Chapter 275
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Chapter 275: The Stage Is Set
Laria City is not the capital of the Pande Empire, but it is where the Church of the Dawn Goddess is located in the Pande Empire.
Like the City of Freedom, it is a coastal city and a trading center of the Pande Empire.
The Church of the Dawn Goddess would choose the most suitable places, not necessarily the capital.
The Pande Empire is an ancient part of the Kingdom of Knights, where the knight class is an important part of its political structure, and the title of knight is a symbol of honor.
In every other country, there are firearms and machinery, even in the Kingdom of Persia, which looks down on firearms.
However, in the Pande Empire, absolutely no firearms are allowed, preserving its most primitive appearance.
All battle units rely on their own abilities.
Besides the knights, there are many other professionals, but the knight class is the main force.
In theory, many who claim to be knights and hold knight positions are actually warriors by profession; they just have a title.
Normally, only the church can train knights, which means knights should be of the light attribute.
However, many people do not understand this about the Pande Empire; in this country, even those who are not of the light attribute can be classified as knights, and many non-light attribute knight cards have emerged.
This country is a heaven for knights and a hell for mechanical enthusiasts.
Karoso sat in the carriage, looking at the scenery around him, lost in thought.
I haven’t seen a carriage like this in a long time…
"Young master, your gun has been taken away, aren’t you uncomfortable? You are the son of a duke." After arriving here, Kirmin quickly showed her discomfort with the new environment.
She is an extreme mechanical enthusiast, yet this country bans machines; it’s hard to understand what is going on.
How convenient machines are! Can this horse cart go faster than a car?
Also, the flying vehicle is a griffin… How many people can a griffin carry, and how many can a plane hold?
What a truly strange country this is.
"The rules in this country are like this. Don’t think it’s just me; even the king of the Kingdom of Persia would have to be disarmed," Karoso replied casually.
"What if Emperor Augustus from the Presea Empire came? Would he be disarmed?" Kirmin asked curiously.
"First of all, he wouldn’t bring a weapon; he would show his friendliness and follow the rules." Karoso looked at Kirmin, "Secondly, even if he did bring a weapon, it would be crushed by the empire’s mighty steel lion."
"The great emperor really is impressive," Kirmin said with a sense of wonder. "How much money do you think he has?"
"I don’t know, but our family owes him a lot of money." Karoso looked out the window again.
"Hmm…" Kirmin blinked, "Young master, I actually have no role here. Why did you bring me?"
"The more you learn about potions and similar things, the more it will help your research. Mechanical research is not just pure mechanical research; otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to create so many strange and wonderful things. You need a lot of different knowledge, and the library of The Kingdom of Knights is actually very suitable for you. There are many old wizards’ books." Karoso said, "And you are a butler; I am not bringing you here to get rich."
"I see." Kirmin suddenly understood.
Just as Karoso was looking outside, he suddenly noticed the curtain of the nearby carriage was lifted.
Karoso and the person in that carriage exchanged a glance, both wearing looks of dislike.
Saaya’s carriage happened to be side by side with Karoso’s carriage…
This time, Celica and the people she was meeting here had a carriage with two little girls, Merlin was with Jenny in one carriage, the other two people from the church were in another, 『』 and Alita shared a carriage, and Karoso naturally got paired with Kirmin.
"What bad luck…" Saaya casually closed the curtain.
Soon, Saaya’s carriage stopped at the library.
Karoso raised his eyebrow; it seemed that Saaya had more reasons for coming here than just to relax and have fun. His goal was likely this country’s library.
Saaya is a wizard, and the library here is very helpful to him.
It is clear that Saaya is not just a spoiled rich kid. In other families, someone like Saaya could be the main support, but only in the Colloa family is there someone like Karoso to keep Saaya down.
Saaya indeed works hard, but compared to Karoso, who doesn’t treat himself like a person, he still has a long way to go.
Karoso doesn’t mind that he is reading; after all, in the dream world, Saaya is just a sixth-tier wizard. This journey may not be very helpful for him.
"Master, are all noble families like yours so unfriendly?" Kirmin asked curiously.
"Not necessarily, but my family has always been unfriendly," Karoso yawned.
Just then, the carriage stopped outside the church.
Laria Cathedral, that is the name of the church.
At this time, the highest-ranking Red Bishop of the Pande Empire, Ricardo, was already waiting outside the church.
The one who arrived was Celica, a cardinal. Since it was a matter concerning the divine, he, as a cardinal, naturally had to greet them in person.
Everyone got out of the carriage together. Celica walked in front of Ricardo, and they bowed to each other. Then, everyone entered the cleared church.
Karoso’s gaze was also on Ricardo, and a slight smile appeared on his face.
This was an elderly man, over sixty years old, with a long white beard, a kind smile, gentle authority, and a simple robe that glowed with Holy Light, all indicating that he was a good person.
However, this man was one of Karoso’s targets for this journey.
[Yes, it’s him, that old man.]
[The biggest boss of the Pande Empire.]
[It’s hard to say. The Knight Tournament of the Pande Empire is now controlled by capital, and the merchant association might be the worst.]
[Just investigate him, and let Celica confront him directly. Celica will start to question the church.]
[Although the church has always had a good image and has been helping us, I still feel that something is wrong.]
[If a cardinal can commit so many wrongdoings here, I cannot believe the church is clean.]
[However, the church has always had a positive role in our conflict with Master Karoso.]
[Doesn’t that just prove that he is the villain in this situation?]
[There are no clear heroes or villains; it is all about interests.]
[Yes, if a valuable person falls into the hands of the prince, he won’t let go. If he feels threatened, he might even destroy them.]
[To put it simply, with great power, there will always be problems; can you name a government without issues in reality?]
[I am a pureblood battle wolf!]
Karoso turned to look; reporters were blocked outside, shouting loudly, and Celica showed no sign of leaving.
These reporters are annoying, but we cannot drive them away with violence.
In the past, because of the excessive persecution of other churches, the Church of Dawn Goddess did not dare to control public opinion; at least on the surface, there is freedom of speech.
"It must have been a tough journey to Laria this time," Ricardo said after greeting Celica, "We need to have an important talk. Headquarters is paying a lot of attention to our meeting, especially about this mission, and they need a detailed report. This time, people from headquarters are here to assist us throughout."
"No problem," Celica replied seriously, "I bear a huge responsibility after what happened in the City of Freedom."
"We still need to utilize Laria’s magic circle to figure out what is going on with the two children who possess divine power."
In the study of knights and magic, Laria has always been on par with any other country.
When it comes to the number of high-level wizards and the strength of magic circles, Laria has always been among the best in the world, which is why they still hold a veto power even if they cannot keep up with the times.
"Don’t worry, this time we two cardinals will preside over it…" Ricardo said with a smile, "There won’t be any unexpected events."
If they truly have a significant problem… then we can quietly resolve it.
If it is useful, then keep it.
The Church of Dawn Goddess has its own way of dealing with such matters.
This is why the two of them were lucky to meet Celica; otherwise, they would have been gone a long time ago.
Of course, in the original story, the presence of Null and 『』, along with Merlin, was also one of the reasons Sophia was able to survive.
The most important thing is that Sophia is just a vessel, and this vessel can be used by more than just the cult.
Now, unlike the original story, there is Neymar, a deity from this world, who was discovered when their power was still weak.
"As long as there are no surprises," Celica did not catch the hidden meaning in Ricardo’s words.
At that moment, the crowd outside naturally parted to make a path.
Ricardo and Celica looked outside the church and saw a kind old man appear there.
"Ha ha ha…" The old man saw Ricardo and smiled. He casually waved and said, "You were surrounded just now, and I felt too shy to talk to you. Is it okay for me to come in now?"
"Guildmaster Delandus…" Ricardo quickly bowed to the old man and instructed, "Please, let the guildmaster come in."
The church staff quickly stepped aside and invited Delandus inside.
Seeing the Nature Mage Association guildmaster in person, Karoso felt relieved.
The Wizard Association has many nobles and great wealth and power; the Pastor Association is more like a church association, similar to the United Nations; the Knights Association plays a smaller role since knights must serve their own monarchs, and the Warrior Association is similar; as for the Nature Mage Association, while it lacks financial strength, its large number of practitioners is an advantage, and most wizards are proud and do not serve their monarchs. The relationship between the monarch and wizards feels more like a hiring agreement.
You could say that both magic-related associations are not to be underestimated.
As for the Card Maker Association? This association is above politics and never gets involved.
Other less common profession associations, like the Shaman, are not worth mentioning; honestly, who plays a Shaman?
"Why is he here?" Celica whispered.
"I don’t know either. I didn’t hear anything before. Why is he here to see us…?" Ricardo looked a bit confused.
『』 moved close to Karoso, puffed out her chest proudly, "What do you think? Isn’t your teacher amazing? I will definitely keep my promise to my students."
"Thank you, teacher." Karoso said with heartfelt appreciation.
Suddenly, Karoso remembered something and asked 『』, "Before, I caused quite a stir on the ship with Emperor Goufuh, but no one came to find me this time after I got off the ship…"
"Who do you think helped you out?" 『』 replied without any patience.
"I’m sorry for causing you trouble, teacher." Karoso said with a worried expression.
"You should try not to create unnecessary trouble and focus on your studies. That’s the best way to repay me," Bai said with a bit of helplessness.
Soon, Delandus arrived beside the two cardinal figures, his hand resting casually on Neymar’s shoulder. "I might have come a bit carelessly this time, mainly because I wanted to see this girl."
"Oh?" Ricardo exclaimed with surprise. "The guildmaster knows this child?"
Neymar felt a bit confused. Why would a wizard like me, the master of the Nature Mage Association, be wanted?
She quietly glanced at Karoso. Karoso gave a sign, and Neymar immediately understood.
Ricardo was a clever old fox and also noticed Neymar’s small actions. His eyes turned to Karoso, and he frowned slightly.
He didn’t believe this was something two children could ask Delandus for. He wondered what Grand Duke Osiris had done or if someone behind Grand Duke Osiris had done something.
You see, if a real god appeared, it would be more than a principality could handle.
This time of testing Neymar does not seem to be going smoothly…
"I know her, of course! Neymar is a genius wizard. She helped me translate a very important ancient document before." Delandus said with emotion, "That paper had a great impact on our Nature Mage Association. I originally wanted to come personally to see this little girl, but something happened at sea."
"Well, I found out she was coming to Pande, so I hurried right over."
"At my age, I don’t remember well, and I didn’t greet the bishop. I apologize."
"So there is such a connection!" Ricardo said, no matter if others believe it or not, he certainly does, "Since the guildmaster has come, he must be our guest at the grand cathedral in Laria and give some guidance on our church wizard’s spell training."
Ricardo is just being polite; he does not really want the guildmaster to stay here.
Normally, a guildmaster of an association does not stay on someone else’s territory unless they are specifically visiting that place.
"Of course, of course." Delandus did not hold back with Ricardo; he still wore a kind smile, "There are many things in that paper I do not understand, and I want to communicate more with this child in the next few days, but I wonder…"
"Well, you know, she is related to the divine, and we can’t break the rules…" Ricardo gritted his teeth and refused Delandus, "Once the verification is over and we confirm she is not possessed by an evil god, you can talk for as long as you want."
"Possessed by an evil god? No way…" Delandus’s smile became less warm, "A child as good as her doesn’t seem like someone who is possessed by an evil god."
