After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

The ever-present winds unleashed carnage across the elven kingdom.

Elves are creatures who love forest habitats, even their dwellings are living, verdant trees, living in harmony with nature. Perhaps it's a malicious joke, but the curse corresponding to their longevity is vines that can quickly tear their bodies apart.

The blood-soaked vines reflected the grease, twisting and turning, carrying away bits of flesh, as if building a fertile growing environment for themselves.

Thorne tried to reach out and touch it, but the vines were clearly not interested in humans. They simply pulled back and unfurled their tender green leaves.

"We've found the cause, but not the solution. Are we just supposed to keep the elves hiding in the house forever?"

As Annie followed Lilith into town, she glanced at her teammates. The complicated causes of death, the mysterious illnesses—for some reason, she felt a strange longing for Jenny…

Annie pouted and raised her chin at Sylvie. "Hey, in this situation, shouldn't we get your savior out here and get to work?"

Sylvie glanced at her quietly, said nothing, then grabbed the chains and dragged the Iron Maiden out of the carriage. She threw her to the ground, where Annie stepped on her.

Seeing this, Thorne was about to say something when he heard Annie coldly mock, "What, trying to show off your boundless love again? Didn't you get enough of fucking elves and dragons?"

Frowning, Thorne, unwilling to argue with her, turned around and silently walked to Lilith's side.

"Everyone, get inside the house, close the doors and windows tightly, and stay indoors!"

Lilith stood on the chaotic street, constantly reminding the panicked elves, and then calmly observed how the curse would come to pass.

Another gust of wind rose, as if fate had been decided once again. A dozen elves screamed and exploded, spewing out vines that sprayed blood mist.

Seeing this, many elves realized what was happening and immediately hid inside the houses. Lilith also obtained the information she wanted: each gust of wind was a judgment of the curse, either granting eternal life or bringing instant death.

If the curse isn't broken, this long-lived species will one day face extinction...

"Making wishes is fine, but if you keep making wishes, none of us will survive."

Annie, who seemed like a completely different person after not seeing her for several years, kicked open the lock with a smile and released the savior saint Isolde inside.

Isolde's aged skin made her look like an old woman, yet she was the youngest in the group. Isolde didn't care about her appearance; her original self had long since died, and what remained in this strange body was merely a self-awareness with memories.

"If I don't work for you, can you kill me?"

The interactions between the team members were as explosive as ever; Isolde only thought about dying and didn't care about anything else.

However, her body had no concept of death, so she set her sights on Lilith, who possessed the power of death.

Lilith remained silent, Thorne was silent, Annie and Sylvie wore knowing smiles, and Diana, sitting in the carriage, propped her chin up with her hand and lazily yawned.

The wind hadn't stopped, and the stench of blood soon dissipated completely. With the only capable member, the saintess, unwilling to act, the brave warrior team was already on the verge of collapse, barely having set out.

Soon, Thorne realized something was wrong. Annie seemed to be helping, but she was actually exacerbating the conflicts within the team at all times. She was like a cat that looked docile but was actually chained.

Right now, she can only breathe on other people, but once she breaks free of her chains...

Sylvie broke the silence, looked up at the rising moon, and said, "Let's all find a place to rest. We should have a good talk."

In a small courtyard overgrown with vines, Thorne shoveled away the pieces of flesh and buried them in the ground. He then lit a fire in the courtyard and threw the vines into the fire to roast them.

The emerald green turned to charred black, and the shadows within the flames resembled writhing snakes. Sylvie and Annie sat on the veranda. After pouring Annie a glass of wine, Sylvie looked around at everyone and said softly.

"What's the point of you wallowing in self-pity here? I admit the goddess has her own selfish motives, but what can she do about it?"

"She is a goddess in our eyes, but in the eyes of some higher beings, a goddess is nothing more than a manager who can be replaced at any time. Without the Goddess of Life, the next one will be the God of Corruption, the God of Machinery. Do you really think they can bring you any salvation?"

"Leaving aside distant examples, take Oswald, whom you all know. The war he's involved in now is just a normal number, with hundreds of billions of lives lost in a single day. And in order to make Oswald a god of immortality, some supreme beings even turned an entire world's population into the undead."

"The goddess can't give you any guarantees, because she doesn't know if she can succeed, but I can assure you one thing: once the goddess obtains the power and becomes a new god, she will create an eternally beautiful world."

His words were sincere and heartfelt. Thorne, standing by the fire, showed a slight change in expression. He turned his head and first glanced at Lilith, who was looking north not far away, and then at Isolde, who was huddled in the shadows of the corner.

Just as he was about to speak, Annie's clear voice rang out, interrupting his thoughts.

"That's the gist of it. The goddess raises the butcher's knife today so that one day she can put it down. Everyone should be more understanding and supportive, and have a spirit of dedication."

"If our four races suffer a little, the goddess can lead her new race to a better life. Don't you think I'm right, Miss Sylvie?"

Sylvie smiled and poured Annie another half glass of wine. "As expected of a genius who developed a new language on his own, your summary is spot on."

After laughing, she clapped her hands and said, "Come on, everyone, let's speak our minds. Now that the mission has begun, we must reach a consensus."

Diana, leaning against the courtyard gate with her arms crossed and her eyes fixed on Thorne, spoke first.

"I don't have much to say. I was ignorant before, but now I understand. Being loyal to the goddess and obeying her will is something each of us must do. We were once only one step away from success, but some people didn't cherish it and instead plunged this world into chaos..."

Annie had no intention of tolerating Diana's bureaucratic and confrontational attitude. "So, you're implying that Nicole and I were the ones who ruined you in your first life?"

"Stop rambling. After the famine broke out, who was struggling to keep things afloat? Who was traveling and enjoying themselves? Who was indifferent and uncaring? And who was partying every night, seizing power while shifting responsibility to others?"

"I was blind back then to have boarded your pirate ship. If I were to become a duchess, I'd hang you all on lampposts and whip your corpses..."

As she spoke, Annie's eyes reddened, and she pursed her lips to keep the tears from falling.

"I knew it! Nicole was killed by your group!" One problem after another arose. Isolde, her face also filled with hatred, gritted her teeth and glared at everyone.

"What else can you do besides sending others to their deaths? In the Central District campaign, we suffered defeat after defeat. When people can't win, they become monsters, and when monsters can't win, they torture and create even more monsters."

"Lucas buried me, and now you're digging me up to continue enslaving me! When Nicole was swallowed by the Undying King, where were you to save the world? You're all so self-important, utterly disgusting! What kind of heroes are you? You're nothing but a few dogs kept by the goddess!"