Kenley wordlessly produced the invitation letter to the Abbey of Repose."Your Highness, here you are," he said.

  The distinctive texture of the special invitation letter immediately captured Guinevere's attention the moment she set eyes on it.

  Taking the invitation letter, Guinevere perused it intently. After a short while, she nodded and inquired,"Where did you obtain this?"

  "I got it from a follower of the Heresy of the Black Sheep," Kenley replied. Although he wasn't certain why Guinevere had suddenly initiated an investigation into the Abbey of Repose, he could make an educated conjecture.

  In the main storyline of the game, prior to the demons' assault on human territory, they had their adherents surreptitiously construct a passage within human society, aiming to undermine the human defense line from the inside.

  The Black Sheep Society had been persistently engaged in such nefarious activities. They had stealthily arranged a large-scale live sacrifice ceremony at the Abbey of Repose, summoning demons directly to the Aude Continent through demonic incantations.

  Thus, the Abbey of Repose was likely the demons' covert stronghold, where they were executing their duplicitous plans. Judging from the map of the greater world, the Abbey of Repose was situated south of the Silent Fortress, and the southern region was a vital route for the Cain Empire to reach the Silent Fortress from the north. Hence, it wasn't difficult to discern the demons' true intentions.

  These bipedal humanoid creatures, with goat heads and horns, and skin and tails resembling flames, bore a striking resemblance to the demons in the Christian mythology of Kenley's real world. However, in the legends of the Aude Continent, they were of an entirely different origin. Demons hailed from other dimensions, not being native to the Aude Continent.

  The demons had a rigid hierarchical structure, which was also reflected in the game. For example, those corresponding to the rank of the Iron-ranked People were collectively known as the Inferior Demon rank; those corresponding to the Bronze-ranked People were collectively referred to as the Fallen Demon rank; those corresponding to the Silver-ranked People were collectively called the Demon Lord rank, and those corresponding to the Gold-ranked People were collectively known as the Demon King rank.

  In the game, there were a total of ten Demon Kings. However, while it was claimed to be ten, in reality, only two were genuine Demon Kings, and the remaining eight were merely quasi-Demon Kings. Kenley remembered that he had once led a team with his teammates to battle against nine Demon Kings, and his guild had secured the world's first kills of seven of them.

  The tenth Demon King had not been encountered by Kenley as the expansion pack related to it had not yet been released. It was rumored that this Demon King was the most powerful and resided in the Lava World.

  The Demon Kings had long coveted the Aude Continent and had secretly entered into various malevolent pacts with their followers. For instance, as long as one was willing to pledge allegiance to the demons, they could be granted eternal life, boundless wealth, or immense power, among other things.

  Many ordinary people in the Aude Continent who saw no prospect of advancement were driven by their yearning for great power. Lured by the demons, they began to pursue ultimate strength. As a result, in the later stages of the game, players often received quests such as"The Dungeon Polluted by Demonic Aura" or"The Corrupted Cathedral of Light."

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  These corrupted monsters were astonishingly powerful, to the point of being terrifying. Some had the ability to maintain a forced unbreakable state, while others were impervious to various control skills. They were unafraid of injuries and pain and would engage in close combat with unwavering determination. Even the most seasoned players could meet a grisly end if they were caught off guard for a moment.

  Consequently, many players grumbled, saying,"Look at the game developers. They must be running out of inspiration and can't come up with any new monsters. They keep relying on the forced unbreakable state, and it's truly revolting. Or they give the monsters a period of forced invincibility, or they make them go on a forced rampage, wiping out entire player parties in an instant."

  "Mr. Kenley, this time we must act with all possible haste. I'm afraid there won't be much time for idle chatter here," Guinevere said, clutching the invitation letter tightly. It seemed that she had recalled something, and her expression grew extremely grave.

  "Your Highness, could you give me a rough idea of what's transpired?" Kenley asked.

  "If this invitation letter is authentic, then a series of questions arise. Who were these invitation letters originally intended for? And who is secretly aiding the Heresy of the Black Sheep? The Abbey of Repose is located at a crucial juncture between the Silent Fortress and the Cain Empire's northern route. If this location is obstructed, the consequences will be dire, Mr. Kenley," Guinevere said in a somber tone.

  "What do you propose, Your Highness?"

  "We need to deploy the military immediately and suppress the situation by force," Guinevere said resolutely.

  "Wait a moment," Kenley interjected promptly.

  "What's the issue?"

  This situation was eerily similar to the plot in the game. If Kenley remembered correctly, in the game, the NPC responsible for initiating the instance of the Abbey of Repose was Guinevere. At that time, Guinevere had been brimming with confidence, believing that she could capture it with her five thousand elite soldiers in one fell swoop. However, the outcome had been a heavy loss.

  Moreover, the Abbey of Repose was an extremely large instance. During the mid-stage of the game, the first team of players had spent an entire week exploring it. It was filled with a myriad of complex barriers and traps, as well as powerful adversaries. If they were to proceed without thorough preparation, the consequences could be catastrophic.

  "Your Highness, we know nothing about the number, strength, or rank of the enemies. We require more detailed intelligence," Kenley said. Since he couldn't explicitly disclose what would happen in the future, he could only try to remind Guinevere as subtly as possible.

  Guinevere shook her head."The empire is currently engaged in a war with the Kingdom of Babel, and a substantial number of soldiers have been dispatched to the eastern front. The Silent Fortress in the north is now in a critical state of manpower shortage. Once an anomaly occurs at the Abbey of Repose, the demons can launch attacks on the Silent Fortress from the northwest and the south. Caught between the two-pronged attack, the Silent Fortress will have its logistical supply line severed, which will have extremely grave consequences. Therefore, Mr. Kenley, we need to eliminate the potential threats on the front line with the utmost speed, so we can conduct reconnaissance on the way," Guinevere explained.

  Upon hearing Guinevere's words, Kenley suddenly recalled that there was a peculiar small kingdom on the eastern border of the Cain Empire. Despite its small territory, consisting of merely three cities, it had a history of enmity with the Cain Empire.

  The Kingdom of Babel was situated in a strategically significant area. Relying on the Bilak Swamp as a natural stronghold, it had repelled the empire's invasions for over a century. Moreover, the Kingdom of Babel possessed the most advanced magical mechanical technology. Although magicians often held magical devices in contempt, it was undeniable that these devices were highly effective.

  As a result, in the later stages of the game, the developers had introduced a new class: the Magic Spearman. Using magical devices as their exclusive combat tools, they could deal astonishing amounts of damage. However, this class also had its drawbacks. The characters were relatively fragile and highly susceptible to control skills. Even the slightest control could severely incapacitate a Magic Spearman.

  However, unlike learning magic, which required talent and selectivity, magical devices could be operated by anyone, regardless of their aptitude. Even a novice, after a certain period of training with magical devices, could unleash damage comparable to that of a third or fourth-rank magician.