As Todd received 'Dead Silence' from Meredith, the moment he touched the gun, he had a sudden feeling—this weapon in his hand did not seem to be an inanimate object, but rather seemed to contain a special kind of life.
Looking up at Meredith, Todd asked, "About my wound, and this spear..."
The former shrugged and said, "According to my master, this spear not only harms the body but also damages the soul. Therefore, ordinary material means may not be effective in healing the wound. You can try using the power of your soul."
Upon hearing this, Todd began to use the dark energy within his body, gathering it on the wound on his back. Although the wound was not healing quickly, the pain was slowly subsiding, and the feeling of weakness was somewhat relieved.
Seeing Todd's expression gradually relax, everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief.
Meredith found a chair and sat down, picking up an apple from the fruit plate as if no one else was there. She wiped it on her clothes and said while taking a bite, "This wound on your body needs some time to heal. During this time, in addition to repairing your body, I suggest you move around less, and especially try to reduce the use of your soul power."
After rewrapping the Deathly Silence Spear in linen, Todd, supported by Deirdre, got out of bed, put on his coat, and said sincerely to Meredith, "I owe you a favor."
Meredith laughed and said, "As the king of two kingdoms, you owe me more than just this one favor. If you really want to count them, they're enough to keep me from ever having enough to eat or wear for the rest of my life."
Todd chuckled to himself.
Meredith glanced at the view outside the window: "I like it here, and I plan to stay here for the time being."
Ivy looked up at Meredith, her eyes wide, and exclaimed, "What did you say?!"
Seeing the Valkyrie's surprised expression, Meredith waved the half apple in her hand: "Don't worry, I won't disturb the patient's recovery."
Deirdre stood behind Todd and whispered, "There are longhouses for believers to live in at the temple not far away."
Looking at the beautiful woman who blushed from time to time, Meredith teased with a smile, "Are you worried about your private life at night? I can assure you, I sleep very soundly."
Of all those present, perhaps only Todd truly understood Meredith's good intentions. She was worried that Cú Chulainn might launch a sneak attack while she was injured, so she deliberately stayed behind as a bodyguard.
"There is also an attic on the second floor. Although it is filled with a lot of miscellaneous items, it is still a nice place to live after cleaning."
Todd's words surprised everyone.
Meredith looked up at the ceiling, smiled, stood up, poured all the food from the fruit platter into her feather robe, nodded to everyone present, and said, "In that case, I won't stand on ceremony anymore. I've been traveling for several days without closing my eyes, and I need to catch up on some sleep now."
"Don't bother me unless it's absolutely necessary... Oh, and that doesn't apply to meals."
After saying this, Meredith swaggered out of the bedroom.
Evie turned to look at Todd, her face filled with shock and disbelief.
Todd smiled and waved his hand, indicating that she didn't need to worry about it.
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The Supuha Mountains, the temple of the Mother Goddess.
Eleanor leaned back in her deck chair, gazing lazily at the garden outside the window, and asked, "So, did you find out?"
Looking at the huge pile of documents in front of him, Garcia rubbed his temples in exasperation: "According to the information provided by the followers, the dragon seemed to appear out of thin air and then disappear into thin air!"
Eleanor rested her chin on her arm, her slender, delicate fingers idly playing with the flower buds in the vase: "I originally thought that the so-called ancient gods had long since abandoned this world, leaving their people to fend for themselves... But, does the appearance of a dragon mean that they are still watching us?"
Garcia frowned and asked, "What are you trying to say?"
"Your superior, the Grand Master who has never revealed his identity, rarely interferes in the affairs of the Elders' Council. And you, Garcia, as the Vice-Commander of the Legion of Conflict, have long since seized power over the entire legion." Eleanor looked at the man before her and said, "You, who are fully capable of controlling the entire cult, have chosen to obey me. What is your reason?"
Garcia closed his eyes and gently shook his head: "You know why."
Eleanor placed her hand on Garcia's chest, quietly feeling his firm heartbeat: "If gods truly exist, my wish is to break free from the shackles of this body and become a true god. My question is, are you willing to embark on this path with me?"
Garcia pulled Eleanor into his arms, answering the woman in his embrace with a silent hug.
Eleanor rested her head on Garcia's chest and whispered, "To get this far, we need to do two things."
Garcia gave a soft "hmm".
"The first thing is to protect the Cult. The Cult is our solid backing and our most reliable force, yet it is constantly under threat from the Empire. Therefore, the key to strengthening the Cult lies in finding a balance amidst the world's power struggles," Eleanor said slowly. "Only when the world is in constant war and chaos can the Cult have the opportunity to develop... So, you should know who our greatest enemy is?"
Garcia calmly replied, "Saladin."
"That's right. He has already controlled the entire south through political and military means. At this rate, conquering the north is only a matter of time. Although the dragon caused him to lose a lot of troops in the war at Lone Rock, it didn't shake his foundation. The most troublesome thing is that he has begun to be wary of the Church, squeezing our territory, arresting our followers, and weakening our influence. Saladin has already listed us as his enemies..."
Garcia nodded in agreement with Eleanor's view: "We have no chance of winning by confronting him head-on; we must find another way."
The latter said with a smile, "The Ayyubid Empire is Saladin's empire, but without Saladin, this empire is nothing more than a palace built on quicksand."
Garcia gradually understood what the other person was thinking: "You want to do something to the Emperor of the Empire..."
“If there is a quickest and most direct way to solve a problem, then complicated plans and unnecessary actions become a burden.” Eleanor sat up straight, her eyes shining like stars. “Only by protecting everything in the Church can we have a chance to accomplish another thing—find that dragon. Only by finding that dragon can we find the path to the divine realm and become gods.”
Garcia gazed into those mesmerizing eyes, a look of rapture on his face: "But we have no clue about this dragon."
Eleanor covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled softly.
"Have you forgotten? There is a living clue right under our noses."
"What?"
"My little wooden puppet—Richie."
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