Sitting behind Ashley, Randall looked at the crowd on the ground that fled like ants, and asked loudly in the face of the strong wind, "Won't we be found when we fly to Taylor City like this?"

"The enemy forces leading to the city are all fleeing, and the watch towers and watchtowers are all abandoned, and even if they are seen by the enemy, they will not attack us. ”

Ashley controlled the griffin and sped over the mountains towards the end of the forest.

After more than two hours of flying, the Valkyries picked a secluded forest northwest of Taylor City and slowly descended to the ground.

Having just flipped off the griffin's back, the minotaur Bourville fell to the ground on all fours, his throat retching and his body trembling.

Kellogg glanced at Bourville, turned and climbed to the nearest canopy, and began to survey the terrain and movement around him.

Carol took everyone's equipment and rations from the griffin and asked Randall, "Where are we going next?"

"There's a little church in the northwest of Taylor, and we'll go there first to find a contact and he'll take us into town. ”

Aldnan was surprised and asked, "Are you serious about going to church?"

Randall nodded, "Not everyone in the church hates the Dragon Kingdom. ”

After all the bags were unloaded, the Valkyrie Ashley turned over and mounted the griffon again, and said, "Alright, we can only send it here, and the rest is up to you." ”

Aldenan suddenly remembered something: "Wait a minute! I have a question!"

"What?"

"After our rescue operation is over, the city of Taylor at that time should have received the news of the rout of the front, how can we escape from the city under martial law?"

Randall explained, "There are two scenarios, the first is that the Xenomorph Society has prepared a safe house in the city, and we take all the scholars with us, just hide there and wait for the war to end. ”

"What about the other situation?"

"If the war enters a state of anxiety and the situation in the city is not optimistic, the Xenomorph Society will prepare a secret landing site in the city, and in the midst of the chaos, the Valkyries will take advantage of the cover of night to take us out of the city. ”

Ashley took the griffin's reins: "Let's all pray that the second scenario doesn't happen, riding the griffon into a city that is at war, and the chances of leaving alive are slim." ”

Aldenan opened his mouth and wanted to say something, and the Valkyries were already riding their respective mounts and flying into the sky.

Randall packed his bags and said to the rest of the team, "Let's go, if it goes well, we can enter Taylor City tonight." ”

Walking past Aldenan's side and looking at the other party's hesitant look, Carroll calmly asked, "What's wrong?

The werewolf gritted his teeth and said, "You know what? When I used to fight black boxing in the underground boxing ring, a respected senior once told me that if a newcomer wants to gain fame and power quickly, the best way is to pick and defeat a strong opponent. ”

"If this mission can be successfully completed, my position in the Holy Cult Army will change drastically......

Carroll interrupted Aldnan, "I've heard sailors say on the docks that before you go to sea, sharpen your sword instead of longing for a legendary treasure. ”

Aldenan rolled his eyes and shrugged helplessly.

Kellogg climbed down from the tree and said to the others, "I see the church, it's not far from here, but there's a thick black smoke in the sky in that direction. ”

Barbara wrapped her cloak and turban around her ears and light stripes, and asked suspiciously, "There's a battle going on there?"

Kellogg said, "Not really. ”

Randall tightened the short sword he was carrying: "Anyway, from now on, everyone should be vigilant and try to avoid unnecessary conflicts." ”

In this way, the team of six slowly approached the small church built on the outskirts of the city, and the black smoke in the sky became thicker and thicker, but no unusual sound could be heard.

Aldenan shook his wolf nose vigorously as he walked, frowned and said, "I have an impression of this smell, it seems to be ......"

Standing on a low mound, Carol looked forward and said, "Burn the body." ”

Randall pushed aside the branches and tall grass in front of him, and saw a small church at the end of the woods, alone in a deserted village.

A 10-meter-square, tree-built crematorium was built at the back of the church, and a middle-aged man in a priest's robe, holding a Bible in one hand and the sky in the other, chanted prayers aloud, and many villagers gathered around him to pray.

"You stay here, I'll go alone. ”

Randall put his hood on and walked slowly from the edge of the woods towards the priest.

Walking to the back of the crowd, Randall waited quietly for the priest to finish the ceremony. Watching the crowd slowly disperse, he approached the priest.

Dressed in a black robe that had long been stained gray, the thin and godless priest looked at Randall, who was slowly approaching, and asked weakly, "Child, what can I do for you?"

Randall said softly, "I have come from the West to follow in the footsteps of God. ”

The priest raised his head suddenly, opened his eyes wide, and said, "No matter what is the east, the east and the west, whether it is north or south, when you call on the name of God in your heart, God will come to the world with the righteousness of salvation." ”

Randall nodded, then took out the token of the cross that Arborough had given him before leaving.

The priest stretched out his hand to cover the token, then looked around nervously, and then said, "You're Randall Quincy, right?

"The access to Taylor City has been blocked, and it was only opened yesterday. ”

The priest sighed, "Let me guess, the church lost. ”

Randall nodded.

"What about Lord Bromo Hesmond?"

"Died in battle. ”

The priest made a cross on his chest: "The old gentleman seems to have expected everything, and I have heard that he even had a coffin ready before the expedition...... Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet, Pedro Uletta, I was formerly the co-priest of the Bishop of Awrry......"

"Then how did you get here?"

"Alas, in short, it's hard to put into words. ”

Randall stopped asking, and instead said, "I still have some buddies. ”

Pedro nodded: "I know, I know, let them in through the back door of the church, someone has been waiting for you." ”

Randall glanced back at the woods and made a subtle gesture with his right hand.

Carroll, Aldnan, Bourville, Kellogg, and Barbara cautiously walked out of the woods.

Watching his companions walk to his side, Randall turned his attention to the crematorium beside him, "Who are these dead?"

Pedro turned back and walked towards the church, saying, "Commoners, artisans, craftsmen, church personnel and even some nobles......"

Carol looked at the corpses slowly crumbling in the flames and asked in a deep voice, "What happened in the city?"

"The Inquisition, an unprecedented Inquisition. Patting the dust off his body, Pedro said softly, "Those who are associated with Protestantism, those who study heresy, and those who do not believe in God...... They were all hanged and then burned here. ”

At first, the scope of judgment was limited to these people, but later fear and prejudice prompted the church to expand the scope of persecution. Lying in the church, being absent from a meeting, not knowing the scriptures, and even looking strange can be grounds for judgment. ”

"More and more people were put to death, and now only the die-hard members of the church were left in the city, and even these people lived in fear all day long. ”

Aldenan shrank his head, "So, you mean, Taylor City is now a veritable city of madmen?"

Pedro didn't answer, walked to the back door of the church, took out the key, opened the lock and walked inside.

Lighting a candlestick, Pedro said to the people outside the door: "Come with me, the room is a little dark, watch your step." ”

Randall stepped over the threshold and followed the priest down the narrow passage behind him to a small room that resembled a shrine.

Pedro first bowed to the statue of the cross in the center of the room, then put his hands on the base of the statue and tried to push it away.

Seeing the priest's pained expression, Carol pushed him away, and with a gentle push of his right hand, the idol was pushed aside, revealing an entrance to the underground.

Kellogg glanced at the dark passageway, spat out a letter at Pedro and said, "Hiss...... You first please. ”

Pedro lifted the candlestick and walked cautiously down the stairs.

The group walked down the spiral staircase for about fifty steps, and finally came to the lowest room.

A slender young woman in a black leotard stood in front of a dark porch, leaned against the wall and said softly, "I've been waiting for you for a long time. ”

Randall looked through the faint light of the fire, recognized it for a long time, and finally recognized the woman's identity.

Karin Foreman, the current president of the Xenogeneous Society.