The Main Event! Arriving at Martial Soul City!

Having bid farewell to the Star Luo Empire delegation, Xu Mochen and his party set out on their journey once more. This time, they would traverse the Star Luo Empire by entering a wide-mouthed river known as the Holy Nurture River. It is the longest and widest river on the Douluo Continent, flowing from east to west, passing through Martial Soul City in the center of the continent, and fed by over a dozen tributaries along the way.

The Yan Yang Fleet intended to enter this river via one of its tributaries, then sail eastward until they reached the Oracle Port located in the suburbs of Martial Soul City. The total journey spanned over 2,400 kilometers. Naturally, the Star Luo Empire was more than happy to escort the Sun Moon Empire's fleet to their borders.

And so, led by several galleons from the Star Luo Empire, the Yan Yang Fleet sailed eastward along the long river. Throughout the journey, they constantly passed fishing boats and merchant vessels from across the Douluo Continent, though these ships would consciously steer clear once they saw such a massive fleet passing by.

After three or four days, the Star Luo Empire's fleet officially delivered the Sun Moon Empire's fleet to the border. They could not proceed any further; after all, entering the waters under the jurisdiction of Martial Soul Hall without permission would trigger a diplomatic incident. Naturally, Xu Mochen did not forget to provide the Star Luo fleet with a generous reward before leading his own fleet to continue the voyage.

Barely ten minutes later, Xu Mochen spotted three armed galleons approaching from the opposite direction. Flying atop the masts of these galleons was a flag bearing the emblem of a golden angel!

It seems the people of Martial Soul Hall have already received word of our arrival! Xu Mochen felt a slight tension rise within him. There was no helping it; for this diplomatic mission, Martial Soul Hall was undoubtedly the most critical stop for him. This concerned the outcome of his second trial!

Although Xu Mochen believed Martial Soul Hall would not rashly show hostility, he did not have complete confidence in his assessment of this major antagonist faction from the original story. However, thinking of the powerful fleet beneath his feet and the mighty Sun Moon Empire backing him, Xu Mochen finally felt a measure of comfort.

Soon, the three ships came to a halt before the Yan Yang Fleet, and the Yan Yang Fleet likewise ceased its advance. Yet, in the bridge of the Tianyang, Xu Mochen, observing the Martial Soul Hall personnel through his binoculars, still managed to discern a few clues. On the ships, aside from thirty-four red-robed Cardinal Soul Saints and eight white-and-gold-robed Platinum Bishop Soul Douluos, the leaders were two Titled Douluos.

One of them wore a white robe with golden patterns. His eyelashes were long, his skin as delicate as an infant's, and his enchanting appearance gave off a feminine vibe. If not for the Adam's apple on his neck, no one would have guessed he was a man!

The other man, dressed in a black robe trimmed with dark gold lace, had a pale, gloomy complexion. His figure appeared ethereal, and a strange, eerie aura swirled around him, giving off a chilling, deathly sensation.

These two must be the "Heng and Ha" duo by Pope Bibi Dong's side! Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei! Xu Mochen had a rough guess in his mind. Moments later, he saw the two Titled Douluos speak in unison, their voices feminine and chilling respectively: "This Humble One, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan (Ghost Douluo Gui Mei), under the orders of His/Her Holiness the Pope, is here to welcome our guests from afar! Please follow our fleet to dock; we have prepared all arrangements for your reception."

Xu Mochen had never attempted to hide his itinerary; he had even openly discussed his travel plans while visiting the Heaven Dou Empire. Given the intelligence capabilities of the Star Luo Empire and Martial Soul Hall, tracking his progress and estimating his arrival date was naturally no problem at all.

The Yan Yang Fleet then sailed for nearly another day following the three Martial Soul Hall ships, finally arriving at the Oracle Port of Martial Soul City. On the docks, Xu Mochen had long since spotted many Church Guard Army soldiers clad in armor and wielding sharp weapons, as well as a group of powerful Soul Masters dressed in various clerical robes of Martial Soul Hall!

While this group was not as numerous or grand as those of the Heaven Dou or Star Luo Empires, Xu Mochen could clearly sense that every single one of them was a Soul Master! Even the weakest ordinary Church Guard soldier possessed at least the cultivation of a Soul Grand Master. It seemed Martial Soul Hall was truly not to be underestimated.

Once Xu Mochen and his party stepped onto the shore, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo took the initiative to approach them with their subordinates. They bowed slightly and said, "The key personnel may accompany us by carriage into Martial Soul City to meet with His/Her Holiness the Pope. The arrangements for the rest of your entourage will be handled by our men."

Hearing this, Xu Mochen bowed slightly in return and said, "Then I shall trouble you two Your Excellencies." Without further ado, Xu Mochen, along with Mo Wuying, Gu Yuntong, and the others, boarded the prepared carriages and set off toward Martial Soul City.

Throughout the journey, Xu Mochen calculated his next steps, particularly considering how to remain in Martial Soul City to cultivate without compromising his safety.

Before long, the motorcade reached a point where they could see Martial Soul City from afar. Gazing at the massive city and its towering walls, Xu Mochen could conclude that the walls were definitely built according to the standards of a capital city. The eighty-meter-high walls looked incredibly imposing from the outside, and their thickness exceeded thirty meters, constructed entirely of high-quality materials like granite.

Moreover, the city's area was definitely not as the original story claimed—less than one-tenth the size of Heaven Dou City! In reality, based on the information he had gathered, the area of Martial Soul City already surpassed the imperial capitals of the two great empires! The city had a population of over four million; while not massive, it was one of the cities with the highest proportion of Soul Masters on the entire Douluo Continent!

After driving into Martial Soul City without obstruction, Xu Mochen could clearly see the bustling streets and merchants and guests from every country and region on the Douluo Continent conducting business. Everywhere he looked, there were buildings and goods in styles unique to different parts of the continent.

According to the information he currently possessed, Martial Soul City was not only the holy land in the hearts of all Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent, but also boasted the reputation of being the most prosperous commercial city on the continent, gathering merchants from all four corners of the world.

The reason Martial Soul City could be so prosperous was mainly because it sat exactly at the intersection of the two great empires, and the Holy Nurture River that ran through it also flowed through the other seven kingdoms and duchies! In terms of transportation, it provided a convenient gathering place for merchants from all nations.

Furthermore, compared to other countries where business dealings often involved robbery, theft, and murder—with the host country often taking the stance that "it's none of our business if a foreign merchant is robbed or killed in our land"—merchants usually had to swallow their losses unless they had powerful backgrounds.

Martial Soul City was different. First, it was filled with powerful experts and maintained strict order; no bandit was tired of living enough to dare cause trouble here! Let alone bandits, even Titled Douluos or Super Douluos dared not act wantonly in Martial Soul City! Moreover, Martial Soul Hall strictly cracked down on theft. If a merchant suffered economic losses due to the dereliction of duty by Martial Soul Hall personnel, Martial Soul Hall would even provide double compensation.

Of course, Martial Soul Hall was not afraid of merchants trying to take advantage of the situation to extort them; after all, even if these merchants were given a hundred times the courage, they wouldn't dare to stir up trouble on the head of a "Grand Duke" like Martial Soul Hall!

Furthermore, Martial Soul Hall strictly inspected commercial activities and product quality. Once fake goods or other commercial fraud were discovered, the merchant would not only have all their goods and shops confiscated, but would also be fined a massive sum and blacklisted, never allowed to enter Martial Soul City again! If they were caught sneaking back into Martial Soul City, they would be executed without mercy!

If someone suffered losses due to the actions of unscrupulous merchants, Martial Soul Hall would find ways to compensate the victims while dealing with the perpetrators.

It was precisely because of Martial Soul City's naturally superior geographical location and various protective and standardized management measures for merchants and customers that its commercial activities were so prosperous!

Although a hefty tariff was levied on all goods entering Martial Soul City, merchants from all over the Douluo Continent were still very willing to conduct trade there. This meant that while the permanent population of Martial Soul City was only four million, whenever the city held large-scale commercial events, the number of people in the city would temporarily reach a staggering seven or eight million, or even ten million!

As the commercial trade in Martial Soul City gradually flourished, it brought countless riches to Martial Soul Hall! These riches became one of the reasons for Martial Soul Hall's rapid development!

Martial Soul Hall was located in the very center of Martial Soul City. Looking from afar, Xu Mochen could clearly see the several towering giant buildings of Martial Soul Hall, and the tallest among them was likely the renowned Pope Palace of the Martial Soul Hall complex! As the carriage motorcade was about to arrive at Martial Soul Hall, it came to a stop.

Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo then came to the carriage where Xu Mochen and his party were riding to inform them that, within Martial Soul Hall, aside from the Pope, Elders, and Pontiffs—the very top tier of Martial Soul Hall—everyone else, even Platinum Bishops at the Soul Douluo level, had to enter Martial Soul Hall on foot to show respect to the Pope. The same applied to foreign visitors.

Xu Mochen and his party raised no objections to this; after all, this was the culture of another nation, and as foreign guests, they naturally ought to show respect. Thus, they stepped out of the carriages one after another and, under the escort of a group of Martial Soul Hall personnel, proceeded toward Martial Soul Hall on foot.

Just as Xu Mochen and his party reached a distance not far from the entrance of Martial Soul Hall, Xu Mochen noticed that both sides of the gate were already lined with Church Guard soldiers and clerics in divine robes. Right in the center of the main entrance to Martial Soul Hall, a golden-haired girl who looked only a few months older than him was standing quietly with several Cardinals behind her and white-robed bishops on her left and right.

When Xu Mochen and his party arrived at the entrance of Martial Soul Hall, the leading golden-haired girl stepped forward first, bowed slightly to Xu Mochen and his party, and said in a pleasant, slightly enchanting voice: "Distinguished guests from the Sun Moon Empire, welcome to Martial Soul Hall. Let me introduce myself first; my name is Hu Liena, and I am the direct disciple of His/Her Holiness the Pope. Today, I am acting under my teacher's orders to specifically guide you all on a tour of Martial Soul Hall."

Xu Mochen responded with a smile, "Then many thanks, Miss Hu." At the same time, he secretly sized up the girl who was about his age: her delicate, beautiful face, which carried a hint of charm, featured bright, watery eyes and beautiful eyelashes that seemed to speak for themselves. Her short golden hair accentuated her noble aura, and even though she wore a loose golden robe, it could not hide her proud figure. He had to admit that when this girl grew up, she would absolutely be a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms.