My health recovery is incredibly fast.

Therefore, the patrol duties for the next few days fell to Shazo and Rexor.

Xia Zuo bid farewell to the departing members of the 17th Action Team at the manor, went inside to make some preparations, and then walked with Rexor, who was in disguise, towards the nearby street.

Both of them were wearing trench coats.

Xia Zuo was wearing a vest and a shirt underneath.

Rexor wrapped himself up tightly, concealing his leather armor, and covered his face with a low-brimmed hat and a large fake beard.

Xia Zuo underwent a loyalty ritual and mastered all the bloodline languages, greatly simplifying the search.

His hands were in his trench coat pockets, and his left hand held the blood-red crystal—the one that was in the typewriter ink cartridge.

This crystal can help the holder sense living beings with vibrant blood patterns.

With just a handheld device, Xia Zuo can easily search every area of ​​the city.

To ensure the search goes smoothly, Rexor also carries a crimson crystal in his pocket while participating in the search.

...

Streets in the southern part of Poseidon.

Tall evergreen trees line both sides of the street, and pedestrians stroll under their shade.

Horse-drawn carriages honked their horns as they drove through the streets, while mobile vendors pushing carts enthusiastically called out their wares.

In the display cases along the street, alchemical lamps illuminate brand-new products, and promotional information hangs on the glass windows.

Xia Zuo stopped in front of a large department store.

The signboard at the entrance reads:

With the Winter Veil festival approaching, enjoy a 10% discount on all items.

From December 12.1st to December 12.7th, enjoy an additional 15% discount on daily necessities such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, and towels.

From December 12.8th to 15th, plush toys, wrapping paper, ivy ornaments and other holiday gifts will enjoy an additional 12.15% discount.

[December 12.16th, Winter Veil Festival Grand Sale! 30% off everything on that day!!]

Don't miss this once-a-year mega sale!

Winter Veil is an important festival in the Silvermoon Federation, heralding the arrival of winter and snow.

When the weather gets cold, no one thinks about going out except for work, and people stock up on food, drinks and toys at home.

In the Federation, this led to the custom of making large-scale purchases during Winter Veil.

On the day of Winter Veil, there will be a grand song and dance parade that will circle the central city and pass through the four districts of the east, west, south, and north.

At that time, there will be at least 100,000 people walking the streets to join in the fun.

When Rexor explained these things inside the soundproof barrier, his tone was somewhat low, and his words carried a sense of worry.

“There are still 15 days until Winter Veil, Shazo. This festival can be postponed, but it cannot be canceled, otherwise it will incite public anger. Hidden Category 3 disasters will always find an opportunity to erupt. In previous years, this festival was the busiest time for the action team. This year is especially so.”

Xia Zuo turned his gaze away from the billboard and continued walking forward. "We need to find out the unsettling elements in the city in advance, isn't that right, Master?"

“Yes.” Rexol turned up his collar to cover the smooth back of his head.

Xia Zuo asked as he walked:

"Why not just use the universal antidote to forcibly break through the shells of those nine blood demons, thus forcing the Church of the Otherworldly Demons to abandon any thought of saving the blood demons?"

"Hmm... Xia Zuo, let me tell you the answer. A universal antidote has never been taught in the academy's textbooks, right?"

"Yes, Master."

"The potion used to break through the Blood Demon's shell is a pure, all-purpose antidote; the one sold in the apothecary is a highly diluted version."

Rexor had his left hand in his trench coat pocket and his right hand waving in front of him.

"In fact, it is not an alchemical product, it was not made by your alchemy school, nor by our Witcher school."

"It comes from a rainforest country in the southernmost part of this continent, and it is a specialty of that place."

"The Temple of Mages will distribute raw materials to all regions in a unified manner. The Silvermoon Federation will receive a limited amount. In the past two weeks, Poseidon City has consumed nearly one-tenth of the raw material reserves of the Magina State, which is no small amount. Of the remaining reserves, at least 80% must be reserved as war reserves."

War reserves… Xia Zuo narrowed his eyes, a word flashing through his mind:

The Otherworldly Inspector.

This repeatedly mentioned aerial reconnaissance unit of the Church of the Otherworld has yet to be seen in its true form, but if war breaks out in the Silvermoon Federation…

Xia Zuo looked up at the sky, where white clouds drifted lazily in the blue sky.

If war really breaks out, the sky won't just be filled with clouds...

Xia Zuo asked with a worried expression, "Master, has the Silver Moon Federation ever been attacked on a large scale?"

“Every corner of the Eastern Continent has been invaded by the Church of the Otherworldly Demons. The Silver Moon Federation is no exception.”

Rexor said:

"About six years ago, several cities in Tambus State, the easternmost part of the Federation, were attacked by the legions of the Church of the Otherworldly Demons."

"Those demons have corrupted the local defense system and defiled the souls and bodies of the city's guards. If it weren't for the effective secrecy of the garrison mages and the temple guards' strongholds, the state of Tambus would have no defense forces at all."

"When the federal troops arrived, the state of Tambus had already become a paradise for demons."

Rexol clenched his fist and swung it, his tone filled with resentment.

"The Otherworldly Demons have no bottom line! They treat humans like livestock, just like we treat chickens, ducks, and geese. The Federation army has to consider the civilians, but the Otherworldly Demons don't. They take pleasure in slaughter, creating terror and calamity, spreading plague and bloodshed."

Rexol paused, "We absolutely cannot let the Church of the Otherworld rescue those nine Blood Demons, we absolutely cannot! If they return to the Church of the Otherworld or infiltrate the city, the consequences will be dire!"

"Do you have any ideas? I mean, besides searching for blood addicts in the city," Xia Zuo said.

"The ritual for the Blood Demon to descend upon the inheritor requires a large amount of blood and the setting up of a bone altar. The materials for the bone altar are durable and can be reused repeatedly. Hybrid blood mages can use their spatial pockets to transport the altar materials."

Rexol said, "The only thing that must be fresh is blood, the kind that has just been separated from a living body and is still alive."

Xia Zuo frowned.

Fresh blood.

It was still "a lot" of blood.

Does the Church of the Otherworldly Demons intend to carry out a massacre in Poseidon City?

Rexor continued:

"In the past, obtaining blood meant relying on local resources. But now... the Church of the Otherworldly Demons possesses more advanced blood recycling magic, making it much easier to transport blood across regions."

"Is there no way to stop them?" Xia Zuo asked.

Rexor stopped and said:

"There are many ways, but that's not our job."

He took a yellowed piece of paper out of his pocket and stuffed it into the other person's hand.

"Last night, the pure-blood mage in the temple instilled in you the knowledge of the Blood Rune Language, so you should be able to understand the contents of this."

“Yes, Master.” Xia Zuo nodded, holding the paper.

"This intelligence comes from the territory of the Church of the Otherworldly Demons. They will send Otherworldly Demons to infiltrate the territory of the Mage Temple, and we will deal with them in the same way."

Rexor said:

"The Church of the Otherworldly Demons wants to rescue the Blood Demon from the underground laboratory. We must not only prevent them from succeeding, but also take the opportunity to deliver a heavy blow to the Church of the Otherworldly Demons' territory."

The bald man lightly punched the other man's chest. "So you need to understand. We're in the dominant position now, not on the defensive. Eliminating the blood addicts in Poseidon will expand our advantage. That's all we need to do."

“Oh, and remember to burn that piece of paper. You have to light it yourself. Don’t ask why, we’ll talk about it later,” Rexol instructed.

Xia Zuo stopped the question that was about to come out of his mouth and nodded, "Yes, Master."

After undergoing the loyalty ceremony last night, Rexol's attitude also changed.

Xia Zuo clearly sensed the change in him; it was a sense of trust.

As he walked, he was considering two things in his mind.

First, it is the full name of a high-ranking blood demon.

Should we tell Rexor the name Quarovich?

If you do mention it, you'll have to explain the origin, which will lead to discussions about bloodline imprints, bloodline intuition, and further, innate spells, the degree of awakening of bloodline power, and so on.

The more he talks, the more likely he is to expose his differences from a normal pureblood mage... although he doesn't even know what a normal pureblood mage should be like...

So we'll put it on hold for now.

Second thing.

Besides Poseidon, where else in Magina State are threatened by the Otherworldly?

Xia Zuo thought it was Polis City.

Previously, three Transformers escaped to Polis City under the unknown arrangement of the Blood Demon.

Xia Zuo was able to sense their location through the bloodline mark; it was in the direction of Bolis City.

When the blood demon gave the order, it said "Go to Polis City" instead of "Come to Polis City".

This indicates that the Blood Demon himself was not in Polis City, but believed that Polis City was safe enough.

There is an 80% chance that a hidden stronghold of the Otherworldly Church exists within the city of Polis.

Should we talk to Rexor?

Xia Zuo rubbed his temples, looking quite troubled.

Speaking out could eliminate enemy strongholds, reduce casualties on our side, and minimize potential dangers.

If he doesn't speak up... he won't be able to live with himself if a major disaster occurs.

After much thought, Xia Zuo came up with a solution.

He planned to try it out tonight, using the [Blood Curse] on the three Transformers again to provoke them and their masters, and see if he could get more information.

If anything seems amiss, contact Rexol immediately.

One lie needs another to cover it up; one lie leads to another, and eventually the truth will be revealed.

Therefore, if you want to reveal intelligence, you need to think about your communication strategy with Rexol in advance to ensure that you do not expose any possible anomalies.