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Ma Lu left The Great Tower and went to the Witch's Home to meet up with Yun Que and the others.

Although he had earned a large amount of Atonement Points, the recent panic buying triggered by a mining site attack meant there were no good items left at the Weaponry Department.

He would have to wait until next month's new stock to find worthy equipment to purchase, so Ma Lu wasn't in a hurry to expand his team, considering that new recruits would need quality gear to perform effectively.

Afterward, he opened the mission system and browsed the tasks updated this week.

Perhaps it was because of his promotion, but there were many more missions available to choose from this time—three full pages—and among them were missions located in Redstone Grand Canyon, where traces of Singer's Solanum Berry had once been found.

That was also Ma Lu's target location.

However, this was an investigation mission, requiring him to search for traces of fallen witches' remnants in the Redstone Grand Canyon.

Since the matter involved the Witch Alliance, Ma Lu was somewhat reluctant to interfere, but then he thought of something, and his spirits lifted.

If it was just about searching for traces and not capturing anyone, it felt like there was still plenty of room to maneuver, especially since he had a spy from the Witch Alliance embedded in Holy Temple City.

Mounting his warhorse, Ma Lu sent the photo he had acquired from the library to the Bliss Bird, who then fell silent after viewing it.

Seeing that she remained quiet, Yun Que grew concerned and stopped playing connect-five with the Hellhound, offering her a piece of honey cake she had sneaked from the cafeteria.

She had initially planned to give the cake to Ma Lu because during a previous chat, he had casually mentioned wanting to try it, and Yun Que remembered it.

But seeing the Bliss Bird in low spirits, she hesitated and decided it was more important to cheer up the Bliss Bird first.

However, the red-haired girl shook her head, not eating the cake, and then looked toward Ma Lu.

"Do you know what was written on those pages?"

"Well… I met an old nun at the library, and she insisted on giving me a history lesson."

"What do you think of that?" Bliss Bird asked, taking a deep breath.

"What do I think?"

"I want to know, from a human perspective, how you view the relationship between us witches and the Church. Do you think what the Church is doing is right?"

"Does that matter?" Ma Lu raised his eyebrows and countered, "Why should you, as a witch, care about human opinions? Besides, you know me. I'm not from here; I'm just passing through."

However, the red-haired girl seemed unsatisfied with this evasive and cunning response, so she pressed further.

"Let me ask in a different way then. If you were a witch, what would you do?"

"Break the Ring of Order and overturn the Church," Ma Lu said without hesitation.

"So you would also choose to stand with the Witch Alliance?"

"Not necessarily, I lack trust in political figures, and I'd rather trust myself," Ma Lu paused, "but if I have to choose a side, I would stand with the Witch Alliance first. After all, if they win, at least the witches' situation won't get any worse."

"Do you think the Witch Alliance can resolve the conflict between witches and humans?"

"It cannot," Ma Lu shook his head, "If the X-Men couldn't resolve it, let alone Shrike."

"Who are the X-Men?"

"A group of superpowered individuals led by some bald old cripple, somewhat similar to your witches. They also have a hard life, but unfortunately, I'm not one of you, so I can't offer much life advice."

"Do we have any differences?" Bliss Bird asked, puzzled.

Ma Lu thought for a moment, "You all have kind hearts, noble characters, and are persistent in seeking the right answers. You ponder the fate of humans and the world and aim purposefully to transform it.

"I'm different. I'm vulgar and superficial, I accepted from the start that the world is chaotic, and what I do best is exploit its rules for my own gain, indulging in trivial things like money, video games, thighs, breasts, and enjoying it tirelessly."

Ma Lu grew increasingly ashamed as he spoke, "…these past days I've been busy collecting ingredients, hardly caring about the conflict between witches and humans, nor considering any solutions."

"Even knowing about the events of the 14th Holy Year, I felt nothing. While that old woman held me and recounted the tragic history between humans and witches, all I thought about was why I couldn't skip the forced plot, and whether this part was paying homage to the X-Men.

Ma Lu counted on his fingers, "…as a knight of the Sacred Order of Knights, I found problems with the Ouroboros Serpent but didn't report it to the Church. Instead, I secretly protected her, and during the great battle with the Witch Alliance, I slacked off, watching my comrades fall around me, feeling almost like a mole within the Witch Alliance.
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"However, when I witnessed the burning of the witches I didn't step forward, and later when Bliss Bird and other witches were killed by Li Wei with missiles, I had a chance to avenge them but considering I still needed to collect ingredients, I didn't kill Li Wei. Instead, I used this incident to become a master. I'm quite puzzled about that part too.

"I don't know what Li Wei saw in me, as there were many more upright and loyal people in the Sacred Order of Knights than me. He must be somewhat blind.

"In any case, at this critical moment deciding the fate of both species, the only thing I ended up doing was... stealing a monster, which is kind of... you know."

"..."

Ma Lu, having reflected on his fence-sitting behavior, said sincerely, "But you're different. Unlike other knights, who see you merely as weapons or expendables, I've always seen you as friends. As friends, I earnestly hope you can have a better life.

"So whatever you want to do, or whatever plans you might have, whether it's joining the higher echelons of the church, leaving Holy Temple City, or meeting up with the rest of the Witch Alliance, I can help you figure it out. I will respect each one of your choices."

Yun Que looked around and, seeing no one else speaking, mustered the courage to speak up, timidly, "I... I think it's good as it is, I'm happy as long as I can follow Sir Knight."

Hellhound then pointed at his Ring of Order, "Hmph, you might be despicable, but you're still honest. I'll trust you this time, whatever means you use, as long as you can get this thing off my neck."

Ma Lu then looked at Ouroboros Serpent and Bliss Bird, the former shaking their head slightly, "I have my own path... you don't need to worry about me. You've already done enough; I will remember this kindness."

The final red-haired girl frowned, saying, "I... haven't thought it through yet, I need to digest the knowledge I acquired today."

"That's fine, whenever you're ready, just let me know," Ma Lu said.