It felt so good to be close to the witch!

Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine.

Roy took a breath and put the "magic crystal grenade" that looked like it could explode at any moment, along with the two low-purity magic crystals next to it, into his storage space. Only after doing this did he have time to observe the condition of the healing witch Shanika.

At this moment, a blush still lingered on Shanika's face and neck, and her body was trembling, but her eyes were incredibly clear and bright.

Previously, when her eyes were obscured by the tainted black silk, Roy could only barely see her light brown pupils. Now that the tainted black silk was completely gone, he could finally see Shanika's eyes clearly.

Beyond the light brown pupils are blue-gold irises, giving one a gentle feeling like the ocean mother.

On the flower-covered bed, Shanica's trembling gradually subsided.

She first looked at her hands, then looked up and met Roy's gaze.

In Roy's eyes, she saw her own blue-gold eyes, which had gradually disappeared since she awakened as a witch more than a decade ago, until they were finally completely covered by black.

Excitement, joy, emotion, confusion...

So many emotions are surging in my heart.

As she sank into an endless abyss, just before she was about to sink to the bottom, someone reached out a helping hand to her in the darkness, pulling her out of the mire of despair and allowing her to see the light again!

Shanica raised her hand, and through the gaps between her outstretched fingers, she saw Roy's slightly tired face.

A gentle smile touched her lips, and Shanika spoke softly in a slightly moist voice:

"Young Master Roy, I look forward to your guidance in the future~"

Chapter 36 Original Sin Contamination Branch Aggregate

Shanica's warm, moist voice reached his ears, but Roy had no time to pay attention to it at that moment.

Because all his attention was drawn to the gray character panel that popped up in front of him.

-

[Original Sin Contamination Cluster Detected... In Absorption... Absorption Complete... Original Sin Characteristic Identification in Progress... Identification Complete!]

[Energy reserve progress +40%! — Of which [Original Sin Trait - Lust] accounts for 60% and [Original Sin Trait - Gluttony] accounts for 40%]

[Current energy reserve progress: 45% - 5% Chaos, 24% Lust, 16% Gluttony]

-

Roy was somewhat stunned as he looked at the content displayed in front of him.

He had no idea what the so-called "original sin contamination branch aggregate" was. The energy stored in the gray character panel seemed to be different from battle qi or magic power, but something deeper that he couldn't even perceive at the moment.

Based on the current situation, Roy made the following guess:

After the witch "awakened" her talent, each time she used her power, it would exacerbate the pollution on her body. The accumulation of pollution produced this "original sin pollution branch aggregate". When he removed all the pollution from Shanika's body, this "original sin pollution branch aggregate" that was originally buried deep in the witch's body was exposed and thus absorbed by the [original sin cube].

Of course, this is just Roy's speculation. The real reason for the appearance of the "original sin contamination branch aggregate" is still unknown.

But at least one thing is certain: after completely removing the pollution from the witch, the [Original Sin Cube] can absorb the "Original Sin Pollution Branch Aggregate" from the witch's body, greatly increasing the "energy reserve progress".

Speaking of "energy reserve progress", Roy stared at the three words "chaos, lust, gluttony" on the gray character panel and fell into deep thought.

The 5% of Chaos comes from the 1% that is automatically accumulated by the [Original Sin Cube] after midnight every day. The word "Chaos" indicates that the original sin characteristics of this 5% of energy are currently unknown.

The 24% for lust and the 16% for gluttony are easier to understand, as they correspond to two of the seven deadly sins.

Original Sin is a very important trait!

The help this talent brought to Roy was immeasurable, and it made him even more eager to see the talents that would come after the [Original Sin Cube] lit up the other faces.

However, there was one thing that Roy couldn't understand.

Why are there two kinds of original sin characteristics in the "original sin contamination branch aggregate" absorbed from Shanika's body, and why are the two in different proportions?

Suppressing his doubts for the time being, Roy looked at the 45% energy reserve progress on the gray character panel in front of him and sighed.

Only two low-purity magic crystals remain, far from enough to remove the corruption from another witch.

If he were to absorb it all by himself, it would take about half a month to digest 10 streams of energy.

In terms of efficiency, it's far inferior.

Speaking of the formation and collection time of low-purity magic crystals, it is the annual "Fengrang Festival" in Xinghu. And now it seems that there are only a few days left until the "Fengrang Festival".

The idea popped into Roy's mind, and he secretly noted it down, preparing to go and stake out the mining site a day in advance.

He then turned his thoughts back to the "war for territorial consolidation".

While low-purity magic crystals are important, what he needs to address first is tomorrow morning's "territory merger battle."

"Shanika, there's something I need your help with..."

Roy leaned down and whispered in Shanika's ear.

The warm air caused Shanika's fair earlobes to slowly turn red.

……

As dawn approached, several uninvited guests arrived at the Iron Mountain Fortress.

These are five tall knights, fully armed, with the emblem of the Bauhinia Sword printed on the front of their armor and the red cloaks on their backs.

In the province of Rafa, the only order that dared to use such an emblem was the Red Knights, the most elite knightly order under the border duke Soros's family.

The Crimson Knights are not numerous, usually around a hundred members, but each one is at least at the Bronze rank, and many of their captains are even at the Silver rank.

Their sharpest spear on the battlefield is also the border duke's blade in the darkness.

They don't usually go out, but when they do, it's never a small matter.

Therefore, when Lord Denham, the Lord of Iron Mountain, walked out of the castle gate and saw the five red knights riding armored warhorses, he was puzzled.

The "war of territorial merger" is no small matter, but it only involves lords on both sides, so it is by no means a big deal, at least not to the point that the Red Knights need to intervene.

The intelligence he had received earlier indicated that the knights sent by Duke Soros on the border were just ordinary knights. How could the ones who have arrived now be from the Crimson Knights?

Various thoughts swirled in his mind, but Lord Denham, the Lord of Iron Mountain, showed no outward expression. He politely stepped forward, and especially when he saw the faint silver tinge around the edge of the purple thorn sword emblem on the chest of the leading red knight, his tone became even more respectful: "My lord, may I ask if His Highness the Duke has given any orders?"

The emblem is silvery, a symbol of the Silver Knight!

"Sorry..."

The lead warhorse exhaled several puffs of hot air from its mouth and nose, and the crimson knight captain sitting on it spoke in a deep voice:

“I am Ayman Green, captain of the sixth squad of the Crimson Knights.”

"Lord Denham, we have come by the Duke's orders to witness the battle for the annexation of the territories between Iron Mountain and Blackstone."

At this point, the Crimson Knight Captain paused, then added, "Witnesses to the outcome."

"We will remain at Iron Mountain Fortress and will not interfere in this territory merger battle."

"This……"

Lord Denham, the Lord of Iron Mountain, narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing a different meaning in the words of the Crimson Knight Captain.

It seems that for the border duke Soros, Blackrock Territory itself is more important than who the lord of Blackrock Territory is.

What is so special about Blackstone Territory?

With a thousand thoughts racing through his mind, Lord Denham, the Lord of Iron Mountain, gestured an invitation: "Please, gentlemen, come into the castle and rest for a while."

"The war for territorial consolidation is about to begin. Please forgive me for not being able to properly entertain you. When I return victorious, I will certainly hold a grand welcome banquet for all of you."

"Om-"

The heavy fortress gates slowly opened to the sides, revealing rows of fully armed knights standing in neat rows. Their armor gleamed with a menacing black light in the morning glow.

……

The atmosphere in Blackstone Territory was unusually oppressive today.

Even the farmers, who should have been busy with the harvest, were at home praying, hoping that the knights of the Tulumbel family would win this battle.

In the courtyard of the Blackrock Lord's mansion, a total of thirty official knights were already dressed in armor and armed. Their seemingly solemn expressions could not hide the bewilderment in their eyes.

Chapter 37 The war begins

"Squeak-"

The courtyard gate was pushed open, and Red, dressed in heavy knight's plate armor and with a knight's sword at his waist, slowly walked out.

Behind him followed two knights dressed in full armor and wearing full-face helmets.

Entering the courtyard, seeing the clearly lacking spirit of the regular knights, Red frowned and roared:

"Are you prepared to start a war against Iron Mountain Territory in this manner?"

"To be cowardly before even engaging in battle is a disgrace to knights!"

The loud voice made the eardrums of the formal knights in the courtyard vibrate, and the younger formal knights lowered their heads in shame.

Looking at the formal knights in front of him, Red's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

In his previous temperament, he would have given these knights a thorough dressing-down and a severe beating, but remembering Young Master Roy's instructions, he suppressed his anger and, with a stern face, shouted:

"Now, everyone follow me!"

In the silent stillness, only the sound of armor plates rubbing together and heavy footsteps echoed into the distance.

Red rode a tall warhorse at the head of the procession, followed by five other formal knights on horseback. They were squad leaders among the thirty knights, all seasoned knights who had spent many years in the formal knight stage and were only one step away from advancing to the bronze rank with the "Advanced Breathing Technique".

Behind the knight squad leader, five regular knights jogged along, forming five columns in total, heading towards the border between Blackstone Territory and Iron Mountain Territory.

That place was the battlefield designated in the "Declaration of War for Territory Merger".

Roy followed at the back of the group at a leisurely pace. Several knights cast curious glances at him, but since Roy was brought by Red, they dared not ask any questions. They just kept wondering who these two guys wearing full-coverage helmets were.

The figure dressed similarly next to Roy was none other than the healing witch, Shanika.

Unlike the Ice Witch, the Healing Witch Shanica is a service witch, who can openly participate in battles.

Emerging from "prison," she gazed at the long-lost blue sky and white clouds, inhaling the fresh air. Her eyes, hidden beneath her helmet, narrowed slightly with contentment, as if she felt an urge to dance in the sunlight.

She tilted her head slightly, looking at Roy beside her, who was wrapped in a metal helmet, and a bright smile appeared on her lips hidden by the helmet.

……