherhood.”
Corliss, upon hearing the first part, showed a satisfied smile, but the latter part of Chen Lun’s statent took him by surprise.
The Black Knife Assassins by his side also froze, soon showing displeasure, and Roxanne, now at the front, snorted coldly and scoffed:
“It seems Mr. Jack is quite confident… That’s fine then, we don’t want to be held back by so irrelevant individuals.”
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