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Nikifell City, West Balam, Southern Continent.
The city walls, previously ravaged by war and largely collapsed, have now been repaired and perfected, but the various array patterns attached to the walls to resist Beyonder attacks have not yet been fully replenished due to material limitations.
Aside from escorting the rotated Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts, the airship's cargo hold stored mostly spiritual materials prepared by the Church of the Evernight for this purpose.
Audrey stood by the French window, looking at Nikifell City under the setting Sun with a face full of surprise. The architectural style, so distinct from Backlund, East Chester County, and even Loen, fully satisfied her curiosity.
Daly, with much less makeup, stood beside Audrey, holding Susie's leash, and reminded her as Nikifell City grew closer:
"Miss Audrey, Nikifell City experienced a year of war before, and many facilities were severely damaged. There isn't a dedicated port for airships, so the landing will be a bit bumpy."
Recalling the feeling of weightlessness, Audrey quickly nodded and moved away from the French window with Susie.
On the top floor of the airship, something on the surface of the silver-white box in the hand of Crestet Cesimir, the "Sword of the Goddess," instantly shattered and disintegrated, receding like a tide.
Almost in the same second, the top floor of the airship seemed to plunge into Darkness, and all the surrounding brilliance appeared to be drawn into that box.
Crestet Cesimir's body rippled as if merging with the Darkness. He quickly opened the box and took out the pure white bone sword inscribed with mysterious patterns.
After a low prayer to the Goddess, Crestet Cesimir drew a Crimson Moon on his chest and raised the pure white bone sword, temporarily unsealing the airship's seal, which had been personally set by Archbishop Saint Anthony.
A brilliant dawn instantly appeared in the Darkness, but it was smoothed away by the deep Darkness. A dark green eyeball floated above the bone sword, with a faint halo flowing around it.
The Sealed Artifact "Eye of Demon Hunting," serial number 1-37, originated from a Demon Hunter who fell at the end of the Fourth Epoch.
Its holder can gain exaggerated strength and a spirit between god and man, can conceal their malice and certain actions, and effectively interfere with divination and prophecy.
It fully retains Beyonder abilities such as the "Eye of Demon Hunting" and is sensitive to traces of evil, corruption, and pollution.
The side effect is that after more than 10 minutes of use, the "Eye of Demon Hunting" will merge into the holder's Spirit Body, turning them into a Monster eroded by madness.
Considering that Nikifell City had previously faced a siege by Zombies, although a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact of the Sun Pathway would have been most suitable for handling it, the few pieces preserved by the Church all shared a common drawback: they couldn't distinguish between friend and foe when creating area-of-effect attacks, and they also affected friendly Beyonders.
Especially since it had an instinctive restraint on the Evernight Pathway, the prayer power required just to seal it behind Chanis Gate was something the Nikifell Diocese, which had just undergone the ravages of war, could not bear.
After various considerations, the Holy See finally chose "1-37," which also had a restraining effect on evil and corruption but had lower sealing difficulty and cost.
With thoughts flashing through his mind, Crestet Cesimir took a deep breath, suppressing "1-37" with the holy relic, letting the deep Darkness engulf his figure.
Nikifell City, Church of the Evernight Goddess. As a focal point for Feysac and the Rose School of Thought, the originally towering and majestic church now appeared somewhat dilapidated due to the war.
The afterglow of the setting Sun suddenly disappeared, and within the entire church, all the praying believers felt the arrival of Darkness for a moment.
In front of Chanis Gate beneath the church, a beautiful lady in the Church of the Evernight Goddess Archbishop's robe calmly watched Crestet Cesimir's figure emerge from the Darkness, her clear voice carrying a soothing tranquility:
"Praise the Goddess. The Holy See and His Excellency 'Eye of the Goddess' from Voltek City have already informed me. Thank you for your escort, Deacon Crestet."
Looking at "1-37" behaving obediently in Archbishop Lisia's hands, Crestet Cesimir couldn't help but feel a little disconsolate:
"Even if I gain the recognition of a holy relic, and my combat power can rival a newly advanced Sequence 4, my control over power is still far from sufficient. I wonder when I can advance further...."
Despite his myriad thoughts, Crestet Cesimir's expression didn't change much. After drawing a Crimson Moon on his chest, he responded:
"I will be responsible for leading the team to clear Beyonder incidents near Nikifell City. After I'm done, I'll hand over the Grade 1 Sealed Artifact that needs to be sent to the Holy See. Thank you for continuing to guard Chanis Gate during this time."
The aftermath of a war involving a large number of Beyonders does not end with the war itself. If not dealt with promptly, a large number of dead Wraiths could breed even more terrifying Monsters.
The previous Duke of East Tucker has already left the Southern Continent, and Lisia must remain at Chanis Gate to guard the activated Grade 1 Sealed Artifact to prevent accidents. The battlefield outside the city has not undergone large-scale cleanup.
Chanis Gate behind Lisia slowly opened, and Darkness surged out like a tide, engulfing the Archbishop, leaving only a gradually weakening voice:
"The team sent by Duke East Tucker has also arrived in Nikifell City. They can temporarily fill the vacancies left by the many Nighthawks who died in battle and will provide assistance for your cleanup."
Crestet Cesimir nodded slightly, looking at Faoce Ellen, the Frenzied Mage, who revealed his figure in the Darkness not far away. This Frenzied Mage wore a pure black ring on his right hand, dispelling the hostility of the sealing power behind Chanis Gate.
In the higher-lying western district of Nikifell City, Audrey had just stepped off the airship's gangway when she saw Alfred, who had been waiting for a long time. Her gaze subconsciously swept around but did not find the person she most wanted to see.
Although a little disappointed, Audrey quickly entered the Spectator state, adjusted her emotions, and approached Alfred with Susie, her melodious and sweet voice carrying a hint of confusion:
"Alfred, how did you know I was in West Balam? I clearly told Father we were supposed to keep it a secret."
Rubbing the golden retriever that nudged his feet, Alfred, realizing Susie had grown even larger, explained with a smile:
"The Southern Continent is not like Loen. Although you have also become a Beyonder, a Sequence 9 is still too fragile. To prevent any accidents, the Church of the Evernight has already informed the Duke about your situation."
Audrey pursed her lips slightly, stroking Susie's soft golden fur, and said unhappily:
"I originally wanted to give him a surprise, but since he knows I'm in West Balam, then, then he...."
Looking at Audrey, Alfred took out a wooden box from his Inventory, inside which was a palm-sized object with constantly changing colors and a soft, undulating surface.
Audrey's face was reflected with various constantly alternating colors, and an intense desire immediately arose in her heart. She subconsciously picked it up, feeling a slight prickle and numbness from her palm. It was then that she discovered an unopened letter at the bottom of the box.
"This is a gift from the Duke to you, the pituitary gland of a Rainbow Salamander. That letter is also what he left for you."
"Audrey, I once opposed you becoming a Beyonder because this path is too arduous, too dangerous. As the daughter of Earl Hall, you could have had better choices."
"But as I learned more, I realized that many times we have no choice. Only by becoming a stronger Beyonder can we protect those around us."
Aaron had already informed Alfred of the advancement ritual for an Imperative Mage. For his brother-in-law, he also gave his full support.
Therefore, Alfred also had some understanding of how powerful the forces Aaron, or rather the East Tucker family, had secretly accumulated, and he also had some terrifying conjectures.
Looking at her solemn second brother, Audrey, whose mood had brightened, nodded quickly and promptly put away the main ingredient for a Telepathist and the letter.
-----------------
As the afterglow of the setting Sun gradually faded, the mist lingering over the sea began to thicken, and a dull roar echoed across the entire sea area.
Aaron and Alvin Gallows, who had been waiting on the Black Emperor for nearly a quarter of an hour, and several Angels simultaneously looked at the deepening sea. A faint mushroom cloud rapidly shot towards the surface.
The dark red light in Nester's eyes flickered, and the Black Emperor, controlled by Nester, lifted off the sea and hovered in mid-air. A few seconds later, a huge whirlpool appeared on the sea surface.
Among the surging layers of tsunami, streaks of silver-white lightning snakes were mixed, carrying a strong, almost tangible aura of tyrannical destruction. They densely struck the surroundings, enveloping several kilometers of the sea in a forest of lightning.
As Pirate Kings, both Nester and Bernadette had clashed with "Sea King" Jahn Kottman of the Church of the Lord of Storms.
Feeling the tyrannical aura of destruction, the two Pirate Kings exchanged glances, both seeing the hidden surprise and doubt in each other's eyes.
"What did you find?" Aaron frowned, looking at the gradually calming sea. A silver-white light shot out from it, transforming into Siatas on the deck of the Black Emperor.
The Elf's expression was a little strange. Her silver pupils examined the heavily corroded metal bar, whose original appearance was unrecognizable, and a piece of hard, black, honeycomb-patterned mud in her hand. The obscure fluctuations that had originally remained on them were gradually dissipating.
When Aaron saw these items, a dark golden mist immediately appeared before his eyes. Aaron had a similar feeling every time he held a Tarot Club meeting; this was the instinctive repulsion between different Sefirot.
"Underground pollution... Remnants of the Chaos Sea's aura..." These two terms quickly surfaced in Aaron's mind. Aaron looked at Siatas and asked concisely:
"What did you see?"
Putting down the strange items that had returned to normal, the silver pupils looked at Aaron, and "Cohinem" slowly spoke:
"I sensed an unusual aura at the bottom of the sea. With the help of my authority, I entered an even deeper sea area."
"There seemed to be a patch of architecture I had never seen before. They were completely collapsed and decayed, making it impossible to imagine their original appearance. However, one could tell that they must have been quite large in scale before, though they have shrunk a lot now."
"I couldn't peer into the depths of that architecture. I even felt it had no bottom; its interior was profound, as if something was slowly summoning me."
At this point, he pointed to the strange items brought up from the seabed on the deck. After the attached aura dissipated, only the corrosive remnants remained, with irregularly spreading, bizarre "patterns." He continued to explain:
"These are the remnants of those structures. More accurately, they are just the remnants of the exterior. The inner structures seem to be just some kind of projection."
"After taking these two remnants, I felt the aura that was attracting me gradually intensify. It seemed there was some power preventing me from leaving, but fortunately, that power had not reached its peak, and my current strength could still allow me to escape."
Aaron glanced at Nester and Bernadette, shaking his head imperceptibly:
"At their Sequence 3 level, even without the corresponding oceanic authority, a thousand meters of seabed is nothing to them. Their previous lack of findings likely means that the ruins were obscured by the residual aura of the former Chaos Sea."
"Cohinem is essentially a Sequence 2 Profane Presbyter of the Secrets Supplicant Pathway, which is one of the five Omnipotent and Omniscient Pathways corresponding to the Chaos Sea. Moreover, he likely grazed a Discerner and a Calamity, both belonging to the Chaos Sea's corresponding Pathways."
"This level of Beyonder characteristic Convergence might be the fundamental reason why Cohinem discovered the anomaly upon his first entry into the sea. Nester and Bernadette's own Pathways are not compatible with the Chaos Sea, and their own Beyonder characteristics are insufficient to break through the aura's blockade."
With various thoughts flashing through his mind, Aaron glanced at Siatas, who looked bewildered as the silver light receded, and said nothing more. He directly took out a mirror with a complex symbol drawn in blood from the "Traveler's Bag" and the gold coin he had exchanged from Klein.
Automatically ignoring Pallez Zoroast's somewhat strange gaze, Aaron directly pressed the gold coin onto the mirror surface, simultaneously infusing it with spirituality.
Under the gaze of the Angels and Saints, the blood color on the mirror surface faded, and ripples spread:
"Great Duke Aaron, humble Arro...."
The golden text immediately froze. Only when Aaron tapped the mirror did it continue to appear, trembling:
"The lowly and insignificant Arrodes greets you, great Duke. I think the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery is not so unacceptable. I am willing to stay a little longer."
Looking at the intermittent words, Aaron could feel Arrodes's nervousness just from the font. He then pointed to the sea and explained:
"Don't worry, they are just helping me explore 'Lost City of Newins.' I wouldn't openly rob the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery."
"Hey, of course, if you are willing to acknowledge me as your master, I could try."
The Church of the God of Steam and Machinery.... Bernadette's azure eyes narrowed slightly as she watched the golden text on the mirror surface, which had regained its vitality, rapidly reorganizing as it swayed:
"No, no, no, this would be very dangerous. The humble Arrodes dare not put you in danger. Um, so, is this summoning to test Arrodes with a question?"
"Dare not? I think it's 'unwilling,' isn't it?" Aaron didn't make things difficult for Arrodes and affirmed its question.
He then placed the remnants Cohinem had brought from the seabed, as well as the token held by Nester that could only be opened by a Solomon descendant, in front of Arrodes.
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