"Where is it?" Solalin's voice carried an unusual urgency.

The reason she wasn't in the conference hall was because she had already been called out from the Guild by Mein when the message arrived.

At the moment, they were weaving through the bustling and noisy Free Market.

This place was a paradise for adventurers and small vendors, with the air saturated with the scents of leather, herbs, low-quality tobacco, and sweat, accompanied by the constant sounds of haggling and boasting.

"Right there!" Mein pointed to a small stall at the edge of the crowd not far away.

The stall owner was a shifty-eyed middle-aged man, and next to the stall stood two Church Warriors.

Solalin's gaze swept over the chaotic assortment of old items on the stall.

Then her breath suddenly halted—there, on the edge of a pile of tarnished copperware, lay the unadorned Silver Pendant!

Like a lost star, regained!

Recently, the equipment stripped from Church Warriors had gradually surfaced, forcing these frustrated warriors to comb through the market like treasure hunters daily, buying back armor they weren't even sure was theirs.

Today, these two warriors were rummaging through a pile of miscellaneous items when they unexpectedly found the pendant with a small photo inside it, prompting them to guard the stall as if facing a formidable enemy while swiftly sending for Solalin.

Solalin's hand trembled slightly as she picked up the pendant and opened it to reveal the familiar photograph inside.

She thought she'd lost it forever, yet unexpectedly...

"This..." Solalin forced down the surging emotions, turning her gaze to the stall owner, "How much?"

Even though it was a lost item, the ownership of the pendant at this moment lay with the stall owner before her.

The stall owner's eyes rolled as he glanced at the stern, expressionless Church Warriors beside him, then at Solalin's obviously anxious demeanor, his face spreading into a greedy grin as he extended a single finger: "One price, ten gold coins!"

"Greedy cur!" The preposterous price was like a powder keg igniting, causing the two Church Warriors to instantly explode, with one stepping forward and glaring angrily, "A Silver Pendant, and you dare ask for ten gold coins? You're asking for trouble!"

The vendor clearly recognized the warrior's identity, harboring a sliver of fear inside, yet the greed in his eyes did not diminish in the least.

Quickly reclaiming the pendant, he clutched it tightly in his dirty palm, guarding it against his chest, deliberately raised his voice, piercing through the nearby clamor: "Tsk! Lords, you can't talk like that! In business, it's all about mutual consent! The value of an item depends entirely on who finds it precious, right? Moreover—"

Stretching his words, his gaze provocatively swept over the Holy Emblem on the warriors' chests, "We're conducting a legitimate transaction, honest trading! The great God of Light is up above; surely the Church officials wouldn't lead by breaking the rules, right?"

Emphasizing "honest trading" and "Church," his strong voice indeed attracted quite a few adventurers who gathered around, pointing and murmuring.

"You bastard!" Publicly humiliated, that impulsive warrior's veins bulged with rage, almost drawing his sword, making the vendor retreat hurriedly in fear.

At this moment, Solalin extended a hand, calmly resting it on the arm of the nearly out-of-control warrior.

Her face was as cold as frost, yet her eyes remained exceptionally calm.

Without even glancing at the vendor or acknowledging the surrounding stares, she silently unfastened a heavy leather pouch from her waist, counting out ten gold coins.

The vendor's eyes lit up like a ravenous wolf, swiftly bending forward, his claw-like hand moving with lightning speed as he snatched all ten gold coins into his palm!

His creased face instantly blossomed like a rotten chrysanthemum, filled with an obsequious smile as he proffered the pendant to Solalin with both hands, bowing and scraping: "Hehe, you're truly a straightforward person! Here you go!"

Without looking at his face, Solalin merely pinched the pendant's chain, lifting it from the vendor's palm.

The cold metal chain pressed against her palm, its familiar texture carrying a slight tremor that followed a close call.

She didn't immediately grip it tightly but instead looked down, her gaze once more falling on the small photo, her fingertips delicately, almost fondly, caressing the two youthful, smiling faces.

Then, a complex smile slowly spread across her lips.

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

What does it mean for the Sword Saint to come visit my house?

Am I to fight the Sword Saint? Is this for real?

When Edin received the news, he naturally informed Lin Jun.

At that moment, some mushroom in the Underground City was trembling with fear.

After all, originally, he just wanted to call Pink Puki over for some operation; how he ended up mixed with that "expert group" was beyond Lin Jun's understanding.

But despite the trembling, after thinking it through carefully, Lin Jun felt perhaps this worry was a bit excessive.

As for other unknown experts, perhaps, but the Sword Saint?

He had actually seen him before.

At that time, the Sword Saint only sensed Scout Puki but did not take direct action to eliminate it. What does this indicate?

It indicates he is not proficient in investigation!

At least not at the level of "I can tell at a glance you are not human!"

Maybe Edin was actually responsible for the investigation back then!

As long as my main body stays far away, there should be no problem.

Besides, a Sword Saint is a swordsman, not a mage. Surely he wouldn't swing his sword all the way and clear all the fungal mats I've laid out, right?

Thinking this way, at most I'll just lose some irrelevant Puki.

Of course, it's important to consider the possibility of the Sword Saint collaborating with a mage for a thorough cleaning.

However, this might have worried Lin Jun in the past, but now?

The fungal mycelium network throughout all levels of the Underground City has long been laid out, extending in all directions.

Clearing the surface fungal mats is just scraping the peel, it doesn't harm my foundation.

Most importantly, this does not conflict with my original plan. What I need is simply the cooperation of Pink Puki, regardless of the strength of the opposition.

With this in mind, Lin Jun's focus on the Sword Saint silently shifted from his own survival crisis to a direction that intrigued him more.

The Sword Saint, one of the top combat powers among humans.

How strong is he exactly?

Lin Jun, the Level 61 Sword Saint's disciple, has already evaluated—very strong, extremely strong, but not insurmountable, even... not unstoppable.

What about the Sword Saint himself, whose level differs by less than 10 levels?

Although Edin repeatedly mentioned how powerful the Sword Saint was, and how many Demons he had killed, and his impressive achievements.

But hearing about achievements doesn't compare to personally testing their quality.

Losing isn't a problem; Lin Jun is mentally prepared for that.

He just wants to determine his combat power positioning in this world.

Thinking this way...

A slight sense of anticipation arose unexpectedly.

However, according to Edin, the "expert group" won't arrive for half a month.

Before that, Lin Jun wants to handle the trouble in his own backyard.

...

An invisible scout Puki silently folded its wings, hanging upside down on the jagged rock edges.

On the other side of the cave, a space rift more enormous and dreadful than any Lin Jun had seen, except for the Demon Tide, was forcibly tearing a massive opening on the cave wall!

Inside the rift, unnatural ghostly glows flickered, with chilling air continuously pouring out.

In front of Puki's landing point, everything was covered with a layer of ice.

As Lin Jun hesitated whether to let the scout Puki endure the cold to get closer, a giant Eye Worm silently swam out of the depths of the dark rift!

Its massive eyeball, with barely any hesitation, instantly and precisely locked onto the inverted, invisible Puki on the distant rock top!

A pale ray instantly crossed most of the cave, accurately hitting the hanging Puki.

Upon impact, Puki's transparent body froze and stiffened, unable to maintain its inverted posture, and fell straight from the rocks.

During its fall, Puki's body visibly turned inch by inch into lifeless gray-white stone!

Finally, it smashed heavily onto the ground covered in solid ice, accompanied by a dull and cruel cracking sound, turning into a pile of cold, lifeless rubble.

The brief encounter allowed Lin Jun just enough time to see its basic information.

[Race: Chis-Evil Eye]

[Level: Level 50]

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