Chapter 59: Chapter 59
Additionally, Ron thought of something else, something Aunt Mary had just mentioned: He Luo had carried the swaddled infant “Ron” across the wilderness to the Sis Territory, then settled down.
So, was He Luo really just an ordinary Knight?
If He Luo was actually a Grand Knight, then the implications of this were enormous!
A Grand Knight who had hidden his identity dying inexplicably in the Sis Territory, a small place with only one Senior Knight. What this meant, Ron didn’t even dare to think too deeply about.
Regardless, he now had only one goal: to become a Formal Knight as soon as possible.
Everything else was illusory. Only the power he truly grasped in his own hands was real and tangible.
…
Meanwhile, on the other side, in the south of the Sis Territory, outside some ruins covered in thorns and jungle.
Several mysterious figures dressed in white robes were sitting around a campfire. Every so often, one or two massive, grotesque creatures would push through the dried thorny undergrowth and pass by them.
They then trampled across the snow and charged northward. From the distance, the occasional roars and the continuous blasts of bone whistles did not interfere with the hushed conversation of these mysterious figures.
But suddenly, a middle-aged man whose robe was embroidered with intricate golden patterns gave the campfire before him a vicious poke, and said with considerable resentment:
“I told you all before we came that we’re here on a divine oracle mission. There’s no need, and it’s strictly forbidden, to provoke the local Lord. Look at what you’ve done!”
“Bishop Ioneel, isn’t the current situation perfectly clear? To the east lies the Land of Divine Punishment. This place is already considered the eastern extremity of the nations. The Morning Star indicated by the divine oracle must be here!”
Hearing this, Ioneel was instantly infuriated. But with the subsequent mission requiring these subordinates, he could only forcefully suppress his anger and reprimand:
“Nasar, you don’t even know what the Morning Star is, yet you dare to conclude that it’s here? If you delay the mission, beware of divine punishment descending upon you!”
“Then tell me, what is the Morning Star? You don’t know either! I disagreed with accepting this baffling mission right from the start. If it weren’t for this mission, we’d still be enjoying life in the Oz Empire right now!” Nasar said dismissively.
“You!”
Ioneel was immediately rendered speechless. He truly didn’t know what the Morning Star was, but he knew it was something the God of Redemption absolutely had to obtain.
And an object that the revered God absolutely had to obtain was, in his mind, definitely related to the redemption of the world. That was why he had accepted the mission without hesitation when all the other bishops were hesitating.
Then they had detoured through multiple nations to arrive at the eastern border of the Kingdom of Helios. Their total journey exceeded tens of thousands of *li*, during which they endured numerous hardships. If the Salvation Cult hadn’t still maintained some foundations in various nations, they might not have even been able to make it here.
Yet even so, their numbers had been reduced from nearly a hundred at the time of departure to fewer than ten now.
“This world is too filthy. It must be redeemed as soon as possible. Finding the Morning Star is tied to our Lord’s grand plan. For you to be so negligent, are you truly unafraid of divine punishment?”
Saying this, a faint golden light welled up in Ioneel’s eyes. Nasar, who had just dared to talk back, saw this and his expression drastically changed, immediately becoming extremely humble:
“Lord Bishop, I know I was wrong. Please don’t lower yourself to the level of a brute like me. From now on, I’ll do whatever you say.”
He had no choice but to yield. Within the Salvation Cult, there were two sequences: priests and Knights. Purely in terms of individual combat prowess, Knights wouldn’t necessarily be at a disadvantage. But priests possessed an ability that the vast majority of Knights lacked: the ability to commune with God.
This communion naturally also included delivering punishment on behalf of God, commonly known as divine punishment.
Although Nasar wasn’t certain whether Ioneel could bring down divine punishment upon him, Ioneel had a past record of experiencing divine punishment, which was also his greatest qualification for becoming a bishop. Nasar didn’t dare to gamble on it.
Seeing Nasar yield, Ioneel didn’t pursue the matter further, but instead asked about the current situation:
“What’s the situation in the north right now?”
“The local Lord has already organized the Knights to resist, and they seem to be quite experienced in dealing with Aberrant Beasts. I can’t take them down for the time being.”
Hearing this, the anger Ioneel had just suppressed flared up once more, the golden light in his eyes flickering intermittently. But ultimately, he held it back, simply glaring at Nasar through gritted teeth:
“Surrender the Mind Scepter!”
“That is my ancestor’s relic!” Nasar subconsciously gripped his waist.
“Surrender the Mind Scepter! I don’t want to say it a third time!”
Ioneel had already risen from the ground. The golden light radiating from his eyes seemed to almost pierce through the dark night. Seeing this, Nasar also immediately stood up, tearing the robe off his body to reveal the fitted armor underneath.
At this point, the others who had been sitting by the campfire watching the spectacle hadn’t expected the conflict between Ioneel and Nasar to suddenly escalate to such a degree, so they also rose one after another and positioned themselves between the two men.
But one person firmly stood by Ioneel’s side. He likewise stripped off his robe to reveal the armor beneath, and even rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.
It seemed that as long as Ioneel gave the word, he was ready to fight their companions, with whom they had been chatting and laughing just moments ago.
“Nasar, you are indeed in the wrong this time. Temporarily hand the Mind Scepter over to the Bishop for safekeeping. I guarantee he’ll return it to you after the mission is over.”
One of the Knights, who seemingly held considerable prestige normally, after persuading Nasar, immediately turned an inquiring gaze toward Ioneel.
“Yes, I am merely keeping it safe for the duration of the mission, lest he cause more trouble next time!”
Ioneel fell silent for a few seconds, ultimately agreeing to the condition. But he also added a stipulation: “I hope he won’t act on his own initiative anymore. Athanasi, you keep an eye on him!”
“Understood, I’ll keep an eye on him!” Athanasi readily agreed.
He then extended a hand toward Nasar. Nasar hesitated for a moment, but ultimately unfastened a metallic short scepter about a foot long from his waist. The metallic shaft was largely intact, but the white gemstone embedded at its tip was in a fractured state.
Nasar carefully handed the scepter to Athanasi, and then, as Athanasi passed the scepter to Ioneel, couldn’t help but quietly remind him:
“It can control six Aberrant Beasts at most. Any more might cause the scepter to overload and shatter. This is the only relic left by my ancestors.”
Ioneel didn’t respond. He took the scepter, gave it a brief inspection, then signaled everyone to sit down. He himself sat near the campfire, produced the scepter, and began controlling the Aberrant Beasts.
Although provoking the local Lord hadn’t been part of the plan, since they had already provoked him, Ioneel wouldn’t go out of his way to avoid him.
Moreover, deep down, he actually somewhat agreed with what Nasar had just said about the Morning Star being nearby.