NOVPUBThe Nanwantina territory has always had this saying.
June’s summer season seems particularly dull for lack of holidays.
But today, the festive atmosphere of holiday celebrations fills the city-state.
By nine in the morning, the taverns in the city-state’s eastern district, near the sea, are already bubbling with excitement. The sea breeze, laden with salt and freshness, intertwines with the lively cheers emanating from the outdoor card seats to weave a unique summer vitality.
Inside the tavern, the laughter of officers rises and falls in waves, as they sit together enjoying delicious delicacies. The waitstaff, like hummingbirds flitting through treehouses, bustle back and forth, delivering meals and fine wines to their patrons.
This morning, the tavern owner has specially brought out his secret brew, an invigorating spirit that seems to ignite the soul. Warriors eager to take on this challenge gleam with both reverence and nervousness in their eyes, ready to end their day with just a small cup.
In the midst of this exuberance, a commander with the rank of colonel raises his glass high, his voice as rousing as war drums, "To our victory, to our glory, to Nanwantina, to the noble Great Priest—cheers!"
Each of his words is filled with strength and pride, circulating through the tavern like a refreshing breeze of revival.
Last night, they returned from a grueling battle. Although many still bore the pain of injuries, their hearts overflowed with the joy of victory, basking in the comfort of this hard-earned peaceful morning.
Lanci walks past the tavern with a smile.
He glimpses inside and feels that today is a good day; the whole city-state has come alive with hustle and bustle.
"The baby born in the south of the kingdom, on the frontier of the noble settlement, arrived with the cry of the lion’s constellation meteor shower. The child grew into a young priest, the strongest rod of the Lady Goddess, traveling far and wide, bringing thorny victories wherever he went..."
The street minstrels have already started to sing odes to the Great Priest’s feats of arms.
The citizens of the city-state also gather to listen to this new anthem titled "Thorny Lion Heart."
"..."
Many people are merely passersby in the life of the Great Priest, each playing different roles just like Lanci is at this moment, who requires no excess rehearsal to aid Loren in protecting the people and land of Nanwantina.
Unfortunately, different paths lead to different mastery; Lanci does not share the early commitment to devote his life to the Lady Goddess as the Great Priest had. He yearns for a quiet retired life, and there’s much he can only help with to the extent of his abilities.
"Need to pick up the pace, I guess," Lanci mutters, looking at the rippling sea.
Over a year has passed.
In the upcoming months, he must find a way to travel to the Cerryti Empire in the south.
Perhaps because he continuously hindered the Blood Clan’s threats to Hyperion, the Blood Clan has become increasingly restless, and even the Kingdom Joint Council can feel the unrest brewing in the Cerryti Empire.
If he waits any longer, Duke Migaya and Miss Isatia might find themselves in danger. Lanci’s civil commissions have always retained a hundred percent positive rating; he treats every job, no matter its size or difficulty, with complete dedication and does his utmost.
Before that, he needs to challenge the Blood Moon Bad World Shadow World with Hyperion one more time.
He is now very close to Fifth-order; any Shadow World would help him complete his rank advancement.
Apart from the [Imitation Stone Tablet-Wind], he is now in possession of a genuine [Original Stone Tablet- Sealed], which is effective for most of his summons.
[Great Love Poet] is of spirit and wood type; Purgatory Choir [Wonderful Note] possesses both spirit and sealing categories; Little Sun [Shining Virtue] is light and seal; and [Nuclear Fusion Wolf] is fire and seal.
Only [Great Love Poet] does not benefit from the [Original Stone Tablet- Sealed] boost.
Lanci has also encountered a seal spell of unknown grade called [Eternal Punishment] during the Sanctuary Evil Banquet in the second Shadow World. Although he could remember it and roughly understand its principles, he could only truly start attempting to master it upon reaching Fifth-order.
Unlike Loren, who is a natural genius in spells, Lanci has not yet mastered any spells to date; his main essence remains that of a Magic Artisan, heavily reliant on Magic Cards for spellcasting. And, as for the exquisite Epic-level Spell Cards, he has never even seen a shadow of one.
While Blood Clans naturally posses powers comparable to Epic-level spells and the Demon Race can possess Epic-level spells by tapping into Innate Magic, for human grand magicians, creating a single Epic-level spell could nearly be the limit of their lifetime’s work, and they cannot even be passed down.
To Lanci, the Spell Cards that allow instant mastery of Epic-level spells feel like cheats.
This is also why Lanci would teach Zestira in the Northern Continent that among the three categories of magic cards, Spell Cards are the most noble; if there are Spell Cards in the Endless Library, choose them.
"Haha, it’s not like there’s no life without them," Lanci laughs, releasing his concern.
He himself is not particularly fond of magic and Magic Cards.
When the day of world peace comes, he would have little desire left, just as the answer given to him by Fallen Wonderland suggested.
Perhaps.
And so Lanci strolls alone along the coastal streets of the eastern part of Nanwantina.
On this winding path, his steps are circuitous, enjoying this rare leisure time.
Now that the Barrier has been restored and with more reinforcements arriving in Nanwantina after the mobilization of the Hutton Kingdom from the north, and with the Great Priest stationed there, no one is worried about short-term disturbances any longer.
Lanci knew that the Blood Clan wouldn’t attack during the day.
The Great Love Poet was very interested in the Decayed alchemical beast, and Pranay also had some research on the alchemy products of the Demon World. However, this alchemical beast couldn’t linger in the Nanwantina territory for long, or else it would be detected by the City Defense Army.
Therefore, Pranay and his team sealed the out-of-control Decayed alchemical beast and, after daybreak, took it back to the Capital City Ekrite first to assist the Great Love Poet in researching it.
If they could truly turn the Decayed alchemical beast into a controllable summon, that would be more than ideal.
The only problem was, using this summon might lead to being mistaken for the Archbishop of Decay, Fa Mo.
Especially for Miss Juliana, the Immortal Sword Emperor, and the sworn enemy of Archbishop of Decay, Fa Mo—if she saw the Decayed alchemical beast, she would probably attack without saying a word.
As the guardian of the Arolan Kingdom, Juliana was ever-vigilant against the infiltration and movements of the Corrosion Branch. It had been agreed half a year ago to have a date with Loren, yet until now, neither side had managed to fulfill this commitment.
"Sigh, I’ll help them out next time," he said.
Lanci shook his head, always concerned about Loren’s prospective marital fate.
Regrettably, once he returned to the Southern Continent, he still hadn’t heard any news about a successful date between him and Juliana.
And so, Lanci continued on his way along that dazzling beachfront.
Ten-plus minutes flew by in a flash.
The eastern harbor of Nanwantina territory.
The dawn light flickered in the sea breeze, glittering as if countless small diamonds were leaping between the waves.
Many ships were busy preparing to set sail, with the cries of seagulls echoing in the air, and the ropes and sails making soft friction noises.
Right there on the dock, a large passenger ship had already docked at the shore.
Lanci, dressed in a casual vest, arrived at the spot. Under the sunlight, he was particularly dazzling.
He smiled, bidding farewell to several figures.
"This letter is your recommendation. If you go to the Protoss Empire and find any branch of the Hegemony Branch, you’ll be able to get in touch with her," he said.
Lanci handed over the cowhide-wrapped dossier to the Grand Priests before him.
He had come here alone this morning to fulfill a promise, to arrange a brand new refuge for these Grand Priests of the Destruction Branch.
The few Grand Priests of Destruction looked at each other, still somewhat uneasy.
While with this unfathomable gentleman, they always felt a bit more at ease, but sailing across the ocean to meet the Bishop of Hegemony, would she overlook their identity as members of the Destruction Branch and trust them? n𝚘vp𝚞𝚋.com
"Don’t worry, my friends. When you meet her, you’ll find she’s like another me in this world," Lanci said, his lips unconsciously curling up in a nostalgic smile.
Every day spent with Sigrid was a joy, up until his return to the Southern Continent. Whenever he thought back to the Northern Continent, her figure would always flicker through his memories.
Lanci took out another letter from his pocket, turning to Eileen, the original Grand Priest of the Destruction Branch and the first he had brought back to the proper path.
"Eileen, could you please deliver this letter to Miss Sigrid for me? Just say it’s from Rocky McCarthy," he requested.
"Oh, okay..."
Grand Priest Eileen cautiously accepted the letter from Lanci,
"I will make sure it gets to her," she pledged, bowing to Lanci.
Unlike the recommendation letter, this was an even more personal letter. The writing on the cover was carefully penned with fresh ink, every stroke beautiful, and the wax seal and imprint were as neat and clean as works of art.
What could have been replaced by communication magic had, due to the blockage of magic power pollution in the waters between the North and South Continents in recent decades, made letters a revived method of communication between the two continents.
And reliable mail carriers between the continents could earn a decent sum.
Suddenly, the Grand Priests understood.
It wasn’t only that this lord had an extensive cooperation with the Bishop of Hegemony, but also a deep personal relationship.
After several farewells, they boarded the ship under Lanci’s watchful eye.
There Lanci stood on the dock, facing the sea breeze, gazing out to the boundless northern sea, savoring his moments of leisure.
