"I will give it my all!" Raymond pressed his right hand to his chest and bowed to Grayson.
"For these ten days, you can ask the four of them for sword training." Grayson looked at Raymond, nodded with a meaningful glance, and then turned and left.
Just then, a ray of holy light fell upon Raymond.
A warm, peaceful energy instantly washed away Raymond’s fatigue, and even his sore muscles recovered completely.
Raymond immediately realized-this was a more advanced priest skill than Healing Magic: Divine Healing!
It could not only heal wounds but also cure internal injuries and greatly restore stamina.
"Thank you, Priest Albedo!" Raymond said sincerely.
Barbara looked Raymond up and down and said earnestly, "The Abyss Prison isn’t right for you. Come to our Holy Hall. You’ll surely receive the blessing of the gods and become a paladin of the Holy Hall, maybe even a bishop someday."
Albedo nodded beside her and persuaded him, "Compared to the dangerous work in this prison, the environment of the Holy Hall suits you better. You’ll receive more systematic training and guidance there. If you’re interested in swordsmanship, I can recommend a Holy Hall warrior as your teacher!"
Raymond felt a little embarrassed hearing their invitation.
Before the fight with Barron, he had also beaten up seven prisoners.
I’m clearly not a good person, so why do the two of you think I’m full of love?
Raymond couldn’t figure it out.
Just then, Koby, who had been slapped by Raymond earlier, shouted, "Are you holy men out of your minds? He’s been beating me up these past two days! He’s abusing prisoners! How can someone like that get into the Holy Hall?"
The other prisoners heard Koby’s complaint and started chiming in too.
Albedo looked at Raymond with a puzzled expression.
"You heard them. Compared to the Holy Hall, I’m better off staying here, teaching these sinners a lesson and making them repent for their past crimes. As long as evil exists in this prison, I’ll stay here and keep teaching them." Raymond spread his hands and made up an excuse on the spot.
He had no intention of going to any Holy Hall. He still needed to draw cards from the prisoners here.
Thud!
"Willing to put yourself through hardship just to purify evil in a place like this prison-what a noble ideal! You truly are a man with great love in your heart!" Albedo dropped to one knee, and Raymond was completely stunned.
Wait a minute!
I spelled it out that clearly, and you still think I’m full of love?
That’s just too much!
"Raymond, I knew I was right about you! You were born to walk in the light!" Barbara clasped her hands to her chest, her eyes glistening as she looked at Raymond.
Hal and the other three squad leaders watched the scene and secretly gave Raymond a thumbs-up.
"If this were in a tavern, I bet Priestess Barbara would be throwing herself at him!" Milton said with a sly grin, lowering his voice on purpose.
"I really admire Master Raymond. I didn’t know he was a natural at picking up women too!" Hilton patted his own belly and looked at Raymond with envy.
Just then, Albedo slowly stood up. He took out a memory stone and handed it to Raymond. "Since you’ve chosen to stay in the Abyss Prison, the Holy Hall respects your decision. Please take this memory stone. Inside it is the body-tempering method of the Holy Hall warriors. I hope it will help you!"
Raymond took the memory stone and thanked him sincerely.
After that, Albedo and Barbara had to leave to purify the black fever virus in the prison block. As soon as the siblings were gone, Hal and the other three squad leaders surrounded Raymond, all of them wearing mischievous grins.
Heh heh heh!
Seeing this, Raymond already had his excuses ready for their interrogation
But suddenly, the four of them each pulled out a pouch of copper coins and handed them to Raymond.
"What are you doing?" Raymond looked at them, confused.
"Your sword broke. Go buy a good one. With your sword skills now, you deserve a fine blade." Hal smiled and ruffled Raymond’s hair.
"And buy yourself some clothes, and rent a decent place to stay. You’re the young master of the Lucian family!" Milton’s face was full of smiles, his wrinkles bunching up like a chrysanthemum.
"Next time you see Miss Barbara, remember to treat her to a meal. Better yet, get her drunk and take her home! Hehe!" Hilton’s eyes gleamed, clearly eager to see some drama unfold.
"That’s enough! The young master is only sixteen!" Carlton scolded, grabbing Milton and Hilton by the arms and dragging them away as they hurried off.
Seeing this, Hal winked at Raymond and followed the three of them.
Raymond held four bags of copper coins, feeling warmth in his heart.
These people were his father’s old comrades and subordinates.
To have earned their approval, Raymond grinned. "I accept your friendship!"
Meanwhile.
In the middle of a dark hall, a pool of dark green water was boiling.
Screams of agony echoed through the hall, making Bucky shiver in fear, not daring to lift his head.
"Raymond! I’m going to kill you!" Barron’s voice suddenly rang out, and then the water exploded, revealing Barron’s muscular body.
The power of the pool was absorbed by Barron, and his injuries completely healed.
Naked, Barron walked to the back of the hall, knelt down on one knee, and said respectfully, "Lord Marcus, please allow me to duel Raymond. The shame he brought me can only be washed away with blood."
Marcus sat in a dark corner, his gaze cold. "Idiot. The junior guard exam is in ten days. I will arrange for you to be an examiner. You can kill Raymond then."
Hearing this, Barron frowned. "If I kill him during the exam, word might leak out. It could harm your reputation, Lord Marcus."
Marcus snorted coldly and clapped his hands.
Immediately, four guard captains led thirteen unfamiliar guards into the hall.
These men did nothing to hide their auras, instantly putting Barron on alert.
Bucky, who was only at Black Iron Stage 8, was so scared when he saw them that he started trembling and quickly hid behind Barron.
Marcus saw how Bucky was acting and looked unhappy. "Useless. Starting tomorrow, have your brother take the secret medicine every day. He must break through to Level 15 by the day of the exam."
When Barron heard about the secret medicine, his face turned pale.
Marcus’s secret medicine had strong side effects. Once someone took it, they would live for at most one year.
Barron looked back at Bucky with pity, then gritted his teeth. "As you command!"
"Good." Marcus nodded with approval. "On the day of the exam, all the examiners will be our people. These thirteen Black Iron Stage 20 suicide soldiers are junior guards I planted inside. They will also take the exam. They will work with you to surround and kill Raymond. This mission will be foolproof."
Having said that, Marcus narrowed his eyes, a hint of threat in his gaze. "Remember, you must make sure these thirteen suicide soldiers pass the exam. This mission cannot fail. We have been hiding in the Abyss Prison for years. The chance to rescue General Warren is coming!"
"To the death, we will save General Warren!" The guards’ eyes lit up with a green glow as they heard Warren’s name.
...
In the days that followed, Raymond brought food to the prisoners every day.
Of course, after they finished eating, they always got a beating from Raymond - his so-called "love taps."
After seven straight days, Raymond had raised the succubus Lorraine’s Guard Contribution Points to 69.
The other six prisoners, including Koby, had their Guard Contribution Points raised to 47.
As for Sangria, Nami, and Samantha, they were still in isolation. Their Guard Contribution Points remained at 5.
In the break room.
Raymond finished practicing the Holy Hall Body-Tempering Technique three times, sweating heavily.
The combat techniques Albedo had given him made up for the lack of physical training he’d had in the past.
After just seven days of practice, Raymond could already feel a clear increase in his strength.
What’s more, the bones, muscles, and nerve fibers inside his body - which had already stopped growing - began to reactivate and regrow, as if he were going through a second puberty.
"If I use an experience card to push the Holy Hall Body-Tempering Technique to the Master level, the next time I run into Barron, I’ll cut him in half with one swing!" Raymond slapped his thigh and immediately entered the empty space.
Inside the empty space, the ten sinner cards had a total of 70 available draws.
Just as Raymond walked up to the card of the giantess girl Sangria and was about to start drawing, a new button appeared before his eyes: [Yes / No - Start a 5-draw batch?]
Five-draw batch?
Raymond looked surprised.
Then, a line of text appeared in front of him.
- [Ding! Congratulations, host, for reaching an achievement: Accumulated 100 Black Iron Stage draws. Five-draw batch mode is now unlocked. Five-draw batches increase the host’s chance of getting high-quality rewards by 10%.]
Raymond’s eyes lit up. "A 10% higher chance? Start the five-draw batch right now!"