Xin Haotian walked through the busy streets of the inner district of Balin. Some who recognized his face gasped and made way for him. The surrounding people couldn't sense anything unusual from this man in the conical cap, but those who knew him understood that this was merely his way of hiding his presence. The sword saint continued walking until he reached the mayor's mansion. The two elven guards at the entrance, recognizing him, trembled but hardened their resolve.
"May I ask what the esteemed sword saint is doing here?" one of them inquired.
"Tell the mayor that I need to speak with him. There is something I need to know," Xin Haotian replied calmly.
The guard felt conflicted. They had strict orders to deny any visitors since a few weeks ago, but what if the visitor was the sword saint? Frustration gnawed at him, but the orders were clear.
"We apologize, but the mayor is currently occupied and cannot be disturbed," one guard said, though sweat rolled down his forehead. How could he not be nervous? He was standing before the strongest of the ten great swordsmen of the continent—he was just a mere small fry in comparison.
Xin Haotian looked at the guard and said, "Is that so? Then I will wait until he can spare the time." He then walked away to a nearby tavern.
The guards sighed in relief when Xin Haotian had already left, they feared offending this solitary cultivator. Though they were not afraid within their territory, protected by the world tree's blessing, it was still unwise to make an enemy of him. Unknown to them, the mayor, Livrin, watched them from his mansion window and sighed.
"This past month has been hectic," Livrin muttered to himself.
"People keep coming to me, asking about the event from a month ago. But with the Sword Saint here now, I can't avoid them any longer. The number of guests will only grow in the future, so I need to come up with a believable explanation to satisfy their curiosity."
He sat down in his chair, thinking of how to explain the situation. The existence of Aldrian was a secret the Ivory Empire was determined to keep hidden from the world, and he intended to keep it that way.
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In another part of the city, there stood a building different in style from its surroundings. The large white edifice, with its Gothic architecture and holy aura, inspired a sense of piety in those who passed by. Beings of different races could be seen entering and exiting the building, all dressed in white robes bearing the symbol of an eye shining upon the world.
This is the main branch of the Heavenly Direction Church in the Ivory Empire. Because they were unable to build in the capital city of Evergreen, the church found the strategic location of Balin to be the ideal place to establish their branch.
Inside one of the rooms in the church, a middle-aged man in a white robe with a dark purple sash draped over his left shoulder sat reading a document. Occasionally, he frowned as he read.
A month ago, when the hydra suddenly appeared near Balin, he watched the event unfold. The golden light that slashed the hydra in two and obliterated many people, or rather, the devils into nothingness shocked him. He was also stunned by the golden energy that suddenly appeared, and although it was only for a moment, he could feel a hint of holy energy within it. But what confused him was how the holy energy could be so intense and pure that it made the holy power within him resonate.
The holy energy of the Heavenly Direction Church's cultivators comes from the blessing of the heavens they worship. They preach the will of the heavens and spread their faith to the masses. As a result, the heavens, looking upon them with favor, grant them holy energy. However, the Heavenly Direction church have faced a problem since for a long time: their blessings have been weakening over the millennia. This gradual deterioration has caused their holy power to lose its purity and strength.
The golden energy he saw and felt that day was the purest and strongest holy energy he had ever encountered in his entire life. Even the holy energy used by a pope seemed pale in comparison to the purity of this energy. He immediately ordered an investigation, reported the event to headquarters, and requested their assistance. The headquarters, recognizing the utmost importance of the situation, did not hesitate to send paladins to aid in the investigation, believing it might be connected to their prophecy.
But from the weekly reports he received, he still hadn't found any clue about the person who defeated the hydra. This frustration led him to suspect that the elves might be involved. He knew that on the same night the hydra was defeated, the elves conducted a secret operation to eliminate the devils in the city. This also surprised him, as it was unexpected that devils could infiltrate the city.
If the person they were seeking was an elf, it would complicate matters. But he doubted it. The elves were not known for their swordsmanship, and the holy energy he had sensed was proof that the person had been blessed by the heavens.
The elves worshipped the Heavenly Tree of the World, which is why the church has never had any true elven followers. He continued to ponder how to find this person without drawing the attention of Balin's authorities or the Evergreen imperial family. It seemed he needed to dig deeper into the empire.
Knock knock
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Bishop Chris, but there is an urgent report," came a voice from outside the room. Bishop Chris put down the document and exhaled.
"Come in."
A young man in a white robe with a light purple sash, the sign of a priest, entered the room and bowed his head.
"What is the report?" Bishop Chris asked.
"I believe we have found a clue about the person we're looking for," the priest said.
Bishop Chris, who had been frustrated a moment ago, stood up with vigor and shouted, "Is that true? Tell me, tell me!"
"Yes, as we know, the Imperial Teacher of the Ivory Empire and Grand Duke Sylvaris arrived the morning after the night of the attack. We brushed it off as a clue because we thought it was an expected action from the Evergreen imperial family, and we didn't want to investigate their involvement at that time to avoid drawing their attention."
That's why he never tried to delve deeper into their arrival. Furthermore, their presence in Balin was not surprising. The Grand Duke of his territory came to inspect the aftermath of the battle, and the Imperial Teacher of—
"Wait, the Imperial Teacher?" Something suddenly clicked in his mind. Why would the Imperial Teacher of the Ivory Empire accompany the Grand Duke here? As far as he knew, the Imperial Teacher held a position of high respect among the nobles even the emperor himself and rarely left the capital.
Although the hydra and devil attacks surprised them, it wasn't necessary to send the Imperial Teacher just to accompany the Grand Duke in inspecting the aftermath. They could have sent someone more appropriate for the job.
"But that was our mistake. We found a clue suggesting that the imperial family might be involved. According to our information, we suspect that the Imperial Teacher came to retrieve the person we believe defeated the hydra. Even though Balin's authorities tried to close off the area around the teleportation station when the Imperial Teacher returned to the capital, we discovered from an eyewitness who accidentally saw the imperial family's envoy enter the teleportation station with two additional people."
Bishop Chris, upon hearing this, was thrilled because the clue was enough to narrow down the search area and identify who they should reach out to.
"Good work, Andrew. Your efforts are greatly appreciated," Bishop Chris said.
"Thank you, Your Excellency. I will continue to work hard for the church," Andrew replied.
After dismissing Andrew, Bishop Chris immediately pulled out his long-distance communication device and reported the development to the archbishop at the headquarters.
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Ten kilometers from the city wall of Balin, on one of the branch trees in the forest that overlooked the crowd of people meditating on the surrounding sword will, stood a man with a giant axe strapped to his back. His fierce expression and tall, muscular body gave the impression of a wild beast ready to unleash its rampage.
His short red hair, like small fires, and his black eyes, which were very intimidating, only added to his menacing presence. At this moment, he looked in the direction of the meditating people and snorted.
"The ten great swordsmasters have actually gathered there. This is truly unexpected," he said.
"Fuck, that many powerhouses will limit my movement in this city! Fuck, fuck, fuck," he yelled.
"Fuck, for whoever did this! Because of it, the Devil Lord has ordered me to investigate personally. This unknown bastard has jeopardized our plan for the Ivory Empire and even the whole continent," he said, sounding very irritated.
"But it's strange that the elves could eliminate so many devils in such a short time, and even a fucking mid-King stage Hydra! Is there a traitor among us? Has the Golden Swan Commerce betrayed us?" he thought.
"No, that's impossible. The devils would not betray us, and the Golden Swan Commerce would face backlash if they were discovered to be connected with us, even just a little."
He scratched his head in frustration over this mess.
"Argh, fuck whoever disturbed our plan! I will fucking crush you!" he yelled.
As for the person responsible for all this, he didn't care about the outside problems and was happily talking with two beautiful spirits.