Phil Gray had hoped that something interesting would happen on the journey, but unfortunately, it was unusually peaceful. Although they often heard middle-aged men boasting after drinking in the corridors and activity rooms, and were often awakened by sudden arguments and quarrels at midday, they still arrived at the Eastern Continent without incident.
That's true. How many magical things can happen? If ships were always in trouble, who would want to ride them?
Phil Gray and his two companions felt a sense of unreality as they stepped off the ship. The moment their feet touched the ground, they still felt as if they were on the ship, with a slight swaying sensation lingering in their minds.
"We've finally arrived, but it's taken much longer than the time we agreed upon with Elder Glen," Phil Gray remarked.
“It’s alright. We’ll reach the city of the Church of Dawn after another half-day’s walk. Then we’ll go directly to the church there and have the people from the Holy See come to greet us.” Eli looked at this familiar homeland, and a series of images flashed through his mind. It was his past, a past that he didn’t know how to describe. He clenched his fist and then let go, and the emotions in his eyes finally returned to calm.
Phil Gray naturally noticed his unusual behavior, but he didn't press him for details. He knew that Eli would explain things clearly at the right time.
They did not take the long train, as the city in the Dawn Cult's territory was not far away. Instead, they boarded a four-seater carriage and traveled along the wide road.
The coachman was an elderly man, but he looked quite robust, with thick, curly white hair and a black rose brooch.
“He looks like he’s from the Veronka faction,” Eli whispered. “That faction rarely has men, especially not such an old one.”
"What political party is that?" Phil Gray thought he had read a lot of books about the Eastern Continent, but most of them were about local customs and culture, and he didn't know much about political parties.
“You should already know some of the major religious sects in the Eastern Continent, such as the Cult of Dawn, the Church of the Dead, the Cult of Dreams, and the Cult of the God of Food. The Cult of Dawn's territory mainly spans two empires, the Paki Empire and the Teniko Empire. The city of Numas we are going to now belongs to the Paki Empire. Their Veronka faction mainly consists of people who advocate for women's rights. They are called that because they supported Princess Veronka of the Paki Empire to ascend to the throne and become the first queen in the empire's history.” Eli explained, then shrugged. “When I left the Eastern Continent, the emperor of the Paki Empire seemed to be in poor health. Veronka and her brother were advocating for an election to gain the support of some forces. But now, seven or eight years have passed, and the emperor of the Paki Empire is still alive and well, and his position is not vacant.”
"The first queen? It seems the Kingdom of Lancy has had many queens." Phil Gray thought of the biographies he had read on the ship.
“Yes, the Kingdom of Lanxi is relatively open, but that area is the territory of the Dream God Cult. In recent years, I don’t know what this cult has been doing. Although its territory has expanded more and more, its reputation is not good, and its followers have done some bad things,” Eli said.
“I see.” Phil Gray nodded.
...
"arrive."
The carriage stopped, and they jumped off.
Yellow lights hang on the walls of Numas, standing out brightly in the evening like tiny suns.
“Thank you.” Phil Gray gave the coachman a silver coin.
"You're welcome. Here are a few small gifts for you." The driver smiled, his wrinkles deepening. "These are cookies from the God of Food Cult; they taste quite good."
"Thanks."
Phil Gray took the three bags of cookies, thanked the driver, who nodded in acknowledgment and drove off.
"Hmm, even strangers need to be won over?" Eli pointed to the black rose logo printed on the cookie bag, which was Veronca's symbol.
"Black rose flavored cookies, I wonder what they taste like. Since they're from the God of Cookery, they should be pretty good?" Phil Gray tore one open, tasted it, and found it was indeed quite nice.
After all, Princess Veronka wouldn't try to win over passersby with unpalatable cookies; it's just a question of how much advertising money she paid to the Food God Cult.
As you enter Numas, the entire street is filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Some men and women were singing and dancing in the streets, and warm-colored lights illuminated every corner of the city.
The sun symbolizes vitality, cheerfulness, and positive energy, and those who believe in the sun prophet are very enthusiastic.
“Shall we have some dinner first?” Eli asked, pointing to a shop filled with barbecue stalls.
“Let’s go to the Church of Dawn. The Holy Son is coming to our door; they should treat us to good food and drinks, right? We can save some money on meals,” Phil Gray said with a smile.
"careful!"
Suddenly, a gasp rippled through the crowd. The dancing men and women abruptly stopped and looked toward the three people and a cat in the middle of the street, where a horse was charging menacingly toward them.
The person on the white horse not only didn't tighten the reins, but instead revealed a smug and cruel smile.
"Ha—" Ernest's sword flashed, and before the horse could charge forward, its forelegs were broken by the hilt of the sword, and the rider fell to the side.
"That was close!" The young woman, wearing a gold miniskirt and who had just been dancing with her partner, patted her chest and said thankfully.
"Pah!" The person who had fallen to the ground struggled to get up, covered in dust and dirt, with a few stains on the white gift embroidered with gold thread.
"Damn it! How dare they hurt my horse!"
He stared at the white horse with its broken front leg, his eyes blazing with fury.
“Sir, you’re being unreasonable. If we weren’t skilled, we would be the ones getting hurt,” Phil Gray said coldly.
Moreover, he could tell that Ernest had held back, using only the hilt of his sword instead of cutting off the horse's leg directly.
Perhaps his rider was simply feeling sorry for the fine horse.
After all, I've never seen a horse like this before, with a tuft of golden hair on its head and a golden ring around its hooves.
"Hmph, you can all die!" The man became even more enraged, drew his sword from his waist, a ring of fire emanating from it, and thrust it towards Phil Gray.
Phil Gray remained motionless, his expression unchanged.
Ernest quickly subdued the clown, while Eli provided vines to bind his hands and feet.
He's just a listener-level follower.
"Too arrogant! Let's teach him a lesson." Phil Gray smirked.
Eli chuckled, quickly stripped off his tuxedo, and then tossed it lightly, hanging it under a large tree.
"Ah! Put me down! I'm the archbishop's nephew! You can't treat me like this! I'm on my way to the banquet! You'll be sorry if I'm late!"
"Hmm? Is that so?"
The woman in the gold skirt shook her head. "We don't know him, but there is indeed a banquet tonight, mainly to welcome the newly appointed city lord."
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