The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　But on the surface, she still forced a smile, her back straight, her shoulders level, looking as dashing as a soldier.

　She is a half-orc, with one-half black cat blood. Even within the Dimon family, there are few subordinates of other races.

　It's not that the Dimon family discriminates against orc hybrids, but rather that being an orc hybrid is inherently disadvantageous in the capital. This is especially true for maids like those in the "Lion Palace" who need to openly act as guards for important family figures.

　Therefore, it was no easy feat for Hannah to become Trina's second-in-command.

　With her current abilities and status, if she could gain the approval of the vacant Holy Armor, she could become the head maid, just like Angry.

　Her targets are "Taurus" and "Cancer".

　"It's a little black cat!"

　Professor Lily leaned on Dark's shoulder and said with slight excitement.

　.

　“That’s Hannah,” Dark said. “She’s been a member of the household since I was a very young age.”

　Although Hannah did not know beforehand that it was Dark who had come, Dark already knew that Hannah was the leader of the investigation team.

　Back then, Hannah was an adorable little black cat who would cry if her tail was grabbed, but now she's a lithe and agile catwoman.

　One can't help but marvel at the power of time.

　Dark quickly calculated that it had been about three years since he had last seen Hannah.

　Hannah was transferred out of the capital sometime before he went to St. Marian's Academy.

　The reason, it seems, was that she accidentally broke a viscount's leg. Although a viscount was nothing to worry about, and the only fault was that the viscount's leg bone was too brittle, Hannah was still temporarily transferred out.

　I never imagined that we would meet again three years later. Thinking about it now, I still miss it quite a bit.

　So Dak curled the corners of his mouth, trying to make his smile even warmer.

　The "Lunar Chariot" landed on the ground.

　The dragon riders stood on either side.

　Dak jumped down from the carriage and walked towards the camp.

　"See..."

　"Long time no see, I miss you so much."

　As Hannah prepared to kneel down to greet the young master, Dark grabbed her hand and initiated a "normal handshake".

　"Six wheels!"

　Hannah's expression changed, and her tail fur stood on end instinctively.

　As soon as she grasped his hand, she immediately realized that Dark had already activated his sixth chakra!

　Although she kept up with the news while she was away and knew that the young master was no longer the same as before, she still did not expect that he had even cultivated his "qi" to such a level.

　If one were to focus solely on "Qi Refining" at this pace of cultivation, what level would they be at now?

　"Young Master, I miss you very much too."

　Hannah grasped Dark's hand, her tail tip tingling slightly. Then, she froze, and Dark embraced her. Of course, it was just a polite hug.

　Dark patted Hannah on the back and then released her, saying, "How's the investigation at the temple going? What's the progress? Tell me." The shoulder armor and forearm wrappings were white cloths—it was a weapon that could instantly harden after being infused with magic, combining offense and defense.

　Her eyes have distinct cat-like features, which are her only other cat-human characteristics besides her ears and tail.

　The training path that the manor had designed for her was originally that of an agile assassin, using claw gloves (cat claws) as her weapon.

　But for some reason, she later declared that she "didn't want to be a cat." So she abandoned her paw protectors and started using this special weapon instead.

　The path of cultivation has also shifted to a power-based approach.

　They were even moved from "Scorpio" to "Leo". This is puzzling.

　"Your ears are still as cute as ever (laughs)."

　Good morning, o(=work=)m

　Hannah has short hair, is about 1.65 meters tall, and likes to wear strapless tops and revealing clothes.

Chapter 1436 Darkdemon and the Temple of Life (4k)

　"feed!"

　Hannah almost instinctively took a small step back and covered her ears with her hands. But Dark just teased her and walked past her.

　"Show me the base."

　The Duke's mansion usually sends out teams to investigate the ruins, primarily composed of maids from the "Scorpio Palace." Once the location of the ruins is confirmed, suitable personnel are then drawn from the maid corps of other palaces to join the team.

　This ancient temple of the goddess of life appeared in the fissure of the earth, with most of its area still buried underground, involving a large amount of light element. Therefore, some personnel were also transferred from the "Taurus Palace" and the "Aries Palace".

　The maids of the "Taurus Palace" are mostly strength-specialized types, and in terms of sheer strength alone, they are even stronger than the maids of the same rank in the "Leo Palace".

　Their attributes are mostly steel, ground, and rock, which are advantageous for underground exploration.

　The maids of "Aries Palace" are mainly light-type. Most of them are not good at fighting and are mainly responsible for healing and food in the mansion. Few maids can be sent out to perform field duties.

　However, this investigation team included at least a dozen "Aries Palace" maids.

　Led by Hannah, Dak took a short tour of the base and gained a general understanding of its current situation.

　Due to the unique nature of "light infection," the investigators involved in this investigation were essentially "disposable supplies."

　Each investigator entering the temple has only three hours to conduct their investigation; after that, they are relegated to sitting on the sidelines. They either serve as assistants or as guinea pigs for the researchers.

　As the investigation dragged on, more and more investigators remained at the base.

　With nothing else to do, these investigators built fortifications at their base, resulting in an ever-growing number of facilities within the temporary site.

　"This is our conference room." Hannah entered the conference room and invited the young master inside. Dark nodded slightly and stepped into the conference room.

　The meeting room is fully equipped, but it is mostly made of wood and has a faint woody scent.

　"Dinner and the bedroom are ready. Shall we eat first or go to the dorm?"

　"Let's eat first, right here."

　"Yes, we usually use this room as a dining room."

　"Good."

　Dak casually pulled out a chair and sat down.

　Their luggage is very important, so it's best to take it back to the dormitory themselves after the meal.

　Professors Cazell and Lily sat down beside him and chatted casually about their experiences at the camp.

　Soon after, maids from the "Aries Palace" carried exquisite platters into the room, offering a full range of dishes including vegetables, desserts, meats, and tea.

　Dark pointed to one of the seats and said, "Sit."

　Hannah hesitated for a moment, but in the end she obeyed her young master's order and sat down.

　Dark picked up his knife and fork and said, "Together."

　The maid who brought the plate smiled slightly and took out the pre-prepared cutlery, adding a portion to Hannah's plate.

　Dak took a small bite, then looked up and smiled, "It tastes just like home."

　About three minutes later.

　After quickly eating some food, Dark Dimon finally got to the point: "So, Hannah, how's the temple investigation going?"

　Hannah said, "We estimated the area of ​​the temple from the ground, and based on that total area, we have explored about... one-tenth of it."

　"One-tenth?" Darke frowned slightly and said, "What's slowing things down?"

　Han Qiu Na said, "It's safe."

　Dark said, "With three hours of exploration time, if the path ahead is already open, each new investigation should allow us to go a considerable distance deeper. Or is the temple's area larger than a three-hour journey?"

　Hannah said, “No, if you run at full speed, you can finish in under an hour. But there are many dangers in this temple, and they seem to be increasing. Even in areas that have been cleared, new dangers will appear. Moreover, this temple… has at least three levels.”

　Dark said, "The information I obtained is vague. What exactly is the danger within the temple?"

　Hannah said, "Traps, monsters, and puzzles that hinder our progress."

　Dark said, "Like an underground city."

　Hannah said, "Yes, it's like a dungeon labyrinth. It does indeed generate monsters continuously."

　“Hmm.” Dark nodded and said, “Have you considered digging through the walls of the temple and entering from outside the main entrance? Like through the ceiling or the floor?”

　Hannah: "..."

　Dak could tell at a glance that she really hadn't thought of that.

　In his somewhat hazy memory, Hannah must have been a very intelligent child.

　Can building muscle really destroy your brain?

　Since monsters "spawn" within this Temple of Life, and the investigators have very limited time, why not deduce the core area of ​​the temple from its external structure, then bypass the monsters inside and enter from the outside, closest to the core?

　There were also many maids from the "Taurus Palace" in the area, and they were all very good at digging holes.

　“Forcibly drilling a hole might cause unnecessary damage to the temple,” said Professor Kazel.

　Dark said, "But in reality, as long as this temple remains unsolved, the investigators already 'infected by the light' will never be safe. Since we haven't been able to make a breakthrough, we should find another way, instead of forcibly dragging it out like this. Of course..."

　Dark paused for a moment and said, "We don't need to do that." Then he told Hannah to have the investigators compile a new set of data and send it over.

　Hannah had already made all the preparations, and soon a maid brought over the documents, thoughtfully dividing them into three parts.

　Each of the three of them had a serving, and they continued eating while flipping through the book from beginning to end.

　The meeting room quickly fell silent.

　Hannah lowered her head and ate the food on her plate, finding it tasteless. Because Dak hadn't been wrong.

　The investigation into this temple has been ongoing for a long time. However, their exploration has remained superficial, and research on "light infection" has made no progress.

　The first group of investigators had been "infected" by the light for quite some time.

　They had no way of knowing whether prolonged failure to remove the substance would cause irreversible damage to the investigators' health.

　This matter is actually far more serious than it appears on the surface. It was a huge mistake on her part.

　After a while.

　Dak finished most of the food in front of him and read most of the documents in his hand.

　This latest information shows almost no expansion in terms of progress compared to the information he had previously obtained, but the important parts are indeed more detailed.

　The investigators drew maps of the areas they had already investigated, even marking in detail which areas contained which mechanisms and which monsters might appear.

　In addition, they also moved many items out of the temple.

　Those artifacts, in terms of archaeological value alone, are certainly extremely high. However, their investigation was never about that value. The main reason for moving the artifacts out was to study "light infection." Dak pulled out a few pages of data.

　The first page of the document depicts a very ancient-looking jar. According to the text, jars like this were very common in the temple, their surfaces carved with feathered serpent motifs and symbols clearly representing the sun. Most of the jars were empty, but a few contained something inside.

　But as time went by, the contents of those jars rotted away, and many of them contained deadly poisons.

　And apart from that.

　Every single can glows!

　Specifically, the light inside the temple did not come from deep within, but rather emanated from the interior brick walls and objects.

　The investigators also took some of the bricks and stones out for further investigation.

　They detected no magical or divine power fluctuations from the brick walls and objects.

　According to the researchers' findings, the brick walls and objects were essentially very ordinary.

　They are even inferior to modern items in terms of quality.

　However, their interiors did not show any signs of decay.

　then.

　Take that jar as an example.

　When it was taken out of the temple, it still glowed, and from the outside it looked no different from when it was inside.

　However, the light it emits is no longer "contagious".