"Are these books really fine? Or is that woman running the shop the problem?"
Loren showed the woman all the books he had taken, yet she genuinely didn't seem affected in the slightest.
"If they're truly useless, why were those Happiness Believers protecting these books so carefully?"
Could they really value the words in these books that much? That clearly seems unlikely. They were forcibly controlled by the Church of Confusion using the power of confusion; it's improbable they would hold so quotes in such high regard.
Moreover, these quotes were stored together with the Blind Eye. Could it be these books were actually a smokescreen, with the real purpose being to hide the Blind Eye...
But wouldn't burying the Blind Eye directly be more convenient?
"Sothing's off here, let's just leave."
Loren wasn't planning to take any risks. Staying put and resting comfortably when things feel wrong is sothing only the dumb protagonists in horror movies would do, and Loren clearly doesn't belong in that category.
"Oh..."
Anna yawned; she was indeed sleepy. However, for safety's sake, she had no intention of resting just yet.
"Let's go."
The inn wasn't tall. Loren directly opened the window, confird no one was outside, then leaped down, landing steadily. He waved a hand upwards.
Laila followed closely behind, landing just as smoothly. Even Mirrorheart, still wearing high heels, did the sa, making very little sound.
Now Loren was sure: earlier, when Mirrorheart asked to be carried, she was definitely pretending.
But Scarlett genuinely didn't dare to jump. In the end, Loren chose to go back and carry her down.
Having run for a day, the horses also needed rest. This ti, Loren didn't go too far either, just setting up camp in a desolate, uninhabited wilderness.
"Or is the contamination not the primary function of these books?"
Even before sleeping, Loren was still pondering. This trip had too many bizarre places.
Loren was deeply suspicious. He wouldn't let go of any anomaly, no matter how slight. If he were alone, it'd be fine; Loren had countless ways to escape. But now he had the children with him.
Just as Loren was thinking, Anna, lying beside him, suddenly rolled over and hugged his arm. Loren sighed, closed his eyes, and decided to sleep.
Overthinking now was useless. He could only take things one step at a ti. They would be safe once they truly returned ho.
...
The night passed without incident. When Loren woke up, he found himself surrounded by crows. These were fragnts of Movila's soul. With them standing guard, Loren didn't need to worry about being ambushed.
"Let's continue our journey."
After getting up in the morning, Loren didn't waste words. He directly boarded the carriage. He had woken up exceptionally early today, right at dawn as the blood moon receded. Although he liked sleeping in, that didn't an he would do so under any circumstances.
After a night's rest, the horses' stamina had recovered. These magical beasts were not only highly resilient but also recovered quickly, hence their steep price. Even nobles generally couldn't afford them; only soone like Loren could use them continuously.
Everyone set off once more, traveling day and night. This truly counted as the most exhausting journey for everyone.
Back in that village, Loren had obtained a new map and knew his current location. It was very close to the Gedlan Kingdom, only about half a day's journey away. Loren drove the carriage at full speed, declining Laila's request to take over the reins midway.
Loren had the blessing of the True Sight Eye; his perception wouldn't be interfered with. This final stretch was the most crucial, so Loren planned to handle it himself the entire way.
As the carriage advanced, the scenery ahead gradually beca familiar—this was the area surrounding the Gedlan Kingdom. After traveling a while longer, Loren saw the city walls. This was the border of the Gedlan Kingdom. Since it wasn't too far from the territory of the God of Plague, a wall had been specially constructed here.
A carriage pulled by a magical beast was charging forward at full speed. The guards at the gate saw it and imdiately grew vigilant. Forces gradually converged near the city gate, ready to act against anyone approaching at any mont.
"It's , Loren."
As he neared the gate, Loren slowed the carriage and announced his identity to the gate guards.
"It's Master ntor! He's back!"
Upon clearly seeing Loren's face, the soldiers' attitude did a complete 180-degree turn. Without even making Loren's carriage stop, they let him pass directly.
Not only that, several cavalryn followed beside Loren to escort him:
"Master ntor, where are you headed?"
"Take to the Church."
Loren's reply was simple. This location's geography was quite important, so it was highly likely soone significant was stationed at the Church here.
"Understood."
The cavalryn imdiately moved ahead of Loren, clearing the way for him. Loren's progress sped up considerably.
If it were anyone else, the commoners forcibly asked to make way might have so complaints. But when they learned the one hurrying was Loren, not only did they have no complaints, they grew excited, feeling honored to be able to help Master ntor.
Since Master ntor didn't hesitate to have them make way in his rush to advance, it ant he must be dealing with a crisis threatening them.
Only after entering the Church, when Loren sang the hymn of the God of Bountiful Harvest and felt the God's gaze upon him, did he finally let out a sigh of relief.
He was now completely back within the territory of the God of Bountiful Harvest. The Happiness Believers would be dealt with by the Bountiful followers. If an Angel of the God of Confusion ca, an Angel of the God of Bountiful Harvest would handle it. And if it truly ca to that, it would an the opening of the Divine War.
The Bountiful followers might be weak, but the God of Bountiful Harvest was not. He might not be able to defeat the God of Light and Fire, but with his multitude of followers, the God of Bountiful Harvest had no issue fighting other gods, let alone the weakest God of Confusion.
After finishing his prayers, Loren went to see the Bishop here. Subsequently, a group of Scarecrows escorted Loren ho, surrounding his carriage so tightly not a breath of wind could get through. Loren felt a wave of security.
Nothing else happened along the way. Loren safely arrived ho. Several maids rushed forward upon hearing the door open, led by Seraphina.
"Welco ho, Master."
"Mhm."
Loren nodded to everyone. Only now did his tightly wound nerves finally relax, followed imdiately by a wave of drowsiness. All Loren wanted was to sleep imdiately.
"Seraphina, why do I feel like you've gotten uglier..."
Before heading to his room, Loren still asked. He looked at Seraphina's face—it was still as perfect as ever, worthy of being called the most beautiful girl in the world. But at this mont, Loren felt sothing was missing.
"Perhaps it's because I've been thinking of you constantly during this ti and haven't rested well."
As she answered, Seraphina's face still wore a gentle smile.
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