NOVPUBIn the territory of Nanwantina, the Magic Power Rail Train traverses the sprawling plains. The extensive view on both sides — the fields, flowers, and lakes — seemed deeper and more serene amidst the roar of the train.
Inside the carriage, the hand of the clock pointed to just past five. The warm, yellow sunlight skipped over the real wood decor. Passengers sat quietly or conversed in hushed tones.
In an inconspicuous corner, four Clergy members sat at either side of a table.
"Nanwantina has always been known for its people’s..."
Loren was mid-conversation with three younger Priests, but he stopped abruptly as if reminded of someone.
Aside from Loren, the Priest Investigation Team heading to Nanwantina from Ichrite included three other Clergy members. The Dark Sentinel Priest, in charge of the scouting function, usually operated solo. The Defensive Knight and Healing Priest worked in pairs.
These three were his students. He often brought them on missions as a form of collective experience.
Although Loren could have definitely reached Nanwantina much quicker by using magic, and he had permission to use hasty spells of transportation within the national borders, such Eighth-order Strongmen would not resort to this method of transportation unless circumstances were exceptional.
"Either way, be extra watchful in Nanwantina. You might pass the Cardinal Bishop from the Northern Continent without noticing, even if he holds a conversation with you," Loren advised.
Their main purpose for going to Nanwantina was to pre-emptively guard against the conspiracy that the newly appointed Cardinal Bishop might bring.
They had also been commissioned by the Kingdom Joint Council, hoping the Church of the Goddess of Destiny could investigate the recent unidentified circumstances near the border of the Hutton Kingdom and the Cerryti Empire.
Over the past two months, odd rumours from the Cerryti Empire had unsettled several dozen nations, large and small, from the Southern Continent Kingdom Union Council.
As the true behemoth and overlord of the South Continent, the Cerryti Empire was not an adversary any kingdom could confront.
The Twelve Gods of Empire were each a formidable opponent that could give even Loren a major headache.
If they declared war, all inhabitants of the nation — noble or commoner — would face an absolute catastrophe.
"Haha, whenever the Northern Continent is mentioned, I can’t help but laugh. Who knows what evidence the Dimensional Bishop came up with that convinced the Bishop of Destruction that Mr Loren is not in the South Continent," said the Healing Priest, a young woman dressed in a white Priest robe, audibly laughing without any regard for Loren’s sternness.
Every time she recalled the scene where Loren appeared with an exasperated look, terrifying the Grand Priest of Destruction and making him question his life, she found that Mr. Loren had an air of a big villain behind the scenes, and it was so cool.
"It really had nothing to do with me. That day, I was baffled. The Church was suddenly attacked, which annoyed me," Loren replied, seeming to sigh and exude a profound sense of helplessness.
Some of the most absurd rumours even claimed that the Protoss Empire erected a monument to honour him in the empire square. Allegedly, the peace agreement between the Aestheland Kingdom and the Protoss Empire was named the "Respect Loron Klenttel Agreement." Upon hearing about Loren’s deeds, Northern nations began to admire him, calling him the god that brings the wind of peace.
Why on earth would the Rebirth Church believe such nonsense?
"Yes, if Mr Loren really could secretly cross the North and South Continent in a blink, I’d find him a little scary now," said the Dark Sentinel Priest, a short-haired young woman dressed in lightweight soft armour, emotionlessly sitting by the window.
No matter what, Loren’s consistent pure-minded, good-natured persona did not seem deceptive.
"Mr Loren, if you combed your hair back, changed the look in your eyes, and had a deep, meaningful smile, wow," said the Guardian Knight sitting next to Loren. Even on the train, he remained in his orderly knight attire. His hair was similar to that of the Dark Sentinel Priest, his sister. However, he got along better with the Healing Priest and often acted together.
Listening to their banter, Loren could only gaze out the window and sigh to himself.
Loren was actually quite terrified of his reputation.
Some media outlets credulously believed the rumours from the North Continent and began exaggerating the propaganda, claiming to see the shadow of the Holy Emperor in him. If a chaotic period were to arrive, the people of the North Continent would push him to become the leader, whether he wanted to or not.
Fortunately, in the South Continent, his reputation was only very positive. Cerryti Empire, not to mention the non-allied nations, even in the next Kingdom Joint Council’s chairman candidate list, he was only considered but was the least favoured.
Previously thwarting the attack of the Destruction Branch had earned him slightly more reputation among the nations in the Kingdom Joint Council, but such luck would not occur a second time.
Loren had always believed that luck is earned with good deeds.
He always told Migaya as much.
As a result, Migaya always scared Hyperion when she was young, saying that bad luck would befall those who did not accumulate good deeds. Sometimes, Migaya would inventively "control" Hyperion’s luck to amuse her, especially when Hyperion was mischievous. This led to Hyperion firmly believing in the principle of "luck correlates with good deeds", behaving more maturely than all other children of her age.
Upon reflection, Migaya’s actions indicated a lack of interest in hoarding good deeds for herself...
"Although the Bishop of Destruction retreated from the Hutton Kingdom after the last failure, it is possible that Saint Solomon of Destruction is still lingering there."
In the midst of this thought, the conversation of three Clergies interrupted Loren’s contemplation.
They seemed to be discussing the new intelligence from the Kingdom Joint Council about the Destruction Branch.
The Bishop of Destruction, Ivanos, was known for his intolerant nature. If he appears to be patient, it just means he will unleash a more ruthless vengeance in the future.
"If you three encounter Solomon, do not hesitate — run as fast as you can."
Loren’s tone turned more grave, causing the other three to shiver involuntarily.
"This guy is completely different from the Goddess of Destruction. He could defeat all three of you in a minute or two."
Loren continued his warning.
It’s not that they weren’t strong as the sixth-order clergy that he had painstakingly cultivated - it’s just that Solomon at the seventh order was not an opponent the Light Rush Squad could handle.
Even with someone to resist the damage, someone to heal, and someone to attack, it was still not enough.
"We also aspire to bring you honor like Lanci, Master Loren."
The Guardian Knight sighed.
"Whether it’s the Goddess of Destruction or the Saint of Destruction, you guys are already exceptional in my eyes. Regardless of how extraordinary Lanci may be, he cannot possibly kill the Saint of Destruction too, so don’t overthink."
Every time Loren thought of Lanci, he felt a mix of emotions.
"If one day the Saint of Destruction really dies, killed by Lanci, do you think the Dimensional Bishop will really pay up?"
"I think he was just joking."
"Don’t be so sure. If the Dimensional Bishop really pays 20,000 pounds, I won’t be surprised if the Bishop of Destruction goes insane — it’s hard to predict whether the Bishop of Destruction would kill the Dimensional Bishop or Lanci first."
Listening to the discussion of his three students, Loren rubbed his forehead again.
"Ivanos might come after me first, battling to the death. I don’t want to fight that madwoman."
Although Loren had never interacted with the Dimensional Bishop, Tolyado, he always had the impression that the bishop was a huge troublemaker. Originally, even though Lanci had killed the Goddess of Destruction, Bishop Ivanos reluctantly accepted that he had lost the bet and would not personally kill Lanci. However, after being provoked by the Dimensional Bishop and covered by all media outlets of the South Continental Kingdom Union Council, making it a well-known joke, Ivanos might indeed throw a tantrum.
At these words, the three clergy members all tensed up.
Standing at the pinnacle of the eighth order, Ivanos, who was the holder of the [Original Slabstone - Fire], could potentially reenact the legendary calamity of kingdom extermination if he were to go mad.
At their level, they would be instantly reduced to ashes under that apocalyptic flambeau.
"But don’t worry, even as powerful as Ivanos is, he cannot attack the Hutton Kingdom alone."
Noticing their fright, Loren calmly assured them.
With its border defense barrier and city defense barrier, even if a Cardinal Bishop dares to enter and act rashly in the Nanwantina region, an alarm would ignite that reaches directly to the Royal Capital. A subsequent series of suppression effects within the scope of the barrier would then be activated.
"Is there a possibility that the barrier will fail?"
The Dark Sentinel Priest suddenly asked.
"There has been such an incident before, which led to the introduction of access restrictions. To interfere with the border region, one needs to obtain both the key from the Royal Capital and the key from the Nanwantina Lord’s Mansion at the same time, then attack the power station during the barrier’s emergency shutdown to prevent it from restarting. Only then would it be possible to bring the barrier down."
In response to the question, Loren began to feel an unusual unease.
If one has superior infiltration ability than the Dark Sentinel Priest, it is conceivable they might acquire the key to the Nanwantina Lord’s Mansion. However, it’s nearly impossible for them to get the key from the Royal Capital.
The atmosphere in the carriage was warm, filled intermittently with the sounds of passengers chatting and laughing. The main city of the Nanwantina region was fast approaching, viewable in the distance.
Looking out at the early rising moon outside the window, gently glowing with a faintly red hue, Loren felt that despite tonight’s unusual moon phase, there was no sign of anything abnormal about to happen.
