The search party after the incident almost turned over all the land within a hundred miles around the royal capital. However, they didn't have to exert much effort before discovering several magic circles in the woods, which were indeed used by necromancers to summon evil creatures after being checked by the church's priests. Fortunately, many of them had some minor problems, so only a few monsters were summoned.

  But even those 'not many' monsters were enough to turn the empire, and even the entire Eastern Continent upside down. The sinister intentions of the Death Spirit Association had been exposed, which was to take advantage of the gathering of people from various countries to turn them all into vampire-like undead creatures under their control. This evil magician organization finally showed its true face and received attention from various countries. Grefenhart XVII, who was frightened enough, even consulted with the Archbishop to dispatch the Holy Knights directly to Deya Valley.

  At this time, Bishop Ronis fully expressed his high vision. Although he had been actively calling for the joint crusade against the Death Spirit Society, he was not impulsive at all now. He patiently explained the current situation to His Majesty the Emperor and suggested that the emperor first unite with neighboring countries to jointly write a letter to the Pope, and after obtaining the support of the Holy See, gradually implement the plan to crusade against the Death Spirit Society.

  Bishop Ronis declared that the priest and noblewoman were able to destroy the vampire because both of them had gone to the great cathedral that morning, prayed sincerely, sprinkled holy water on themselves, and received a personal blessing from the bishop, so they carried sacred power with them.

  The entire Eastern Continent has begun to have a united atmosphere against the Death Spirit Association. Although the road ahead is still long and the plan is still grand, but this first step taken by Archbishop Ronis is indeed very good.

  In the library of the Great Cathedral of Magic Academy, Asa stood beside Archbishop Ronis.

  His injuries had been completely healed with the help of the priests, and he had slept for a whole day due to extreme exhaustion of physical strength and magic.

  The bishop's thin hand held a report with a long list of names of those who had died at the hands of vampires.

  Having carefully read through those names, Bishop Ronis smiled with great satisfaction and nodded his head saying: "Good riddance."

  "Huh?" Asa, who was standing beside him, wondered if he had misheard. He had been nervous, thinking that the bishop would surely scold him for turning this small performance into a bloodbath.

  "Most of the dead were from the Ernie family, and to be honest, my original intention was to take this opportunity to get rid of some of them. This time, it's also a good lesson for His Majesty, he finally knows that those who can play with him happily aren't necessarily useful. This time, it can also be said to have promoted him to favor virtuous ministers and distance himself from treacherous officials. Moreover, under the principle of 'one side suffers while the other benefits', the military's power will rise, which will be very helpful for our future battles against the Death Spirit Association." Bishop Ronis smiled again, affirming once more. "So, it's good that they're dead."

  "Ah. Oh." Asa nodded like a fool. After thinking for a moment, he said: "But those guards died somewhat unjustly."

  Bishop Ronis waved his hand lightly and made a nonchalant gesture, saying faintly: "That can't be helped, these people are bound to die anyway."

  "Oh..." Asa nodded, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. This kind of talk seemed more suitable coming from the Duke's mouth.

  "Now, let's discuss what happened with that vampire this time." Bishop Ronis' face and voice both turned solemn. "This extremely dangerous undead creature hasn't appeared on the continent for a long time. According to someone's recollection, the vampire itself said it was awakened by someone. The timing is also coincidentally when people from various countries are gathering, and Roland, the team leader, isn't by the Emperor's side due to our arrangements, and the guards are also at their most lax. I don't believe all of this could be just a coincidence."

  Asa frowned and said, "Are you saying that someone deliberately took advantage of this opportunity to release the vampire to cause trouble? Who could it be? Could it be... a real member of the Dead Spirit Society? But how would they know about our plan?"

  "There are very few things they don't know." Bishop Ronis's voice grew colder, and the light in his eyes became more piercing. "I used to just suspect that there were people from the upper echelons of society or the church who had their ears and eyes among us, perhaps even a member of a guild. Now I'm certain of it. This must be someone who is very well hidden, deeply embedded. Perhaps someone who has completely blended in with their surroundings, never arousing suspicion - an unremarkable official, a devout pastor... or maybe someone with a prominent position to serve as cover. I think this person may be closer to us than we think, otherwise they wouldn't have timed things so well."

  "Is it close by?" Asa was half puzzled and half disbelieving. That a necromancer could be lurking in the upper echelons of the imperial capital's high society was already unbelievable, but Archbishop Ronis' implication that they knew this person, possibly quite well, made him incredulous. He mentally ran through all the people he knew, but none seemed to match the ominous title of "necromancer". He shook his head and said: "No way, none of the people I know are like..."

  "What? What kind of person do you think he is?" Bishop Ronis looked at Asa.

  "Of course, it's that witch who looks like a skull zombie with a mask and a long robe covering herself up, sneaking around without being seen. Or maybe like old Sandru, always hovering around corpses. Isn't that what necromancers are like?"

  Bishop Ronis smiled faintly and said, "Ten years ago, the court magician of the Kingdom of Rohndes, Ramado, was not only skilled in various magical systems, but also had a high level of proficiency in white magic. He was generous and open-handed, donating half of his annual salary to help the poor and orphans every year. His reputation was unmatched within the kingdom, and even throughout the entire Eastern Continent. But I'm telling you, he was actually a necromancer. The continuous wars that plagued the kingdom for ten years were all manipulated by him behind the scenes. I requested five Holy Knights from the Vatican, and after careful planning, we joined forces to quietly eliminate this guy, expending considerable effort."

  "Novolino, the most famous magic merchant on the continent, and also the richest and most powerful merchant, is himself a fairly skilled magician. He has extensive connections with all magical organizations and is also a favorite friend of many royal families. Although there is no conclusive evidence, I infer that he must also be a member of the Necromancer's Guild, at least as an honorary member. It is said that every year he spends two months resting on a deserted island overseas, but I think it's actually in the Valley of Deya."

  "There is also Egrainiel, the former president of the Imperial Adventurer's Guild. His magic and martial arts skills are among the top 50 on the continent, and overall, he can be considered one of the top five strongest masters on the continent. He is said to be the last successor of the Assassin's Guild, and has discovered countless secret realms and unearthed untold riches, making him wealthy enough to rival a country. He is also a member of the Necromancer's Guild, and has even served as co-deputy leader alongside Sandro."

  Asa's mouth dropped, these names he all knew, in fact probably very few people have not heard of them. For countless young people pursuing wealth and honor as well as martial arts and magic, these people are idols, goals, the driving force for their desperate cultivation and battle as well as adventure. But such three radiant names would actually be connected to an organization like 'Death Spirit Association' which is filthy and evil, it's simply unbelievable just like if the Pope of the Vatican had three wives and four concubines. If it wasn't Ronis Archbishop saying this Asa would have thought he was a madman speaking nonsense.

  "I spent twenty years of effort and only found out about these three people, and even then I didn't dare to make a sound because of their special identities. Even after getting rid of that Ramado, we just told the outside world that he died from illness. There must be other famous figures who are also members of the guild, but there should also be many people like Sandru who have no interest in fame or wealth and seem to be just ordinary people with a bit of an oddity." Bishop Ronis looked at Asa and said slowly. "Now you know what kind of people those necromancers are. So never let your guard down, no matter what their identity is, the people around you may be spies for the Necromancer's Guild, or even necromancers themselves."

  Asha was stunned for half a day before she came to her senses. It seems that this organization is not just a group of dark magic practitioners who like to play with corpses.

  "Right." Asa seemed to have suddenly thought of a good idea, and shouted out loud. "We can ask that old man Sandrew, you order him to tell us the other members of the guild, isn't that easy?"

  "'I command him?' Bishop Ronnis smiled, a rare sight. 'Probably no one in this world can command him to do anything. He and I are just ordinary friends, he is here because he wants to be. Of course, I have asked him these questions before, but he won't say due to the guild's rules, so there's nothing I can do.'"

  Bishop Ronis paused, then continued: "Fortunately, the Death Spirit Association is not well-organized due to the lack of a leader, and can even be said to be a loose sand, with members acting on their own. However, its danger cannot be ignored. These death spirit mages are harmless if they don't take action, but once they do, it's absolutely difficult to deal with. Look at this time's action, we were greatly successful, but actually, it was also extremely dangerous. Think about it, if that vampire had really turned the Emperor and some of the ministers into his followers, what would have happened?"

  A Sa swallowed a mouthful of saliva. The emperor and ministers of the empire had all become subordinates of a vampire, what kind of situation that was could be understood with just a toe.

  "So from now on, our actions must be extremely cautious and careful. You also need to be vigilant towards everyone around you, even if you know it's impossible, you should still have a 'what if' mindset to take a look and suspect, got it?"

  "Got it..." Ah Sa nodded. However, knowing is one thing, but he didn't quite understand the complex mental state of 'knowing yet still choosing to doubt', and even if he did, his personality wouldn't allow him to do so anyway.

  "By the way, apart from Miss Mura, are you really sure that no one has survived a vampire's bite?"

  Asa shook his head and said, "It seems like there isn't..." But he suddenly remembered the scar on Kris's neck that she had shown off to him before, and hesitated for a moment, unsure whether or not to mention it.

  The archbishop's face was as stern as a block of raw iron, and his voice was: "It can't be like that, you'd better recall whether there is or not. Miss Mura had eaten the leaves of the World Tree, her blood is the same as yours, it will repel vampires, such dark creatures, so don't worry. But if others have been bitten by a vampire, even if that vampire has died, the magic and toxins left behind will still take effect and turn that person into a vampire too. We can't eliminate the influence of that magic, so we must determine whether there is such a person, and if there is, they must be eliminated."

  "There really isn't." Asa replied immediately and very affirmatively. That should only count as a scratch for Chris, not a bite.

  "It's better that way." Bishop Ronis nodded. "To be honest, I didn't expect the blood of the World Tree's leaves to have such a great effect on vampires either. It seems that your physical constitution might be exceptionally well-suited for cultivating the white magic of light." Bishop Ronis looked at Asa with profound meaning in his eyes. "I'm thinking of finding a way to get Miss Mura to come to the Magic Academy for further study, what do you think?"

  "I don't care." Asa deliberately made a very nonchalant expression and posture.

  "By the way, how's your magical training going?" Bishop Ronnis asked Asa with a frown. "Logically speaking, your magic shouldn't be weaker than that vampire's, so why did you get hurt so badly before defeating him."

  "Ah... probably because I'm not feeling too well... Ah, right, the Marquis is still waiting for me, I'll take my leave."

  Asa almost ran away from Bishop Ronis's place. He was afraid that the bishop would continue to ask him about his magical situation.

  Indeed, under the influence of the dual powers of the World Tree's Leaf and the Sun Spring, if he could fully utilize resonance, incantations, and other magical techniques, his current level of magic would absolutely surpass that of a high-ranking magician who has trained for many years. However, he just can't control his magical power to produce even the slightest bit of controlled fluctuation, only able to use the most basic fireball and healing spells.

  He had already asked Shandru about this, and upon hearing his question, Shandru thought for a moment before saying: "You haven't even mastered the other magics yet you're already practicing meditation. I don't know why you were able to master that most difficult meditation faster than the most basic magic. Originally, meditation was only meant to assist with other magics, but now it has surpassed your ability to control magic and is suppressing the use of other magics instead. Hmm... so aside from necromancy, you probably can't use any other system magic anymore, right? Do you want to learn necromancy? I can teach you, but if Ronis finds out that you know these things, it won't end well."

  Asa's face turned pale with cold sweat. Bishop Ronis had once seriously told him that he must never again practice the dangerous Dark Meditation technique.

  But it's not a matter of whether he wants to cultivate or not, but in critical moments, he can't help but use this skill that relies on his survival. Especially since the night he faced General Gru in Oufu, the feeling of meditation has made rapid progress, and at the time when the Duke was assassinated, he even relied on meditation to force out the aura that he had never deliberately cultivated before. Using that kind of meditation between life and death seems to be able to achieve breakthrough progress, and he has used it more skillfully and effectively each time than the last.

  Moreover, for some unknown reason, the Taiyang Jing and the World Tree's leaves not only did not reject this thing that should be of the dark system according to logic, but also benefited from it and complemented each other. He even started to like the feeling of being clearly controlled by his body, with power wildly rushing through his blood vessels and limbs, but every time he felt that icy violent impulse and beastly desire in his mind, he couldn't help but feel a little frightened afterwards.

  He didn't dare to practice necromancy, and he didn't even dare to tell the Archbishop that his dark meditation was getting deeper and more subtle. For the time being, since he couldn't think of a good solution, he could only temporarily deceive him for now.

  When Asa arrived at the Marquis's mansion and saw the Marquis, he felt a little more at ease.

  No matter when and where, just seeing his elegant demeanor and expression, listening to his words, a marquis friend like him makes people feel relaxed and happy.

  "It's a truly dramatic development and ending." The director and screenwriter exclaimed after listening to Asa's story. "I didn't expect the power of the World Tree Leaf to be able to kill even vampires. Even the director and actors felt the thrill of the unknown variables, it was quite a play." He looked at Asa and asked, "How was it? Exciting?"

  "It was almost really stimulating to death." Asa hesitated for a moment and asked. "Right, it should be okay there..."

  "Don't worry, she's doing great. The Emperor was deeply moved by her bravery, wit and loyalty at the time, and wanted to give her a rich reward, but she didn't want anything, only asking His Majesty for an official position. Although this old-fashioned family rule of mine originally did not allow it, now that many of those fools have died, and with the Emperor's edict, who can disobey? So now she is one of the financial officials of the empire."

  "Why did she have to do that?"

  "She told His Majesty that she hoped to make a humble contribution to the country's prosperity. But who would know the real reason? The Marquis glanced at Asa, revealing a charming smile. "Perhaps it was because of you. A temporarily separated couple, one became a divine officer fighting for a bright cause, and the other is a female strongman for the country and the people, isn't this a good plot?"

  "Come on, stop joking around."

  But the marquis went a step further, revealing a somewhat ambiguous smile, and said: "Why do people in love have to suppress their emotions? I've told you before, feel free to come find her whenever you're free, there are very few people in my household."

  It was dusk when he left the Marquis's residence. Even after arriving on the main street, for some reason the Marquis's proposal kept turning over in his mind, making him feel annoyed. To get rid of this feeling of annoyance, he quickly returned to the mansion, changed into a set of ordinary clothes, and walked towards those bustling streets...

  The next morning.

  Asa woke up, dazed for a moment, and suddenly asked the prostitute lying beside him: "Actually, I've always liked a woman..."

  "Who do you like?" The prostitute miss was lazy and seemed to have some spirit. "Tell me, what's the point? Aren't you afraid I'll get jealous?"

  "You're just jealous. You're always envying others, if you don't die from sourness, you'll die from swelling."

  "Damn it, to be honest you don't believe me anyway. In this life, I've only been jealous for two people, one of whom is naturally the handsome and elegant Rodhart Knight, who is completely a model of a young hero. Unfortunately, he's never come looking for me." The prostitute perked up when talking about her idol. "Of course, he's a noble person. As for the rest, I'll just have to make do with helping you eat instead. Too bad you don't believe me now, so I won't give it to you. Take it back."

  "Then when will I introduce you to your idol? You'll have something to eat then."

  "Wow, really? ...... You're talking nonsense, how would someone so famous and noble know a loser like you?"

  "Listen, I've always liked a woman, she probably likes me too, but I'm not so sure... She's already married, but her husband is a useless piece of trash who never comes home and ignores her. Should I go find her?"

  Asa now finds himself quite liking the company of this woman, although her status seems completely unsuitable for him, but he never cared about these things anyway. The key is that he likes being with people like this. They may not have much culture or be particularly intelligent, but at least they are pure. Compared to those pretentious pastors, nobles and aristocrats, it's much more relaxing and enjoyable to be with them. No wonder even a marquis as noble as him used to like hanging out in places like this.

  After listening to his confession, the prostitute Xuan suddenly scolded him and said: "With such a tone, you dare to say such things, aren't you obviously trying to go? If you want to go, just go, as long as you're not afraid of being caught. I've heard that there's a punishment called 'soaking pig cage' which is specifically for people like you. Hehe, I'll come and see your miserable appearance later."

  "You jinx." Asa laughed and rapped her on the head.

  Asa left before it was fully daylight and took a stroll around the streets, returning to the big house when Sandru had already gotten up.

  It was rare for a visitor to appear in the large house early in the morning.

  It was clear at a glance that this would not be one of the usual visitors or messengers, nor even a normal person. For this guest sat in the great hall with Sandru, chatting between the corpses, and Sandru had a cup of tea in his hand. This was an unusual sight, for Asa knew that Sandru only drank such things when he was in extremely good or bad spirits - which were originally rare occasions. Even with Bishop Ronis, he had never seen him like this before.

  This strange guest wore a large cloak, revealing a strange face. The strangeness of this face was that it seemed to have no prominent features at all, and was so ordinary that if he were to blend in with the crowd, he would immediately disappear without a trace.

  This ordinary person saw Asa return and nodded at him.

  Asha also nodded in agreement, he had never seen this person before, but there was a strange and inexplicable sense of familiarity.

  "You've finally come back, I've been waiting for you all night." Asa heard this hoarse voice that reeked of corpses and immediately jumped back like a startled cat, arched his back, and stood his hair on end.

  Shan Drew gave Asa a glance, took a strong sip of tea, and his voice sounded like he was snoring.