That's right, that's what adventure is like!

Roland did not walk fast.

He stepped over the deep pits, which gleamed like oil paint, and there were several dead birds lying beside them, their feathers all stripped off.

There was an open-pit mine shaft with a few rotten logs supporting it, and something was hanging from a rope in the middle, swaying in the deep shaft.

He walked closer and took a look; it was a person.

It was already dead; its skin was marked with deep lines from the ropes, and its flesh had shriveled into a ball, yet it was still swaying gently in the wind.

Roland shook his head.

He hadn't expected Duanyan Town to have reached this point.

It's only about two streets away from where the town hall is located.

As he walked, the news he had just heard was still swirling in his mind.

"I've never heard of blood cores before, but the methods used are extremely cruel, and it started more than half a year ago, when the imperial army had just entered the capital... I guess someone saw that the kingdom was in trouble, so they did it."

The kingdom is about to fall, and order is collapsing. Even with the Church of the True God still holding things back, some people are already unable to restrain themselves.

They acted earlier and more skillfully than the guards who only dared to make a move now. The Black Horn Gang was just a facade; even if they were wiped out, it wouldn't make much difference.

There are others behind it all.

On a larger scale, the Blackhorn Gang and Broken Rock Town are just a microcosm. If even a small border town is like this, what about other places? What about places with even more extraordinary beings? Could the situation be even worse?

Some things are beyond repair from the start, and even if the empire withdraws its troops now, things may not return to their original state.

Roland finally understood why more and more homeless people had been fleeing here recently; they were all trying to cross the border and seek survival in other regions.

Even the original him was like that.

click-

A piece of rotten wood was broken underfoot, and Roland turned his gaze forward.

It was a mine shaft, with flickering firelight and faint sounds of people coming from inside.

The cave entrance was large enough for three or four people to walk side by side, with torches stuck on both sides. At this moment, two or three people were swaying about.

He deliberately made his steps heavy.

Hearing the commotion, the people at the door turned around. A tall, thin man, carrying an iron rod, squinted and stopped Roland: "Adventurer? You're the one who killed that idiot Colin?"

The news had already reached Roland, so he wasn't surprised.

After all, having been around here for so long, if you don't even know your own whereabouts, then you're not even qualified to be a henchman.

Seeing that he didn't speak, the tall, thin man nodded slightly: "The boss said that if you start a fight without meeting us, we'll have to invite you in."

Roland raised an eyebrow.

interesting.

"lead the way."

The tall, thin man was taken aback, not expecting him to react so quickly, so he stepped aside to make way, but he didn't put down the iron rod in his hand.

The group stepped into the mine tunnel, and after rounding several bends, they entered a huge natural chamber supported by a dozen massive pillars to prevent collapse.

Roland's gaze swept over a dozen wooden tables, around which dozens of ragged men were throwing cards, their faces flushed. Several wooden buckets lay in the corner, and bones were scattered on the ground.

At the far end was a large chair, on which sat a burly man whose bare upper body was covered with strange blue-purple patterns, and a black goat tattoo on his chest.

He is Blackhorn.

Blackhorn's gaze swept over Roland, lingering for a moment on the longsword and javelin, before he plastered a greasy smile: "Brother, adventurers are a rare sight here... Are you here to seek justice for that half-dragon?"

Roland nodded.

He didn't close the door when he interrogated old Colin, and many people heard it, so it's not surprising that Blackhorn knew.

"What a pity about that child..." Blackhorn sighed, then shook his neck. "How about this, I'll offer five hundred gold coins, consider this a loss, what do you say?"

"or……"

He then swept his gaze across the entire space, pointed at everyone, and said, "Pick any few people from here and take them back to report."

"Of course, some things are better left unsaid."

Roland was slightly surprised by this frankness, then narrowed his eyes: "What if I say no?"

These words caused Blackhorn's expression to change slightly. He stood up, but his tone still carried a hint of flattery: "Brother, this price is already quite generous. If we refuse now, it won't look good for that important person upstairs..."

Roland didn't move; he was watching.

Within the realm of magical perception, something was subtly changing.

Blackhorn felt a chill run down his spine under Roland's gaze, and the smile on his face slowly froze. He opened his mouth again, as if he wanted to say something more.

Suddenly.

laugh--

Blood mist burst forth from every pore of Blackhorn's body, coalescing into a cloud in the air, continuously condensing and brewing, until finally revealing a crimson glow.

Black Horn convulsed and fell straight to the ground, his eyes fixed on the ball of blood in mid-air, finally managing to squeeze out a single sentence.

"My lord... I... didn't... say... anything..."

Bang! ! !

His chest suddenly exploded, and a dark golden sphere the size of a thumb emerged from his heart, carrying with it a cloud of blood and flying towards the outside of the cave.

Blood nucleus.

Everyone was stunned. They never expected that their leader was the carrier of the blood core, let alone that it would suddenly take effect at this moment.

Roland reacted quickly.

He drew his javelin, dark red runes flashing instantly, and channeled all his strength into his arm before hurling it!

call out--

A streak of light flashed, and the Blazing Pulse Javelin cut through the air with a chilling gleam, piercing the Blood Core just as it was about to fly out of the cave entrance.

Click.

The blood core exploded, turning into countless dark golden powders that sprinkled into the gaping mouths of the gamblers below, mixed with the black slag on the ground, and finally settled down.

Roland faintly heard an angry roar of frustration.

"It's you again!!!"

?

The voice was so familiar that Roland paused for a moment before slowly turning his head.

"Where are the ledgers?"

No one answered.

Roland took two steps forward, and a commotion broke out in the crowd before a scarred man was pushed forward.

He glanced back at his men, muttered a curse under his breath, then flashed a fawning smile: "Sir, we don't have account books here, it's too dangerous..."

Seeing Roland's eyes turn cold, he hurriedly pointed to a small door not far away: "There, there are still some living children there, do you see?"

"lead the way."

"yes!"

The two walked through the narrow mine tunnel and gradually descended. A strange, acrid smell began to appear in the air, along with the stench of excrement and urine.

Some fences began to appear on both sides of the tunnel, and people were inside.

From the elderly to children, from men to women, they were naked, covered in bruises and scars, and emaciated.

There were even a few babies.

He kept walking until he reached the last one, and used his torch to illuminate the face of the person inside.

acquaintance.

Luca met his gaze through the fence, a cold smile on his face, his expression remaining calm despite his numerous wounds.

"You've come," he said in a hoarse voice. "It's been a long time."

Then, seeing that Roland did not react, he pointed to his heart.

"Would you like to try some?"

"Mine is almost ripe."