Less than five people knew about Professor Ian's departure from the Silver Candle Society, and even most of his students were unaware.

Even the only one who witnessed him leave was a sweeping maid that night.

She saw Ian leave the Silver Candle alone with his bag in his bag, and didn't respond to her greetings as usual.

After that, the old man stood quietly at the door looking at the page sculpture for a long time, and finally disappeared into the night.

Never came back.

----------------

The Morning Star border, dozens of miles east through the Black Thorn Forest.

Miller, one of the twelve priests, was heading for the heart of the Morning Star with the thirty-two judges of the Tower.

In addition to the more than thirty people, including him, the entire team also had more than fifty real merchants, all of whom were believers in the Tower, assisting the team in disguised as an ordinary chamber of commerce to facilitate access to the Morning Star.

And the reason why this remote trail was chosen was to get enough "fuel".

As the procession progressed, one of the scouts stopped at the front of the group after a few take-offs and knelt down on one knee at Miller.

"Lord Priest, I found a small village in front of me, estimated to be no less than 150 people."

"150 people?" Miller estimated the soul power needed and nodded, "Go that way." ”

"Yes."

The team turned around and headed in the direction pointed by the scout.

It's May, and it's close to the Black Thorn Forest, a place where birds don't poop, and the scenery is bleak all the way. The fields were barren with grass, and the unchanged black thorn pines looked into the past like a row of hideous black giants, and the lonely atmosphere made Miller's heart linger with a faint discomfort.

He sat on his horse, his brow furrowed slightly, and it took him a long time to stretch out.

"Every man has a life, and he dies as he deserves...... Even if it weren't me, they would have died for other reasons......"

He muttered to himself.

It took him a long time to convince himself every time before getting "fuel".

The group did not hide the sound of the carriage and horses, but when they arrived at the village mentioned by the scout, they did not alarm anyone. There weren't even curious children in the village who came out to look around, and there was a deathly silence.

Everyone's eyes were on the scout.

"I'm not lying, half an hour ago it was full of villagers......"

The scout was puzzled, "Did something happen after I left?" ”

"Let's go in and have a look, be careful." Miller reminded, "Leave a squad to guard the caravan and the cargo, and the others will follow me in." ”

"Yes!"

The ordinary people in the caravan stopped where they were, and a small detachment of eight people surrounded them in the middle of the chariots, horses, and baggage. Miller led the others slowly into the village gate.

Half an hour later, the group searched the village all over the place, but there was not even a single figure.

But every indication seems to indicate that the scouts are not lying......

The fire in the kitchen had just been extinguished, and it was still warm to the touch, the livestock manure in the cowshed was still soft, and there were wildflowers discarded by children on the side of the road, and the footprints on them were a little hurried.

Everything was a little too weird, like someone had been following their ass and taking the villagers away. But their ranks were full of samurai and mages with keen senses, and they had never heard a shout along the way......

Could it be that the villagers have evaporated out of thin air?

How is this possible......

Miller gently wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and silently recited the blessing of the goddess in his heart, and he also began to feel that something was not quite right.

"Get out of here and keep going." Miller commanded.

"Yes."

"Your Excellency!!" At this moment one of the guards staggered over, knelt on the ground and said in a trembling voice, "Mr. Morion, they ...... They're gone...... too."

"What?"

Frightened, Miller hurried his horse to the entrance of the village, where he found that it was empty, and there were still horseshoe prints and indentations of the boxes on the turf.

They also quietly evaporated......

Miller hurriedly turned around and counted the number of people around him.

There are twenty-five people including him, and there is no problem, but the tension that lingers in his heart is getting stronger and stronger.

"Let's go, go back to Jialan first!"

Miller said, hurriedly reining in his horse and turning around.

At that moment, a terrifying thought suddenly surged to him.

Garden!

Only he, only this flame god who betrayed the goddess but still lived a nourishing life, had the ability to quietly take this group of people away!

Moreover, the Pope said that the Morning Star has fallen into the palm of Garton's palm, which means that they have been targeted by each other since they stepped into the border of the Morning Star!

I hope it's still too late......

Thinking like this, Miller couldn't help but urge again.

"Let's go!"

He kicked the horse in the belly, but received no response.

The horse stood still, as if petrified. No one echoed his words.

Looking back, all twenty-four companions were gone......

Miller's heart suddenly cooled.

The uneasiness turned into despair, like a hand, gently climbed his neck, and then he clenched it, strangling him out of breath.

Miller looked up, the gray sky was lifeless, and there was nothing in his ears except the rustle of the wind through the Black Thorn Forest.

Now, he has calmed down.

The other party could take everyone away from him so easily, and it would be easy to kill him.

But now that he is not dead, there are only two possibilities, either he has a plan, or he wants to tease him.

With what he knew about him, the latter was more likely, but whatever the outcome, it would have been a tragedy for him.

Thinking of this, Miller's palm instantly had a cold long sword, and he was about to wipe it on his neck, but suddenly at this moment, his movements froze.

Not only him, but even the sideburns of the horse under his crotch and the grass beside his hooves stopped swaying, as if someone had condensed the time and space of his area, and his long hair and clothes that moved slightly in the wind, as well as the white gas on his sword, were all stagnant in the air.

"Tsk......"

With a soft sigh, Garton, dressed in a gold and red robe, appeared in the air, his dazzling hair suddenly driving away the gloom and making the air seem to boil.

He rubbed his chest and tilted his head to look at Miller, who couldn't even move his eyes, but caught a glimpse of Garton's appearance.

He is as dazzling, ostentatious, presumptuous, and rebellious as the books record.

so rebellious that even the goddess could not tame him.

Miller thought.

"That's not 'taming,' kid." As if reading through his thoughts, Garton chuckled, "That's called 'captivity.'" ”

"Smack"

He snapped his fingers, and Miller was out of trouble. The moment the bondage ended, he wanted to understand himself again, but the icy sword that had accompanied him for twenty-five years evaporated like water......

"I finally want to chat with someone, you always have to give this face, right?" Garden said, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

Miller nodded slowly, he also understood that it was futile to resist, and he didn't even have the right to beg for death now.

"Your Majesty Garton."

He bent down respectfully.

Although the Alien Fire Cult had betrayed the Tower, it had only been a year since this incident, and Isu and Ral had no time to take care of the Tower because of the changes in Silvermoon City, so there were still people in the Tower who retained their most devout belief in these elemental gods without knowing it.

But Miller is different, although he is not a believer in Garton, he is not a goddess like the Pope, and he has no ill feelings towards the god in front of him.

Strictly speaking, the two had a brief meeting.

Miller was confused when he was first ordered to capture the "fuel" for the "weapon", and that night he couldn't sleep for a long time. The screams of the faces and souls of the innocent and tragic dead lingering in his ears...... Tortured and mad, Miller had no choice but to pray to the gods and beg for a way out......

In the end, only Garden responded to him.

That wasn't a response, and Garton only said "Every man has his own life, and he deserves to die", but because this sentence came from the gods, it was no less than a natural sound to Miller, which also helped him get out of it.

"Actually, I've noticed you for a long time - it's not me, it's my disciple Van Gaal." Garton said slowly: "You may not have heard of him, but you should have heard of His Excellency Fan Yi, the city lord of Wind Helmet City, well, that's that guy, they called him 'Vegetable Chopping Sword Saint', because he said that his swordsmanship was epiphany when he was chopping vegetables, so he simply quit the city lord's mansion and did it himself......

"He recommended two people to me, one is you, and the other is the president of the Morning Star Swordsman Association, but it's a pity that the guy behind him is an untrustworthy. Ahem, it's far away. In short, I trust his vision as much as he believes in me with all my heart. That's why I answered your prayers back then. ”

Miller had been listening silently before he looked up.

"Your Majesty Garton, so this is my life?"

He is asking about the past as well as about the present.

"Do you always feel that I will change my faith and throw myself into your arms, so you will spare me my life now?"

Garton smiled and shook his head, but instead of answering, he asked, "What do you think 'faith' is?" ”

Miller was slightly stunned, thought for a moment, and replied: "'Faith' is your own 'heart'. When I was young, my father taught me to practice swords, and at that time I danced swords for him, and he is my faith. Later, I became a mercenary, and in order to wield a sword for myself, I believed in myself. Later, the Tower saved me, and I drew my sword for the glory of the goddess, who is my faith. ”

This time it was Garton's turn to be stunned, he touched his nose and muttered, "Why are you still a set, I'm stunned......"

"What?"

"Nothing. No wonder he would recommend you. Garton smiled, "Very good, I appreciate you more and more." ”

Miller smiled wryly, not knowing how to respond.

It's really ...... to talk to this guy Some scratch your head.

"Actually, what do you think the 'beliefs' of the other believers in the Tower are? Be specific. ”

"Others?" Miller thought of the nobles and merchants who came to the tower to donate, and who gave large sums of gold to the Pope while begging the goddess to bless and forgive them, hoping that their children would have noble blood and become spellcasters......

"Maybe it's a 'commodity,' to them......" Miller hesitated, "a ...... that can be bought with money."

"'Goods'?" Garden saw through what he was thinking, "According to your idea, it would be more accurate to say 'currency'." Your Pope claims that he has prayed for the blessing of the Goddess, in other words, prayer is part of the work, and you are all workers gathered at his call, and you pray together for the 'blessing' of the Goddess, which is no different from the Chamber of Commerce.

"As for those who don't have time to pray, and who pay a lot of gold for 'faith', they pay you to 'pray' in order to gain the 'blessing' of the goddess. In other words, they exchange gold for your 'faith', and then use that 'faith' to buy 'refuge', so to speak? ”

Miller couldn't refute it, so he could only nod.

Sometimes the truth always sounds so unkind.

"So, Miller, I ask you, a worker who labors in the Chamber of Commerce, sweats it, and exchanges his physical strength and time for commissions, and his work makes the owner of the Chamber of Commerce earn, or rather, the 'value' of this labor is the essence of the transaction...... So, what do you think your faith has given the goddess? ”

Our Beliefs...... What did the goddess gain?

Miller was at a loss.

He never thought about it, whether it was recorded in the scriptures or the teachings of the Pope, the phrase "God loves the world" seemed to exist as an axiom, as if the goddesses had mercy on them, and it was natural for them to offer their faith......

But is that really the case?

Even for him, the original purpose of joining the Tower was to have a grateful heart.

Is this really a matter of course? Just like people want to eat and drink, and the four seasons are reincarnated?

Why, then, are there so many unbelievers? Or even a rebel like Garden?

Don't they follow this natural "axiom"?

Miller was completely unable to answer the question, and raised his head and stared blankly at the other party.

"Actually, it's not hard to understand." Garton smiled, "I said, you are 'workers'. Since it is a worker, it is necessary to pay labor in exchange for commissions, but anyone with a discerning eye knows that the chamber of commerce is the one who really makes a lot of money. You are different from the workers, who know how the Chamber of Commerce makes money, but you don't know it yet...... You don't even know what your commissions are made of and how they're paid.

"On top of that, I have another question, have you ever thought about what you are losing when you give your faith? Except for time – it's absolutely fair that everybody is consuming time, and beyond that, what are you overdrawing like a worker? ”

Garton asked.

His voice struck at Miller, who for a moment forgot about his situation and fell into deep thought.

"Think about it, and if you can't figure it out, you can come to me." Garton patted him on the shoulder and paused again as he was about to leave, "At the very least, I'll explain everything to my followers." ”

With that, he left.

When Miller awoke from his contemplation, he was astonished to find himself at the gate of the village, and that the villagers were all in good shape, and that they all seemed to have rushed out at the sound of the carriage and horses, huddled together and chattering.

Their eyes were full of novelty and sympathy......

Wait, sympathy?

Miller came back to his senses in an instant, he looked around and found that nearly a hundred people, including himself, had been tied up, and as for the murderer, it was a young girl with a sword against him.

The girl's blonde hair shone like the sun, tied into a ponytail at random at the back of her head, and a long black sword exuded a terrifying suction, and the tip of the sword pressed against his forehead without a trace of trembling.