Universe Infinite Canteen

Ma Lu picked her team and, with the Ouroboros Serpent in tow, returned to the 11th floor's Weaponry Department, where they had Xi Xi assess the wand in the latter's hand.

Upon seeing it was an old model from decades ago, Xi Xi immediately became alert, yet the kind of bug-like loophole from before obviously wasn't so easy to replicate...

This time, after checking the historical prices, Xi Xi offered a purchase price of 95 Atonement Points.

The price wasn't high, but Ma Lu still sold it, mainly to gather enough money to bid on the wand she had her eye on before.

[Meteor Staff] (Blue)

Attack Power +8

Attack Attribute: Water

Attack Speed: Slow

Additional Effects: Spell chanting time reduced by 10%, spell power increased by 20%.

The staff's base panel was exceptionally clean, with all attributes focused on attack, and the two additional effects that came with it significantly enhanced the caster class.

However, using the power enhancement effect for healing was a bit of a waste; it was more suitable for an offensive Mage.

Ma Lu handed the Meteor Staff to the Ouroboros Serpent, who was a little overwhelmed.

"Do I get a gift just for joining the team?"

"Yes, because the upcoming mission will require your efforts." Ma Lu said.

"I will definitely do my best."

The Ouroboros Serpent then flashed her signature sweet smile.

Just seeing that vibrant smile, even if she didn't perform well afterward, it would be hard for most people to criticize her.

But Ma Lu wasn't most people; he could see Ouroboros Serpent's attributes and skills, especially since there were no secrets from him regarding her panel information after she joined the team.

And with the restraint of the Ring of Order, Ma Lu would make sure she gave her all in the upcoming battles.

......

The leveling up and preparation work was pretty much done at this point; Ma Lu left the high tower and found a store on the roadside to buy some climbing and campfire supplies, which he stuffed into his travel bag.

Ouroboros serpent was somewhat curious but didn't ask any questions.

Afterward, Ma Lu went to the Witch's Home to pick up the three Hellhounds and get ready to head out for the mission.

Yun Que was the first to welcome the new member, and the Bliss Bird nodded slightly towards the Ouroboros Serpent after her, her temperament was calm, giving off lukewarm vibes to everyone.

When it was Hellhound's turn, she directly pounced on the Ouroboros Serpent, sniffing her vigorously, then frowned and looked over at Ma Lu.

"I don't like her smell."

"It's alright, we're just colleagues, we don't have to be close. Just treat each other like ordinary teammates," Ma Lu replied.

"Tch." The purple-haired girl pursed her lips but, considering the augmented items, she didn't object.

The five mounted their warhorses, with Ma Lu setting the destination.

This week, the Sacred Order of Knights had assigned him four tasks at once, two of which were Collection Tasks, one cleansing task, and one reconnaissance mission.

Ma Lu once again chose the cleansing task.

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Because this task didn't require much thought and operated on a "the more you do, the more you get" basis, with not too many unexpected factors, it was very suitable for quickly gaining experience and building strength in the early stages.

However, the reward offered for that final reconnaissance mission, a hefty 200,000 Holy Silver Coins and 3,000 Atonement Points, still managed to somewhat catch Ma Lu's attention.

But upon realizing that the location was quite far, requiring at least a five-hour flight, Ma Lu quickly lost interest.

He now had a total of only 14 hours of active time, having already spent nearly two hours hiring someone to buy equipment. Including the return trip in his calculations, this meant he had less than two hours left for the actual mission—far too tight a schedule.

Moreover, Ma Lu had his own plans for this trip, intending to gather a larger amount of mushrooms, especially the higher-star ones.

Though there were still three days until the official start date agreed upon with the Valkyrie people, those hardworking little ones had already begun to get busy in advance and had indeed secured a customer for Ma Lu.

-- An unnamed customer from a Different Dimension was willing to spend 500 Star Currency at the Universe Infinite Canteen for a meal with mushrooms as the main theme, requiring at least two dishes.

This was the first Different Dimension customer the Universe Infinite Canteen had ever served since its opening, and with the addition of earning some Star Currency, Ma Lu was very much invested in it.

He was determined to capture a high-star mushroom this time.

With nothing better to do on the way, the group started chatting. As they talked, the conversation eventually turned to the witch who had been burned at the stake previously.

Ma Lu noticed that when he brought up what he had seen in the square that day, the Hellhound's expression darkened immediately, Yun Que seemed sad, and even though the Bliss Bird's facial expression didn't change much, the knuckles gripping the book whitened subtly.

As for the Ouroboros Serpent, being the newest member of the team and having been openly scorned by the "old man" of the small group, the Hellhound, she was very well-behaved during the trip, mostly listening and speaking little.

Ma Lu didn't call her out by name, and she didn't speak unless spoken to. Now, hearing Ma Lu mention the witch who had been burned the week before, her gaze showed an appropriately measured mix of sympathy and regret.

"Did you know her?" Ma Lu asked the Ouroboros Serpent.

The latter nodded and then shook her head.

"She was a senior who graduated a year ahead of us. I've heard her name, but I wasn't acquainted with her. I just know she was a very outstanding witch.

"She saved her knight numerous times, completing even the most dangerous missions. As an exemplary graduate, she often returned to our school to give lectures."

"I see, so why did the Church decide to burn her?"

"Because she had fallen." Bliss Bird closed the book.

"Fallen?"

"The Church said she had embraced the enemy." Ouroboros Serpent explained.

"Those Energized Plants?" Ma Lu raised an eyebrow.

"No, besides those Energized Plants, the Church has other enemies, enemies beyond the city walls."

"Humans?"

"More precisely, witches who have lost control." Ouroboros Serpent expressed surprise, "You are a knight, hasn't the Sacred Order of Knights warned you to be wary of witches of unknown origin in the wild?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Ma Lu was well prepared for this question and responded calmly, "I was injured during a previous mission, here."

He pointed to his head, "So there are many things I don't remember anymore."

"I see." Ouroboros Serpent seemed to understand.

Ma Lu continued, "So there are witches beyond the Church's control in this world after all. But didn't you say earlier that no one could survive in the wild, and without Holy Water, how do they resolve the issue of becoming lost?"

"I don't know about that." Ouroboros Serpent shook her head, then after a moment of thought added, "There's a rumor that those out-of-control witches have also established a small settlement. That might be the reason they can survive in the wild."

Ma Lu stroked his chin, "A settlement built entirely by witches, free of enslavement and oppression, must be quite appealing to the witches within the city. No wonder the Church is so ruthlessly harsh on these fallen ones, resorting to such brutal methods to deter others."

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