On the same day, the Duke's Palace, Angardal District, Cotatar.

At this time, the banquet hall of the Duke's Palace was brightly lit, and the gorgeous design of various kerosene chandeliers and strange luminous objects with white light illuminated the entire hall brilliantly, and the bad rainstorm weather did not affect the evening at all.

All sorts of high-end and delicate snacks were placed on the long table, and the purple tablecloth was silky smooth, even better than the clothes of some wealthy ladies in Uptown.

Towards the end of the year, Duke Robert specially arranged this banquet for the upper nobles, and the participants were all nobles of high status or famous merchants.

The Duchess received every guest with a polite smile, she had already prepared the preferences and words of each guest in advance, so which nobleman needed a small compliment, which nobleman needed less words and more smiles, all done in an orderly manner, which made every guest feel that they had been treated accordingly, and they were proud and looking forward to being invited to participate in the Duke's banquet.

Most of the nobles did not know the real content of the banquet, so it was the best place to socialize and the best network resources during the period when Duke Robert was not in the court.

Aristocratic men gather in groups to discuss current affairs, comment on some recent political affairs and some interesting business events, while the ladies mostly sit together and chat, with dignified postures and high-end perfumes slightly diffuse, which always attracts some men to look quietly.

As the banquet gradually came to an end, the Count of Lauren, with the support of the guards, belatedly brought the true purpose of the banquet:

"Ladies and gentlemen, the long-awaited Benefiting People Act will come into force in January. ”

.....

Due to the heavy rain, the funeral could not be carried out normally, and Gusfu's death was the greatest loss for the entire village of Leo, and a silver goblet was far from compensating for what was lost.

There was no light in the whole village of Leo, and the people hid in their houses to extinguish the oil lamps, and crossed their hands on their chests and prayed silently towards the east, and the whole village was silent.

Roddy's mother hugged her son tightly, although he was already an adult, but the remorse and fear that Roddy showed at this moment was not something he could bear alone.

Roddy's father, Pais, sat quietly on a bench, the room was dark, but he could tell by the sound that his wife and son were standing by the window.

"Gusfu is a good boy," Pais reminisced about, the best assessment he could think of, "he was an orphan who, like you, found valuable objects the first time he participated in scavenging, and just like you now, watched his companions die unstoppably." ”

Roddy's mother clenched her hands and looked at her husband with some anxiety, but the dark room made it impossible for her to determine her husband's expression, so she said with some excitement:

"Roddy is still a kid, do you want him to be the next Gusf?"

"I will never allow this to happen!"

Roddy came to his senses a little, not understanding what his mother meant, but he didn't have the strength to investigate, and the deaths of Gusf and his teammates made him exhausted.

The room was silent for a moment, and Pais's voice rang out again.

"According to the tradition of the scavenging team, there is always a need for someone to be the 'captain' for the sake of the village, but..."

Pais paused for a moment to think for a moment before continuing:

"The Church has sensed that I can't put my hope on luck, and besides, Gusf is dead, and for the Church, the words of the dead are more credible than those of the living. ”

"This means it's time for the scavenging team to disband..."

Roddy's mother didn't know what Pais meant, but she at least understood the last sentence.

Pais smiled self-deprecatingly, picked up the matchbox from his hand, lit the kerosene lamp, and the orange light gradually rose, which allowed Roddy to see his father's face clearly, the gray temples were long gone, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were gradually soothing.

"Father...", Roddy opened his eyes and watched this scene in disbelief, watching his father with inconvenient legs stand up steadily, gradually becoming younger from an old appearance, which made him suddenly feel a little strange, a little, scared.

Pais unbuttoned his shirt and exposed half of his chest, his strong chest muscles carved with a black pattern, like a demon's brand, with breathtaking power.

"You once asked me why I had to push you to do all kinds of physical training every day, and that's why. Pais pointed to the tattoo on his chest.

Roddy couldn't help but look at the strange pattern, and it took a long time to come back to his senses, only to find that his mother had fallen asleep in her arms.

......

Dai Haldanes' residence was in the backyard of the church, and the whole church was also dark, but there was a hidden basement in the back hall of the church, where twelve candles were lit regularly, and the dim light reflected the intricate lines on the ground, like a ritual to pray to the devil.

Old Tyre, the butler, stood with his head bowed, holding a tray with a wooden doll on it.

After arranging the ceremony, Dai stepped forward to hold it in the palm of her hand, solemnly placed it in the center of the ceremony, and took a deep breath.

"If there are any accidents, seal here. ”

Old Til was silent, nodded slightly, and just pursed his lips, his eyes full of worry.

Dai evenly applied the powder made of fennel and luminous flowers to the surface of the puppet in turn, and then applied a bottle of holy water with clear light to her hands, while recalling the pre-prepared prayer in her mind.

In order to minimize the danger, she must prepare the highest level of holy water to protect herself, and perform due respect in her prayers, such as replacing 'Forsaken Lands' with 'Lost Paradise', in the hope that the fallen god of the Forsaken Lands will not be stimulated.

"The Great Being of Paradise Lost..."

"The only, special deity..."

"I use the spirit puppet as a bridge, and I hope to get your favor..."

"I will fulfill your request, willing to give my soul ..."

Old Tyre, the butler on the side, was suddenly startled, this prayer was slightly different from the one prepared in advance, Dai exchanged the price for her own soul, which was the most taboo thing in the prayer ceremony, because no one knew whether the fallen gods were merciful in this kind of psychic ritual that was not directed at the seven gods.

What is said, it will be fulfilled.

These eight words are the core of the psychic ritual, as well as the weight of exchange and the rules that cannot be changed.

Old Tyr seemed to be a few years older, and he wanted to remind him, but it was too late.

The powder on the surface of the puppet slowly rose to form a hollow spherical space, enveloping the entire ritual formation and Dai, and the flames of the twelve candles that were regularly placed around it soared by three points, and the speed of consumption quickly accelerated.

Dai glanced at the candle and knew in her heart that the ritual had been successful, and that it would last until the candle burned out, and that nothing would happen if there was no response before then.

If successful, she will fulfill her vows in exchange for a slim possibility.

She still has the glory of her family in her heart, even if it is a family that has fallen.