Chapter 293: The First Move, the Slane Theocracy's Discovery
March 20th, Undercurrent Moon.
The "Colorless Serenity" Inn in Kalinxia.
The massive figure of the Ghoul Dog lay at Tang Zheng's feet, its tail wagging from time to time. Even while lying down, its head was still completely above the tabletop.
Its two black horns were exposed to the air, glinting with a cold light.
The atmosphere in the room was somewhat quiet.
Tang Zheng had one hand on the back of the Ghoul Dog's neck, gently rubbing its thick, dark fur. His other hand rested on his leg, his face pensive.
Across from Tang Zheng sat three figures.
Pavel, the 'Black' of the Holy Kingdom's Nine Colors; a golden-haired young man in light armor; and a priest wearing a water-blue holy seal.
"My apologies. While I know Warrior King Gagaran, we are not as familiar as you all imagine," Tang Zheng said, shaking his head and gently breaking the silence in the room.
"But according to rumor, Warrior King Gagaran's departure from the Empire has a great deal to do with you, Sir Tang."
The priest spoke, his hands crossed and resting flat on the table, his tone maintaining a trace of respect.
As a member of the Temple's "Cleric Corps," he had never been particularly fond of the Adventurer's Guild or adventurers. However, the man before him was not only powerful but also a cleric who believed in a god.
Faced with a powerful faith-based magic caster, the priest naturally had to show respect.
"This matter has been twisted by rumors, making it sound as if there's a hidden story."
Tang Zheng sounded a little helpless as he softly explained, "In reality, the whole thing isn't very complicated. Warrior King Gagaran initially joined the Empire's Arena to become stronger."
"It's just that the combat in the Arena could no longer make him any stronger. I mentioned to him that in the Abelion Hills, there exist powerful demi-humans known as the 'Ten Evils of the Demi-Humans.'"
"I just didn't expect that Warrior King Gagaran would actually leave the Empire. Because of this, I even ended up with a bounty on my head from His Majesty the Blood Emperor."
Tang Zheng sighed and complained, "He's really so petty."
At this remark, Pavel and the priest glanced at each other instinctively, offering no response.
His Majesty the Blood Emperor was, after all, the king of a country. As an adventurer, Tang Zheng could perhaps comment without much reservation.
But they represented the Holy Kingdom. For any reason, they could not carelessly comment on the king of another country. Not only would it be impolite, but it could even lead to serious diplomatic issues.
Beside them, the golden-haired young man suddenly clenched his fist, his voice suppressed and trembling with barely controlled emotion. "So that's the reason Warrior King Gagaran appeared in the Abelion Hills..."
"Roberts." Pavel placed a hand on Roberts's shoulder.
Tang Zheng looked at the three of them, a puzzled expression on his face.
"So, what exactly happened?"
"Is it related to Warrior King Gagaran?" Tang Zheng inquired.
"Tang, you have no idea how much trouble this Warrior King Gagaran has caused us."
Thinking about the recent events, a rare trace of anger appeared on Pavel's cool and steady face.
That news could be hidden from ordinary people, but not from him. He too was a member of the nobility, yet he felt fury and sorrow toward those fools who dared to conduct transactions with demi-humans!
Pavel felt an urge to crack open the heads of those pig-like fellows to see what on earth was inside their useless skulls.
"Regarding Warrior King Gagaran, there is one more thing I must ask," the priest said suddenly, interrupting Pavel with a serious tone.
Tang Zheng's eyes flickered.
It seemed that 'Black' Pavel, despite having the highest status among the three, was not the one in charge. Instead, it was this priest.
"One of Kelart's people?"
The thought flashed through Tang Zheng's mind, but his expression remained unchanged as he nodded.
The priest was using a mix of truth and falsehood in his questioning, clearly intending to conceal some information, especially regarding the situation in the Abelion Hills.
Tang Zheng naturally pretended not to know. After a moment of thought, he said, "From what I understand, Gagaran's personality is indeed one that would lead him to take such actions."
"Although he is a demi-human, he is a warrior with a noble spirit. Of that, I am quite certain."
Speaking to this point, Tang Zheng looked at the priest across from him. "Of course, there is another possibility."
"What is it?" The priest's spirits lifted.
"He did it on purpose," Tang Zheng replied.
Pavel and the priest glanced at each other again, their expressions growing more solemn. This matched their own speculations.
The situation in the Abelion Hills might be far more complex than they had originally anticipated.
"Sir Tang, I know you have many questions, which is why we would like to invite you..." the priest said, looking at Tang Zheng eagerly.
According to Lord Kelart's wishes, if Warrior King Gagaran had indeed let Roberts go on purpose, then he must be trying to send them some kind of message.
They needed to get in contact with Warrior King Gagaran as soon as possible to further ascertain the situation in the Abelion Hills.
The threat of the united demi-human races was simply too great!
"I refuse," Tang Zheng said directly to the priest.
The priest's expression stiffened.
Pavel, however, was not surprised. He glanced at the priest from the corner of his sharp, narrow eyes and thought to himself, "Too hasty."
"I don't mind providing you with some information."
"But the three of you should not forget that I am an adventurer. I have no interest in participating in any of your Holy Kingdom's schemes."
Tang Zheng's hand, which had been stroking the Ghoul Dog, paused as he spoke earnestly. "Of course, if you require assistance from us, 'Free Will,' then please submit a quest at the Adventurer's Guild first."
These words made the priest feel a little ashamed, realizing the impropriety of his earlier words.
"I will report this to my superiors," Pavel said promptly, his attitude extremely serious.
'Free Will' was no ordinary adventurer team. Although their current rating was "Gold Rank," all available information indicated that this was a team with "Adamantite Rank" strength.
It could be considered a "national-level" force, more than worthy of being proof of a nation's underlying power.
To think they could enlist the help of such an adventurer team with just a few words was not only looking down on them but also a form of ignorance.
"I personally apologize to you, Sir Tang," the priest said, standing up and bowing.
A short while later, Pavel and the other two departed.
"I didn't expect it to be so soon. Is the Holy Kingdom already planning a second entry into the hills?" Tang Zheng mused thoughtfully.
This time, their objective was clearly much more defined.
Tang Zheng picked up a book from the table titled "The Annals of the Holy Kingdom of Roble" and began to flip through it. It recorded some of the Holy Kingdom's history, anecdotes, and legends, which would help him better understand the country.
Currently, the grain trade between the hills and the Holy Kingdom had been completely severed. Holy Princess Calca and the Temple had acted with lightning speed, and Tang Zheng had witnessed a "crackdown" firsthand.
A large number of nobles were "invited" to the holy capital. Aside from a portion of resisting nobles who were dealt with by the Holy Knight Order, most did not face any life-threatening danger.
But this did not mean forgiveness.
On the contrary, this group of nobles was entirely stripped of their noble titles, something more painful to them than death.
Not only that!
According to the information collected by the Green Leaf Witch, despite such a major event, there was no turmoil at the noble level, nor did any rumors of "nobles trading with demi-humans" circulate among the common people.
"They only dealt with nobles up to the rank of Count to stabilize the situation. Given the Holy Kingdom's national circumstances, all factions would do their utmost to prevent news of 'trading with demi-humans' from spreading, otherwise it would surely cause nationwide turmoil."
Tang Zheng flipped through the book in his hands, a thoughtful look on his face. "The territories left behind by those nobles who were stripped of their titles not only strengthen the power of the Royal Family but are also a juicy piece of meat laid out on the table."
After this incident, Tang Zheng suddenly realized that all the previously unfavorable circumstances were now developing in a direction beneficial to Holy Princess Calca.
Such ruthless methods.
They were likely the work of her confidante and advisor, Kelart, the High Priest of the Holy Kingdom's Temple.
Faced with the cessation of the grain trade, Tang Zheng's expression was relaxed, showing no worry at all. This was entirely within his expectations; in fact, it had lasted longer than he initially predicted.
The entire "grain transaction" had been ongoing for two months, from late January to the present, late March.
The massive influx from both the Northern Holy Kingdom and the Southern Holy Kingdom had allowed Tang Zheng to accumulate a vast store of food.
The quantity was so large it was somewhat incalculable.
In short, it was more than enough to easily carry out the "Breeding Plan" in both the Touv Great Forest and the Abelion Hills.
"The only things I have on hand that can truly be called 'resources' are the 10th-tier blank scrolls. I've already saved up 65 of them."
Tang Zheng sighed softly as he thought about the items he possessed that could truly be effective.
He crafted these 10th-tier magic scrolls one by one, using his 'Papermaking' magic ten times a day.
At the same time, on the other side.
While the Holy Kingdom was reeling from the complex situation in the Abelion Hills, the Slane Theocracy, situated to the east and bordering the hills, had also discovered the abnormality in the region.
In the deepest part of the Theocracy.
In a sacred and holy room where six divine statues were enshrined.
Six figures, all of varying ages but over forty years old, were holding various cleaning tools, tidying up a room that was already spotless and free of even a speck of dust.
Each person's expression was solemn as they went about their cleaning tasks. There was not a single sound of conversation in the room, only the faint sounds of breathing and cleaning.
All of them wore tall hats and nearly identical priest robes, though the colors of the embellishments on their clothing differed slightly.
The identities of these six individuals were far from simple.
Red corresponded to the Cardinal of Fire—Benice Nagaya Santini.
Azure corresponded to the Cardinal of Water—Sinedine Delan Guelfi.
Green corresponded to the Cardinal of Wind—Dominic Ile Baidos.
Brown represented the Cardinal of Earth—Raymond Zagou Laurentsen.
White represented the Cardinal of Light—Iwon Gassner Delacroix.
And the last, the Cardinal of Dark—Maximilian Oreo Raguyer.
The Slane Theocracy, unlike other human nations, was a country with an extremely strong religious atmosphere. The one most similar to it was the Holy Kingdom.
However, even the Holy Kingdom had the "Holy King" at its apex, ruling in cooperation with the Temple's faction. It was not like the Slane Theocracy, which was governed entirely through a religious structure.
Because of this, the political power structure was not complicated. The highest position was held by the Supreme Cardinal and the six Cardinals.
Below them were the Three Institutional Directors (Judicial, Legislative, Administrative) and the six Shrine Maiden Princesses.
For the six most esteemed individuals in the country to personally perform cleaning duties would be considered unbelievable in any other nation. Such a trivial matter could easily be left to servants.
Each of the six Cardinals cleaned the room with extremely clean and efficient movements. With their abilities, they could have used first-tier 'Clean' magic to tidy the entire room.
But no one would do so, as it would be blasphemy against the gods.
It took a considerable amount of time before the cleaning was finally complete.
"Praise be to the gods!"
The six Cardinals bowed in unison toward the statues, lowering their heads deeply. They waited for a moment before slowly straightening up.
Together, they moved to the round table in the room and slowly took their seats. One chair remained empty—it was the Supreme Cardinal's seat. The topic of today's meeting did not require the Supreme Cardinal's presence.
"Let the meeting begin."
The Cardinal of Wind, Dominic, was the first to speak. He was serving as the moderator for today's meeting.
He was an elderly man with a gentle appearance. He had once been a member of the "Sunlight Scripture." Looking at his current image, no one would ever imagine that he had once annihilated countless members of non-human races.
An unknown number of demi-humans and heteromorphic races had died at his hands.
As a staunch follower of the "Human Supremacy" doctrine, eliminating all non-human races from the world was the lifelong pursuit of Dominic, the Cardinal of Wind.
"According to an unexpected discovery by Stargazer Far-Sight, it seems an unforeseen anomaly has occurred in the Abelion Hills."
The moment the words "Abelion Hills" were mentioned, Dominic's mellow image vanished, and his tone was filled with aggression.
The numerous non-humans in the hills were right there, yet they had never been eliminated. He had long been infuriated by this.
If the previous Cardinals had not forbidden any major actions, he would have long since led the "Sunlight Scripture" to charge into the Abelion Hills.
"An anomaly? What has happened?" asked Benise, the Cardinal of Fire.
She was the only woman among the six Cardinals. Her figure gave a sense of roundness, her face was very kind, and her entire being exuded a calming feeling.
The hills are home to numerous powerful demi-human tribes, and the 'Ten Evils of the Demi-Humans' are demi-human champions who have reached the Heroic Realm.
This was a force that even the Slane Theocracy had to treat with serious caution. In the eyes of the Cardinals, it was enough to keep the hills in a state of chaos.
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