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Maria searched the bar for ages, even lifting the curtain on the stage, calling out as she searched.

Another figure slowly walked into the bar, her expression also showing some anticipation.

But unlike Maria, his similar eyes first swept across the entire bar before settling on Martin.

Good morning, Mr. Martin.

"Wow, it's Margaret! Good morning!"

Martin greeted Margaret and then let out a sigh of relief.

He put down the wine glass he was wiping, cleared his throat, and then spoke loudly.

"Alright, alright, stop looking around, you idiot. Your teacher didn't come; he just sent someone with something."

Martin tapped the table and gestured with his chin toward a black package on the bar.

"promise."

Maria's face showed visible disappointment.

However, upon hearing that someone had delivered something, she still went to the bar and picked up the item wrapped in black cloth.

"Someone delivered something? Who is it?"

Maria, still unsure of who it was for, suppressed her curiosity and asked.

"Ander is the blacksmith who forges equipment for the Knight of War."

Martin folded the handkerchief twice and placed it neatly in the drawer.

"But your teacher did come to Kazimierz. He said that it was the two guys who were previously agents for the War Knights who helped make the contact."

"Mr. War Knight, go find the blacksmith Ander and have him give you something."

"When Ander talked about it, although he was a little reluctant, the smile in his eyes didn't diminish at all."

Martin casually voiced his guess.

"It might be some great treasure."

Upon hearing that it was for her, Maria immediately lifted the cloth.

Before Margaret could even reach the bar, she heard Maria let out a loud scream, which startled her so much that she took two steps to Maria's side.

But when Margaret saw what Maria was holding, she was also stunned for a moment.

Martin turned his head curiously to take a look.

"This is... a shield?"

Maria flipped the shield over; many scratches on the shield had not yet been repaired, but it was clear that it was very well maintained.

But soon, everyone realized what it was.

"Hey, this thing isn't...?"

Martin frowned slightly, his voice trembling a little.

Margaret nodded hesitantly.

"It should be right."

This shield has appeared in countless recorded images.

In the hands of that invincible titled knight, it not only became a bulwark for the sword and shield knight, but also a giant hammer.

With an unstoppable shield bash, he left behind the legend of the War Knight's undefeated record.

The Undead must have known that the Major was about to begin, and he believed that Maria could participate in this Major, so he sent a gift through someone.

Upon seeing that what Ander had brought was this shield, Maria immediately stuffed the shield into the black cloth and then hugged it tightly to her chest.

"Hehe...a gift from the teacher, hehe—"

The girl's eyes curved into crescent moons.

Margaret smiled slightly, delighted to see Maria so happy.

Margaret coughed lightly and said.

"Maria, what was your goal again this time?"

Maria didn't turn her head and said firmly.

"I want to get first place, just like my teacher, and get my own unique title in my first time participating."

"Are you confident you can beat me?"

Maria and Martin were both stunned when they heard this.

Margaret didn't mention the Major once during her return.

According to her, her workplace had granted her leave, so she rarely had the chance to come back and see Maria.

Everyone knows that Margaret has been officially expelled from Kazimierz, but with the Infected Knights now allowed to participate, Margaret's identity is no longer an issue.

Margaret's smile remained unchanged.

"I'll be waiting for you on your way to becoming a champion."

"As a disciple of a war knight, are you confident you can defeat me?"

Maria's joy gradually subsided.

She looked at her older sister.

That was one of the two figures she longed for.

Now, standing before her, Margaret looked at Maria with encouragement.

She didn't want Maria to follow in her footsteps; being too rigid can lead to failure.

Maria's teacher gave her this advantage.

Having experienced the War Knights, Kazimierz is now facing the shock of a dramatic change.

Margaret's return this time is undoubtedly to challenge a behemoth. She has partners who share her goals, but Maria is not included in the plan.

Margaret also wanted to see if her sister had the ability and confidence to do so.

He took over the ideals that belonged to Lin Guang from her hands.

"I will do my best to defeat my sister."

Maria said firmly.

Margaret nodded, then suddenly said.

"Our family motto is—"

The two sisters smiled at each other.

"Fear not bitter darkness!"

...

On Rhodes Island, it was another busy day.

Following the Victoria incident, Rhode Island's influence grew steadily.

After successfully defeating the false king Kazdel, Rhodes Island entered a rare period of peace.

The shadow of the abyss has temporarily receded from them, and even Kal'tsit has granted most of the operators a vacation of several weeks.

Even after dealing with the aftermath of the Victoria incident, the Doctor openly took a large group of operators who were willing to go with him to a beach vacation in Columbia.

Although the Doctor stood guard outside Kal'tsit's door for two consecutive days after returning, Kal'tsit eventually smashed a notebook on the Doctor's head, and then the two of them went back to the conference room together.

Amiya's body has been in a state of rest since that battle.

Amiya's ability to avoid mutating into an Abyss Familiar after absorbing too much Abyss pollution is largely thanks to her extraordinary qualities as a Chimera.

Fortunately, before taking Amiya away, Melantha had Amiya ask Kal'tsit for a complete set of rings.

Skadi was able to put the ring on Amiya in time when Amiya and Skadi were knocked out of the Dark Realm.

Even so, Amiya's health was not very good.

Amiya must be asleep before 10 p.m., which has become a consensus among almost all operators.

Even if Amiya wanted to do more, she would be pushed into her room.

But after this battle, her power seemed to have broken through again, and this future leader of Rhodes Island also benefited greatly from this war.

The Undead left the island some time after the war ended and disappeared without a trace.

Throughout the entire year, not a single operator saw Mr. Undead again on the ship.

As for the operators...

Some of the ordinary operators belonging to Rhodes Island remained in Victoria forever, and several elite operators who were recalled from other countries also died at the hands of the Kazdel sergeants who had become afflicted by the abyss.

But most of Rhodes Island's pillars remain intact, and they even received gratitude from Victoria after the battle.

More than nine figures in Lungmen Dollars were deposited into Rhodes Island's account. With a little frugality, that would be enough to cover Rhodes Island's expenses for several years... just kidding.

Rhodes Island's expenses are always a mystery. Even the Doctor doesn't know when all those LMD will disappear.

However, at least for the next two years, the Rhode Island offices in various locations will not lack funding.

Some time after the war ended, Miss Skyfire chose to stay in Victoria to help rebuild her hometown.

She occasionally receives small gifts anonymously from all over the world.

After the war ended, Frostnova clearly defined her path.

After resting on Rhodes Island for a while, the entire Infected Shield team dispersed once again to various parts of Terra.

This time, they will gather all available resources to fight for the infected.

After the war ended, the deep-sea hunters each went their own way.

Laurentina is studying at Columbia University's Fashion Institute of Technology, though she doesn't know if she'll be successful.

Grandia stayed on Rhodes Island, and at the Doctor's suggestion, she tried to travel around the world on the missions of operators, measuring the whole of Terra with her own eyes and finding her own meaning.

As for Skadi.