Boom! Boom!
In an underground shelter in Backlund, Audrey, who was dressed in hunting attire, listened to the distant explosions.
When she turned around, she happened to see Melissa looking at her in confusion.
The young girl, who had just reached adulthood, asked in a dreamy tone, "Miss Audrey, will the war end if we're completely defeated? Will we no longer have to worry about bombardments, raids, and having insufficient food?"
Audrey looked at her deeply and said, "But if that happens, you will have to change your faith."
Melissa hesitated, not knowing how to respond. At this moment, a commoner curled up against the wall blurted out, "I believe in the God of Steam and Machinery! Even if Feysac and Intis win, I don't need to change my faith!"
When that happens, life would return to its original warm and peaceful state!
These words stirred the commoners who were hiding in the shelter. They whispered to each other and discussed possible developments. There were no lack of Evernight believers.
To most people, faith wasn't that important compared to life. After all, a true deity would eventually still protect them.
The police officers who maintained the order of the shelter didn't stop the commotion from spreading. They watched on coldly, some even having a hint of anticipation.
However, the defeated will definitely suffer something far crueler than you can imagine. It's not something that can be summarized with just a change of faith... Be it a lesson from history or her conclusion deduced from the human psyche, all of them made Audrey more pessimistic than everyone present.
She looked around and could not help but sigh inwardly.
"The Goddess's anchor is already greatly shaken... If not for the grain support from before, it might have completely collapsed..."
As for what this situation meant, Audrey knew very well in her heart. She closed her eyes, tilted her head slightly, and muttered to herself silently, "The battle of gods is about to begin..."
The final outcome was about to appear.
After nodding at Melissa, Audrey turned and left the area, arriving at the entrance of the shelter.
The golden retriever, Susie, was seated there, looking like a qualified guard.
"You... don't seem like you plan to return?" Susie's nose twitched as she asked with a suppressed voice.
Audrey had hidden herself in this shelter from the beginning of the siege that began today; therefore, she hadn't had the time to return to her own residence in Empress Borough. As the battle had decreased in intensity slightly, Earl Hall had already sent two people to urge her to return, so that she could head for a sanctuary for nobles.
Audrey shook her head and said with a faint smile, "I have to do what I need to do."
Without waiting for Susie's reply, she smiled and said, "Stay here on my behalf and secretly placate them. Don't let any commotions happen here. If they want to pat you, let them do so."
Susie hesitated for two seconds before saying, "Alright."
Audrey didn't say anything else. She left the shelter, completely ignored by the troop of soldiers guarding the shelter.
The sky outside was dark, and there were many buildings that had collapsed. They burned with flames that were about to be extinguished. The streets were empty, with no carriages or pedestrians.
This was completely different from what Audrey remembered of Backlund.
Backlund was originally blue, yellow, and beige. It was lively, bustling, and full of vitality. But now, it was gray, black, and scarlet. It was in shambles, disorder, and somewhat silent.
Looking left and right, Audrey identified her bearings while in her hunting attire, and walked towards the city borders.
What she wanted to do was simple:
Join the war and do her best to help Loen not collapse before the end of the battle of gods.
If the winner of the battle of gods was the opposing side, she would use various methods, such as "Cue," "Hypnosis," "Mental Plague," and other means, to prevent the soldiers, officers, and Beyonders from venting their emotions, as well as reduce the damage brought by the war.
Amidst the flickering flames, Audrey quickly passed through them and ran into the distance.
...
Rorsted Archipelago, City of Generosity, Bayam. In a room at the top of the Cathedral of Waves.
Dressed in a black cloak, Danitz met the legendary cardinal of the Church of Storms, the high-ranking deacon of the Mandated Punishers, Sea King Jahn Kottman.
Glancing at the muscles that filled up his priest robes, Danitz swallowed the words he was about to say, and he deliberated for a moment before saying, "I come with good intentions."
For some reason, he felt that his skin was numb, as though invisible lightning was dancing on them.
"Good intentions?" The tall, muscular, well-defined Jahn Kottman grunted.
Heh, I had already considered the fact that fellows from the Sailor pathway are more irritable, making them incapable of telling the difference between a joke and sarcasm. Once their anger erupts, they don't even consider the overall situation. Otherwise, I wouldn't even need to speak like this... Dogsh*t! Danitz mumbled to himself, maintaining his smile as he explained the Resistance's intentions.
Jahn Kottman stared at the pirate whose affiliation with the Golden Dream remained unknown and suddenly sneered.
"If we withdraw most of our strength, can you defend Bayam and the archipelago?
"If you can't defend it, how are you going to guarantee that the interests of the Loen migrants will be maintained when the Feysac and Feynapotter combined navy forces breach the defense lines?"
As a demigod, he was extremely certain that Sea God Kalvetua had already perished. However, he didn't know who it was that was using the name of "Sea God," or if that entity had the ability to protect the Rorsted Archipelago.
That's a good question... Only with questions can there be room for a successful negotiation... In fact, Danitz had never thought of how the Resistance would defend against the Feysac and Feynapotter after Loen's powerhouses were transferred back to Backlund. He fully believed that Gehrman Sparrow and Mr. Fool behind him had the ability to protect this place.
As his thoughts raced, Danitz looked at the extremely oppressive Sea King and said, "I will pray to my Lord and ask ‘Him' to protect the Rorsted Archipelago."
"Oh?" Sea King Jahn Kottman narrowed his eyes and took a step forward.
The aura from the Tyrant pathway made Danitz involuntarily take two steps back. He lowered his head and prayed on the spot.
"Blessed of the sea and spirit world, guardian of the Rorsted Archipelago, ruler of the undersea creatures, master of tsunamis and storms, the great Kalvetua, please send down your powers to protect the Rorsted Archipelago..."
After the prayer, Danitz carefully cast his gaze out the window, but he didn't discover anything unusual.
Jahn Kottman sized him up for a few seconds before saying, "Your god doesn't seem to be responding..."
"Ahem." Danitz cleared his throat and felt his heart beating like a drum.
At that moment, the sky outside suddenly darkened. It was as if a large number of dark clouds were flying over, blotting out the sun.
Sea King Jahn Kottman instinctively turned his head and looked out the window. He saw a shadow cast over the border between the sea and the sky.
With his control of the archipelago's waters, scenes of the overall situation rapidly surfaced in the Cardinals cardinal's mind.
The Rorsted Archipelago, along with the surrounding seas, was shrouded by thick fog. It became indistinct and surreal.
A seabird flew past and attempted to land on the dock, but it failed to pass through it, unable to set foot.
The commoners in the archipelago continued living normally, aside from noticing the brewing storm.
This... Jahn Kottman's dark blue pupils dilated significantly. He subconsciously turned his head to look at the Sea God's Blessed, Blazing Danitz.
Danitz's mouth gaped slightly as he forgot to close it. His shock was not lesser than the shock Sea King experienced.
A few seconds later, the fog dissipated and the shadows faded away. Everything in the Rorsted Archipelago returned to normal.
"..." Danitz blinked. When Sea King Jahn Kottman looked over again, Danitz chuckled and said, "My Lord has responded to my prayers."
As he spoke, the pirate with a bounty of more than ten thousand pounds slapped himself inwardly.
Dogsh*t! You actually dare to suspect Mr. Fool! Isn't this the might of Mr. Fool?
Jahn Kottman remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "I will consider your proposal carefully. I will immediately convene a meeting with the key figures in Bayam to discuss this matter. I will give you an answer in an hour."
Danitz lifted his chin slightly and laughed.
"I will wait patiently."
With that said, he followed his instincts as a Hunter, and he indifferently bowed before leaving the room.
Amidst the creaking sound, silver bolts of lightning lit up in the blue eyes of Jahn Kottman.
...
In the ancient palace above the fog.
Klein threw the "curtain" back into the "metal pot" and sealed it again.
He had used the power of a Sequence 1 Attendant of Mysteries and stirred the power of Sefirah Castle to respond, creating a shocking effect for Jahn Kottman.
In another half a day, the Attendant of Mysteries Beyonder characteristic will be separated, and the rest can be used to concoct the Miracle Invoker potion. Yes, when it's only at the Sequence 2 level, I can attempt to use the power Sefirah Castle to shatter it and let the Beyonder characteristics such as the Scholar of Yore and Bizarro Sorcerer to seep out in a shorter amount of time. That will lower the risk brought by the potion... Klein mumbled before rapidly returning to the real world.
He wasn't situated in the dark moors anymore, but the frozen dusk of the Giant King's Court.
He had entered the Giant King's Court before the City of Silver's expedition team arrived at the Afternoon Town encampment.
Under the orange light, Klein felt the degeneration and exhaustion of his body. He cast his gaze at the magnificent and beautiful buildings situated high above.
The countless palaces and towers still had the remnant glory of the Second Epoch, as though they were a manifestation of myths.
No, it was a myth.
Before the City of Silver's exploration team officially took action, Klein planned on attempting to open the palace where Dark Angel Sasrir was sleeping.
This way, if there were any accidents, the City of Silver's expedition team would still have time to make targeted preparations. As for Klein himself, it would definitely be much safer for him compared to the others since he was using a historical projection.
