### Chapter 480: The Arrival
Under the blazing sun, the Desert Arrow train sped forward. After the ambush incident, the Desert Arrow did not linger for half a day to deal with the aftermath; it set off immediately towards Adis and, after a day and a half of travel, finally arrived at its destination.
Sitting in her compartment on the train, Doro looked out at the scenery beyond the window. She noticed that the desert, once filled with swirling yellow sand, began to show signs of resilient vegetation. Next came low, modest stone houses, which, with very little decoration, gradually stood together as a cluster. In front of them, thin local people stood, gazing at the slowing train with curious expressions.
As the train continued towards the city center, Doro observed that the buildings around her began to grow taller. The low, dilapidated houses gradually disappeared, replaced by various tall, neat, and elegantly decorated buildings. Alongside them were meticulously tended plants, creating a garden-like beauty with the exquisite architecture. There were even clear waterways flowing between the trees and houses, with elevated water channels crossing difficult-to-reach places. Various fine statues adorned the area, and the precious water resources from other parts of Adus were transported here via these channels to irrigate the abundant greenery, forming the picturesque oasis city.
However, as Doro continued to look around, she began to notice some damage within the beautiful oasis city—some buildings were missing corners, others were strewn with rubble, or bore large craters. Various types of ruins were scattered among the buildings, and she could see some people rummaging through the debris, which bore witness to the city’s past trials by war. Doro reflected on these scenes in her heart.
‘Is this Adis? The capital of Adus, the “pearl by the Milky River” mentioned in travel brochures? The Baruch Dynasty once made this place quite prosperous, not much different from some large cities on the Main Continent. It even becoming a destination for those from the Main Continent to travel to Northern Ufeiga. Now, it certainly lives up to its reputation; aside from the vast slums in the outer city, the inner city looks even more beautiful than Adria… If it weren’t for the scars of war, one could imagine how bustling this city used to be…’
‘But… internationally, Adus is an absolute poor country with over twenty million impoverished people. What was the price paid to build such a capital?’
As Doro moved forward, she saw that the ruins became denser, with increasing signs of destruction from warfare. Eventually, the train gradually pulled into a damaged station, and Doro noticed the clear b*llet holes on the platform’s pillars through the window.
“Finally, we’ve arrived. Let’s get ready to disembark, Miss Doro…”
Across from Doro, Nephnis expressed her impatience while looking out the window. It was evident that being cooped up in the hot compartment for several days had taken its toll. After glancing at Nephnis, Doro replied,
“It’s not quite time for us to get off yet. Remember our identities are merely those of traveling merchants; we must wait for the main characters to disembark first. We can’t mix that up…”
As Doro spoke, the Desert Arrow train finally came to a standstill. In that moment, Doro linked to Vania’s senses through the information channel to understand her circumstances.
Prior to the train coming to a stop, Vania was already prepared at the door, ready to disembark. Doro, through Vania’s eyes, saw the train door slowly opening, followed by several church guards next to Vania stepping out first. Vania then took a deep breath, gathering her courage, and stepped out of the train. As her foot hit the carpet outside, she saw two lines of honor guards, their uniforms untidy, standing on either side of the carpet.
“Attention!” At a command in Northern Ufeiga language, the honor guards at Vania’s side drew their swords, standing before themselves. The sunlight reflecting off the blades momentarily startled Vania. Although the guards wore mismatched outfits without a unified uniform, the sharpness in their eyes revealed a fierce battle-hardened demeanor; it was clear they were trained soldiers and not just ceremonial guards.
At the end of the honor guard line, in the dazzling sunlight, Vania saw two figures approaching—one a middle-aged soldier and the other an elderly cleric.
The soldier, dressed in an officer’s uniform, had slightly dark skin and slightly curly black hair. He was tall and robust, with a face as finely sculpted as a statue, brimming with vigor and determination. When he saw Vania approaching, he smiled and stepped forward, extending his hand. Vania, seeing this, promptly reached out to shake hands.
As they shook hands, the officer spoke a phrase in the local language of Northern Ufeiga, which was then translated immediately by Vania’s accompanying translator.
“Welcome to Adis, Sister Vania. I am Shadi, the current leader of the Adus Revolutionary Army, and on behalf of all in Adus who yearn for peace and desire freedom, I thank you for your visit.”
Through Vania’s senses, Doro immediately recognized the officer named Shadi and quickly recalled the intelligence prepared by the church regarding him.
Shadi… an Adus native, born into a noble family in Adus. He was academically gifted and humble as a child. His father was a local official of the Baruch Dynasty, who was removed from office for failing to complete tax duties due to his compassion towards farmers. In his teenage years, while traveling with his family, he was attacked by desert raiders, who robbed them, killed his parents, and took him as a slave. Due to his rebellious nature, he was sold several times before ending up as a “mat” for the Treasure Theft Society.
There are signs suggesting that the ambush was likely orchestrated by a powerful noble from the Baruch Dynasty who had grievances against Shadi’s father. Various raider groups roaming the Northern Ufeiga deserts had a custom of hiring out their services—when uncontracted, they operated as robbers, but when commissioned, they acted as mercenaries, even transforming into regular soldiers when the contracting party was a national government.
When Treasure Theft Society ventured into dangerous areas, they would often send regular people ahead to scout, triggering traps or curses for them, calling these coerced scapegoats “mats.” The use of mats was quite commonplace among the Treasure Theft Societies in Northern Ufeiga.
According to the church’s intelligence, Shadi had been sold as such a mat as a child, and details were vague for a period thereafter. When he resurfaced, it was more than ten years later; by then, he had become a remarkable treasure hunter under a large organization known as the Millennium Society and had transformed into an Extraordinary Being of the White Chalk tier.
Later, after the Millennium Society suffered a defeat and their leader was killed, Shadi abandoned the fight for leadership, left with some trusted followers, and returned to his homeland of Adus to initiate revolutionary activities, aiming to overthrow the Baruch Dynasty. In a span of years, he orchestrated multiple uprisings. Although powerful, they were ultimately suppressed by the Baruch Dynasty’s extraordinary legacies and large numbers of hired raider groups.
Having failed in his uprisings, Shadi himself was pursued by the Baruch Dynasty’s Extraordinary Beings but managed to escape every time, occasionally even managing to turn the tables on them. This was astonishing for someone of the White Chalk tier.
Rumors claim that during his ten-year career as a treasure hunter, Shadi acquired some secret weapon, enabling him to challenge Red Tier Extraordinary Beings while maintaining the ability to escape, even inflicting some damage. This was crucial to his repeated evasion of capture by the Baruch Dynasty, but the nature of this secret weapon remains unknown.
‘Due to the disparity in extraordinary power, Shadi’s uprisings failed several times, yet he did not give up, continuing to plot against the Baruch Dynasty. Finally, this time, he succeeded, largely due to the support of powerful allies,’ reasoned Doro in her mind.
Seated in her compartment, Doro quickly reviewed the intelligence on Shadi, the leader of the Adus Revolutionary Army, before directing her attention back to Vania’s senses. Vania was now releasing Shadi’s hand and politely responding in Prit.
“Thank you, Mr. Shadi, for taking the time to greet me amidst your busy schedule. I will do my best to promote peace. May the Lord bless Adus.”
After the translator conveyed Vania’s words, Shadi smiled and nodded. Shortly thereafter, an elderly man dressed in a clerical robe, wearing a complexly folded turban and holding scriptures, approached. He examined Vania for a moment before speaking slowly, and the translator immediately relayed the message.
“Welcome, servant of the Lord from beyond the sea. May we find common ground under Him…”
After the old man finished speaking, Shadi quickly introduced him.
“Ah… this is His Excellency Muhetar, an important member of our revolutionary army and a vital mentor guiding us under the Lord…”
Shadi introduced Muhetar to Vania, and as she looked at the elderly man in a white clerical robe, Vania momentarily paused, her thoughts drifting back to the past.
Last year, as a mere scriptural reader in the Tivyán diocese, Vania had accompanied the church’s relic recovery team to the Prit region to retrieve newly discovered extraordinary relics from Bishop Dickter, where she was ambushed by a group of heretics. The attire of the heretic leader bore an uncanny resemblance to the elderly man before her, though the man’s clothing seemed to be of a far superior quality.
Recalling the experience of fighting alongside her companions against heretics and witnessing their deaths, Vania swallowed hard and solemnly addressed the elderly man.
“Your Excellency Muhetar… Since we share faith in the same Lord, I’m sure there are mutual understandings between us.”
Upon hearing Vania’s words, Muhetar smiled and nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, in the compartment, Doro contemplated the old man in front of Vania, the church’s information echoing in her mind once again.
It was rumored that after several failed uprisings, Shadi received unexpected assistance from an ally—the Savior’s Incarnation Sect, active in Northern Ufeiga.
The Savior’s Incarnation Sect provided powerful extraordinary support to Shadi’s revolutionary army, dispatching many Extraordinary Being members with deep extraordinary legacies to join the revolutionary efforts, giving them the capability to confront the Baruch Dynasty on an extraordinary level.
Among those dispatched to assist the revolutionary army, there were even rumors of a Red Tier being. After receiving such robust support from the Savior’s Incarnation Sect, the revolutionary army finally managed to decisively defeat the Baruch Dynasty in the last uprising; across all fronts, the Baruch Dynasty faced disastrous defeat—its own Red Tier Extraordinary Being killed, its forces in disarray, and ultimately, the revolutionary army stormed Capitol Adis, symbolizing the Baruch Dynasty’s dominion. Their rule ended, and many nobles fled abroad, hoping to use external forces to retaliate against the revolutionary army.
Although the revolutionary army, bolstered by the Savior’s Incarnation Sect, achieved victory, the repercussions were evident. The ideologies of the Savior’s Incarnation Sect began to infiltrate and influence the revolutionary army, with their personnel being appointed to various positions within the revolutionaries, fostering the sect’s doctrines.
There are indications that the revolutionary army, under the influence of the Savior’s Incarnation Sect, may likely declare the new nation of Adus as a theocratic state, relegating the original Three Saints Sect to obsolescence, following the pattern they established in some other Adus territories, which the Sacred Summit Church cannot accept.
If the Adus Revolutionary Army were to announce that the Savior’s Incarnation Sect was no longer illegal in the new nation, the Sacred Summit would likely take military action immediately. Fortunately, the revolutionary army has yet to make any such declarations regarding faith, but the patience of the Sacred Summit is limited, and they would not tolerate a continued evasive stance.
The Savior’s Incarnation Sect of Northern Ufeiga is a product of the fusion between the Radiant Church and the sect’s extreme beliefs regarding the Savior’s faith. Thus, their reference to the Savior takes on the flavor of the Radiant Church. When Doro heard Muhetar mention the term “Lord,” she immediately recognized him as a member of the Savior’s Incarnation Sect, likely an extraordinary being of the Red Tier.
‘The leader of the revolutionary army… the highest representative of the Savior’s Incarnation Sect within it… In this welcoming ceremony, these two seem to hold equal status…’
‘The divination suggested… that there are significant differences within the revolutionary army. Could it be that these two are involved? They appear courteous on the surface, but what conflicts might lie beneath? This is truly intriguing…’
Sitting in her compartment, Doro pondered this, already perceiving the undercurrents swirling within the Adus Revolutionary Army during this mere welcoming ceremony.
The brief welcome ceremony at the platform soon came to an end. Under Shadi’s lead, Vania and her accompanying personnel headed outside the station to board the prepared official vehicle.
During this process, the old man Muhetar lingered for a moment, watching Vania walk away with Shadi, the peculiar light reflecting in his eyes.
“So she dares to come… the blasphemous nun…”
