"Mental illness" is blamed in this day and age for ethereal spells such as the "Curse of Illusions", but Roddy, as a modern person, has a much more objective view of these illnesses.

"Claustrophobia", "agoraphobia", and "dark phobia" Roddy all knows, so he knows very well that Akasha's current situation is really bad - if she had the slightest ability to think, she would not go directly into Roddy's tent so undisciplinedly.

"Stop, don't drill. ”

"I, I, I..."

"I'm not leaving, and you don't move, I say you listen, okay?"

The thin simple tent finally stopped swaying, and in the small space, Akasha shrunk into a ball tremblingly-Roddy covered her face helplessly, only to feel the faint fragrance of her body between her noses...

What is this called? Do otaku have spring too?

I thought that I was like a lone star in the game, and my grandmother didn't love my uncle, but after crossing over, my woman's fate seemed to be dozens more than the original, which is really sad and lamentable...

If it were an ordinary person, I am afraid that the only thing that could be thought of was to take advantage of the opportunity, but Roddy really never relaxed his vigilance against Akasha - although he hoped that this "divine priest" could join the team to help, but when the details of the other party's origin were not known, he really did not dare to trust him at will.

So after stopping Akasha's movements, Roddy said bluntly, "I know you're scared, but I want to ask... What the hell are you afraid of?"

"I... I'm afraid of the dark..."

It was pitch black in the tent at this time, and Akasha was clasping Roddy's arm with her fingers as she said this—she acted in utter instinct and without the ability to think.

"Take it easy, I said relax..."It took a long time for Roddy to break Akasha's hand away, and after thinking about it, he raised his hand directly and activated the light on the ring.

When the soft light appeared, Roddy could clearly feel that Akasha's body seemed to relax a lot, her reddish eyes staring at the glowing ring, and the rapid breathing that had been before gradually calmed down.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Well..."

"Well, I happen to have some questions for you, so sit here and answer them. ”

Akasha nodded hurriedly, but leaned back towards Roddy, as if she was just about to get closer to the light before she was relieved.

Luo Di had no choice but to lean back and say, "Tell me about your previous experience, where did you come from, and how did you come to meet me in such a ghost place." ”

He had expected Akasha to shirk or remain silent, but he didn't think that she would immediately say everything unabashedly: how to enter the "Pit Viper Cross", how to get to Hollier, why she thought of leaving the church... Akasha had no intention of concealing it at all, and she made it all out.

These things have been held in her heart for too long, and Akasha's depression and fear are largely caused by the accumulation of negative emotions, but Roddy's question just opened her chatterbox, so that the long-accumulated pain, depression and sadness finally found a way to vent...

As Akasha narrates, Roddy finally understands that the secret passage in Hollier City was originally made by the "Viper Cross", and she appeared in the "Book Room" because of the Serpent King Sakya...

Roddy listened silently, although he had not studied psychology, but after all, he was used to rational analysis and problem solving - obviously, what Akasha lacked most now was a "sense of security", and what she needed was her healing skills, so to speak...

His eyes lit up, and he suddenly thought of a solution that had been almost forgotten.

Akasha finished telling her story, and after the negative emotions that had accumulated for a long time were emptied, she found that her fear seemed to be reduced a lot, and her originally blank mind slowly regained her ability to think - she rubbed her red and swollen eyes, and whispered, "I... I'm feeling better..."

Luo Di didn't expect that his mistake would make Akasha's "heart disease" a lot better, but in this way, he had to take advantage of the victory to pursue, he thought about it and said his solution: "Your experience is complicated, so I can give you two choices now: one, like those two mercenaries, accept my employment for three months, and I will sign an agreement to ensure that the contract is valid."

Or... You can choose to follow me, my subordinates have territories in the kingdom, you can have a new, legal identity, and you will never have to worry about the retribution of the sect against you. ”

"I'll give you an answer when you've thought about it. ”

Roddy's words hit the nail on the head - because the "new identity" and the guarantee of personal safety are exactly what Akasha needs right now!

So she immediately replied excitedly: "I, I choose to follow you!"

After saying this, Akasha found that she involuntarily exhaled a breath, and her whole body was suddenly filled with an inexplicable force...

Roddy didn't know that his decision had completely changed Akasha, and he was looking at the panel in front of him with apprehension, and after seeing the pop-up dialog box, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

[Do you accept Akasha's followers?]

Luo Di didn't say a word, and chose [accept].

"Follow the contract", this is the method that Roddy just thought of - this is a contract connection that has long been ignored by players, but it is used here to immediately solve the problem that both of them are struggling with: Akasha is forced by the system to become a comrade who cannot threaten Roddy, and Roddy provides her with shelter and solves her worries!

The effect of this contract is straightforward: Roddy retains 95% of the experience he gains later, and the remaining 5% goes to Akasha as a "reward", and Akasha is obligated to unconditionally assist Roddy in battle.

The previous relationship with Sodrol and others was based on the subordination of the army system, and then the comradeship that was killed from the sea of corpses and blood has long been stable and abnormal, and it is because Roddy simply forgot that there is such a contract in the game that can bind NPCs... In the game, "following" can only be NPCs to players, but players are generally not interested in NPCs that cannot be resurrected, so "following contracts" have been unpopular and almost forgotten.

But such an unpopular contract has become a means of "control" that can be immediately effective, with the constraints of the contract, Akasha must assist Roddy in the battle, and he only needs to lose 5% of his experience in exchange for a "wet nurse" who will not betray... This is definitely a good deal for Roddy, who "can't afford to die".

He was in a good mood, and when he saw that Akasha was still sitting, he said, "How are you doing now?" ”

Akasha was trying to adapt to her new role, and although her heart was much better, her fear of darkness did not disappear immediately, she looked at Roddy's ring and stopped, and finally whispered, "Yes... Can I keep it on? I'm still a little afraid of the dark..."

Roddy raised his eyebrows, and then he happily reached out and took off the ring, and put it directly on Akasha's palm: "In the future, if you take it, you will light it up if you are afraid of the dark." ”

There is a contract, Roddy is not afraid of Akasha running away, he is doing this to trust the "contract", not trust Akasha - but Akasha does not see it that way, she holds this warm ring, and she is momentarily moved and does not know what to say, almost with tears in her eyes to put it on her hand...

Unaware of the joints, Roddy sent her to her original tent and went back to rest. But Akasha, who was lying on the simple bed, didn't sleep for half a night, just stared blankly at the ring that dispelled darkness and fear, and asked softly, "Is this what it's like to be trusted..."

She sighed softly, and for many years... Akasha had never been so calm and content.

October 23, 588 Elonian calendar.

Under the gloomy sky, the town of Kig outside the Silent Forest gradually became deserted. There was no longer the hustle and bustle of the old days in the chilly air, and even during the day, the streets seemed empty, except for a few large shops such as the mercenary union and the herb shop in the central area, but there were few visitors.

For the humans of this era, when the cold winter comes, all outings can be avoided, not to mention that the tax revenue of Kige Town is much heavier this year than before, so that the residents with limited income have no leisure to engage in other trade.

In this era of extreme disparity between the rich and the poor, no matter how many homeless beggars freeze to death on the streets, the aristocrats will still enjoy exquisite food in front of the warm fireplace.

And as the owner of Kig, the Viscount of Tranca.

In the master bedroom of "Ford's Manor", the viscount was choosing clothes for the dinner party under the service of a lady-in-waiting, and he was tall and handsome, and he was a well-known romantic figure in Evta's territory. At this time, the viscount was pondering which lady to invite to the banquet tonight to spend the night with, and his eyes were quite smug looking at the toned figure in the floor-to-ceiling mirror.

The narcissistic Viscount was about to ask the maid to bring another dress, but when he turned around, he found that the two maids had fallen to the ground at some point, completely unconscious...

"Who?!"

He turned around and found a black-robed figure standing silently behind him, and on the old and ugly face of the other party, a pair of cold gray eyes were looking directly into his eyes indifferently.

"Lord Ansadine. ”

The next moment, Viscount Tranca, kneeling down on one knee and bowing his head, shouted out the name of the necromancer in front of him...

Obviously, this viscount in the territory of Evta has already become the most obedient eagle dog under Ansadine.

"I received your reply, well done, now that the resources gathered are sufficient, the next stage of preparation can begin. ”

Ansadine's words made Tranka a little excited, and he hurriedly replied: "For the sake of His Majesty Augustine, it is worth doing more!"

In order to raise funds for Ansadine, Tranka raised the tax rate by 40% this year, causing a lot of complaints in the territory, but it is clear that the lives of civilians are insignificant compared to his "great" goal...

Tranka is one of the puppets created by the "Soul Extraction Potion" - it is said to be a puppet, but in fact it still retains its original consciousness and style, and when it does not encounter the "puppet master", it behaves no different from a normal person.

In addition, on weekdays, Ansatin does not let him contact the intelligence network of the undead at all, so such a puppet has no trace at all, and there are no flaws.

"I'm here to say something," Ansatin said in a low voice, revealing a slight chill, "Hold off the test for the time being, and give me the information of Lord Parl." ”

He paused and added, "I'll give you two days, and... Find out where that guy called 'Roddy' is. ”