The Chronicles of the Mysterious Alchemist: The Chronicles of the Mysterious Alchemist, #5

By Wesley Wang

He accidentally traveled to a brand new world, where he discovered some pathogens that had long disappeared in human history, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. With his profound knowledge and technology in modern biochemistry, he began to exert influence in this world. He made up his mind to help those who were ostracized by society, possessed special abilities but were called "Mutants." These people were isolated and discriminated against because of their unique abilities. Through his efforts, he established a powerful group composed of marginalized individuals—the Mutant Knights. They not only bravely confronted the old feudal system and hostile forces but also fought for equality and respect for the mutants. The establishment and efforts of this team gradually changed society's view of people with special abilities and led a profound social transformation.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wesley Wang
• Release date: May 11, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224539369

Book preview

Chapter 1

The roar of the beasts coming from the abyss was at first just a few, then a group, and finally changed into the sound of ten thousand beasts.

The people lay on their backs and waited for a long time before the growls slowly fell silent.

Fugar stood up and waved his hand, signaling everyone to exit the sinkhole.

Coming outside into the cavernous hall, Ethan frowned at him and asked, What are those?

Thousands of years ago in the history books of Tairo, it was written that this place was an active volcano, but the Ulsters like to call it the ‘Gates of Hell’. Fugar carefully moved his feet, looked at the pit behind him, and let out a long breath, No one knows how deep it is, but based on the sounds of the beasts, there must be countless warbeasts coiled below the abyss.

Thinking of his own experiences in combat, Ethan opened his mouth and asked, Warbeasts? Like those mutated giant wolves?

Fugar nodded, then shook his head, Those kind of monstrous wolves that are huge in size are indeed warbeasts, but only those with the lowest threat level.

In order to capture warbeasts, the Ulster Kingdom would look for smaller vents around the pitched mountains. Sick or dead slaves, chopped into pieces, are placed there to wait for a fallen warbeast to take the bait. Fugar made the shape of a fishhook with his hand, It’s like fishing, using blood and flesh to lure out the smaller warbeasts before capturing and keeping them in captivity.

Ethan’s brow furrowed as he listened to Fugar’s statement, According to you, what exactly is underneath this active volcano that no one even knows about?

Fugar shrugged, There have been warriors in the kingdom, who have dived down from the cliffs there to try and find out, but they have not returned without exception.

Ethan sighed rather disappointedly, he originally thought that the Ulster people had mastered the method of breeding warbeasts, but he didn’t realize that they used the method of capturing in the end.

Perhaps noticing the other party’s disappointed look, Fugar hurriedly said, In fact, regarding the secrets of the warbeasts, the Ulster Kingdom has another big discovery.

Ethan looked at him and asked, What is it?

Fugar led him down into the underground pit and kept going through the twists and turns of the complicated switchbacks, eventually coming to a stone wall that shimmered faintly in the darkness. He raised his torch, pointed to a gap in the stone wall, and said to Ethan, Look.

The latter looked as he was told, and only then did he realize that some black liquid was continuously flowing outward from the stone wall.

The Ulsters call this black water the ‘Dead Spring’. Fugar took a few steps backward and said in a low voice, This black water comes from the underground and contains intense poison. Creatures, including humans, will die immediately once they drink from these springs.

Ethan seemed to think of something when he heard this, and his heart fluttered.

Fugar continued, But interestingly enough, if a war beast drinks this spring water, it will become even more ferocious and powerful.

Active volcano, war beasts, black water …… Connecting these things together, Ethan already had a rough judgment.

In this sinkhole that used to be an active volcano, there must be a large amount of 『Satherlan Bacteria』, and the beasts that live here, eat the food in this vicinity and drink the water in the surrounding area, and unconsciously convert into Heirloom type beasts; and this sinkhole is close to the Land of Shadows, and the undersea currents bring the Tyrant Virus near the Crystalline Custodian Spire to the surface, seeping out from the cracks of the stone, and ultimately triggering The evolution of the warbeasts was eventually triggered.

Ethan, who had figured all this out, suddenly thought of a question, Fugar, these warbeasts you captured require blood and flesh as bait every time you release them, haven’t you ever tried to tame them?

Fugar shook his head helplessly, We have tried to tame them as mounts and warbeasts, but in the end they all failed. These warbeasts are kind of quiet when they are with each other, but once they encounter creatures outside the pit, they immediately turn into bloodthirsty monsters.

Ethan’s ears suddenly stayed on a very crucial phrase: They’re kinda quiet when they’re around each other? What does that mean?

Fugar scratched his head, Those warbeasts we captured back, when we put them together, they don’t appear to kill each other, and they even retain a certain degree of team communication and collaboration when facing external enemies.

Hearing these words, Ethan began to recall those scenes where he fought with warbeasts.

Whether it was in the gladiatorial arena or in the barbarian camp, the group of warbeasts did have some sort of unseen communication mechanism between each other, and this type of communication allowed them to carry out enemy and self recognition

Ethan clasped his arms to his chest and thought hard in his head, what exactly is the basis for the war beasts to recognize each other?

Appearance? Scent? Sound? Or something else?

Accompanied by the Fae Society, the meditating Ethan left the cave entrance when a creature appeared in his eyes that suddenly caught his eye.

Henry the Griffin, crouched on the ground, grooming his feathers, sees Ethan’s appearance and opens his wings and chirps towards the sky.

Thinking back to his encounters in the Land of Shadows, Ethan remembered that his first encounters with the griffon and scorpion-tailed lion back then had also both begun as battles. After that, the landmark event that truly made these warbeasts, no longer aggressive, was the completion of the soul link.

So that means that the soul link was able to eliminate the aggressiveness of the warbeasts?

Thinking of this, Ethan asked towards Fugar, Are there any captive warbeasts in the Ancient Bubbling City now?

The latter replied, Yes, just below the cliff, there is a warbeast farm.

Bring a warbeast here.

Fugar froze for a moment, and when he looked at Ethan again, he nodded after realizing that the other’s expression didn’t look like he was joking

During the gap between waiting for the Fae Society and Fugar to go and extract the warbeast, Ethan contacted the troops in the city and inquired about the current posture.

In total, more than 6,000 slaves had been freed from their shackles, and the number was still growing rapidly; more than two million gold coins worth of goods had been seized from the noble mansions and the castle treasury, and boxed up and transported to the port; the North Island Knights, who were maintaining order in the city, had prevented a number of massacres organized by the slaves, but according to Ivy, the slaves who had regained their freedom were pouring out their anger and hatred on the city, and even though they were going around the city, the slaves According to Ivy, this group of freed slaves is pouring their anger and resentment on the city, and even if they go around inspecting the city, the Valkyries can only stop a small portion of the atrocities.

In addition to the above information, there was one more crucial thing that was reported to Ethan.

When one of the clans searched the slave trading bazaar, a large number of ledgers and notes were seized from the vaults of the bazaar, in which there was a very detailed record of the Heavenly Father’s Church’s involvement in the slave trading behavior.

When Ethan learned of this news, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was ecstatic; in his opinion, this evidence would be the best weapon with which to attack the Church.

Ethan immediately ordered this tribe to keep all the evidence in good condition and prioritize its transportation back to the ship

After taking care of these matters, the sun began to slant in the west, and the stars began to twinkle in the sky.

Fugar and the Fae Society, at this time, also returned to the clearing at the cave entrance with a sharp-boned giant wolf.

Looking at the war beast with crimson eyes, a bloody mouth, and a lot of aggression, Ethan slowly walked up to it.

Amidst the crowd’s gasps of surprise, Ethan placed his hand on the top of the giant wolf’s head.

After a few seconds, the ferocious light in the giant wolf’s eyes slowly disappeared, and it looked at the human in front of it suspiciously.

Ethan touched the top of its head, and this ferocious and furious war beast actually fell to the ground and wagged its tail like an ordinary house dog.

Ethan sighed in relief, the Soul Link’s supernatural ability could indeed appease the bloodthirsty soul of the warbeast and reduce its desire to attack.

However, Ethan quickly frowned again, why did this happen?

Soul Link, Soul Space, Psychic Fae and the warbeast’s enemy recognition, all these things that seemed completely out of the ordinary made Ethan, who was still a materialist by nature, begin to think that there must be a reasonable explanation behind all these things.

If he could unlock the secrets of these mysteries, he might be able to figure out the truth behind the entire world.

Chapter 2

Early in the morning of the day after the Battle of Ancient Bubbling City, the fleet of ships in the harbor, with their iron anchors raised and sails hoisted, sailed out of the harbor one after another and slowly traveled south.

Before coming, the allied flotilla of Twilight West and Frostbite had 42 ships, including 7 three-masted Shane-type freighters, 17 two-masted Crafts, and 18 other smaller ships.

And by the time they left, the size of this flotilla had expanded to 70 ships, and these extra ones were all ships of various colors captured in the harbor of Gubu City.

In the battle of Gubu City, the Frost Stone Allied Army liberated about 7,000 slaves in the city under the premise of not losing more than a hundred of their own people, eliminated 350 enemy soldiers, captured about 2,200 Ulster descended soldiers and civilians, and seized all sorts of belongings amounting to 2,800,000 gold coins.

In addition to this, the allied forces also brought back some extremely special trophies - warbeasts. This included forty giant wolves, six two-headed monster birds, and two poisonous gas giant crocodiles.

As the smoke rolled and the burning ancient gurgling city grew farther and farther away from the crowd’s view, the slaves and barbarian tribesmen who had regained their freedom stood at the bow of the ship and used roars and shouts to vent their years of old grudges and joy after their victory against the most famous slave trading capital of the Northern Realm.

Ethan stood on the side of the ship quietly watching all this, no emotion visible in his eyes.

When he turned back, the naive and smiling face of Little Jerry, the deputy leader of the North Island Knights, appeared in front of him.

Everything was just like the Sheng Xideluo Monastery several years ago, where that thin, tall, and naive teenager was walking behind him, silently following his footsteps.

Ethan looked at that familiar, harmless face and smiled, Let’s go.

The faint sound of cheering could still be heard in his ears as Ethan, without stopping, stepped into the ship’s chamber on the ground floor and saw Ivy standing by the hatch.

The Valkyrie quietly polished her blades and said toward Ethan, The men have been brought.

Ethan dropped a 『Wait here』 towards Jerry behind him, then pushed the door straight open, and a beaten face appeared in front of his eyes.

A dying plainsman, tied to a wooden frame, was being tortured by two barbarian torturers.

The torturers first took a ladle of seawater and poured it into the tortured man’s mouth, then they threw a heavy blow on the other man’s belly, and yellowish water accompanied by light pink blood gushed out from the latter’s mouth.

Please …… stop ……

Ignoring the men, Ethan found a chair, sat down at the table, and pored over the ledgers and notes the tribe

‘On May 7, 891 white goods were loaded, 230 adult men, 337 women, and a number of old men and children.’

Sickness during the voyage: 72 (treated); normal attrition: 24 (16 women, 5 men and 3 children); gifts: 37 (list in the appendix).

Revenue from the market: 735 people, equivalent to 23,761 jinxes.

Note: Some of the goods were disposed of at low prices due to their color, and were not counted.

Ethan slowly closed the account book and exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, both hands trembling slightly due to the emotional turmoil.

At this moment, the torturer was grabbing the other party’s hair and yelled, Tell us! Your identity!

The tortured person opened his blood-swollen eyes, glanced at them, and said softly, A fur trader from the Duchy of Fenton.

A heavy punch was delivered directly to the other party’s jaw.

Looking at several teeth that rolled down to his feet, bloodied, Ethan held out his hand to pause the torture.

He walked over to the tortured man and looked over his opponent’s palms, then down at his knees and feet.

Fur trader? Ethan found a chair and sat down in front of the tortured man, Use your head and think before you pick a false identity.

The crevices of your fingernails are full of marks from years of ink use. Let me ask you, why would someone who can’t read or write and only works with furs and coins have prolonged exposure to pen and ink?

Ethan’s questioning made the ‘fur trader’ lower his head.

You have heavy calluses on your knees, but interestingly enough, there are few calluses on the soles of your feet That means you often use the kneeling position in your day-to-day life, but don’t walk very often. Ethan smiled at the other party and said, You tell me, which fur trader in the world usually kneels to talk business with others and doesn’t have to rush around?

"The ‘fur trader’s’ body began to tremble more than a little.

Ethan reached out his hand and slowly rubbed the silver cross on the other man’s chest, Christian? …… For you people, I have a hundred ways to make you tell the truth.

Drawing a square shape with his hand, Ethan said to the person in front of him in a very gentle tone, One of the simplest and most commonly used methods is to build a seventy-centimeter square, one hundred and thirty-centimeter high, fully enclosed stone house out of stone and cement. Make an opening in the top of the stone house, throw you in, and close the opening.

In that hut, which is airtight and dark, you have no way to lie down to sleep or to get up and move around. There, you will lose your grip on time, as well as your control of your vision.Your hearing and senses will become incomparably sensitive, and even the sound of falling dust can draw out those uncontrollable fears and nightmares from deep within you, eroding your soul a little bit ……

Ethan’s words were like a rusty saw, slowly cutting the nerves of those present nerves, even the torturers in the barbarians who were used to seeing blood and gore were involuntarily shivering.

Do you think that this is the end? No, this is only the beginning. On the third day in the stone house, we will send you two things. Ethan flicked the cross on the other man’s chest, A dagger and a basin of human blood.

There will be two paths before you. One, to commit suicide with the dagger, and according to the doctrine, you will fall into hell forever; two, to drink the human blood and live on, becoming an unclean person whom the Holy Spirit dislikes. (In Christian doctrine, suicide is murder, a felony against God’s creation, and after death will go to hell; the blood symbolizes Christ’s salvation, and those who swallow the blood are regarded as unclean beings and will be reviled by believers for all eternity.)

Heavenly Father above! I say! I will say everything! The 『Fur Trader』, whose psychological defenses had completely collapsed, raised his bloodstained head and cried out, I am Felix Child, a deacon of the Pontifical Hub!

The Ecclesiastical Center? Ethan asked, What branch of the Church do you belong to?

No, no! We do not belong to a single administrative department of the Church, we are under the direct orders of Pope Alexander!

The Pope? Then this flotilla transporting slaves belongs to the Pope as well?

It nominally belongs to a charity society spontaneously organized by the Knights of the Holy See, dedicated to rescuing religiously persecuted believers, or refugees applying for asylum.

A charity society?! Ethan coldly grunted several times, And how is the wealth from the slave trade handled?

The money will be merged into the treasury of the Holy See in the form of donations or ransom coupons.

Ethan said in a tone of disdain, Instead of the Synod’s treasury, it would go into some people’s pockets, I guess.

After a moment’s pause, he then asked towards Felix Child, How long has the Church been operating the slave trade business?

The latter gulped, I’m not sure about the previous ones, but it’s been more than a year since I took over this matter. I heard that the original destination of the flotilla was the Southern Empire, and then because of the war between the Abbas Empire and the Ayoub Empire, it had no choice but to change the place of slave trafficking to the Ancient Bubbling City.

Ethan suddenly remembered something when he heard this, Let me ask you, where exactly did these slaves you transported come from?

From time to time, there are wars between the parish kingdoms, and when the victors are dealing with their captives, the Holy See will first step in to save these captives, then send them on cargo ships in the form of charitable aid, and finally traffick these people into the southern empire or amongst the northern kingdoms.

Ethan’s mind had some uncertain worries that were fading in and out as he continued to ask, Where did your latest batch of trafficked slaves come from?

Felix Child hesitated for a while, and finally whispered, Holy Acropolis ……

Angry Ethan clenched his teeth, and grabbed the other party’s collar and carried him into the air, Let me guess, Holy Acropolis is currently divided into three forces. One is the royalist faction that defends the king, one is the liberal faction that fights for independence, and one is the church faction that is willing to be a lackey. So, you guys just colluded with those church faction bastards to sell the people of Holy Acropolis like livestock?!

Felix Child, who was hanging in mid-air, fluttered his arms and legs, shouting I don’t know under his breath, but a trace of panic that made people suspicious flashed in his eyes.

Ethan frowned at the expression on his partner’s face and let go of his hands, allowing Felix Child to drop to the ground.

There are some things that it seems you won’t tell the truth about …… Ethan’s right hand evolved into Tyrant form, his sharp iron claws changing into long, sharp needles that pierced Felix Child’s forehead, Very well. I’m losing my patience anyway, instead of waiting for you to slowly tell me one piece at a time, why don’t you let me open your mind and find out what you know for myself!

This horrifying and cruel scene in front of them caused the barbarian torturers to fall to their knees. They watched in horror as Felix Child, who had his head pierced by a sharp needle, had white eyes, his whole body twitching, and his mouth salivating.

After a few seconds, his mouth unconsciously said, The person behind the slave trade with the church is the leader of the liberal faction of Holy Guard City, the eldest son of the King of Holy Guard - His Highness Sinclair.

Chapter 3

Retracting his tyrantized right hand, Ethan’s face was a seriousness he had never seen before.

The mastermind behind the slave trade that was colluding with the church was actually His Royal Highness, the prince of the Holy Guardian City? And this person was also the leader of the liberal faction fully supported by the Kingdom of Twilight West?

Crouching down and looking at this unconscious church deacon on the ground, Ethan ripped off the silver cross around his neck and stuffed it into his coat pocket

Keep an eye on him, don’t let him die, he’s still useful to me. Ethan pushed the door open and stepped out into the aisle of the cabin, opened his soul space and began summoning up the officers of Twilight West.

Cumberland, Emerson, Terence, Joe …… and a host of others appeared in the conference room of the Institute, the only problem was summoning Mary and Dion.

No matter how much Ethan urged the power, Mary and Dion just didn’t have any response.

Ethan hurriedly asked towards the others, Has the mission to Holy Guardian City returned with any news recently?

Emerson replied, Your Majesty, the last message from the mission was a week ago, what happened?

Ethan’s heart was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, if the soul space summoned someone and there was no response, the worst possibility was that the person was dead.

Is there any new movement there in Holy Guardian City?

Cumberland said in a deep voice, The church has proposed several times to the nobles of Holy Acropolis that the refugees be resettled in batches. Part of them will be accepted by the Twilight West Kingdom, and part of them will be relieved by the Church. Therefore, the number of Holy Acropolis refugees gathered at the border is increasing.

Terence added, The church just needs to ask the many kingdoms within the diocese to help resettle a few families each, and soon all the refugees will be properly disposed of; but Murexi City is different, whether it’s food, shelter, or law and order conditions, there’s no way for us to do it the way they do it. Due to the delay in accepting the refugees, the church is already attacking us with excuses such as ‘disregarding our brothers’, ‘selfish thugs’, ‘degenerates who go against the teachings’, and so on and so forth, and has gained a considerable amount of public opinion in favor of it.

Ethan was furious and hammered his fist heavily on the tabletop, startling the attendees.

Pulling up the Church’s slave-trading ledgers and images from his memory, Ethan beamed them to everyone’s computers. There was a sound of breath being sucked backward, and not long afterward, the room was filled with the sound of rising and falling anger and curses.

These assholes should all go to hell!

A bunch of demons in holy garb!

To actually sell believers to heretics, the church is rotten to the core!

Ethan cast his eyes towards Emerson, If we break with the church now, what are the chances of winning?

Break?!

Emerson froze, he was a little surprised why the King was in such a hurry to confront the Church

The chances of winning are not great, the Church’s religious status among all the dioceses is unshakeable for the time being. If we really want to confront it head on, as long as the Pope gives the order, all the kingdoms that believe in the Heavenly Father Church will send out their troops and jointly besiege us.

What if I make all of these ledgers and those witnesses, public?

Emerson thought carefully for a while, but finally shook his head, These evidences might be able to make the kings under the rule of the Church suspicious, but they are not enough to shake the foundation of the Church.

Listening to Emerson’s analysis, Ethan sighed softly, To move the Church, do we really still have to start from the religious roots?

Your Majesty, can I ask one thing? You seem very nervous about the situation in Holy Guardian City. Emerson looked at Ethan and asked in a low voice, Is it related to the Church’s slave trade?

Ethan considered it for a while, but finally told Emerson about the confession made by the church’s deacon.

The latter’s face changed drastically when he heard this news: Do you mean that there is a possibility that the liberals in Holy Acropolis may also have fallen back to the church?!

Ethan pondered for a while, I’m not sure if the Church has taken full control of the situation, but one thing is for sure, the Twilight West City Envoys are in a very dangerous situation right now.That’s why I want the Twilight West Knights to march to the borderline and put pressure on Holy Guardian City, forcing them to be cautious with the mission ……

This is not a good move! Emerson hastily stopped Ethan’s idea: If we march the kingdom’s army to the border, it will definitely be seized by the church, saying that we are taking advantage of the fire and using this opportunity to pull in the opposing forces of Holy Guardian City.

Ethan was a bit anxious, What about the kingdom mission? Just leave them alone?!

Emerson looked at the king and gently shook his head, Your Majesty, I can understand your feelings, but this matter can’t be resolved by force, only diplomacy.We can send another envoy, or contact the friendly forces in Holy Guardian City ……

What Emerson said afterward, Ethan didn’t even have the heart to listen in, his heart was filled with chagrin and self-blame.

Whether it was Dion or Mary, these two were his handpicked members of the legation, and in a way, it was his own hand that pushed these two into a desperate situation.

At the same time, he also understood that Emerson’s point was extremely reasonable. Right now, the Church’s power was in full swing, and going to war would indeed be the most foolish thing to do. Only through the method of internal division and expanding influence could the Twilight West Kingdom have the strength to match the Church.

However, there was really no way for him to ignore the Murexi City Mission ……

What to do?

What exactly should be done?

Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Emerson’s shout awakened Ethan from his contemplation.

What’s wrong?

I just asked you how the war in the North is going?

Ethan then remembered that he hadn’t yet informed the officials of Twilight West City, of the great victory in the North

With a wave of his arm, images of the battle in Ancient Bubbling City appeared in the center of the conference room as a 3D projection

Watching the allied forces of Murexi and Froststone achieve victory after victory, the crowd in the room let out waves of cheers.

Heaven blesses Murexi!

Long live His Majesty!

The glory of God goes to the Holy Son!

While everyone was reveling in the huge fleet of ships, the mountains of wealth, the majestic warriors, and the ferocious warbeasts, Ethan sat in the uppermost seat, his ashen face reflecting the light of the projections, with no hint of smugness or pride at the corners of his mouth.

Cumberland, who kept a constant eye on the king, poked Emerson at his side with his elbow, signaling him to look at the former.

Seeing Ethan’s expression, Emerson sighed helplessly and said to him softly, Your Majesty, as the head of a country, sometimes you have to look at the big picture, and necessary sacrifices are unavoidable. ……

Ethan did not say anything, but only gently nodded his head.

Waiting for all the images to finish playing, Emerson clapped his hands, waking up the people who were still immersed in joy, This victory that Your Majesty has achieved in the Northern Realm has an extremely important strategic significance for the Kingdom of Twilight West. On the one hand, this victory will allow us to settle the refugees in the north and reduce the pressure on Muxi City; on the other hand, the stabilization of the base in the north means that the kingdom has a safe retreat.

Ethan waved his hand, In about five days, the flotilla will dock at the barbarian camp, and after all the people are settled, the flotilla will set sail back to Twilight West City. During this period of time, the kingdom will do its best to accept the refugees from Holy Guardian City as soon as possible and gradually transfer them to the harbor area, ready to board the ships and transport them to the north.

After discussing the affairs of the kingdom with the officials for a while longer, the depressed Ethan returned to the cabin and walked onto the deck to look at the sea in deep thought.

Every day at sea was a torment for Ethan.

He would always try to summon Mary and Dion in his soul space from time to time, and to his disappointment time and time again, there was no response from these two.

When the flotilla finally docked, Ethan saw Ruichier and Dierdri in the crowd on the deck.

Amidst the cheers of tens of thousands of people, the worried Ethan returned to the Barbarian Small Building with his two daughters first.

Are you saying that His Highness Sinclair of the Holy Guardian City, has a secret deal with the Church for slave trading? Ruichier frowned and shook his head gently while removing Ethan’s armor, This matter was unexpected. As a matter of fact, His Highness Sinclair’s popularity is quite good both in the folklore and in the high society. In people’s impression, he is one of the few nobles who would go out of his way to care about people’s hardships, and his idea of military independence has a large number of fans among the generals.

Ethan threw the heavy armor on his body onto the ground and collapsed into a recliner and let out a long breath, I’ve read his personal introduction, and it was because of these qualities in him that the Kingdom of Twilight West decided to support him to the throne. However, the slave trading thing always made me think that he had other plans.

Ruichier walked over to Ethan’s side, a pair of soft razors gently pressing on the top of his head, My liege, there should be more than these things bothering you, right?

Ethan, who had closed his eyes and enjoyed the head massage, glanced at Ruichier, paused for a moment, and opened his mouth, I’m in the soul space, and there’s no way to contact Dion and Mary.

Ruichier’s hand stopped, Couldn’t reach them? Have you tried again?

I’ve been trying over and over again for the past few days and it’s all ended in failure. Ethan asked towards Ruichier, When you were in the Elder Council, did you learn about Clarence’s ‘Soul Link’ ability? Under what circumstances would there usually be a break in the link of the ability?

Ruichier thought back for a while, and eventually shook his head, The psychic abilities held by the Elders are all top secret within the organization, I’m afraid I have no way to give you an answer.

Looking at Ethan’s anxious appearance, Ruichier asked softly, Are you worried that the two of them have …… already?

The former locked his brows tightly and said with a headache, At first, it was entirely my decision to let Dion and Mary go out to Holy Guardian City. Right now, with the life and death of these two unknown, I’m afraid I have to bear the greatest responsibility.

Ruichier gently nudged Ethan’s forehead with his hand, There is a way to know whether they are alive or dead.

Ruichier and Ethan exchanged a glance and coincidentally shifted their eyes to Dierdri’s. The latter, who was busy stowing away his armor, noticed the former’s gaze, and a puzzled expression instantly hung on his face.

Ten minutes later, Dierdri slowly opened his eyes and said to Ethan and Ruichier, The two of them should still be alive, I couldn’t find their souls.

Hearing this, a relieved Ethan breathed a sigh of relief.

Ruichier analyzed, Just like blocking the sunlight with wooden boards, maybe someone used some method to stop the souls from linking.

Ethan followed her train of thought and added, The person who was able to perform the ability blocking should be very familiar with Clarence’s 『Soul Link』 ability.

Speaking of this, the two of them simultaneously remembered a force.

The Elder Council.

Chapter 4

Ethan rubbed his brow vigorously, the development of events made him feel more and more headache.

There were already three factions fighting each other in Holy Guardian City, and with the addition of the Twilight West Kingdom and the Church, followed by the Elder Council, the entire situation had now been stirred up like a pot of hodgepodge gruel.

I’m going to make a trip to Holy Guardian City.

Ethan’s words caused Ruichier to freeze.

The latter looked at him with a serious look on his face and asked with lowered eyelids, Is it because of a certain person?

Hearing this, Ethan did not react to the deeper meaning of the other party’s words and just asked curiously, Because of someone?

Ruichier lifted his head as if nothing had happened, The Holy Guardian City right now is not a good place to go, the fish and dragons there are mixed up and the situation is critical …… Besides, you’ve only just finished commanding a big battle, don’t you want to rest for a moment?

Seemingly having long since resigned himself to running around and exerting himself, Ethan shrugged, The word rest seems to have nothing to do with me anymore, ironically, a long time ago, the thing I wished for most was to lie in bed and live this life in comfort.

Ruichier poked the other man’s head lightly with his finger, Those old men in Twilight West thought you were willing to give up power for the sake of the kingdom’s future. But I know exactly, the reason why you did that was simply because of - laziness.

Ethan smiled bitterly and chose to remain silent.

The selection of officials, the revision of laws, the formation of a cabinet …… you did all these things in order to spread the king’s burden to others. Ruichier hung his head, the faint scent of his body overflowing on the tips of their noses, I have wondered from before how under the sky there could be a king with such a disposition, who for the sake of saving time and peace of mind, actually gave the power that everyone covets to others.

Ruichier’s words made Ethan smile.

He looked at the woman who was close to him and recalled the little moments they had spent together, and he couldn’t help but sigh in his heart that the other person gave him a truly marvelous feeling.

Speaking of her body, Ruichier didn’t have the same netted face and bony bones as the woman in her previous life, and her appearance and figure were more in line with the classical western a A graceful figure, white jade-like skin, and delicate, soft features.

But as the saying goes, a good-looking skin is one in a thousand, and an interesting soul is one in a million.

What attracted Ethan most to this woman was her intelligence and mystery.

Looking at Ethan’s unblinking gaze at himself, Ruichier leaned down, lying on his body, the two masses of jade in front of his chest changing shape, only to hear her laugh softly and say: ’’Am I not right? Your Majesty who would rather give up his power for the sake of laziness?"

Returning to his senses, Ethan gently kissed the other party’s lips, Even if you have a point, I’m still too busy every day ……

Ruichier pinched his nose in amusement, Who can be blamed for this? It’s still your own fault. It’s obvious that you want to let go of everything with all your heart, but you’re always swayed by the emotion called responsibility. This makes you choose a treacherous path again and again in order to save others and fulfill promises.

Ethan’s eyes lost focus and looked away, muttering under his breath, Duty? ……?

I really don’t understand, in the other world, is everyone like you, or are you simply the only maverick being? Ruichier slowly lifted Ethan’s collar and carefully kissed the other man’s neck, Perhaps it is this very contradiction in you that attracts me the most.

Ethan wrapped his arms around him and flipped his body over, pinning Ruichier underneath him, and was just about to make another move when a chortle drew him back to look.

Dierdri, who had packed up his armor and had just come down from the second floor, happened to see this fragrant scene on the recliner, and was so frightened that he hastily covered his eyes with his hands and let out a shy cry.

Ruichier, who was lying under Ethan’s body and couldn’t move, first gouged out the former fiercely, then stretched out the pink lotus root and white tender arm, beckoned to Dierdri, and said in a bad mood, What are you shouting blindly for! Why don’t you come over?

Looked at the window of the white sun, hesitant Dierdri, finally still step by step towards the recliner.

In bed, the clouds and rain rested a little.

Ethan looked at the sleeping Dierdri, took the mead handed over by Ruichier, sat on the fur carpet and gently sipped it before saying, I plan to rush to Holy Guardian City after I finish with the affairs of the camp.

Ruichier, who only wore a light veil, with a dissatisfied face pinched the soft flesh around Ethan’s waist with her fingers, After letting out the fire, you didn’t even have a warm word!

Looking at Ethan’s face full of apologies, Ruichier sat into his embrace and said magnanimously, Forget it, you said you’re going to Holy Guard City, but you don’t even know what’s going on there.

During this battle in the ancient bubbling city, I captured a deacon of the church named Chailefeld. I was able to obtain from him the slave-trading joint code and the location of the organization, and using the supernatural power of shaping, I was able to borrow his identity and blend in with the Holy Guardian City and the Church’s hierarchy.

Ruichier leaned his back against Ethan’s chest and took a small sip of the agar in his glass, That is indeed a solution, if it was just the guys from Holy Guard City and the Church, maybe you could really muddle through. But the involvement of the Presbyterian Church has made the situation in Holy Acropolis even more dangerous, and I don’t need to remind you that you should know that there are all sorts of Fae in that organization, and you have no idea what their powers are.

Ethan nodded, That’s why I need help on this trip to Holy Guardian City. I met people from the Fae Society in the Ancient Bubbling City, and they helped me out, maybe there are people like that in Holy Guardian City?

Don’t take things too literally. Ruichier turned back and blankly glanced at Ethan, Among the northern kingdoms, the Presbyterian Society’s administration is the weakest, that’s why I was able to blatantly pull in help there; but the kingdoms in the diocese, the Presbyterian Society’s administration is strict, so it’s very difficult to try to develop fae resisters in those places.

Ethan sighed softly.

Ruichier glanced at him, Although there is no way to find enough helpers, but finding some contacts to understand the situation, there might still be a way …… but there is a premise.

Prerequisite? What?

I have to come with you to Sanctuary City.

Ethan frowned, You’re coming with me?But the camp still needs someone to manage it here ……

Ruichier seemed to have planned everything early on, Twilight West City’s flotilla will be back again soon, and in addition to the Sanctuary Acropolis refugees, it will bring a large number of administrators with it. They can take over all the administrative affairs of the camp. …… Besides, don’t you still have 『Soul Link』? Just hold regular meetings.

After carefully thinking about Ruichier’s analysis, Ethan felt that it made quite a bit of sense, but he was still a bit worried about the other party’s safety, The current situation in Holy Acropolis is unclear, if you go over there, what if you run into danger ……?

You’re worried about my ability to defend myself? Ruichier laughed, In those years before I met you, how did I survive, would you think that I relied on mere luck?

Ethan reasoned and finally simply threw up his hands and agreed to Ruichier’s entourage.

The victory in this battle has put the population of Camp Frostbite at, perhaps, over ten thousand. Combined with the refugees from Sanctuary City who moved in shortly afterward, the total population here will reach fifteen thousand. Ethan stretched out his arms and hugged Ruichier and said, With so many people, whether it be customs, shelter, division of labor, or beliefs, they are all extremely divergent, and how to manage them will be a big problem.

Snuggling into Ethan’s arms, Ruichier felt body and soul, as if she had entered a safe harbor. She relaxed her whole body and murmured, Uh, so?

I need to come up with a way to integrate people as quickly as possible before we leave.Ethan buried his face into Ruichier’s satin-like hair and inhaled deeply, But for now ……

Ruichier’s eyes suddenly widened and she looked behind her in surprise, Hey! !!! What are you doing?I really don’t have the strength anymore …… Well ……

Dierdri, who was awakened by the movement around him, looked at the bright spring colors in front of him, and hastily rolled over, closed his eyes, and pretended to fall asleep again.

Chapter 5

Dozens of different