Chapter 199 : Chapter 199
Chapter 199. Heading to the Holy Light Empire’s Encampment
The hooves of the Four-Winged Pegasi shattered the morning dew on the Training Grounds. When Isabella reined in her mount, the Holy Light patterns on her armor flowed beneath the sunlight. She turned back to look at William, her tone concise.
“We can leave.”
William had just put away the empty bottle of High-Grade Healing Potion. The potion’s warm current was still coursing through his limbs and bones, dispelling the exhaustion of his sleepless night.
He patted Darwin’s neck. The Giant Dragon gave a low hum, spread its wings, and followed the formation of Pegasus knights.
Before leaving, he grabbed Kru’s arm at the city gate and lowered his voice.
“I am leaving the fortress defenses to you. If anything unusual happens, go to Lady Daenerys immediately.”
Kru nodded heavily and watched as they turned into specks of light on the horizon. Then he turned and walked quickly toward the city wall.
There, Dragon Mother Daenerys’s red-gold dragon was coiled on the hill like a silent golden statue.
The wind in the air carried the chill of the wilderness. William looked down at the land below. From Despair Fortress to the central region of the Barbarian Tribes, the journey took only half a day.
When the outline of Zu’Aman appeared in his field of vision, his brows abruptly tightened.
This was a city the Barbarians had once regarded as a sacred land.
Now, only broken walls and ruins remained. Charred wooden beams jutted slantwise from the rubble. Not a single figure could be seen on the streets, and even the usual roars of the Barbarians had vanished without a trace.
The smell of blood in the air was so thick it could not disperse. It mingled with the scorched stench left by fire, stinging the nose.
“This place…” William said in a low voice. “Was there a massacre here?”
Isabella’s voice came from the front, carrying a trace of almost imperceptible coldness.
“These people were all heretics. Their deaths were only proper. After all, every heretic who worships an Evil God deserves to die.”
Darwin shifted his tail uneasily beneath him. A Giant Dragon’s sensitivity to the scent of blood far surpassed that of humans. It could smell the despair and fury mixed within that blood.
William looked at the empty city and suddenly felt a chill in his palm. To be able to slaughter an entire holy city of several million people, the Holy Light Empire was far more ruthless than the Blackgold Empire.
After passing through the ruins of Zu’Aman, the Holy Light Empire’s encampment appeared in the valley ahead.
It was a camp enveloped by a Holy Light Barrier. White tents were arranged in neat rows, and the knights’ armor shone with a gentle halo within the barrier, forming a stark contrast against the deathly silence outside.
When the Pegasus knight order landed, ripples spread across the barrier, revealing the largest white tent at the center of the camp.
It was clearly the Bishop’s residence.
Isabella dismounted and said to William, “The Bishop is waiting for you inside.”
William leaped down from Darwin’s back. The Giant Dragon very consciously lay down outside the barrier, staring warily at the movement inside the camp.
He straightened his robe.
“Please lead the way.”
William stepped forward and followed Isabella. The soles of his boots made faint sounds against the white sandstone of the camp.
The Holy Light inside the barrier was warm and pure, yet for some reason, it made him feel a trace of oppression—like the sky before a storm, far too calm.
Soon, the two of them arrived at the Main Tent.
A strange fragrance filled the Main Tent, a blend of sandalwood and some indescribable burning aura.
The Bishop stood with his back to the entrance. His wide white robe shifted in the candlelight as he faced a Totem Pillar covered in cracks and chanted in a low voice. When his fingertips brushed over the carvings on the pillar, fine golden light flickered.
As the final syllable fell, the Totem Pillar suddenly trembled. A wisp of gray-black mist rose from its top, mixed with faint golden specks of light.
It was the impure Divinity that had been stripped away.
The Bishop raised his hand and grabbed. The mist was seized into his palm and condensed into a turbid ball of light. He casually tossed it into a crystal bottle beside him, and the body of the bottle immediately glowed with a faint radiance.
Only after finishing all of this did he turn around. Fine sweat seeped from his shiny forehead, but his face was piled with a warm smile.
“William Kroll. I have long heard of you.”
He pointed at the chair inside the tent.
“When I was in the Holy Light Main City, I often heard people mention the young talent of the Kroll Kingdom. Seeing you today, you truly possess an extraordinary bearing.”
William’s gaze fell on the Totem Pillar that had been thrown into the corner. Its material resembled wood, yet was not wood. Dark-red marks still remained in the carvings, like dried blood.
He withdrew his gaze without a change in expression and sat down opposite the Bishop.
“You flatter me, Lord Bishop.”
“The Lord’s glory never favors anyone. Those who can distinguish themselves in chaotic times must have their reasons.”
The Bishop picked up the crystal bottle and examined it against the candlelight.
“Look at this Divinity. It is impure and unbearable, but it is still a form of power.”
“Just like heretics such as the Barbarian Tribes. Ignorant and savage, yet they guarded a treasure like this. Unfortunately, they were unworthy of it.”
He set down the crystal bottle, and his smile faded slightly.
“I know you are looking for Divinity. The Blackgold Empire is also looking for it, and those reptiles on Dragon Island are coveting it as well…”
“But only the Lord can purify this impure power and return it to the righteous path.”
William’s fingers tightened slightly. He finally understood why the other party had stripped the Divinity from the Totem Pillar here.
“Lord Bishop, I assume you did not summon me here merely to show me this.”
“Clever.”
The Bishop clapped his hands and laughed softly.
“The Blackgold Empire wants to reach toward Dragon Island. Their ambitions are not small. But they have forgotten that the Holy Light Empire is the true guardian of order on this continent.”
He leaned forward, his gaze as sharp as a hawk’s.
“I want you to help me with something. Persuade the Grand Elder of Dragon Island to let the Dragon Clan form an alliance with the Holy Light Empire. With the Dragon Clan’s power, we can thoroughly purge the remnants of Blackgold and let the Lord’s glory cover every inch of land.”
The candlelight inside the tent suddenly flickered, making the oily sheen on the Bishop’s face shift between light and shadow.
William looked at him and suddenly felt that some calculation was hidden behind that smile. This so-called alliance was probably more like control.
“The Dragon Clan has always been independent. I am afraid they will not agree easily,” he replied cautiously.
“That is why we need you.”
The Bishop’s smile deepened meaningfully. “You are on good terms with the Grand Elder, and Darwin is an outstanding member of the Dragon Clan’s new generation. As long as you speak, he has no reason to refuse.”
He paused, then threw out the bait.
“Once the matter is done, I will give you half of this stripped Divinity. If the Kroll Kingdom wishes to rise again, it will likely be as difficult as ascending to the heavens without the support of Divinity.”
William looked at the Totem Pillar in the corner, then recalled the suffocatingly thick smell of blood in Zu’Aman.
He suddenly understood that the Holy Light Empire’s “order” perhaps knew even better than the Blackgold Empire’s “plunder” how to dress its fangs in fine wrappings.
“I need time to consider it.”
He stood up, his tone calm.
“The Dragon Clan has the Dragon Clan’s pride. I cannot make decisions on their behalf.”
The Bishop did not try to keep him. He merely waved his hand.
“That is fine. But do not make me wait too long. The shadows of the Blackgold Empire are already pressing closer.”
William turned and left the Main Tent. The Holy Light outside the tent remained warm, but it could not shine away the gloom in his eyes.
Just as he walked out of the shadow of the Main Tent, two Holy Radiance Knights stepped forward. Their silver armor gleamed coldly beneath the Holy Light as they blocked his path.
“William Kroll, please come with us.”
The knight on the left spoke in a flat voice, without any emotion in it, and gestured toward a tent deeper within the camp.
“Lord Bishop has made other arrangements. Later, he will discuss other matters with you in detail. Please rest here for now.”
William’s fingertips lightly rubbed his Spatial Ring. Hidden inside the ring were those two Demigod Tokens.
But from the corner of his eye, he saw Darwin outside the barrier uneasily flicking its tail, yet it did not barge in on its own.
The Dragon Clan’s sharp senses had allowed it to detect that this camp’s Holy Light Barrier naturally suppressed Giant Dragons.
“Very well.”
William withdrew his gaze and nodded without resisting.
He knew very well that forcing a confrontation at this moment would bring him no advantage. It was better to first see what the other party truly intended.
He followed the knights past several rows of white tents. The aura of Holy Light in the air grew richer and richer, even burning his skin slightly.
At last, they stopped before a tent slightly smaller than the Main Tent. A silver cross hung at the entrance, swaying gently in the wind.
“Please enter, Your Highness.”
The knight bowed. He did not seem to have any intention of following him inside, but merely stood guard at the entrance, like two silent statues.