Will, although notorious for his low character, wasn't entirely devoid of virtues.
For instance, he had a high work efficiency that Chen Lun greatly admired.
Believing he had understood some truth, Monk Will quickly called the guards and had them fetch a poisonous snake, a scorpion, and a pangolin.
Snakes and scorpions were easy enough, but pangolins were a bit harder to find.
Fortunately, the dungeon was built in the wild, right next to barren hills.
After some effort, the guards finally caught a dozing pangolin in a cave.
"Too slow, you idiots!"
The guards, carrying iron cages and glass jars, rushed over but were met not with praise from Will but a tongue-lashing instead.
Several guards, including a small-mustached one, hung their heads in reprimand, feeling a bit unjustly treated in their hearts.
Monk Will didn't care about that and took the three adorable little creatures from them.
After sending all the guards out, he placed them in front of Chen Lun on the altar.
Chen Lun silently commended Will's dedication to service.
He continued to feign ignorance and first opened the small iron cage with the pangolin, taking it out.
The pangolin was a little dim-witted, lying still on Chen Lun's hands.
[You have used the skill [Animal Mimicry LV1], learning corresponding traits from the target]
[Ant-Eating]
You have learned to eat ants, termites being your favorite, though bees aren't off-limits...
The corners of Chen Lun's mouth twitched as he activated the skill again.
[You have used the skill [Animal Mimicry LV1], learning corresponding traits from the target]
[Tree Climbing]
You have learned to climb trees, where you can be the happy creature you're meant to be.
Chen Lun cursed inwardly and once again expended Physical Strength to release the skill.
Physical Strength quickly dropped below half, and he felt as if he had been through three fierce battles in a row, drained and trembling.
[You have used the skill [Animal Mimicry LV1], learning corresponding traits from the target]
[Burrowing]
You have learned to dig and are extremely proficient at it, being able to excavate passable or concealed tunnels in the ground or walls in a short time.
Heave-ho...at last!
Chen Lun suppressed the joy in his heart, gently stroking the little pangolin's head as a sign of encouragement.
Monk Will, on the other hand, stared unblinkingly but couldn't discern what Chen Lun was actually doing.
For in his eyes, Chen Lun was just smiling stupidly at the foolish pangolin and then creepily touching it.
By now, Chen Lun's plans for the day had been perfectly achieved.
He planned to make a clean getaway, his contributions hidden deep.
Ah, to return tomorrow.
Chen Lun knew that if things ended here, Will would not be convinced, so he decided to throw in something cryptic to steady him, letting him ponder over it slowly.
"Earth... vast Earth... the sin of greed..."
Looking at the pangolin in his hands, Chen Lun, with a quick twist of thought, came up with a mystic Supernatural Sequence pathway that somewhat fit: [Sequence Nine, Tomb Robber].
So he spouted some terms after making them up on the fly.
Then, with an "Ah" he fell to the ground, unconscious.
Will immediately showed an expression of not understanding, but profoundly shocked.
"The [Earth Faction]'s Supernatural Sequence pathway... the sin of greed... Could he be referring to those people from the History and Ritual Association...?"
Will racked his brains, and a glimmer of light flashed through his mind, his expression slowly becoming grave and serious.
Based on the bad news received from other churches recently, and snippets of clues, he quickly pieced everything together and found a clear direction.
"No, this message is important, I must pass it on to the Bishop immediately."
Will casually instructed Floey to take Chen Lun away, while he himself hastened out, laden with heavy thoughts.
Only after the footsteps had faded away...
"You can get up now."
Floey squatted down and whispered softly.
Chen Lun didn't move a muscle.
Floey slightly frowned and poked Chen Lun's body with her finger.
Still, he didn't move a muscle.
"..."
"Did he really pass out?"
Floey turned her head to glance at the basement door, finding no guards nearby.
She continued to look down at the young man in front of her, with his slightly curly black hair somewhat long, messily draping over his face.
It appeared very clean, probably due to a recent bath.
She hadn't had the opportunity to observe closely before, but she had to admit that he was indeed handsome.
The young man suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze quickly shifting first to Floey, then sweeping over the surroundings.
He swiftly got up and patted the dust off his body.
"Alright, let's go."
Floey was startled for a moment, then silently smiled and nodded.
"Mm."
Just as they were about to leave the basement, she suddenly turned her head to Chen Lun and said,
"Priest Carter is about to return... If you truly plan to take me with you, then please hurry."
"He is also a Transcendent, with formidable power..."
"I have witnessed him single-handedly kill a band of twenty robbers with ease."
Chen Lun stopped in his tracks.
Priest, huh?
He had already learned about his geographical location through Floey.
The remote town of Emerald Town in the eastern part of the Tresor Empire, and this priest was the person in charge of the Red Apple Church's local branch.
Commonly known as the big boss.
Even if it was just a minor place, it was still the Red Apple Church, a major force that ravaged the entire empire in game version 1.0.
This priest was not to be underestimated.
"I know, don't worry, it's almost ready."
...
Another deep night came two days later.
The jail where Chen Lun was held was very quiet.
However, curiously, there was no one there, only the large black rats that occasionally scurried out from beneath the pile of straw in the corner.
These rats had tiny rocks and soil in their mouths and on their little paws, nimbly slipping out of the jail cell.
They were very cautious, stopping now and then to listen and sniff, only moving when the guards weren't paying attention, and in the blink of an eye, vanishing to who knows where.
But after a while, they would run back again, over and over.
Suddenly, the pile of straw heaved up, shook twice, then was gently pushed aside, and a dirty hand emerged from below.
Following closely was Chen Lun's sweaty head.
He climbed out from underground not too quickly nor too slowly, then carefully covered the pile of straw back up.
The whole process was smooth and nearly silent.
Chen Lun sat on the ground, letting out a breath.
He casually scattered the prepared breadcrumbs, and the big black rats swarmed over, happily taking their rewards and departing.
"After two days and nights of hard work, I've finally dug my way out..."
Chen Lun wiped off his sweat, smiled, and grabbed a handful of clean straw to wipe his hands while thinking to himself.
To avoid attracting the attention of the Church, he could only dig when the guards slacked off.
And these times were mostly at night and deep into the night because the little-mustached one would always coax the others to go out drinking and causing trouble.
There were few people left in the nearby cells, and it had been a long time since the Church sent any new prisoners over.
Chen Lun was grateful for the emptiness of the place, which reduced the likelihood of being discovered.
But to increase his chances of escape, he deliberately dug a longer distance for the tunnel, so he wouldn't be caught as soon as he emerged, hence the extra time spent.
"Tomorrow, I'll finish reading the 'Beast Tamer's Handbook', and everything will be ready!"
"Just wait and see if I don't take care of you...!"