Chapter 201 - 163: Interlocking Rings_1

Chapter 201: Chapter 163: Interlocking Rings_1Anna’s healing divine art was problematic, and whether it was her parents, mentors, or other senior priests, they all attributed it to an issue of faith. To put it nicely, they thought it was a test from the Crippled God Ilmater for her. To put it harshly, they questioned her devotion for being insincere and her studies for being lackadaisical. This left her feeling aggrieved with nowhere to turn for support. Now that she had found a new direction, the burden in her heart suddenly lightened considerably. However, she also felt an increased sense of guilt and self-reproach. Although she didn’t know the exact nature of the life-sharing pact, from its name, it wasn’t hard to deduce that the other party had used this method to save her life at the cost of suffering severe injuries because of her. "There’s really no way around this," Virginia said with a face full of regret. "At least I can’t do anything; this isn’t my area of expertise." "Oh!" A flicker of disappointment passed through Anna, followed instantly by a surge of encouragement, "No matter what, at least we’ve found the crux of the problem. From now on, we can tailor the cure to the ailment. If all else fails, I’ll cast healing spells on myself every day, confident that, sooner or later, I will fully heal the friend who saved me." The maiden priestess remained as optimistic as ever. This optimistic attitude was infectious, as Virginia commented, "When I return to Spring Bud Fortress, I’ll look into it to see if I can find any knowledge about this and if there’s a way to heal it." "Please, that would be so kind of you, Lord," Anna hastily expressed her thanks. "Lord, you explain the continuation of the Dragon Oak Dream Realm to Anna; I’ll continue guiding people in," Gaven said, pointing to the dozen or so small light orbs in the center of the square, "Later on, you choose one light orb there, condense your preferred weapon from it, and get accustomed to it first." Each of those light orbs was the essence of an imprisoned soul, the fruits of Gaven’s past twenty-plus days spent experimenting in war zones. The Pikespirit girl, who almost fell into autism because of the spring dream, had recovered quite a bit by now and was curiously fiddling with a light sphere that transformed into a short bow of the soul. When Gaven’s gaze shifted in that direction and she thought he noticed her, she fluttered her wings and quickly flew away. But this was the Dragon Oak Dream Realm, where many laws of physics did not apply. The Dragon Oak Dream Realm seemed infinitely vast but was actually infinitely small in reality. No matter how far Nicole ran, she remained within Gaven and the others’ line of sight. "Mr. Gaven, you go on with your work; Lord and I shall talk a little longer," Anna said to Virginia, brimming with goodwill. Not just because the other had unraveled the biggest puzzle of her life. But also because of a kinship from the soul, perhaps connected to the Fae Race with whom she had signed the life-sharing pact. "Lord, could you explain the life-sharing pact to me?" "Certainly, the life-sharing pact..." "So that’s how it is..." "No wonder..." The topic of their discussion was still about Anna’s situation because it was still a semi-hypothesis. Her condition was too peculiar, and even Virginia did not dare to be one hundred percent certain. To have at least a direction was, after all, an unexpected delight. In this moment, Gaven couldn’t help but revisit his discussion with Virginia about destiny. Was it meeting that created fate, or was it fate that made the meeting happen? Was his encounter with Virginia in this life a coincidence or preordained? Yet, this encounter opened up many things for Gaven. And those close to him had already come into contact with the Enchanted Wilderness and the Fae Race; he just hadn’t known it. This type of discussion and dialectics, inevitably, would lead to no conclusion because it wasn’t verifiable. Soon, the third dream soldier was led in by Gaven. Unlike the first two, this one had not undergone much physical change, retaining her original appearance. The only difference was the absence of the customary Yaling Armor, making her seem more ethereal and delicate. The large swathes of exposed pale grey skin added to her exotic appeal, with her white hair flowing down to her knees. Stelina’s demeanor was also very serene, as though she was quite accustomed to the dream realm, presumably having prior experiences of being led into the Consciousness Sea by Virginia. She nodded at Gaven without speaking and then headed straight towards Virginia. Gaven took this as routine; she was a loyal and dedicated guard, but not a good companion. Most of the time, she was immersed in her own world and various training regimes. She shared a similar melancholy with Virginia, but rarely showed it, opting instead to armor herself with armor and aloofness, appearing somewhat aloof and difficult to approach. The fourth to be brought in by Gaven wasn’t human but a devil—a Dog Demon named Andrew, who happened to be back to report that day. He was one of Gaven’s subordinates with the most balanced and robust six-dimensional attributes. Life Force: 67 (Life Dice: 9D8+27) Alignment: Lawful Evil Size: Large Attributes: Strength 19, Dexterity 15, Constitution 16, Intelligence 18, Perception 18, Charisma 18 Spell-Like Abilities: At will—Levitation, Misdirection, Projection Technique. Once per day—Charm Monster, Charm Human, Anywhere Door, and Extreme Fear. Special Abilities: Gnawing, Shapechange (Goblin or wolf types), Pass without Trace, Keen Scent, Damage Reduction 15/+1 Now, it had returned to its prime state and appeared in the Dragon Oak Dream Realm with the image of a tall Hobgoblin. "Dream realm? Lord, have you even managed to create a dream realm?" The Dog Demon marveled while lavishly flattering. Gaven was the fastest developing person he had ever seen, without equal. Just when you think you know enough about him, he turns around and hands you a bunch of fresh surprises. Andrew could feel that this dream realm had just been constructed not long ago and was closely related to the Fairy Wilderness and that Dragon Oak. "How are things going with Shanoba?" The other reason Gaven had summoned the Dog Demon was to have it complete its reporting here, to avoid a separate trip. "Everything is proceeding according to the master’s plan, they have already assembled a monster army nearing one thousand five hundred strong, primarily comprising Gnolls with Goblins as auxiliaries, at the moment, I have infiltrated a Hobgoblin Tribe with a pack of Zuo Lang wolves, and within ten days, this tribe will join their ranks under pressure," reported the Dog Demon truthfully. "Remember, only observe, don’t speak up, don’t draw any attention to yourself, and if your identity is compromised, retreat strategically at once. Never underestimate your enemies, especially the Santarin Association," Gaven instructed. "The master has already taught me this lesson through actual experience, I will not make the same mistake a second time," Andrew nodded seriously, "Apart from the Santarin scouts, I have also identified a few familiar faces from the Tesser Yama Hobgoblins at the mine." "Hmm?" Gaven’s eyebrows raised slightly, though he wasn’t too surprised, "The Tesser Yama Mine has always been in collusion with the Santarin Association, the majority of the ores mined are sold to them, and their food and equipment supplies also come from these unscrupulous businessmen. It’s nothing strange that their monster army has appeared among the Santarin Association’s troops, the fact that this connection is being utilized suggests that the Santarin Association member Shanoba is in touch with is no ordinary figure, has their identity been ascertained yet?" Luckily, Gaven had made preparations. So far, Shanoba had not sent back a single piece of intelligence. It wasn’t betrayal, if it were, nothing would have proceeded according to Gaven’s pre-set rhythm. Instead, the Santarin Association member she was dealing with was an experienced old fox. Though he was using her, he was extremely cautious, staying by her side most of the time, not to mention the Secret Santarin agents, which were definitely spread throughout the entire Monster Tribe. She had no trustworthy people at hand, and she couldn’t come out personally. "For now, there’s only one name, Stephanie," the Dog Demon replied. "It’s her!" For Gaven, often times a name was enough. After all, he had been mixed up in the Santarin Association for more than ten years, he knew most people, especially some of the higher-ups, if not by face then at least by name. Stephanie was one of those whom he’d heard of by name but had never met personally. The Santarin Association is internally divided into many factions and grassroots organizations. Among them, the biggest factional conflict stems from a dispute in beliefs, between the Bane Faction and the Shylock Faction. In the coming ten years, the faction worshiping the God of Conspiracy, Shylock, led by Manson, would dominate the Santarin Association and launch two major purges against the Bane Faction, infamously known as the Bane Massacre. The Bane Faction had no choice but to operate in secrecy, vigilant not only against the enemies of the Santarin Association but also against factional enemies within the Association itself. In Gaven’s previous life, he was a subordinate of the Shylock Faction, mainly engaged in assassinations, intelligence gathering, and cleaning up enemies among other dirty tasks. Stephanie was from the Bane Faction, the leader of a secret monastic organization; her whereabouts for the first decade were not clear to Gaven. He started hearing her name more frequently only after the resurrection of the God of Tyranny, Bane, ten years later, when the Bane Faction turned the situation around, gained absolute advantage, and initiated a fierce counterattack against the Shylock Faction, directing the trials of false god heretics. She was a standard Bane follower, cold, authoritarian, and merciless; the trials she led often began by breaking the accused’s jaw, then reading out their charges, forcing them to confess, and sending them to the gallows. Unexpectedly, in this life, their confrontation came so early. Thinking over the situation within the Santarin Association, it seemed to be expected. After all, the Shylock Faction had just risen with the divine enthronement of the God of Conspiracy, Shylock, last year, and was busy bolstering its followers and expanding its power around Santiel Fortress and its surroundings, with no intention of extending its reach outward. And the relatively weak grassroots organizations of the Bane Faction naturally tried to keep as far away from the eye of the storm as possible, moving to new interest points like the Rocklands to expand their operations, which seemed logical. An enemy that wields dictatorship, autocracy, and violence is far more predictable and easier to fend off than those who endlessly devise all kinds of sneaky methods. seaʀᴄh thё novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Do you know her?" This question had almost reached the Dog Demon’s lips but was forcibly swallowed back down; it clearly exceeded the proper limits of his inquiry. A wise devil only held the information his master allowed him to possess. So, at the edge of his mouth, it transformed into, "Master, are there any other instructions?" "Your main scouting direction from now on is to monitor the merchant caravans that transport various supplies and food into the Monster Tribe for the Santarin Association. Make sure to note their names for me," Gaven’s plan was interconnected. Of course, he would not rely solely on Shanoba as a pawn. The most important thing was to drag them out of the shadows and into the light, making it easier for him to continuously strike and weaken the Santarin Association’s power on the High Road. Unlike the obvious presence in Blackroute, the Santarin Association along the High Road operated in the dark, including those merchant caravans. No one knew for sure which caravans were secretly controlled by the Santarin Association, so distinguishing them from ordinary merchants was crucial. Only by finding the targets could he devise a plan. For this purpose, even Shanoba was not aware, and the Dog Demon had just learned.