Chapter 218: Loot

"Oh? There’s actually such a good deal?"

Rosalia’s eyes lit up. The Divine Chosen mark sank into the ground, locking onto the city’s life nodes.

With a storm of sword shadows swirling around her, she tapped the ground lightly and shot into the city.

Her greatsword carried pure killing intent. With a single slash, the chaotic sword energy swept past the puppet monsters’ hands and instantly wiped out a group of defending soldiers.

Streams of pure life energy were absorbed into Rosalia’s body.

Sensing something was off, the puppet monsters paused for a brief moment before suddenly accelerating their assault. The creatures that had previously ignored everyone turned toward Rosalia, roaring in warning.

Rosalia licked her lips and charged straight into the residential district.

"These things are definitely being controlled by someone."

"Forget about them for now. Let’s quickly loot the lord’s hall." Phield issued his orders calmly, then pointed at two Greatsword Warriors. "You two—burn everything sinful in the basement."

Consider it settling things for the original host.

Everyone immediately sprang into action.

After searching through the second floor of the lord’s palace, Phield only found a handful of scattered gold coins.

"What a pathetic haul."

Only Adrian’s bedroom remained unchecked.

"Most of the good stuff is probably hidden in his room." Phield tossed the collected coins into his pouch. "Too bad the armory and treasury of Wind Orchid City are too far—we don’t have time to move them."

That was the downside of a decapitation strike. Without enough manpower to control the city, the rewards were drastically reduced.

"Let me go in first, just in case there are traps."

Ashina carefully pushed the door open and entered first.

Almost immediately, her excited voice rang out from inside. "My lord, come look—what beautiful knight equipment!"

"Oh? As expected... his obsession with knights runs deep."

Inside the room, a full set of pitch-black armor stood on display. Its fierce, intimidating design radiated dominance.

Beside the plate armor lay a matching knight’s longsword and lance.

"Third-tier magic fluctuations... the whole set."

With just a brief sense, Ashina reached her conclusion.

Phield ran his hand across the armor—smooth, solid, and exquisitely crafted.

"Impressive. What’s rare is that it’s a complete set. It must be the work of a master smith."

Even among third-tier armor, something forged by a master far surpassed ordinary pieces in both defense and comfort.

Phield nodded, then patted Ashina’s shoulder. "Pack this armor up. The sword and lance are yours for now."

"Ah? No, no, my lord—you should take them."

Ashina shook her head repeatedly.

"I want to fight, but I don’t exactly have the chance to use a lance. The armor, though—that I can use." With a chuckle, Phield placed the weapons into her arms. Seeing how moved she looked, he found it amusing. "No need to be polite. I already have a divine sword. As for the lance... I don’t use this kind."

He raised an eyebrow and shot her a knowing look.

Ashina’s cheeks flushed red. "My lord, you’re such a pervert."

"Alright, alright—just take it. If possible, we should find you a divine lance. Only then can you bring out your full strength."

Since her divine artifact was her mount, using ordinary weapons in battle always put her at a disadvantage.

"Too bad Frost-type divine artifacts are hard to find."

Divine Chosen could only wield artifacts of the same divine system—a limitation Phield found rather frustrating.

"What’s this?"

On the desk, Phield noticed two exquisite boxes.

Opening one, he found a delicate, pale-blue potion resting quietly inside.

"Looks like I’ll need an alchemist to identify this."

Phield slapped his forehead. Every time he got a potion, he ran into the same problem—no one could identify it, and he didn’t dare drink it blindly.

"Wait... maybe the letter has the answer."

He moved the box aside and spotted an envelope beneath it. His eyes lit up.

The seal hadn’t been broken—Adrian had likely just received it. Phield opened it and read carefully.

The letter read:

"My lord, we have discovered the Fountain of Blessing and brought some back. It is said to cleanse negative effects and prolong life. Unfortunately, the spring has nearly dried up—we only managed to collect a small vial. Perhaps this is what you were seeking.

As for the silver compass, it was found within the ruins. It continuously points toward a certain direction. It may lead you to fragments of a forgotten world—or perhaps the source of the Fountain of Blessing."

"The Fountain of Blessing... interesting. Seems Adrian was quite concerned about the bloodline curse."

Phield stored the vial safely, then opened the second box. Inside lay a silver compass about the size of a fist. It resembled a mechanical watch, but at its center was a crystal sphere whose glow pointed northwest.

"Sounds mysterious. I’ll check it out when I have time."

The thought of a potential treasure inevitably stirred his curiosity.

"My lord—the gray fog is spreading in."

As the sounds outside gradually faded, Phield could see the air turning murky. Wisps of fog seeped through the cracks in the door, infiltrating the room.

"Looks like Rosalia is done. Perfect—we’ve finished looting as well. Let’s leave."

Such a massive disturbance would surely attract attention from family forces and nearby lords. Staying in Wind Orchid City any longer would be dangerous.

Stepping out of the palace, they saw countless streams of blood energy flowing into Rosalia. The injuries she had suffered in her battle with Alice had completely healed.

"That recovery ability... truly enviable."

Phield sighed.

"My lord... unfortunately, I didn’t break through to the third tier." Rosalia pouted, a trace of self-reproach flickering in her cool eyes as she angrily waved her pale arm. "Those damn puppet monsters took part of the energy. Otherwise, it would’ve been enough."

"I’m just a bit short—probably at the peak of the second tier now."

She shook her arm, producing a terrifying tearing sound in the air.

"Roar—!"

A furious roar echoed from the gray fog.

Three puppet monsters of varying forms, their bodies covered in gnawing corpses, charged toward Phield and the others.

"My lord, be careful. I don’t think they’re as friendly toward us anymore."

Ashina raised her lance, taking a defensive stance. "Their strength is unpredictable—we should leave immediately."

"Yeah, not good... looks like our little resource grab pissed them off."

Phield cursed under his breath. They were the ones scavenging first—how is this suddenly our fault?

"We retreat—through Adrian’s secret passage!"