[T.L: punisher87]
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February 10, 1803. Five days have passed since Jin went to the ghost castle.
During those five days, Jin was able to hear the details about what had happened over the past two and a half years from his companions. Changes in the world, development of technology, situation of each faction, etc.
Most of it Jin heard before going to the ghost castle, and details were added to it.
In other words, these were the pieces of information.
Kinzelo secured a new headquarter to replace the 'Old Headquarter' in the Land of Beastmen and recruited a large number of demons like Ranke, and Zipfel, on the other hand, closed all but 1st magic tower and is restructuring the entire 'Lutero Magic Federation' with a new system.
In addition, the imperial family has been incorporated into Zipfel along with the eastern part of the Empire, and like all forces belonging to the Lutero Magic Federation, it received technology from Zipfel and operated a number of fleets.
In addition, a technology called chaos control is being used in fleets, and 'reinforced humans' such as Majins, Plutonian-type golems and living golems.
In the midst of that, the only ones who have yet to use Chaos at all are the Vamel Alliance and its friendly factions.
"While you were gone, Sir Dante made great efforts. Without Sir Dante, the whole empire would have been taken over by Zipfel, not just the East, or it would have been divided into various factions."
Kashmir spoke modestly, but in fact, the reason why the 'forces who rejected chaos' were able to survive was because of the roles played by the Vamel Alliance, Hidden Palace, and Holy Kingdom.
Vamel alliance, Hidden Palace, Hairan, Holy Kingdom. These forces represent the anti-chaos forces and rely on each other to survive.
"In an era where flying ships and chaos control have become commonplace, we are the only ones who have made technological advancement in the strict sense of the world."
The technological prowess of Zipfel and Kinzelo is, in fact, only beginning to be revealed.
Of course, there has been progress in Chaos control, but the production of flying ships has been possible since before.
On the other hand, the Vamel Alliance has achieved a technological revolution called 'wavelength tracking synchronous spatial jump' beyond manufacturing flying ships, and has even prepared a means to completely purify chaos in limited situations.
Although other factions could use the chaos, they couldn't even attempt to purify it.
In the first place, their research is being conducted for use of chaos rather than purification.
"Yes, lord Jin."
"In the meantime, Runcandel has been hiding all external activities while sealing off the city of Kalon for half a year...…."
Runcandel. As one of the old two great factions, Tikan knew very little about them while Jin was gone.
Their activities had become closed off, with seven explosions and earthquakes occurring, and the only evidence was that they were controlling news about Jin.
"Moreover, there's hardly any known external activity of the flagbearers for the past six months. There are only occasional articles about the remnants of the contaminated area and the contagious being subdued, but flagbearers do not appear in public."
Diphus, Mary and Tona brothers.
There was no news at this point about these four flagbearers who could said to be friendly with Jin, and they were currently remaining in the Garden of Swords. Until then, they often visited Tikan and asked about Jin like Yona.
"And as I said before, all of our ways to contact young master and the friendly flagbearers has been blocked. Even in the days when flagbearers came to visit, I hadn't heard anything special about the clan...…."
"Even if there was a problem in the clan, they couldn't disclose them to the outside. I would have done the same."
It is true that the 4th, 7th, 10th, and 11th flagbearers are indeed friendly to Jin, but they are not complete allies. This is because Jin always kept more than a certain distance from them.
He had to. Even though not the Tona brothers, the others were ultimately competitors no matter how close they were.
-Maybe sooner or later your sister will find a little clue about Temar's fifth tomb.
- Elder sister Luntia? No wonder, I heard that Elder Brother Diphus, not Elder Sister Luntia, was in charge of preventing chaos. She is looking for Temar's tomb. It's surprising how helpful it is to you.
-There may have been information inside Runcandel that you don't know about. The 3rd flagbearer is moving based on that.
The last news about Luntia, another benevolent competitor, was related to Temar's fifth tomb.
Valeria was also tracking Temar's tomb while purifying the society of the small beastmen, and she has found a decisive clue in the movements and traces left by Luntia. Because of that, even after Jin returned, she still hasn't returned to Tikan.
'Father, elder sister Luna and the expedition team must still be in the Black Sea. And... I can't rule out the possibility that they have already been killed.'
All Jin could do was hope it wasn't true. He sighed and looked at his companions.
"Anyway, it would be better to assume that my clan has been handed over to the Prophet."
Otherwise, it was just an incomprehensible situation.
"Then... do you not intend to return to the Garden of Swords, young master?"
"No, but I still need to go back and see for myself."
"It is too dangerous, lord Jin."
"My lord, I agree. How about observing a little longer?"
Jin's companions who watched the battle against Smarion had no doubt that Jin's martial arts had reached a level worthy of being called the strongest.
Even so, it was dangerous to go to Runcandel alone. If the Prophet really took control of the clan, then Runcandel would undoubtedly set traps to capture Jin.
No matter how dangerous Smarion was, it was nothing compared to the whole of Runcandel.
"Of course, I'll observe the situation for a while. But I can't wait too long."
"Is it because of the promise with Rosa? If you have already judged that your clan has handed over to the Prophet, then you don't need to adhere to the three-year deadline given by Rosa, do you?"
"It's not because of that, Miss Cuicantelle. There are two reasons why I want to visit my clan. First, to properly assess the clan's situation, and second, because they still don't know my strength."
If there is no problem regarding the first reason, if the family is merely choosing to hide, then Jin can proceed to prepare to rise to the Patriarch position of Runcandel in earnest.
Either the Prophet naturally transfers her power, or Jin forcefully takes her down.
However, if the control of the Prophet was clearly revealed during the confirmation process, Jin had to classify the 'Prophet's Runcandel' as an enemy from then on and wage a war.
"... I have to deal as much damage as possible while my clan doesn't know my strength. If the Prophet has taken over the clan, and they're only hiding to gain new information from me, that is."
"If things go wrong, do you mean that you will immediately fight on the spot?"
"That's right."
"In that case, it's no different from the old Murakan. What if you were faced with a trap you couldn't handle?"
"I will have to escape. I will need help from the Red Owl and Mort, though."
"... Yes, fortunately, you really are not like Murakan back then. Because if it was Murakan, he would have just said that nothing in the world could stop him."
"I know what Miss Cuicantelle and everyone is concerned about. But we can't just keep waiting outside without knowing the exact situation in Runcandel. In the meantime, if the power of the Prophet continues to grow, it will really become unbearable later on."
If the prophet is just consolidating power over the family, then they need to strike as soon as possible.
Even if it means taking some risk. Jin thought so.
"Also, even if the command passed to the Prophet, I really don't think everything would be like that. There must be some who are resisting, and incorporate them into our forces before they're finished."
Diphus, Mary, and Tona brothers. Jin thought about these four.
"Whoa."
Cuicantelle and others sighed. It wasn't because they thought Jin was wrong.
Even though Jin has come back so strong, even though the Vamel alliance has made so much progress. It was frustrating that they still found themselves in a position where they had to make judgments while facing a lot of risks.
In any case, the best outcome would be for the clan to be intact, but the odds of that happening were very low.
"Everyone, don't think too hard. It's something we have to face anyway, and fortunately, we've achieved some of what we wanted over the past two years and six months. And even if my clan has fallen to the prophet, one thing is for sure: we still hold the upper hand."
New information that Jin got.
Assuming the Prophet swallowed the clan, the only reason Runcandel hasn't pressured Tikan is because of that.
"First of all, please let everyone know that I have returned. Let's see how my clan reacts."
"And?"
"If possible, please contact Veradin. The great factions must have more information about Runcandel than we do, so if we are lucky, we might hear something."
"I'll try, but it's best not to expect too much. Sir Veradin hasn't engaged in any external activities since you entered closed door training, Lord Jin."
Jin nodded with a bitter face.
"... If that's the case, then we should give up on Veradin's side. Well, if Veradin and Sandra don't come to me first when my return is announced, it's safe to assume they have their own problems."
"I will contact the hidden palace today… Oh, it looks like Mort is here."
Outside the window, they saw white dimensional portal of toad Mort opening. Mort looked quite tired. After the formation of the Chaos Particles, Mort's dimensional movement was also somewhat restricted.
"My son-in-law! Do I have to be the one to find you every time you come back? Even in an age where transfer gates have disappeared, seriously."
As soon as Talaris realized that Smarion had been subdued, she found Tikan.
"It's been a while, Madame Talaris. I had something to tell you...…."
"Uhhh, I'm sure you're asking for a favor. Are you planning to visit Runcandel?"
Talaris recognized Jin's intentions before he could speak.
"Yes."
"Well, that's why I came looking for you too. I was worried you might be overconfident after subduing Smarion, and you will go alone without me. Anyway, let's catch up on the missed conversations first."
From that day on, Tikan immediately announced Jin's return to the world. Reporters led by Dino Zaglan constantly poured out special reports, but there was nothing about Ranke and Smarion.
Rather, they spread false advertisements saying that it was Dante who subdued Smarion.
It was better to hide Jin's battle prowess until he went to Runcandel, and advertising Dante's power would be more beneficial in many ways.
Runcandel did not express any particular stance on Jin's return.
Instead, they suddenly released a special report claiming they had found a 'legacy of the first patriarch'...
Until then, Tikan hadn't received any contact from Valeria.
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