Upon hearing Alan's words, Elizabeth, with her long white hair, hesitated briefly. "Feel free to speak your mind," Alan encouraged her.
Elizabeth then stood up to address him. "Lord Alan, this year's Ceremony of Divine Grace might be quite different from previous ones," she began.
"Currently, the paladins are viewed somewhat uniquely in the eyes of the people across the kingdoms of the continent.
Moreover, the demon race has not emerged for a long time, and although many are grateful for Your Divine Radiance's protection, they somewhat fail to understand the significance of the paladins' existence."
She continued, "Additionally, from our investigations, it appears that the deities invited to Rivenland's Ceremony of Divine Grace this time may not be very favorable towards us in Beaconburg."
At this, Alan raised an eyebrow in intrigue. "Is that so?" he mused. "That could be interesting. Most deities should know that I ascended from being a paladin, yet they dare to trouble you?"
He shook his head with a smile. "Furthermore, Lord Alan," Elizabeth added seriously, "it seems that this Ceremony of Divine Grace will also be attended by quite a few 'anomalies'."
Alan nodded in understanding. "That's not surprising," he acknowledged. Elizabeth's reference to 'anomalies' was about those suspected to be 'protagonists.'
In normal circumstances, it would be relatively easier for Beaconburg's paladins to capture protagonists.
However, at the Ceremony of Divine Grace, amidst a gathering of heroes and nobles near Rivenland, arresting 'protagonists' would be challenging.
After all, these individuals likely had powerful factions backing them and possibly the blessing of national deities.
In such a situation, it would not be easy for the paladin leader to act effectively. This time, Alan chose not to involve the current paladin leader, Vina, but instead decided to attend with Elizabeth, who was formerly a regular paladin.
"Lord Alan, do you require additional paladins to accompany us? Traditionally, we are accompanied by 300 paladins," Elizabeth inquired.
"Yes, that would be appropriate," Alan responded.
Then, turning to the golden-haired Vina, he asked, "Vina, I have chosen not to have you join this time, instead opting for Elizabeth to accompany me. Do you have any particular thoughts on this decision?"
Upon hearing this, Vina immediately knelt. "I dare not question your decision, Lord Alan. All your choices are the embodiment of divine wisdom!"
"Very well," Alan nodded in approval. "I can sense your devout and faithful spirit, which pleases me greatly.
The reason I have asked you to stay is that you are currently the strongest among the paladins.
Given the unclear situation beneath the Abyss of the Demon World and the emerging signs of chaos in the world, it is crucial for you, as the leader of Beaconburg's paladins, to be a stabilizing force. You must maintain the spirits of the paladins and the civilians within the city."
"Thank you for your trust, Lord Alan," Vina expressed her gratitude while bowing deeply. "I am immensely grateful and will uphold your trust," she added.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the continent, in Rivenland's Morris City, a scene unfolded in a grocery store.
Inside, four individuals were busy with their work, seemingly conducting business as usual.
However, as they placed fresh potatoes and tomatoes on the counter, their eyes covertly darted outside.
They were surreptitiously observing a young gentleman who was walking down the street. This gentleman was flanked by ladies on both sides, and his hands were moving indecorously, sliding in and out of the ladies' clothing, searching and groping.
The young gentleman, striding through the streets, was blissfully unaware that he was the subject of scrutiny by several employees in the nearby grocery store.
"That guy is unbelievable," one of the store clerks whispered. "Just a few months ago, he was selling newspapers on the streets. Then, in a matter of ten days to a half month, he became a wealthy merchant, now a tycoon in the flower industry of Morris City!"
"Yes, indeed. He's become too ostentatious, sprucing himself up and spending his days in high-end locales," another clerk chimed in.
"And don't forget how he single-handedly beat up a gang of thugs on the street for a lady from the red-light district. That feat made the newspapers. Any protagonist who sees this would realize something unusual is at play."
Meanwhile, John, the flower industry magnate of Morris City, remained oblivious to the fact that his identity had been exposed.
As an antagonist, he naturally possessed an antagonist cheat system.
His cheat ability was "Boldness Leads to Strength!" This led him to frequently engage in eye-catching and outrageous acts, like throwing money in the streets or extravagantly booking every woman in a brothel.
John preferred to keep his combat prowess under wraps, revealing it only in specific situations. However, he was somewhat eager to see how his true strength would fare when fully displayed.
He had already sensed something amiss through his system and quietly inquired, discovering the presence of three protagonists nearby.
John was secretly thrilled by this revelation. He had been contemplating seeking out protagonists, and now three had conveniently appeared. Moreover, they didn't seem particularly strong.
Soon, John headed towards a small inn. Entering a secluded alley, he let the women he was with leave on their own.
As he turned to face the three individuals following him, he began to reach into his sleeve for a weapon.
However, at that moment, one of the women accompanying him pulled out a wet wipe and swiftly covered John's face with it, causing him to lose consciousness immediately.
Just when the protagonists were excitedly preparing to take John away, a woman clad in a black cloak suddenly descended upon them, rendering each person unconscious with a swift chop of her hand.
Among the felled individuals, only three were protagonists; the other two women were hired by these protagonists.
They had intended to use a diversionary tactic against the antagonist John, but instead, they encountered an operative sent by Alan.
The cloaked woman quickly lifted the three unconscious protagonists, placed them in an ordinary horse-drawn carriage, and proceeded towards another location within the city.
The Ceremony of Divine Grace was fast approaching, increasing the foot traffic in the city with many prominent individuals arriving.
Many protagonists had chosen this occasion to collaborate in hunting antagonists, while some antagonists lay in wait to ambush protagonists.
For Alan, this event presented an excellent opportunity to capture a large number of protagonists.
With the arrival of his paladins in the city, he easily secured a group of protagonists, occasionally aiding some antagonists in the process.
These skirmishes in the streets were minor compared to the real power plays.
The truly capable individuals were likely court nobles or leaders of various factions, who arrived in Rivenland with entourages, accompanied by ceremonial squads of gryphons and wing-horses.
Those with greater abilities traveled in even more extraordinary vehicles, like mechanical airships or magic carpets.
Regardless of the mode of transport, once Alan elevated his power to god-tier or above and concealed his antagonist identity, using divine power to cloak his form, he became virtually invisible.
He could freely observe everything from above and, upon detecting a protagonist, would either send his subordinates or personally intervene to capture them.
Not all those captured were genuine protagonists; some were simply individuals with extraordinary fortune among the natives.
However, with the number of captures increasing, Alan did manage to find several true protagonists.
He examined their cheat systems, which varied widely. Some could hear the thoughts of those weaker than themselves, others had eyes with incredible mimicry powers, able to copy others' skills by observation.
There were also cheats that made protagonists more appealing to the opposite sex, aiding in their pursuit of wealthy partners.
Some of these system abilities fell within the range of the protagonists' divine power, while others did not.
However, up to that point, all the protagonists Alan had captured were at level 1.