It felt so good to be close to the witch!

The room next door, naturally, held Jax, the Bronze Knight.

"Kata..."

The lock opened, the prison door opened, and Roy walked into the cell where Lord Denham was imprisoned. The first thing he saw was Lord Denham sitting cross-legged on the cold, damp floor.

He had now awakened from his coma, his face was unusually pale, his eyes were dim, and he appeared very weak.

The "Instant Gold" technique of the "Golden Breathing Method" caused considerable damage to Lord Denham's heart. In addition, the shadow magic bound his heart, preventing his fighting spirit from flowing back to his heart to repair the damage. As a result, his condition did not improve at all, and even showed signs of deterioration.

In this state, he didn't even have the strength to stand up, let alone escape.

Upon seeing Roy, Shanica, and Lilia enter the cage, Lord Denham's pupils contracted at first, but he quickly regained his composure: "Everyone underestimated you, Roy Tulumbel."

"What I can't understand is why the Templars would cooperate with you in putting on such a show."

"And you, Lilia, I have never broken our promise, so why did you betray me?"

“Betrayal?” Lilia’s voice was icy cold: “Denham, betrayal is based on loyalty, but I have never been loyal to you. All I have is hatred that makes me want to tear you apart.”

"If you didn't have the witch controller and it wasn't bound to you, do you think you would still be alive today?"

Roy raised his hand, signaling the Shadow Witch Lilia to remain silent for the time being. He looked at Lord Denham and said calmly, "Denham, you should understand your current situation."

"As a prisoner, you have no right to ask questions, only the obligation to answer them."

"Now, I ask and you answer."

“You’re a smart person, and I don’t want to use any means to coerce you, but you should know the consequences of not cooperating.”

"Coerce me?" Lord Denham shook his head. "I have lost my lands and my title. I am no different from being dead. How can you coerce me?"

"Kill me? Although the Witch of Light will soon lose control, are you sure the Witch of Shadows will allow you to do so? If you kill me, the Witch of Light will die too."

Upon hearing Lord Denham's words, Roy laughed: "Denham, you know what? In this world, death isn't the most terrifying thing. There are plenty of ways to make you wish you were dead."

"You should know very well that since you lost, I will not let you out. Rather than live a life worse than death, you might as well cooperate wholeheartedly. That way, you can still maintain your dignity."

After hearing Roy's words, Lord Denham fell silent. After a moment, he said in a hoarse voice, "Ask away."

"I want to know, Your Highness, why did you instruct the Second Prince to launch the 'Territory Merger War' against Blackstone Territory?" Roy asked in a deep voice.

Lord Denham shook his head: "Although I don't know where you got the information that it was His Highness the Second Prince who ordered me to take Blackrock Territory, I am just a lowly lord. I was just following orders and I know nothing else."

"..." Roy did not speak immediately.

He knew that Lord Denham was not lying.

Given the "caution" shown by the Second Prince, he certainly wouldn't leave such an obvious loophole.

"So, did His Highness the Second Prince give you any orders on what to do after you acquired Blackstone Territory?" After thinking for a moment, Roy changed his approach to interrogation.

“…Yes.” Lord Denham paused. “He asked me to lead my people in a celebration around Star Lake this year for the Fertility Festival.”

That's all I know.

"Do whatever you want."

Lord Denham lowered his head, his voice filled with desolation; he knew very well the fate of the loser.

But after waiting for a long time, he didn't hear Roy's "judgment," only the sound of footsteps fading into the distance, and Roy's conversation with a woman:

"Shanika, be careful, don't let Denham die."

"I understand, Mr. Roy."

Chapter 52 Beneath the Star Lake

After leaving Blackrock Prison, Roy returned to the lord's manor with the three witches.

The information he received from Lord Denham further confirmed that the Second Prince's purpose in attacking Blackrock Territory was Star Lake.

The Duke of the Border wrote in his letter, “Do not venture deep into the bottom of Star Lake, where even a Golden Knight could perish,” while the Second Prince requested of Lord Denham that “this year’s Festival of Abundance be celebrated around Star Lake with the people.”

The fact that the two men paid such "attention" to Star Lake indicated that Star Lake, which was previously seen by the old lord of Blackrock Territory as merely a resource point producing low-purity magic crystals, was far more complex than it appeared on the surface. This made Roy want to investigate it thoroughly.

Of course, he knew the saying "listen to advice and you'll eat your fill," so he didn't think about going deep into Xinghu Lake right now. He just wanted to explore the outer perimeter of Xinghu Lake first.

Even now, Roy has never seen Star Lake in person.

There are three days left until the Feast of Abundance.

Although it is unclear what the Second Prince's purpose was in having Lord Denham lead the people in a celebration around Star Lake during the Festival of Abundance, given Lord Denham's failed attempt to seize Blackstone Territory, if the Second Prince still wanted to take some action at Star Lake on the day of the Festival of Abundance, he would certainly not let go of these last three days.

The saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle." The Second Prince is far away in the Empire, making it impossible to investigate, and intelligence is extremely lacking. However, Star Lake is so close that at least some advance planning can be made.

After arranging the residences for the Healing Witch Shanika, the Shadow Witch Lilia, and the Light Witch Vivian—next to his own courtyard—Roy invited the Shadow Witch Lilia to join him on their journey to Star Lake.

As for the healing witch Shanica, she needs to stay in Blackrock Territory to guard the Iron Mountain Knights who are imprisoned there. Of course, more importantly, Roy always felt that Shanica, after being completely cleansed of the pollution and emerging from the bottom of Blackrock Prison, was inexplicably a little "dangerous".

Vivian, the Witch of Light, only recovered from her semi-out-of-control state yesterday, and she shouldn't be moving around too much right now; she needs to rest more.

……

Star Lake is located 6,000 meters east of the lord's mansion. Its waters are clear and blue, reflecting the starry sky every night.

The area surrounding Xinghu Lake is covered with dense forests where wild beasts occasionally roam. Hunters often come here to try their luck. If they are fortunate enough to hunt a polar bear before winter, the harsh winter this year will be much easier.

Of course, polar bears are extremely powerful fighters, and because it is approaching winter, they need to store up a lot of fat, making their aggression even stronger than usual. Even a formal knight would generally not be willing to face such a beast alone. Between the hunter and the polar bear, who is the hunter and who is the prey depends on their respective skills.

Every year, you'll hear about a few unlucky souls who die in the jaws of polar bears.

When Roy and the Shadow Witch Lilia arrived at the shore of Star Lake after traversing the dense forest, it was nearly noon.

Beneath a large tree by the lake, the shadows, like fluid, coalesced into the bodies of Roy and Lilia.

Roy looked down at his body, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.

The feeling of being carried by the power of shadow for the first time was very strange, like entering a "special tunnel" and traveling quickly through it.

Is there another world in the shadows?

Roy's thoughts wandered aimlessly. Then, he composed himself and looked up at what was in front of him.

The sight that came into view made his eyes widen slightly.

Under the sunlight, Xinghu Lake's azure waters shimmered with a captivating glow, and the ripples spreading in the gentle breeze stirred the heartstrings. Several deer were drinking water by the lakeside, completely unaware of the two uninvited guests approaching from not far behind them.

"Is this Star Lake?"

The sudden sound startled the fawn that was drinking water, causing it to flee in panic.

Roy walked to the lakeside, looked at his reflection in the water, and his face was full of amazement.

This is only Star Lake at noon. How beautiful would Star Lake be at night, as rumored?

Beside Roy, a glimmer also appeared in the eyes of the Shadow Witch Lilia.

She had heard of Star Lake, but since arriving in Iron Mountain Territory, she had been coerced by Lord Denham to work for him and had never had the chance to visit it.

Although she is a witch, she is still just a young girl in her early twenties. How could she not like beautiful things?

Noticing Lilia's reaction beside him, Roy smiled knowingly, but said nothing. Instead, he walked to the side of Star Lake, squatted down, and scooped up a handful of lake water.

The water in the Star Lake that was being scooped up was very clean and clear, but after carefully sensing it, Roy narrowed his eyes slightly.

He sensed an extremely faint magical power in the lake water.

Such a low concentration of magical lake water will not cause any harm to the bodies of living beings; in fact, long-term consumption can even improve their physical condition.

Red had told Roy about the mysterious nature of Star Lake.

However, the water in Star Lake only undergoes this change in the week leading up to the "Feast Festival" each year. This is because the water is only effective for official knights in the first one or two uses, and there are concerns that taking the water would affect the production of low-purity magic crystals. Therefore, in recent years, the old lord of Blackrock Territory has ordered a strict ban on anyone taking water from Star Lake when the "Feast Festival" is approaching.

What Roy cared about wasn't the faint magic contained in the Star Lake water; what he cared about was the reason for this change.

The presence of a faint magical power within the Star Lake suggests that there must be a source emanating from this power.

And this source is most likely the Second Prince's goal, and also what the Border Duke mentioned: something deep at the bottom of the lake that could bring death to even the Golden Knight.

Roy released his grip, and the cool lake water flowed through his fingers, creating ripples on the surface. He stood up, gazing at the lake, trying to see what lay beneath the water.

Unfortunately, the lake was too deep. Even though it was very clear, it was not completely transparent. With layers of impurities blocking the view, all Roy could see was the azure lake water.

“Lilia, do you have any special connection to this lake?” Roy turned his head to look at the shadow witch Lilia beside him.

The Shadow Witch is far more powerful than him; perhaps she can sense something different.

Upon hearing Roy's words, Lilia closed her eyes and focused all her senses on sensing. A few seconds later, she opened her eyes and said, "Lord Roy, apart from the extremely small amount of magic in the lake water, there is nothing special about Star Lake."

Roy thought for a moment and said, "Then can you sense which lake has the highest concentration of magic?"

“That works.” The Shadow Witch Lilia nodded. “It’s in the center of the lake; the magic concentration is highest there.”

“The middle of the lake…” Roy looked thoughtful, then said casually, “Let’s go, let’s row to the middle of the lake and see what’s going on.”

Chapter 53 The Strange Movements of the Original Sin Cube

It was said that they would row to the center of the lake, but in reality there were no boats around Star Lake, so Roy had to build a simple wooden boat by hand.

Of course, building a ship, even a simple wooden one, on his own would not be an easy task, but he has the shadow magic Lilia!

The power of shadow has endless uses, and the shadow blades it condenses are exceptionally sharp. While they may not be able to cut through iron like mud, they can easily chop down trees and build ships.

After Lilia took action, she quickly cut down several small trees by the lake and tied them together with vines, thus completing a simple raft.

Such a crudely made raft would be scrapped after only a few uses, but it was undoubtedly qualified as a temporary water vehicle.

Holding two chopped oars, Roy enthusiastically stepped onto the raft and beckoned Lilia to come aboard.

Just as Lilia was about to take the oar from Roy's hand, Roy refused:

"Leave the rowing to me."

"I'm a skilled rower!"

Roy flashed a confident smile, revealing his pearly white teeth to Lilia.

Back when he was still on Earth, he participated in a dragon boat race, and his team even won second place!

Seeing Roy's confident demeanor, Lilia was skeptical. Subconsciously, as a guard, helping the lord row a boat was perfectly normal. Besides, could the pampered Roy really row a boat?

After hesitating for a moment, Lilia finally nodded silently, but she was thinking about how she should say something when the raft was stationary or spinning on the lake, so as to better save Lord Roy's face.

To Lilia's surprise, as Roy skillfully rowed the raft, it moved steadily and quickly toward the center of the lake.