Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

"Shh-shh," the intentional rustling caught the attention of Kuang Xin and his two companions.

It was evening by then, the sky not completely dark but certainly dim.

Realizing someone unexpected was approaching, they instinctively exchanged glances and tightly clenched their handguns in the shadows.

It wasn't until the noble lady's intricate attire, starkly different from that of the Black Street commoners, became visible that Gong Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's the Arbitration Place..."

How long had the other party been watching them?

Gong Yan's mind entertained several thoughts. Last time in the sewer, it was because she needed to observe the rats that her talent inadvertently activated, allowing her to detect the covert spying of these two individuals.

But now, her focus was entirely on traps, combat, and thinking about how to make their act more convincing in order to lure Jonathan and his men into a trap and annihilate them all. She had no inclination to activate her special talent and was completely unaware of the two people spying on them.

Thankfully, she hadn't said anything she shouldn't have...

With light footsteps, Franca gently stepped over the bodies of several wild wolves, her eyes like those of a cat, beautiful and slightly glowing in the night, "Did you kill these wild wolves?"

"Yes..." Dai Lian showed an appropriate amount of confusion, "Could it be that these wild wolves are also the work of the heresy?"

"Not quite..." Franca shook her head slightly, "We just suspect you have ties with the heretics."

"..." Stay updated via empire

"???"

Startled, the burly man stepped back, his eyes filled with suspicion and uncertainty as he looked at the lady beside him, wondering why she was being so frank.

You suspect us, fine, but why say it outright?

This isn't how you conduct an investigation... Wouldn't revealing your suspicions cause them to hide even deeper?

Dammit!

The smile at the corner of Dai Lian's mouth was somewhat stiff as he couldn't tell if this NPC was bluffing or had evidence. He had no choice but to remain calm and ask in return, "What heresy are we supposed to be involved with?"

"Hmm... it might be the one behind those sewer rats, or possibly other heresies." Franca pondered, touching her chin, "I'm not sure yet, still investigating..."

As she spoke, Franca kicked a wild wolf corpse at her feet, "You seemed quite skilled in combat just now. Were the wild wolves we heard about earlier killed by you as well?"

"Yes..." Dai Lian nodded cautiously, wary of any traps in her words.

With a slight lift of her face, the cold and mysterious moonlight cast a chilly glow on Franca's face, "Is all this under the orders of the 'superior' you mentioned? Including the last time when we saw you cleaning up those plague rats in the sewer?"

"Yes."

"And the purpose?"

"The superior said these things were disturbing everyone's normal life..."

Franca squinted her eyes, her gaze sweeping one by one over the faces of the three members of the strange organization resting after the battle, the silence oppressively heavy for a moment.

Suddenly, she broke into a smile and cheerfully pulled out a glass bottle from her bosom, containing a bit of amber, slightly viscous liquid, "Since you are also fighting for the safety and well-being of everyone, I think you definitely need this."

"Franca!" the burly man exclaimed emotionally, the little bit of substance he had managed to refine after a hard-won battle against the bad guys—she was actually going to give it all away?

"What is this?" Glancing at the emotionally charged burly man, Dai Lian still stared at Franca, cautiously asking.

"This is what we use to fight demons, it's the only thing that can cause real harm to those terrible demons. You can apply this essential oil to your weapons or arrowheads, or you can use it to soak the bullets you use, either way, it will be effective. I think if you continue down this path, you will eventually encounter those terrible demons.

With this in hand, at least you will have the confidence to fight back in moments of despair."

Franca's eyes twinkled with a dim light, appearing particularly eerie in the night, "Do you need it?"

Of course, they needed it!

Dai Lian still didn't move and became even more vigilant, "There is no such thing as a free lunch in the world, what do you want?"

"Requirements?" Franca's lips curled slightly, "Of course, there are requirements..."

Her gaze slowly swept over the three peculiar individuals before her, Franca's voice low and full of force, "I require that you be true to your word… What you do today, you must continue to do in the future; what you stand by in your speech, you must also continue to carry out; what you believe in your hearts, you must still hold firm after weathering the trials of the world.

I don't know where your 'master' is or what he intends to do. But since he makes such demands of you, he must also be a person of outstanding talent and heroism. If I have the chance, I naturally want to meet him, to share a drink at our leisure."

From one glance, one can see all—a leader with enough charisma to gather and direct his followers to do such things would also surely be a luminary of great stature.

How regrettable it would be if such an organization, comprised of these naive idealists, were to eventually be buried and forgotten in this dark world?

"So I want you to always keep up with his pace. If he is wise, you must wholeheartedly assist him; if he makes a misstep, you must also earnestly remonstrate with him; and if he abandons his initial intentions... then you must strike him down!"

[Trigger main quest—Luminous Belief.]

[Luminous Belief: The words of the temporary executor of the Heretical Arbitration House stir the convictions deep within your heart. Do you decide to fortify your path as she says, or will you make your own judgment? Quest requirement: Fortify the faction (Dawn) stance 0/∞. Quest completion reward: 33ml of Exorcism Essential Oil, other rewards unknown. (Rewards are distributed periodically.)] X3

...

"How naive!"

"I'm willing!"

"Do you think your few words would make them remember for a lifetime? People change. Besides, they are just a few insignificant creatures. If they truly maintain their beliefs unchanged, they would most likely end up dying in some unknown sewer... You're harming them."

Franca, having left that group far behind, turned to look at the burly man, raising her slender, fair finger, "First: humanity is composed of countless such small creatures. Second: no one cannot die, no one will not die. Regardless of whether they hold fast to their beliefs or wander in suffering, all their experiences will become humanity's precious wealth..."

All the complex experiences will transform into the depth of the soul, the righteous upholding their convictions and drawing swords for humanity, the wicked becoming kindling and turning into bullets fired at demons.

Sacrifice is the eternal truth of humanity.

Those who wield the sword today may well turn into kindling tomorrow.

The military's greatest enemy is the Bug Race, their greatest enemy is the demons.

Planting a seed today is merely the prerequisite for reaping more in the future.

The more you plant, the more you harvest...