Four Hundred Eighty-Eighth Dark Clouds
During the night in a manor in Adis, the leader of the Adus Revolutionary Army sat in his study, penning swiftly on an open book under the light of the desk lamp. His pen moved rapidly across the paper, capturing the deepening contradictions within the revolutionary army, the potential for renewed conflict in Adus, and his own concerns as the leader. All these were meticulously recorded by him.
“To summarize, tomorrow I will do my best to protect you during Muhetar’s ambush. Afterward, we will find an opportunity to immediately withdraw from Adis and go to a safer place in Adus. We should try to escape without directly confronting Muhetar, and the farther away we get, the better.”
Shadi wrote this on the page, and shortly after, Vania’s response appeared before him.
“Protecting us to escape? Mr. Shadi, facing Muhetar, what is our success rate of escaping Adis?”
Seeing Vania’s doubt, Shadi paused briefly, then continued writing with a heavy expression.
“If I only aim to save myself, I have complete confidence in escaping Muhetar’s grasp. However, if considering all of you, there’s only about a thirty percent chance. Although the chances are slim, you need not worry that I will abandon you. Only you can explain the current situation in Adis to the Sacred Summit, so I won’t leave you behind.”
Shadi wrote this, understanding that he had to protect Vania’s envoy group so she could explain the situation to the Sacred Summit and help clear his association with the Savior Faction. This would ensure that when the Radiant Church’s army arrives in Adus, they wouldn’t consider him a heretic. Therefore, no matter what, Vania must be protected tomorrow.
“I will do everything in my power to help you leave Adis, and you must immediately seek aid from the Sacred Summit. Have the Holy War Army advance to Adus to eliminate the heretics. During this time, I will lead my loyal forces in Adus to fight Muhetar until the Holy War Army arrives.”
Shadi wrote down his plan in the book. As he read through his words, he felt a heavy burden. Although the plan seemed simple, it required a significant sacrifice and many calamities for Adus.
Evading Muhetar and his personal guards safely was easier said than done. Even though Shadi could potentially surpass ordinary White Chalk Tier powers with Setute’s help, he could only barely protect himself against a Red Tier extraordinary being. This time, however, he had to protect both himself and the envoy group, making the task much more difficult.
Even if they successfully escaped Adis, Shadi would face a full-scale civil war in Adus. The news of the split in Adis would inevitably lead to renewed conflict. The thought of former comrades turning against each other and Adis slipping back into turmoil weighed heavily on Shadi. He had maintained silence to avoid such an outcome, hoping to preserve the hard-won peace in Adus.
But now, under pressure from the Savior Faction, Shadi realized neutrality was no longer an option. If war was unavoidable, he had to choose the lesser of two evils. Choosing the Savior Faction would result in the destruction of the Adus Revolutionary Army and the return of the old nobility of the Baruch Dynasty. Choosing the Sacred Summit would be perilous but offer a chance to survive and rebuild after the Holy War Army’s arrival.
Shadi understood that the best scenario would be for the Sacred Summit to let him continue leading Adus, but even then, the old nobility would inevitably interfere. In the worst case, the Sacred Summit might completely discard him and support absolute loyalty from the old nobility. Regardless, once the war began and the Sacred Summit intervened, Adus’s fate would be shaped by the Baruch old nobility. Though Shadi disliked this, he had no choice.
At that moment, in another part of Adis, in a luxurious room in the Adus Royal Palace, Vania sat at her desk, frowning at the words written by Shadi. Earlier, she had communicated directly with Shadi, not Dorothy. Due to her reluctance to imitate Vania’s writing style and tone, Dorothy simply transferred Shadi’s words from her “Navigation of the Literary Sea” to Vania’s communication page. Vania responded under Dorothy’s guidance, and Dorothy relayed the messages, facilitating direct communication between them.
Vania, sitting at her desk, gazed sorrowfully at Shadi’s words. According to him, renewed conflict in Adus seemed inevitable, which saddened her, as she genuinely hoped for peace and still harbored some hope for the future.
After reading Shadi’s handwriting, Vania paused before responding.
“Miss Dorothy, has the situation in Adus truly become irreversible? Is war now inevitable?”
In the hidden space within the Enlightenment Mark Temple, Dorothy, sitting on the floor of the temple, pondered over Vania’s words. She too wondered about the upcoming confrontation with Muhetar.
“It seems… a direct confrontation with Muhetar tomorrow is unavoidable. Facing a Red Tier extraordinary being who leads a large society and is the head of a nation, is this conflict really feasible?
“Although Shadi is helping, he mentioned that the probability of escaping unscathed while protecting Vania is only around thirty percent. Even with my assistance, the chances don’t exceed fifty percent. This is still too low for me… it doesn’t seem very stable…”
Dorothy reflected on this. For her, preventing war seemed far-fetched; she was more concerned with increasing their chances of success in the upcoming conflict.
Standing up in the hidden space, Dorothy slowly paced around the temple hall, her eyes scanning the floating runes and structural lines. Finally, she focused on the symbol hovering above the altar.
The symbol was half-open eye with lightning radiating from its pupil, extending beyond the eye socket. This was the eye of the Judge of Heaven, a deity who had fallen thousands of years ago and was now sealed in secret history.
Gazing at the floating eye of lightning, Dorothy felt a slight daze. Recalling the information from the temple’s introduction, she had an idea.
“Yes… according to the previous introduction, this temple of the Judge of Heaven has multiple functions. If these functions are still intact…”
Muttering to herself, Dorothy had an idea and immediately tested its feasibility. Using the temple’s intelligent system, she began querying the information she needed. Soon, she found the desired results.
Reading the comprehensive language information obtained with effort, Dorothy breathed a sigh of relief. After reviewing the article, she felt more confident about tomorrow’s conflict.
Her chances of defeating Muhetar had increased significantly. This increase wasn’t about the probability of escaping, but about winning.
“Looks like… there’s room to maneuver tomorrow. With proper planning, we might even avoid the civil war in Adus…”
Dorothy pondered this, then sat back down and picked up her “Navigation of the Literary Sea,” writing to Shadi.
Meanwhile, Vania, who had been anxiously awaiting a response from Dorothy, was about to pray to Akka when she finally received a reply. Seeing the response, her eyes widened slightly.
“This is…”
After reading Dorothy’s response, Vania felt surprised, but her surprise quickly turned to joy. She sensed a turn of events in Dorothy’s intelligence.
Vania picked up her pen and quickly wrote to Shadi, following Dorothy’s instructions.
“Mr. Shadi, there’s still a glimmer of hope for Adus. War hasn’t yet become inevitable. If we cooperate fully tomorrow, perhaps we can avoid the worst outcome.
“Tomorrow’s events require our full cooperation. Since our biggest challenge is Muhetar, I need to know everything about him. As his former ally and a fellow combatant, you likely know much about Muhetar. Please share all the information you have…”
Vania wrote these words to Shadi. Meanwhile, Shadi, waiting anxiously for a response, almost thought Vania had encountered trouble. However, seeing her new message, he was momentarily stunned.
…
Under the night sky in Adus, various hidden currents and conspiracies were swirling. On one corner of the city, atop a high roof, Nephnis stood in her night attire, gazing at the towering temple in the distant darkness.
“Miss Dorothy hasn’t sent a message to pick me up yet… Is that old Red Tier still guarding there? d*mn it… how long does that guy intend to stay?”
Nephnis thought anxiously, looking at the distant temple. Originally, she was instructed by Dorothy to be ready to assist her nearby, but Muhetar unexpectedly returned early. In a hurry, Dorothy told Nephnis to immediately distance herself from the temple and avoid Muhetar. She was to return after Muhetar left.
Thus, Dorothy anxiously waited in the cold night of Adis for news. At that moment, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in her heart.
“Great Akka, please convey to Senior Sister Nephnis that she shouldn’t come to pick me up tonight. She has other tasks to attend to tonight. Please make sure she visits the museum in Adis and retrieves something from inside.”
Hearing the familiar voice, Nephnis paused, filled with a sense of déjà vu. Her thoughts drifted back to Adria.
“What… museum… retrieving something? Why am I suddenly back to my old profession… Ugh! My profession is archaeology!”
Nephnis shook her head fiercely in the evening breeze. Then, with confusion, she began communicating with Dorothy. After the exchange, her confusion turned to astonishment, and then to bewilderment. After a long moment, she managed to regain her composure and spoke softly.
“This time… there’s a new character involved…”
…
Time passed quickly, and soon the night was over. With the moon setting and the sun rising, a new day dawned upon Adis.
On this new day, the people of Adis went about their usual activities, participating in reconstruction efforts. They soon noticed something unusual. Early in the morning, thick clouds began to gather in the sky, and as time progressed, they became denser. By midday, the sun’s rays were obstructed, casting Adis in a gloomy shadow.
The people of Adis believed it was going to rain heavily, although Adis rarely experienced rainfall. Despite this rarity, they prepared for the possibility by keeping an eye out for shelter.
In the afternoon, Muhetar, accompanied by trusted subordinates and armed personnel, left the Radiant Church and headed toward the Baruch Palace. Each person carried a somber demeanor, understanding that this negotiation was their final attempt.
Amidst the gloom, the devout warriors of the Savior’s Incarnation Sect, led by Muhetar, marched forward for a sword duel. Meanwhile, the remaining few Savior Sect clerics gathered in the grand Radiant Church.
Before the altar of the Savior, the remaining members of the Savior’s Incarnation Sect knelt and prayed sincerely, seeking the success of today’s actions and the eventual victory of the Holy War in Adis.
At that moment, in the ceiling above the Radiant Church—or rather, the Enlightenment Mark Temple—a figure silently observed the scene below.
Wearing a white robe that accentuated her slender form, her dark skin contrasted with golden jewelry adorning her body and hands. Golden bracelets complemented her dark skin perfectly.
A golden headdress and white veil concealed her face, revealing only her eyes, which gazed intently at the faithful believers below. After a moment, she looked up at the sky, her gaze piercing through the thick cloud cover.
In her gaze, a rumble of thunder echoed through the dense clouds above.
