Baron Cullen

"This…"

The people not far away also saw this strange scene and were all startled.

Karen also frowned, but quickly said, "This is a unique characteristic of vampires. After death, their bodies decompose rapidly to prevent them from being studied or used."

They won't leave a single trace of skin, flesh, or even bone.

He learned this knowledge from his previous conversation with Brandon, the vice president of the Mage Association, which also indirectly confirmed that the Mage Association's research on the past and vampires was indeed quite profound.

But that's precisely why Karen felt troubled.

The woman's body was completely reduced to ashes, meaning it would be difficult to find any further clues.

But he was still not giving up. He crouched down behind him, ignoring the nauseating smell emanating from the ashes, and carefully poked at them with the tip of his sword.

Soon, he felt the tip of the sword touch a hard object.

They picked it out and found it was a badge about the size of a thumb.

The badge has a silvery-white hue and appears to be made of mithril. It is exquisitely crafted and features a clearly engraved design.

An eye tightly bound by thorns!

Karen's expression turned serious.

Clearly, this badge is what members of the Arcane Society use to prove their identity, and it perfectly matches the characteristics that were previously obtained from Dewell Ruff.

"The Secret Society..." Karen murmured the name.

He wiped the badge clean and put it away, showing little surprise on his face.

After all, when he first encountered that vampire woman, he had already confirmed her identity as a member of the Secret Society from her, and he also knew that the powerful and mysterious person standing behind Bastian belonged to that organization as well.

Moreover, this further confirms that there is indeed a close connection between the Arcane Society and the vampires.

It's even possible that the entire organization is made up of vampires.

Pulling herself back to reality, Karen continued rummaging through the ashes before her, and soon pulled out a rolled-up parchment.

The parchment felt cold to the touch, but he was stunned.

He sensed an extremely unsettling aura emanating from the parchment!

What surprised him even more was that this parchment was exactly the same as the one he had found in the mansion on the Greywater River, both in terms of its scent and the handwriting on it!

Karen looked at the crooked, twisted writing on the parchment, also made with some kind of dark red liquid, and felt a chill run down her spine.

It was written on the parchment:

"Make good use of the clues from the sacred artifacts, eliminate everyone who has tracked you down here, and do so cleanly and efficiently, leaving no trace."

The note was short, but contained a wealth of information!

"The clues to the unknown sacred artifact... are they fake?!"

At this moment, the members of the Seventh Squad also gathered around, and after seeing the contents, they all showed a look of astonishment.

"Looks like we've all been tricked," Allen sighed from the side.

Jack asked incredulously, "The higher-ups said to eliminate everyone who comes looking for clues... What are they trying to do?"

After thinking for a moment, Karen shared his thoughts: "I believe that this so-called clue about the unknown artifact is just a bait thrown out by the Arcane Society!"

Their goal was to lure those of us investigating leads to this remote place, then send powerful vampires like that woman to wipe us all out!

"Why?" Kelly was also pondering this question. "I mean, wouldn't anyone interested in the sacred artifacts fall victim to their clutches?"

In her view, the Secret Society was an evil organization.

However, if they were to go on a killing spree, it would inevitably attract the attention of the major powers within the city.

Wouldn't that contradict the organization's long-standing policy?

Upon hearing this, Karen shook her head: "No, think about it carefully. Someone who could obtain clues to the sacred artifact and has the ability to keep tracking it all the way here..."

What kind of person would it be?

What kind of person?

Everyone was taken aback, and then they began to think carefully about what he said.

Kelly was the first to react.

She met Karen's gaze, her eyes filled with disbelief: "You mean... the Order Keepers! It's us!"

Our duty is to handle all matters involving the supernatural, and the sacred artifacts are naturally of paramount importance among them.

Although the Church was the one who ultimately retrieved the sacred artifacts, we were definitely the ones who followed the clues in the early stages!

Their goal is to use this false lead to keep sending our colleagues to this location to investigate, and then kill them one by one!

Upon hearing this, everyone except Karen froze on the spot.

They never imagined that this would be a huge conspiracy targeting them!

indeed…

If Karen hadn't been there, she wouldn't have killed that terrifying woman.

All of them will die here!

Then the woman will continue to hide, posing as a widow in the village, waiting for the next Order Keeper team to arrive following the clues!

"Vicious! What a vicious conspiracy!"

Jack was terrified when he learned the truth.

The others felt the same way, all experiencing a lingering sense of fear.

Tyronn walked over at that moment.

He glanced at the note in Karen's hand, his face so dark it could drip water.

He originally hoped to gain some credit through this mission, but unexpectedly, not only did it almost cost him his life, but he also failed to gain any credit.

Now that he has learned that the clues to the sacred artifact were fake, he feels incredibly frustrated and ashamed.

"Fake?! Damn it!"

Tyron muttered a curse under his breath.

He kicked a nearby rock hard, venting his anger and frustration.

Meanwhile, Karen carefully put the note away.

He stood up and said to everyone, "Regardless, we have at least dealt with one member of the Mystic Society this time, and we have also learned that this so-called unknown artifact is part of their conspiracy."

The most urgent task now is to return to the city immediately and report the situation here and the contents of this note.

I always felt that the Arcane Order hunted down Order Keepers for a greater purpose.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Having gone through this life-or-death battle, they all realized the seriousness of the situation.

After a brief adjustment, the group hurried into the city.

...

On the way back.

As the team captain, Tyron walked at the front.

Jack and Allen supported each other, while Maria held Kelly's hand. The four of them paired up and tried to keep up with their captain's pace.

Karen walked at the very back.

He was exhausted from the operation, and his face was somewhat pale.

Although the mysterious runes deep within his right eye had ceased, he still focused his attention on the movements around him.

The return journey seemed exceptionally long in the silence.

Jack was the first to break the silence. Despite the pain, he said to Karen in a muffled voice, "Ka...Karen, thank you so much this time."

"If it weren't for you, the rest of us might have died there..."

His tone was sincere, tinged with lingering fear and gratitude.

Allen, who was standing to the side, also sighed, "The younger generation is truly formidable, Karen. Your initial judgment was correct. If we hadn't chosen to stay behind, we would never have discovered the Mystic Society's conspiracy."

Although the process was indeed dangerous, we at least uncovered important clues and resolved a potential threat.

Maria's focus was somewhat different.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Karen: "Lord Karen, the crossbow and arrow you used at the end were amazing!"

"Um... vampires have such strong regenerative abilities, yet you still managed to kill them!"

Kelly, who was being helped up, nodded.

Although she didn't speak, the look in her eyes when she looked at Karen was more approving than before.

She was also shocked by Karen's final, precise, and deadly arrows.

The timing was perfect.

He was just like a seasoned veteran.

The team members' praise and gratitude for Karen sounded particularly harsh to Tyron.

He felt that he, as the captain, had been completely ignored, and that Karen had stolen all the credit and limelight.

Karen saved everyone and defeated the enemy, which should have been a cause for celebration.

But this just proves his incompetence as captain.

Even a newcomer could notice the anomaly and stay until night, but he only thought about going back as soon as possible, and was almost killed by a monster disguised as a widow!

Intense shame and jealousy continued to spread in his heart.