A moment later, the black-robed figure reined in its greedy gaze. It slowly looked away, turning its attention to the giant’s corpse, which had been sliced in two by a sharp blade.

A barely audible sigh drifted away on the wind.

’A failure... It seems the results of the experiment were incomplete...’

’I wonder how things are going over there...’

Accompanied by what sounded like a murmur, the black-robed figure slowly turned, a pattern on its back flickering in and out of sight in the moonlight.

It was a pair of eyes, wide to the extreme, embroidered from dark silver thread.

The eyelids were stretched into an unnatural curve. The upper lashes were as distinct as thorns, while the lower ones became fine, coiling threads.

Deep within the pupils, an inward-swirling spiral was embroidered, resembling the entrance to the Abyss. The end of the spiral stretched out into hair-thin, dark red threads of blood.

As the fabric shifted, the entire pair of eyes seemed to contract like a living creature, as if gazing intently, yet also as if prying.

Although Roland’s vision was significantly enhanced by the Sharp Eye Potion, even so, there was no way he could have witnessed this scene from such a great distance.

What’s more, he was currently surrounded by a throng of Manor Guards. The excited soldiers were all chattering at once as they expressed their respect.

Through his and John’s combined efforts, they finally managed to calm the agitated guards.

As John gave methodical orders, one group began to clean up the widespread mess while another continued to stand guard.

Watching everything gradually return to order, Roland finally let out a long sigh of relief.

It was only then that he noticed Dalko standing in a daze at the edge of the crowd.

"Dalko!"

Seeing the young lord, Roland immediately dismounted and strode over to him.

He studied his friend carefully and asked with concern.

"Are you alright?"

"Me? What could have happened to me?"

Only then did Dalko tear his gaze away from the giant’s corpse, which had been split in two by a sharp blade.

But when he got a clear look at Roland, who was covered head to toe in blood, his brow furrowed, and his tone grew urgent.

"What about you... Roland, are you okay?"

He circled Roland several times. Only after confirming again and again that his friend was uninjured did he breathe a sigh of relief.

The young lord covered his nose with his sleeve to block the heavy stench of blood and asked in confusion.

"What on earth happened here?"

After hearing the question, Roland briefly recounted the course of the battle.

Dalko’s calm expression gradually gave way to surprise, which finally settled into an indescribably complex look as he stared deeply at his friend.

His father, Baron Fosling’s, words suddenly seemed to echo in his ears.

"Do you really think a genius like Roland would be content to be your Military Blacksmith?"

"Ha..."

A helpless, bitter smile appeared on Dalko’s lips.

’Forget Military Blacksmith... I’m afraid even the position of a Knight’s Attendant would be an insult to him...’

"Dalko? Dalko?"

"Ah... what?"

Seeing the young lord’s dazed expression, Roland frowned and had no choice but to repeat his earlier question.

"I was asking, did your father give you any other instructions before he left?"

He pointed to the corpses being carried away by the Guards.

"Clearly, these people’s goal was to completely destroy the manor."

"Well..."

Dalko pondered for a long time before speaking hesitantly.

"I already told you everything my father said, but... he specifically warned me to be wary of Baron Gavin of Chenxi Territory..."

"Baron Gavin?"

Hearing this familiar name, Roland raised an eyebrow.

"Does your father have a grudge against him?"

"Not really..."

Dalko carefully recalled Baron Fosling’s earnest warnings and spoke slowly.

"My father only said... Baron Gavin has grown old and muddle-headed lately, and that I should be careful he doesn’t do something foolish..."

"Old and muddle-headed?"

Roland didn’t know Baron Gavin’s age, but hearing this now, he couldn’t help but recall the rumors that had been circulating in Black Water Territory, and doubts immediately arose in his mind.

’He’s that old... and still so eager to reinstate the right of first night?’

Roland pushed the unrelated questions to the back of his mind and said seriously.

"Regardless, Dalko, I think you should immediately send someone to report the attack on the manor to Lord Baron Fosling. Also..."

Recalling the longbows, catapults, and Siege Hammer the rioters had used, Roland’s voice grew even more solemn.

"The fact that they could get their hands on military-grade equipment to attack the manor proves they have backing. There’s no guarantee they won’t also launch an attack on your father while he’s away."

"I understand."

Dalko was no fool; with Roland’s prompting, he immediately understood.

He gazed at the devastated forecourt of the manor. Although he hadn’t witnessed the battle firsthand, he could tell from the Guards’ awed praises who had been the key to their victory.

"Thank you, Roland. If it weren’t for you..."

Dalko’s throat bobbed, his eyes filled with sincere gratitude.

"This is the second time you’ve saved me. As it happens, I have a suit of armor forged by Mr. Hawke..."

"That’s enough..."

Roland clapped him hard on the shoulder, the force making Dalko wince and effectively knocking the rest of his grateful words back into his stomach.

"We can talk about rewards later. Right now, go take care of business."

"Hiss... I know."

Dalko rubbed his aching shoulder, hurriedly exchanged a few words with John, then turned and left.

Roland didn’t rush off to rest either. Instead, he found a clean linen cloth and carefully collected some of the crystal-like objects that glowed with a faint blue light from the bodies of the giant and the rioters. Then he strode toward Bronson’s wooden cabin.

In stark contrast to the gruesome scene in the manor’s forecourt, the area around the wooden cabin remained as tranquil as it had been before the attack, perhaps due to its remote location.

Roland cautiously scanned his surroundings, and after confirming there was nothing out of the ordinary, he took a step forward and pushed open the slightly worn wooden door.

BAM!

The creaking sound of the door’s hinges had not yet faded when a tall, thin figure swung a wooden stool at him.

Roland easily caught the attack, the wooden stool and his palm colliding with a slight, dull thud.

"It’s me, Mr. Bronson."

Roland looked helplessly at the terrified scholar before him, deliberately softening his voice.

"Oh... Celestial Father above, it’s you, Roland..."

Bronson’s tense nerves immediately relaxed, but when he saw the still-wet bloodstains on Roland’s collar in the moonlight, his voice began to tremble again.

"The blood... on you... What happened outside?"

"Rioters attacked the manor, but they’ve been dealt with."

Roland answered curtly, squeezing past Bronson’s slender frame and carefully spreading the wrapped, pale-blue crystals out on the wooden table.

"There’s something more important right now, Mr. Bronson. Come take a look at this."

After Roland described in detail where the crystals had come from and the bizarre phenomenon of the rioters continuing to move after death, the pungent stench of blood made Bronson’s face turn even paler.

However, his professional instincts as a researcher soon took over. He frowned, his gaze locked on the crystals glowing with an eerie blue light.

Just as he always boasted, the well-read scholar quickly came to a conclusion.

"This is a Crystal Cluster!"

Bronson’s trembling voice was laced with shock and confusion. His fingers moved unconsciously to touch the mysterious crystals, only to stop hesitantly in mid-air.

"Crystal Cluster?"

"That’s right. It’s an abnormal product resulting from the high-level fusion of a humanoid creature and Magic Elements..."

As he spoke, Bronson strode to a nearby bookshelf. His fingers slid rapidly across the dust-covered spines, sending dust showering down. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Before long, he pulled out a thick, ancient tome and spread it open on the table. Then he turned and hurried to a corner, pulling a Sheepskin Scroll with nearly crumbling edges from a heavily worn leather pouch and carefully spreading it out on another wooden table.

"Look, before the Era of the End, there was a place called Broken Stone Valley..."

Bronson’s finger slid across the yellowed pages, his voice somewhat grave.

"It’s very likely that due to the special terrain, the concentration of Magic Elements there was abnormally high..."

Roland followed his pointing finger to the ancient tome titled *Gefrin’s Travelogue*, while Bronson’s explanation continued.

"The humans living there not only had an extreme affinity for Magic Elements, but could even naturally perform Tricks."

"However, the good times didn’t last. As time went on, the local residents gradually contracted a strange disease called ’Crystal Devouring.’ Pale blue crystals would inexplicably grow under the patients’ skin..."

He quickly flipped through the pages, revealing more records to Roland.

"And this disease wasn’t unique to humans. The Dwarves and Elves called it the ’Blue Plague,’ while the Beastmen regarded it as the ’Curse of Light’..."

Bronson’s fingertip finally stopped on an illustration.

The body of the person in the drawing was covered in menacing crystal clusters, which seemed to glow with a strange blue light under the candlelight, exactly matching the appearance of the rioters Roland had just encountered.

"But..."

After carefully comparing the description in the book with the rioters he had just encountered, Roland slowly shook his head.

"Although these ’Crystal Devouring’ patients suffered greatly from the disease, even developing various mutations and eventually dying from it, their symptoms seem completely different from the rioters I encountered. They didn’t show any bloodthirsty or brutal traits, and they certainly couldn’t continue to move after death..."

"Correct, but the key is..."

Bronson nodded with a grave expression, narrowing his eyes slightly and lowering his voice even more.

"The mutations caused by ’Crystal Devouring’ in humanoid bodies represent, in the eyes of some, infinite possibilities..."

"Therefore, I suspect that certain people... people who, like you and I, have noticed the resurgence of Magic Elements, are using it to conduct certain forbidden experiments..."

As he spoke, the scholar’s gaunt fingers tapped lightly on the tattered Sheepskin Scroll.

Roland’s gaze followed his finger, and he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

What was recorded on the yellowed scroll was not the lighthearted and witty travelogue of *Gefrin’s Travelogue*, but a series of faded and mottled wanted posters.

[WANTED: ’Eyes of Eternal Sleep’ High Tier councilor. Crime: Cultivating Crystal Clusters in living humans to create undead puppets. Characteristics: Black robes, silver eyes, voice as hoarse as grinding gravel—Black Tower Council, Top Secret Manhunt]

[BOUNTY: Fugitive Alchemist Seres. Crimes: Spreading the Crystal Devouring plague in Moon Mountain Town, twisting living creatures, and seeking eternal life. Warning...]

[KILL ORDER: Li Lang Empire’s Crystal Devouring mastermind, the ’Peeping Tom’. Crime: Cultivating the Eye of the Abyss using living subjects. Characteristics...]

Staring at the shocking list of crimes recorded on the scroll, Roland fell silent for a time.