Chapter 1 The Next Day

The sunlight shyly pierced through the heavy clouds, each beam like a golden restraint released after breaking through the gloom, vaguely reflecting the outlines of mixed pedestrians and monsters on Helrom Street on Sunday.

Each window of the buildings on both sides of the street became a small theater of life. Small magical beasts or alchemical creatures gently placed their tentacles and tails on the windowsills, curiously peering out at the world.

And in this morning.

Lan Qi had already left his hotel near the Protos Royal Magic Academy.

He was walking on the road to the Silent Knight Order's temple.

Tomorrow, he would have to spend five working days at the Protos Royal Magic Academy.

Today, as the last day of the weekend, he needed to go to the Silent Knight Order in the morning to meet the high priest who granted him the Rebirth Certificate of the Silent Branch, and receive future work arrangements.

Just as Lan Qi was leisurely strolling, Mao Boss's voice sounded in his ears again.

They, one person and one cat, depended on each other in a foreign country, and Mao Boss would nag him all day long.

"Meow, Lan Qi, you've become the new leader of the Silent Branch's priests... you're not really going to see the Silent Bishop Askesang, are you..."

If it really came to that, it wouldn't dare follow this kid to see the cardinal!

As long as it appeared in the field of vision of that kind of natural disaster incarnation, there would be no right to resist, and it could end up with no bones left.

"Don't worry, I've been working on the topic seriously, and I've never forgotten my original intention."

Lan Qi said calmly.

"Meow! Why don't you develop your career in the Empire more! I feel like the Batian Branch is safer than the Silent Branch!"

Mao Boss felt like he was lying.

Who are you trying to find? Why are you going undercover in the Rebirth Church like this!

It thought Lan Qi had accidentally drunk fake wine and was having too much fun.

Mao Boss had heard Tata say that this kid had made some jokes because of alcoholism in the border city-state of Nan Wantina.

It was worried that Lan Qi would get more and more trapped and not be able to turn back. Compared to that, it would fully support and encourage him to do whatever he wanted to do in the Empire, as long as he didn't continue to get involved with the Rebirth Church.

"Don't worry, I've cut ties with the Batian Branch. The Pioneer is the Pioneer, and Luo Qi is Luo Qi. The trip to the Empire will definitely satisfy you."

Lan Qi turned his head, looked at his shadow, raised his eyelids, and gave Mao Boss a smile.

"...Meow."

Meow meow meow, let's trust him one more time.

The city's atmosphere was mixed with the unique smell of magical energy potions and a faint fragrance of rainwater.

Lan Qi walked along the road paved with neat rectangular stone slabs.

Every time he passed a street corner, the number of pedestrians on the street gradually decreased.

Even the windowsills of the tall buildings became much deserted.

Then, a detail caught Lan Qi's attention.

Not far ahead, a woman was walking towards the temple. Her long hair swayed gently in the breeze, draped over her silver skirt armor. The light skirt armor had an ancient design, and every connection showed the artisan's exquisite craftsmanship. The sunlight shone on her armor, emitting a faint white light, like flowing water.

Lan Qi had an impression of this woman in silver skirt armor.

Their destination was obviously the Silent Knight Order.

And this woman named Xi De was also one of the reasons for the postponement of the final assessment.

However, Lan Qi had no contact with her. They would become colleagues in the future, and they would get to know each other sooner or later, so there was no need to take the initiative to greet her.

Lan Qi thought this way. Just as he walked into the next street, without feeling any abnormality on his side, a cold hand suddenly grabbed his upper arm!

The hand's strength was so powerful that it seemed it could easily crush his bones, but the owner of the hand accurately used the force to ensure that he would not be harmed.

"You..."

Lan Qi didn't have time to react, because he really didn't feel any hostility, or the other party's strength was too strong for him, and his nerves weren't qualified to keep up with the other party's speed.

The moment he saw the other party's figure clearly, the wind howled in his ears. All the gravity seemed to disappear, his soles lost all contact with the ground, and the pressure of the air made him sure that he had been grabbed by the other party and taken to the high altitude of the imperial capital.

The emerald green light in Lan Qi's eyes drew a clear trajectory through the fog of the imperial capital Helrom. Clouds and mist quickly passed by his sides, bringing a cold, bone-chilling sensation.

Buildings, streets, vehicles, and crowds, all of these turned into blurry shadows in his eyes. Every detail was torn apart by the speed, leaving only a chaos of color and light.

The next second, everything began to accelerate. The cold wind almost prevented him from opening his eyes. This supersonic roller coaster-like view of the city-state from above was like shattered pieces of colored glass. In the deafening wind, Lan Qi's mind was filled with buzzing sounds, and the cold air made it difficult for him to breathe. Every breath felt like he was inhaling from an ice cellar.

His vision was about to become blurred, and his consciousness was gradually leaving him.

However, that hand still firmly grasped him, using a force similar to magical power to protect his whole body's balance, becoming his only fulcrum in this high-altitude world.

When his consciousness gradually blurred, preparing to fall into endless darkness, the speed suddenly slowed down.

Until he landed with Lan Qi, he was steadily placed on a flat ground. The intense impact slightly restored Lan Qi's consciousness.

"...!"

He covered his forehead, stabilized his swaying body, and realized that in just over ten seconds, he was already in a completely different place.

It was inside an ancient and magnificent building.

"If there's a next time, could you please not bring me over like this?"

Lan Qi put down his hand, shook his head, and the feeling of weakness in his body hadn't completely disappeared.

His heart was fine, and this tenfold acceleration roller coaster hadn't made him dizzy.

But he was suddenly kidnapped. Even though the other party seemed to have been as gentle as possible, the difference in their strength and physical fitness was obviously too great. If Lan Qi's rank was lower, he would probably be unconscious now.

The figure in the silver skirt armor who brought him here didn't pay attention to him and just walked to her main seat.

In this space, the tall door frames, exquisite carvings, and various mysterious objects and ancient paintings hanging on the walls looked like a private museum at a glance, presenting a profound and steady atmosphere. All of this told Lan Qi that this place gathered priceless collections from different regions and different eras.

The floor was paved with deep brown wood that had been baptized by time. Each plank was slightly worn, with different textures and colors, but they all carried a unique story, as if that was what made them unique in value.

In addition, the entire hall, which was hundreds of square meters, seemed particularly open. There was only the main seat, which resembled the only throne in this space, with all kinds of bottles and jars filling the space behind it, from amber-colored wine glasses to crystal-clear spirits. They all quietly waited for the moment to be chosen.

At this moment, Lan Qi's restored vision finally saw clearly the figure who had forcibly brought him here.

Xi De.

The attire on her body had changed.

Her figure was still tall and slender, her light-colored hair scattered behind her waist, and her pupils were like stars shining in the night sky, or like violets blooming in spring. The aura of an ambitious person on her body was as strong as a queen above this land—she was not satisfied with controlling what was in front of her, but wanted to conquer everything within her sight.

"Most of the time, I don't like to cooperate with others. Some people think I have a strong personality, like to interfere and provoke others, and can't cooperate with people. But I only know that I will never easily let go of anything that is beneficial to me."

She simply introduced herself. Her domineering and calm eyes were like a clear and bright water mirror in which a sharp sword that could pierce the opponent's heart was placed.

"What is your purpose in inviting me here?"

Lan Qi gave a slight imperial salute. Before judging Xi De's true identity and intentions, he didn't intend to say much.

There was nothing to be afraid of.

His life could be said to be in the other party's hands. If the other party had malicious intentions, his hope of successfully resisting with force was obviously zero.

Xi De was silent with her back to Lan Qi, slowly walking up to her throne.

After removing her disguise, she was a cold beauty who didn't seem to care much about Lan Qi's feelings, only caring about what she wanted.

What she used before was just disguise magic. Even the identity of Xi De was completely fabricated.

"You may not have heard of the name Sigrid."

Xi De stared down at Lan Qi with one hand on her chin, but she obviously admired Lan Qi's calmness and composure.

"But you must have heard of another name."

She tossed a sacred seal on her right thumb like a coin.

It left a brief silver glow in the air before falling back into her palm.

Even though it was only a fleeting moment, Lan Qi saw it clearly.

The center of the sacred seal was a silver moon crown, its light drawing out a new moon, as if all enemies would be turned into fragments and scattered on the edge of the crown, all the stars that were shattered weapon fragments, representing the failure of those resisters and that sad and pitiful fate.

He was very familiar with this style of sacred seal.

He had seen too many of them on the Batian priests in the Southwest Province.

The only difference was—

Xi De's sacred seal shone with an incomparably domineering and dazzling orange glow!

(End of this chapter)