You are all my wings!

"Can you break my soul contract?"

She once again revealed her pitiful, teary-eyed appearance, her little hands tugging at Leon's rather tattered magic robe.

"What do you say?"

Lyon laughed and asked in return, "This guy definitely has an ulterior motive."

"Hmph, I knew it wouldn't work. I shouldn't have asked you for help. You're so stingy and miserly!"

Maggie immediately changed her expression, and the wet tears in her heterochromatic eyes vanished in an instant.

"I might consider it when I'm two ranks higher than you, but let's forget about it for now."

Lyon shrugged and walked toward the sacred mural.

Maggie's eyes lit up, realizing that things weren't entirely hopeless, and she quickly said:

"Oh, how ignorant... Oh dear and venerable master, this is a sacred mural. Don't you really want me to tell you how to comprehend it?"

“If I wanted to know, I could have used the force of contract magic to compel me, but I didn’t because I respect the rare knowledge you possess, understand, Machiru?”

These words surprised Maggie Lu slightly, as they seemed to make some sense.

"As the holder of rare knowledge, I'd be happy if you're willing to share it, but I won't force you to give it to me if you're not willing to tell me. Consider this a favor I'm giving you."

Lyon didn't turn back to leave those words behind; he had already walked to the front of the sacred mural.

Maggie watched Lyon's retreating figure, her feelings a mix of emotions.

Preferential treatment? Does my current situation qualify as preferential treatment?

Being a slave seems to offer relative freedom.

I also felt like I was being treated as a teammate.

It seems...not bad at all?

Lyon decided to follow Britta's experience and first meditate on magical images that might generate a relevant connection.

The murals depict a rich variety of scenes, which can be broadly categorized from left to right into themes such as the soaring clouds, ancient giant beasts, gods in the clouds, heroes underground, and all living beings.

Considering that conventional four-element magic is usually derived from the skills of monsters, Leon decided to start with the various ancient behemoths in the illustrations.

My current best intermediate spell is Hurricane Flame, followed by Cold Tide and Tornado.

Hurricane Flame Bullet is the signature skill of a Tier 4 Fire Lizard, Cold Tide is the skill of a Tier 4 Snowman, and Tornado is the skill of a Tier 4 Lake Fairy. All three are ordinary monsters.

Ice reduction magic originates from the white unicorn, while fire acceleration magic originates from the cosmos moss.

Lyon looked around and found several images of giant beasts that appeared to be close relatives of the fire salamanders. There were also similar images of the snowman and the lake fairy.

Surprisingly, there wasn't a single image of a powerful monster to be seen.

According to the history of monsters, wouldn't the more famous ones be more likely to be recorded on sacred murals?

Is it because the sacred murals hold some hidden meaning, or is it truly a deliberate omission of powerful monsters?

Lyon didn't think much of it and meditated first.

Each of them was searching for a picture that they could understand.

The sacred murals are very large; if you gaze at any small area, you can discover a wealth of tiny images hidden within.

The crowd was dazzled by the sight.

Seeing that Lyon had already begun meditating on the sacred murals, Bovary thought for a moment and decided to follow his example. He chose a picture that looked pleasing to the eye, sat down, and entered a state of breathing exercises.

Iris didn't look at Lyon. She felt that the sacred mural also had a mysterious attraction for her. She walked to the far left and looked at the group of incomprehensible cloud patterns. A glint seemed to flash in her eyes.

"I feel like I can connect with this thing."

As she pondered this, Iris also entered into meditation.

The group gradually entered a state of breathing exercises or meditation.

Some people genuinely felt something, while others were simply scared because they had no clue what to do and quickly sat down to give it a try.

Maggie glanced at Britta subtly, thinking to herself:

"She's the person most connected to this sacred mural. I just need to get close to her to slowly receive the overflowing sacred energy, cleansing my body! This is an excellent opportunity to suppress my demonic bloodline! As for Leon, hmph, although what you just said was cool, I'm sorry, I'm going to enjoy this sacred energy all to myself!"

According to Machiru's knowledge, only those who are connected with the gods can receive the gifts from sacred murals.

The so-called enlightenment of sacred murals may be possible, but the probability is extremely low.

Those who claim to have gleaned something from sacred murals are either capable of understanding something themselves, or they are pretending to know what they don't.

One in ten thousand people can learn something from it.

Therefore, Machiru's initial plan was to ride on Britta's fast track and absorb the divine energy overflowing from her body.

Although she benefited far less than Britta herself, she believed that she was above everyone else and that she was never inferior to anyone else!

Chapter 136 The Deceptive Scheme and a Glimmer of Understanding

More than four hours had passed since Lyon entered a meditative state.

The darkness outside remained unchanged. Outside the valley, the howls of demons could be heard from time to time, causing great tremors and rolling sand and gravel. It was mostly a battle between fifth and sixth-tier demons, but fortunately, it did not affect this side.

During this period, Bovary gained some profound insights but then went on to replace Karl.

Britta and Iris, on the other hand, seemed to have gained something from the mural, completely absorbed in it.

After Leon emerged from his meditative state, he glanced at everyone and noticed that Machiru seemed to have also grasped something, unlike someone who was forcing themselves to understand something they didn't.

"It seems that those of higher rank have an advantage in comprehending sacred murals."

Leon didn't think much of it. After all, Machiru was someone who could become a legend in the future, and even had the opportunity to enter the epic realm. She also claimed to have mastered the method of enlightenment, so it was not surprising that she had gained something.

Her potential is at least S-, or even S-.

However, her plot weight is only b+, and she doesn't have much screen time in the main storyline.

Now that she's indirectly joined the female lead's team, it's anyone's guess what will happen in the future.

As for Lyon himself, after meditating for four hours, he seemed to have experienced some changes, yet also some, a very subtle feeling.

Moreover, while they were meditating outside, everyone was watching, and Iris didn't dare to kiss him, hoping Leon would improve his efficiency.

Therefore, Lyon could only regretfully conclude that he seemed to be destined to be unrelated to the sacred murals.

But since it was a sacred mural, he decided to continue trying his own way. After all, even if he didn't gain any insights, his original intermediate-level magical imagery could still be improved, so it wouldn't be a loss.

This is inherently a gamble.

He took out a few bites of the dried, tender trunk of the pseudo-wisdom tree, then continued his meditation practice.

As long as this place remains temporarily safe, he is prepared to continue to live a life of hiding.

Given enough time, even if Princess Ophimasso fails to suppress the monster uprising, other experts should step in.

Of course, this would take longer, and the risks are unknown.

If possible, he would certainly hope that Ophimasso could deliver a strong performance this time.

……

The time has come to the twelfth hour of everyone's contemplation of the sacred mural.

"Sigh, is it almost at its limit?"

In the dim light, Machiru opened her eyes and looked at Britta next door.

The saintess was still in a meditative state, but she herself had already reached her limit.

This is not to say that Maquilu is weaker than Britta, or that she couldn't even persist in long periods of meditation.

Rather, it is the demonic bloodline within her that limits her ability to accept divine energy.

This thing can help her suppress the restlessness of the demon bloodline, but it's not a case of the more the better.

Too much of it will disrupt the balance of her two blood vessels, causing her body to lose control.

At that time, it's impossible to know what problems might arise.

If you're unlucky, you might experience a magical outburst, resulting in complete paralysis that even high-level or king-level healing magic can't fix.

As the world's only artificial demon, she appears arrogant and domineering, but in reality, she lives a life of constant anxiety.

All those performances and struggles are just a way for them to survive and fulfill their dreams.

She never boasted about how much pain or torment she endured every day.

Because she knew from a very young age that people's joys and sorrows are truly uncommon.

Ultimately, it is impossible for two people to truly understand each other on a soul level.

As for Lyon, this cheap owner?

She thought to herself that he was barely better than her mentor and Utaman, at least she didn't have to worry too much when talking to him.

……

The time has come to the twentieth hour.

The Four Horsemen have already completed a full rotation.

When Mark and Miro handed over the keys, he asked:

"So, did you learn anything?"

Milo shrugged: "Not even a single pubic hair. It seems that although we are quasi-paladins, we have no connection with the sacred murals at all."

Mark: "Maybe it's because you're so foul-mouthed that you can't feel the sacredness of this thing and can't understand anything about it."

Milo: "Hmph, at most my mouth is dirty, but your heart is dirty."

"how?"

"You dare to break the taboos for men and develop feelings that are not approved by God. How can you not be considered to have a dirty heart?"

Milo immediately started criticizing.

Mark trembled with anger: "Hmph! Milo, you should know that some things can be said, but some things cannot!"

Milo smiled slightly: "Don't get excited, Mark. I'm just reminding you to be careful as a long-time partner. Don't win the selection but fail to become a paladin. That would be a disservice to the Holy Maiden's cultivation. You should know who personally pulled us out of the mire."

Mark calmed down: "You don't need to say anything, I'll be careful!"

"That's good. I'm going to keep watch now. Good luck."

Milo patted Mark on the shoulder and turned to leave.

Mark watched as Milo walked out of the inner circle of the valley, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

Just then, Leon emerged from his meditation and happened to notice the minor conflict between the two.

"mark."

"What is it, sir? Do you have any instructions?"

Mark was the second most respectful of the Four Horsemen to Leon, after Bovary.

The turning point came when, during the earlier attack on the Cosmos, Leon assigned Mark and Carl to a team.

After that, he became much more flattering.

"It's nothing. There was a problem to begin with, but I thought it wasn't my responsibility, so I'll just forget about it. Just pretend I didn't say anything."

Lyon's attitude, however, made Mark more concerned.

He asked repeatedly:

"Your Excellency, do you also disapprove of my... feelings for Karl?"

Lyon: "You're overthinking it. I'm not interested in other people's quirks."

"Then why did you hesitate to speak just now?"

"I can only tell you one thing: if you want to break some taboos, you have to become the taboo yourself, understand?"

"To become a taboo?"

Mark was stunned.