Chapter 901: Invalid Characters
Chapter 901: Invalid Characters
The sudden and awkward nature of this encounter left both the Faceless Man who had opened the lid and Lyon, who had been caught in an embarrassing situation, stunned in their places.
After a few seconds of silence, having recovered from the initial shock, the two recognized each other and almost simultaneously sprang into action. One dashed towards the exit of the graveyard without hesitation, while the other, due to their hasty movement, lost balance and fell back with a thud, their soul destabilized.
"Lyon!"
Emma caught Lyon as he fell back, startling her. She quickly embraced him, checking his restless soul while anxiously asking, "How do you feel? Is there anywhere that hurts?"
"I... I'm fine..."
Lyon shook his head to indicate he was alright and then tensed his neck, trying to climb out of Emma's soft embrace.
However, with his incomplete soul and body unable to perfectly synchronize, and the repair process only halfway done before being abruptly interrupted, Lyon struggled several times to no avail. He flipped over and lay face down again, grunting, "I just got a bit carried away... What just happened? Why did the Faceless Man suddenly barge in?"
"He must have seen me..."
The middle-aged woman, in her state as the Doubloon Director, came over to examine Lyon's soul. After confirming that it was only slightly chaotic and had no other injuries, she breathed a slight sigh of relief. Then, with a hint of guilt in her eyes, she explained, "Although I am also a Doubloon Director, my strength is still inferior to that of the true Doubloon Director. It's challenging to perfectly conceal my soul, and when I went outside to check on the No Return Path, he must have noticed me."
"It's not your fault."
The Archer Director, standing nearby, patted the Doubloon Director's back and consoled her, "Probing souls is an innate ability of the Dead Realm Overlords. If it weren't for the camouflage effect of the Sage's Graveyard itself, they could detect everyone with a single glance. Any disguise would only reduce their presence, but it's impossible to completely escape the Dead Realm Overlords' observation.
If I'm not mistaken, the Faceless Man probably arrived outside a while ago and has been keeping an eye on the Sage's Graveyard. In this situation, even if I or Taurus went out, we would have been discovered as well... Aquarius?"
Looking at Lyon, who was wriggling in Emma's embrace like a giant caterpillar, the Archer Director frowned and asked with a hint of confusion, "Why is it so difficult for you to even sit up? Is the loss of a quarter of your soul affecting you so severely?"
"It seems... a little more than I expected..."
Lyon couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh and stopped struggling. He explained with a hint of helplessness, "Although these coffins in the Sage's Graveyard can repair souls, the cost is similar to that of the City of Regret. One has to repeatedly relive their life's regrets.
As for me... I have many regrets, and with a large portion of my soul already missing, I can't resist this disturbance very well. So, before the initial repair of the damage is complete, my soul's condition will be worse than before."
"Alright, you should just lie down for now!"
Emma reached out to hold Lyon's head, which was buried in her embrace, preventing him from moving. Her neck and earlobes had turned slightly red. She looked up, her expression slightly pleading, and said, "Your Highness Archer, Lyon's current state is indeed not ideal. Can we let him rest a little longer until his soul stabilizes, and then have him participate in the Purge Bureau's ambush plan?"
"Of course, let's let him rest first."
After taking a glance at Leon's obviously embarrassed expression, the Archery Director, who rarely smiled, couldn't help but lift the corners of his usually downturned mouth slightly, laughing briefly, but his smile soon faded, and he sighed with a resigned look.
"Moreover, judging by the Faceless Man's performance just now, he probably has his suspicions. I'm afraid this ambush plan might not work out as we hoped."
...
"Despicable Purge Bureau!"
After fleeing the Sage's Graveyard ahead of the Faceless Man, the Old Man with the Lantern, still slightly shaken, couldn't help but curse angrily:
"We agreed to negotiate in ten days, but now, several days earlier, not only has more than one Director arrived, but even the God of Food is here! There must be an ambush in the Sage's Graveyard!"
An ambush?
Turning back to look at the Sage's Graveyard, hidden by thick fog, the Faceless Man pondered, "It's not necessarily an ambush... Did you see the state the God of Food was in just now?"
"Huh?"
The Old Man with the Lantern was taken aback by the question and furrowed his brows in recollection. After a moment, he hesitantly replied, "He seemed... his soul seemed unstable?"
"Exactly."
The Faceless Man nodded slightly and turned back to gaze at the serene Sage's Graveyard, his expression resolute as he analyzed, "Humans are different from us. Losing a quarter of their soul in one go is a life-threatening injury for most. Only those who transcend the boundary between humans and gods can fare slightly better.
As for the God of Food... although he can unleash power beyond that of a Pillar God under the right conditions, his essence is still that of a human. He doesn't seem to have crossed that threshold."
Upon hearing this, the Old Man with the Lantern seemed to understand something, and he spoke with a hint of excitement:
"So, you mean... he's here to recover from his injuries?"
"Yes!"
Recalling Leon's expression of utter shock upon seeing him, the Faceless Man nodded firmly.
"A quarter of the God of Food's soul was pushed off the Terminus Cliff by you and me. He's undoubtedly severely injured now. Fortunately, the Sage's Graveyard has the ability to repair souls.
So, he must have sneaked into the Sage's Graveyard to heal his damaged soul with the rules of the place. The Archery Director and the Doubloon Director are probably here specifically to protect him! And most importantly..."
At this point, the Faceless Man paused briefly before continuing with growing conviction:
"Look at how he was acting then, and the way he was embracing that female human... who would set an ambush like that?"
Now that you mention it... it does seem that way!
After listening to the Faceless Man's analysis, the Old Man with the Lantern nodded slightly in agreement. Then, with a hint of excitement, he said, "So... it's likely that only a few of them are inside the Sage's Graveyard right now?"
"That's highly probable."
The Faceless Man nodded and then looked at the Old Man with the Lantern, whose face was filled with delight. With a confident expression, he said, "If we rush in now, we'll likely find the aging Archery Director, a weak female Purifier, the Doubloon Director suffering from severe soul-splitting illnesses, and the God of Food, whose soul is damaged and in urgent need of repair.
With such a group of invalid characters, we're guaranteed victory!"
(End of Chapter)
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