Baron Cullen

"See? I told you it was a wasted trip!"

Captain Tyronn was the first to sit down under a tree.

He pulled out a water pouch, which emitted a strong smell of alcohol.

After taking a big gulp, he said impatiently, "How could there possibly be any clues to a sacred artifact in such a remote and impoverished place? It's a complete waste of time!"

"After you've asked your questions, hurry back. Maybe I can still catch the dancers' performance at the 'Night Rose' tavern tonight."

Kelly and the others frowned.

Although they are only second-tier transcendents, they have been members of the Order of the Uniform for quite some time.

Therefore, based on their accumulated experience over the years, they always felt that the village was too peaceful.

But after looking at Tyron, they didn't say anything more.

Maria, the youngest member of the group, diligently recorded the bits and pieces of information she had gathered in her notebook, her brow furrowed slightly, but she clearly hadn't gained much.

Karen did not participate in the questioning.

He walked silently along the village path, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over everything around him.

Houses, fields, trees, and the villagers who secretly observe them from behind windows or door cracks.

Since normal visits and inquiries have yielded no results, would it be helpful to change our perspective?

Thinking of this, he quietly activated the mysterious runes deep within his right eye.

The world before my eyes changed in an instant…

To his surprise, he discovered that there was an extremely thin layer of dark mist in the air!

"What is this?" Karen was startled.

He had never seen anything like this mist anywhere before.

This mist, like an extremely fine veil, floats in every corner of the village, especially noticeable in the shaded areas of houses and under some trees.

The fluctuations they emitted were very faint, yet they carried a chilling feeling.

This was clearly not formed naturally, but it was also not a trace left by the activities of superhumans.

Karen felt a chill run down her spine.

"An unknown sacred artifact..."

He recalled the description in the mission briefing, his mind racing.

Could these strange mists be caused by that so-called unknown sacred artifact?

Or is there something else hidden in this village?

After some thought, Karen concluded that if the fog was caused by something, then it would be impossible to find its source.

As for the fact that we have gained nothing so far, perhaps it is because it is currently daytime.

Would the thin mist, exuding a chilling aura, be even more noticeable at night?

Or perhaps, something unusual has happened?

"Captain," Karen said, walking up to Tyrone. "I think this village might not be as simple as it seems."

Tyron, who was leaning against the tree, glanced at him, looking unconvinced: "What? What brilliant idea does Baron Karen have now?"

After asking around for so long and getting nowhere, what could possibly be complicated?

Karen ignored the sarcasm in his tone and calmly said, "It's just a feeling. Maybe we can search again tonight and find something."

"Wait until tonight?!" Tyron's voice suddenly rose a few decibels, filled with obvious dissatisfaction and doubt. "Karen Waller, do you know what you're saying?"

Just because of your intuition, are we all supposed to wait in this godforsaken place until dark?

There isn't even a hotel here! Do you know how much time we're going to waste?!

There might be other, more important tasks waiting for us in the city!

He stood up and took a few steps forward, almost touching Karen, his eyes filled with pressure: "Don't forget that I am the captain, and I call the shots in this team!"

I order you to pack your things now, immediately, and prepare to return to the city!

Karen could clearly smell the strong smell of alcohol in Tyron's breath.

His expression remained unchanged, his body slightly leaning back to maintain a basic polite distance, and his tone remained steady: "Captain, I am not questioning your decision..."

But something about this village really felt off to me. There was a subtle, lingering atmosphere in the air, but it was too faint to detect during the day.

Therefore, I think we might be able to find something after nightfall.

He couldn't directly say that it was captured by the mysterious runes deep in his right eye; he could only explain it through intuition.

"Intuition again?" Tyron scoffed.

He hated arrogant people the most, especially those like Karen who had an aristocratic aura and some special skills.

"I'm a Tier 3 warrior, and I didn't even feel it, but you, a mere Tier 2, felt it?" He said, looking at the other four people beside him. "Jack, Kelly, Allen, Maria, did you feel it?"

The four team members were immediately caught in a dilemma.

They naturally couldn't sense the strangeness Karen was talking about, but they had all heard about the latter's many deeds in the city.

Moreover, based on their time together over the past few days, they could all see that Karen was a calm and composed person who wouldn't make empty promises.

They wanted to speak up for Karen, but because they had been under Tyrion's oppression for many years, they didn't know what to say for the time being.

Seeing this, the four remained silent. Tyron looked at Karen triumphantly and said, "See? None of them noticed. Only you have a keen sense of things."

Karen, I know you're quite capable and have done some good deeds.

But don't forget, in the Seventh Squad you have to follow my rules! Don't think that just because you have some connections you can boss me around!

That's quite a blunt statement.

Karen looked at Tyrone's face, which was flushed with excitement, and realized that the other man was not only concerned about the mission, but also felt that his authority had been challenged.

He remained silent for a moment, not continuing to argue with Tyron, but instead turning his gaze to the other team members.

"Jack, Kelly, Ellen, Maria." He looked into the eyes of the four in turn. "I know this request is a bit presumptuous, and perhaps I am indeed overthinking it."

But if... I mean if, there really is an unknown danger hidden in the village, or the clues to the so-called unknown artifact are not unfounded, but only appear at night for some reason.

If we leave like this, will we miss out on important intelligence that we could have obtained?

Could it even bring unpredictable dangers to the village?

The duty of those who maintain order is not merely to complete tasks, but to prevent any potential supernatural threats, isn't it?

His words were clear and logical, and he did not blame Tyron, but analyzed the responsibilities of the Order Keepers and the potential risks.

At the same time, he adopted a very humble attitude, which made the four people feel that his words made even more sense after listening to him.

The good-natured Jack scratched his head and cautiously began, "Captain... what Karen said seems to make some sense..."

Since we're already here, there's no harm in staying a little longer.

What if we actually make a discovery?

Although Kelly didn't speak, as an assassin, she was naturally more sensitive to her surroundings than the average person.

At this moment, she put Karen's words into perspective and observed carefully again, especially scanning the shadowy corners of the village. A hint of contemplation appeared in her usually cool eyes.

Allen, who was standing to the side, also spoke up: "Yeah, Captain, it's not a bad thing for us to be cautious."

This village is indeed a bit too quiet. Anyway, we won't have time to deal with other tasks if we go back now, so why don't we wait until it gets dark and see?

If there's still no sign of anything by then, we can leave then.

Maria, who seemed somewhat timid, chimed in softly, "Captain, I... I think Baron Karen is right... Should we wait a little longer?"

Tyron's face turned pale as he looked at the team members who almost unanimously supported Karen.

He felt that he had completely lost face as the team leader.

Karen has only been here a few days?

He used this seemingly humble but actually manipulative method to win over all his subordinates!

His chest heaved a few times as he forcefully suppressed his anger.

He knew he couldn't go too far, otherwise it would only damage his image and status in the eyes of these people.

"Hmph!" Tyron snorted heavily, his tone gloomy. "Fine! Since you all think he's right, then wait! Wait until it gets dark!"

If you end up with nothing, let's see what you have to say then!

He glared at Karen, then turned and walked back to sit under the tree.

He took out the water bag containing strong liquor again, ignoring everyone else as they drank it down.

Karen breathed a sigh of relief and gave Jack and the others a grateful look.

Jack smiled sheepishly, while Kelly and Allen nodded, and Maria lowered her head somewhat shyly.

A temporary compromise has been reached.

However, the rifts within the team seem to have deepened quietly because of this disagreement.

Tyron sat alone under the tree, watching Karen and her group continue to observe the village and exchange information from time to time. His eyes grew increasingly sinister.

He secretly vowed to find a chance to teach this arrogant newcomer a lesson.