Universe Infinite Canteen

Ma Lu followed the male monk into The Great Tower.

Unlike the enthusiasm he had shown during their previous meeting, this time the monk, apart from answering two of Ma Lu's questions at the beginning, remained silent throughout the journey.

Right after dismounting from his warhorse, Yun Que and the four Hellhounds were taken away from Ma Lu's side, and by the time he reached the elevator hall, there were two seemingly escorting witches waiting for him.

One of them, wearing a red leather coat and small demon horns, looked at him with interest.

There was also a silver-haired girl carrying a two-handed sword, her face stern.

Ma Lu approached the silver-haired girl and, finding her familiar, curiously asked, "What is your relationship with Yun Que?"

"She's my sister," replied the silver-haired girl, her words brief and to the point.

"Oh, I've heard Yun Que mention you. You're Daurian Starling, serving under the Tout Knight, correct?"

The witch in the red leather coat interrupted their conversation, "Let's go, don't keep Lord Li Wei and the Judgment Chiefs waiting for too long. Today is going to be a long day."

Her last few words seemed to carry a deeper meaning, but Ma Lu did not react to them, stepping into the elevator first.

The male monk and the two witches followed him in afterward.

The elevator finally stopped on the 27th floor, where the monk led the way, while the two witches took half a step back, flanking Ma Lu on either side.

This arrangement was practically an open declaration of them escorting a prisoner.

They passed through a circular corridor, and the monk eventually stopped in front of an iron door marked with a number.

As the iron door rose, it revealed a small room, no more than 4 square meters.

The room was devoid of furniture, with all four walls, including the ceiling and the floor, made of steel structures.

In short, it was a cell.

The monk gestured for Ma Lu to enter, then watched him intently.

The two witches behind also quietly rested their hands on their weapons, ready in case the knight in front of them suddenly went berserk.

However, Ma Lu did not make any move to resist and simply stepped into the cell.

His reasoning was simple: there was no way he would stay imprisoned. After all, with only half an hour left, the countdown would end, and he could go back.

Of course, by then, his identity would be exposed. Moreover, being locked in a cell was akin to encountering a terrain bug that couldn't be fixed by logging in again—it was a severe bug that would require changing the map entirely.

Alternatively, he could try to escape. But setting aside whether he could escape The Great Tower with the Church's military force, even if he were incredibly lucky and managed to flee Holy Temple City, without the help of witches, he would no longer be able to gather ingredients in this dimension.

Moreover, such an act would effectively sentence Yun Que and the others to death, especially the Ouroboros Serpent, whose identity was already an issue that could not withstand scrutiny. The Hellhound and Bliss Bird were in no better position. If it were discovered that their former Knight had died, they would have no choice but death as well.

Therefore, Ma Lu decided to go along with the Church's intentions for now, to see what Li Wei had in mind.

Moreover, since he was not arrested on the spot right after dismounting, there seemed to be some leeway for negotiations; this was another reason why Ma Lu was willing to cooperate with the investigation.

As the saying goes, you might as well go for broke.

If something concrete was discovered, it was not too late to consider running away.

What he was really worried about now was time. Ma Lu glanced at the Traveler's Bracelet again; only 26 minutes remained before he had to leave this dimension.

Ma Lu even regretted greedily taking down that Volcanic Big-leaf Tomato earlier. Had he known something like this would happen, he would have returned two hours earlier.

No matter what the Church wanted to do, Ma Lu just hoped they'd be straightforward about it.

Not long after he had entered the cell, the iron door behind him had closed again, plunging the room into darkness.

Ma Lu stood in the darkness for about 5 minutes, unable to hear anything other than his own breathing and the electric hum from his armor.

After 5 minutes, a small opening appeared on the iron wall to his right.

An old yet commanding voice came from the opening, "Do you know why you are here, Knight?"

"I heard there was a traitor in the city," said Ma Lu. "I was informed to come here to assist with the investigation."

"Good, can you explain this to us, then?"

A metal tray was pushed through the opening, on it a wrinkled piece of paper.

"This card was found in the trash can of your apartment."

"What does it say?"

"You haven't seen it?"

"That's correct."

There was silence from the other side for about half a minute before the aged voice continued.

"This card's owner wanted you to accept a reconnaissance mission to the NyLon Power Plant, where she would meet you."

"Oh, I've never been interested in strange invitations."

"Why didn't you report this to the Church?" Another sharp voice piped up. "Are you trying to protect those traitors, Knight?"

Ma Lu spread his hands, "As I said, I didn't read the contents of that card, I threw it into the trash can straight away, not knowing where it came from."

"Or there's another possibility, you've begun to waver."

The old voice continued, "Perhaps you didn't have the courage to betray the Church and the Sacred Order of Knights outright, but by choosing to conceal this matter, you show that you've been seduced by the devil."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Believe me, if I really wanted to be a traitor, I would have been more careful, or at least burnt the piece of paper, or eaten it, rather than crumpling it up carelessly and tossing it in the trash bag in the living room for you to easily pick up."

After Ma Lu finished answering, the other side fell silent once more.

And this time, they also shut the small window.

In the brightly lit room on the opposite side of the wall, Li Wei, the deputy leader of the Sacred Order of Knights, and two old men in black robes sat in front of a wooden table.

One of the old men asked, "What do you think, Commander Li Wei?"

"I don't quite like this young man, but his record is clean and he's diligent in his work. Although it's only his third mission, his results have already surpassed many veterans," said Li Wei. "I've had him tailed before, his life is very regular. Apart from carrying out missions, he hasn't left his apartment. And just now, he answered your questions."

"Do you also believe he has not read the words on that card?" The sharp-voiced man in a black robe spoke, "That's... completely illogical."

"But it's indeed possible," Li Wei was getting impatient, "Moreover, if I may speak frankly, our current mission is to find the remnants of the Witch Alliance lurking within the Holy Temple City, not to seek out potential traitors to the Church.

"He did not choose to accept the reconnaissance mission to the NyLon Power Plant as instructed by the card. He's not the person we're looking for. As for the future, if he truly does betray us, I'll send someone to bring him down."

Li Wei stated coldly.