Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 223 Refueling
However, the scene inside the office area was quite different. The room was warm and cozy from the charcoal fire, and several well-dressed businessmen sat around it, their faces beaming with undisguised joy.

"We really hit the jackpot this time! Our clients are incredibly generous!" a businessman exclaimed, beaming.

“We should also get rid of those defective products that the customers didn’t choose,” another merchant chimed in.

"The Winter Solstice has passed, and the market isn't doing very well right now," a businessman suggested. "You could stock up for a while."

"The more you hoard them, the worse their condition gets. Don't you know what kind of scoundrels are guarding them?" another merchant said, and the crowd burst into laughter.

Suddenly, a loud crash shattered the cheerful atmosphere inside. The door was violently smashed, and sharp wood chips flew like raindrops.

The biting north wind howled in, causing sparks to fly from the charcoal fire inside.

The merchants were terrified by this sudden turn of events; several of them slid off their chairs and fell to the ground in a disheveled state.

The owner of the trading house was about to shout when he was horrified to find the thugs he had stationed outside lying haphazardly on the ground. These usually fierce-looking guards were now groaning in pain, their mouths open but strangely unable to utter a sound.

A priest emitted a faint light from his hand, and a semi-transparent soundproof barrier enveloped the entire area, completely isolating it from sound.

Iser entered the room, her cold eyes not even glancing at the human traffickers. She went straight to the inner room, her boots stepping over scattered ledgers, the papers bearing a disgusting list of "goods."

Iser cleaved the floor of the inner room with his sword, revealing a dark passage below. Without hesitation, the girl leaped down.

A long sword came flying straight at him. The blade in Iser's hand was covered with a sharp light, and he cleaved the enemy and his weapon in two. Blood splattered like a fountain onto the mottled wall.

She pulled an alchemical luminous orb from her cloak pocket and smashed it on the ground. The orb immediately shattered into a dozen small pieces, which rolled in all directions. The dungeon was instantly illuminated.

This was a fairly large dungeon, its walls covered with rusty torture instruments, stained with congealed dark red blood. The air was thick with the stench of decay and despair, utterly repulsive.

A group of mercenaries frantically grabbed their weapons, several of them naked. Behind them, dozens of young girls lay sprawled on the ground like rag dolls. Some of them were already on the verge of death, their exposed skin covered with horrifying wounds.

With a dark look in his eyes, Iser rushed forward and beheaded another enemy with a single sword stroke.

More priests entered and quickly brought the situation under control. A mercenary stumbled towards the girl, only to have his head smashed by a priest.

Several mercenaries who were already mixed in with the group of girls immediately found weapons and took the hostages. Iser didn't care what they were doing at all, and with a single slash, he cut one of them into pieces.

She turned to another hostage-taker, who held a knife to the girl's neck, but Iser still managed to cleave his head open, severing his arm holding the knife as well.

The last mercenary quickly dropped his weapon, covered his head, and crouched down, crying, "No, don't kill me!"

A priest was about to step forward to cast a spell, but Iser raised his hand to stop him.

“Even sinners can receive divine grace,” she said calmly. “Let Silver Mask ‘question’ him, lest an innocent person be wrongly accused.”

The mercenary, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, kowtowed repeatedly, "Yes, yes! I didn't kill anyone, I didn't bully the girl, they did it all!"

The priest glanced at the mercenary on the ground with pity and dragged him upstairs.

More priests entered and began to heal the girl.

****
When Iser returned to the ground, the interrogator, wearing a silver mask, was already at work. The not-so-sharp dagger moved across the merchants' obese bodies, each cut precisely avoiding vital organs while inflicting maximum pain. The piercing screams echoed within the silenced barrier, but carried no further outside.

The mercenary who was dragged up was so frightened by the sight that he collapsed to the ground, with a suspicious wet patch seeping from his crotch.

The Temple of Light has never lacked such legacies. Iser used to find them too cruel, but now, she only wished they were even more cruel!
"I am a nobleman! I belong to the lord's family!" the leading merchant howled, tears streaming down his face, his obese body writhing beneath the ropes. "This is blasphemy! This is treason!"

Iser ignored her and carefully examined every corner of the trading house to make sure nothing was missed.

When she returned to the room, the merchant's screams gradually turned into hoarse whimpers, and he answered each question cooperatively like a tamed dog.

The masked interrogator's methods were chillingly skillful.

The statements were quickly compiled and handed to Iser.

They arrived too late; the buyer had already finished selecting the "goods" and left. The merchants had no idea where the buyer had gone, or even which direction he had gone.

Then it's worthless.

"Clean it up," Iser ordered coldly. "We have no local law enforcement authority and cannot be seen here."

The Northern Light Branch needs to maintain the principle of "non-interference" with local rule of law so that it can legitimately enter and exit various parts of the Northern Lands to spread its doctrines. "Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

The Arbitrators' team immediately began clearing the scene, eliminating every survivor. They disposed of all traces of light magic, stripped the dead of their belongings, disguised themselves as bandits, and severed the connection between the livestock trading post and surrounding buildings.

“Some of the town's officials, and even the mayor, are all involved,” a priest suddenly said. “Should we—”

Iser understood his meaning; normally, things should have stopped there. But with Su Ming and Chestnut Owl inflicting heavy losses on the Lord Alliance army, it wasn't unreasonable for them to act a little more arrogantly now!
The situation here has aroused everyone's indignation.

Silverface calmly replied, "Don't create unnecessary trouble; finding the buyer is the key!"

The people from Wazhuang Town can't escape; they can be dealt with later. But there are a large number of young girls in dire need of rescue in the hands of those buyers who are still running around.

Iser took a deep breath and made a decision, "Everyone, hurry up and clean up the mess, let's set off as soon as possible!"

“Yes,” the priests replied.

The group put the rescued girls to sleep and gently lifted them onto a cart lined with hay. They were pale and covered in wounds. As rejected goods, the seller no longer cared about preserving their appearance.

These girls will be taken to a safe place for treatment and identity verification through questioning. Afterward, their memories will be erased by magic, which is better for both parties.

Those who are able to return home will be sent back; those who are homeless will be taken in and cared for by the Dawn Guardian.

Iser unfolded the map; the buyer had not left any traceable trail, but this was not their first trading point.

Based on the information currently available, this group of mysterious buyers landed at Moon Bay Port, the easternmost point of the Northern Continent, and traveled westward, continuously "purchasing" along the way.

“Their behavior is wrong,” Silver Mask said.

He explained the intricacies to Iser: for the noble children of the North who had been bullied since they were ten years old, starting with maids, they had lost all interest in ordinary toys as they grew older.

The most popular "commodities" in the North are girls of other races, or other exotic or unusual items. These human girls are best sold as export goods to regions inhabited by other races.

“Shouldn’t a normal ‘consignee’ travel from the mainland to the port?” Isser realized.

“That’s right.” Silver Mask nodded, his voice behind the mask carrying a hint of gravity. “The origins of these buyers are unknown, and their actions are illogical. Lady Catherine had a feeling that there was more to this than met the eye, which is why she sent us, her most elite members, to investigate.”

Iser's finger followed the lines on the map, continuing westward, all the way to the Dome Mountains and the Holy Mountain and the Sea of ​​Divine Grace further west.

Local "old consumers" lack purchasing desire, but there is a group of young, energetic, and wealthy potential customers who have been disciplined for a long time.

"I hope I don't find out that you're the ones behind this!" Iser said through gritted teeth.

A raging fire broke out in the trading house, and the greedy flames quickly engulfed the entire building, turning all evil into ashes.

“Keep chasing them.” Iser’s voice was exceptionally clear in the howling wind. “They can’t escape!”

****
On the morning of the third day, the two charcoal masters reported to Newman that the charcoal in the two earthen kilns that were lit at the beginning had completed the firing process.

"The charcoal temperature is still too high." One of the craftsmen wiped the sweat from his forehead and pointed to the steaming earthen kiln, explaining, "In such a large earthen kiln, the charcoal inside needs to cool naturally for at least two days before it can be safely taken out."

Newman simply waved his bone claws, signaling his two masters to step aside.

Violet summoned the Divine Staff, which she gracefully raised, its tip gleaming with dazzling light. With a slight turn of her wrist, the layer of soil covering the first kiln was lifted by an invisible force, revealing scorching hot, dark red charcoal inside.

"Oh, sir, this will catch fire!" the charcoal burner cried out in panic, instinctively taking a few steps back.

Before the words were even finished, the dark red lumps began to brighten upon contact with fresh air. Accompanied by a series of crackling explosions, flames shot into the sky, and thick smoke carrying fine carbon fragments flew everywhere.
"The Vacuum Ring!"

Qiluo's clear voice rang out amidst the chaos. A halo of azure light descended from the sky, enveloping the entire pile of burning charcoal. The raging flames, like a chick being strangled, instantly subsided and came to an abrupt end.

Kira's "Vacuum Ring" is so powerful, how come the fire at the Astako family's house in Ris City wasn't completely extinguished?

A hint of doubt arose in Su Ming's heart.

Although the girls "awaiting rescue" have been proven to be accomplices and deserved to die, and Sheriff Alessandro was actually Brunrev's puppet, the ordinary security team members and the priest who entered the cellar should not have perished.

(End of this chapter)