About the time I was picked up and adopted by Tallulah

"Wow! It's Miss Platinum!" "And Miss Gravel!" "And... uh, why does Maria look so slimy?"

"Whatever, Silent Knight, please give me an autograph!" "Please take a picture with me!" "Please insult me!"

The moment you leave the exit, unlike the quiet and silent underground passage, noisy, even "chaotic" sounds instantly fill the entire space.

"Calm down! Everyone, please maintain discipline and don't cross this line. If you do, you might be in danger, and it will prevent me from getting any closer to the little knight. Hehe... my little knight... hehe."

It seemed that even the mounted police officers who were originally responsible for protecting and maintaining the scene had a seizure.

"Wow..."

Orson wiped his sweat at the sight of this. This situation obviously exceeded his initial expectations.

Orson's initial idea was very simple. Platinum Senomi and Maria were both extremely popular players, full of Casimir's gold content. Compared with them, he, a guy who only appeared occasionally, would definitely be overshadowed. This way, he would not be targeted by weird guys, just like before in Lateran, when the women's-dressed "Miss Joan of Arc" was almost swept away by the crowd.

It turned out that this group of people had made a precise request, and almost all of them came for him...!

Orson had no idea why he was so popular in Casimir. After all, he was just a knight who had participated in the knight competition and was personally appointed as a glorious knight by the Grand Knight.

"Little Knight! So handsome!" "When will you become a trainer again?" "You haven't changed a bit!"

"Who are you calling a dwarf?"

Orson's Void Search directly found the person who commented on his height from countless voices. As a result, the fact that the little knight "reacted" directly ignited the enthusiasm of all the onlookers present.

"Ahhh, the little Knight responded! He has me in his heart!" "Calm down! No pushing—no, pushing will push me towards the little Knight... Come on, everyone!"

The mounted police who maintained order completely surrendered to the enemy. As the last line of defense, they instantly became the first row of vanguards rushing towards Orson.

“Wow…it ended up like this…”

Orson frowned and sighed, preparing to run away.

And at this moment——

Squeak! !

A car abruptly tore through the crowd of people rushing over. The onlookers initially cursed the driver for being blind, but when the car door opened, some people were stunned.

“Knight Commander…!?”

In a sense, Casimir's supreme leader, a knight who was already in his octogenarian state but still full of energy, sat on the chair with a kind but unquestionable smile on his face.

"Haha, you're really welcome, Silent Knight. So, are you free to get in the car and chat with me?"

"Uh, thank you for your help, Lord Knight..."

Although Orson still holds a grudge against the Knight Commander for betraying him and using him as a "bonus prize in the Knights' Games" last time, the most urgent task is obviously to escape from the fanatical encirclement intact.

With no choice, Orson got into the Knight Commander's car.

The space and decoration inside the car are faster than they appear from the outside. At least the seats alone are a luxurious configuration with two sofas and a round table in the middle.

Orson was sitting opposite the Knight Commander at this time, sandwiched between Platinum and Gravel on his left and right respectively, while Maria was sitting next to the Knight Commander, her face extremely panicked, as if asking "Who am I and where am I?"

"Anyway, it's been a while, Orson. First, make a V for victory with your hands, and for a bit of playfulness, stick out your tongue. Then, look upwards and gaze at this hypocritical sky to highlight your ideals."

The Knight Commander and Orson said so.

"Okay, make a V with your hands—that's just OO Yan! I've been fooled once before, and I won't be fooled again no matter what!"

Orson obediently prepared to strike a pose according to the Knight Commander's request, but as soon as he made a V sign with his hands, Orson realized that he had been fooled again.

After all, the person who did this to him last time is now sitting next to him.

"Oh... what a shame! My granddaughter said she loves the little knight, so I wanted to take some pictures of her. But it seems Orson is pretty defensive. Forget it, I'll just smile normally."

The Knight Commander seemed a little unhappy with Orson's defensiveness, but he still raised his phone and took a few photos of Orson.

"Isn't your grandson's hobby a little inappropriate..."

Orson complained quietly, and at the same time, he tried to straighten his upper body to create the impression of being very tall.

Fortunately, neither Gravel nor Platinum are species shorter than Orson, so Orson can be made to look taller.

"Well...that won't do."

The Knight Commander seemed to have noticed this as well. He changed the perspective of his phone to a bird's-eye view to minimize the bug that made Orson appear taller.

"Hey!"

Even Orson was furious.

In short, after all the nonsense, the vehicle had left the underground hub entrance that had just been surrounded by a group of people.

"Then—thank you again, Silent Knight Orson. The intelligence you brought allowed Casimir to avoid the tragedy that happened in Lateran."

The Knight Commander's tone became much more serious.

"I also have things I need to obtain, and this is just a matter of shared interests."

Orson cleverly dispersed the Knight Commander's gratitude. Of course, this statement was essentially correct. After all, Orson's personal trip to Casimir wasn't just because he was worried that the information conveyed by the agent wouldn't be taken seriously, nor was it just to visit his fellow knights. He also had one other reason—

Orson looked at the crystal fragments of the deep-sea creature that were no longer at his waist and had crashed into the sealed explosion-proof warehouse.

During the previous operation in Lateran, Ghost Shark had sensed the main purpose of the 'Deep Sea Cult' through abilities like 'Blood Resonance'. They were not seeking absolute power, but rather, the pursuit of power was only a necessary 'goal step'.

The real goal of these people is to reach the promised land that is known as "the land that can end everything."

Orson didn't know what the place they were talking about represented, but he knew that this was probably the end of everything.

Therefore, Orson began to track down the forces of the deep sea with "Terra" as the range, and collected fragments personally like this, so that Ghost Shark could piece together the complete picture of the map as soon as possible.

"Humility is a chivalrous virtue, but excessive humility is just another form of arrogance, Orson."

The old knight commander said with a smile, then reached out and patted the young man on the shoulder.

"You haven't spent much time in this country, but what you've brought to this country is incalculable. O glorious man of Casimir, O Silent Knight, bear this in mind. No matter what decision you make in the future, as long as it is 'just,' Casimir will fully support you."

“Master Knight Commander…!?”

Orson was startled by the Knight Commander's words. After all, what he just said didn't sound like a joke at all.

"We also know what is happening on this land... I can't stop it, but I can help you stop it."

The old knight commander smiled and then looked at Maria beside him.

"For example—help you match our outstanding Linguang family bloodline?"

“No!” “Hey!” “Is this really possible…?!” “Why did the topic suddenly turn to this!?”

Platinum Lithium Orson and Maria spoke at the same time, but each had their own thoughts.

"Beep beep-"

On the way to the port, Orson received a text message, the content of which was also very brief.

Traces of the so-called 'deep sea' were discovered in Syracuse.

Well, the next stop has been decided.

02. Syracuse

Somewhere in Syracuse, deep in the mountains surrounded by forests, there is a house that looks very dilapidated, inconspicuously hidden among the trees.

At the outermost edge of the forest where the house is located, many people all dressed in suits and sunglasses are standing quietly. These people do not communicate with each other at all, they just stand there, as if they have turned themselves into a human cordon.

In fact, this was indeed the task they were assigned to - "to ensure that no one else enters the villa in the mountains."

As for why the house and the surrounding area were blocked, the answer is actually very simple -

"Hahahaha! This thing is only a little scary at first glance, but is it really just like this?"

With the sound of flesh and bones being torn apart, the twisted monster was split into two. The white-haired Lupo girl who had tore the monster apart easily shook her black windbreaker, laughing and continuing to wave the strangely shaped weapon in her hand.

"Well, although it sounds strange to support the enemy, I still have to say that the sea monsters entrenched here are just degraded versions. If nothing unexpected happens, the members of the Deep Sea Church are not here. They probably just planted the seeds and didn't cultivate them artificially."

The young man holding a knight's sword beside him corrected the white-haired Luper girl's "prejudice" in a somewhat awkward voice. The monster currently occupying this mansion was actually a degraded version of the monster.

"That's fine, I heard you've learned to control these monsters now? Come over here and show us your skills~~"

The white-haired Luper - also known as Lappland - showed his iconic jagged canine teeth, and smiled and motioned Orson to show everyone the skills of the monster commander.

At this time, Lappland and Orson were in the ancient castle inside the blockade line. It didn't matter who the original owner of the castle was. What mattered was that this place had become the base camp of sea monsters and had even begun to erode the surrounding environment.

"There's no point in commanding these guys anymore! It hurts so much to cut my palm open every time... and my whole body aches after I stop controlling them..."

Orson complained in a low voice that although he had become a little more proficient in controlling sea monsters, the side effects were still unbearable.

"Tsk, that's boring... Oh right! Speaking of which, why don't you try to control Texas? Take that usually cool-looking girl and make her act like an idiot while barking—wooooo!!"

Lappland grinned evilly and was planning to attack Texas, but before she could finish her plan, the handle of an Originium sword suddenly flew towards her from behind and hit her squarely.

"Instead of messing around here, why not hurry up and finish this?"

Texas, another Luper girl who had just been mocked by Lappland, had the same cold expression as always. She knocked Lappland on the head with the hilt of her Originium sword, and then spoke coldly to the two of them.

Texas wasn't wearing the Penguin Logistics courier uniform she'd modified herself into, complete with a cape jacket, but a standard black suit. The black and red color combination, coupled with a stiff tie, made this already difficult-looking girl even more intimidating.

Of course, neither Lappland nor Orson were frightened by Texas's aura.

"The blockade won't last long. This mountain area is not far from the residential area. Let's quickly get rid of these things before anyone else notices anything unusual."

Texas gave orders like a leader while continuously thrusting the Originium sword in his hand into the bodies of the sea monsters that pounced on him.

"Yes, yes, [Ms. Texas]~"

Lappland raised her hands high to show that she would listen to you, but she said the name in a deliberately emphasized voice. When Texas heard the name Ms. Texas, she became a little angry instantly.

"Lappland—I've told you many times that I don't want to hear that name again—"

"Oh, huh? You didn't react at all when someone called you. Could it be that Texas only has such special feelings for me? Hehehe... That's not the case, right? After all, my prey is Orson—woohoo!"

Keng! ! !

Lappland was halfway through his speech, grinning, when Texas, who had been calmly giving orders, swung his Originium Sword. In a mansion surrounded by sea monsters, Texas and Lappland engaged in a fierce fight.

"Don't mess around here! Didn't you just say you wanted the shop to quickly resolve this situation?!"

Orson shouted weakly at the side to stop the fight.

——It was the same in Casimir before. Why do my teammates always initiate PVP requests in the enemy's lair?!

Orson has begun to question whether there is something seriously wrong with his circle of friends.

Fortunately, despite the noise, the two men who had caused a lot of big news in Syracuse were not easy to deal with. The two dogs and one Chimera still overcame all obstacles and came to the deepest area of the mansion.

"Phew~~ This is really, incredible!"

Before entering the door, in the corridor extending from the mansion, several huge tentacles had already been entrenched in the tunnel, and the entire passage was like a moving and twisting tunnel from another world.

Lappland whistled and clenched his swords in his hands.

"How did something this big come out? This should be the meeting room, right? There are a lot of bone fragments around. Did this guy devour everyone gathered in the mansion for a meeting? He has a big appetite."

Although Lappland looks careless, she is not stupid at all and her observation skills are top-notch.

"What should we do, Orson? If you need heavy fire support, I can dispatch it immediately."

"Hmm... that shouldn't be necessary. This thing has just grown bigger. I can handle it."

Orson observed the twisting tentacles on both sides of the corridor, then looked to the deepest part of the mansion, at the root of the tentacles entrenched in the conference room, and came to this conclusion.

Orson held the knight sword in his hand and gently twisted the handle. As the tuning song played, the temperature that could melt ordinary metal instantly transmitted along the knight sword and gathered in the engine embedded inside.

When the Knight Sword had already started to make bursts of roaring sounds, Orson took a breath and stopped tuning it, then took out a piece of "ammunition" that looked like a fuse from his waist and loaded it into the magazine of the Knight Sword.

"Help me deal with the tentacles on both sides, and leave the rest to me."

After the crisp sound of a loaded rifle, Orson grasped the knight's sword and spoke to the other two Luper girls in a very calm and matter-of-fact tone.

"Ah, then leave it to us—Texas, you've got my back."

Lappland raised his two swords and asked Texas beside him with a smile.

"Seriously."

Texas responded in his usual cold voice, swinging out two orange Originium swords.

The instruction received was "open the way". Such a concise and clear command was naturally very easy to put into practice.

Lappland and Texas ran towards the end of the corridor one after the other, and just like a pitcher plant catching its prey, the tentacles on both sides of the corridor reacted instantly.

Brake, brake, brake!

The twisted tentacles stretched out towards the two of them, but the slender tentacles that branched out were all pierced through and fixed to the wall by the rain of swords summoned by Texas.