Universe Infinite Canteen

Ma Lu noticed an explosion in the direction of the Witch's Home, and without further delay, he began heading downstairs from the cobbler's shop.

After he left, however, he found Goethe still closely following him.

"The questioning is over, there is no longer anything concerning you here," Ma Lu said, turning around.

"But I still want to follow and help you," the female information dealer said humbly.

Ma Lu was slightly surprised, but he quickly guessed what Goethe was planning. Initially, he thought to dismiss her right away, but then he changed his mind.

The main road in front of them was already clogged with people partaking in the festivities, and it was uncertain how long it would take to reach the Witch's Home from there. Since Ma Lu was also unfamiliar with Holy Temple City, he took the opportunity to ask.

"I'm going to the Witch's Home, do you know a faster way to get there?"

"Of course, you could say you've found the right person," Goethe sighed with relief, "I'll lead the way for you."

The female information dealer hadn't lied. With her leading the way, although they took a slightly longer route, their pace was much faster.

Yet Ma Lu still found Goethe too slow, so he eventually picked her up and carried her, letting her give directions.

Along the way, they passed another explosion site. The battle there had already ended, and the Witch responsible for the explosion had been shot dead by the combined efforts of knights and police.

Her body had been almost turned into a sieve by bullets, and her face was no longer recognizable. Aside from herself, the explosion had caused approximately a hundred civilian casualties, scattering dead bodies everywhere, with the injured wailing in the ruins.

Goethe, who had lived in Holy Temple City for twenty-nine years, was seeing such a scene for the first time.

Although she usually complained about the Church's overbearing dictatorship and near-pathological pursuit of order, when that order was disrupted and chaos ensued, she felt as lost and enveloped in fear as most people in the city.

Ma Lu sped up his steps again, while also keeping an eye on the movements of the Order of Knights.

Having ascended to Master, and now as a senior member of the Order of Knights, he had the authority to command. He could view some dispatches and receive battle reports.

According to these reports, Li Wei's counterattack had been timely. With the addition of dozens of knights, the Fallen Witches who had infiltrated the city were either killed or had fled before the arrival of the knights.

The chaotic situation in the city was quickly brought under control. Police maintained order, and medical and fire brigades hurried to the scenes to assist the injured and control the fires.

By now, Ma Lu had arrived outside the Witch's Home, where a battle had also occurred not long ago. The iron gate had been damaged, with half of it completely melted by the high temperature.

Through the now-nonexistent gate, Ma Lu could see a collapsed building and flames still burning.

Police tape had been put in place, and two knights stood guard at the entrance. However, upon seeing Ma Lu, they promptly approached and saluted.

"Master," they greeted.

Ma Lu casually set Goethe aside and asked, "How are things inside?"

One of the knights reported immediately, "About a quarter of an hour ago, Fallen Witches attacked this place, and some Witches inside took the opportunity to betray. However, after resistance from other Witches, they soon retreated. Before they left, they blew up the chapel."
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"Oh, and the casualties?"

"All 12 guards of the Witch's Home were killed in the first wave of conflict, 3 nursemaids who tried to stop them from leaving were also killed by them, and besides that, the explosion in the chapel caused three Witches to lose their lives."

Ma Lu, upon hearing this, remained calm and composed, "A witch has betrayed us? Have you found out who they are?"

"We are still compiling the list of traitors. Once it is complete, the Church will use the Ring of Order to execute them directly," another Knight said.

Ma Lu nodded, then lifted his foot and walked toward the door in the back.

The two Knights looked at each other but did not stop him.

Ma Lu now realized that the title of Master was quite useful, saving him a lot of trouble.

He walked brazenly into the Witch's Home, a place that, typically, no one but the internal matrons and witches could enter, not even the Knights.

He didn't encounter many people along the way until he reached the ruins of the explosion. Only then did he see more people, all busy trying to put out the fire.

Although the witches had many in the Magic Profession, their weapons were in a locked state during normal times, rendering them unable to cast spells, and they had to extinguish the fire using the most primitive methods like ordinary people.

In the crowd, Ma Lu also saw Yun Que, who was carrying a small bucket, taking quick short steps, hurriedly running to the washroom not far away to fetch water, then running back.

Ma Lu called her over and asked, "Is everyone else okay?"

The question seemed harmless enough until, hearing Ma Lu's voice, Yun Que burst into tears and sobbed, "Wu wu wu wu, A'She is buried underneath!"

She pointed at the still-burning pile of rubble.

Without showing any sadness, Ma Lu digested the news. He was aware of the Ouroboros Serpent's identity and recalled the words the young girl had said to him the last time they were out. He understood that this was probably the method the Ouroboros Serpent had chosen not to implicate them.

Faking death? That certainly was one way to do it.

Instead of joining the fire-fighting crew, Ma Lu held onto Yun Que and inquired about the whereabouts of the other two.

Only when he learned that both the Hellhound and the Bliss Bird were unharmed in this attack did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Afterwards, Ma Lu was not in a rush to leave. The situation in the city was still unclear, and with the Witch Alliance launching so many attacks at once, no one knew where their next target might be. On the contrary, the Witch's Home had a higher level of safety, having already been bombed once.

Ma Lu decided to stay there for a while to see how things would develop, to at least understand what those Fallen Witches were trying to do.

Now they were causing destruction all over the city, setting off fireworks, but in the end, it was still the same tactic of terrorist attacks that not only had no chance of shaking the Church but would further deepen the ordinary people's discontentment with the witches.

Fortunately, the answer did not trouble Ma Lu for too long. Soon, he received another message. This time, it was a mass-message sent by the Sacred Order of Knights, asking the Knights in the Southwest District to immediately hurry to Compassionate Square to protect the Pope.

A large number of Fallen Witches appeared there, surpassing forty in number, marking the largest group of Fallen Witch squadron to date.

Included among them were the traitors who had just escaped from the Witch's Home and, if nothing went wrong, the supposedly dead Ouroboros Serpent was among them as well.

So that's how it is.

The series of attacks within the city beforehand were just to distract the Sacred Order of Knights and create an opportunity for their real action. The Witch Alliance's move was indeed clever.

However, Ma Lu noticed that the previous series of dispatches involved only ordinary Knights, while Li Wei and his confidants stayed eerily quiet, without any movement.