We agreed to seek enlightenment together, but how did you end up seeking enlightenment for my mother

The first floor has been roughly scanned, and apart from the basic materials, most of it is low-quality junk.

The second-floor living area was equally unremarkable; six people could sleep in one room, indicating that these raiders didn't have any decent personal belongings, leaving behind only junk that was neither edible nor worth throwing away.

On the corpses of those looters, Xu Zhou found thirty-two silver coins, which was roughly equivalent to five secondhand leather coats worn by beautiful women.

In addition, Xu Zhou also found a small telescope, but unfortunately its actual performance was poor, with the lenses being extremely blurry.

However, it could serve as a gift for Qiu Xun and Xiao Mei. As for who it would ultimately belong to, let the two children fight over it.

Wu Lulu wasn't very interested in collecting loot; she only craved battle. After confirming that there was no danger in the outpost, she went up to the top floor alone to keep watch.

On the third floor, Xu Zhou finally made a discovery.

The third floor appears to be the office area of ​​the raider leader. In the center of the spacious floor is a sand table depicting the surrounding terrain, with mountains and rivers clearly visible.

Near the window on the inside, there was a solid wood desk and a leather chair that looked expensive. The walls on both sides were covered with all kinds of flags, which seemed to be symbols of the villages they had once plundered.

Xu Zhou opened his desk drawer, inside which lay a gold coin, eighteen silver coins, a notebook, and a strange book emitting a faint purple light.

[Creation: Enchantment Book - Looting III]

[Effect: Chance to steal items.]

[Note: This contains the power of the God of Creation and can only be used at the enchanting table within the Infinite World.]

"An enchanted book?"

The book is small and light in the hand, as if some force is preventing the pages from opening and closing.

Xu Zhou immediately summoned Wu Lulu and asked her about the purpose of the item.

The girl tapped her chin with her fingertip, tilted her head slightly as if recalling something, and then gave her answer as if reciting lines.

"You can use this on the enchanting table to enchant weapons and apply the effects to the equipment."

Is it very rare?

"Enchanted books aren't rare in themselves, but Looting III... that should be considered rare, right? At least I've never seen one in the Alliance Library's records."

Xu Zhou nodded, his gaze falling on the silver spear behind her.

"Is your weapon compatible with this?"

The girl immediately shook her head and tightened the spear behind her back.

"No, no, no, what would I do with stealing the function? Besides, we don't even know where the enchanting table is right now, so we don't need it at all."

After she finished speaking, she thought for a moment and then added,

"This stuff is best used on weapons that are valuable enough. My gun is just standard Alliance equipment, it's not worth enchanting."

Although you have obtained a valuable treasure, you can't use it in the short term. It's like finally having the chance to play duo with your teammates, and finally saving up enough money to buy a good gun, only to find that you don't have enough money to buy bullets.

Moreover, this wasn't the first time. The last thing that brought Xu Zhou this sense of frustration was called "Silent Death."

"Forget it, I can't just complain after getting a good deal. I'm lucky to have made a profit."

Putting away the enchanted book, Wu Lulu opened another notebook and curiously leaned over, their heads almost touching.

The entries were indeed diary-like, such as which village they had captured, which stronghold they had discovered, or how they had evaded the Survey Corps—a collection of fragmented details of the bandits' daily lives.

On the latest page, Xu Zhou was surprised to see a familiar piece of content.

Weather: Sunny

[Scout reports: A small village has been unexpectedly discovered in the target area. Judging from the style of the houses, the villagers moved here about thirty years ago. There are about thirty residents in the village. Importantly, no patrolling iron golems have been spotted from outside the village.]

[I remember the merchant we dealt with before said that there was trouble in the Plains Castle, which is probably why the villages haven't received supplies. The iron golems are probably out of energy and have given up.]

This is definitely good news.

After reading this, Wu Lulu's face immediately tightened.

"Xu Zhou, this iron golem..."

"Yes, it's most likely referring to Dalin Village."

Xu Zhou closed his notebook and strode to the sand table, where three small flags with markings were stuck in the sand.

One side represents the current outpost, another side depicts a cluster of houses representing the village, and the last side features a skull, which, for some reason, is planted in the same spot as the village flag.

Xu Zhou frowned, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

"Something's not right, we can't wait any longer."

Wu Lulu gently tugged at his sleeve, her voice very low:

"Xu Zhou, let's go back to the village and check things out. I'm worried..."

"I understand. Let's pack our gear and get going!"

With a clear map drawn on the sand table, the two can find their way even when Xiao Hei is not around.

There was no time to look for the bird now. The two left the outpost and headed straight for Dalin Village at full speed.

The outpost, Dalin Village, and the white-haired loli's residence form an acute triangle, and the road from the outpost to Dalin Village happens to be the longest side.

The two traveled day and night, finally arriving near the village almost in the middle of the night.

And what they feared most finally happened.

Looking into the distance, the sky was tinged with a dark red, the traces of rising flames.

"The village is on fire!"

Wu Lulu took the lead, her mysterious energy surging within her, and she charged out with her gun.

Xu Zhou was equally anxious and disregarded the witch's mark. He activated his mantra and made his hair swing rapidly through the forest, but the girl's figure was too fast and was swallowed up by the dense forest in the blink of an eye.

Is this the true meaning of an ominous sign?

Swinging required almost no effort, and he quickly caught up to the edge of the village. Just before he landed, a violent explosion suddenly rang out.

Xu Zhou looked closely and saw that the entire village was engulfed in flames.

The orange flames greedily devoured the houses, and the sky was ablaze with fire, turning half the world red.

In a daze, he thought he had returned to the Zoroastrian altar.

At the village entrance, a dull thud rang out, and Wu Lulu fell from mid-air, her body flipping in mid-air before crashing heavily back to the ground.

On the opposite rooftop stood a shirtless male figure, his fists wreathed in dark green ghost fire. Against the backdrop of the crimson flames filling the sky, he looked exceptionally eerie and terrifying.

"Red maple!?"

Xu Zhou's pupils shrank sharply as he instantly recognized the figure—it was a priest from the Zoroastrian Church!

What is he doing here?!

What is that strangely colored flame?

Chi Feng clearly caught sight of Xu Zhou as well, and immediately put on a wild and unrestrained smile.

"Ah~ Isn't this my dear Shiba Inu? We meet again."

Just as Xu Zhou was about to speak, Wu Lulu suddenly leaped into the air, the tip of her spear tearing through the flames with a fierce wind, aiming straight at the middle-aged man on the roof.

"Xu Zhou! Go save them first!!"

Xu Zhou glanced at Wu Lulu with a serious expression, then without further hesitation, he bypassed the village entrance and rushed into the depths of the village.

He didn't understand how Chifeng had found this place, but now was not the time to dwell on it.

Now that Wu Lulu has made her choice, the only thing he should do is trust her.