Chapter 100

To be honest, a ceasefire would be beneficial to me. But I'm afraid the Old Emperor is two-faced, and he'll definitely find a way to deal with me later.

"Speaking of the Princess, Caslathdi... how has she been lately?" 'Lin Qi' suddenly asked.

"The Princess is fine, but I miss the days when we were in Berman City."

"I miss it very much, but unfortunately I need to return to St. Gero City immediately after I finish dealing with things here."

"Oh, that's a pity. Her Highness the Princess mentioned to me before that you and I are the only two friends she has in Berman City... It's an honor to be considered a friend by Her Highness."

"That's because you're good enough, Ryan." Lin Qi's lips curled into a slight smile. "If Caslathdi is willing, you can go to St. Gero City with her to find me."

"Huh? Is that okay?"

"Of course, I would be very happy to welcome her. You can tell her that I have just become Saintess and I have some things that require me to stay at the Gate of Janus. I would be very happy if she is willing to come."

"That's wonderful, Lin Qi! I will definitely tell the Princess!"

"Hey! Are you done talking? I'm still here!" Magana shouted. I'm still here! I'm still here!

"Uh, Your Grand Duke, I'm sorry, Miss Lin Qi and I just couldn't help but exchange a few more words because we felt a mutual admiration for each other," Ryan chuckled. "But I think what we've considered is still fine."

"Snort!"

Magana was very displeased. She glanced at Lin Qi and said indifferently, "We'll talk about this later. I have other things to do."

After saying that, he turned and left.

"Ah, Lin Qi, I have to go now, see you later!"

Ryan said goodbye to 'Lin Qi' and then followed Magana was striding ahead.

Although it was a long stride, Ryan's stride was equivalent to two of theirs, and he quickly caught up.

"My Grand Duke, why did you leave? What a great opportunity! With the Gate of Janus mediating, you could save face, and the Western Territory could get a respite, right?"

"Hmph! I'm not happy, so what? Is that not allowed?" Magana was in a bad mood.

"Why are you unhappy?"

"It's that Saintess again, acting all high and mighty, like the Western Territory can't survive without Gate of Janus's help. She's doing me a favor. Do I need her help?"

Ryan thought to herself, "Why is she acting so high and mighty? It's none of her business anyway."

"If you had spared Elvin's life back then, you wouldn't be in such a predicament now."

"I was still...me!" Magana stopped, looking at Ryan with suspicion. "Wait a minute, Ryan, why are you siding with outsiders and criticizing me? How dare you!"

Ryan shrugged. "I'm just speaking up for Miss Lin Qi, and from a broader perspective, we do need her help, don't we?"

Magana wasn't stupid; of course she knew that. But she was annoyed to see Ryan and 'Lin Qi' working together, even though she was Ryan's boss.

"You don't understand, Your Grand Duke," Ryan sighed. "I have good intentions. I want to maintain my friendship with Saintess Lin Qi. Maybe there will be a time when I need the Gate of Janus to help me."

Magana was taken aback. "So that's how it is?"

"Of course, I took the opportunity to mention St. Gero City this time. If Caslathdi can also build this relationship, then at least she can share some of our hatred in the future. Otherwise, that Princess is really too pitiful, she can't even be considered a competitor."

"... That's true. In that case, shouldn't I give that Saintess some face?"

Magana pondered for a moment, and it turned out that things were just as Ryan had said. She would definitely not be willing to swallow her pride and negotiate peace with the Empire. It would be best if the Gate of Janus could intervene.

If the Western Territory remains like this, it should be able to recover its strength in two or three years.

And in two or three years... that old man in the Imperial Capital should be kicking his boots by now.

If she endures for two or three years, she can launch a counterattack on the Imperial Capital, and the emperor's position will be hers.

Most importantly, judging from what just happened, the Saintess and Ryan seem to have a pretty good relationship.

Could the Saintess have fallen for Ryan? Well, my Grand Duke are just that outstanding.

"I'm sorry, Ryan, I misunderstood you. Keep up the good work!"

Magana couldn't help but smile. What a pity, whether Princess or Saintess, Ryan was always loyal to the Grand Duke.

Does Ryan want Caslathdi to develop her influence in St. Gero City? Of course not!

He just wanted an excuse to go to the Gate of Janus.

If that thing in the Inner World of Janus Divine Site is really related to me, I'll definitely have to go there.

But as the mayor of Berman City, it's understandable that he might wander around within the territory of Augustus, but surely he must have a reason for going to the Gate of Janus? To become someone's son-in-law? It wouldn't be impossible for him to rush over and shout "Lin Qi's wife," but I'm afraid he'd be beaten to death by the ascetics.

So Ryan simply pulled a fast one right in front of Magana, and it just so happened that he could indeed use Janus as a connection... "Your Holiness, I am the Saintess's good friend, and I am completely loyal to our church!"

Magana was a woman of action. The day after she made her statement, she met with Lin Qi in public and summoned the high-ranking members of the Iron Blood Army to discuss matters with the Gate of Janus, represented by Lin Qi.

Ryan, as a 'third party,' witnessed this historic moment.

Inside the meeting hall of Childe City.

Magana sat at the head of the conference table, with Macaos, Everson and others on her left, and 'Lin Qi' and several paladins on her right.

As one of the two main forces of Gate of Janus, the strength of the Paladins is obvious to all. Magana doesn't know how they were trained, but in a one-on-one fight, she is not confident that the Iron Blood Army can defeat the Paladins.

The meeting began.

After a few casual words, Magana asked Lin Qi to explain his purpose. Lin Qi naturally proposed that the Gate of Janus hoped that the Augustus Empire would temporarily stop its civil war and work together to fight against the Outer Gods.

"The power of war has already spread throughout the Augustus Empire. If left unchecked, it will destroy the empire sooner or later, and the power of the Blood God Doklodus will become even stronger. Breaking through the Chaos Space and descending into the mortal world, His power will bring devastation to the human world."

As expected of Nun, Lin Qi could effortlessly spout propaganda to God. The Gate of Janus was most accustomed to viewing problems from a human perspective and then demonstrating its own righteousness.

Magana, of course, wasn't buying it. She was someone who had crawled out of the war, though she eventually became Chosen of the Gods of death.

The effects of war are invisible; you can't stop it just because you want to. What is Gate of Janus up to? She knew very well that the Grand Duke wasn't stupid; Grand Duke was just too lazy to think about it.

Over the years, the Gate of Janus has played a significant role as a mediator, and various factions on the Rhea Continent seem to have gradually become accustomed to turning to the Gate of Janus for help when faced with irreconcilable conflicts.

This religious force, which originally aimed to promote the Janus faith, is gradually developing into a dominant force on the mainland.

Otherwise, the expansion of Gate of Janus over the years wouldn't have been so smooth.

Cooperation is possible, with each party getting what they need, but Magana decided to resolve the issue in the Western Territory.

"Only the victor has the right to offer opinions." She stared thoughtfully at 'Lin Qi,' thinking, "Trying to take advantage of me, the Grand Duke, will teach you a lesson."

"Your Grand Duke!" Everson stood up and said casually, "I've heard that this Saintess is a genius that the Gate of Janus sees only once in a hundred years. I'd like to ask her for some advice and see if she's really that amazing!"

After saying that, he picked up the two large iron balls and banged them twice. Just that kind of momentum was enough to scare many people to death.

Ryan remembered that Everson was Fourth Tier Supernatural Being, Son of the Sun, with extremely strong power, the type who could overcome all laws with sheer force.

He's tough and resilient, much better Jonathan, his old boss.

"Lord Everson, the Saintess's training is still in its early stages and she is not yet ready to fight you," a paladin said in a deep voice.

"Huh? So they're scared?" Everson grinned at Magana. "Grand Duke, they're scared."

"Alright, let's have a fight." Lin Qi said calmly, "If I lose, we will no longer interfere in Augustus's affairs, but if I win..."

Magana readily agreed, "Then we'll do as you say!"

The duel has begun!

Ryan hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Although he was confident in 'Lin Qi', this was, after all, a battle across ranks, and the Son of the Sun was very strong, definitely not someone to be trifled with.

"Lin Qi is currently level 37. I wonder what level Everson is." After becoming Saintess, 'Lin Qi' participated in the ritual. Janus's power boosted her several levels at once, and she also gained an extra skill.

Janus's Blessing

[Active Effect: Grants immunity to all mental spell attacks for 20 seconds. Cooldown: 24 hours.]

[Passive Effect: All Janus Path receive a 15% bonus to their damage.]

This skill is similar in nature to the Blood God's Blessing that 'Shally' learned. Although the damage is reduced by half, it increases immunity to mental attacks, which is perfect for countering mental classes that are good at long-range attacks. After all, the range of the Mana Seal Domain is limited, so even if they don't get close, they can still attack.

As for the Blood Knight, the Blood God class, those who know, know; explosive stats are the only aesthetic.

In fact, with the Silent Nun's career growth and the added boost from her professional skills, fighting across ranks is really not a problem.

Soon, Lin Qi and Everson stood facing each other in an open space inside the castle. Ryan and the others stood outside the area. He stroked his chin, calculating in his mind how likely Lin Qi was to win.

"Holy crap... wait!"

Suddenly I remembered something.

Wait, wait, wait!

Just as Ryan was about to call a halt to the duel, Everson roared and charged forward, raising the iron ball high and slamming it down!

Boom!

The immense force slammed into the ground, creating a large crater. 'Lin Qi' leaped backward, and in mid-air, the demonic spirit flew out from her body, delivering a powerful punch to Iverson.

Euler!

Bang!

Thump thump thump.

Everson took two steps back, looked surprised for a moment, and then grinned. "Hehe, it doesn't hurt."

The next second, 'Lin Qi' transformed into black mist and rushed forward, her Cross Sword -shaped sword stabbing towards Everson at incredible speed. Iverson hurriedly swung his iron ball to counterattack, but before the iron ball could even touch 'Lin Qi', she transformed into black mist again and circled behind Everson, stabbing his kidney with her sword.

Everson couldn't dodge in time. He roared and a golden shield formed on his body to block the Cross Sword— swoosh! But the sword tip still pierced the shield, though it didn't completely penetrate.

It hurts, it hurts so much!

Everson was shocked. He turned around and used the iron ball to force 'Lin Qi' back. His big, round eyes widened as he shouted, "Your Grand Duke! This is not fair! You actually gave her that sword! How am I supposed to fight now!"

No wonder his Magic Power shield was pierced; it turns out 'Lin Qi' was wielding the Sword of Death! He'd seen Magana use that sword before; once she got her hands on it, it was like chopping vegetables—one kill after another!

Everson felt wronged. "You, Grand Duke, this is unfair! You were the one who told me to fight her, so why are you helping her fight me?"

Outside the venue, Magana remained silent, her expression blank.

The others didn't know what was happening either; they only saw 'Lin Qi' continue to attack Everson. Her strange movement skills, combined with the demon spirit's attacks, were like a ghost. Everson's huge physique and strength couldn't exert any advantage at all.

Meanwhile, Ryan was sweating profusely in the crowd.

What should I do? The Grand Duke seems to be watching me. I forgot to tell Lin Qi to change her weapon. Brothers, what should I do? I'm waiting for your help online, it's urgent!!

Ryan didn't know how the duel ended; in any case, when he snapped out of his fantasy of being assassinated by the Grand Duke, Everson was already lying on the ground groaning in pain.

Without a doubt, this contest between the Son of the Sun and the Silent Nun ended with the latter's complete victory.

There was no way around it; this was truly a case of professional counterplay. Moreover, the Sword of Death in 'Lin Qi's' hand was a Tier 3 Legendary weapon. Everson couldn't keep up with the speed and could only rely on defense to withstand the attacks before he could find an opportunity to counterattack. But even his defense couldn't hold out. What was the point of fighting then?

"Alright, you inconsiderate thing, stop howling here and get out of here right now!" Magana waved her hand coldly, ordering people to carry Everson away for treatment. Then she said, "The match is over, Saintess, you have won. Let's talk about the ceasefire later... Lord Ryan, come with me, I have something important to tell you."

"... Uh, Your Grand Duke, I need to pee."

"It's okay, it's normal to feel pain."

"???"

I said I needed to pee, what kind of nonsense is this, it hurts?!

Half an hour later, Ryan finally managed to get away with the fact that 'Lin Qi' was holding the Sword of Death —there was no reason given, only loyalty!

Legion Commander Everson is Fourth Tier Supernatural Being. How can he win without giving 'Lin Qi' some special training, right? If he really loses, wouldn't the situation in the Western Territory be troublesome? So, Your Grand Duke, I have good intentions.

Huh? Of course I'd return it after using it. How could I possibly give a gift from the Grand Duke to another woman?

You wait, I'll ask her for it back right now.

What about Everson? No problem, Gruk will treat him to a nice meal later.

All in all, it was a close call, and Ryan's legs were weak when he walked out of the room.

Damn it, if anyone dares to say anything bad about the Grand Duke again, I'll fight them!

However, the outcome was positive. Magana fulfilled her promise and entrusted the issue between the Western Territory and the Empire to Gate of Janus.

This matter naturally cannot be resolved so quickly. Even if an agreement can be reached, both sides will drag it out for the sake of face. Ryan is unsure what the Old Emperor is thinking, but he thinks the other party will most likely agree. Because the Western Territory is in chaos but cannot rebel. In the past, only the Western Barbarians could not suppress the Grand Duke's ambition, but now the Second Prince's faction wished they could skin Magana alive.

Anyway, it will probably take a long time for the Iron Blood Legion to recover from this wave.

However, the price to pay for eradicating Magana's power is something the Augustus Empire can hardly afford at present.

The Old Emperor played a brilliant move, but Ryan couldn't understand why he had to let the Second Prince suffer such a huge setback. Of all the heirs, the Second Prince was indeed the most suitable.

However, this matter is none of his concern. Instead of trying to figure out what the Old Emperor is thinking, he should think about the pair of eyes behind him— the Grand Duke's gaze is like a thorn in his back. 'Lin Qi,' let's keep our distance for now. I'm afraid the Grand Duke will misunderstand.