As the distance between the vehicle convoy and the group on foot grew, Claire Chapman announced she had some good news.

"Who would’ve thought Samuel Hughes would have a Daoist with him!"

Paige Summers looked at her suspiciously. "A Daoist? And that’s good news?"

Claire Chapman adopted a tone that said, ’You really don’t get it.’ "He’s not one of those charlatans who swindles people for their money and virtue, okay! This Daoist is from the Taoist Abbey in Central City, an expert in talisman painting, and supposedly very skilled. I got an inside tip that he did something to the road to hold back the Beast Tide. It’s estimated we’ll have at least an extra day of travel time now!"

’Repelling enemies with talismans, huh...’ Paige Summers tapped her head. ’That’s certainly not impossible.’

’In my past life, wasn’t the Summers Family an ancient Noble House? Of course, there were also other schools and sects, each with their own specializations, but because they were no longer suited for the era, most went into seclusion, and some just faded into obscurity. The Summers Family was relatively lucky; at least a portion of our essence was passed down...’

’No, no.’ She sighed softly.

’Now, in that world, it’s all considered lost.’

"What’s wrong?"

Claire Chapman nudged her elbow, pulling her back from her dazed thoughts.

Paige Summers shook her head. "It’s nothing. Well, this is good. If we pick up the pace, we might be able to make it to Mount Turol."

"Maybe."

Claire Chapman said nothing more, and Paige Summers fell silent as well.

However, she only dwelled on it for a moment before letting it go. ’The past can’t be undone, but the present is what’s important. If I have the chance to take on some apprentices here and revive the Summers Family’s art of Artifact Making, that would be a wonderful thing!’

Thinking of the future, she subconsciously touched the earring on her right ear as a wave of excitement washed over her.

After getting all the children onto the bus, she had received an unexpectedly large amount of goodwill—so much that it had stunned her. The results spoke for themselves: the earring was now almost full of energy, on the verge of being activated!

’With this, I’ll finally have my own special advantage, right...?’

’Then I can collect as many materials as I want and never worry about running out of storage space!’

’I’ll be able to practice Artifact Making to my heart’s content—making whatever I want, whenever I want!’

The more she thought about it, the more her hands itched to get started, and she had to mentally slam on the brakes.

Back in the vehicle, she briefly mentioned the news to Marcus Monroe, then promptly put the whole business with the Daoist out of her mind.

She just never expected she would have the chance to meet that legendary master so soon.

And the reason for it was the very children she and Claire Chapman had rescued...

Sean Raines wasn’t actually a proper Daoist—at least, that’s what he told himself.

But because his master was a Daoist, the skills passed down to him were centered around the use of talismans. As a result, the moment he made a move, everyone else labeled him.

"Daoist this, Daoist that..." He was sick and tired of hearing it, yet he still had to maintain his usual warm and approachable demeanor. It was a frustrating state of affairs.

Of course, it had its benefits.

Thanks to the performance of his so-called colleagues in Central City, the people in the smaller outposts tended to hold them in very high regard.

As much as it vexed him, he also rather enjoyed it.

On his master’s orders, he had already traveled to many places.

One reason was for his own training; the other was to find promising young candidates to become his master’s apprentices.

He’d made great progress on the former, but as for the latter... in a word, difficult!

Naturally, the younger the apprentice, the easier they are to train. But very few children had been born since the apocalypse, and even fewer were both bright and had the right affinity. As a result, he had been delayed for over half a year now, unable to return to Central City.

He had encountered a promising one before. A child so clever it seemed they could see right into a person’s heart, with eyes that overflowed with spiritual light!

’Er, alright, maybe that was a slight exaggeration.’

But the child was, without a doubt, a rare talent.

He had thought that if he just showed off a little, taking the child with him would be a matter of course. But things had not gone according to plan... Sean Raines sighed, unwilling to dwell on that dashed hope. He turned his gaze to the children in front of him.

The vehicle was crammed with a dozen or so adults and children, and the air was so thick it made him deeply uncomfortable. Still, for the sake of his master’s wish, he carefully observed each child’s facial features and spiritual aura.

A pity... After more than ten minutes, he withdrew his gaze in disappointment. Not a single one was suitable.

He turned to jump down and have someone take him to another vehicle. Just as he swung one leg out, he suddenly sensed someone staring at him.

His head snapped up.

Two people were sitting on the roof of the vehicle behind his—one large, one small.

The smaller one was held by the larger one, their features indistinct, but the larger one...

He met her scrutinizing gaze and was utterly astonished!