"So, where is the broken Lightning Pendant?"
After Ante finished speaking, Colin paused before counter-questioning.
Although activating the Transmission Array required four conditions, the first two should have already been met by himself.
And the third condition, the strength of a First Rank Intermediate Wizard... although he was slightly short of advancing, it was still within the realm of his self-control.
Only the fourth condition, the Lightning-shaped Pendant... it sounded rather troublesome.
The young Ante didn't beat around the bush. He pointed at Lian, who lay on the ground, and began to speak:
"The whereabouts of the Lightning Pendant, this Monk named Lian should be aware."
Colin frowned slightly, channeling his spiritual power into a needle, and woke Lian up.
...
Ten minutes later, as Monk Lian's screams gradually subsided, the entire sequence of events became clear in front of Colin.
About half a year ago, the Pahama Islands were attacked by deities; the attack was sudden and highly deceptive. As a result, Wizard Basar and the other Wizards who went to respond fell into the trap.
And that broken Lightning Pendant, it appeared to be an extremely crucial item, which in the last moments, Wizard Basar had sent to Ante via a mechanical insect.
Regrettably, though the mechanical insect managed to escape the aftermath of the battle, it was badly damaged and collapsed in front of Ante who was leaning against a window. Lian, who happened to be passing by on the street, picked it up by chance.
At that time, Divine Believers were patrolling the street, and owing to the need for Ante to disguise himself and hide his identity, he ultimately missed the Lightning Pendant as it passed right by him.
Afterward, Ante did think of retrieving the Lightning Pendant.
Yet, under the harsh rule of the divine powers, even though the old Jack, relying on the Great Knight's strength, had become a fishing boat captain, he still had no way to deal with Lian, a Monk. He even inadvertently exposed Anna's appearance, stirring Lian's covetousness...
As for where the pendant was now...
Colin gazed at the bloodied Lian, repeating in a deep voice:
"So, since becoming a Monk, you felt the pendant was no longer worthy of your status, yet you couldn't bear to discard it… and so you've been keeping it in a drawer in your home's bedroom?"
"Yes... yes, my lord..." Lian nodded vigorously, gasping in pain, "I beg you, please spare... ah!"
Bang, old Jack, who stood nearby, delivered another forceful punch directly into Lian's abdomen. Lian curled up like a cooked shrimp, only knowing to groan and gasp in pain.
In this confusion of consciousness, Colin asked in a deep voice once more:
"Who else knows that you several people have come here?"
At the same time, his spiritual power once again enveloped Lian, closely monitoring his physical and even spiritual reactions.
"My... my lord, what I've said... it's all true, no... nobody knows... Even the two Great Knights that were found, I specifically instructed them not to disclose this trip... I beg you, let me go."
Lian murmured incessantly, his sweat mingling with blood and mixed with tears streamed down from his pained face, forming turbid liquids that dripped to the floor.
Colin's expression remained unchanged. After pondering for a moment, he asked the final question.
"That broken Lightning Pendant, aside from you, who else has seen it? What kind of people are they?"
"Lord... Wizard Lord... please let me go! After I obtained the pendant, I always wore it on myself. Even after becoming a Monk, I wore it for at least a month before switching to another pendant.
I always wore it outside my clothes. During that time, those who have seen it... including passersby on the street, there have been at least a few hundred. And at least dozens mentioned it to me during conversations... how could I possibly remember exactly!"
Lian murmured in desperation.
The status of a Monk sounded prestigious, but apart from those responsible for combat, most were just ordinary individuals providing higher-quality faith.
He coughed a few times, and continued:
"That pendant... apart from being made of Gold, it had no other special characteristics, the craftsmanship was average, and it was still damaged. If you hadn't told me now, I wouldn't even know that it's supposed to be a broken lightning bolt!"
Colin remained silent. He looked at Lian, feeling somewhat reassured.
He had asked these questions many times over, varying the approach and timing of the questioning.
But whether it was Lian's answers or the information observed through the spiritual power, there was no abnormality to be found...
"The pendant is in Lian's residence on the Pahama Islands..." Colin silently pondered.
Now that there was a Transmission Array, it was clear that choosing to go back to the Wizard's rear via the Transmission Array was the best choice, both from the perspective of safety and time.
But how to get the pendant, and whether he himself could successfully advance to a First Rank Intermediate Wizard in these two days?
While Colin was lost in thought.
On the other side, Lian, who finally had some time to catch his breath, endured the pain in his body, slightly lifted his head, and stealthily glanced at the expressionless Colin and then at Ante and the other two, who weren't giving him the slightest attention.
Only then did he realize what he had just blurted out... A tidal wave of despair suddenly surged in his heart.
In fact, he hadn't intended to answer so thoroughly, but his willpower had collapsed in the face of intense pain.
It was just too painful...
Honestly, even back when he was a street thug, he had never experienced such intense pain, and his later life as a Monk had greatly weakened his willpower.
...He had thought he could hold on for a while longer.
But now...
Looking around, Lian felt as though he was suspended above an abyss, his heart filled with panic and fear.
Colin's silence, the indifference of Ante and the others beside him, all seemed to foretell some terrible outcome...
A sudden urge to urinate overwhelmed him, and Lian internally gritted his teeth, quickly taking the initiative to say:
"Wizard sir, I know you want that pendant. I can go and get it for you and I absolutely won't reveal your presence..."
"Oh? What are your conditions then?" Colin asked with a faint smile, interrupting him.
Lian was overjoyed, thinking he had caught a lifeline, and he hurriedly continued:
"Wizard sir, I just need you to let me go! Um... and perhaps to hide, you could help me heal the injuries on my body."
Colin said nothing and turned to look at Anna, his spiritual power stretching out.
Anna paused for a brief moment, then nodded almost imperceptibly.
Lian, of course, did not notice this.
"You can trust me, I will never divulge your presence! If you are still worried, you can... you can cast that terrible witchcraft on me that will kill me if I break the promise..."
It was clear that Lian desperately wanted to live.
He truly hadn't expected a routine operation to result in an encounter with an Official Wizard he was utterly powerless against!
It was a certain death situation, but fortunately, there was still...
"Uh?"
At this moment, Lian suddenly clutched his chest, his eyes widening in disbelief.
He could feel a weak but deadly force that strangely caused his heart to stop!
As the feeling of suffocation and dizziness came over him, Lian instantly lost his strength and collapsed to the ground.
If no one intervened, he would lose all signs of life within ten to fifteen minutes.
Colin retracted his spiritual power... An ordinary person's body was fragile like a bubble ready to pop in front of him, who was now a First Rank Wizard.
As for Lian... His fate had been sealed long ago.
Divine Believers were not to be trusted, no matter what kind of constraints were used, none were reliable, that was the lesson learned from past experiences... Colin naturally would not make that mistake.
He turned to look at Anna and spoke:
"So, you're confident you can get the pendant from Lian's house, right?"
"I'm sure," Anna nodded, just like she had after Colin posed the question using his spiritual power, she gave an affirmative answer.
Colin nodded slightly, surveyed Ante and the other two, and slowly said:
"I will grant your request, and what you need to do is return to the Pahama Island, go to the place where Lian resides, and bring the Lightning Pendant back."