Chapter 207: Purification Envoy, Assessment Mission

Chapter 207: Chapter 207: Purification Envoy, Assessment Mission

’This instance... is certainly something special.’

What Seraphina Sullivan learned from Graham Gallo left her with mixed feelings.

The despair of this apocalypse was unique; it didn’t stem from internal collapse or foreign invasion.

Instead, it came from a kind of higher-dimensional outpouring and contamination, something almost like a fundamental "rule" of the universe.

This inevitably led her to a deeper understanding of the main quest concerning the "Purification Envoy."

’Perhaps Purification Envoy isn’t just a Title.’

’It’s likely connected to some kind of resistance force in this world.’

’Or maybe it’s a special way to fight the contamination from the Sky-Hole.’

Then there was that strange [Wind Cleaning Broom] in Graham Gallo’s hands.

This weapon, with its clear supernatural or high-tech traces, was obviously not something this garbage-drowned civilization could have easily created late in the apocalypse.

This suggested that the appearance of the Sky-Hole and the trash, while bringing destruction, might have also brought things from "the other side" that this world had never seen before.

’Whether it was technology, materials, or some kind of... Energy system?’

These "foreign objects" were discovered and utilized.

In turn, they gave rise to new forms of Power and new Profession systems.

Her thoughts gradually fell into place. Seraphina Sullivan focused her attention on the two most crucial terms in her quest list: [Purification Envoy] and [Junk Monster].

These were clearly the core elements of this world.

She immediately questioned the controlled Graham Gallo about these two key pieces of information.

Graham Gallo’s eyes were vacant, but his words flowed smoothly. "For a hundred years, endless trash has poured from the Sky-Hole, bringing immense change and destruction to the world, but also... bringing other things."

"There are always a few lucky or powerful individuals who can find strange items or materials that don’t belong to our world amidst the mountains of trash."

"At the same time, great dangers have also emerged. To cope with these threats, many specific Professions have gradually formed among the survivors, like [Scavengers] who search for usable supplies, [Purification Envoys] who fight against contamination and monsters, and [Greening Masters] who try to restore the ecosystem on polluted land..."

After hearing his description, Seraphina Sullivan confirmed that [Purification Envoy] was one of them.

Their core mission was to eliminate the threats derived from the trash and protect the survivor settlements.

And the main danger they had to face, it went without saying, was the [Junk Monster].

Graham Gallo described them as creatures that had been twisted and mutated after being contaminated and corroded by special trash, which might contain unknown radiation, chemical substances, or Energy from The Otherworld.

Alternatively, they could be monsters formed from discarded machinery that had been reassembled and animated by some unknown power.

"How do you become a Purification Envoy?"

Seraphina Sullivan asked the most critical question.

Her second main quest explicitly required her to become a Purification Envoy.

"You must go to the [Forest of Verdure] and pass the assessment established there."

Graham Gallo gave a clear answer.

"And where is the Forest of Verdure?" Seraphina Sullivan pressed, noting the new place name.

"It’s... to the southeast of here, about... a hundred kilometers away."

Graham Gallo struggled to recall the direction and distance.

After that, Seraphina Sullivan wasted no time asking about the Junk Monsters.

She asked about their common types, traits, and the potential dangers she might encounter on the way to the Forest of Verdure.

Seraphina Sullivan did her best to gather as much detailed information as possible.

Feeling she had asked enough, Seraphina Sullivan kept her promise—albeit in an unfriendly manner—and stuffed the small box of candy into Nathan Gallo’s empty hand.

She didn’t linger. Activating her [Bounce] Skill...

...her figure disappeared between the towering mountains of trash in just a few leaps, as if she had never been there at all.

Not long after, the control Effect of [Sweet Fragrance] wore off.

Graham Gallo was the first to snap out of it, his eyes instantly regaining their clarity.

"Danger!" he instinctively growled.

His muscles tensed as he warily scanned his surroundings.

The broom in his hand was already in a defensive stance.

However, aside from the ever-present mountains of trash and the pervasive stench, the area was empty.

The mysterious and powerful woman was nowhere to be seen.

"Strange, what just happened?" Graham Gallo frowned in confusion.

His memory of Seraphina Sullivan’s appearance was hazy. ’Was I... just dreaming?’

"Bro, look!"

Just then, Nathan Gallo, who was beside him, cried out in a mix of shock and delight.

He held his hand up high.

Clutched tightly in it was a box of candy, its bright colors a stark contrast to the grim surroundings.

Graham Gallo’s gaze fell on the candy in his brother’s hand, and his pupils contracted.

The solid feel of it, the exquisite packaging he had never seen before—it all served as a reminder of what had just happened.

The two brothers locked eyes, each seeing the shock and dawning realization in the other’s expression.

They were only now beginning to realize that the brief, bizarre experience was not a dream.

The mysterious woman had really been there.

She had used some unknown method to make them lose consciousness for a few minutes.

And then... she had left behind a "reward" far beyond their wildest imaginations.

With mixed feelings, Graham Gallo took the box of chewing gum, feeling the smooth plastic wrapper, and muttered, "Who... who in the world is she?"

Meanwhile, Seraphina Sullivan had already begun her journey.

Her figure weaved quickly through the reeking, undulating mountains of trash.

She was becoming more and more adept at using her [Bounce] Skill.

She did her best to avoid areas that looked particularly soft or might conceal hidden dangers.

’I never thought that for this second main quest, becoming a Cleanliness Envoy would require an assessment. This is the first time I’ve encountered something like this in an instance.’

Seraphina Sullivan thought to herself as she traveled.

The assessment added an element of uncertainty to the quest, but it also made her more curious about the identity of a "Purification Envoy."

’A Profession that you can only obtain by passing an assessment must have something special about it.’

However, the ideal was grand, but reality was a harsh wake-up call.

The "one hundred kilometers to the southeast" that Graham Gallo had mentioned was turning into a nightmarish journey in this world completely covered by trash, where the terrain was impossibly complex.

’It’s all trash, nothing but trash! Even just traveling is a huge pain!’

Seraphina Sullivan couldn’t help but sigh again.

She stopped on a "ridge" formed by a pile of abandoned vehicles and construction debris, gazing out at her surroundings.

As far as the eye could see, there were endless mountain ranges of garbage—multicolored, yet uniformly covered in filth—with almost no natural landscape visible.

In the distance, a deluge of trash was pouring out from a Sky-Hole.

And the so-called "roads" were nothing more than winding, twisting gaps that had naturally formed between the trash heaps, liable to be blocked at any moment by a new "trash rain" or a landslide.

At this rate, forget a hundred kilometers; she had no idea how long it would take to even cover ten, and it was extremely draining.

She scanned her surroundings, and after confirming it was temporarily safe, she vanished with a thought, directly entering her personal [Scavenger’s Farm].