The forest was ablaze. Molten fire spewed from the Hell Region, the artificial Sea of Knowledge surged like a boiling ocean, and the River of Flowing Gold ran completely dry. Built on the immense fortune of the Belldet family, the grand fortress garden had been reduced to nothing more than a cheap, pathetic firework display.

Evelyn leaned against the front garden railing, gazing at the standoff below. The moment Quinna captured Annan, her contract with the Funeral Agency was officially severed. She had only promised them protection, not absolute safety.

The Funeral Agency no longer needed to gather the six thousand Belldet Points, and she was entirely absolved of responsibility.

It was a highly profitable trade. Five Sacred Realm masters and sixty-three elite sorcerers had been silently implanted with seeds that left them ripe for her control. All she had sacrificed in return was property worth over a hundred million, along with a few recently acquired "friends."

In truth, she quite liked them.

Pankey was an ageless youth. Beneath his boyish appearance lay a calm, mature mind, and he even shared the same deep...