The Journey to Find the Sword

Humans forget things faster than they realize.

When Li Lin stepped onto the land of Kudel again, he was surprised to find that, apart from the slightly tense border areas, the rest of the place was still peaceful and tranquil. People were enjoying their harmonious and comfortable lives, and no one was worried about the undead army within the Federation's borders. Everyone wore a smile and hope. This was completely different from the sense of urgency and despair that Li Lin had imagined before he came.

Seeing all this, Angela was the most furious. She had originally planned to pass the time by watching these humans tremble in fear. But now, even her last expectation had been dashed, so it was no wonder she was angry. Moreover, the little one had secretly made a decision: when she returned and launched another attack, she would slaughter these humans until they were beyond despair.

Of course, Li Lin didn't make any special gesture regarding the little guy's determination; after all, it was a good catalyst. He was busy searching for clues and the whereabouts of the strange knight's sword within the territory of Kudel.

"This isn't the place either."

As Li Lin left the Temple, he casually crossed out another entry on the list—the one Catherine had given him. It detailed the troop strength of each Temple. However, to Li Lin's disappointment, after the search, Catherine regretfully informed Li Lin most of Kudel's paladins had been sent to the Federation for that horrific battle, and therefore, they hadn't returned. Those remaining in Kudel were merely reserve and lower-ranking paladins who lacked the experience to participate in combat.

Although he didn't quite believe that Holy Wrath would fall into the hands of a low-ranking knight, Li Lin could only take things one step at a time for now. Fortunately, he didn't intend to rely solely on his own strength to search for all the paladins. His current visit was merely a precaution; even if he couldn't find them, he had his own methods.

"Let's wait a little longer."

As Li Lin spoke, he put away the list.

"I think we should be able to find it in five days."

The reason it was five days later was because while Li Lin was searching, he hadn't forgotten to add a "safety net." He had already notified Catherine to find some excuse to gather the paladins within Kudel's territory to facilitate his search. After all, if Li Lin went alone, many paladins might be away from the Temple on missions, so he might end up empty-handed. But now it was different; no one would disobey the saintess's orders. So as long as Catherine gave the order, those paladins, no matter where they were, would definitely return.

Catherine fulfilled her mission quickly and devised a plan. To "inspire the holy knights at the front and praise the great gods," she used her authority to order the Temple of Kudel to unite and hold a trial, in which the most valiant paladins would receive the blessing of the saintess. The Temple of Kudel were overjoyed by this order, as the destruction of the Federation had cut off all contact with Dideyasi. Furthermore, Lalia's obstinate actions prevented Kudel from seeking cooperation with them. Thus, the paladins within Kudel's territory were isolated, and since this region had always been the Temple's financial base, the overall quality of the paladins there was not particularly high.

Moreover, the highest power in the Temple has long since been secretly transferred to the hands of Saintess Catherine. After all, she has demonstrated powerful divine strength, a kind heart, and the intelligence to defeat the undead army—all qualities the Temple desperately needs. Furthermore, the Temple within Kudel are in the same boat; the Saintess's powerful propaganda is their best morale booster. As long as Catherine appears, not only will the paladins' morale soar, but even the donations that had been gradually decreasing will likely increase again.

When Catherine made her request, she had naturally already considered this point. If it were the old her, she would have felt disgust and anger towards the aristocratic mentality of these priests. But now, she no longer possessed a pure heart, and she naturally understood that this problem had always existed within the Southern Temple system. Although those priests were very devout, justice and money had never been incompatible.

Now, using her reputation to fulfill her master's mission is Catherine's responsibility.

Of course, Li Lin had also told Catherine that she shouldn't show herself unless it was absolutely necessary, to avoid a clash. At that point, as Arcane Mage and the ruler of the Magic Empire, Li Lin would absolutely not hold back in front of the Holy Maiden; otherwise, it would only boost the morale of the Five-Nation Alliance. If Catherine failed, all the prestige and power she had painstakingly built would vanish. Therefore, Li Lin didn't want Catherine to go to Kudel too early, to avoid any potential conflict between them.

The stage Catherine specified was the Temple near the town of Yamalik, and Her Highness offered no explanation for this request, only saying that it was the will of the gods... In any case, no one was foolish enough to question it.

While the paladins were gathering there, Li Lin took advantage of the time to search the surrounding Temple to see if the Holy Wrath was sealed away by Temple, but in the end, he found nothing.

Now, it remains to be seen whether Catherine's plan can be successfully implemented.

During this time, Li Lin didn't leave the house. He rented a room in an inn and kept an eye on the town of Yamalik. The town had undergone considerable changes during this period. The number of paladins had increased significantly, and the surrounding security had become increasingly stringent. After all, Saintess Catherine would be personally attending this grand event. Although she had said she would only arrive at the last minute, to ensure the absolute safety of the venue, the Temple's clergy were doing their utmost to maintain vigilance and conduct searches. Given the previous incident of the Five-Nation Alliance meeting being attacked, they absolutely could not allow Her Highness to suffer any harm here.

As usual, Li Lin sat by the window, admiring the scenery outside while leisurely sipping his wine. At the same time, his magical fluctuations had already quietly spread out, scanning every paladin who passed by and trying to get feedback. Of course, three days had passed, and just like in the Temple, Li Lin had gained nothing.

But just then, Li Lin suddenly saw an old man.

"Oh? He's still alive?"

Gazing at that distinctive, scarred face, Li Lin couldn't help but speak.

"Who? The master? Is it that male dog that just won't die no matter how much you beat it?"

Angela reacted immediately, and she quickly recognized the other person.

Walast.

There was someone Li Lin had met briefly in the capital of Kudel, someone who had left a deep impression on Li Lin. If Angela's most memorable impression was of the mad dog, Henderson, then Li Lin remembered most clearly this principled old paladin. He had even considered letting the old paladin live and inherit the divine office of the God of Justice. However, this was just a fleeting thought. Furthermore, during the subsequent Federation War, the Temple recruited many paladins to participate in the battle, so Li Lin subconsciously assumed that the old man might have already died in that war. Therefore, seeing him here was somewhat surprising to Li Lin.

"That old guy is still alive?"

Angela clearly didn't have as deep an impression of Walast as Li Lin. After thinking for a moment, she dug out the image of the old paladin from the corner of her memory.

"Isn't that surprising?"

"That's really surprising."

Although Angela agreed with Li Lin, it was clear that she wasn't looking at the issue from Li Lin's perspective.

"Old-fashioned rule-followers usually die young, it's a miracle this one has survived this long, after all, good people don't live long."

"Um?"

Just then, Li Lin was surprised again. This time, it wasn't because of the old paladin, but because of a young knight behind him. Li Lin felt his magic responding to the young knight.

Almost simultaneously, the longsword at the young paladin's waist also emitted a faint white light. This surprised the young paladin, who stared curiously at his sword, clearly not understanding what was happening.

Without any hesitation, Li Lin immediately withdrew his probe and quickly left the window.

"If I had known it would be so easy to find, I wouldn't have gone through so much trouble."

"Then, Master, let's go and retrieve that sword!"

Upon hearing this news, Angela immediately perked up. She had had enough of being confined to her ring form for over ten days; it was unbearable to Angela. Now, she couldn't wait to rush over, twist off the paladin's head, and present it, along with the longsword, to her master as a gift.

However, Li Lin clearly did not intend to do so. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and revealed a confident smile.

"I have a better idea."

As he spoke, he looked at the ring on his hand.

"Angela, didn't you want these people to experience fear and death? I think it's time to let you relax."

Although this trial was ostensibly intended to inspire the paladins and restore the Temple's honor, Catherine's deliberate manipulation allowed some ordinary adventurers to take the stage. This demonstrated the Temple's magnanimity and the gods' impartiality. This is why Li Lin requested Catherine to appear last. He had been dealing with various affairs in the Magic Empire, whose political system differed from other countries, leaving Li Lin somewhat mentally exhausted. His trip to find Miu'erkasi also served as a chance to relax and unwind. That's why he had Catherine orchestrate this event; even if he ultimately failed to find Holy Wrath, venting his anger and intimidating the paladins would be a welcome distraction.

Another point is that just now, Li Lin sent a signal for Holy Wrath to return to his side, but Holy Wrath was unable to respond.

There is only one reason.

It seems that everything is exactly as I guessed.

Although it's unclear who the young paladin was, it's obvious he belonged to the "lower-ranking paladins," which is why he wasn't able to participate in the Federation War and ultimately saved his life. No one knows whether this is good or bad, but for Li Lin now that he's discovered the location of his weapon, there's no need to worry too much about what happens next.

Therefore, Li Lin's current goal has shifted to taking a vacation.

"Teacher."

Staring at the registration area before him, the young paladin's face was covered in beads of sweat. He stood there nervously and straight, his face flushed.

"I... I really want to go..."

"I believe in your abilities, child."

Looking at the nervous and embarrassed paladin before him, Walast smiled. Although this aggravated his scars, making his normally composed and kind face appear ferocious and frightening, the young paladin noticed it and his initial tension eased considerably.

"This isn't like you at all. Don't forget how you were when you gained the recognition of this holy sword."

As he spoke, Walast patted the young paladin on the shoulder.

"You are brave and talented; you will definitely win."

"... Yes, I know..."

Encouraged by the old paladin, the young paladin's expression hardened.

"I will work hard, I will definitely become number one!!"

Just as the young paladin finished speaking and was about to head to the registration desk, a commotion suddenly broke out in the crowd.

"Are you kidding me? What happened?"

"This is not a place for you. Leave now."

"Hey, little guy, can't you read? This isn't a place for a brat like you."

The commotion also caught the attention of the two paladins, one old and one young. They exchanged a curious glance and walked into the crowd. To their surprise, they found a little girl with long silver hair standing in front of the civilian registration area. She looked to be only a teenager, but her bright red eyes revealed an undeniable arrogance.

Amidst the chatter of the onlookers, the two paladins finally understood what had happened: this little girl actually wanted to sign up for the martial arts trial!

"Shut up, you lowly fool."

Faced with the comments of the crowd, Angela's attitude remained as arrogant and conceited as ever. Although she followed Li Lin's orders and changed "lowly people" to "foolish people," which could be considered an improvement in status, her tone of voice was still as unpleasant as ever.

"You're still a hundred and eight thousand years away from judging me. With your worthless trash, I could utterly defeat you all with just one hand."

It must be said that Angela's words immediately aroused the indignation of the crowd, and in this respect, the little girl has a talent beyond ordinary people.

"You little brat, do you really think you're someone important?"

Just then, a burly man stepped out from the crowd and stood in front of Angela.

"Get the hell out of here! This isn't a place for little kids to play house."

As the burly man spoke, he reached out, attempting to grab the petite, doll-like girl in front of him and throw her away.

"Snort."

Seeing the burly man's actions, a murderous glint flashed in Angela's eyes, and a slight mocking smile appeared on her lips. Just then, someone suddenly stepped in front of her.

"Stop!!"

Just before the giant was about to touch Angela, the young paladin blocked his path, standing in front of Angela and watching the giant.

"You're an adult, isn't it going too far to bully a child?"

"A paladin?"

Noticing that the young man before him was a genuine paladin, the burly man frowned. After all, this was paladin territory, and he didn't want to escalate the conflict too much, but...

"You need to get this straight, Paladin. It was that brat who insulted us first. I just wanted to teach her a lesson."

She's just a child.

The young paladin spoke while gripping the hilt of his sword.

Are you going to argue with a child?

"But..."

The burly man opened his mouth, about to say something, when his companion pulled him back, forcing him to shut up.

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head no matter what.

In the end, the burly man said nothing and turned to leave. When the young paladin turned around, intending to give the little girl a good talking-to, he found she had already vanished.

"Stop looking."

Just then, Walast patted the young paladin on the shoulder with his large hand.

She has left.

Only then did the young paladin realize that the little girl had vanished without a trace sometime earlier.

"Why..."

Faced with this situation, the young paladin didn't know what to say and let out a long sigh. But at this moment, Walast's expression became somewhat solemn.

"Remember, watch out for that girl."

"Girl?"

The young paladin was somewhat surprised to hear this.

"Do you really think she'll participate in the competition?"

"She just took the sign."

As he spoke, Walast pointed to the registration area ahead.

"And..."

At this point, a hint of doubt flashed in Walast's eyes.

"I sensed her aura; she seemed quite dangerous."

Just then, Angela, holding up two signs, returned triumphantly to Li Lin's side.

"How is it, Master?"

It seems the other person didn't recognize you.

As Li Lin spoke, he looked at the old man and the young man.

"Well then, it's up to you now, okay?"

"Certainly."

Angela chuckled softly and snapped open her folding fan.

"I also wish to personally experience what kind of power this weapon, known as the first sword of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, truly possesses."

Her eyes revealed excitement and burning fighting spirit.