Mystery: The Stranger

Chapter 12 Compensation and Condolences

The knights obeyed orders, their movements slow yet orderly.

Snow dismounted and walked to the altar. The phantom of Xalatas had long since vanished, leaving only a faint crimson aura on the altar. He gestured for the remaining knights to stand guard around the area, while he himself went to the bodies of the fallen knights—three corpses in total, all cold and stiff, their faces still bearing the marks of their dying pain and ferocity.

According to Baron Hawke's usual practice, incense should have been lit at this moment, and prayers should have been offered to the fallen God, asking the divine to purify this polluted land. But Snow did not do so. He did not even look at the inverted cross statue on the altar, but simply knelt down, reached out, and gently stroked the cheek of one of the corpses.

"Begin the ceremony," he said in a low voice, his tone devoid of any piety or prayer, only a cold command.

Xalatas's power intertwined with his twisting abilities, forming an invisible barrier that isolated the altar from the outside world.

Snow chanted obscure incantations—not prayers to a fallen God, but whispers summoning the abyss.

The bodies of the three fallen knights gradually floated up, their blood and the silver-gray aura on their armor forcibly stripped away, converging into a dark red band of light that wrapped around Snow.

He raised his head and looked towards the distant Misty Sea to the west, knowing full well that the entrance to the abyss was there.

"The three corpses are sacrificed, fresh blood is used as a catalyst, the void is summoned, and filth is reversed."

The moment the incantation was cast, a dark crack suddenly appeared beneath the altar, from which a powerful suction force surged forth. The black slime and sulfurous odor remaining in Rye Village, as well as the abyssal energy left behind by the mutated creatures after their deaths, were all drawn into the crack by this suction force.

As a sacrifice, the three knights' remains, enveloped in the band of light, slowly sank into the darkness and eventually disappeared. The moment the crevice closed, the ground returned to normal, as if nothing had ever happened, leaving only a faint smell of blood in the air as proof that a fierce battle had taken place here.

"When you want to get something from the abyss, you always have to pay all sorts of prices."

"And when you wish to offer a sacrifice, to repay the filth, the gates of the abyss open with a gentle push."

Xalatas's laughter was filled with undisguised mockery. She had clearly figured out that filth and even blood might be part of the Abyss. When she summoned these lowly demonic creatures, she paid with real spiritual power, while the Abyss only needed three ordinary corpses as sacrifices to reclaim these polluted remnants and corrupted power.

They go through all that trouble, losing their own spiritual energy, while the abyss suffers no loss and even profits from the transaction fees.

"At least the rules are clear."

Snow Serin adjusted his black gloves, showing no empathy for Saratas.

Because it consumes his spirituality; he is a Void Demon, and by setting up such a sacrificial ritual, he is more likely to receive a response from the Abyss.

Xalatas, on the other hand, is a Void malice with Snow as its demon, more like a kind of pollution or curse released by Snow. When these monsters were summoned, Snow's spirituality as a Sequence 6 Beyonder was consumed.

"The only pity is that the abyss of this world already has a master."

"The Demon King, a Sequence 0 god, is not an opponent we can challenge in a short time."

Saratas rested her head on Snow's shoulder, her sharp fingertips gently tracing his cheek. She spoke with a hint of regret, then suddenly kissed Snow's cheek. "However, even gods fall, just like the more powerful Black Emperor who ruled the entire Northern Continent but is now dead." Her tone regained its maturity and carried a faint expectation.

"Don't you know that that person also has a sense of malice? Or rather, a sequence 0 level sense of malice."

Snow Serin swatted the phantom on his shoulder with disgust. If a Sequence 6 demon like him could sense malice, what chance did a Sequence 0 demon king have? Xalatas remained as audacious and arrogant as ever.

"Heh, so what if he's a god? The blade of the Dark Empire is on your body; he can't sense our malice."

Although Xaratas's figure had disappeared, his unrestrained laughter still lingered in Snow's ears.

Snow chose to ignore it. He waved his hand, dispelling the distortion. The invisible barrier disappeared, and the surrounding knights looked at Snow with admiration and awe.

They were all ordinary people, not extraordinary individuals, not experts in mysticism, and had no idea what kind of ritual was being held, let alone who the object of their prayers was. In their eyes, every action and every word of Snow carried the authority and holiness of a lord. Even if some details were different from the past, they would only regard it as "a secret of the Hawke family" and would not have any doubts.

More importantly, Snow's twisting power never ceased from the start of the battle to the end of the ritual. It not only enhanced the knights' combat abilities but also subtly distorted their perceptions and minds.

These knights willingly accepted Snow's distortion, which was tantamount to willingly accepting the corruption of the Void Demons, because their main energy was focused on fighting the Abyss summons. Even if someone felt their mood become somewhat depressed, as if they were under some potential influence, these knights would usually ignore it and assume it was because of the monsters in front of them.

They have nothing to fear; they are all knights with ample experience, and upon returning, they will undergo a purification ritual presided over by the priests of the Mystic People.

"Clean up the battlefield and take inventory of supplies."

Snow gave the order, and he did not mention anything about compensation.

Because it's not necessary. Not only do they not need to pay a single penny, but the heirs of these fallen knights also need to pay an "inheritance tax" to Snow and obtain Snow's permission before they can inherit their fathers' fiefdoms.

Snow does not need to provide compensation. The fief (land and farmers on it) held by the knight's family is a prepayment. The land given is equivalent to a one-time purchase of the knight's lifelong service. If the son of the knight who died in battle is a minor, then the guardianship of the orphan and widow naturally belongs to Snow. Snow is responsible for protecting, settling, and making decisions.

His additional rewards of gold coins or some land as compensation seemed unusual in this era.

Snow then gave the widows of the three fallen knights a few cows and some grain, which was a rather respectable gesture of condolence in those days.

After all, in this era, people are valuable, but human life is not.

The knights obeyed in unison, their eyes devoid of sorrow. Instead, they quickly began cleaning up the battlefield. Since the pollution of the abyss had been removed, some valuable materials that could be used to make weapons or armor remained. These were things Snow didn't care about. After the knights finished counting and reported to Snow, they could share these rich spoils of war.