Let's rewind time to half a day ago.
This was a luxurious guesthouse at the edge of Lancaster. It had five floors and was shaped like a 'V' when seen from above, with its openings facing south, an atrium in the middle and a luxuriant back garden at the back.
The luxurious guesthouse was usually left empty, and anyone who asked the residents nearby would know that the owner of the guesthouse was none other than Mayor Corinth of Lancaster.
In fact, the guesthouse was used by Corinth to entertain his guests. However, after the fall of Tierra, the nobles of the Valla Empire had deliberately kept their distance from Corinth, an 'old vassal of the former empire', and would basically never visit Lancaster. Moreover, allowing a lowly noble to simply stay here would lower Corinth's status as mayor.
That was why he would rather leave the guesthouse empty all year round, even if he had to fork out a considerable sum to maintain it whenever he wanted.
And now, with Lancaster and Tunaya working together to a certain extent and holding the Twin City Cup, the guesthouse finally welcomed its first guests in years.
"So, do you intend to accept the goodwill of the wyvern knights of the Temple of Glory?"
Jom and Terry had run to the guesthouse to find Angora, the person who had the highest authority amongst the Players, and relay Isaac's words.
"Why not?"
Angora wasn't sure what the Temple of Glory was doing at the moment, whether it was treading on thin ice or developing rapidly, but it didn't stop him from guessing what the commander was thinking.
It was clear that the North wasn't stable at the moment. After the new emperor fought the Grand Duchy of Rominos and both sides suffered heavy losses, he had been looking for a pushover to establish his authority, and the North was likely the pushover he chose.
Even if the Temple of Glory was one of the top churches on the continent and could stand toe to toe with the Brilliant White Church, the Valla Empire's royal family still recognized the Brilliant White Church as their national religion.
As the two churches fought over the limited resources, friction, conflict, and conflict were clearly intensifying by the day.
If the royal army really did move against the North, there was no telling if the Brilliant White Church would seize the opportunity to strike down the Temple of Glory's active forces so that they could expand in the North after the war. Relying on healing spells and holy water of various specifications to rapidly plunder wealth and spread their faith in war-ravaged lands was the Brilliant White Church's forte.
That was precisely why even though the Brilliant White Church had a good reputation among the people, relying on their clergy who healed ailments to create a persona of peace loving, benevolent, and friendly, the Brilliant White Church would always have a part in stirring up trouble in various countries, pushing for civil wars and revolutions against the opposition.
Many believed that the Brilliant White Church had a third secret organization aside from the Pure White Courtyard, the Obliteration Mechanism, and the Thirteen Basement Sanctuary, the Heretic Tribunal, which was used to do dirty work that couldn't be seen.
That was also why many who knew the inside story did not want to associate themselves with the Brilliant White Church and instead supported other churches, preventing the Brilliant White Church from monopolizing the faith of the entire continent and becoming a monster that devoured anyone it pleased, maintaining a delicate balance.
But as the gods began to wrestle and restrain each other, fearing that the Fourth Divine War would endanger the world and hence fell into a rare silence, the state of the continent began to change. That fragile balance seemed like it could be broken at any moment.
With that in mind, getting closer to the Temple of Glory was a fine choice. At the very least, before the Church of Games expanded, he would have a great banner to intimidate others.
While the Temple of Justice appeared to have allied with the Church of Games, the believers of the God of Justice were elusive. Aside from a few wandering temples, there were no fixed sacrificial grounds, and there was no way to intimidate others with them …
"You two should reply to him. If the commander of the wyvern knights wants a clear explanation, have him come to me directly," Angora said to the two Players in front of him. "I'll use my authority to request a quest reward for you two later. Thank you for your hard work," Angora said to the two players before him.
"Thank you very much, my liege."
Jom thanked him courteously, neither servile nor overbearing, and left with Terry and the dog who appeared to be spacing out.
It was only when they reached the stairs that Jom poked Terry with his elbow. "What were you thinking when I was talking to the liege just now? You're acting like a fool and not saying a word. Isn't that a little too rude? "
"No, I think I saw someone with a red name on my way here …" Terry replied, scratching his head.
"Red name? Probably a believer of a church hostile to our Church of Games. It's rare, but it's said that a lot of outsiders have come to Lancaster over the last two days, so it's normal for them to exist. " Jom glared at him. "Moreover, do you have to stay there for half an hour for someone with a red name?"
"Isn't this the habit of killing or being killed by a red name the moment I see it?" Terry scratched his head and smiled foolishly. "It's a little hard to get over seeing someone with a red name and not being able to fight."
"Fine, save your strength for the next match."
Jom sighed, staring helplessly at his friend who was fuming foolishly.
"That's great, that's great …"
At that moment, a voice that sounded like a vengeful spirit appeared behind them, startling Jim.
He turned to find that it was Princess Leah.
At the moment, the girl who was usually bright and beautiful was curled up on a sofa, looking as withered and dejected as a withering rose.
Like Angora, Leah was staying in the same guesthouse, although the two of them and their subordinates were staying on Grizzly's legs, with Angora staying in the east wing while Leah stayed in the west wing.
"Your Highness … is something wrong?" Jom asked carefully.
"Her Highness is banned." It was Princess Leah's attendant who answered him with a helpless look. "And it's a divine decree from His Grace."
After all, Leah was the princess of Tierra. While not many people knew her face, there was no guarantee that some noble who came from afar might have seen her.
If the churches and nations could tolerate the rise and rise of the Church of Games, they wouldn't hesitate to destroy the Church of Games with a thunderous force when a descendant of the Tierra royal family showed up, completely wiping out Leah who was the only child left.
Whether it was to protect Leah or the church, it was clear that Leah could not show her face in public until the Church of Games was strong enough to fight on multiple fronts.
In response, Jom and Terry could only look at each other, unsure what to say.
It seems that not everything goes according to one's wishes even though she is a great princess.
That was when their bracelets started to vibrate, and new text slowly appeared on the tokens embedded in them.
And with that, the second round of the tournament was finally revealed.
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Chapter 292:
On the eve of the second round
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