"Though I don''t really understand why you''re so worried... rest assured, I won''t do anything foolish. I still want to go to the outside world with yo—"


    Before Sherry could finish speaking, John quickly covered her mouth.


    "Please, don''t jinx it any further. The contract is signed, you can go now. Remember my words at all times, and you''ll be safe."


    Watching Sherry leave, John finally breathed a sigh of relief. He realized he still couldn''t handle situations as effortlessly as [Deception]. Most of the time, dealing with Sherry gave John a headache.


    In contrast, [Deception] truly embodied whatever role he imed to be. When he called himself a yboy, his words exuded an undeniable charm, making any task seem easy for him. Perhaps it was because [Deception] had experienced so much and met all kinds of people, enabling him to imitate so deeply.


    Before long, [Deception] finally arrived, with Warner and Rachel not in tow. John frowned and asked, "Where are those two?"


    "I used a little trick. They''re sleeping soundly now. But enough about that, how did things go on your end? What about the woman who''s infatuated with you?"


    "She left. Unfortunately, nothing happened as you imagined, and I didn''t manage to get any information out of her."


    "Sigh, I expected as much. Don''t worry, though. I did get some information from that woman named Rachel. At least now we can be certain that the Divine Emissary and [Gluttony] aren''t in the pce."


    [Deception] sat down, exhaled deeply, and continued, "Those two are smart. They know staying in the pce would eventually expose them, so they hid. They''re probably waiting for [Gluttony] to recover its strength before confronting us. If that''s the case, we''re in big trouble. When ites to fighting, I can''t help much. It''ll be you against both of them.


    How confident are you?"


    "Are you kidding? Whether it''s an Apostle or the Divine Emissary, they''re both Demigod-tier beings. How could I possibly fight them?"


    "Besides, we''re in their arena; we''re at a disadvantage in every aspect. It''s nearly impossible to match them unless you can also put in your full effort to help me."


    "Then stop hoping for that. I can still wield some power, but only because the long years of experience have left an indelible mark on my body, allowing me to barely exert the remnants of my strength. The torch has already been passed to you. Frankly, I''m just an ordinary yer now and can''t offer you much help."


    "Then we need to quickly find where they are hiding and take out the Divine Emissary before [Gluttony] awakens."


    But that''s easier said than done. How can we easily find a person in this vast, tranquil sea?


    "Should we move on then? Are we staying here any longer?"


    "Of course not, we''ve drained these people of their worth. There''s no point in staying."


    "Speaking of which, can you erase their memories rted to us?"


    "I could, but suddenly having a day of nk memory might cause memory confusion and risk exposing our identity. Are you sure you want to do that?"


    "I just think that retaining memories of us might interfere with our next moves. Never mind, I''ll leave a letter. Also, I may need to leave for a while, but I won''t be long. I should be back before nightfall."


    Previously, John had promised ria and Lily that he would contact them as soon as he reached Antis. Even if he didn''t bring them over, he needed to let them know he was safe, so they wouldn''t worry.


    Deception seemed to sense this too and didn''t say much more. He mentioned he would move ahead to search for traces of the Divine Emissary before turning to leave.


    Seeing him go, John took a deep breath and returned to his room to leave a note for Sherry.


    "When you read this letter, I should already be continuing my journey with F. Regrettably, I chose to leave without saying goodbye again. I''ve seen too many departures, yet I stillck the courage to truly ept them. May you be well—Leonard."


    ...


    Meanwhile, in Deep Forest!


    John stepped out of the teleportation array, greeted the scout team, and then flew back to the settlement. When he arrived at the pce, Elowen was training Babylon and the others. John approached and greeted them, refreshing his presence in front of everyone.


    Instantly, it brought back some unpleasant memories for them, like being sent sky-high and experiencing the extremes of free-fall. A few with weaker nerves had their legs turn to jelly.


    John didn''t expect that he had left such a big psychological shadow on these youngsters. With a grin, he said, "Looks like you''re all pretty energetic. Not bad, not bad. Unfortunately, I''ve got some trouble on my hands and can''t stay long. You''re lucky. By the way, Elowen, how have these little brats been performingtely?"


    "Can''t say they''re excellent, but they haven''t been terrible either. They''re just average. A few have shown outstanding performance, but that doesn''t represent the majority."


    "No worries. Their good days are numbered. Once I deal with my current issues, I''lle back and properly handle these little brats. Especially you, Babylon, I''ve got my eye on you!"


    Facing John''s gaze, Babylon shrank back, not daring to make eye contact with him. Over time, under Elowen''s discipline, Babylon''s attitude had be much more restrained. He no longer acted out and learned to get along with his peers. It could be said that among those with outstanding performance mentioned by Elowen, Babylon was definitely one of them.


    "John, your sudden return must be for something important, right?"


    "Yeah, you could say that. Where are ria and Lily?"


    "ria should be in the pce. I''m not sure exactly where."


    "Got it. Keep training them. I''ll be on my way."


    John patted Elowen''s shoulder and then turned to leave. It wasn''t until John''s figure disappeared from sight that everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They couldn''t help it; the pressure he brought was immense, far more terrifying than Instructor Elowen.


    "Alright, stop looking around! Let me announce yesterday''s test results. Only one person passed the assessment. I think you''ve all been cking off..."


    On the other side, John entered the pce, first checking the sleeping quarters and then the garden, but he couldn''t find ria or Lily.


    "Strange, where have they gone?"


    John furrowed his brow and checked the map to confirm Lily''s location. The light representing Lily was almost ovepping with his own.


    "Could she be up there?"


    Looking up, a fond memory instantly shed through John''s mind. Above was the hot spring where he and ria had first met.


    When he reached the hot spring, he saw two figures through the steam. He cleared his throat and said, "ria, Lily, put on your clothes first. I have something important to discuss."


    Hearing this, the two women were startled at first, but then they rxed when they realized it was John.


    A momentter, they emerged from the steam, their beautiful bodies now hidden under robes, and stood before John.


    "You suddenly returned. Does that mean we''re going to Antis?" Lily''s eyes lit up, and she said excitedly, "We can leave anytime!"


    "I dide back to talk about that," John said, ncing at Lily''s smooth, porcin-like skin and feeling a bit guilty. He looked away and cleared his throat before continuing, "Right now, we have two choices. First, you both stay here until I deal with the trouble, then I''ll take you over."


    Without a moment''s hesitation, ria replied, "We choose the second option."


    "Are you sure? Antis currently has two Demigod-tier enemies. It''s beyond dangerous; it''s a situation where survival is slim to none."