Uncle here isn't your average office worker!

As she spoke, she winked at Margaret and then put on the mask of the protective suit.

Margaret agreed with Nightbloom's plan. Roy and Skadi lived in the Grand Knight Territory and might not have witnessed the horrors of Oripathy. The mental torment caused by this incurable disease could sometimes far surpass the physical pain. She knew Roy wanted to join Rhodes Island, but she didn't want him and Skadi to arrive as patients. She nodded solemnly to Roy, put on her mask, and followed Nightbloom inside.

Skadi looked at Roy with a somewhat innocent expression. She felt that her words had provoked Nightshade and Margaret, forcing them into the ruins.

Roy shrugged and reached out to pat Skadi's head comfortingly. Unexpectedly, Skadi didn't dodge.

He knew, of course, that Skadi was telling the truth. The physical abilities of the Deepsea Hunters were indeed incomparable to those of ordinary Terrans. Those of them with the Seaborne cells, the more ruthless ones, like Laurentina, could still be alive and kicking even after being injected with a lethal dose of concentrated Originium liquid. In fact, when they got close to the sea and their instincts were activated, they could automatically digest and heal themselves. This was something that Nightfall and Margaret could not even imagine.

Roy didn't explain, though. Saying something like that would only elicit a laughable response, or a dismissive attitude. Only someone in the know like Kal'tsit would believe him. Since it wouldn't work, he decided to do it instead of saying anything.

Roy patted Skadi on the head and pointed deeper into Simon Avenue:

Can you hear which way the sound is coming from?

Skadi nodded.

"That's right. Let's go. They'll be responsible for rescuing the wounded, and we'll be responsible for eliminating the threat."

PS: After all, a major plot has just ended, so the next few chapters will definitely have some foreshadowing and transition elements. I also wanted to write every chapter as a climax, but if it's all climaxes, then it's the same as having no climaxes at all.

These chapters will be a bit slower-paced, mainly because I need to establish the storylines of the Witch King and Nearl's father. Ideally, the final resolution of the apocalyptic crisis should involve the majority of Terra's top-tier forces.

Volume 1: Chapter 183 Are you alright?

"Hey, stop!"

A shout stopped Margaret and Nightfall, who were walking deeper into the ruins. Holding a cane, wearing a silk top hat, and with a neat scarf and gloves, he stood on the high place, looking down at the two below with an unfriendly expression. The smoke from the pipe in his other hand slowly rose and dissipated, just like the shops that were burning fiercely not far away.

Margaret frowned, about to warn the middle-aged man to stay away from the building that could collapse or explode at any moment, when Ye Tan stopped her with a raised hand. Ye Tan glanced at her, gently shaking his head to signal her to be quiet. He then stepped forward, placing his right hand on his left chest, his eyelids slightly closed to avoid direct eye contact, and performed a flawless gentlemanly gesture towards the man on the ruins at a precise 45-degree angle, humbly speaking:

"Dear Mr. Russell, we are Rhodes Island Medical Center field agents stationed in Violet City. My codename is Nightbloom, and this is... Margaret. A serious accident has just occurred here, potentially leading to the spread of Originium dust and an increased risk of Oripathy infection. To ensure the safety of the people of Violet City, we have come to investigate."

After Ye Tan finished speaking, she deliberately avoided asking Russell why he was staying there, and instead politely suggested:

"For the reasons stated above, Mr. Russell, you may encounter unnecessary danger here. Would you like me to escort you out? Or, could you provide me with a contact number so I can call your entourage for you?"

Rhode Island Medical Center?

Perhaps because Ye Tan had shown him ample courtesy, or perhaps simply because one doesn't hit a smiling face, Russell's impatient expression softened slightly. He had heard of Rhodes Island before. There were many medical companies on this land, and countless others claiming to treat Oripathy. However, Rhodes Island was one of the few partner companies that had obtained permits and certifications in most countries. For that reason alone, Russell wouldn't mind giving them a little face in ordinary times.

After all, their office in Violet City did indeed help him and his laboratory solve many potential problems with infected individuals.

Taking advantage of the brief pause in Russell's recollection, Ye Tan turned around and carefully explained the identity of the person before her to Margaret:

“Lussel is the uncrowned king of Violet City. He has a deep background. Down below, almost the entire suburbs are under his jurisdiction. Even if the city council wants to make any decisions there, it must first obtain his consent. Up above, he may be related to a Grand Elephant. His tacit approval is a large part of the reason why we can set up an office in Violet City. We should try not to offend him if possible.”

Margaret nodded knowingly.

It's like the Knights' Association of the Great Knight Territory. It's protected by the Supervisory Council above and manages a large number of knights below. However, the political situation in Kazimierz determines that the Knights' Association is a group of people, while Letania and Lussel alone are enough to handle it all.

After a brief, unspoken, yet strangely silent exchange, Russell spoke again, his previous indifference gone, replaced by a tone of advice:

"No need. This explosion has been handled by me and my people, and the City Council has already approved it. People of Rhodes Island, if there's nothing else, please leave now."

Ye Tan was stunned; this was truly different from what she had expected.

In her memory, although Russell had been abroad, he had a more conservative and demanding aristocratic pride than anyone else in Violet City. He never personally participated in the affairs of the lower classes, and his attitude towards the infected was not much better than that of walking materials. That's why Ye Tan immediately went along with his wishes and adopted the aristocratic etiquette that no one would use anymore, in order to gain his favor and obtain information about the disaster from him, so as to take over the rescue mission.

Now, things have gotten out of hand. Not only does Russell not intend to entrust the task to them, but he also says that "they will handle it," which is really illogical.

As everyone knows, when something seems out of the ordinary, something sinister is sure to happen.

Seeing that Ye Tan seemed hesitant, Margaret took the initiative to speak:

“Mr. Russell, with all due respect, Rhodes Island is a professional emergency response facility for infected individuals and an organization specializing in handling Oripathy hazards. If we were to carry out the rescue operation, the casualties in this incident would be reduced…”

"Rhode Island."

"Lusser said coldly,"

"I've taken charge of this matter. Please leave immediately and remember where you are. Don't push your luck."

"you!"

"boom--"

Ye Tan gritted her teeth, about to retort, when a loud noise from afar forced her to swallow her anger.

She instinctively looked up into the distance, where a golden light was shooting into the sky. Before she could even wonder, Russell's expression tightened, and he turned and ran towards the direction of the sound.

"Follow."

Without saying a word, Margaret patted the still somewhat dazed Nightfall on the shoulder and quickly chased after Russell in the direction he had left.

Ye Tan smiled wryly and pursed her lips: "I feel like I'm in big trouble."

...........

"This is pretty much it. Although we took a detour, we're much faster than Margaret's group. We should be here first, Skadi."

Roy stopped in front of the villa at the end of the street, which was suspected to be the epicenter of the explosion. As he looked around at the unrecognizable buildings and the burnt, yellowed remains of plants, he spoke to Skadi, who was following behind him.

Skadi would usually respond with a brief "hmm" or "oh." She was never a talkative person, probably due to the deep-sea hunter bloodline. Roy always heard descriptions of them such as, "They don't need words; a glance, a gesture, or even doing nothing at all, they know what the other is thinking and what they want to do." Naturally, words were unnecessary. However, this level of unspoken understanding, even in a magical world like Terra, still seemed somewhat fantastical. In any case, Roy, an unregistered deep-sea hunter, hadn't yet established this connection with Skadi.

But contrary to her usual behavior, Skadi didn't answer this time, falling into a long silence. Until Roy heard the sound of a greatsword dragging on the ground behind him.

He turned around and found Skadi gazing at the sky with a slight frown, as if something was lurking above. Roy followed her gaze and looked up. The midnight sky was lit up by firelight, and thick black smoke still lingered after the explosions, but he couldn't make out anything special within it.

He simply asked directly, "What's wrong, Skadi?"

"Tap!" A soft stringed instrument sounded.

"Get away."

Without a word, Skadi's voice was received by Roy almost simultaneously with her movement. Her seemingly delicate arms burst forth with astonishing power, achieving the force of the martial arts move "Iron Mountain Lean" through physical means, and violently knocked Roy away. Before Roy could understand what had happened, the next second, several cracks that sank three inches into the ground suddenly appeared on the ground where he had just been standing, as if he had been attacked by some invisible force.

Roy gasped and looked at Skadi, who was standing still.

She had somehow raised her longsword and placed it above her head, and the giant sword was trembling violently, as if it had just been struck by a heavy blow.

"Are you okay?"

She looked at Roy, a hint of worry flickering in her eyes. Roy nodded, and the worry vanished as if it had never existed, leaving only Skadi's voice reminding her:

"The enemy is unknown, and their method of attack is—sound."

Volume 1: Chapter 184 The Witch King Ceased to Think

Roy suddenly remembered a very classic old movie from his past life—Kung Fu Hustle.

Among them, the villainous Axe Gang leader hired two blind masters to ambush the three masters in the slum apartment building. Their attack method was music. In their hands, the guzheng could produce wind blades, swords, and even thousands of troops. Although Letania's magic was not as exaggerated in form, their unique musical magic could also use sound waves to transmit energy and launch attacks. It was invisible and colorless, difficult to detect, and often caught people off guard.

Even though Roy was familiar with the plot and knew that the Letanians possessed this magic, he still nearly fell victim to it when caught off guard. Although, given his physical strength, such a sneak attack was unlikely to cause much effective damage, magic is inherently more unpredictable and treacherous than physical attacks like swords, spears, and clubs; who knew if it might have some special effects?

For example, psychological damage, dizziness, or allure?

While Deepsea Hunters, who deal with monsters like Sea Princes who require a sanity check just by looking at them in tabletop role-playing games, should have decent mental strength, Roy, being an unregistered individual, wasn't sure about his own mental strength. After all, the final Knight module only enhanced his physical body, so it was best to avoid such attacks as much as possible.

Roy nodded gratefully to Skadi beside him, then made a decisive move in an instant. Instead of drawing the more convenient Sun Sword for close combat, he resolutely took out his longbow from his back. Firstly, it was nighttime, and without Margaret present, the Sun Sword was practically useless, essentially just a more durable sword. Secondly, he also possessed another unused collectible, the [Scale-Catching Raincoat].

Grade A Collectible [Scale-Catching Raincoat]: When you use ranged weapons, you will not become the target of enemy ranged weapons.

Reality isn't a game; there aren't so many class restrictions. When Roy picks up a sword, he becomes a Guardian Operator; when he draws a bow, he becomes a Sniper Operator. Naturally, the range of the Scale-Catching Cloak has also changed from high-platform operators to those who use ranged weapons. In other words, as long as he raises his bow, the person who ambushed him with sonic magic should be completely helpless against him.

Unless that person is powerful enough to unleash a large-scale, indiscriminate area-of-effect (AOE) attack, it's unlikely they could exploit Roy's weakness. But Roy isn't worried about that at all. Large-scale AOE spells aren't something you can just throw around. Do they really think the Great Wilderness Meteor, Stella, and the Sun Sword are so insignificant? Looking across all of Terra, enemies capable of delivering such a massive AOE attack while simultaneously breaking through Roy's physical defenses can be counted on two hands, let alone here in Letania.

Old Celestial Master, you definitely can't find the inner guards or anything like that. Why don't you try digging the Witch King out of the ground?

A heavy, dark blue raincoat materialized in his hands. Roy gave the surprised Skadi a knowing look, then turned and draped the heavy raincoat over his shoulders. A warm feeling immediately followed, along with the salty smell of the sea. Roy seemed to be covered by a thick layer of mist, gradually becoming blurry and indistinct.

Skadi stared blankly at the scene before her. She instinctively wanted to ask a question, but Roy's knowing look from earlier intimidated her, making it difficult to speak. Instead, she began to wonder: Had Roy mentioned this to me at some point, but I'd forgotten?

Before Skadi could figure it out, Roy had already taken action. He carried a bow, but didn't fire an arrow. Instead, he brazenly stepped out of his cover, walked confidently to the center of the open space, glanced at the gap in the ground, and then said with self-assurance:

"Come out, I see you."

Instead of a figure appearing in response, he was greeted by an even more stirring melody.

Skadi's pupils contracted, and she instinctively wanted to rush forward to help, but supersonic speed was not her forte. The next second after the sound rang out, an invisible blade had already approached Roy, seemingly about to cut him in two at any moment.

In the shadows, the expressionless silver-haired girl silently watched this scene. She confidently lowered her raised hands, and with a muffled thud, the spell landed, and dust rose. She then withdrew her gaze and turned to leave.

She couldn't linger here any longer. It seemed that the officials from Letania wouldn't be coming for some reason, so she would have to rely on her own two legs to lead her descendant away from this troublesome place.

But just as she took a step, an impossible voice came from behind her:

"Your magic has no effect on me. Come out, or do you want me to drag you out myself?"

"Ok?"

The silver-haired girl turned around abruptly, a hint of surprise and suspicion flashing in her eyes as she looked at the smoke and dust. She was certain that her spell had not missed, so why did that man still have a chance to speak?

She was certain that Roy was a complete novice in Originium Arts; otherwise, he wouldn't have been completely oblivious to her first spell attack. So why was he able to dodge her attack this time?

The Witch King's sonic magic was unparalleled, a confidence born from being hailed as the greatest sorcerer in Terra. If he were at his peak and truly wanted to ambush someone, even the old master of the Yan Kingdom would find it difficult to detect. Even though he was only at the beginning and his strength was incomplete, he did not believe that his magic could be deciphered by someone who was not even a novice.

Is he bluffing? Or does he really have some way to block my spell?

The Witch King frowned slightly, and in no time, he had already made up his mind. He called to the girl to raise her hand again, and this time the light of the spell outlined a flute on her lips. Aiming at Roy, she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. The melodious flute music immediately transformed into a series of circular spells, which enveloped Roy from all directions.

Roy, however, continued walking forward without flinching or avoiding, seemingly oblivious to the encirclement that had formed around him. This further confirmed the Witch King's suspicions: "He can't see."

A slightly shrill note rang out from the flute, like a signal to attack. The next second, the impenetrable ring of magic surrounding Roy suddenly crashed into him. This time, the Witch King did not look away, his eyes fixed on Roy's figure.

However, at that moment, something beyond his comprehension and understanding happened. The magical rings that had been charging towards Roy in perfect unison seemed to suddenly lose their target during the charge. One ring collided with two other rings not far away in mid-air, and those two rings then collided with four other rings, like a huge rear-end collision, with each ring linked to the next, and there was no way to stop them.

Before long, all the spell rings had exhausted their energy in the collisions with each other, either crashing into the ground, rushing into the ruins, or simply disappearing into the air. Not a single one hit the unstoppable Roy.