"Why have you stopped?"
Just then, a deep voice finally burst forth, unable to contain itself any longer, resonating through the air!
Father Hanfley's figure appeared in mid-air.
He looked at Anna and her companions in bewilderment, repeatedly asking,
"Did you detect my tracking? Could it be that Old Jack is not merely a Great Knight?"
"Hanfley, it is you!" Ante growled softly, his feet unconsciously retreating backwards.
"Father Hanfley..." Anna fixed her gaze on Hanfley, and although she had anticipated this moment, her pupils still involuntarily contracted.
Meanwhile, Old Jack unsheathed the sword at his waist and resolutely stepped in front of siblings Ante and Anna, protecting them behind him.
"Hmph," Hanfley sneered, "You, the most ordinary of faithful, why do you not kneel before the Priest?"
His gaze turned to Old Jack and he added, "The physique of a Great Knight ought to provide me with pleasure for a bit longer... It's only a pity that you're not a woman, or it would have been even more enjoyable."
Old Jack's expression remained unchanged, silently confronting him.
He understood what Hanfley was referring to—a variety of cruel tortures.
These priests who worshiped the Night and Blood Goddess were all madmen with a common penchant for sadistic pleasure.
On the Pahama Islands, ruled by the Night and Blood Goddess, the hierarchy was strict.
Once you reached the rank of Priest, your status was completely different from that of the ordinary believers.
Provided there was a reasonable justification, a Priest had the authority to deal with any common believer by any means necessary.
Under such power, their desires naturally inflated unchecked, and under the guidance of the Night and Blood Goddess, they became deviant and cruel.
Whipping, cutting, tearing asunder... as long as it didn't result in mass death among the believers, any torture that drew blood was considered by them nothing more than ordinary entertainment.
Moreover, they euphemistically called it—pleasing the Goddess.
Of course, whether the Night and Blood Goddess actually derived pleasure from this was unknown, as She seemed not to care and even somewhat indifferent.
In endless pain and despair, people become weak, pray to the divine... and in turn, their faith becomes even more resolute.
However, once accustomed to praying in despair, they lose the courage to fight back, the desire to change, and the most precious spirit of humanity... leaving nothing but a weak shell, kneeling in prayer.
In fact, one of the main reasons Old Jack had chosen to become the captain of a fishing boat was to avoid these deranged and zealous believers as much as possible.
"That reminds me, I have another question—" Father Hanfley shifted his gaze and continued,
"What is your relationship with the Basa family?"
"Let me guess—" he sneered, scanning the three people before him and said tauntingly, "You wouldn't happen to be remnants of the Basa family, would you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of Anna and her companion changed slightly.
'Why hasn't Wizard Leonard appeared yet?!' Ante looked around discreetly, feeling somewhat anxious.
Anna felt the same way, although her expression was noticeably more despairing than Ante's.
"Father Hanfley is an experienced Priest, with the strength at the peak of a First Rank Intermediate Wizard at the very least," she whispered softly, barely parting her red lips.
Although she stopped there, Ante vaguely understood something.
Although the true strength of the Wizard named Leonard was unknown, Ante had previously mentioned that the minimum strength required to use the Transmission Array was that of a First Rank Intermediate Wizard.
Leonard's strength should at least be that of a First Rank Intermediate... right?
Ante then suddenly recalled the subtle change in expression when Colin heard the four requirements for using the Transmission Array.
In reality, Colin didn't have much of an expression, but to Ante in this moment, these "expressionless" faces all became concrete evidence—
Could it be that the Wizard named Leonard was nothing more than a First Rank Junior Wizard?!!
A sense of despair surged like a tide in his heart and then spread out through his pores, making Ante feel as though the surrounding air was gradually thickening, making it hard to breathe.
"Not talking?" Hanfley continued, looking around as if searching for something.
His gaze then paused on a certain point in the void.
Swoosh!
The next second, he suddenly transformed into a scarlet blur, instantly bypassing Old Jack and appearing next to Anna.
Ugh!
He grabbed Anna's tied-up hair and yanked her up.
A sudden burst of intense pain made Anna let out an involuntary cry.
If one could see through the thick black hair, they would notice specks of blood-red spreading.
"Anna!"
Hanfley's speed was so fast that Ante could only shout out in shock.
Swoosh!
Old Jack had already slashed with his sword.
Unfortunately, it was easily dodged by the ever-prepared Hanfley.
He glanced around, holding Anna in one hand and tossing the Lightning Pendant to Ante with the other, and said indifferently,
"Continue, I know there must be some secret hidden here."
Ante hastily caught the thrown Lightning Pendant, his face unable to conceal his rage.
But Hanfley had already returned to mid-air, far beyond reach, rendering Ante's anger useless.
And Anna, dangling in mid-air, clenched her teeth and grabbed the middle of her hair, pulling hard to alleviate the pressure at the roots of her scalp.
However, the initial tugging had already damaged her scalp, and a few trickles of blood ran down, leaving crimson, winding trails across her cheeks and neck.
Ante bit his lip and gave up hope on Colin's appearance.
He paused, glanced at Old Jack, then at Anna, who suffered in silence, and finally approached the circular spotlight.
Ding-a-ling.
He held the chain of the Lightning Pendant in his right hand, allowing it to dangle and sway.
His spiritual power spread up the pendant via his fingers, followed by his Magic Power.
'Magic Power?!' Hanfley raised his eyebrows incredulously as he looked at Ante.
Such pure and orderly Magic Power could only signify a Wizard.
He had never considered the possibility that Ante was a hidden Wizard, although he seemed to be an insignificant Apprentice.
How could there be a Wizard on the Pahama Islands?!
But what he saw before him did not lie... Hanfley suddenly felt matters become more significant.
Buzz—
At that moment, the incomplete, golden Lightning Pendant suddenly lit up.
Subsequently, as if in response, the circular spot of light in front of Ante also began to glow faintly—
as if something was being nurtured within.
Hanfley couldn't help but show joy.
'Just a Wizard Apprentice... I had already prepared a contingency plan; nothing unexpected should happen.'
He temporarily pushed aside the doubts in his heart.
'This discovery will surely propel me even further!'
Back when the island was invaded by the Divine, that was how he became a Priest.
It was a pity that the remains of the Basa Wizard found by accident could have provided him with more benefits if not for his lowly position at the time...
But this time, his position as a Priest was more than sufficient to reap the benefits!
"Indeed, there are discoveries, Hanfley, you didn't deceive me."
But just then, another figure appeared.
It was another Priest, with a hawk-beak nose and white, frosty hair.
"Prit..." Hanfley looked at him and immediately felt a sense of regret.
He almost forgot that he had called for this assistant!
What a pity, had he known this trip would go so smoothly, he would never have chosen another assistant!
Hanfley watched Priest Prit closely, his gaze flickering.
Meanwhile, Prit keenly caught Hanfley's expression and felt a jolt in his heart.
He paused, restrained his joy, and showed a proper smile as he took the initiative to say,
"The success of this operation, the discovery of the remains left by the Basa Family, and these possible remnants of the Basa family, are mainly thanks to Father Hanfley. I, Priest Prit, only provided assistance."
"Well, well..."
His words just finished when Hanfley's expression immediately softened, and after a pause, he continued,
"We must not delay, let's both see what the Basa Wizard has left behind?"
As he spoke, he flew toward the light with Priest Prit.
Looking at the two Priests approaching, at Anna still suspended by her hair in mid-air, Ante's heart was filled with despair...
"So, there's just the two of you; there aren't any other faithful?"
But just then, Colin's voice suddenly came from behind Hanfley and the other!
At the same time, two orange fireballs and a spinning Cone Bullet, flickering with a cold light, struck.