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Sunday night, Backlund—
It was probably around ten o'clock at night. At the alley entrance behind Bravehearts Bar, as a carriage briefly stopped, Lin Ruo and Klein became part of its occupants.
"Your Highness Lin Ruo, this is your advance payment."
Inside the carriage, Sharron, who had materialized from the air like a ghost, said this while pushing a metal box towards Lin Ruo.
"Thank you," Lin Ruo politely thanked her. After picking up the box and opening it, he saw a bronze-green cross lying inside.
This was the Unshadowed Crucifix, or rather, the "Unshadowed Crucifix."
Lin Ruo did not use the divination effect of this mystical item in front of Sharron and Maric, as that would be impolite. Anyway, if there was any problem with it, he could always find them later; there was no need to do anything now.
Moreover, Lin Ruo noticed that when he opened the box, both Sharron and Maric quietly moved further away. Clearly, although they weren't harmed by Lin Ruo opening the box, they were quite wary of this mystical item.
Lin Ruo could understand this. After all, while the "Unshadowed Crucifix" was a good item, it was inherently counter to the Mutant Beyonder pathway. Others using this item would at most worry about the gradual precipitation of characteristics and praising the Sun.
Beyonders of the Mutant pathway, however, using this item wasn't a case of injuring the enemy by a thousand while losing eight hundred of their own. Nine times out of ten, the enemy wouldn't be harmed, but they themselves would first start spitting blood due to the powerful purification effect of the "Unshadowed Crucifix." In a real fight, it was hard to say if they wouldn't be annihilated by the "Unshadowed Crucifix" along with their enemy.
This was also the main reason Lin Ruo didn't think Sharron and Maric would bring this item when they fled.
Closing the box again, Lin Ruo casually placed it at his feet and asked, "What's your plan?"
Although Lin Ruo was the strongest among them, this matter was him helping Sharron and her companions, so Lin Ruo still left the planning to Sharron and Maric.
"We have already scouted the location of Wraith Steve and his companions in advance and set up traps at the pre-determined battle site," Sharron replied unhurriedly. "We confirmed that Puppet Lokas of the Rose School of Thought usually doesn't act with Wraith Steve and his companions, but once Steve and his companions encounter us, they will definitely notify him."
"So our plan is for us to first lure Wraith Steve and his companions to the pre-set battlefield, and hunt them down with Sherlock's assistance. During this time, Your Highness Lin Ruo, you don't need to act. Wait until Puppet Lokas arrives, then kill him as quickly as possible."
"A simple and brutal plan," Lin Ruo commented.
Sharron did not deny this, calmly replying, "The simpler the plan, the less likely it is to go wrong."
"That's true," Lin Ruo nodded, expressing agreement.
While complex scripts might possess more aesthetic appeal, it was undeniable that the simpler and more brutal a plan, the less likely it was to go wrong.
Sharron and Maric were not the type of people who were good at scheming, so he could completely understand their adoption of a simple and brutal strategy.
And an ambush itself suited him.
Lin Ruo's fingertips touched the hidden badge in his pocket. Seeing that Sharron and Maric seemed to want to discuss the upcoming encirclement with Klein, but were somewhat reserved and hesitant to speak, he couldn't help but smile and say:
"Don't mind me; just discuss whatever you need to. Since we're about to fight together, we should communicate."
Sharron and Maric exchanged glances, then both looked at Klein, who cleared his throat and said with a smile:
"Besides the Crimson Moon Crown you mentioned earlier, do Wraith Steve and his companions have any other mystical items or Beyonder weapons?"
With a major battle imminent, understanding the intelligence was naturally the top priority.
"We don't know," Maric replied, pinching his brow, clearly a bit annoyed.
Sharron then continued Maric's words, further introducing the situation of their pursuers. Roughly, due to the influence of the Crimson Moon Crown, they were quite insane, so it was highly probable that their pursuers lacked the sanity to use mystical items.
As they chatted, Lin Ruo listened from the side, while also considering the upcoming battle.
The "Unshadowed Crucifix" could undoubtedly be used. For Sharron and her companions, using it would be courting death, but for Lin Ruo, who was of the Red Priest pathway, using it should not be a problem. And the purification and exorcism effects of the "Unshadowed Crucifix" would surely give that Puppet of the Rose School of Thought a surprise.
As for the abilities he himself would use next…
"The Sun pathway is the most restraining, but I already have the Unshadowed Crucifix; overlapping abilities is unnecessary… How about I use Old Pigeon's ability first, then switch as the situation demands?"
Lin Ruo muttered to himself, stroking his chin in thought. He wanted to finish the battle quickly, as dragging it on for too long and being cornered by official Beyonders was ultimately undesirable. Naturally, his choice of abilities leaned towards those most suitable for direct combat.
"Hmm, speaking of quick resolution… How about pulling out Medici and their historical projections? If fast enough, thirty seconds would be sufficient," Lin Ruo came up with another plan.
In the Mystical World, Beyonder battles, if slow, were hard to say, as one could fight while running, but if fast, thirty seconds was truly enough to resolve a battle.
After all, the historical projections Lin Ruo pulled out did not adhere to martial ethics. Even if a Sequence 1 historical projection was not as strong as the original, it could still crush a Sequence 4, especially since Lin Ruo knew the opponent's abilities inside and out, giving him an Innate advantage in intelligence.
And a Divine battle, without activating concealment, would almost certainly attract attention. Considering the time it would take for official Beyonders to arrive, compressing the battle within tens of seconds was actually a good choice.
"It's decided then, happily. Besides, there's still Mr. Azik to fall back on." Thinking of Mr. Azik, whom he had contacted two days ago and arranged to come and support today's operation, Lin Ruo happily finalized the upcoming action plan.
The carriage continued forward at this moment, and soon reached its destination.
This was clearly an abandoned area for some time; no one could be seen anywhere, and it was right next to the Tussock River, clearly a very suitable place for a battlefield—not only did they not have to worry about accidentally injuring innocents during the battle, but if any unexpected situation arose, they could also jump into the river and escape immediately.
"I'll familiarize myself with this place; you guys do what you need to do!" Lin Ruo said casually, then circled the abandoned area a few times. A few minutes later, having familiarized himself with the battlefield, he found Sharron and the other two talking.
They were naturally discussing the strategy for ambushing Wraith Steve and the others, which was largely similar to the original plot: they would lure the enemies, and at a crucial moment, Klein would launch a surprise attack that disregarded martial ethics.
After they finished discussing their battlefield strategy, Sharron looked at Lin Ruo and asked, "Your Highness Lin Ruo, where do you plan to hide next?"
Lin Ruo smiled upon hearing this, and the second state of the hidden badge instantly activated, causing him to vanish in an instant.
Sharron and Maric immediately showed surprise, as Lin Ruo in his hidden state almost completely disappeared from their perception.
A few seconds later, Lin Ruo reappeared, smiling, and said:
"I will hide myself in that state, observe your battle, and act when the time is right."
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