Seeing that the newcomer was Ebner, Cullen endured his pain and spoke intermittently, "If possible... please create some ice for me... I need to cool down..."
Ebner was taken aback, then glanced at the elongated, silver-white revolver in Cullen's right hand. As he pondered, he simulated the Zombie ability and conjured a circle of ice around Cullen.
That revolver was called Ace of Hearts, a Sealed Artifact Cullen possessed, crafted with the Light Worshipper's Beyonder characteristic, capable of firing bullets condensed from Holy Light.
Ebner had heard Cullen mention this weapon back in Backlund after the Painful Witch incident, but he hadn't known what side effects it carried. Judging by the current situation, at the very least, it had the drawback of Solar Scorching.
Tut-tut, such a negative effect must be particularly effective against vampires…
Cullen carrying something so hostile to himself all the time—does it hold some sentimental value? Or... does he have some peculiar fetish?
While Ebner was secretly speculating, Miss Judy had already caught her breath. She first solemnly thanked Ebner, then seemed to sense something. Staring at him curiously, she said, "Ebner, she actually went to find you… I thought she would bring Dad and Mom… or at least notify the Church..."
That's because your double's mind was full of me… Wait… that sounds a bit off.
It should be that she only remembered me… No, that doesn't sound right either…
Forget it. No matter how I explain it, it still feels strange—especially when I can't reveal why the barrier allowed memories of me to pass through…
Better let Miss Judy ask her double and figure it out herself.
Various thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, but on the surface, Ebner remained calm as he replied lightly, "I happened to be in Bayam, and I had noticed some anomalies in the nearby area."
He was referring to the plants he'd obtained that bore a striking resemblance to those from a certain casual game from his previous life.
"Cullen guessed right—it really was you who killed the 'Doctor'..." Judy suddenly realized.
"Was that 'Doctor' a member of the Earth Mother Church?" Ebner asked, his expression somewhat awkward.
He didn't particularly regret killing the man. Judging by his ruthless, indiscriminate attack at the Beyonder gathering—hurling Man-Eating Flowers at the crowd just to escape—he was clearly a callous, unscrupulous individual. His death was well deserved.
However, considering his friendship with Judy and Cullen and the Earth Mother's favor, it felt improper to have killed one of the Church's Beyonders without prior notice—though at the time, he hadn't known.
"He could be considered one… or not… He was a double agent, having joined the Church's peripheral organization in Loen while simultaneously providing intelligence to the Feneport military… He even had ties with Intis."
Judy didn't seem to mind, quickly delving into the story of their squad's experience.
Half a month ago, they had received orders to secretly travel to Bayam and investigate a possible Ancient Alchemist ruin.
The very same Doctor had reported this intelligence to the Church.
He had stumbled upon the valley while evading pursuit from local gangs.
At that time, the valley's barrier hadn't been as powerful—merely interfering with sight—allowing him to slip inside. However, the outer guard plants still discovered him.
With the Doctor's strength, he was no match for them. Barely escaping with serious injuries, he managed to kill a few plants, seizing their seeds before fleeing the valley.
By the time Judy's team arrived in Bayam, the Doctor had already been killed by Ebner. Fortunately, the intelligence he submitted was thorough enough for them to easily locate the cliff with the small wooden cabin.
Unsure of how many factions the Doctor had sold the information to, Judy, Cullen, and their captain, Asenov, had decided to investigate the valley as quickly as possible.
However, due to their haste and the fact that the Doctor had never triggered the full barrier, they underestimated the valley's dangers. Only Judy had left behind one of her father's Plant Doubles at the wooden cabin as a contingency.
Initially, their exploration went smoothly—until they accidentally triggered a trap.
The trap was a Cherry, but its explosion was as powerful as Radiant Sun!
To protect them, Captain Asenov had no choice but to use his Holy Relic, preventing Judy and Cullen from getting hurt.
However, the demigod aura had activated the valley's highest alert state, summoning countless plant guardians and sealing the barrier at full strength.
Desperate, Judy activated her contingency.
The Plant Double her father had made was incredibly special—intended as a life-saving tool that could even allow her to resurrect by abandoning her original body and transferring her soul into the double.
Yet Judy hadn't used this feature—not only because they hadn't reached a dead end, but also because she couldn't abandon her companions, especially since Asenov was incapacitated by the Relic's backlash.
Instead, she chose another mode: awakening the Double's Spirit and transferring her memories into it, sending it out for help.
Since then, the three had held their ground, waiting for rescue—until Ebner arrived.
"So that's how it was…" After listening to Judy's explanation, Ebner nodded, then glanced around and asked, "Where's Captain Asenov?"
"That Holy Relic requires the captain to be buried underground for an hour after each use… Remember that coffin-sized box he always carried? It's not only for storing the Relic, but also serves as his coffin when buried underground…"
Judy pointed to the ground beneath their feet and added, "We had been taking turns resting—otherwise, we wouldn't have lasted until you broke the barrier…"
"If not for those alchemical constructs constantly twisting the conditions of death and regenerating after destruction, we wouldn't have been in such dire straits."
At this point, Cullen—having fully melted the surrounding ice—stood up, regaining his usual elegance, though his voice still carried a hint of weakness.
"Thank you, Ebner." Cullen stepped forward and solemnly bowed.
"Aren't we friends?" Ebner smiled, then shifted his gaze toward the wide cave entrance on the other side of the valley.
That was clearly the residence of this place's former owner. The relentless attacks from the plants earlier were likely to prevent anyone from getting close to it.
"Let's wait until the captain 'wakes up' before we explore. With him around, at least our safety will be assured," Cullen suggested in a deep voice, having noticed Ebner's gaze.
If another unexpected situation arose, they wouldn't have the strength to seek help again.
Although Pure White Eye detected no traps or restrictions, Ebner saw no harm in being cautious. After all, even if danger arose, he could always call upon The Fool for assistance in "finding people."
While they waited, Judy dug through the remains of the alchemical plant creatures, carefully extracting and collecting their seeds.
"The plants grown from these seeds seem to have lost their nature as 'alchemical lifeforms.' They're now just extraordinary plants without intelligence," Ebner observed after comparing them to the ones the Doctor had used.
"I know… The key to alchemical life isn't just the plants themselves, but the extreme life essence refined and infused by the Ancient Alchemist… However, that essence dissipates upon the creator's death.
"When regrown, even if they look identical, they lack the same nature—at best, they contain weak natural spirits. Their power diminishes with each generation until they eventually revert to ordinary plants."
Judy's face lit up with a bright smile. "But even so, the ingenuity behind these new species makes them worth studying."
She then turned to Ebner expectantly. "This time, I don't need anything else—I'll just take these seeds as my share of the spoils. Is that okay?"
She had already assumed that the hero detective who had saved them would claim the largest share of the spoils.
Ebner had no objections—after all, if he ever needed them, he could just borrow from Judy. With her personality, she wouldn't refuse.
As for Cullen, to use Roselle's words, his usual demeanor of "constant melancholy" meant he cared even less.
…
After nearly half an hour, Captain Asenov's "coffin" finally broke through the earth. He lifted the lid, scanned his surroundings, then smiled at his teammates. "Looks like everything's settled."
After listening to Judy's report, he nodded at Ebner in acknowledgment and said, "Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Bryan… The Benevolent Mother will bless you."
That, you got right. Though I don't know why, Lilith has indeed been watching over me… Ebner mused inwardly.
On the surface, he merely exchanged polite words with Asenov before joining the three of them in cautiously approaching the cave entrance.
At the entrance, Cullen sent in a few bats to scout ahead. Once they confirmed there were no anomalies, the four naturally arranged themselves into a diamond formation and stepped into the vast cave.
Cullen took the lead, Judy and Ebner walked a few steps behind, covering the flanks, while Captain Asenov, as the guardian, stayed at the rear, ready to shield them from any danger.
The cave was dim and gloomy. The Sunflower-like plants that had once provided illumination had withered and lost their function.
Fortunately, all four had night vision abilities, so visibility wasn't an issue.
After passing through a long corridor, the cave branched into three paths. Cullen halted, sensed for a moment, then said, "The left side seems to be the living quarters and bedrooms. The right leads to a study and laboratory. The middle passageway goes to an altar."
"Let's check the altar first. I'm certain it's the core of the barrier outside. We should dismantle it completely before we encounter any more surprises," Ebner decided without hesitation.
The other three considered his words and found them reasonable. They proceeded down the central tunnel, soon arriving before a damaged altar.
On either side of the altar stood rows of candles, eerily still burning despite the passage of time.
At the very center of the altar lay a black iron emblem.
Engraved upon it was a scepter—grasped firmly by a clenched hand!
Candles on the left: 41. Candles on the right: 40…
This is a Tudor family emblem?!
A Tudor emblem fused with the Beyonder characteristic of a Sequence 4 "Earl of the Fallen" from the Lawyer Pathway, forming a Sealed Artifact!
Counting the candles, Ebner's expression grew solemn as he stepped forward, activating Pure White Eye to analyze the emblem carefully.
Judy, Cullen, and Asenov had no objections. Considering Ebner had just saved their lives and used an advanced charm in the process, it was only fair for him to claim the first choice of spoils as compensation.
"As expected, this is a Tudor emblem fused with the Beyonder characteristic of a Sequence 4 'Earl of the Fallen' from the Lawyer Pathway, forming a Sealed Artifact…
"Given that the Tudors once held the Prince of Abolition, it's not surprising they had high-level Lawyer Sealed Artifacts…
"But why does this emblem still carry the lingering resentment of a high-rank Hunter Pathway evil spirit?"
"The valley's previous owner should have been active thirty to forty years ago… And the Ponds family dug up the three-in-one evil spirit under Backlund's ruins around the same time…
"Could this emblem have come from that Tudor ruin?"
"What was the identity of this predecessor from the Cultivator Pathway?"
"Could he have been from the Ponds family?"
"No… That doesn't make sense. The Ponds wouldn't walk the Cultivator Pathway…
"Or did he obtain it from someone in the Ponds family?"