"Clang!"

The longsword dropped to the ground, and the guard, who had been held at swordpoint, let out a long sigh of relief.

Liens did not use his own longsword; instead, he drew the longsword hanging from the guard's waist to deal with its owner.

Not only that guard, but the other guards also visibly relaxed when they saw Liens leave.

It was too intense; facing an existence that could kill them at any moment, they truly didn't dare to even breathe loudly, fearing they might incur his displeasure.

Now that he had finally left, the heavy weight on their hearts could finally be lifted.

"What should we do? Should we report this?"

One guard asked the others.

"Of course, we should report it... Our main job is to monitor the city gate's situation, and any unexpected circumstances must be reported to our superiors."

"Intercepting rebels and preventing civilians from approaching are secondary matters; our superiors never expected us few to accomplish much."

The guard who had been held at swordpoint replied irritably.

"That's not what I meant, I just... I'm a bit afraid."

"You know, if Liens, that powerful Adventurer, wanted to deal with us just now, he'd probably only need one person and one sword, and we might not even react before we're dead."

"I'm afraid that reporting it might displease Liens."

"What if he comes looking for trouble then?"

The guard's face showed an uneasy expression, and upon hearing him, the others also revealed similar looks.

Everyone was afraid of inviting retaliation and didn't want to risk their lives for their job.

"Don't overthink it... Since Liens didn't kill us directly, it means he probably doesn't care if his arrival in Kara City is known."

"Reporting this information to our superiors will at least give them the impression that we are diligent."

"Otherwise, if our superiors discover Liens themselves, we might end up being accused of dereliction of duty."

"Sigh... The situation is tense now; I wouldn't be surprised if a large-scale battle suddenly breaks out any day."

"If we're charged with a crime, we'll lose this easy assignment and be sent to the front lines to face the rebels head-on, and that would be the end of us."

"Everyone should know their own capabilities."

"Compared to the front lines, guarding the city gate is already relatively safe. Staying in the rear, away from the battlefield, makes it more likely for us to survive until the war ends."

The guard spoke earnestly to the others.

...

On the other side.

Liens, who was on his way to the Adventurers' Association, didn't know that those guards were preparing to report his information upwards.

However, even if he knew, he wouldn't care about such a small matter, because he had never thought of hiding his existence.

His accepted commission was to lead the Adventurers' Association safely out of Kara City, not to engage in any assassination operations with those two factions.

There were too many people at the Adventurers' Association; it would be impossible to hide them.

Of course, he hadn't intended to reveal all his information directly, so from the moment he stepped into Kara City, he had concealed his elemental reactions.

For him now, hiding his elemental reactions was a simple matter, not requiring any magic as Lucrezia had said.

Simply suppressing the elements within his body was enough.

However, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't hide his elemental reactions; it was like wearing a mask when going out—while it didn't have much impact, it was still a bit uncomfortable.

So, when unnecessary, he was too lazy to hide his body's elemental reactions, as he had no intention of playing the pig to eat the tiger.

"Is this what a place looks like after being ravaged by war? It's truly quiet."

Looking at the silent streets, like a ghost town, Liens sighed in his heart.

Kara City at this time had lost its former bustle; in the past, even though people didn't hold much hope for life, they would still go out and hustle for survival, becoming the cogs that kept the city running, adding to its crowded vibrancy.

But now, he had passed through several streets yet hadn't seen a single person, not even a homeless person.

Along the way, there were scenes of destruction everywhere: broken tiles, snapped tables and chairs, damaged doors and windows, and dark red bloodstains visible from time to time.

It was as if it was showing Liens the scene of the riot: the unrestrained laughter of the rioters, the tragic wails of the common people, the angry roars of the men...

Everything seemed vividly clear.

"What's... wrong with me?"

Liens stopped, feeling the sadness emanating from within him, and couldn't help but murmur softly, then sighed: "Am I being affected by the lingering resentment that refuses to dissipate?" Note from the editor: Always check * for corrections.

Ever since he comprehended Heaven and Man as One—no... perhaps ever since he began his journey to mastery, his perception of the world had been continuously strengthening.

Heaven and Man as One merely gave an additional push to his already powerful perception.

Although the consumption of Heaven and Man as One was significant, he generally only activated it in Instances.

However, due to the numerous activations, whether active or passive, he had absorbed a lot of deep-seated information in that state.

Perceiving others' emotions was a manifestation of his ability after absorbing this information; he saw many things and naturally learned many things as a result.

He could perceive a deep-seated resentment existing in the streets of Kara City; this resentment was not recently formed but had accumulated over a long time.

It was only now, due to the many deaths caused by the riot, that this resentment had become active.

This was also why Liens felt the streets were desolate and like a ghost town as he walked; it wasn't just because there were no people, but primarily because of the subtle influence of that resentment on those who passed through.

Ordinary people in this environment would only feel chest tightness and shortness of breath, uncomfortable everywhere; if they stayed for a long time, their weakened spirits would gradually affect their bodies, leading to illness.

And in the long run, if nothing dispelled that resentment, this area would eventually become a completely uninhabited haunted domain.

"Forget it, this has nothing to do with me; the church should handle it. Hmm... Speak of the devil, and he shall appear."

Liens turned to look at a group of white-clad figures appearing at the other end of the street; they were both men and women, humming sacred prayers.

Solemn tones, blessed lyrics, harmonious rhythms... together they formed a special ritual.

In his perception, the spirits of these people had imbued the surrounding light elements, making them a "light" that could dispel resentment.

And with the efforts of these "light" warriors, the resentment around them was gradually weakening.

"As expected of the church, even ordinary people can display miracles through collective rituals."

Liens praised softly, then turned and left; he did not intend to interact with the church personnel.

"So fast! Is Liens an Extraordinary One?"

Seeing Liens's figure disappear from the street almost instantly, the leading girl, Monica, who had originally intended to go over and warn him, immediately showed a surprised expression.

"What's wrong, Monica?"

Someone beside her asked the girl.

"Nothing, I just saw someone here... but Liens has already left."

Monica replied.

"It's probably an Extraordinary One from one of the two factions; don't worry about Liens, let's continue and try to dispel the resentment in the city as soon as possible."

"The war will end sooner or later; we cannot let the dead continue to disturb the lives of the living."