Chapter 323: Passed the Selection!

Chapter 323 Passed the Selection!

For a time, everyone fell silent.

The voice that called out was truly too distinct, and the emotions saturated within it were conveyed with extreme delicacy.

So, that divine artifact was calling out to their own captain?

What kind of relationship did their captain have with that divine artifact? No, what kind of intimate relationship?

Due to the mental bridge, waves of shock and doubt kept rushing toward Karen at this moment; he could perceive the question marks filling his teammates' heads.

In truth, Karen himself was astonished. He really had not expected that the one appearing in this final round would actually be the Lax copper coin—in other words, Loya.

In the previous rounds, he had cautiously coordinated to maintain the entire team's condition to face the final obstacle.

"Brother Karen... Brother Karen..."

Loya's calling still continued, as the phantoms of two simple, ancient copper coins emerged from the crack.

Evidently, as the artifact spirit, Loya had also mastered this second copper coin.

Karen spoke up: "Previously, the Whip of Order squad I was in had a mission involving the pollution of a Lax copper coin. Our squad successfully resolved the issue and turned in one Lax copper coin at the same time.

At that time, my captain had me hand it over personally, so I am barely acquainted with it. Because of this layer of connection, it left our squad a bit of face, but it ends here. Everyone, do not relax your guard."

Barely acquainted?

Everyone in the squad chewed on this description.

Then, through the mental bridge, Karen received a massive influx of "suspicion" and "disbelief" as emotions were transmitted to him.

"It really is just that bit of a connection. The spirits of some divine artifacts are actually very kind, like her."

The crowd looked at the miserable state of the members of the neighboring First Squad and Seventh Squad, each of them weeping bitterly;

Kind?

Immediately, another massive influx of even stronger "suspicion" and "disbelief" rushed toward Karen.

Karen sighed in his heart. He did not know if the organizers or the higher-ups watching this selection had noticed any clues, but the members under his command had clearly sensed that something was amiss.

Fortunately, Karen had the experience of turning in the Lax copper coin, which was definitely on the record, so it could be explained away.

As for why a brief contact with the divine artifact—just a process of handing it over—could make the divine artifact treat him so exceptionally, that was actually not much of an issue and did not even require an explanation.

Because he had already demonstrated his own excellence, and in the history of the Holy Church, there was no shortage of outstanding youths who achieved deeper levels of resonance, surpassing others, with those miracles, divine beasts, and even with gods.

He was merely in resonance with this divine artifact. If a truly outstanding youth did not have things happen to him that exceeded the imagination of ordinary people, that would be the truly strange thing.

However, to prevent the matter from escalating and to resolve the doubts of his subordinates so their imaginations would not wander too far, Karen raised his hand and first cut off his connection with the mental bridge.

Then he called out in his heart:

"Loya."

"Hehe... Brother Karen... hello..."

"Give my subordinates a bit of a mental storm."

"Okay... Brother Karen..."

"Ah!!!"

"Ah!!!"

The next moment, Bart, Ventura, Eislee, Blanche, and Mars—all five of them clutched their heads and crouched on the ground in agony.

The previous calm instantly turned into raging waves at this moment, catching the crowd, who had been waiting in battle readiness, completely off guard.

Seeing the painful expressions of his subordinates one by one, Karen felt a pang in his heart.

Then he also crouched down, simply sat down, pressed his right palm against his forehead, and pretended that he was also in great pain.

Although he did not cry out, as the captain, it was normal for him to have stronger resistance and not shout in agony.

Within the three barriers, the Lax copper coin emitted a bronze-colored light that encompassed everything inside the barriers. This was equivalent to embedding a barrier of its own within the array of the original barriers.

Inside this barrier, what was seen from the outside was only what Loya wanted them to see.

Of course, those truly high-level existences could penetrate this layer of obstruction to see the hidden reality, but the problem was that they themselves were not here; they were currently watching a projection.

Loya appeared in front of Karen, still wearing the cafe waiter's uniform, which was the outfit Karen had worn that day.

"Brother Karen, do you know, I was thinking earlier, since this is a trial for the Church of Order to select outstanding young people, would I see you? I believe you must be the most excellent, but I was worried, worried that the Church of Order would be blind."

Karen raised his head and looked at Loya.

"Don't worry, Brother Karen. They can't see me, nor can they hear me speak. Outside, they can't see either. Oh, in the eyes of these people around you, you are still maintaining a painful sitting posture right now."

"Loya, I really didn't expect to see you here."

"Can't Brother Karen wear the silver mask to seal the space and see me like last time? Oh, right, last time seemed to be because Brother Karen held another copper coin.

However, it's not like there's no way. In the sealed space, we artifact spirits can be nourished every day. Because of my young age, my power has been growing relatively fast during this period.

Therefore, I can now sense some things that I couldn't perceive before. For instance, there is a copper coin in the sea not very far from Wien, seemingly sunk at the bottom of the ocean.

I haven't reported this sensation, just thinking of finding an opportunity to secretly tell you, Brother Karen.

Brother Karen can go and search for that copper coin. Remember to be sneaky about it. Once you find this copper coin, don't hand it over; keep it for yourself, and you can use it to see me in the future."

"Alright, tell me the coordinates."

Loya reached out her hand and pressed her palm against Karen's forehead. Instantly, a set of coordinates was transmitted over, located in the southwestern waters of Wien.

"It might not be very easy to find. Brother Karen will have to spend some thought on it."

"Once I finish my upcoming business, I will organize personnel to search for it."

"Mm-hmm, hehe."

Loya was very happy. She was very innocent and very cute, but she was not a blank piece of paper; hers was a purity steeped from black ink.

When dealing with her, one could not treat her as a little girl who was easily fooled. The last one to do so, Judge Qi Hexu, had already been crushed to death.

"Brother Karen, let me tell you, there is a harp sister in the sealed space who has always taken good care of me, and there are many fun fellows. If you can come often in the future, I'll introduce you to them."

"Alright."

"Um, what about next?" Loya pointed to both sides, namely the First Squad and the Seventh Squad. "Brother Karen, which squad do you want to advance?"

Hmm?

It is for me to decide?

"Let's stick

"Yes, they are the teammates I recruited in this selection. I am their captain."

"Alright, I understand. I shall begin my work then. Oh, and best of luck, Brother Cullen. Be sure to exchange for me soon."

"I will, though it shall take some time."

"I know you can do it, Brother Cullen. There is no need to rush; within the sealed space, even those thousands of years old are mere children."

Loya’s form dissolved, returning to the copper coin.

The spiritual storm fell upon Cullen as well, but he merely let out a muffled groan and quickly held his ground.

Immediately after, Cullen raised his hand, and under the operation of the Rubik's Key, reconnected himself to the spiritual bridge.

The moment he linked back, that immensely powerful tide of "agony" surged frantically toward him.

Heh, the impact of these negative emotions was actually fiercer than Loya’s spiritual storm.

Cullen frowned slightly.

The original purpose of the spiritual bridge was to withstand spiritual impacts as a collective unit. However, because they had lost him, the members of the team had fallen into disarray. Instead of providing the stability it should have, the bridge allowed the "emotions" of the others to interfere with him, exacerbating his own pain to a certain extent.

They were all exceptionally talented individuals, yet unfortunately, it truly fit the saying: scattered, they are a sky full of stars; gathered, they are a complete mess.

Still, Cullen knew very well that it was precisely because of his prior "departure from the team" that they had lost their backbone, so the majority of the responsibility lay with him.

Within his mind, Cullen spoke: "Do not run away, do not think only of yourselves. Everyone, follow my rhythm!"

At that moment, the crowd sensed the captain's presence through the spiritual bridge. He stood there like a mountain, giving them a direction to gather and rely upon.

Cullen stood up and commanded, "Everyone, stand up!"

Gradually, the pained expressions on their faces eased considerably, and one by one, they rose to their feet.

By the distant rift, Loya, swinging her legs as she sat upon the copper coin, continuously poured spiritual storms into the three barriers, round after round, like throwing pebbles into a pond.

Yet, during one of the rounds, she glanced toward Cullen’s squad, clapped her hands, and a smile touched the corners of her lips.

The team members suddenly sensed a colossal wave rushing toward them, but as it drew near, they felt no destructive force. Then, sensing through the spiritual bridge, they realized their captain had single-handedly borne more than half of the impact.

"Captain, you don't have to carry it alone."

"Captain, don't face it by yourself."

"Steady yourselves, do not worry about me."

In truth, the intensity of the spiritual storm had not increased; the previous tidal wave was merely an illusion Loya had intentionally conjured.

Loya harbored no malice; she simply wished to help Cullen raise his prestige before his teammates.

Cullen found himself somewhat caught between amusement and dismay. He had no way to contact Loya now; otherwise, he would certainly tell her that he really had no need to put on such a display before his subordinates anymore.

The spiritual storm lasted for a long time before it finally ceased.

Every member of the First Squad knelt upon the ground. A priest within their ranks was attempting to heal a teammate, but upon reaching the second one, the priest collapsed into unconsciousness.

Aside from their bald captain, Kane, the remaining members of the Seventh Squad lay prostrate on the ground.

Only the Third Squad remained standing in its entirety.

In this regard, Loya had truly not held back; it was purely the result of the Third Squad’s early preparations and groundwork, combined with Cullen leading this round to organize everyone to resist the spiritual storm in the most correct manner.

However, the selection was not yet over, for three squads still remained on the field.

Cullen immediately spoke: "No resting. Everyone, cast Order Purification upon yourselves. Mars!"

"Present!"

"Alter the grafting method of the spiritual bridge. Cancel the team-wide sharing and have everyone connect to me in a one-way link."

"Yes, Captain!"

"Everyone, open your mental defenses to me. I only need you to hold onto one final thought: when my spirit comes before you, do not offer any resistance.

The Lax Copper Coin is one of the purest existences in the world, but precisely because of its purity, it can induce the deepest greed within your hearts. This is why it is called the Source of Sin.

If nothing goes wrong, the power of the Source of Sin will be unleashed next. This is no illusion, for its seduction is far more direct, coming from within your own hearts.

If any of you cannot hold out and greed threatens to occupy your consciousness, I will be responsible for giving you a slap to wake you up.

Let this be said in advance: if it hurts, do not blame me!"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Yes, Captain!"

The team members immediately applied Order Purification to themselves. Blanche even managed to bestow a layer of "Blessing" upon everyone; her condition was considerably better than that of the priest from the neighboring First Squad.

Seeing the actions of the Third Squad, Muri, the captain of the neighboring First Squad, immediately said, "The next round might be a new illusion. Everyone, hold fast."

With that, Muri sliced his palm open with his fingernail, and as blood dripped down, it formed a crimson starlight.

Soon, a black python emerged from the starlight, rearing high and spreading its hood.

Having done this, Muri shouted, "Whatever means you have left, bring them out. It is the final moment."

At that moment, two more teammates used special rituals to summon protective entities, and everyone from the First Squad gathered tightly together.

The captain of the Seventh Squad looked first at the actions of the Third Squad, then at those of the First Squad, and finally at his teammates who were basically all collapsed on the ground. He knew they were going to lose.

Compared to the Third Squad which still had strength to spare, and the First Squad which still had ammunition to pull out, his squad had no other hidden trumps left to play.

"Brothers, you are all good men. It is I, your captain, who cannot compare to those two, and so I could not bring everyone to the very end. It is all my fault. Once we go out, we shall drink together tonight!

No, sleep first. After a full sleep, we shall come out and drink together!"

The bald Kane turned his head to look into the distance. From that copper coin, black mist was already being released, gradually surrounding the area.

He knew that after enduring the devastation and exhaustion of the previous spiritual storm, as well as the consumption of the earlier rounds, his squad’s current low state combined with a complete lack of protection meant they could not withstand this strike from the artifact.

"The Source of Sin..."

Kane clearly recognized the Lax Copper Coin, and precisely because of this, he was unwilling to let his men take risks for a result they could not possibly win. If it ruined their state of mind, it truly would not be worth it.

The captain of the Seventh Squad reached out to grasp the flagpole before him and shouted:

"The Seventh Squad concedes!"

None of the teammates lying on the ground complained about their captain. They all splayed their limbs completely, facing upward in a carefree manner, panting, finally liberated...

As the Seventh Squad was teleported out of the barrier, the black mist that the Lax Copper Coin had just released slowly retracted, for only two squads remained on the field; the outcome was already decided.

Loya took one last look at Cullen, then, riding the copper coin, floated into the silver gate.

"Hehe, Brother Cullen, I shall wait for you to come and exchange for me."

The barrier vanished entirely.

On the square, only the people of the two squads remained, either standing, kneeling, or sitting. The rest of the candidates stayed at the edge of the square.

Punc announced aloud: "The final roster of selectees consists of the 6 members of the First Squad and the 6 members of the Third Squad. This selection is now concluded!"

"We succeeded!"

"We succeeded!"

Bart, Aisly, Blanche, and Mars all cried out in excitement.

Beside them, the First Squad watched the Third Squad celebrate. As fellow victors, they knew very well who the true number one was.

Pacio spat on the ground and swore, "Damn it, they still have the strength to bounce around."

Muri scrambled to his feet, smoothing his clothes as he walked toward the third squad. When he reached Karen, he extended his hand.

"Congratulations."

Karen smiled and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Congratulations to you as well."

"I am from the Dingle Region, Saint Antis Port. My name is Muri, Muri Benda."

"York City Region, Karen Silva."

"I want to be friends with you, and not just for the sake of the Gate of Reincarnation."

"The honor is mine."

"When you come to Dingle in the future... oh no, we will meet again very soon. We should be gathering in the Dingle Region before heading to the Valley of Reincarnation. I will look you up for a proper chat then."

"Alright, I look forward to it."

Muri turned and departed.

Karen turned around too, and his eyes immediately lit up.

A large bald man walked up to him, opening his arms wide. Karen was somewhat resistant to this manner of greeting, but he opened his arms anyway and shared a brief embrace with him.

The bald-headed Kane gripped Karen's shoulders and laughed.

"My name is Kane, from the South Ruth Region."

"Karen, from the York City Region."

"Heh, losing to those fellows from the Dingle Region leaves me a bit resentful. Heaven only knows if they cheated or used connections. But losing to you, I am thoroughly convinced."

Karen offered a gentle smile.

When it came to cheating... it seemed no other squad had a heavier dose of cheating than his own.

"I cannot go to the Valley of Reincarnation anymore. If you have the chance in the future, come to South Ruth to play, and I will host you."

"Likewise, you are welcome to visit York City as a guest."

"Haha, wonderful, I just love how half-hearted you sound when you humor me."

...

Inside the grand hall, a burst of cheers erupted.

The Holy See was located within the Dingle Region, and five out of the six members of the first squad had elders sitting right here in this hall.

Crede opened his eyes from his nap and asked, "Is it over?"

Moswat spoke up, "Yes, it is over. The first squad and the third squad have secured the final spots to enter the Valley of Reincarnation trials."

Gerirewen smiled and said, "The young man you favored is indeed exceptional. The squad he led performed better than the first squad, which is predominantly from the Dingle Region."

The young man I favored?

Oh,

He remembered now, his name was Karen. What was his surname again?

Crede nodded reservedly,

And said,

"Mmh, of course. I felt back then that this young man had a very promising future."

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