Chapter 553: Act 301 – Whirlpool V
“Miss Margadale.”
Even though the winds and rains outside the Temple of Andfiller were gloomy, the tranquility and solemnity within this once-sacred place remained unchanged. The hall of the temple was usually a place for quiet contemplation and prayer, and during certain celebrations, it could accommodate thousands praying together, making it quite magnificent. Twenty-eight gray stone pillars supported a deep vault, and rows of long benches faced the central altar, forming a fan-shaped space that exuded a sense of spatial majesty.
Here, a large number of lower-ranking clergy were responsible for cleaning every day, and upon seeing Princess Margadale returning from outside, they hurriedly stood and bowed.
Margadale herself was a high-ranking priestess and a princess, not to mention she was nominally still the student of the Grand Priest Wood. Now that Wood was leaving Ampere Seale and was about to head to the center of power in the Grand Temple, the status of this princess was on the rise and becoming more revered.
Margadale paused and gently nodded in response. Although she was born a princess, she rarely displayed the delicateness and arrogance common among noble daughters. This was likely related to her education, but there was also a naturally gentle aspect to her character.
This nun princess was well-known for her affability in social situations and received much praise both within and outside the temple.
“Is Grand Priest Wood around?” she asked.
“The Grand Priest… seems to be unavailable to outsiders, Miss Margadale,” the attendants replied in unison.
“I see…” Margadale sighed internally; though she had anticipated it, she still felt a sense of disappointment. After a moment, she inquired further, “What about Lord Merros?”
She referred to Wood as Grand Priest while addressing Merros as “Lord,” which made her attitude quite clear. Nonetheless, the attendants understood without stating the obvious that Merros was cold and power-hungry, and not many in the Temple of Andfiller genuinely acknowledged this “outsider.”
One attendant thought for a moment before responding, “The Grand Priest seems to be receiving guests.”
“Receiving guests?” Margadale was momentarily taken aback. What guests could there be at this late hour? “Who is the guest?”
“It’s Marquis Julian and another nobleman we don’t recognize,” another responded.
Is it him? Margadale knew that Marquis Julian stood with Duke Siphai, although the alliance with the north didn’t seem too tight. What could this reprobate noble want at the temple at such a time?
She frowned slightly, recalling what had happened last time, feeling a wave of disgust rise within. The attendant, perceptive of her mood, quickly asked, “Miss Margadale, do you want to go and take a look?”
“No, no need,” Margadale decisively shook her head, distaste evident on her face.
The attendants exchanged glances, the rumor was that this nun princess had previously had an unpleasant encounter with Marquis Julian, and it seemed to hold true.
What they didn’t know was that at this moment, the princess of Antrabro was feeling a slight flush on her cheeks, her palms sweaty with tension; she silently repented and anxiously wondered if Lady Martha would forgive her for lying in public.
However, no matter what, this was the path she had chosen and did not regret.
“Lady Martha, please grant me success,” Margadale silently prayed.
…
In a small room, dimly lit by a single candle, the flame flickered unpredictably, occasionally bursting with sparks that illuminated two similarly shadowy faces in the vicinity.
Brendel knew that the second Grand Priest of Ampere Seale, Merros, was historically a notorious sycophant, much like the high priest Amann whom he had killed in the Loop of Trade Winds; however, unlike Amann, Merros, while sinister and cold, was very disciplined, living a simple life with little craving for material possessions, resembling a reclusive monk.
(1: Game History)
Not to mention whether this image was a façade, but at least he maintained this persona throughout his tenure; his relationship with the Erluin nobility was lukewarm at best, politically leaning towards the Cruz Empire faction, yet he still managed to maintain a somewhat tenuous relationship with the Erluin royalty.
However, that was merely a tale from history. Now, with Brendel flapping his wings like a butterfly, history was gradually drifting away from its original course, and the attitude of this new Grand Priest was very different from that of history.
This small room was indeed a guest chamber located in a side hall of the Temple of Andfiller, and since the temple rarely hosted outsiders, there were only a few simple guest rooms available. Merros had been exchanging power with Wood for some time, yet this new Grand Priest continued to reside here, which spoke to his lack of material pursuit.
Yet the two individuals inside appeared somewhat restless, especially Marquis Julian. Although his debauched image was somewhat of a deceptive facade, his pursuit of a quality lifestyle was genuine, akin to that of other nobles; to him, this room felt nothing short of a slum. While the tables and chairs were relatively clean and shiny, he sensed that a layer of dust perpetually coated them.
Julian had scarcely sat for a moment before he felt as if ants were crawling on him. Not to mention that he was burdened with significant “important matters,” which troubled him.
However, neither dared to act out while the host had yet to arrive.
At last, footsteps could be heard, and after a brief moment, Merros’s cold face appeared at the door, with his sharply hooked nose marking him unmistakably. At that moment, this Grand Priest was clad in the crimson and gold robe he wore to handle daily affairs, a stern expression on his face.
He always had this expression; the Erluin players once nicknamed him the Iron Mask, not because he was without mercy, but rather to mock the man for his lack of expression.
Marquis Julian dared not entertain such thoughts; the identity of this Grand Priest aside, what was more critical was the powerful entity behind him. Although Erluin had defeated the Cruz before centuries ago, the present-day Erluin nobility had become one of the most fearful groups regarding the Cruz.
It was undeniably ironic—
Both stood to salute, with Merros merely nodding in acknowledgment, exuding arrogance. Neither Julian nor the others felt it was odd; rather, it would have seemed strange otherwise. The Cruz had long been a source of dread, and all of Erluin felt inferior.
“Marquis, your visit at such a late hour must mean you have significant matters to discuss,” Merros, void of any pleasantries, immediately pressed on with the main topic.
“Indeed,” Julian smiled faintly, quickly resuming his confident demeanor, “As you predicted, the letters we sent have proven effective; it seems there’s already conflict brewing among the royal party.”
He spoke while chuckling, and at a particularly triumphant moment, he couldn’t help but jeer, “Makarolo and Livwz, despite their brilliance, are driven by their interests, making them shortsighted; they only see the carrots on the stick, completely ignoring the traps ahead.”
“This highlights the importance of a noble objective,” Merros nodded in agreement, silently accepting Julian’s self-congratulation. In truth, this plan had been proposed by the other side; they had sealed off information from the north but allowed the news of the lionmen’s invasion to leak through their own spies, which had indeed thrown the royal party into disarray.
This was quite the open conspiracy, but they knew that Makarolo and the others had no choice but to swallow the bait—it was determined by the nature of the nobility, and Merros couldn’t help but let out a cold sneer.
“It’s laughable that they still think they can divide the north and south; they might not even last until tomorrow’s sunset,” Julian said with a grin.
Having just heard this comment from the hidden passage, Margadale involuntarily gasped, initially thinking it referred to Grifian, but upon listening closely against the wall, she realized they were actually discussing the royal party.
The royal faction really was in conflict with Grifian! Margadale, the princess of Antrabro, felt her breath hitch. On one hand, she had heard Brendel’s seemingly “treasonous” remarks that afternoon and had been skeptical, but now reality had swiftly turned into a tangible situation. On the other hand, Margadale frowned as the break with the royal party made her close friend’s predicament increasingly precarious.
This was something she did not want to see…
She clamped her mouth shut, daring not to make a sound, and listened carefully; the construction and renovation of the Temple of Andfiller had all been solely undertaken by the Temple of Fire, and she was aware that not only she but also the new Grand Priest Merros should know about this secret passage. However, the other party likely didn’t know there was another key to the passage, otherwise they wouldn’t be so complacent.
It was for this reason that she had the audacity to boast in front of Brendel. Nevertheless, she still had to be cautious.
Merros’s strength might not be exceptional within the temple, but as a high priest, he had the power of a significant element. Marquis Julian was known to be a debauched man, but few knew he possessed golden-level strength. The unrecognized nobleman beside him also seemed to be quite remarkable. Margadale peered through the peephole of the secret passage, observing everything outside, not daring to breathe too heavily.
At this moment, Marquis Julian had just expressed his thoughts when Merros shot him a cold glance, clearly displeased. He was inherently cautious and particularly loathed arrogance; furthermore, the royal party was not simply fish on a cutting board, as among them were figures like Bud and Livwz who were strong enough to stand at the elemental realm—it wouldn’t be so simple to eliminate them.
Livwz was especially known as a longstanding wizard, and it was well acknowledged that wizards were much tougher to deal with than swordsmen at the same level.
He shook his head and replied, “The royal party can be dismissed, but dealing with the princess is another matter entirely. Nemeses and Overwell are both golden-level experts, and among the royal knights loyal to that little girl, there are undoubtedly some tricky characters. Now there’s an additional Lake Knight, whose strength is only greater than Livwz’s—”
“The key point is, the Lionheart Sword is already in her possession. The house of the sword bearer will naturally side with her, and I’ve heard that the three golden-level experts under Earl Yanbao are currently in Ampere Seale. More importantly, there’s that young man who rivals the elements.” Merros turned his gaze upon Marquis Julian after speaking.
Julian’s expression twitched. “Hmph, indeed.”
“Although their hearts have strayed, we still must simultaneously deal with the equivalent of four elemental masters. Are you certain you can manage it?” Merros’s icy gaze swept over the two within the room.
“No problem.” The nobleman beside Marquis Julian finally chimed in.
“Ah!” Margadale could not help but let out a low exclamation, at this moment she finally saw the face of the last nobleman. He was truly an insignificant minor noble, an average-looking man, yet Margadale happened to recognize him—he should be a retainer of Earl Baltar.
The White Lion Army!
Had the White Lion Army already arrived near Ampere Seale? Once, the White Lion Army was the pride of the Erluin people, but that pride was long gone; Marquis Baltar had been bought off by the royal heir and had already turned his back on the northern nobles. However, unlike the Black Blade Corps, the White Lion Army was a border garrison, and their greatest enemy was the Cruz. It was unexpected that while everyone focused on the original forbidden army, the Black Blade Corps, they subconsciously overlooked this potential force.
But how could they dare to reassign troops from the border? Is Duke Siphai mad? Margadale’s mind was a chaotic mess, and she broke into a cold sweat. Fortunately, the sound insulation of the secret passage was quite effective; her earlier outburst had gone unnoticed by those outside. The nun princess let out a soft breath, her hands and feet cold, yet she couldn’t resist continuing to listen.
“That’s good.” Merros nodded, then turned back, “Are the identified persons ready to be singled out?” He fixed a stern gaze upon the somewhat reticent marquis. “This concerns the temple’s reputation; it is the most critical part of our plan.”
“Rest assured.” Marquis Julian quickly nodded, pulling a small object from his pocket and placing it on the tea table. “This person is absolutely reliable; this ring is his token—”
Merros remained silent, simply picking up the ring and giving a cold nod.
However, at that moment, all three in the room heard a faint noise, as if a heavy object had fallen. “Who!” The Grand Priest, possessing the highest strength, reacted first, barking out a command before raising his hand to sh**t a gold-red ray, striking a bookshelf inside the room.
With a deafening crash, the bookshelf shattered, igniting into flames with wooden shards and sparks cascading down like colorful butterflies. Simultaneously, the wall on one side of the room suddenly trembled and slid open, revealing a secret passage.
Merros immediately cast his cold gaze in that direction, and he soon saw Princess Margadale slumped on the ground, her face pale.
“Miss Margadale!” The newly appointed Grand Priest of Andfiller turned a deep shade of blue, these words nearly squeezed out through gritted teeth, “You’ve gone too far this time; I doubt even Wood could save you now.”
But Margadale seemed oblivious to his words, her gaze fixed numbly on the ring in his hand.
“It can’t be…” she muttered.
…
(PS: I mistakenly omitted the word “whirlpool” in the chapter title yesterday. Apologies. To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
