"We're back!"
"Both of us made it back alive!"
After Chen Gou and Tony used their mana to activate the Void Stone, they were devoured by a void rift and experienced the same process as when they had descended into the Abyssal World.
When they returned to the heavily-guarded fort, they heard someone cry out in surprise not far away.
Very few Abyssal Knights on guard in the fort. Most of them were backup troops of the Abyssal Knight Team.
Among them were Awakeners with mediocre talent and a low Awakened Level and ordinary warriors without the power of the Awakening magic.
Upon seeing the two of them appear from the Void Tunnel, they were both envious and in awe.
The ability to pass the Abyssal Assessment… was a symbol of strength and potential.
"Catch!"
Chen Gou looked up to see a metal mask falling from mid-air that looked similar to the other Abyssal Knights' masks.
Compared to the masks of the Abyssal Expedition Team's knights, it was slightly rougher and less refined.
The Abyssal Knights were equipped with standardized armor, swords, lances, bows, arrows, and masks.
Their armor and weapons could be replaced by better magical artifacts, provided that they were mainly black.
Only their masks couldn't be replaced, as permission was required from headquarters.
This was because a mask was a symbol of an Abyssal Knight's identity and even an Abyssal Knight's level could be judged based on the details on their mask.
"Congratulations to the three of you on passing the assessment. You are now officially Abyssal Knights. Recite the Knight Oath after me."
The voice came from a bigwig like the "Little Sun".
"Three?"
A shocked Chen Gou turned around to see Cohan looking at him and Tony with a slight smile from not far away from him.
"Mantha and Shi Meng have been turned into Strigoi, but he's actually fine?"
As he was bewildered, a dignified voice was heard.
"The night has come. We are born at sunset and come from light.
"We will beat our sword into ploughshares and quell the abyss with our lives.
"We will follow the path of our ancestors and their customs without fear or retreat.
"We will be killed by thistles and thorns, and our flesh will become mud to pave the way forward.
"We will start today and persevere until the day we die."
…
Rumble!
The sound of eight knights and 32 horseshoes galloping echoed across the land as loud as thunder.
The three newly-promoted Abyssal Knights, Chen Gou, Tony, and Cohan, were returning to Panshi City from the wild fort under the protection of a five-man team.
Chen Gou had never ridden a horse alone before, but it felt rather smooth when he sat on one.
This was due to the extraordinary nature of the Black Abyssal Warhorse, a kind of magical creature that had had at least 20 years of bloodline optimization before becoming the standard mount of Abyssal Knights.
The most conspicuous and unique sign were the black flames that drifted around their hooves as they galloped.
After passing the wilderness and scattered villages dozens of minutes later, they could finally see the huge outline of Panshi City from afar.
There were usually long lines of people waiting to enter the city near the gate, but people avoided any place the Black Abyssal Warhorses passed by.
When they saw the three men wearing ordinary clothes and metal masks, riding warhorses, and traveling with the Abyssal Knights, they couldn't help but feel envious.
They could easily tell that the three young men escorted by the Abyssal Knights had to be newly-promoted knights who had just passed the Abyssal Assessment.
"We've arrived at the inner city's core?"
The knights led the three of them straight through the second gate into the inner city before arriving at a church.
The tall church was made of a kind of white feldspar, and there were no overly-gorgeous decorations. Despite looking simple, it was actually solemn.
It was the Cathedral of Panshi City.
The headquarters of the Panshi branch hall of the Church of the Covenant!
Without saying a word, the knights took the three of them through the guard interrogation at the gate and then made their way forward through the nave and the long tunnels and stairs to reach the five side-by-side rooms near the top of the church.
The knights then stood on either side of the doors as they gestured for Chen Gou, Cohan, and Tony to each choose a room.
Without much consideration, Chen Gou pushed open the leftmost door and stepped into the bright and spacious room.
The room was elegantly and plainly decorated mainly in black and white, and an old man wearing a white ritual robe was sitting behind a solid long white wooden table.
"Come over. Let's sit down and talk."
When Chen Gou humbly walked over and sat down by the wooden table, the door automatically closed behind him.
The old man said with a slight smile, "Three out of six people have actually passed the assessment this time. Can you tell me if it was due to strength or luck?"
"It was due to strength plus intelligence and luck, but I don't know about the rest," answered Chen Gou.
The old man nodded gently and said solemnly, "Describe in detail what you have seen, heard, and done in the Abyssal World. The more detail, the better. If I don't interrupt you, just keep going until you think you've finished saying everything that needs to be said."
Chen Gou's expression remained the same. "Is this an examination?"
"You can think of it that way. After all, you guys have returned from the Abyssal World. Some assessees were bewitched by evil spirits and broke into the church, causing it great losses."
The old man gave him a serious warning before his demeanor softened and he added, "But as long as you are normal, there is no need to worry. We would never wrong you. The amount of useful information you can provide is also related to your final assessment evaluation, rewards, and the position you will hold among the knights."
Rewards and position!
Chen Gou was delighted. Did this mean that he could get past the Apprentice Knight phase of being an assistant and get an official position that was even better?
He definitely had to tell the old man, but the problem was how he was going to do that.
What should be said should not be concealed, but he could not expose his own secrets either.
Thus, as Chen Gou pondered this, he selectively told the old man about his experiences.
He handled his part as vaguely as possible and mainly talked about the hidden secrets in the world of The Strain and the cooperation between the vampires in the end.
"You're saying that you guys killed an evil leader of that Abyssal World and tentatively set up a cooperation with the other three leaders at the same time?"
The old man suddenly stood up from his chair after hearing this, feeling so horrified that he disregarded his image.
"Yes, I've agreed on a way to stay in contact with them. You will be able to prove it by sending someone over again, sir."
"Kid, if that's the case, you've done a great job!"
The white-haired old man left and rushed into the other rooms.
Then, the interviewers in the three rooms gathered, obviously meaning to compare the statements of the three of them with each other to see if there were any flaws or lies involved.
About half an hour later, the three of them showed up again.
The old man who had interviewed Chen Gou read out the final result:
"Cohan Lanus. Provided general information and killed a few beginner-level evil spirits. Graded Bronze and awarded a bronze-grade Skill Crystal. Presented with the title of a Bronze Knight and inducted as an Apprentice Knight of the right flank of the Panshi Division's Abyssal Knight Team, the Blazing Sun Team.
"Tony Arslan. Provided important information and killed high-level evil spirits. Graded Gold and awarded a pair of silver-grade Blazing Sun Gloves. Presented with the title of a Silver Knight and inducted as an official knight of the Abyssal Knight Team's left flank, the Long Song Team.
"Chen Gou. Provided extremely important information and killed high-level evil spirits. Graded Gold and awarded a silver-grade Skill Crystal or magical artifact of his choice from the branch hall's treasure trove. Presented with the title of a Silver Knight and inducted as an official knight of the Abyssal Knight Team's left flank, the Long Song Team."