In the study.
Rennes was fantasizing.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open with a bang.
Lifa walked in with an excited look on her face. "Lord Rennes, it's a success!"
"Oh, I knew it'll be a success." Rennes' reaction was much calmer than what Lifa had imagined.
Rennes' casual respond made her excitement fade significantly.
The girl who had a dignified look on her face and the bearing of a queen just a moment ago was pouting unhappily at this moment. "Of course. Lord Rennes is such a smart man after all."
"Are you interested in the world's geography, my lord?" Lifa noticed the book in Rennes' hand. The words "World Atlas" were written on it.
Rennes shook his head. "Not particularly. It's just that I lack essential knowledge about this world and want to know more about it!"
"Although I don't know what you want to find out specifically, if you encounter any problem, you can come ask me any time. I've read many books since I was young. Maybe I can be of help!" Lifa rested her hands on the table and swayed her body left and right as she spoke.
After pondering for a moment, Rennes suddenly thought of something.
"Lifa, is there any power in this world that surpasses a nine-star Archmage?"
Over the past few days, through reading a large amount of books, Rennes had developed a deep curiosity towards a certain term – or, rather, a certain place.
City in the Sky – The Holy Temple.
Many books had mentioned such a place.
It was literally a city in the sky. This city was also known as the Holy Temple.
The descriptions in the books also fit the name of the city.
The Holy Temple was a supreme existence recognized by all countries, all races, and all the inhabitants of the world.
The reason was very simple. The Holy Temple was an alliance of Archmages. All the Archmages in the world were members of this temple.
In the minds of the mages of this world, the temple represented the zenith of magic power. It was an incomparably sacred existence.
In the eyes of many people, the temple held a higher significance than the country that gave birth to them.
There were nine-star Archmages in the temple – more than one of them.
Based on Rennes' estimation, a nine-star Archmage should be an existence on the same level as himself.
Rennes, who was invincible in the game, had long desired for a new opponent.
And now, he had found some in this very dimension. Perhaps in the not-so-distant future, they would meet and have a glorious battle.
Rennes, who had the will of the strong, was naturally looking forward to it.
But even so, the question Rennes had remained unanswered.
An existence that surpassed the strongest power in the world... Perhaps the only existence like that was the legendary God of Creation himself!
Rennes' question stunned Lifa.
She did not expect Rennes to ask something so strange.
She was only a Tier 5 Grandmage. Why would she care about the affairs of the Archmages?!
Despite this, Lifa decided to tell him what she knew. She was just about to answer when...
"That should be it!"
Rennes had a look of epiphany and muttered to himself.
Rennes was rather fired up. Perhaps the mysterious light spots in his body were the catalyst that would lead him to a brand new realm.
Lifa was shocked when she saw Rennes' intense gaze.
It was the first time that the usually calm Rennes had shown such a reaction. She did not dare to make a sound, lest she disturbed Rennes' thought.
….
Time gradually passed.
Two days later, the peace in the capital was broken by a whistle from the military camp.
At that moment, a crowd was gathering at the entrance of the palace.
Led on by planted shills, more and more ignorant people joined the crowd.
The situation was quickly getting out of hand.
The sound of horse hooves beating against the ground was heard, rapidly approaching from afar. Soon, the people heard the spirited roar of the military commander, Thomas...
"What do you think you're doing? Are you disrespecting Her Majesty the Queen? All of you, go home. Guards, disperse the crowd. Those who resist will be apprehended and thrown into prison!"
Following the influx of a large number of guards, the situation was quickly brought under control.
"What do you think you're doing, gathering a crowd to surround the palace? Are you trying to rebel?"
Thomas was furious. He shouted at the members of the Lucas family across the distance.
The ordinary people who were just there to watch the show were quickly dispersed, but there were still more than a thousand people left on the scene.
A large portion of these people were refugees that were paid by the Lucas family to come here.
There were also several dozens of people in black uniforms among the crowd. These were the Lucas family's personal guards.
Surrounded by the personal guards were a few nobles wearing robes of red and black.
Their expressions were arrogant. They obviously paid no heed to Commander Thomas' words at all.
"Captain Thomas. As expected of the number one commander under the Queen. You actually mobilized so many guards here. You sure do think highly of our Lucas family, don't you?" A silver-haired old man among the Lucas family members sneered.
He was Duke Lucas' younger brother. Because of his extremely domineering personality, he had even earned the nickname of "Iron General" in the capital.
"You know what you did," Thomas replied coldly.
"What we did? I received news that Queen Lifa has been bewitched by the evil Apostle of the Abyss. The evil apostle has even killed my brother, Duke Lucas. I'm only here because I worry for the Queen's safety! Do you have any objections to that?"
The silver-haired old man suddenly raised his voice several times louder. His roar shook the people around him, making their scalps go numb.
An extremely strong aura was released from his body, causing the people around to break out in cold sweat.
Meanwhile, Thomas, who was only a political newcomer, was no match for such an old noble.
Seeing Thomas' silent, determined expression, the silver-haired old man simply sneered.
It was ten years too early for a newly appointed commander like Thomas to arm wrestle with him.
The atmosphere remained in a deadlock.
Thomas' expression became more and more unsightly as time passed.
If this dragged on, the situation would only become more and more disadvantageous for him.
He did not mind, but he could not let these people sully the prestige of the Queen.
He saw more civilians gathering from afar. Some were even casting doubtful glances at the palace.
Thomas took a deep breath and shouted, "I'll give you one last chance. If you don't disperse in ten seconds, all of you will be sentenced to death for disturbing the order of the palace. The honor of the Noah Kingdom must not be trampled upon!"
"Ten!"
"Nine!"
"Eight!"
….
Despite Thomas' intensity, the silver-haired old man, who was obviously the leader, narrowed his eyes and allowed Thomas to count as if he could not hear Thomas at all.
Under the lead of the silver-haired old man, the Lucas family showed no intention of moving away.
The countdown became louder and louder, and the atmosphere became more and more tense.
Meanwhile, the spectators in the distance still had a relaxed look on their faces as they whispered among themselves.
..
"Two!"
Thomas' eyes widened fiercely. He gritted his teeth and was about to shout out the last number when he heard the other side's response.
"You do not have the right to sentence an Earl like me to death!" The silver-haired old man's eyes instantly widened after deliberately waiting until the last second before he shouted.
Everyone there was instantly stunned by the silver-haired old man's domineering attitude.
However, before the members of the Lucas family could get excited, a faint voice suddenly came from within the palace.
"If the commander of the palace guards doesn't have the right, then what about me, the Chief Consul? Do I have the right?"