Half the month of Death and Destruction had passed.

In the few days since returning to Kernoya, a sense of security had begun to well up in Lu Cang’s heart.

’It seems that if you stay in one place for too long, you really do start to subconsciously depend on it.’

Of course, it was also highly likely because he had plundered the treasury of Ruijia.

And it wasn’t like he could stay out in the unfamiliar wilderness.

’Come to think of it, the safest place for me in the world right now is Kernoya.’

"Iz."

Lu Cang arrived at Iz’s office.

"You’re here."

Iz smiled when she saw Lu Cang.

"Kumironi has been avoiding us a bit these past few days."

"Mm... It’s to be expected."

Kumironi’s moral standards were a bit higher than everyone else’s.

If Iz could be considered neutral good—she wouldn’t kill wantonly and generally obeyed the law—when she encountered something truly interesting, she often wouldn’t pay much attention to legalities.

In some forgotten corner where no one was paying attention, Iz wouldn’t concern herself with things like the law at all.

According to Iz, "Rules are made by people, and the rules people make are not the truths of the world. Whether one complies or not simply depends on the person. Those laws and regulations restrain a nation’s citizens, but I’m not a citizen of their nation. I have no obligation to obey."

"Now, if the rules they established were the ultimate principles of the Root Source, then I might consider following them to some extent."

Truly worthy of the name Izparut.

She could justify breaking the law with such complete confidence.

Lu Cang’s own line of thinking was also simple. He knew he was stealing, that he was robbing.

But after winning the mental debate with himself, he went ahead and did it.

Once he did something, he wouldn’t regret it, not even if it was the wrong thing to do.

Besides, what clear-cut right and wrong was there in this world? It was all just a matter of switching standpoints, changing positions, a difference in strength and weakness...

It was just that Kumironi’s personality was that of a traditional, lawful good.

She obeyed the law under most circumstances and was eager to help most people in need.

The thought of her friends emptying out another Church’s Forbidden Hall and a national treasury... Kumironi was somewhat torn.

And since the Life Church actually benefited from the suppression of other Churches, Kumironi’s feelings were even more complicated.

"If you show this to Kumironi, she might feel a little better."

"What’s this?"

Lu Cang took a letter.

"I’ve spent the last few days studying those Forbidden Books we brought back."

"I found this hidden between the pages of a book."

"The King of Ruijia actually has a close connection with the Death Church. He was the one secretly cultivating Cultists and funneling a steady stream of new blood to them."

"If Kumironi knows about this, she should feel much better."

’So there was that connection too...’

In the five days since his return, Lu Cang had been engrossed in studying the Magic and Combat Skills he brought back from the various Churches. He was also researching the Dungeon generation mechanism of the "Source of Calamity," working with Yuna to interrogate a talking Demon prisoner for information about the Nest, and practicing how to set up Restrictions in his own mansion.

He really hadn’t had the time to look into the affairs of the Death Church.

Although he was the Sect Leader, he hadn’t managed any of the Church’s internal affairs since taking the position.

"Alright."

"Should I go find Kumironi now?"

"There’s no need to rush. I’ve already sent a message and told her."

With a lift of her finger, Iz moved a chair to the opposite side of her desk.

Lu Cang sat down in the chair.

"How is your mastery of those Magic spells coming along?" Izparut asked.

Lu Cang replied, "I’ve already mastered everything I can learn for now."

"Then what about your second Root Magic?"

Lu Cang’s mouth twitched slightly. "Still thinking about it."

"Don’t slack off on comprehending your second Root Magic."

"Although your Talent for Magic is not as good as mine, as long as you work hard, a second Root Source shouldn’t be too difficult for you."

Lu Cang said, "Yes, I will."

’It feels like I’m being nagged about my homework.’

After that, with a casual wave from Iz, stacks of books appeared in an empty space nearby.

"You should be able to read all of the knowledge in these books."

"I’ve already looked through them. There are no issues."

"There are still a few left, like this one, *Forbidden Origin*. You should probably wait until you’re a Level 5 Mage to read it."

"I’ve already sorted through the other things you brought back."

Iz handed him a bracelet.

Lu Cang’s Perception swept through the bracelet’s interior. It contained all the treasures he had taken that day.

"I took a few things that interested me. The rest are yours."

"But in the end, these are just material possessions."

"When you reach my level, you’ll discover that these things aren’t actually that important."

Lu Cang nodded. "Yes, I’ll remember that, Master Iz."

"Go on, I need to continue studying these few books..." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Iz opened *Forbidden Origin*. Just from the act of opening it, Lu Cang saw a wave of distortion and filth spread out from the book.

The distortion was literally visible to the naked eye.

’No wonder I can’t read it yet.’

...

After leaving Iz’s office, Lu Cang returned to his mansion.

By now, Lu Cang’s mansion was surrounded by layers of Restrictions.

Lu Cang put his learning into practice; he could master any Restriction that he broke.

The only thing he lacked were the corresponding materials.

Over the past few days, Lu Cang had purchased materials from all over and had set them up both inside and outside his mansion.

Now, within the range of his palace, there was an Illusion Array, a Killing Array, a detection array, an entry-prohibition array, a Perception-isolation array, and a space-locking array...

Even if Lu Cang didn’t act himself.