As they approached the gates of St. Defence, the guards who had been dozing in the doorway heard the commotion and came out. By the moonlight, they looked at the slowly approaching rider, their greedy eyes fixed on the horse under Todd's horse. But as the rider drew closer, the sight of the Holy Cross of the Church beneath the black robe made the guards fearfully avert their gaze.

And so, Todd entered the city gates without incident and arrived on the streets of St. Defence.

The horses' hooves clattered on the bluestone slabs, echoing crisply throughout the street. This solitary and desolate sound made the city of Saint-Guardian appear exceptionally solemn and dignified under the night sky.

Looking at the scenery on both sides of the street, Todd recalled the description of the city he had read in the monastery's library, which repeatedly used the phrase "a city built purely for military purposes".

A deep and wide moat, tall and sturdy city walls, rows of blacksmith shops, a magnificent castle... Only when Todd saw this military city with his own eyes did he finally understand why those books devoted so much space to describing the history and achievements of St. Victory when they mentioned the cities of the Western Parish.

Riding through the bustling streets, Todd saw that every house had its doors and windows tightly shut, and he couldn't see any pedestrians at all.

The streets were completely devoid of human presence; the grass on the green spaces had long been uprooted, and the trees had been cut down, leaving only bare roots.

Todd was eager to find the embassy in Twilight City as soon as possible to gather information about the delegation, but this meant he would have to risk entering the inner city. Knowing that multiple factions were entrenched there, and that a slight misstep could expose his identity, he ultimately suppressed his urgency.

After much deliberation, he decided to head to the cathedral in St. Victory City first to meet Tristan, the contact person introduced by Rachel.

After riding for about ten minutes, the cross-shaped dome of the cathedral came into Todd's view.

Further on, a group of emaciated, pale-faced seekers blocked the way of the horses, shouting at Todd, "Halt! Who goes there?!"

Todd reined in his horse, lifted his hand to reveal the Holy Cross beneath his black robe, eliciting gasps from the crowd.

"Please...please wait a moment! We'll go and fetch Lord Pat!"

Watching a catechumen hurriedly run back, Todd, sitting on his horse, turned his attention to the cathedral under the night sky.

A layer of wooden barricades surrounded the entire cathedral, and a simple arrow tower was built on each of the four sides of the building.

As expected of a military city, even the cathedral is decorated to resemble a fortress.

Just as Todd uttered such praise, he suddenly noticed some dried bloodstains on the barricade and immediately began to ponder the situation in the city and how it had changed.

A few minutes later, a short, stout deacon, yawning, walked out of the cathedral and said impatiently, "Who is it so late?"

As the deacon drew closer, Todd removed the hood of his black robe, revealing Felicidade's appearance.

When Deputy Priest Pat saw Todd on horseback, he first gaped, then rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and finally hurriedly and stumbled to his feet, took the reins, and went inside, smiling obsequiously, "Isn't this Lord Felicidade! Why didn't you let me know you were coming?!"

With the fat acolyte leading the horse, Todd swaggered into the cathedral’s backyard under the astonished gaze of a group of catechumens.

"Lord Feliceld, have you had dinner yet? I'll have someone prepare it right away!" Auxiliary Priest Pat helped Todd dismount, and once he was standing, he didn't forget to pat the dust off the latter.

Is this guy really a member of the church?!

Todd glanced at the fat man suspiciously. The man's obsequious manner and fawning expression made him look exactly like a businessman.

Recalling Félix's daily habits, Todd snorted, flicked a silver moon at Pat with his right thumb, and asked arrogantly, "Where is Tristan?"

Pat deftly took the Silver Moon and slipped it discreetly into his pocket. He then pointed to the clerk's office at the back of the church: "Lord Tristan is reading there. Would you like me to take you there?"

“No need.” Todd dismounted, leaving Pat with a dashing back view: “Take care of my horse.”

The fat man kept saying "yes" repeatedly, but his left hand grabbed his right arm, and his right hand suddenly pointed upwards, giving the middle finger.

Walking through the long corridor, Todd arrived at the door of the secretary's office and knocked on the door.

A voice came from inside the room: "Who's there?"

Todd cleared his throat: "The person you're waiting for."

A moment later, the door opened.

With a scrutinizing expression, Tristan looked Todd up and down, standing in front of the door, without making any move aside.

Helpless, Todd pulled out the keepsake Rachel had given him before his departure from under his robes—a teardrop-shaped earring made of emerald.

Tristan took the earrings, a fleeting tenderness in his eyes. He quickly regained his composure and moved aside, gesturing for Todd to come in first.

Once inside, Todd casually found a comfortable chair and sat down, his eyes involuntarily drawn to the things on the desk.

Notes and books were scattered everywhere, papers were covered with writing, and a dinner that was only half-eaten.

Tristan ignored Todd, who was looking around, walked to the desk, sat down slowly, placed Rachel's earring in his palm, and stared at it silently.

This gave Todd the opportunity to observe Tristan, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, by the firelight.

Due to long-term fatigue and stress, Tristan, who was not yet thirty, already showed signs of premature aging. Looking at his hunched figure, faint silver hairs, and gaunt face, so different from the person he remembered, Todd sighed softly.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!