From the moment I was chosen by the holy relic

The leader was a thin man with a hooked nose, triangular eyes, and a shrewd smile playing on his lips. His steps were light but wary, his eyes like those of a fox eyeing its prey.

"Kahn!" The man recognized them at a glance, immediately adopting a warm expression, spreading his arms wide, his tone full of insincere enthusiasm, "What a coincidence, we actually ran into each other here!"

Kahn frowned slightly, his tone flat: "Carrot."

Eric felt someone nudge his arm. Turning his head, he saw Leah whisper in his ear, "Carrot. His gang has a terrible reputation; they'll even rob people. He's done all sorts of dirty work."

Eric felt a surge of disgust. He lightly stroked the hilt of his sword and looked at Carrot with cold eyes.

Kahn knew Carrot's character well and had a bad feeling about it. He asked in a low voice, "What are you doing here?"

"What else could we be doing?" Carrot shrugged, pulled a parchment map from his pocket, and flipped it deftly between his fingers. "We're here to find treasure, of course."

Kahn stared at the map, vaguely recognizing it. He frowned and pulled out his own map from his pocket; the two parchments looked almost identical in the sunlight.

Targ leaned closer for a look, then angrily puffed out his beard and glared, "This is clearly the same map!"

Leah sneered, "It seems we've all been fooled by that informant."

Carrot said nonchalantly, "I understand. It's the world these days; everyone wants to make more money." His gaze swept over the gold coins and jewels on the ground, a flash of greed crossing his eyes. "Brother, these gold coins look quite heavy. Want me to help you carry them?"

Targ retorted angrily, "We risked our lives in the tomb to bring this treasure out, and you think we can just take it for free?"

Carrot's expression darkened, her eyes flashing with a hint of threat: "Free? Didn't I pay for the map? Plus the expenses along the way, manpower, equipment, casualties—do you think I should leave empty-handed?"

As soon as he finished speaking, several explorers behind him quietly placed their hands on their weapons, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Kahn cursed inwardly, knowing he couldn't let the situation escalate to the point of fighting. They had just gone through a fierce battle, and everyone in the team was exhausted. While Garrot's men weren't exactly strong, under these circumstances, any battle would come at a heavy price.

He slowly exhaled, trying to keep his tone calm: "What do you mean?"

Carrot grinned smugly and waved a finger in the air: "Half, fair and reasonable."

Targ stood up in a rage, grabbed his battle axe, and roared, "You're dreaming!"

Reg's expression also turned cold, and his hand had already quietly rested on his staff. Eric didn't speak, but his sword was slightly drawn, a flash of cold light appearing.

However, Carrot remained unmoved, still wearing that contemptuous smile: "Listen, Kahn, I know you're not the kind of hot-headed brute. Your team has just gone through a fierce battle, and they're probably pretty exhausted. As for us, although we've suffered some minor losses, we can at least fight another battle."

He paused, lowered his voice, and a dangerous smile appeared on his face: "Besides, who knows how many maps that information broker actually sold? What if other teams arrive in a little while?"

Kahn's fist clenched slightly, his knuckles turning white. He was filled with rage, but he knew this wasn't the time to be reckless. The most important thing now wasn't to fight back, but to get out of here with his surviving teammates and the remaining spoils.

"...Fine," Kahn finally said in a low voice, a flash of anger and resentment in his eyes, "You take half."

Carrot nodded in satisfaction, grinning like a fox that had stolen food: "A wise choice."

Targ watched all this with gritted teeth, his fingers tightening around the axe handle several times, but in the end he sighed heavily and swallowed his anger.

As dusk settled, the stars had yet to appear in the night sky, with only a few dim rays of light illuminating the earth, making the whole world seem even more desolate. Eric pulled his cloak tighter; despite the lateness of the night, he could still clearly see the indistinct outline of the town ahead.

"We're almost there," he murmured, his voice tinged with weariness and anticipation.

They had been trekking through the wilderness for several days without encountering any trouble, but the atmosphere between them remained tense. Although they maintained a certain distance from Garrot's expedition, a subtle understanding remained: they would share food and give appropriate warnings when danger arose, but they were like two parallel rivers, never truly merging together.

Suddenly, Roy, who was walking in front, pulled on the reins and stiffened.

"What's wrong?" Targ asked alertly, sensing something was amiss.

Roy's eyes narrowed to slits; he had the best eyesight in the group, able to see farther and more clearly than the others even in the twilight. He blinked, staring at the town ahead, his voice low and serious: "I see smoke rising from chimneys."

"Smoke?" Kahn frowned slightly, a hint of doubt in his voice. "What's so strange about that?"

Roy didn't answer immediately. His fingers gently stroked the bowstring, and an uneasy glint flashed in his eyes. "No, there are no lights in the town."

At this moment, they could smell a faint burnt smell in the air, the smell of burning wood mixed with the cold wind, which made them feel uneasy for no reason.

Eric felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his chest, and his breathing became slightly rapid. His hand slowly reached for the hilt of the sword at his waist, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the cold metal, and an ominous premonition flashed through his mind.

Leah frowned and said softly, "Perhaps the people in town turned off their lights and went to bed early?"

Targ snorted coldly, his voice like a deep rumble of thunder: "No way! What kind of town doesn't have a single light on at night? Even if everyone's asleep, there should still be some drunkards making a ruckus in the tavern, right?"

Everyone's expressions turned serious, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

"Keep moving forward," Kahn commanded in a low voice, his tone tinged with caution, "but remain vigilant."

The column started moving again, slowing down. Everyone instinctively gripped their weapons, their eyes scanning their surroundings warily. Eric, mounted on his horse, felt his unease grow stronger. A name flashed through his mind: Eileen.

Where is she? Is she safe and sound?

As the group drew closer, the outline of the town became clearer, the smell of burning in the air grew stronger, and a deathly stillness swept over them, sending chills down their spines.

Roy's eyes widened suddenly, his hand gripping the bow and arrow tightened slightly, and his voice trembled slightly: "My God!"

At that moment, everyone saw the scene before them clearly—

The entire town has been burned down.

Shops, taverns, inns, and houses—none were spared, all reduced to charred ruins. Half-burnt timbers and broken bricks lay scattered on the ground, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of cigarette ash. The once bustling street was now a desolate wasteland, devoid of any life.

Leah's lips trembled slightly as she murmured, "Who did this?"

Eric's heart pounded wildly. The cold wind cut like a knife across his cheeks, but he barely noticed. His legs were tense, gripping the horse's flanks, urging his mount forward with all his might. The ruins on both sides of the street flashed by like ghosts in his sight. The air was filled with the smell of scorched earth, and ashes danced in the night, like the silent accusations of the dead.

"No, no, she'll be alright..."

He tried to comfort himself, but a voice of reason whispered in the depths of his mind: this place is already dead silent. If someone were alive, how could it be so silent?

Ahead, a dilapidated building came into view. It had once been the Emerald Cup Tavern, a place he had frequented many times, with its warm fire, fragrant ale, rough laughter, and that familiar figure, Eileen.

But now, the tavern is in ruins.

Eric leaped from his horse, his shoes sinking into the charred ashes with a soft, crackling sound. His breathing quickened, his eyes scanning the ruins, his hands trembling as he pushed aside a collapsed beam, sending a shard of charred wood crumbling down to reveal the rubble beneath.

"Eileen!" His voice echoed in the night, trembling with a hint of despair.

no respond.

He staggered back a step, feeling as if an invisible giant hand was gripping his chest, the pain almost suffocating him. His fist clenched tightly, his nails almost digging into his palm, his teeth clenched, and the veins on his forehead throbbed slightly.

"No, she won't die..."

His eyes searched everywhere, hoping to find a trace of life—a piece of unburnt wood, a familiar hem of clothing, or even just a blurry footprint! But he found nothing, only charred ashes and the deathly silence of the night.

Footsteps came from behind him, and Kahn strode over, his face grave. His gaze swept around, his brow furrowed, and he said in a low voice, "This is no ordinary robbery."

Eric looked up, his eyes filled with pain and anger: "What do you mean?"

Kahn bent down, pointed to the rubble on the ground, and said in a deep, thunderous voice, "The fire here has been extinguished for several days, which means the attack happened a few days ago. But look here." He picked up a piece of charred wood, ran his fingertip across it, and revealed the dark grain deep within the wood. "This is not ordinary fire; it carries traces of magic."

Eric's heart skipped a beat. He looked around again and noticed some strange black patterns on the ruins, as if the flames had left unusual shadows when they burned. The way some buildings collapsed did not seem to be the result of a normal fire, but rather as if some enormous force had directly destroyed the pillars.

"Magic..." Leah's voice sounded from behind. She walked slowly over, her face pale and her eyes filled with shock. "If this was caused by magic, then the attacker is very likely not an ordinary bandit."

"Not just ordinary bandits?" Eric clenched his fists tighter, his gaze turning icy. "Then who are they?"

Kahn did not answer immediately. His gaze slowly swept over the desolate town, his brows furrowing deeply. Then he said in a deep voice, "This town once had more than three hundred residents. It's impossible that not a single one survived."

No sooner had he finished speaking than several exclamations came from afar.

"The body has been found!"

Eric turned his head sharply, his heart pounding, and he practically sprinted toward the direction from which the sound came.