Buzz—
The Pink Energy washed over the body like a tidal wave.
Xia Nan could sense that there seed to be so kind of invisible presence lurking within the energy, trying to infiltrate his mind.
But before he could focus his attention on resisting, all the invisible energy that touched Xia Nan’s body was absorbed with the slight tremor of the silver ring [Dream Weaving Corridor] on his right ring finger, transforming into a 0.001% charge.
"Bang, bang."
Two muffled sounds echoed in Xia Nan’s ears, one after the other.
The first was heavy and short, like an iron block falling to the ground; the second was relatively lighter, with the sound of staggering footsteps accompanying a brief struggle before collapsing.
From the corner of his eye, he glanced over.
Margaret and Soldin had already lost their combat ability and fainted under the impact of the Pink Energy.
Fortunately, their life force was stable, not dead on the spot, and they should regain consciousness once the effect of the gemstone energy passed.
Thoughts flickered through his mind.
In front of him, on the Altar at the far end of the church, the Elderly Priest dressed in a gold-bordered ceremonial robe was the first to speak:
"So it’s you, indeed."
In the eyes reflecting the dazzling pink light, only a vague outline of pupils moved slightly, scanning up and down Xia Nan’s body, pausing briefly at the exposed chain of the [Tear of Spring Breath] on his neck, then falling on the [Ash Fall] Straight Sword in his hand, as if searching for sothing.
"When I received the ssage from Hans earlier, I found it strange, so... was it you who helped release Horak, the rchant from Neum, from spiritual control?"
Upon hearing this, Xia Nan’s surface remained calm, but his heart sank.
His previous suspicions beca a reality.
"Hans"... was the na of the innkeeper.
When he inadvertently made contact with Horak’s pink Jadestone, relieving Horak of its charm effect, he had considered whether the rchant’s drastically different behavior would arouse suspicion among other town mbers.
The innkeeper’s probing and night attack later confird his guess.
Now, even Priest Moen before him knew this, and was aware that he was the one who removed Horak’s control.
It appeared that the innkeeper’s suicidal actions before his death were ant to relay information about him to Priest Moen in the church through the gemstone on his chest.
Fortunately, from the mont just a while ago, what Xia Nan observed suggested that the Priest hadn’t yet noticed the existence of [Dream Weaving Corridor].
"Were these gemstones and the happenings in the town your doing?"
Of course, it wasn’t possible to directly answer the question; Xia Nan’s eloquence was limited, and probing for information through verbal exchanges wasn’t his strong suit.
Rather than struggle within the topics set by this old man before him, it was better to switch the thought process, steer the conversation, ask only what he wanted to know, and avoid revealing information.
Even in the worst-case scenario where the other party didn’t reply, at most, they would just each say their own piece.
But unexpectedly, at this mont, the priest was exceptionally candid.
"If you an this..." Mo’en raised the pink Jadestone he was holding toward Xia Nan, then slightly tilted his head, glancing at the massive and brilliant pink beam of light piercing into the sky above, "and this."
"Then I’ve indeed played a part in it."
"Why?"
Xia Nan instinctively followed up with a question.
At the sa ti, he used this extrely brief mont to observe the surrounding environnt as much as possible and gather information on the priest ahead, preparing for the seemingly imminent battle.
There was also an elent of stalling for a little ti, hoping his two teammates could awaken from their comas.
Without any concealnt, Mo’en displayed a gentle, amiable smile on his face, speaking in a calm tone to the adventurer in front of him:
"Child, perhaps you cannot understand."
"But I am rescuing them, saving them from the tornt of a world filled with pain and doubt."
The voice was gentle and calm, as if explaining a matter of course.
His deanor was relaxed and natural, just like the first ti he t Xia Nan on that sunny morning.
But pairing all the above with the current situation where the entire Sheep Horn Town had fallen, highlighted by the massive beam above his head, and those eyes completely engulfed by the pink light...
It felt so eerie, sending chills down one’s spine.
"Rescue?"
Xia Nan only found it absurd.
Even his gaze at the priest before him changed, mockery surfacing from the depths of his dark eyes.
If the other party had directly admitted to trying to complete so ritual by sacrificing the entire town, or attempting to use so chanism of the gemstone to absorb the villagers’ life force to extend his own life...
He might not have thought further, only considering the other party as just another common person from the Evil Camp straying down a dark path in the Aifala Continent.
But the priest claiming that he acted to rescue the villagers...
Xia Nan just felt that the other party was a self-deceptive madman.
As if sensing the disdain from the black-haired adventurer ahead, Mo’en’s gentle smile didn’t change at all, just gently shaking his head with a soft and benign expression, like countless tis before facing those uneducated, naive, and honest farrs in the town.
"Child, you’re too young to see how harsh the outside world is."
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