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Before the Governor could continue his impassioned speech, Admiral Amyrius, seated opposite him, scoffed and interrupted with a sneer.
"Heh, those vermin were all slain by His Excellency Sea King. What does that have to do with you, Governor?"
"The Rorsted Archipelago has been infiltrated by the Rose School of Thought to such an extent, yet you have the gall to speak of a great victory."
Within his cerulean eyes lay an undeniable and unchallengeable authority, a majesty unique to an Imperative Mage.
Originally, under his push, the position of Governor of the Rorsted Archipelago should have been held by his younger brother, Aston Rieveldt, but on one hand, the King considered balance, and on the other, the Negen family's machinations ultimately prevented his wish from being fulfilled.
Even though Aston Rieveldt later received the position of Governor of Oravi Island as compensation, Admiral Amyrius still disliked this Governor who had snatched the position, and he didn't mind putting him in his place.
George Negen, the Governor of the Rorsted Archipelago, immediately looked incredibly chagrined; intimidated by the other's status and unable to act out, he merely snorted in displeasure and then fell silent.
Admiral Amyrius's lips curled upwards, and he turned to the silent Archbishop Jahn Kottman, who was seated at the head of the table. His tone lost its previous arrogance and sarcasm as he carefully began:
"Your Excellency Archbishop, it is regrettable that this has happened, but I can represent the Central Sonia Sea Navy and promise to fully combat the Rose School of Thought's maritime forces, to teach them a lasting lesson."
Jahn Kottman's primary duty was as a senior Deacon of the Punishers, but because the archipelago was isolated overseas, he concurrently held the position of Cardinal for unified authority, and his style of action was closer to that of a Punishers, decisive and resolute.
As he spoke, he seemed to recall something, and the smile on his face became more pronounced. He glanced at the stern-faced George Negen opposite him, his dignified demeanor subtly concealing Pride, which was fully revealed.
"That Admiral of Blood, who was supported by the Rose School of Thought, seems to have been killed by that Lord Aaron from Backlund. Hmm, I think this is a very good opportunity for publicity, and it can also suppress the arrogant momentum of the Rose School of Thought."
As a faction of the military, he didn't mind doing a favor, and he could also annoy the Negen family, who were at odds with the East Tucker family in Backlund.
George Negen seemed to want to say something, but feeling somewhat derelict in his duty, he ultimately closed his mouth.
Completely disregarding their verbal sparring, Sea King Jahn Kottman withdrew his gaze from the south of Bayam City and slowly nodded.
-----------------
20 Narcissus Street, St. George's District, Southern Balam City.
An old-fashioned carriage slowly stopped, and the pale-faced Count Mistral dismounted alone, knocking on the door.
Hearing the movement, Louise quickly opened the door, and upon seeing the visitor, her tense face finally relaxed.
As early as after the storm ended last night, Louise learned from her prayers that the operation had been successful, but Count Mistral had not returned, which kept her from truly resting assured.
After Count Mistral sat on the sofa, Louise looked at his pale face and asked worriedly:
"Grandfather, last night's operation…?"
Count Mistral slightly raised his hand to stop her words, and a phantom blood moon emerged from behind him.
The room was enveloped in a bloody moonlight, and after isolating the inside from the outside, he slowly began:
"Last night's operation was successful. The powerful individual you invited has helped us obtain the Sealed Artifact corresponding to the High Summoner."
Count Mistral recalled the light arrow that made his body tremble, as if it could purify all things, and his face was slightly unnatural, but he continued:
"He even killed two Beyonder powerhouses of the Rose School of Thought, including a Saint."
Louise's blood-red eyes widened as she listened. A Saint was an honorific title for a Sequence 3 powerhouse, and within the Sanguine, that corresponded to a Marquis.
If a Blessed was already this powerful, then… Louise didn't dare to continue thinking.
Looking at Louise's strange expression, Count Mistral put away his expression and sighed, adding:
"Even though the plan was successfully completed, we still caused some trouble."
"Besides making some compensation, that Sea King also demanded that we go to the Southern Continent to jointly encircle and suppress the Rose School of Thought, as the price for this incident."
"Marquis Nibbs has already personally taken that Sealed Artifact back to the Sanguine headquarters, to Duke Full Moon. After that, he will return and go with us to the Southern Continent."
"Your hunting competition to become a Viscount, competing with other Barons, will also officially begin in the Southern Continent. During this time, try to minimize going out and familiarize yourself with your Beyonder abilities."
Upon hearing this, Louise immediately broke free from her own little world and nodded in a hurry.
-----------------
Three days after the battle outside Bayam City ended, under the guidance of Bishop Jogori, Aaron arrived by carriage at Bayam's largest Storm Cathedral—the "Cathedral of Waves."
It has a classical style, extensively using stone columns and arches, and features a towering grand dome and two bell towers.
Standing at the cathedral entrance, Aaron didn't rush in. Instead, he scrutinized the dim and mysterious atmosphere inside, as well as the warm candlelight illuminating human activity areas, through the narrow windows high above.
He then followed Bishop Jogori through the ancient and majestic dome, which was carved with wave reliefs, passed through the prayer hall, and arrived at the main hall in the back.
In the center of the magnificent hall stood a tall, burly middle-aged man with sharp, deep facial features and distinct muscle definition that filled out his loose Storm priest's robe.
This was precisely the Cardinal of the Church of the Lord of Storms, the Archbishop of the Rorsted Sea, a senior Deacon of the Punishers, and Sea King Jahn Kottman.
He had deep blue eyes, and his hair, of the same color, was twice as thick as a normal person's, like small worms, like tentacles, and a terrifying aura emanated from him.
Seated to his side and slightly below was a middle-aged gentleman in a military uniform, with black hair and blue eyes, exuding an undeniable and unchallengeable authority.
Aaron was very familiar with that sense of authority; he often felt it from Joseph Weil when he was in Backlund, an aura originating from an Imperative Mage.
Even without having seen a photo, combining the other party's strength and characteristics, Aaron had already guessed that this gentleman should be the Weaver of Spells, Amyrius Rieveldt.
He felt some doubt in his heart as to why this person would appear here, but his actions did not stop as he bowed to the two powerful individuals:
"Good evening, Your Excellency Archbishop, Admiral."
Jahn Kottman subtly nodded, retracting the oppressive aura that filled the hall, acknowledging Aaron's strength in single-handedly killing the Admiral of Blood. Then, he spoke indifferently:
"I heard from Jogori that you will be leaving Bayam tonight?"
Aaron nodded, explaining:
"It is already mid-February, and His Majesty the King's stipulated appointment date is running out. I must reach the Southern Continent before the end of February, which is why I seem to be in a hurry."
Admiral Amyrius, who was beside him, spoke with some regret:
"Is that so? I had hoped to invite you to visit Oravi Island."
Visit Oravi Island? Don't end up being forced to have children by the Mother Tree of Desire…
Aaron's expression stiffened for a second, then he lightly coughed to cover it up:
"Thank you for your generous invitation, General, but I truly am pressed for time now. When I return to Backlund at the end of the year for my report, I will definitely visit in person."
Jahn Kottman waited until the two had finished their conversation before continuing:
"The news of your killing of the Admiral of Blood has spread throughout the Five Seas. Even though the Rose School of Thought has suffered a heavy blow, they are still rampant in the Southern Continent."
"They will not give up on retaliating against you. You might not know, but some Sanguine powerhouses will also go to the Southern Continent to encircle the Rose School of Thought. This is a token I made; you can use it to gain their help once, free of charge."
As he spoke, he threw over a token. Aaron raised his hand to catch it, and upon contact, there was a tingling sensation like an electric current.
The front of the token depicted a giant stepping on lightning and waves, while the back was carved with "Jahn Kottman" in starlight…
-----------------
On the edge of the Fog Sea, southwest of the Oladek Archipelago, the "Golden Dream" was traversing thin mist and the azure ocean.
"Iceberg Vice Admiral" Edwina Edwards sat behind the desk in the captain's cabin, with sunlight filtering through the mist onto her.
Her light blue eyes, like clear spring water, scrutinized Ferran, who stood opposite the desk, until the cuckoo clock on the wall chimed, and she withdrew her gaze.
Ferran took the opportunity to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, and saw his captain take out a book bound in parchment from the desk compartment. The dark brown cover had a line of ancient Feysac:
"Groselle's Travels"
Ferran's eyes immediately lit up. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Edwina's cool voice:
"This book, and the key we acquired, can both be sold to that powerful individual you know. I can even sell them to him very cheaply."
Before Ferran could rejoice, he heard his captain's subsequent addition:
"However, I have one condition."
"What condition?" Ferran instinctively asked back.
Edwina pursed her lips and said:
"I want to meet that person. Hmm, if it's inconvenient, you can teach him this secret ritualistic magic."
Edwina raised her right hand, and a stand and a blackboard appeared in the captain's cabin:
"It's called the 'Spirituality Ritual,' and it allows the caster's spirit to pass through the Spirit World and attach to your body, allowing direct conversation with me. Below Demigod, the effective range is no more than 500 nautical miles…"
"It involves reason and communication, belonging to the domain of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. You must depict the corresponding symbolic patterns and magical signs…"
As Edwina explained, she wrote down the key points to remember on the blackboard. Ferran instinctively sat down, adopting a posture of attentive listening.
"This way, I can converse with him through your dream, and this is very safe for both of us, requiring no risk."
Edwina added at the end, after confirming that Ferran had written down all the knowledge on the blackboard.
Ferran nodded his heavy head, recalling the knowledge he had just learned, feeling bitter inside.
With heavy steps, Ferran left the captain's cabin and came to the exceptionally bright deck, which even reflected a golden coin-like color in the sunlight.
Meanwhile, Danitz stood under the main cannon's barrel, arms crossed, leisurely supervising the Sailors, occasionally shouting loudly:
"Wipe that spot again!"
"Shit, do you want to copy the ancient Feysac dictionary?"
-----------------
Aaron, who had already returned to the villa, heard the faint, overlapping prayers. He arranged for the servants to continue packing his luggage, preparing to leave Bayam that night, and then walked into his bedroom.
Aaron leaned back against the throne, lightly tapping the armrest with his finger, observing the images transmitted within the prayer light and that unique magical ritual.
"Iceberg Vice Admiral wants to meet me. The 'Spirituality Ritual' sounds a bit like a Parasite. Could it be a ritual created based on it?"
After pondering for a moment, Aaron condensed a ball of light, containing his Blessed image, and set a time for the "Spirituality Ritual" at 9 PM tonight.
Confirmed it was correct, he casually tossed the ball of light into the prayer light.
For others, mastering and digesting that complex ritual created by a Sequence 5 Mysticism Magister would take a considerable amount of time.
But for Aaron, who possessed Sefirah, he didn't need to spend time mastering complex ritual knowledge and procedures.
He only needed to follow the knowledge and ritual procedures transmitted within the prayer light, using the special properties of this space to fully replicate it onto an object, forming a stable, clearly directed charm.
After pondering for a moment, Aaron retrieved an iron box from the pile of sundries. Inside were the Worms of Time he had previously plundered from Flora Jacobs's home.
Through dream divination, he restored all the knowledge and ritual procedures transmitted within the prayer light just now. As the dark golden mist continuously poured in, the Worm of Time gradually transformed into a crystalline charm.
Aaron confirmed through divination that the charm made with the Worm of Time as a medium, combined with Ferran's own connection to this space, and Sefirah's ability to respond worldwide.
Without considering the consumption, even in Bayam, the so-called "Spirituality Ritual" could be performed.
Upon thinking about finally obtaining "Groselle's Travels," Aaron's heart couldn't help but burn with excitement. He put away the charm and returned to the real world.
Crimson moonlight illuminated Bayam's port district. After two days of cleanup and encirclement, it had returned to its usual hustle and bustle.
However, unlike before, there was a lot more discussion, and many people curiously watched a giant ship gradually departing from the port.
"That Lord Aaron, who killed the Admiral of Blood, seems to be on that ship."
"That's a Pirate Admiral! It seems the situation at sea is about to change again…"
There were merchants, bounty Hunters, and pirates mixed among them. They were completely uninterested in the political struggles far away in Backlund, but the achievement of successfully hunting a Admiral of Blood made them remember this name.
As the center of discussion, Aaron had long since dismissed the others and sat alone in the ship's cabin bedroom, holding the charm and looking at the wall clock.
Suddenly, he clenched his hand, crushing the charm. A rich dark golden light flashed in his eyes, following the pull of some force. After an unknown amount of time, a sensation of weightlessness suddenly came.
Opening his eyes abruptly, Aaron saw rows of bookshelves and a beautiful, scholarly woman standing opposite him.
Twisting his body, feeling a bit unaccustomed, "Ferran's" lips curved upwards:
"Good evening, Iceberg Vice Admiral…"
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