Chapter 107: The Storm Approaches

Chapter 107: The Storm Approaches

A cult! Livia had actually joined a cult!

Lyman was terrified. He didn't agree right away. He lived in constant dread that the Church would find out he was connected to a cult. His grades plummeted, and his mentor was deeply disappointed in him.

In the end, he was forced to leave the university. The relative who'd taken him in passed away, and what little inheritance was left wasn't enough to keep him in school. Just when he'd hit rock bottom, Livia came to him again, pressuring him to join the Black Sun Cult. This time, Lyman agreed.

Livia grabbed Lyman's hand tight. "I'm handing this branch over to you now, brother. When that 'fated day' arrives, you'll perform the summoning ritual as I've instructed. You can handle something this simple, right?"

Lyman shuddered, then nodded hard. "O-of course! Summoning that great being from another world, right? Once It descends, the Black Sun Cult's long-held dream will finally come true..."

But deep down, he didn't buy any of it. He figured Livia had lost her mind. He didn't want to be mixed up with cultists, so the night before the ritual, he secretly wrote an anonymous letter and mailed it to a nearby church. He figured that by ratting out the Black Sun Cult branch, he could get those cultists off his back. Maybe he could even save Livia's soul...

But what showed up on the day of the ritual was a whole order of knights. They butchered every cultist there, and Lyman himself was...

That's where the scroll ended.

Lyman opened his eyes.

"Incredible," he muttered. "So the reason the knights found the Black Sun Cult branch back then was that Lyman Vichard had ratted himself out."

What shocked him even more was that Livia was the head of the Black Sun Cult! He'd figured she was just some low-ranking member, never imagining she was that high up!

What the hell happened to Livia in the twenty years the siblings were apart? Why was she so zealously devoted to the Black Sun Cult? In "Lyman Vichard's" memories, Livia rarely talked about herself...

If he could get his hands on Livia's blood someday, maybe he'd understand?

*

Crow's Rest Crossing.

Thump, thump, thump. Something was knocking at Anna Blanco's window.

The seamstress crawled out of bed, stumbled to the window, and found a seagull pecking at her windowsill. She was about to shoo the rascal away when she spotted a little cylinder tied to its leg.

Anna had only ever seen those things strapped to carrier pigeons' legs before. Since when could seagulls deliver messages?

"Is that for me?" she asked, pointing at herself.

The seagull seemed to understand her, spreading its wings and bobbing its head with a caw.

Anna pushed the window open, carefully took off the cylinder, and shook out a rolled-up note. The seagull, totally at home, flew right in and started rummaging around the kitchen for food.

"Dear Mrs. Anna Blanco,

I'm a friend of your husband's who visited you a while back. As promised, I've found your son.

He's currently serving in a famous fleet. He's been too busy with work to look after his family. Don't worry—he's healthy, happy, and has found his life's purpose.

Don't worry about him. Children are like ships—they have to leave port and sail the seas. But a ship can't drift forever—just wait patiently for the day it sails back into harbor. In the meantime, eat well, sleep well, and take care of yourself. Every harbor has a bright lighthouse. If the lighthouse's own light goes dim, how can it guide ships home?

A Friend"

Anna clapped a hand over her mouth as tears streamed down her face. She kept whispering, "He's okay, he's alive," then wiped her tears with her sleeve.

Looking at the mess all over the floor, she muttered to herself, "This place is a wreck. I need to clean up. Yes, yes—clean it all up!"

She hurried upstairs, combed her hair, and changed into clean, decent clothes, just like she used to when she was a seamstress. Then she came back downstairs, threw open all the windows, and let the sunlight flood in.

*

After a few more days at sea, Lyman called the Divine Council together again. He filled the apostles in on what happened after the Ninoville Island incident and asked how their missions were going.

"Everyone, I'm thrilled to announce that my Supernatural Ability has leveled up! All thanks to the blessing of our great Patron!"

Dorian happily showed off his "Triumph" ability to the group. Everyone nodded awkwardly, forcing smiles and congratulating him.

Tove said, "We're currently researching how to reverse that forbidden spell of Relf Stone Spear's, and we've made some progress. Additionally, the Golden City is steadily under construction. Pachak said he's going to the plains to find other tribes willing to join the Golden City. We desperately need more hands!"

"The great forest is withering," Sylvira said with a somber expression. "Even with the Sacred Seed, the polluted land can no longer nurture new life. We need to find a new home. I think once things settle down, I'll head to the southern continent to take a look."

Dorian said proudly, "My new script is complete and we're already rehearsing. It's called 'Chainbreaker.' It's based on the gladiator of the empire a thousand years ago, blended with many of my own experiences. It tells the story of a slave gladiator who rises to become a star of the arena, then leads other slaves to shatter their chains and fight for freedom."

The moment he finished, everyone's gaze turned to Sylen. They could all tell the story must have been inspired by his experiences.

"By the way, Sylen, how's your transport station doing now?" Tove asked. "Is there anything we can help with?"

The merman youth had been silent throughout the entire Divine Council. At Tove's question, Sylen flinched, looked up, and opened his mouth.

"Actually, I..." His gaze swept across his companions one by one, finally settling on Xiaoqi. "I've come to say goodbye to everyone this time."

"Goodbye?!" Everyone was startled in unison.

"I'm about to do something extremely important, so... I won't be able to attend the Divine Council anymore." He lowered his head guiltily. "I might not be able to respond to your calls either. I'm truly sorry!"

Tove asked, "Is it about the transport station? Are you about to do something big?"

Sylen hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Lyman was very curious about what grand mission Sylen was undertaking. Even as a god, he couldn't know every detail of Sylen's daily actions. If Sylen needed some free time and space, Lyman was more than willing to let him do as he pleased.

"Is this to fulfill the mission bestowed upon you by the Lord of the Abyss?" Lyman asked in Xiaoqi's voice.

This time, Sylen nodded firmly without hesitation.

"Then that's good. As long as you're still walking the path of your mission, do what you think is right."

Sylen pressed a hand to his chest. "Thank you, Xiaoqi! And thank you to the Lord of the Abyss!"

The others offered Sylen their blessings, saying that if he needed anything, they could provide material support. Sylen could also summon them to his side, as long as he could endure the pain of opening a dimensional gate.

And so the Divine Council came to an end. Lyman lay in his hammock, pulling out Sylen's Apostle Card, which he used as a bookmark.

"Huh?" Lyman let out a startled exclamation.

The merman youth on the card had turned gray. The card was ice-cold. No matter how hard Lyman concentrated, he could no longer sense Sylen's location, nor could he descend beside him anymore.

"Sylen..." Lyman rubbed the card. "What exactly is he going to do?"

Will he ever come back?

*

At the same time, in Aether's cabin.

"...That is everything that happened on Ninoville Island." He sat at his desk, reporting to the Chief Inquisitor in the Farsight Mirror.

The Chief's brow furrowed deeply in the mirror. "To think so much heresy and evil was hidden on Ninoville Island! This is an oversight by our Tribunal!"

Aether said shamefully, "I never met Governor Bivar, so I don't know his situation. But Father Kaimon... he was clearly corrupted by darkness."

The Chief sighed deeply. "Evil these days disguises itself as angels, saints, or even as God Himself, to tempt the Holy Order. Those with weak convictions fall into the abyss. The Tribunal is already investigating this matter."

"Additionally, regarding the suspected members of a mysterious organization that appeared on Ninoville Island, as well as the Storm Fleet..."

Chief Inquisitor mused thoughtfully, "According to Nashel's report, a dwarf woman who can control fire has also appeared in the colonies. She and the dwarf from Nivol Island are most likely the same person!"

"The mysterious organization has actually figured out how to move people across space?!" Aether blurted out in shock.

"Very likely. What's more, they've also allied with the Storm Fleet. The Storm Fleet has always been known for staying neutral, yet this time they've gotten involved in the events on Nivol Island..."

Aether pressed, "Since the mysterious organization has been fighting against the Black Sun Cult, did the Black Sun Cult also have a hand in the Nivol Island incident?"

The Chief shook his head. "Hard to say. But the alliance between the Storm Fleet and the mysterious organization is about the worst news we could get for our Holy Nation. We can only pray those sea monsters won't interfere with our upcoming plans."

Aether asked, "Upcoming plans? To investigate the Black Sun Cult?"

"No, Aether. War is coming!"

Aether's mind went blank for a moment. "War?"

"You've been at sea, so you probably haven't heard. The Cardinal sent by the Holy See to Mortalia—Cardinal Alessandro—was murdered by a Mortalian in Starfall City. Mortalia has become a hotbed of heresy, and we must seek justice for our fallen Cardinal!"

Aether's heart pounded. The Holy Nation hadn't waged war in a long time—the last time was twenty years ago. After such a long period of peace, was the northern continent about to be plunged back into war?

"But if the Cardinal was murdered, shouldn't the Inquisition be investigating his death? How can we so easily start a war..."

The Chief looked at the young golden-haired Inquisitor. "There are many reasons for war, and they can never be explained in a few words. Take moonlight salt, for example."

"Moonlight salt?"

"One of the Holy Nation's most important sources of revenue turned into stone overnight. Merchants across the land are complaining. That huge gap needs something to fill it. And then there are the young knights, eager to win glory in battle, but the Holy Nation has no more fiefs or wealth to grant them."

"But..."

The Chief Inquisitor cut Aether off. "You will also be heading to the front lines, Aether. Not just you—all Senior Inquisitors have been summoned. Nashel will head up north directly from the colonies. Once you reach the Holy City, you will immediately join the 'Polar Day Legion' and meet up with him. You will fight alongside the Dawnlight Knights, stamping out heresy for the God of Dawn and winning glory."

Aether's lips moved. He wanted to say many things, but in the end, he swallowed those words and simply bowed his head in obedience.

"As you command, Chief Inquisitor."

The Farsight Mirror transmission ended. Aether set the mirror down, rose, and walked to the porthole, gazing out at the deep blue sea.

Though the waters were calm at the moment, he couldn't shake the feeling that a storm was brewing on the horizon.