Me?

The burly brother smiled.

"If you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way. This sister of yours didn't actually cry. I was just acting out how sad you should look."

Then, he tucked his hands under the little girl's armpits and lifted her out of the wardrobe.

"Oh, Sister, I can walk by myself," the little girl grumbled, caught off guard by being carried.

The burly brother laughed and rubbed her head.

After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "Do you want to know what happened last night?"

The little girl nodded with a firm gaze. "I want to know!"

The burly brother looked her straight in the eye. "But once you know, you might not be able to go back to your old life. You might not even be able to face your father again."

He then pulled a crystal necklace from his robe. This was an accessory he used to shield recording magic crystals. It didn't just interfere with them; it could also be used to record the surroundings.

He pulled up the recorded footage and played it for her.

It started from her father handing her over to Jason, then Jason taking her to a restaurant for a meal, the various things Jason said to her there, and finally, Jason taking her into the cheap inn room.

Then, it showed the burly brother using a professional grappling technique to pin Jason down.

The burly brother didn't show her anything beyond that.

The little girl fell into a long silence after watching the footage. Although she was young, she understood clearly that if it hadn't been for this 'big sister' in front of her, she would likely have been defiled by that scum last night.

She wasn't particularly surprised that her father would do such a thing, but seeing it with her own eyes still brought an unavoidable sadness.

Then, the burly brother spoke. "That man named Jason is one of the cultists. If I hadn't disguised myself as you, you probably would have been sacrificed by him."

Fear gripped the little girl. With reddened eyes, she asked, "Will they come back?"

The burly brother shook his head. "I can't guarantee anything, but I will do my best to eliminate them."

He gave the girl's reddened nose a playful tweak. "So you're still in danger. You mustn't go out and show your face, alright?"

The little girl nodded obediently.

"Knowing your father is that kind of person, do you still want to live with him?"

The little girl looked at the burly brother with a hint of hope. "Ever since Mama passed away, Father has been very mean to me. I don't want to live with him anymore. Sister, can I go with you?"

The burly brother replied, "Well, I know some people in the Royal Capital. They've established an organization specifically to help children like you. They are all people I know and trust. If you believe me, I'll send you there."

The little girl nodded earnestly. "Yes, I believe you, Sister!"

Seeing this, the burly brother said, "Then I'll give you a disguise in a moment. You'll stay in my biological storage space for a bit while I take you to the Court of Space here. You'll teleport to Ironforge first, then buy a ticket from Ironforge to the Royal Capital.

"I'll give you the travel money and enough for meals along the way. Once you reach the Royal Capital, follow this address to find the organization. Give them this card, and they'll know you're one of mine.

"You'll be okay buying the tickets and everything on your own, right?"

The little girl nodded vigorously.

The burly brother then began to reshape her face. Soon, the adorable little girl, Lili, was transformed into a clean-cut young boy. Her original appearance was completely unrecognizable.

Meanwhile, Jiang Lin was wandering aimlessly through the streets.

As the sun rose higher, the streets and alleys gradually became lively. Along the way, Little Black had marked no fewer than fifty cultists.

Jiang Lin tried to memorize as many as possible to make them easier to distinguish later.

At noon, Jiang Lin grabbed a bite to eat at a shabby restaurant Jason frequented. He took the opportunity to meet up with 'Bill' and exchange information gathered from the Old Oak Tavern.

They agreed to head to the large stronghold in the east of the city that night.

The food wasn't bad, providing some comfort to Jiang Lin's stomach, which had been 'wounded' at the Old Oak Tavern that morning.

As he ate, he organized his thoughts regarding what he'd seen that morning and the information from the confessions of Jason and Bill.

Cultist activity in Emerald City was indeed rampant.

He wondered if any other apostles of god had come to Emerald City besides the burly brother.

In the afternoon, Jiang Lin continued to roam the West District, familiarizing himself with the environment and secretly noting several cult strongholds.

As dusk fell, Emerald City was draped in twilight. Sparse lights flickered on, but they couldn't dispel the chill permeating the air.

Following Jason's usual routine, Jiang Lin returned to the dilapidated apartment on the edge of the West District where Jason lived. The room was small and filthy, smelling of mold and cheap incense.

He did a quick sweep to ensure there were no surveillance devices or traps, then took out some water and dry rations from his spatial ring for a simple dinner.

While waiting for night to fully descend, Jiang Lin sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed, regulating his breathing. He repeatedly ran through possible scenarios and responses for the night ahead.

The burly brother should have already started moving under the identity of 'Bill.' They would meet at the stronghold tonight.

When the clock struck the appointed time, Jiang Lin opened his eyes. He checked his disguise in the mirror one last time. Satisfied, he pushed open the creaking door and merged into the deep night of Emerald City.

The night was as dark as ink as Jiang Lin followed the route Jason had provided. Avoiding the occasional pedestrian, he headed toward a more remote area in the east of the city.

The dust in the air seemed to settle as night deepened, though a faint rot drifted from the distant Blackwater River.

The stone path beneath his feet became increasingly uneven, and the buildings on either side grew sparse, replaced by low, leaning shacks. Dim yellow light filtered through a few windows, casting distorted shadows.

Finally, he stopped in a seemingly abandoned warehouse district. Before him stood three connected stone warehouses with most of their plaster peeling off.

In front of the largest one hung an unlit, battered storm lantern—the signal meaning 'Safe, clear to enter.'

Little Black slipped into the shadows to hide, not intending to go in with him. At the same time, Little Black transmitted a message to Jiang Lin: 【There are at least sixty cultists inside. Be careful.】

Jiang Lin took a deep breath, walked to the largest warehouse door, and knocked on the rusted iron in a specific rhythm.

Originally, the cultists had rules for special signals. For instance, if a cultist was captured and interrogated about the entry signal, they were supposed to give a 'three long, two short' rhythm. That way, the cultists inside would know the person had been replaced.

But Jason had been thoroughly terrified by Jiang Lin the night before. He feared that if he didn't tell the truth and Jiang Lin was discovered the next day, his own fate would be even more horrific. So, he chose to sell out his comrades. He told them everything.

After all, he had chosen to be a cultist; who would expect him to have a will of iron?

Later, during the interrogation of Bill, that fellow had done the exact same thing as Jason.

Jiang Lin really wondered: if cultists were all such spineless cowards, why hadn't the Temple taken them all down long ago?

Then, with a 'creak,' the heavy iron door opened a crack. A pair of cloudy eyes peered out at him, and then the door widened.

"Jason, come in," a raspy voice said.

Jiang Lin nodded and squeezed through the gap.

The door closed behind him, cutting off the last sliver of light and sound from the outside world.

The interior of the warehouse was far more spacious than it looked from the outside, but the air was even more foul. Magic crystal stones emitting a dull red glow were embedded in the walls at intervals, providing just enough light to see.

A large, complex ritual array was painted in the center of the floor with dark red pigment. In the middle of the array sat a crude stone altar, still stained with suspicious dark spots.

About sixty people had already gathered. These weren't all the cultists in Emerald City, just the portion notified for this meeting.

Most wore ordinary coarse cloth clothes and had varying faces, but their eyes all held a similar look of numb fanaticism soaked in desire.

Low whispers hummed through the empty warehouse like mosquitoes, creating an eerie echo.

Jiang Lin quickly scanned the room. Soon, he spotted 'Bill' in a corner. He was currently hanging his head and fidgeting with his fingers, looking completely preoccupied.

The burly brother's disguise was flawless, even mimicking the humble aura characteristic of a low-level cultist to perfection. Jiang Lin felt that the burly brother's disguise skills were simply too formidable; he could completely immerse himself in a role. In Jiang Lin's previous world, he would have undoubtedly taken the acting world by storm.

Jiang Lin didn't immediately go over to acknowledge him. Instead, he mimicked Jason's behavior, finding an inconspicuous spot near the edge to stand and observe.

Aside from these ordinary cultists, three people stood at the front of the ritual array, their auras distinctly different.

The one in the middle wore a well-tailored deep purple robe. The hood was pulled low, obscuring most of his face and leaving only a sharp, cold jawline visible. His hands were folded in front of him, his fingers long and pale. He stood perfectly still, like a statue.

Even from a distance, Jiang Lin could feel a cold, powerful mental field radiating from this man.

To the left of the purple-robed man stood an exceptionally tall, bald brute with a face full of scars and a twisted thorn pattern tattooed on his neck. At the moment, he was lazily picking his teeth, his fierce eyes scanning the cultists below.

To the right was a woman in revealing clothing and flamboyant makeup. She licked her bright red lips, her gaze wandering over several young male cultists with unabashed greed.

Her gaze even fell on Jiang Lin's face. Looking at his current pale and somewhat handsome visage, her eyes were full of provocation.

However, with the burly brother as a precedent, Jiang Lin felt that this woman might not necessarily be a woman. He had no direct evidence, just a faint intuition. If the burly brother tried, he'd probably be more feminine than this seductive woman, Jiang Lin thought.

For some reason, an absurd image popped into Jiang Lin's head: if the burly brother were in his old world, he could pretend to be a little girl to meet creeps, only for the creep to find out the 'girl' was bigger than him.

Shaking his head inwardly, Jiang Lin tried to stop thinking about the burly brother's transitions between little girl and burly man. Because the mental image was so impactful, it lingered in his mind for a while. He felt like he was being mentally polluted by the other's existence.

The purple-robed man slowly raised his head. From the shadows of his hood, a pair of ice-cold eyes swept across the room.

"Silence."

His voice wasn't loud, but it possessed a strange penetrating power that instantly quelled all the whispering.

The warehouse fell deathly silent.

"I have summoned you all tonight for three matters."

The purple-robed man spoke again, his voice flat and emotionless.

"First, the Temple seems to have caught wind of something recently. Although our people have temporarily suppressed it, you must be more careful. Reduce unnecessary hunting for the time being, and make sure the disposal of sacrifices is clean. Leave no trails."

"Second," the purple-robed man paused before continuing, "word has come from above that uninvited guests may have arrived in Emerald City recently. If anyone is found asking questions or if you notice anything unusual, report it immediately."

Upon hearing this, both Jiang Lin and the distant burly brother felt a chill. Had their presence been detected?

However, the purple-robed man didn't linger on the second point. He continued, "The third matter is the most important. A new Holy Son is about to be enthroned. He may choose Emerald City to complete his enthronement ceremony. Keep your eyes open."

Most of the cultists looked confused. Clearly, they had no idea what a 'Holy Son's enthronement' meant.

In the corner, the pupils of 'Bill'—the burly brother—shrank. As an experienced apostle of god, he understood the implications perfectly. But he suppressed his shock, maintaining his clueless facade. Since he was in a corner and no one was watching him, his momentary shock went unnoticed.

Soon, the purple-robed man dismissed the gathering, telling them all to return to their homes.

Just then, the seductive woman next to the purple-robed man pointed at Jiang Lin and said, "That pretty boy, don't be in such a hurry to leave. Stay behind."

Jiang Lin was shocked. He pointed a finger at himself. "Me?"

"That's right, you. And that honest-looking kid next to you, stay too. You look like you've got some strength; you can help push from the side."

The burly brother, who had walked over to Jiang Lin's side as the meeting ended, was equally shocked. He pointed at himself. "Me?"

"Yes, you. The two of you stay and play with me for a while," the seductive woman said, her face full of desire.

Jiang Lin and the burly brother turned to look at each other, their eyes wide in disbelief.