Six thousand words, and one chapter with three thousand words. It's going to be troublesome to pass on this today.
Salin's words were a little disrespectful to the emperor, but he was a level-six mage and was close to the emperor's sister. He really couldn't develop any respect for the sickly emperor.
Ainphent's fifty bodyguards had left the city long ago, and were waiting about five kilometers ahead. They met up and didn't take any detours. In fact, there was no way around Sacred Rock City. They had to pass through the four towns. The other places were all mountains, and there were small castles at the gaps. They could ask for reinforcements from the four towns at any time. If Sacred Rock City wanted to seal off the city, there would be no way to escape within a hundred kilometers.
The problem was that the Clyde Family's actions were not ordered by the House of Lords or the House of Commons. They were the family's own actions, and couldn't coordinate with the army. Salin and the others passed through North Town safely without any obstruction.
Ten kilometers from North Town, Salin refused to leave. If Nania didn't return with them, Rex wouldn't be easy to talk to. Moreover, he and Nania hadn't finished learning the knowledge of the Fourth Dynasty. Even if he didn't want to clarify his identity, there were many things in the Fourth Dynasty that would be very useful for his magic training.
Nania was one of those knowledge-based Mages. Her knowledge was extremely diverse, and a considerable part of it was something she had explored to a very deep level.
Such a mage was extremely precious to anyone in the same profession. Salin didn't know why Nania had been called to the palace. Even though he didn't sense any danger, he still couldn't help but worry.
Nania was eating with the emperor in the palace. His Majesty Ojarvis was about the same height as Salin, but he was thin and weak. Like Rex, Ojarvis had a pair of blue eyes and snow-white skin. Although he didn't have the aura of a mage like Rex, he didn't seem weak either.
At first glance, Ojarvis looked like an ordinary noble youth. He was playing with a badge that Nania had given him. He was in a good mood.
This badge was extremely ordinary. All swordsmen of the Glücos family had it. The pattern on it was a six-winged flying serpent. What was different was that this badge had a spell sealed in it with the family's secret technique. It was a level-seven defensive spell — Crystal Guard.
This meant that Rex's family's secret technique had reached a certain level, and could be used in actual combat without harming himself. What made Ojarvis excited was that Rex was hinting that she could advance to the High Mage realm at any time …
Ojarvis only had a simple memory of Rex. The last time Rex returned to Holy Rock City, he had just recovered from his illness, and the people around him had spoken ill of Rex. At that time, Ojarvis didn't act like a teenager. He chose to endure it. As a member of the Glücos Family, he knew that the people around him were only talking about Rex for the sake of power and benefits.
Father didn't let her inherit the throne, so she wouldn't take the initiative to take it. What kind of world was he in now? The Tanggulas Empire was invading everywhere, and his elder sister had plenty of opportunities to obtain a large amount of land. What was so good about competing with him for Holy Rock City? It turned out that he was right. His sister did not use her family's power, nor did she look for supporters in the House of Lords. Instead, she went to the far north and built a new city.
Everyone could see that his sister wanted Phoenix. Of course, Ojarvis could see it too. He pretended to be ignorant in front of the minister.
Although he had the support of three level-9 Magic Shooters, Ojarvis was different from the previous Emperors of Qin Yin. His own health wasn't good, and he didn't practice the family's secret techniques. His swordsmanship and magic were all mediocre.
This was a feeling of helplessness. If his sister was killed, and he died too, then his bloodline would be completely severed. In less than three years, those ministers would completely forget about him, and casually choose someone with the surname Glücos to be the Emperor of this country.
No matter how weak Chanak's son was, he wouldn't be muddle-headed. After being sick for so many years, Ojarvis couldn't practice any martial arts or magic, but he still learned a lot with the help of the level-9 Magic Shooters. To Ojarvis, it wasn't important to become the Emperor. What was important was to survive.
Rex's emblem was a level-7 defensive spell, and the hint was obvious. Survive and have a son, so that those ministers wouldn't benefit from it.
Qin Yin had a saying: Crystal people don't give a single hair to others.
Rex's level-7 spell was Crystal Guard. After using it, Ojarvis would be surrounded by a crystal-like elemental armor. Before the spell broke, even high-level magic wouldn't be able to affect him.
Nania ate gracefully. She wasn't in a hurry. She intuitively felt that Ojarvis was a very good young man, but his fate was terrible.
To be the Emperor of Qin Yin, bravery was the most important. That was the symbol of the empire. The reason why Emperor Chanak was supported was because he was a strong emperor who never backed down.
Ojarvis might be good to the people, but he didn't have absolute power. Except for the swordsmen who were loyal to the royal family, it was difficult for him to mobilize the troops of the four towns.
Nania put down her bowl and cast a cleaning spell to make the table look cleaner before speaking.
"Your Majesty, I understand what you mean. The princess will make sure that the front line in Phoenix is very safe. You can rest assured. "
"I will think of a way to make the army of Guderian City not act rashly and stay in Qin Yin's territory."
Nania smiled and said, "Your Majesty, there's no need. The army of Guderian City is all Prince Sephiroth's men. Although the prince doesn't treat the princess well, he still protects Your Majesty. It won't be good for Your Majesty if things get out of hand. "
"Humph!" Ojarvis snorted heavily but didn't say anything else. In Holy Rock City, other than the palace and the swordsmen, everything else was in Sephiroth's hands. His orders couldn't leave Holy Rock City.
"Once the conflict between Your Majesty and the prince becomes clear, the nobles in the south will become restless. Some will become independent, and some will join the princess. Either way, it won't be easy to solve." Nania spoke with assurance. Ojarvis looked at Nania's confident statement and was a little shaken. This Magician was very beautiful! She was like … like an elder sister.
"Sister … still doesn't believe in my abilities!" Ojarvis was a little depressed. As an emperor, he didn't have much taste. "She … Doesn't she need my help?"
Nania thought for a moment, took out a metal box, and put it on the table.
"What's this?"
"The princess gave it to me. She said that if you see me alone, she should give it to you. You can open it after I leave for a month. This metal box is sealed with magic. Only a level-nine Magic Shooter can open it. "
"So mysterious." Ojarvis took the metal box. It was short and flat. It could probably only hold a piece of paper.
"The princess is afraid that Your Majesty will be impulsive. Okay, I've eaten. When can I leave?" Nania's attitude towards Ojarvis was the same as Salin's. She couldn't bring up any feelings of respect or fear.
"I heard you have companions?"
"Yes, but I'm afraid they've already passed North Town and are waiting for me in the future."
"I'll send the swordsmen to escort you," Ojarvis said.
"Even without the swordsmen, Prince Sephiroth won't send people to deal with me. I'm just an unimportant Magician under the princess. I'm of no use to him." Nania smiled.
Ojarvis thought, How can you be unimportant when my sister asked you to give me the metal box personally? But he didn't say anything. Instead, he insisted on sending a team of the royal swordsmen to escort Nania. After everything was said, Ojarvis only waited for Rex to send troops to defend the Rhine Principality.
The team of the royal swordsmen consisted of two hundred people. Escorting a level-four Magician, they galloped through the street. No patrolling soldiers dared to stop them. Nania couldn't even communicate with these soldiers. The soldiers of the royal swordsmen were all covered in closed armor. There were air holes on their faces and polished crystal chips for their eyes.
It was early winter in Sacred Rock City. There were still leaves hanging on the trees. The wind brought by the two hundred cavalrymen blew off countless yellow leaves along the way. From the back, it looked like a flying snake dragging a yellow tornado as it crossed the street and rushed out of the city gate.
Without Sephiroth's obstruction, no one in the city dared to touch a hair of the swordsmen. Ojarvis was overthinking. Some of the people in the city were under his control. Most of them were under Sephiroth's control. Whoever dared to go against them would be torn into pieces. Even their souls wouldn't be at peace.
After leaving Sacred Rock City, the team slowed down a bit. But before nightfall, they passed through North Town and met up with Salin.
"Thank you. Let's go back and report," Nania said to the person wearing the military badge, panting a little. Her physique wasn't as good as a Magician like Salin. Galloping on a horse was a burden for her. The warhorses of the royal swordsmen were different from the skeleton warhorses. They weren't as stable, and they didn't have riding equipment suitable for Nania. The dozens of kilometers of galloping made her inner thighs hurt. She endured it with magic.
"His Majesty's order is for us to escort Sir back to Metatlin City. If the duke wants us to stay, we don't have to return to Sacred Rock City," the military officer replied respectfully.
The royal swordsmen were Emperor Chanak's trusted aides, so they didn't oppose this order. Serving Rex was much more comfortable than staying in Sacred Rock City. In Sacred Rock City, they had to obey Prince Sephiroth. Without Ojarvis or Rex, Prince Sephiroth would be the one the royal swordsmen were loyal to. Not now.
Nania was about to refuse when the military officer said, "Plus, there are people chasing us. It's safer to protect Sir."
Salin said from the side, "Yes, there's a flag regiment. There are forty heavy armored cavalrymen, all riding unicorns."
The military officer looked at Salin in surprise. Salin was wearing the Godfiend suit and looked like a swordsman. He didn't look like a Magician at all. His elemental eyes could see 50 kilometers away. This was a plain. Although the troops behind maintained a distance of five kilometers, they couldn't escape his eyes.
The military officer hesitated, and Nania said, "This is the city lord of Metatlin City."
The military officer immediately saluted and said, "The people behind us aren't here to deal with us. There are people from the Vatican hiding in the Azure Dragon Stone area ahead. They will ambush us. The people behind us are sent by Prince Sephiroth. He wants to use us as bait to eliminate the Vatican's forces here. "
"How do you know?" Salin asked with a frown.
"Sir, in North Town, Prince Sephiroth sent a message. If we don't protect you well, we'll all be sentenced to death," the military officer said unhurriedly. It seemed that Sephiroth's order didn't make him feel indignant.
"Using us as bait? His Royal Highness is good at scheming. However, the Vatican's forces appeared so close to Sacred Rock City. Isn't he afraid of taking responsibility? "
The military officer chuckled and didn't answer. The Vatican's forces hidden in Qin Yin were mostly under surveillance. This time, Sephiroth wanted to find the undiscovered forces and annihilate them in one fell swoop. Before Salin and the others arrived, the prince's residence already knew and spread the news that Rex's special envoy was here to discuss setting up two battle lines at the border.
There weren't many forces in the Azure Dragon Stone area, and they were all there to monitor Sacred Rock City. Because Sacred Rock City was heavily guarded, it was impossible to get within 50 kilometers of it. These spies of the Vatican could only observe the number of messengers coming and going, their frequency, and which nobles were the closest to them. These crude intelligence reports wouldn't yield much when they went back to analyze.
However, this time, if they could capture Rex's messenger, they would gain a lot. Even the people of the Tanggulas Empire knew about the conflict between Rex and Prince Sephiroth. Therefore, the message between the emperor and the emperor must have been carried by the messenger.
Sephiroth's bone wings created such a situation, so the Vatican couldn't help but be tempted.
The Royal Swordsman Camp did not know what kind of rumors Sephiroth had added to make the Church mobilize a large group of people. However, it was already impressive for the Church to gather a few hundred people at the Green Dragon Stone. The two hundred soldiers of the Royal Swordsman Camp did not take this ambush seriously.
"The people of the Church are really stupid." Salin let out a sigh, waved his hand and continued on his way, allowing the people from the Royal Swordsman Camp to follow him. Now, he had two hundred and fifty soldiers with him, and they were all powerful Warriors. If no Sword Saint appeared, these two hundred and fifty soldiers would be enough to protect their safety. Even if the enemy had a Great Magician, they wouldn't have to do it themselves.
The military officer urged his horse to follow. The military officer's warhorse was also very spirited and didn't seem to be afraid of Salin's skeleton warhorse.
"Sir, the Vatican isn't stupid. They just don't care about life and death. If we really fight later, please stay in the middle of our team and not in front."
Salin understood the good intentions and slowed down the speed of the skeleton warhorse, letting the royal swordsmen act as the vanguard. The two sides had officially started fighting, and the Vatican would become more and more crazy. It was possible that they would send even more senior priests into Qin Yin.
Before he became a Magic Shooter, he was already easy to be tricked by the enemy. His current flying speed with the Cloud Walk spell was only a hundred miles. Among the Holy Spells of the Vatican, there were a few that could fly extremely fast and could maintain an advantage over magic within a few dozen miles. Unless his speed exceeded two hundred miles, he still couldn't guarantee his safety.
The Azure Dragon Stone was actually a small town with only one water source and less than a hundred households. Sacred Rock City didn't allow shops to be opened here. Instead, they set up a station to receive nobles' envoys to Sacred Rock City for free. As for the private caravans, they could only build their own camps in the simple town.
This place was more than a hundred miles away from Sacred Rock City. There weren't any big nobles here, and hundreds of small nobles were scattered within a thousand miles. They couldn't pose any threat to Sacred Rock City. Sacred Rock City didn't station troops here either. It was a strange place that seemed a bit desolate.
The area around the Azure Dragon Stone was about thirty miles wide. The terrain was made of sand and stone. There were six hills, each three to five hundred meters tall, surrounding the Azure Dragon Stone. These six hills were shaped like six giant dragons. The Azure Dragon Stone in the middle was a circular plateau. The town seemed a bit lonely. There weren't any trees or animals nearby.
The cold wind of early winter blew past, bringing with it a whimper. The gate of the Azure Dragon Stone was wide open. There wasn't a single garrison soldier. The smell of blood permeated the air. On the low city tower, a few black golden-eyed crows stood, looking at the road to the south.
The Azure Dragon Stone was already a dead town. In the simple alleys, the blood stains had not been cleaned. Hundreds of soldiers in white robes were hiding in the windowless houses. On the other side, the layout was the same. The wide road in the middle of the Azure Dragon Stone was empty. In the center of the town, there was a tall statue. The statue's face was already blurred. Under the statue, there were three people, led by a priest in a red robe.
The priest was flustered and exasperated. With a gloomy voice, he said, "Who told you to kill everyone here? Aren't you forcing the people of Qin Yin to fight to the death with us? Do you know what kind of trouble this will cause for the Pope?! "
The two people who were scolded by the priest in a red robe weren't scared at all. These two people were wearing black robes, and there was the symbol of the Inquisition on them.
One of them had shallow scars on his face; it seemed like he was tortured. He was in his thirties, and his eyebrows were thin, and his eyes were purple. He didn't take what the priest in a red robe said to heart. Instead, he replied, "Sir, the people of Qin Yin deserve to die. The Holy Church has been established for thousands of years, but we can't spread our faith in Qin Yin. It isn't because of Emperor Qin Yin. It is because the people on this land are all heretics."
"That's what the old guys from the Inquisition taught you!" The priest in a red robe's voice was cold. With the help of the two deacons from the Inquisition, he was more confident in capturing Duke Rex's messenger. However, these two deacons were bloodthirsty. They even ordered to kill everyone in the Azure Dragon Stone Town. If the target appeared half a day later, this town would be surrounded by the army tomorrow morning.
"Old guys? Hehe, the Head Inquisition won't hold it against you. "The two black deacons laughed dryly. The priest in a red robe was furious. However, most of the people who were mobilized were from the Inquisition. Although he had a high status here, he couldn't control them completely.
The other black deacon whose face was pale said, "Mr. Bishop, there is no point in worrying. We can't control those fanatics. Why don't you finish the mission quickly and send us away? Then you can have peace. "
"Of course!" The priest in a red robe was a bishop, but he couldn't do anything to the crazy people from the Inquisition. The black deacons' positions were below him, but only the Head Inquisition had the authority to deal with them. Even the Pope had to hand these two deacons to the Head Inquisition.
"Then we won't waste time. Let's go set up the trap." The two black deacons bowed and left.
The priest in a red robe stood in front of the statue. The statue was covered in blood, and the hundreds of corpses behind it made him feel disgusted. God's will wasn't like this. Qin Yin people were just lost lambs. They should be loved and reformed, not killed.
Inside the Green Dragon Stone Town, the huge Divine Rune formation was finished. More than forty people in hemp clothes put away their pens and looked up at the sky. The sky was gloomy, but it wouldn't rain. This huge formation could last for twelve hours. Once it rained, it would be destroyed. It couldn't even last for an hour.
More than ten miles away, Salin's troops slowly approached. The one in front was the royal swordsman battalion's one hundred and twenty cavalrymen. The other eighty were at the back, and Salin and Ainphent's fifty soldiers were in the middle. These fifty soldiers didn't have much to say. The royal swordsman battalion's skills weren't any worse than theirs, and their equipment was much better. Of course, they had the right to be arrogant.
Moreover, they were Ainphent's bodyguards. Protecting Ainphent was their first priority. They couldn't fight with others for positions.
Ainphent's parents had seen big scenes, so they didn't think much of it. The royal swordsman battalion didn't send mages. If they really fought, they couldn't leave Salin and the others to face the enemy alone.
Entering the Green Dragon Stone Town would take at least ten minutes. If the Holy Church sent people to block the road outside, Prince Sephiroth's soldiers would be blocked for a while, which was enough time for the mages to cast a powerful magic spell.
Being the bait wasn't easy. They had fought with the Holy Church head-on, so they knew that only mages could restrain the mages.
Salin and Ainphent walked side by side. His Elemental Eyes had already seen the Green Dragon Stone Town wall clearly. The Green Dragon Stone Town wasn't a militarized town. The wall was only five meters high to defend against magic beasts and ordinary thieves. There was no one in the open gate. There were no traces of magic or magic on top of the Green Dragon Stone Town. The enemy was preparing to fight on the ground.
There was a square hole on the wall, and there was a faint light shining. It was the light reflected by equipment like an alchemy telescope. Although the crystal lens had been coated, it couldn't hide from Salin's Elemental Eyes.
"Ainphent, there are many people in the town. Prepare your magic and summon the skeleton soldiers first," Ainphent said gloomily.
"Magic can restrain necromancy. The skeleton soldiers are too low-level and can be easily purified. It'll be a waste to summon them. Also, dead skeleton soldiers can't be resurrected in the Death Plane. It'll take me a long time to summon them again."
"I know, but the people of the Vatican are not that stupid. They must have prepared some kind of magic trap to entertain us. This kind of magic trap is easily affected by other magic spells. If the enemy uses the light magic to purify your skeletons, it will delay the activation of the formation. At that time, Nania and I can prepare powerful magic to destroy their formation."
"What if they don't purify my skeleton?"
"Isn't that better? Let's meet force with force. I don't believe that there are any experts hiding here. Their highest level is about the same as us. "
Salin was very confident. But he didn't know that the one waiting in front of him was a Cardinal. A Cardinal's status was slightly lower than a Cardinal's, but he had a lot of power and strength. He could compete with a Level Seven mage. Unlike Mages, some Mages were not considered rich. After advancing to Magic Shooter, they became much poorer. However, the Cardinal was backed by the behemoth known as the Roman Curia, so there was no way that he did not have suitable powerful equipment.
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