Contestants
Fog Sea.
Luther continued flying towards Aroca Island. Along the way, he encountered several Intis warships. These ships, like the one he had Oldest One seen, were encased in a transparent membrane, and were staffed with clergy who seemed to be observing something.
These clergy members, dressed in white priestly robes, appear to be members of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, judging from their attire.
The worship of the Seven Gods in the Northern Continent is not evenly distributed; each of the major powers has its own representative Church. In Loen, the Church of the Evernight Goddess, the Church of Storms, and the Church of Steam are the main ones; while in Feysac to the north, only the God of Combat is worshipped.
In addition, there were countries such as Feynapotter, which worshipped the Earth Mother Goddess, Lenburg, Masin, Segar, which worshipped the God of Wisdom.
As for the Intis Republic, it has two main religions: one is also God of Steam, and the other is the Eternal Blazing Sun.
The Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun was an extremely radical and exclusive organization that ruled the religious world of Intis for a long time. It had Religious Tribunal that brutally attacked what it considered heresy and proclaimed the absolute orthodoxy of the "Eternal Blazing Sun".
Perhaps due to the unique nature of the "Sun" Pathway, most Church members appear fanatical and pure, with unwavering faith and extreme methods. Their enemies include heretics, pagans, Cultist, wild extraordinary beings, and rural witch doctors. This even includes the rejection of the Church of Steam. It was only after the Industrial Revolution led by Roselle flourished that they became more restrained and relaxed their restrictions on the Church of Steam.
From this perspective, Roselle Gustav was an enemy of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun. This is probably why they supported other forces in Roselle's later years to rebel against the emperor and eliminate his remaining influence throughout the country.
"Therefore, the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun has officially partnered with Intis..."
Luther wondered to himself.
After flying for some time, he gradually approached Aroca Island. At this point, he saw a Fleet. In the center of the Fleet were ships of all sizes and types: passenger ships, cargo ships, fishing boats, Steam, sailing ships... These ships were being guarded, or rather hijacked, by the Intis warships on the outer perimeter, and were being forcibly driven toward Aroca Island.
These ships were likely sailing normally in this area, but they were forcibly intercepted by the Intis Military and eventually driven together.
Luther cautiously used "Psychological Invisibility" to diminish his presence and gradually caught up with the Fleet.
He landed with the Fleet at the dock on Aroca Island and watched as the passengers were forced to disembark and assemble under the siege of the army.
An officer stepped forward and said, "Gentlemen, we are from the Fog Sea Fleet of the Intis Navy. Due to a special military operation, the waters you are currently navigating have become a military restricted area and are temporarily impassable."
"Please remain on Aroca Island for a period of time until the military operation concludes, after which you will be free to leave. The exact end date will be announced later. However, during this period, please do not attempt to communicate with the outside world in any way; otherwise, we will have no choice but to take coercive measures against you."
What he conveyed was less an explanation and more a notification, cruelly informing the passengers present of this unfortunate news.
People clearly cannot accept this.
I strongly protest!
A man who appeared to be the captain shouted, waving his fist and looking fierce, "We are a vessel officially registered in your country and have the legal right to operate in these waters!"
"You should have given advance notice before launching military operations..."
"Yes, I was supposed to go to Bourman Island today!"
"I want to go back to Falin, you can't stop me..."
"Please, my ship is full of fresh goods. Every day of delay will reduce their value by 20%..."
The others also showed great dissatisfaction, protesting alongside him, either complaining angrily or pleading desperately. But the officer paid no heed, simply waving his hand, and soldiers with guns swarmed forward, forcibly escorting these people away from the dock.
Luther stood to the side, secretly watching everything.
He saw numerous warships anchored in the harbor, some undergoing repairs, others just returning. These warships were all Steam- powered ironclads with astonishingly large cannons.
Numerous warships surrounded a uniquely shaped vessel. It was also covered in iron armor, but unlike ordinary warships, its shape was fluid, its surface was engraved with countless patterns, and two thick funnels stood tall, seemingly capable of providing powerful propulsion.
Luther squinted at him.
That ship was a bit strange; it looked like it had undergone special modifications and was capable of initiating some kind of Ritual.
Could it be for the "Black Throne"...?
Now, Luther had completely given up on his illusions and was certain that the Intis Navy's goal was the same as his own: to find the Flagship left behind by Roselle. This was not only because of the strange warship, but also because a pure and powerful aura emanated from the depths of the Aroca Islands.
His Spirituality instincts reacted violently, warning him that a dangerous extraordinary being existed there, whose Sequence level was higher than his!
The official Intis, the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, and even a Demigod of at least Sequence 3... such a massive scale could not be the so-called "military operation" mentioned by the officer, but rather something more important.
This is a very simple question: who is the entity that can unite all the forces in Intis to fight against this being?
Of course, it was Roselle, who once ruled them!
After figuring this out, Luther's expression gradually turned cold.
After glancing at the warships again, he turned and walked towards the streets of Aroca Island. To minimize the chance of being discovered, he deliberately chose a direction away from that powerful being.
After walking for a while, he entered a local Inn.
A group of travelers were gathered around the front desk, arguing and arguing over rooms.
"A standard room costs 150 Verl D'Or, and a double room costs 200 Verl D'Or."
"That's what the receptionist said."
The Verl D'Or is the currency unit of the Intis, and its exchange rate with the Gold Standard is 24 to 1.
"150 Verl D'Or... that's equivalent to 6 pounds 5 soli..."
A passenger dressed as a lady of the Loen clan, upon hearing the price, shouted angrily, "Even the best Inn in Backlund are only around this price! How dare you charge such a high price for such a shabby Inn!"
"I'm sorry, ma'am, this is the price now."
The receptionist, however, was confident in the other party's abilities and replied with a smile. So many people were stranded on the island, not just these tourists, but also Intis's navy; the hotels were all fully booked.
Luther walked over casually and said, "I want a room on the second floor."
Everyone accepted his presence as normal, and the receptionist took out the key without registering him.
Luther took the key and went upstairs. As soon as he entered the room, he felt a sudden gust of cold wind.