Chapter 43
"What he gave you is fake; the divine power on it is not the power of the God of Time at all." A sinister voice echoed in my mind.
"Divine power? What is that?"
"The power of the gods—with it, even a ninth-tier archmage like you could fight them now." The remnant soul's words were extremely tempting.
The blond boy tilted his head and thought for a moment, then nodded: "I understand, but I already have this key, and it has protected me several times. I can't just throw it away."
Remnant Soul: [He switched the real divine artifact. You should kill him and take back what is rightfully yours.]
Arnold asked in confusion, "But that's not mine either."
"No! That should have been yours to begin with!" The remnant soul became somewhat hysterical this time.
The blond boy pursed his lips and didn't continue talking to the remnant soul. After they continued on their way to the capital, the remnant soul gradually became more active. He could sense that the key he carried was extraordinary, and the remnant soul was secretly absorbing the key's power.
Even if it's fake, it's still powerful and rare enough compared to most treasures in the world.
They encountered numerous attacks along the way, each time escaping unscathed. From initially struggling to cope to now handling them with ease and even turning the tables, this key had protected him several times. Even if it wasn't a true artifact, Arnold felt that the key was far more useful to him than any artifact.
The remnant soul said that the artifact could reverse time and change fate, but he felt that things were fine as they were. He had trusted partners and a career he longed for. As long as he defeated the Demon King, he would buy a house and settle down to research potions.
—Don't you want to go back to the night the monsters raged and save the fate of the rest of the village?
Arnold did have a moment of attraction, but he was definitely not as naive as he appeared.
Without that night, he wouldn't have escaped into the Amberley Mountains, wouldn't have made a pact with the remnant soul, wouldn't have passed through Albion, wouldn't have met Veris and those kind priests, wouldn't have come into contact with the magic selection process, and wouldn't have received the recommendation letter for admission to the Royal Academy.
Naturally, they also had no chance to access the Divine Key.
Since it's impossible to access the Divine Key, how could one possibly go back in time to change their fate?
This is a complete paradox.
Arnold was once again convinced that there was something strange about the remnant soul in his mind. Its attitude towards Veris was peculiar; at first, it advised him to stay away, but now it was urging him to kill Veris.
...How could he possibly beat Veris?
He was just a weak third-tier mage and potion apprentice.
The weak mage Arnold and his team traveled north. After entering the Eighth District, news of his acquisition of the Divine Key spread to various factions. They came to test him, deceive him, coerce him, or even ambush and rob him.
When they could no longer withstand the onslaught of these forces, the three chose to seek refuge in the local church.
The church in District 11 of the Kingdom of Lortheran is incomparable to those in other county towns.
In particular, the district cathedral is directly under the responsibility of the archbishop.
The attack that the Brave Squad encountered in the Eighth District was resolved without serious consequences. Their planned route was to pass through a small area of the Sixth District before heading directly to the Fourth District.
In District Six, they were pursued by a group of mysterious men. The three of them got separated. Murphy had the staff that Veris had repaired, so he could handle the pursuit without any problem.
Allen's defense was very high, but his attack was slightly inferior, mainly because his weapon was not strong enough. He did not fare well and escaped with serious injuries, thus saving his life.
Arnold was being hunted by three times the number of his companions. He was cornered on a cliff and, without hesitation, jumped off.
The key on his body once again protected him. Poisonous fog filled the bottom of the cliff, and monsters lurked. The blond boy was swept away by the stream at the bottom of the cliff while unconscious. When he regained consciousness, the people who were chasing him were gone.
He was very interested in medicine and learned about many herbs. As a child who grew up in the countryside, he had a certain ability to survive in the wild. Despite being injured, he spent three days in an unfamiliar jungle at the bottom of a cliff.
On the fourth day, he discovered a secret passage in a cave at the bottom of a cliff.
The secret passage was locked by a rusty door, and Arnold tried to destroy it, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't.
Finally, deciding that since they couldn't open the place anyway, they might as well try the key Veris had given them.
The rusty, heavy door was opened!
Arnold was both surprised and delighted, and said to the remnant soul, "You are not allowed to speak ill of Veris again. He would never harm me! If you say anything about me killing Veris again, then I will commit suicide, and neither of us will live. As for defeating the Demon King, what does that have to do with me!"
Yannis: ...
The secret passage was deep and dark. Arnold groped his way along for a long time before finally finding another door and sensing the rich magical elements in the air.
He resorted to his old trick and took out the key that Veris had given him.
The door opened again! Even the latches were different styles!
Arnold was deeply moved, thinking to himself, so what if Veris had swapped the artifacts as the remnant soul had said? He had no need for anything that could reverse time. Besides, Veris had given him such a treasure, which must be the most valuable thing Veris possessed.
Although Veris's poems are a bit strange, he is a really good person!
Veris, who was being talked about, was at the district cathedral in the fourth arrondissement. He sneezed for no apparent reason and said in surprise, "Am I sick? No way."
My companion asked nervously, "Is it too cold here?"
In the dead of winter, with snow and ice everywhere outside, Veris had just come in, his cloak covered in snow, a sight that made one's heart tremble.
Veris shook his head, walked straight into the depths of the corridor, and asked, "How's the investigation going?"
"There are probably four groups of people hunting them down. In addition to the Golden Merchant Guild you mentioned earlier, the Royal Council of Elders is also involved. We found daggers with royal insignia on some of the assassins."
The other group mainly consisted of various alien races, all of whom were on the verge of extinction. After hearing that the treasure could reverse time and change their fate, they wanted to take a gamble and revive their races.
The last group was very well hidden. Our people reported that they had been searching extensively for the Hero Team in the Amber Valley area of District Six. After discovering our presence, they all vanished overnight. Their weapons were all from the Merchant Guild, making them easy targets for assassins from the Golden Merchant Guild.
He spoke at length, then gasped for breath, exhaling several times before swallowing and continuing, "Because they were far away, we didn't find the weapon numbers, but they left very quickly, so perhaps they had some kind of teleportation device."
Finally, remembering something, he added, "This is their first time here."
The two entered a study one after the other. Veris walked to the huge map hanging on the wall. The fourth and sixth districts were located in the lower middle, so he didn't have to look up.
“Riveln, do you remember where your teacher’s inheritance is kept?” Veris suddenly turned to look at the red-haired man beside him.
The red-haired man was taken aback: "I don't know either. Are you talking about that legendary divine pool that can cleanse the body of all impurities?"
Rivelen, Vice Dean of the Pharmacy Department of the Royal Capital Academy, one of the eleven archbishops of the Papacy, in charge of church affairs in the fourth district, a genius pharmacist, whose teacher was the legendary Holy Pharmacist, but who has been dead for many years.
Rumor has it that the Holy Pharmacist used all the world's most precious medicinal herbs and added top-grade treasures to create a pool of divine water that could change a person's physique and turn a useless person into a genius.
However, for many years after the Holy Apothecary's death, no one could find the legendary pool of water. Riveren was afraid of being captured and interrogated by those with ill intentions, so he stayed in the Royal Academy and the Grand Papacy for many years, only daring to go out after the rumors were gradually replaced by other rumors.
In those years, in order to repay the protection of the Papacy, Viren helped with many affairs, and his work ability was among the best of all the bishops.
It was no surprise that he later became an archbishop.
Riveren didn't know why His Holiness the Pope suddenly brought up the Divine Pool. Wasn't he just reporting on the people chasing the Hero Squad?
Could it be that His Holiness the Pope has suddenly become interested in the Divine Pool? It's true that the Divine Pool can cleanse the body of impurities, but if it's His Holiness the Pope... it's uncertain who will cleanse whom.
Veris paused for a moment after receiving a questioning look from Riveren. The water of the divine pool did indeed exist, and only he and Riveren knew about it. However, Riveren did not know the exact location of the divine pool. He could roughly guess where it was, but he did not look for it carefully, since he did not need such a thing.
But now...
Veris silently looked away, pretending to study the map, and calmly said, "Oh, it's nothing, it's just that someone seems to have discovered that pool."
Riveren was stunned.
As the last apprentice of the Holy Apothecary, Rivelen accepted the fact that he had not inherited the Divine Pool. After all, no one else had found it either, right?
But now, now—"Really?" His voice betrayed his shock.
Those royal families and other powerful figures spent countless resources and manpower, even digging three feet into every place the Holy Alchemist had visited before, but they still couldn't find that divine pool. How could it have been found more than ten years later?
"Hmm... I'm wondering too, but if it's him, then it's not surprising."
Veris sighed.
Riveren's mind began to race, and he hesitated before asking, "Are you talking about the hero...?"
Seeing Veris nod, Riveren said incredulously, "But my teacher told me before that he set up two doors for the Divine Pool, and no one can open them unless you go there yourself!"
“He is a hero.” Veris looked at Riveren with feigned disapproval.
Riveren looked utterly defeated: "But that child doesn't seem capable of opening the door at all. It's shocking. Although being found by a hero is better than being found by anyone else, and the adults acknowledge him as a hero, he probably isn't a bad person. But, but..."
Veris felt a little guilty and coughed twice: "Alright, leaving it there will only deplete the medicinal power of the Divine Pool. It's better to nurture the younger generation. At your age, the Divine Pool is of no use to you."
Riveren looks to be only in his thirties, but he is actually about the same age as Granva. He has researched a potion to maintain his appearance, and a bottle of it is worth its weight in gold.
At his age, the Divine Pool was indeed of little use to him.
“Once these few days are over, they will have almost entered the fourth district. At least that’s near the capital. They’ve already had their training. If those people are still so blatant, there’s no need to be polite to them,” Veris said calmly.
Riveren said that the discovery of the divine pool water left him bewildered, but not entirely unacceptable. He had lived for nearly a hundred years and if he didn't have this much tolerance, he wouldn't have survived to this day.
He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "How long will you be staying here, sir?"
Veris glanced at him: "Are you that concerned about how long I stay in District Four?"
Riveren nodded honestly: "I'm worried that someone in the Fourth District has offended an adult."
Why do you say that?
The central city of District 4, whose name is also straightforward, is adjacent to the royal capital. The prosperity of District 4 is incomparable to places like Mercury and Milford.
The fourth city is also the preferred choice for other powerful individuals to reside in.
Heading northwest from here leads to the Royal Academy, while heading directly north is the Royal Capital of Lortheran. The entire Fourth District is thriving, with a booming commercial sector and decent agriculture and animal husbandry. Newly rich court officials, struggling to make ends meet in the Royal Capital, choose to reside in the Fourth District.
It just means you have to get up even earlier to attend the morning meeting.
Moreover, in the fourth district, you don't have to worry about accidentally offending any nobles. Although its development can't compare to the capital, it's still quite good compared to other districts.
Riveren's teacher used to live in the Fourth District. Riveren studied under his teacher and lived in the Fourth District for many years. Later, he was hired by the Royal Academy and, through his teacher's introduction, established a connection with the Papacy. He then lived in the Royal Capital for a long time afterward.
The Fourth City is not far from the capital and is located in the northern part of the entire Fourth District. Here, although you don't have to worry about offending any royalty or nobles, it's not surprising if you accidentally offend a high-level mage, a top-tier warrior, or a powerful beast tamer.
In conclusion, it can be seen that the fourth city is a difficult city to govern.
All kinds of powerful individuals gather here. Over the years, these individuals have evolved from lone wolves into families. More important than their own strength is the strength of their offspring, which is the foundation for ensuring the continuation of the family line.
"He's probably a freshman at the Royal Capital Academy. He's gotten a bit lawless because of his powerful ancestors. He caused trouble on the street a few days ago and killed someone, but his family took care of it," Riveren said.
Veris nodded, meaning that the younger one had caused trouble and hadn't been able to fight back, so the older one had come.
"And the executive officer, is he also an incompetent fool?" he asked.
"You know that person too. He's from the Golden Merchant Guild, surnamed Thorne. He used to be a mage, then switched to warrior. Now he's old and doesn't have many children. His two sons died in the trials at the Royal Academy, leaving him with only three grandsons and a granddaughter. That's why he treats these people like his lifeblood and is desperately trying to stop the executor."
Veris sensed something was amiss: "If someone dies during the Royal Academy trials, then where did their grandson come from?"
Riveren: "I heard it's because the illegitimate child was officially recognized."
A brief silence fell over the study. Veris turned to look at Riveren and said quietly, "Times have changed."
He paused, then added, "Has it been too long since I've been back to the Royal Capital Academy? The students these days are all like this."
Riveren chuckled, “You can’t say that. There are still many good kids, but this kind is a minority… That freshman from the Royal Capital Academy is Thorne’s youngest grandson and also the most talented, though of course he can’t compare to Thorne himself.”
"Thorne also went to the dean of the Warrior Academy, hoping to get a student certificate for his grandson directly, but he was refused."
He tried to use connections, but he wasn't strong enough.
Logically speaking, Thorne's talent should be more than enough to get into the Royal Academy. It's probably because the old man was afraid that something might happen to the family's hopes during the Royal Trial, so he wanted to get them directly into the Royal Academy.
Veris commented: "Quite a big face."
His purpose in coming to the Fourth District Cathedral was simply to have Riveren send people to keep an eye on Arnold and his group, and to warn those resentful forces that if they continued to ignore the existence of the Church and wantonly hunt down others, the Church would not stand idly by.
Previously in Districts 9, 8, and 6, the church did not use overly harsh methods, but merely issued warnings.
It was also at Veris's behest.
Otherwise, in District 8, that group of people would have been caught by Uther.
—The Eighth District is Uther's district. The great mage who also heads the Execution Division is eccentric. He is not good at handling official business, but he is very ruthless. The Eighth District Church tends to be cold-blooded.
Veris raised his hand and pointed to the location of the Amber Valley in District Six, saying, "They were hunted down in this area. Your teacher's divine pool is also deep in the valley, but it has not been discovered for so many years, so it must have been hidden by a magic array."
Riveren looked at the spot and sighed, "Never mind, it's almost New Year's, and the church can't do without me. I'll go take a look when I have time in the spring." After all, it was his teacher's last legacy, and perhaps some of his teacher's belongings were still inside.
When I have the chance to meet that legendary hero, I can ask him what the legendary divine pool is really like.
He perked up: "Sir, are you going back to the Papacy for the New Year?"
Veris hummed in agreement. "Sylvain urged me to go back. He's also graduated. After a while, we can start preparing for the coronation ceremony of the Holy Son."
Riveren was taken aback: "So fast?"
"I'm leaving now, see you in the New Year." Veris didn't answer, but smiled and walked out.
Riveren hurriedly followed, wanting to see the Pope off, but Veris waved his hand, saying he could leave alone.
The heavy snow outside had stopped. After walking out of the long corridor, Veris turned left and right, going around most of the church, and finally arrived at the back where he found his horse.
A boy was feeding it hay when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around, smiled shyly, and said, "Sir, are you leaving? It should be full."
Veris walked over, looked the boy up and down, and said with slight surprise, "You are Riveren's student."
The boy was wrapped in a thick cotton coat, his face flushed red from the wind. He seemed easily embarrassed and stammered, "Yes, sir."
"Let's go back, it's cold outside." Veris nodded, said nothing, led his horse away from the area, and quickly disappeared around the street corner.
As he walked, he muttered to his horse, "The great apothecary's student is feeding you hay; you can brag to the other horses now."
The horse didn't speak, but seemed about to hiccup.
It had just snowed heavily, and there weren't many pedestrians on the road. However, in the Fourth City, this was only relative; riding a horse recklessly was still impossible. Veris led his horse slowly, pondering whether to buy something to eat, when suddenly the ground began to tremble slightly.
Should we buy bread or pies?
It's not far from here to the capital, why don't we eat there? I haven't been to any of the restaurants in the capital in a long time, I wonder if they've improved.
"Watch out—!" someone suddenly exclaimed from the surroundings.
The tremors grew stronger, and the horses' hooves kicked up snow, indicating that someone was galloping wildly through the streets.
Veris was walking near the side of the road, which was none of his business.
It's unclear whether the man had lost his mind, but as he was about to pass the person in the black cloak, he suddenly raised his whip and dismounted at the horse next to him.
People nearby noticed this action and instinctively cried out in surprise.
The whip was applied with great force; if it had actually struck the horse, the horse would have certainly been in pain and bolted, and the young man leading the horse, if he hadn't reacted in time, would probably have been dragged a great distance by the horse.
However, the expected dire situation did not occur.
A pale hand firmly grasped the riding whip.
The man hadn't expected anyone to be able to grab the whip he was using with such force. Before he could react, the horse beneath him, which had been whipped continuously and was moving at great speed, had already surged forward in the blink of an eye.
The person who didn't react in time became the other. The horse galloped forward, but because of the hand that was tightly gripping his whip, he was suddenly thrown off by the horse and fell to the ground.
Fortunately, it had just snowed, so he didn't fall and get seriously injured.
However, this completely enraged him.
He got up from the ground, his body aching all over. His eyes blazed as he glared at the nonchalant young man. After sizing up the young man's clothes and concluding that he was no big shot, his expression immediately changed.
"Damn lowly commoner, how dare you plot against me!"
Veris glanced at him, then turned to look at his galloping horse. The horse, now out of its master's control, was rampaging and could easily injure passersby.
As a result, he saw that the horse had been stopped at the intersection ahead and was panting heavily as it circled in place.
Relieved, Veris turned his head back to look at the boy who was two heads shorter than him. The boy had curly hair, thick eyebrows, narrow eyes, and bruises all over his face. He was wrapped in a thick winter coat and looked like a ball.
His eyebrows curved into a smile, and he asked in an ambiguous tone, "A commoner?"
Dracos Thorne, whose grandfather had recently become an eighth-tier warrior and was a formidable figure across the continent, was riding high on his success. However, the trouble he had recently caused had not taught him a lesson, and now he was only focused on teaching this ungrateful person a lesson.
"You lowly commoner! Hurry up and—ah!" Before he could finish his angry curse, he was kicked in the chest. Even though his thick winter clothes absorbed the force, the immense power sent him flying backward, crashing onto the road and creating a large crater in the snow.
The pedestrians around, the passing travelers, the residents of the Fourth City, and the young masters like Dracos all gathered not far away to watch the spectacle, but dared not approach for fear of getting into trouble.
The black-haired youth in the black cloak raised his long leg and kicked Dracos in the chest, sending the fat man flying. There were gasps and cheers from the crowd.
Dracos, who had been used to being watched and embarrassed by others, could not accept it. He tried to get up, but his chest hurt terribly, and he was too fat and bulky. The surrounding snow buried him, so he couldn't get up at all.
Without hesitation, he pulled out his communication device and howled into the other end, "Grandfather! I'm going to be beaten to death in the street!!"
Just as he finished howling, a shadow fell on his face. His face was covered in snot and tears. He looked up and saw the young man who had kicked him like this, looking at him with a faint smile and a leisurely air.
"You just wait! My grandfather is coming right away!"
Kind people around also reminded Veris to run away before Thorne arrived.
Veris casually brushed the snow off his cloak and said with a smile, "Thorne? I thought he was some formidable fellow."
It has to be said that there's a reason why the fat young master is so arrogant.
In that short time, a furious roar came from afar: "Who dares to hurt Dracos!"
When the onlookers saw the old man arrive, they scattered like birds and beasts, hiding in the surrounding shops and secretly observing the situation on the street.
Dracos had started wailing and howling. This time he was really crying. It felt like the bones in his chest were broken. He had never suffered such an injustice in his life!
Thorne arrived quickly. Although he was quite old, a warrior's speed was unmatched by ordinary people.
His robust physique wasn't the kind of obesity that Dracos possessed; it was genuinely full of muscles.
He was a full two meters tall, making Veris look incredibly thin in comparison.
But the passersby who had just witnessed Veris kicking a guy of Dracos's weight away with a single kick thought to themselves that this person must be no ordinary person.
Veris heard the hurried footsteps approaching and turned his head. The cold wind blew his hair, and a faint smile appeared on his face. His handsome face was gentle and showed no signs of aggression.
Seeing his grandson lying on the ground crying incessantly, Thorne flew into a rage and, without saying a word, punched the thin young man. The punch was so fierce that it would have shattered the head of an ordinary person.
However--
"My God!" A passerby hiding inside a shop couldn't help but gasp.
When Thorne threw his punch, the black-haired youth also threw a punch.
Thorne's fist was a whole size bigger than the young man's!
However, the sound of bones breaking was particularly clear on the quiet street.
Veris's smile widened, and his fists met. Thorne's expression changed drastically. He tried to pull his fractured hand back, but the cold hand gripped his wrist.
It was just a seemingly gentle twist.
The tall warrior suddenly knelt on the ground, his arms going limp. This eighth-tier warrior, whose bones were as strong as steel, was as brittle as a biscuit in this man's hands!
“You have no respect for the law. I think you need to be punished,” Veris said with a smile.
With his other free hand, he took out a badge from his pocket: "The Papacy is here. I, in the name of the Executioners, hereby arrest you two. Do you have any objections?"
Thorne looked up in disbelief at the badge, which reflected a dark red hue in the sunlight.
With a gold insignia of bow and arrow, and a dangling ruby, he is undoubtedly a cardinal of the Papacy.
"Who are you?" He gritted his teeth. Who else in the High Church could easily block his punch besides that dwarf? This person was definitely not that dwarf!
The sound of orderly hooves rang out, and the city executive led his guards late into the night. Accompanying them was a young man whose cheeks were flushed red from the wind.
Veris put away the badge, glanced at the executor, whose face resembled that of royalty, and smiled ingratiatingly at Veris.
"You are not worthy to know my name."
"By the way, this young master's admission to the Royal Capital Academy is revoked." He pointed to Dracos, who was so frightened that he dared not move, and smiled. "The Royal Capital Academy does not need such an arrogant student."
It’s over——
Both of their pupils shrank dramatically.
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Author's note: I'm late [poor face]
The Mysterious History of the Seven Secrets
Cupid once had a brief affair with a human.
Years later, he discovered that his divine essence was beginning to split, and thus knew that his child was about to be born.
Veris appeared suddenly one day. Among the bizarre appearances of the early gods, his birth was exactly like that of a god, but he was born with a human appearance.
The birth of a god is similar to a sphere of light.
Cupid was very pleased with his beautiful child (a sign of being attracted to good looks).
I also made some minor adjustments to the parts of my child's body that I wasn't entirely satisfied with.
For example, any similarities to that human father were changed.
Cupid: Excellent, this is one of my divine children!
When Veris was two years old, Cupid told him about his romantic escapades as a bedtime story.
Veris (baby version): ...
Children who grow up nurtured by love (love stories)
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