I'm in Mota, and they all want me to confess my feelings!

Duanmu Yan sighed softly and pulled her coat back up from its slippage: "Alright, you can rest here."

Abu moved closer to Zanni, observing her curiously: "Who is this?"

Duanmu Yan: "Zanni is my colleague."

"Really?" Abumo stroked his chin, looking puzzled.

Seeing its appearance, Duanmu Yan couldn't help but ask curiously, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing..." the little guy said thoughtfully, "I'm just very curious."

"What are you curious about?"

"I'm curious why the girl next to you is different every time I appear?"

"..."

Don't ask, the answer is that the corner gave the wood expert a life-or-death opportunity to unlock everyone's special CGs and achieve a harem ending!

—Although I accidentally chose the wrong option in the second young lady's route and ended up in the Cantrell route.

Volume 1: Chapter 159 What Will Become of Our Laguna?

The streets were packed with people, a dark mass, yet as quiet as a cemetery at night.

The silence was so heavy it could crush a heartbeat—because the priests of the order were escorting a line of shackled fools.

According to the religious order's doctrine, these people committed an unforgivable sin: disrespect for the Lord.

Duanmu Yan arrived at the bookstore, leaned against the door frame, and quietly watched the silent group.

His eyes were calm, but his heart was churning with silent waves.

Those chained up had empty eyes, as if their souls had been taken away from their bodies.

Most of them were young, and their eyes, which should have been bright, were now filled with ashes.

Interspersed among them were a few elderly people with white hair, whose steps were filled with despair.

The most jarring sight was the seven or eight-year-old child at the end of the line—his small wrists were shackled with excessively large chains, each step producing a crisp metallic clanging sound that echoed through the deathly silent street, each sound striking people's hearts.

Although the religious order has always claimed that these fools will be sent on pilgrimage ships on a journey of atonement—only those who truly repent of their sins will be allowed to return to Raguna.

but……

This tradition has continued for generations, yet no one has ever actually seen anyone who boarded the pilgrimage ship set foot on the land of Raguna again.

It wasn't that no one noticed anything amiss; it's just that all those who raised questions would become new names on the pilgrimage ship's list before the next dawn.

"Alas, what a pity for such a talented writer as Rock..."

"Just because he wrote a few lines questioning the gods in that chivalric novel, he was condemned as a heretic."

"But what mistake did that child make?"

"You mean Dolly? That's just childish talk, overheard by the wrong person at the wrong time."

May the Lord of the Year bless them and help them return safely.

"Return safely? In all these years, have you ever seen anyone who boarded a pilgrimage ship return?"

"Shh—keep your voice down! If the religious order hears you, your name might be on the purge list the next day!"

"What has become of our Laguna?"

Duanmu Yan stood in the shadows in front of the bookstore, the hushed conversations drifting into his ears on the wind.

His gaze swept over the clinking shackles of the procession, finally settling on the young figure, and he couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

Today, the religious order has long since become a puppet in the hands of the monks, losing its original faith and its true nature amidst power and fear.

If Indra was truly as benevolent as the legends say, how could he have brought down divine punishment because of a mere word from a mortal?

As for the fate of these fools...

There's no need to worry.

Brandt's Fools' Troupe should be ready to take over.

However, just to be on the safe side, it would be best if Miss Er informed the troupe in advance.

Just as Duanmu Yan took out his communication terminal, he caught a glimpse of a particularly conspicuous figure in the crowd—the girl with antlers on her head was sneaking around among them. Such suspicious behavior naturally caught his attention.

What is she doing?

Duanmu Yan frowned in confusion as he observed the girl.

Just as he was frowning and observing, the girl seemed to notice his gaze.

She paused for a moment, then gave him an awkward smile before turning and disappearing into the alley behind her.

Duanmu Yan wasn't the only one who noticed her.

After exchanging glances, several priests from the religious order followed them.

Ok?

Strange, why would members of the religious order be pursuing her?

Could she be one of those fools?

do not know.

But if that's the case, then there's no reason to sit idly by.

He is now unable to openly rescue these poor people from the religious order—even if he could cause a huge scene and turn the whole street upside down.

So what happens then?

Where can these people, with nowhere to escape, go?

Moreover, his current identity is somewhat sensitive, and he absolutely cannot cause trouble for the second young lady.

However, he would not object to disrupting the order's plans if no one was watching—whatever exactly they were plotting.

……

……

The girl staggered and stopped in front of the mottled high wall, her chest heaving violently.

"Ha...ha...phew...oh no, this is a dead end."

The antler-wearing girl's face was rosy. She pressed her hand to her pounding heart and looked up at the gray wall blocking her way.

"Natsukora Toccata!"

A sharp shout rang out at the alley entrance.

She turned around abruptly, her antlers nearly hitting the wall.

Three religious priests blocked the only exit like shadows, their eyes fixed on her.

"In the name of Imbrad and Lord Finlake, you will be imprisoned in the penitentiary and punished by law!"

The leading priest's voice was icy, echoing through the narrow alley, each word heavy like an iron chain.

The girl, known as Xia Kong, snorted coldly, a contemptuous sneer playing on her lips: "Hmph, I've heard those words countless times. But unfortunately, you've never managed to catch me even once."

"It was just a stroke of luck. Look at you now, you can't escape even if you grow wings."

The leading priest's voice suddenly turned cold.

The moment the words fell, a strange buzzing sound enveloped their bodies—the frequency of which seemed like tangible sound waves, distorting the contours of the air.

The next second, the figures of the three priests dissolved and reformed amidst the tremors, transforming into three armored figures forged from sound waves and willpower—the Crown Guardians.

“Come on, come back to the monastery with us, and you’ll avoid physical suffering.”

The priest directly in front slammed his greatsword into the ground, and the stone slab shattered with a crash.

Xia Kong was also a little overwhelmed by this.

Although she is a Resonator, her combat ability is essentially zero.

"This is terrible."

"Is this really the end for us today?"

"Miss Koleta is still waiting for me... I can't fall here."

"Wait a minute, is that light behind them... a person?"

Xia Kong's pupils suddenly contracted, and he blurted out, "Watch out behind you!"

"Do they think we're three-year-olds? This is such a clumsy scam—"

Before the words were finished, a dark shadow swept past like a gust of wind.

The leading priest felt a heavy blow to his back, and before he could even scream, he was sent flying, crashing heavily into the wall behind Xia Kong. His ethereal form instantly dissipated, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

“…I already told you to be careful.” Xia Kong looked at the unconscious priest on the ground and helplessly shrugged.

"who!?"

The other two priests hurriedly turned around, only to find an empty alleyway and swaying shadows.

"Who is it?! Show yourself!" one of them roared, his voice trembling with fear. "We are members of the Cult! Do you want to make an enemy of the entire Cult?!"

Before he could finish speaking, a faint whooshing sound came from above.

A priest subconsciously looked up—

A dark shadow plummeted down like a night owl.

He hastily raised his sword to parry, but was a second too slow.

That hand was already pressed against his face, slamming him hard against the ground with tremendous force!

"Uh-huh-!"

His body slammed against the stone slab with a dull thud. He collapsed to the ground before he could even struggle.

The last man turned around in alarm, and as soon as he raised his sword, he felt his center of gravity become unstable.

In a dizzying moment, he was swept to the ground. Before he could even cry out in alarm, a heavy punch came flying at him.

The world shattered into darkness before his eyes.

Xia Kong stood still and blinked.

She cautiously raised her hands in surrender and whispered to the black figure, "Um... I'm not with them."

Volume 1: Chapter 160 Part-time Poet

"So, your name is Xia Kong, and your profession is a bard?"

A small shop by the stream, nestled in the gentle breeze.

Duanmu Yan looked at the antler-faced girl across the table, who was taking small bites of bread.

"Mmm." Xia Kong held the soft little bread. "Thank you so much for your help earlier, otherwise I really wouldn't know what to do."

She suddenly stopped what she was doing and blinked: "But... why are you looking at me like that?"

Duanmu Yan then withdrew his gaze from her and coughed lightly: "I'm just curious, how do bards usually make a living?"

"So that's what you're concerned about?" Xia Kong was taken aback at first, then covered his mouth and chuckled. "It's simple, I can sing. I can travel between the various city-states of Lina Xita, and as long as my singing is beautiful, I'll naturally have listeners who will give me tips."

She rested her chin on her hand, her gaze drifting to the babbling brook outside the window: "Although my income fluctuates, I often do part-time jobs. After all, poetry and bread are both indispensable parts of life."

"Is that so?" Duanmu Yan said thoughtfully. "But why is the Buddhist order chasing you? They even want to send you to the penitentiary... Could it be that you've become their target because of some fabricated charge?"

A fleeting sadness crossed Xia Kong's eyes, quickly disappearing into the slightly upturned corners of her mouth.

"Yeah, more or less," she replied lightly, as if she were talking about something trivial that had nothing to do with her.

"Since you're wanted by the order, what are you doing going to the city? Are you just walking into their trap?"

"I……"

The girl suddenly fell silent.

Her fingers unconsciously twirled the hem of her clothes, her previous carefree demeanor vanishing like morning mist.

After a long while, she finally raised her head, her eyes filled with a kind of determination.

"You should remember those 'fools' who were escorted away, right? Those poor people, deprived of their freedom by the religious order simply because of some unintentional words."