Chapter 258: Don

In the Seth royal court, Dai Sen was politely and courteously escorted onto a carriage, where he bowed respectfully toward the distant Highness Gulianni and the gods, exchanging polite farewells.

Then, the Emperor of the Empire stood on the steps with a group of royalty, watching Dai Sen's caravan with a smile, waving goodbye in a scene of mutual delight and reluctant parting.

Inside the carriage, Dai Sen kept leaning out to wave until the carriage had passed beyond the royal court, at which point he sat back and pulled down the curtain.

The moment the curtain fell, his face collapsed: "A bunch of old foxes—this is enough to drive me mad."

From the carriage's shadow, a figure emerged, unconcerned: "It's perfectly normal. Hunters don't release their hawks until they see the rabbit. My lord, we must yield even more of our interests."

"What interests? A barren desert land—what could it possibly offer? Can't they act out of devotion to the Light? Contribute money, lend strength, and wage war against heretics?"

The shadowed figure said nothing, retreating back into the dark until Dai Sen had vented, then spoke slowly: "The beauty treatments in Meishencheng target nobles and the wealthy—many must be watching, especially the elderly. Don't they want to regain youth, extend their lives?"

"Though there's still no proof Meishencheng extends life, from the condition of Duke Light's mother, even if it doesn't prolong life, it at least lets one live well—no longer bedridden, unable to manage one's own waste."

"Someone must be interested. They're not the only ones watching—only because of the elves, no one dares provoke them."

"But not provoking them is one thing; watching us take it all alone is another. This time, because of the Pope's face, they're willing to stir—but only to guard against the elves. They won't lift a finger to help us. Whether we can seize Meishencheng depends entirely on us."

The shadowed figure's analysis cooled Dai Sen completely. In truth, Dai Sen was already calm—he wouldn't have waved with a smile at Seth's people if he weren't. But he still seethed; letting it out made him feel better.

"Can we take Meishencheng?" Dai Sen asked.

The shadowed figure replied slowly: "Given the current power balance, as long as the elves don't interfere, seizing Meishencheng is no problem. The strongest force among these Deep Wanderers is surely that self-proclaimed goddess of beauty—a newborn deity of unknown origin. She might be decent at beauty treatments and skin care, but her combat power probably doesn't match even a Truth Mage."

Dai Sen nodded. As a Grand Archbishop, he understood deities too well to fear them blindly. With sufficient power, slaying a god wasn't impossible.

"According to intelligence, these people can mimic Holy Light, and when casting divine spells, their effects are identical to Holy Light—they've fooled many. Some even think they're from our Church. But their divine spells lack the true effect of Holy Light; they only deceive the ignorant."

Dai Sen nodded. He already knew all this, but hearing it repeated again reinforced his memory and sparked new insights.

"Like all Deep Wanderers, their ranks are wildly mixed—humans, Black Knights, half-Titans, corpse dragons, silver dragons, goblins—everything. Hard to unite. We've already sent agents in to spread rumors: Black Knights plan to sacrifice humans; humans plan to peel dragon hides; corpse dragons and silver dragons plan to eat goblins."

Dai Sen nodded: "Standard procedure. Also spread rumors that goblins kidnapped ninety-nine elf maidens and plan to sell them into underground brothels—see if we can anger the elves."

The shadowed figure nodded: "Good idea. Also spread rumors in the dwarves' territory: that half-Titans look down on them as shortlings, warning them not to claim Titan bloodline. Isolate them as much as possible. You said at the Dimension Security Meeting, this Deep Wanderer group got five support votes."

After further discussion, the shadowed figure asked: "What will you do about their god? Even the weakest god is still a god."

Dai Sen smiled faintly: "Our Lord recently clashed with Harvey. This weak god is perfect for our Lord to feast upon."

As he spoke of "Our Lord," Dai Sen's chest glowed faintly.

At that moment, Dai Sen felt the carriage slow, then stop.

They had just left the Seth royal court—still near its perimeter. For a vast empire of tens of millions, the court's defenses were tight. No enemy could organize an attack this close, unless it was a lone wolf strike.

Dai Sen's own protection was no weak force. Since Anthony claimed to be assassinated and Nicolas was truly killed, everyone with power across the dimension had quietly strengthened their security—Dai Sen especially.

He was certain Anthony was scheming behind the scenes to kill him—and he wasn't just scheming; he'd already attempted it once.

Unfortunately, the Archangel Luna had failed—she'd been forced by Anthony to unleash her Fallen Power, then beaten to death.

Dai Sen's current guard force was the strongest he could muster. And they'd just left the court—no one would dare attack here unless Seth's royal court wanted him dead.

But that possibility was negligible. So Dai Sen calmly opened the carriage window and asked: "What's happening? Why did we stop?"

"Uh, my lord, I don't know how to say it—you'd better come down and see for yourself," the guard beside the carriage hesitated.

Dai Sen stepped out, puzzled. The shadowed figure followed him down.

There stood a fully armored figure, eyes only visible through the visor. In the brief moment he stepped from shadow and lifted his mask, his face was revealed—it was identical to Dai Sen's.

Walking to the front of the procession, Dai Sen looked ahead—and instantly understood why the guard had been so hesitant, why he'd insisted Dai Sen come down himself.

Ahead, dozens of Holy Angels formed a circle, craning their necks to peer inward.

Yes—dozens of Holy Angels, each with pure white wings glowing with holy radiance. One among them had especially large wings—likely a four-winged archangel.

These rare Holy Angels, their backs turned to Dai Sen's caravan, peered curiously inward, where a holy light emanated.

Seeing this, aren't you curious? Aren't you astonished? Don't you want to go over and take a look together?

The mages, clerics, and holy maidens in the caravan kept reporting:

"Secure."

"Air secure."

"Ground secure."

"A horse with a fur hat is three kilometers ahead—secure."

Hearing the steady chorus of "secure," Dai Sen relaxed, stretching his neck to peer toward the circle of Holy Angels. If they weren't Holy Angels, he'd have already cast a Wizard's Eye. Now, he signaled to his guards to send someone forward.

PS: A bit tired, a bit stuck—posting one chapter for now.