Chapter 332

Ryan didn't speak, but Adele gestured with her hand, adopting a bossy tone. "Lin Qi, sit down. Don't rush, have a cup of tea first."

Lin Qi glanced at the black tea, unmoved.

She threw up from drinking this stuff back in Augustus. As Saintess, she always used Heberian black tea when discussing matters with Vainay or when invited by others.

Oh, Heberia is located in the Augustus Empire, and its tea industry is also very famous within the empire.

"It seems Sylvia's madness is really giving Kars a headache. In a way, that woman is terrifying. Fortunately, she doesn't know the truth, otherwise I feel the Primal Church would be doomed."

Ryan smiled and took a sip of tea, seemingly unconcerned about Karl's request.

Cardinal Bishop faction fights the Pope Faction, it's like dogs fighting; either way, it doesn't matter.

Of course, Karls has no chance of winning. Although Sylvia hasn't been involved much lately, she has too many loyal followers and is very strong. Ryan doesn't know what Karls can possibly use to win.

The main reason the other party agreed to eliminate the Pope's people was because of their cooperative relationship with Ryan. With the Primal Church having been lurking for thousands of years and the help of the witch, theoretically, dealing with Sylvia shouldn't be difficult.

Well, that's in theory.

The fact is, Ryan has already decided to cooperate with Sylvia.

"Aren't we going to leave him alone?" Lin Qi asked.

"You mean... Sylvia left Helen and Lista in Port of Misi. She left enough power to try to overthrow the Church from within. I'm busy dealing with these threats. Once I've dealt with them, I'll send people over to support him and help him hold on."

After saying that, Ryan added, "When the Primal Church officially declares war on Sylvia, everyone will see just how terrifying their world-destroying power is, given that witches from the previous era existed in the past."

Lin Qi pondered for a moment, feeling that Ryan's words were a bit too long. In summary, it was 'Busy, wait, hold on, reinforcements will arrive soon'.

"By the way, you don't need to make a special trip for this matter afterward."

Ryan felt that nothing was more important than Lin Qi staying up all night to level up.

Lin Qi didn't drink the tea; Lin Qi continued leveling up.

Two days later, news came from the Kingdom of Oen that Grand Duke Magana had arrived at the city gates, standing with her hands on her hips, looking down on all the enemies, which frightened the Orn royal family into bowing down and submitting.

The outcome of the war was no surprise. After Shally conveyed the message of contact with the Blood Cult, they abandoned their support for the Kingdom of Oen. Currently, people from the Temple of War have made contact and arranged to meet Shally in three days.

With the Blood Cult giving up, the surrounding nations that had initially agreed to deal with the Primal Church immediately collapsed and fled. They were already struggling to take down the Iron Blood Legion, and now even the Kingdom of Oen on the front lines had raised the white flag. What was the point of their continued fighting?

However, the sudden betrayal of the Blood Cult has alerted other churches. The Holy Blood Army has been attacking for so long that some people have already investigated Shally's situation. Now that the Augustus Empire is playing mahjong in the Southern Continent, their relationship with the Primal Church is really hard to fathom.

If you're unsure, you won't dare to act rashly, since the Gate of Janus is ostensibly on the side of the Primal Church.

Then all sorts of conspiracy theories started to emerge.

Some say this is a tactic used by the Augustus Empire to invade the Southern Continent, and that the so-called Primal Church is merely a tool secretly supported by the Empire. They also claim that the Empire has a vested interest relationship with the Gate of Janus and intends to divide up the Southern Continent.

Evidence? Didn't you see the Saintess already revealed herself in Port of Misi?

It's no secret that the Saintess comes from the Augustus Empire, so it's perfectly reasonable for her to help her own homeland, right?

To be honest, this argument does hold water. After all, the Gate of Janus has always wanted to open up the 'market' in the Southern Continent, but unfortunately, it has been resisted by the major churches and has not been able to find an opportunity.

However, some people think that the Augustus Empire is not capable enough. The Primal Church's reputation for easily defeating the seventh-tier witch K has long been known within various churches. What merit does the Augustus Empire have?

Ryan remained silent about these rumors, focusing solely on his offensive.

With the Kingdom of Oen captured and the logistics troops in place, Elvian and Sesia, these two Seventh Tier Transcendent, proved to be quite reliable. With them around, Ryan had nothing to worry about.

Next, all that's needed is for the situation within the two kingdoms to stabilize. During this time, Shally will contact the Temple of War to see if she can obtain information about the Blood God.

Besides that, there's the Arcadia Empire. Kachina has already sent a magical letter to inquire about the situation there. Ryan needs to find a suitable time to confront the Empress.

Hmm, I shouldn't get beaten up, right?

However, before considering going to Arcadia, Ryan still needs to take care of one thing.

Previously, the witch K was asked to take Shana back to the Augustus Empire to receive the profession inheritance of the Son of the Sun. However, for some reason, the ritual, which had always been controlled by the Holy Burning Covenant, suddenly went wrong. The Sacred Object of the profession inheritance, the 'Sun Emblem,' lost its former glory, and no matter how much the Singer prayed, there was no response.

Witch K stayed behind these past two days to observe the situation and find the reason for the problem with the Sun Emblem. While tracing the source of the Sun Emblem's power, she glimpsed a certain being, and then flames burst into flames on her body, almost burning her to a crisp.

So Ryan decided to go and take a look.

With Witch K absent, he can only use the Janus Ritual for spatial teleportation.

Although he was a little apprehensive, his strength had greatly increased, and he now possessed the power of two more marks than before, so he felt both apprehensive and inexplicably courageous.

And then... nothing happened.

Ryan was constantly on guard that a tentacle would reach out from the Chaos Space and pull him into a room, but desire did not make a move on him until he successfully arrived in Augustus.

This puzzled Ryan.

Has his charm diminished, or has his desire waned?

"Perhaps He only intervenes a limited number of times... Hmm, last time He killed Barton outright, he might have been weakened himself, after all, he was sealed away. Praise be to the God of Desire, He is truly great."

He silently recited a phrase to himself. When Ryan arrived at the imperial city of the Augustus Empire, he didn't rush to see Vainay and Ina. Instead, he went to find the witch K and Shana, who were also in the castle.

"Are you injured?"

Upon first seeing Witch K, Ryan sensed that her aura was noticeably weak.

"It's just a minor injury; it'll heal in a few days," Witch K waved her hand dismissively. "However, the badge is a bit unusual. I suggest taking it back and trying it out using the Balshatt ritual."

"Don't rush, tell me exactly what happened."

Witch K nodded and recounted what she had experienced.

She has lived for over a thousand years and has mastered many strange magical rituals, including but not limited to those related to her profession. One of these rituals can help her trace the source of power or objects.

She used the ritual on the Sun Emblem, and then her consciousness was pulled into a distorted space-time.

There, she witnessed a group of pilgrims and a battle in which a woman with Angel Wings fought against a black object descending from the sky, the battle scene devastating the heavens and the earth.

The witch K had seen such a scene before, and she immediately recognized it as a moment in the War of the Gods. The woman with the holy sword was naturally the Sun God, and her enemy came from the dark chaos.

"Pilgrims? Sun God?"

Ryan's expression was somewhat strange.

And there's that bird woman with Angel Wings... Why does this scene look so familiar?

Isn't this the scene he saw during his awakening ceremony?

To be honest, Ryan found it strange at the time. He obtained the Sword of Order when he awakened, but it also seemed to have been thrown by the Sun God.

"Could there be some special meaning in that place? Could it be the Sun God?" Ryan looked at Witch K, who had previously confirmed the location of the Sun God, which was not in the same place as the one in the picture.

Witch K pondered, "If the original temple was destroyed, it's possible it was moved to another location. After all, the Sun God we discovered was only used to seal the fragments."

Ryan agreed that it made sense.

"Then what?"

"Then... I was affected by the battle." Witch K let out a soft sigh, a hint of undisguised apprehension in her eyes. "I felt that the power burning me didn't come from the Sun God, but from the abyss, from the bottomless depths of chaos."

Ryan frowned but didn't speak; he roughly understood what was going on.

The chaotic power from beyond the world erupted completely during the War of the Gods, and the righteous gods must have been trying to seal that being.

That's truly terrifying. If Janus's situation isn't an isolated case, doesn't that mean all the true gods are trying to suppress the same power? And in this process, the Four Gods have also been severely affected.

No wonder even the creator could mess things up... Speaking of which, where was I? What happened?

"K, can your ritual be used on other people?" Ryan asked.

Witch K was taken aback. "You don't want to go into that dimension, do you?"

"Hmm, let's give it a try."

"No! You'll die!" Witch K's expression turned serious. "That's a battle you absolutely cannot participate in. Even Eighth Tier Supernatural Being would have a hard time escaping unscathed. You'll die in there!"

"Don't worry, I'm confident."

He survived the awakening ceremony and now has a way to save his life; strictly speaking, he might be even more durable than Witch K.

Of course, another reason Ryan decided to try it was that the ritual could not completely recreate the old scene, even if the time and space were correct, so its power could not reach the level of a true god.

He also wanted to try and see if he could get some information from the Sun God, since it was currently his only way to find the Sun God.

"Then I'll go with you."

Seeing Ryan's insistence, Witch K suggested that they go together. With her there, she could ensure that they would both be safe in a critical moment... well, at least safe enough not to die.

"You are the one chosen by Balshatt, and I will protect you no matter what," the witch K said slowly, her deep eyes filled with a bewildered weariness. "I have waited a thousand years, and I don't want to wait another thousand."

"... OK."

Ryan opened his mouth. He couldn't understand Witch K's feelings, but he could feel the weight of this 'mission'. Immortality is not always a blessing. For Witch K, everyone she knew was long gone, leaving her alone to guard a silent, empty tower and a mission that she didn't know when it would arrive.

Humans aren't gods, after all.

Gods' longevity comes after a transformation in their level of existence. Their perception of time is fundamentally different from that of humans. What is a hundred years in the eyes of mortals may be a very short time for gods.

Because of this difference in feelings, the wear and tear that time causes on the spirit and memory also varies. Although Witch K is very powerful, she is still human at heart. So it is normal that she has lived for more than a thousand years and has been feeling empty and lonely most of the time.

If he regains his power, Ryan will consider bestowing the power of the god Witch K upon her. However, this is contingent on not affecting the stability of the Rhea Continent. Because the Faith Path is fixed, adding another Path God would likely impact the stability of the world.

After all, the birth of each new god often brings about comprehensive changes to the world, a phenomenon also recorded in a certain Hammer world.

However, things like Race God are no problem... Damn, thinking about that now is a bit too far ahead. I'm just a seventh-tier little Karami.

After confirming their plans, the two went together to the headquarters of the Burning Covenant. Jonathan was not there, but the management of Fire had actually been handed over to Ryan.

The journey was smooth without any obstacles. The person in charge of receiving Ryan was a veteran of the Fire Chaser, Barnes, Sixth Tier Supernatural Being, and one of Jonathan's most trusted people.

"... Ryan, it's so good to see you back. We were all so worried about the Sun Emblem." Barnes was a middle-aged man who looked to be around fifty years old. He was wearing a black plaid coat, a top hat, and carrying a silver-inlaid cane—a typical gentleman's attire.

Judging from his appearance, he must have just returned from outside... no, he must have just arrived at the base. Every member of the Fire Chaser has an official identity, and gentlemen like Barnes are not uncommon in the organization.

Well, gentlemen like Jonathan are rare.

After all, while there are many perverts, there are few hardcore perverts.

"When did the Sun Emblem lose its effect? Are there any obvious characteristics?" Ryan asked.

"That's uncertain," Barnes sighed. "As you know, the selection process for the Burning Covenant has become even more rigorous. There are already very few people who can undergo the ritual, and the timing of its use is not fixed. We usually take turns guarding the Sacred Object and don't actively approach it."

Ryan nodded. "I understand."

As they spoke, the three arrived inside the stronghold. They walked through an underground passage and down a narrow, dimly lit spiral staircase to reach the underground space. The first thing they saw was a straight passage with burning wall lamps hanging on both sides.

It was quiet, empty, and had a strange sense of oppression. People who weren't familiar with the area would probably feel very uneasy.

After crossing an intersection and walking to the end, Ryan came across a large, dark bronze door with two iron rings fastened to it. The area along the door was engraved with specific array patterns. Barnes walked up to the door and knocked three times. Suddenly, the patterns on the bronze door lit up.

Click click click~

The dull sound of the door opening slowly rang out.

"The vault of relics is guarded on a rotating basis, and it can only be opened from the inside," Barnes explained, gesturing for the others to enter.

Witch K leaned closer and whispered, "Actually, it's not very useful. I already went inside and checked, and no one noticed. But it's all low-level relics, so I didn't touch them."

Ryan thought to himself, "Grandma, you actually went in to look? The Burning Covenant has only been established for a few years, how many years have you lived? Can you even compare?"

Barnes seemed to have heard what Witch K said, and the corner of his mouth twitched violently, but he lowered his head and said nothing.

Although he couldn't discern the level of the witch K's power, his intuition told him that he would surely die if he faced her.

"Elder Barnes."

After entering the bronze gate, the guard inside saluted Barnes.

"Aut, what's the situation with the Sacred Object?" Barnes asked.

"No, everything is normal, even a little too normal..." Aut gave a wry smile, "Too normal, it doesn't react at all."

Barnes sighed softly, then turned to introduce, "This is Ryan."

"I know, Lord Jonathan specifically instructed me to do so."

Aut is a bishop of the Burning Covenant and is also at the Sixth Tier, but he is considerably weaker than Barnes.

After briefly understanding the situation, Ryan went inside.

This is where the relics are sealed. Each relic is given a different number according to its power and level of danger. The numbering sequence is arranged according to 'path + rank + level of danger'. Each relic is sealed in a room, which at first glance looks a bit like an underground prison.

However, Ryan feels it's more like S|CP, because relics not only have the power to enhance but also have strong side effects, which is why some Supernatural Being are particularly careful when carrying and using relics.

Generally, items carried with you are not of high level and have low effectiveness.

Some relics are powerful, but they also have significant side effects, so Ryan rarely uses them himself... Well, the most powerful relic he's ever used is the necklace given to him by the God of Desire, but that doesn't count.