Europia, a small country.
The first branch of the "Heartfire" organization.
Under the management and construction of Paladin Roland, this town, once ravaged by strange evils, broken, chaotic, and filled with despair, had completely changed.
It was renamed 'Torch Town'.
The small buildings within the town that had been destroyed by strange evils and awakened ones had been repaired, the roads were smooth, and the clock tower in the town center ticked on. The small square below the clock tower was bustling with people, lively from early morning.
This was a market.
Not only were daily necessities and food sold, but many awakened ones also traded here.
Torch Town itself now had a population of several thousand, refugees who had fled from various places and surrounding countries.
They had gradually settled here.
Because it was so safe, a paradise compared to the dangerous environment outside!
As long as they were diligent, they wouldn't lack food here, at least enough to eat their fill and be warmly clothed.
How could the refugees, who had experienced hardship, be willing to leave?
Even awakened ones hoped to find a safe haven in this world. Not all awakened ones wanted to become kings or conquerors, nor could they achieve it with their strength.
"Thank you, Lord Roland, for providing us with shelter."
"Here, I no longer have to worry about someone breaking into my home while I sleep and being robbed blind by those thugs..."
A civilian gritted his teeth.
Another person said, "Under Lord Roland's protection, no thugs dare to enter here, right?"
"Of course not. Just two days ago, a group of thugs came, all armed. Their leader seemed to be an awakened one, but they were quickly killed by the patrol team. Their bodies are still hanging by the roadside south of town as a warning."
"Is that... too cruel?"
"Cruel? You wouldn't think it's cruel when you're being robbed and murdered by thugs!"
"Actually, thugs are a minor issue. The truly terrifying things are those invisible monsters."
"Invisible monsters?"
This was still a secret to most ordinary people. Even when people died inexplicably, or strange roars were heard, they were unseen, and thus unknown.
It was different after arriving in town. Having witnessed the strength of the patrol team and recognizing awakened ones, many people gradually learned about the horrors hidden beneath reality.
That was the true disaster.
There were even awakened ones among the refugees. Don't assume that awakened ones could deal with strange evils. If their awakened abilities were not offensive, or if they didn't have awakened weapons, dealing with the most ordinary strange evil would be a struggle.
They didn't dare to fight. The more they saw, the more they feared.
They kept fleeing.
Until they arrived here.
An awakened one whose ability was related to sight said, "Dealing with thugs doesn't showcase the patrol team's power at all. In fact, the patrol team deals with those terrifying monsters as easily as slicing through vegetables; they are unbelievably strong."
"Compared to them, I, an awakened one, am like a fake."
"Yesterday, I even saw Lord Roland kill a... monster tens of meters tall in just a few moves."
"A monster tens of meters tall?"
"Hiss—!"
"I heard that many of the awakened ones in the patrol team were taught by Lord Roland. I will definitely sign up when the patrol team recruits again."
"Me too."
Roland's name was already that of a powerful figure in the surrounding area.
If communication and transportation hadn't been almost completely severed, his reputation would have been even greater.
But without a doubt, Torch Town had become a 'powerful force' in this small country and the surrounding nations, one that could not be ignored.
Yet, few people knew about the organization behind Torch Town.
About a kilometer away from the clock tower, there was a six-story building. It was the tallest structure in Torch Town and the daily office of the patrol team.
And at this moment,
in the basement of the building, a place considered a 'forbidden zone' even for ordinary patrol members, Roland, a double awakened one with the 'Knight's Heart' talent, and a figure of worship for countless people, was showing reverence.
He was not a person who flattered.
But the man before him had bestowed upon him greater strength, taught them how to deal with strange evils, and provided them with weapons and elixirs. Even the resources needed for the construction and operation of this town came from the support of the man before him.
No amount of praise or gratitude could express even a fraction of what he felt in his heart.
It was not he, Roland, who had provided shelter for so many displaced refugees.
It was not he, Roland, who had taught the patrol members to become stronger.
It was not he, Roland, who had ensured the refugees had enough to eat and wear.
"Mentor, the townsfolk all believe it's my credit now, and I feel truly undeserving."
Fang You could roughly guess the thoughts of this straightforward paladin. If it weren't necessary, Roland truly wouldn't want this kind of reputation.
"Now, many countries on our Blue Star are in the open, while the cultists hide in the shadows. Therefore, we must also remain hidden so as not to alert the cultists and to deliver a fatal blow at the critical moment."
Even the stronghold in the Wave Country was currently in a state of dormancy.
Not many actions were taken.
Firstly, most actions were futile. Secondly, it was to lull the cultists into a false sense of security and to slowly search for clues in secret.
He continued,
"This town has also been truly managed under your leadership, and your contribution is immense. Do not belittle yourself. Of course, in addition to developing Torch Town, your task is to secretly select and train suitable talents."
Roland opened his mouth. "I understand."
The mentor's words made sense, and he could only kill more strange evils, rescue more refugees, and cultivate talents... contribute more to the organization.
Emerging from the secret realm entrance, Fang You ascended to the rooftop of the patrol team's base, gazing out at the surroundings.
Compared to his last visit, it had indeed changed drastically.
The town was orderly, the market in the distance was bustling, and the strange evils within the map range were few. As soon as a strange evil appeared, patrol members would be dispatched immediately.
These were naturally secondary apostles.
However, they were few in number, and the quota for secondary apostles was limited. Roland only had eight, but the number of awakened ones far exceeded this.
Some had returned from advanced training within the organization, and more had been recruited by Roland himself.
The development of Torch Town had far surpassed his expectations.
The townsfolk were grateful and adored Roland, and he fully deserved it.
And...
Fang You looked up. He also noticed some differences.
During his last visit, wisps of gray mist permeated the entire town, and it was marked as a medium-level pollution zone on the map!
Severely eroded by the strange realm.
Now, upon closer inspection, gray mist still drifted above Torch Town, but it was much sparser, much less!
This meant... the erosion from the strange realm had decreased, regressed?
"According to Yi Yueluxi, the process of erosion by the strange realm is irreversible."
"However, the Black Stone Oasis where Yi Yueluxi is located is, after all, just an oasis power. She might be powerful within the oasis, but what she knows might not be entirely accurate."
"Besides, I have my cheat!"
He looked around.
What was the reason for the regression of erosion? Was it the aura of the people around? That was naturally impossible. Eliminating all impossible reasons, the only remaining one was - the secret realm entrance!
Xin Huo's secret realm was anchored to this land!
However, this issue was for later consideration. The current priority was the cultist problem.
He stood on the rooftop for a while, with Roland accompanying him.
Before long, Roland saw someone approaching.
It was Cliff, one of the patrol team members, an awakened one.
However, he was not a member of the organization yet, still in the probationary period. Just as he was about to ask what was the matter, he saw Cliff's face suddenly change, transforming into an ordinary-looking... it was hard to tell if it was male or female.
Even their clothing seemed to melt like a wax figure, transforming into a cloak in an instant.
Roland felt his scalp tingle.
"Who are you... Where is Cliff?!"
"Don't worry, I haven't done anything to him. He's still patrolling outside the town. I've merely borrowed his identity to get upstairs."
"Mentor."
The cloaked figure nodded slightly and glanced at Roland.
Was this a strong individual from the organization?
Roland pondered, understanding the cloaked figure's meaning. He immediately withdrew, showing no curiosity.
After Roland left, Thousand Faces stepped forward, approaching within half a meter of Fang You, and lowered his voice, "We've uncovered part of the cultists' plan."
"Tell me about it."
Fang You looked at Thousand Faces.
Today, his hood was not obscuring his face, revealing a neutral face that was utterly unremarkable. But he didn't believe this was Thousand Faces' true appearance.
He was still very curious, but today was for important matters.
Thousand Faces began, "They are followers of the evil god 'Crimson Moon'. Besides ordinary followers, there are a few strange humanoid species who have traversed from the strange realm – the Blood-bearded people."
"However, any strange evils and intelligent beings from the strange realm are repelled and suppressed by our Blue Star world. The only sacrificial envoy who has entered so far is just a tool avatar. The main body of the envoy and other powerful Blood-bearded people cannot descend to our Blue Star."
But the term 'powerful' here referred to the strong individuals of the Blood-bearded race.
As a race that had defected to an evil god and developed for who knows how many years, the Blood-bearded people were far stronger than those oasis powers who could only cling to existence. Their envoy was a sixth-awakening Throne-class, and within their clan, there were clearly other Throne-class and Commander-class individuals.
They could not descend.
At least not at this stage. As the erosion of Blue Star intensified, and the world's repulsion weakened, strange evils and strange humanoid species would find it easier to enter Blue Star.
But according to the information provided by Thousand Faces, even now, there were Blood-bearded people of non-human level who had come to Blue Star, and the envoy avatar had recovered from the initial third-awakening strength to fourth-awakening.
"Not only that, but the Blood-bearded envoy is planning a super large-scale ritual."
"The ritual will take place at seven important focal points on Blue Star, seemingly to use the power of the ritual to allow his main body to break through the barriers of Blue Star and descend."
Thousand Faces handed over a parchment scroll.
On it, drawn with ink made of mysterious materials, was an eerie and sinister pattern.
Thousand Faces had come specifically to show this drawing to his mentor.
"This drawing is the sacrificial diagram for the ritual at one of the locations."
"But besides this one, there are six other ritual sites distributed around the world. I have only scouted the locations of three of them so far. The remaining ones will take time."
Even so, Thousand Faces' intelligence was quite detailed!
It even included the specific steps of the ritual diagrams.
Uh, he suddenly became curious. "How far have you infiltrated within the cult?"
Thousand Faces said, "I am the person in charge of one of the ritual sites."
Fang You: "..."