“My head hurts…”
Lai En racked his brain, but whether it was items or battle techniques, nothing could help the current situation.
Was Nina supposed to take this dagger and just kill Meiluxina outright?
And even if she could kill Meiluxina, so what? The forces behind her wouldn’t spare a lone group of two and a half people.
As for why it was two and a half, Lai En was still half a person right now.
Just as Lai En’s head was pounding, Xinxiwusi received a secret letter from afar.
In a conference hall the size of half a soccer field, there was a round table large enough to seat fifty or sixty people.
Xinxiwusi’s purpose here was to form an alliance with the regional powers of this country.
He also needed to secure the most important support—the church’s Saintess.
This country’s Saintess was a cut above the rest. It was said she had obtained the legendary Main God Possession.
At that moment, she sat directly across from Xinxiwusi.
As he spoke with those beside him, an attendant hurried in and handed him a letter.
Seeing the appearance of that letter, Xinxiwusi frowned slightly.
“No signature, not even a single word written.”
Xinxiwusi was a man cut from the same cloth as Mo En—Mo En being Lai En’s old father figure from the last simulation, a duke who usurped the throne.
The difference was that Xinxiwusi was the rightful King of the Kingdom of Tianyue.
But both of them carried a legendary kingly bearing—in our terms, they possessed the King’s Aura.
Yet at this moment, Xinxiwusi sat as obedient as a child, posture straight and proper.
“Xinxiwusi, you really have been busy with affairs lately.”
A crisp girl’s voice came from across the table.
“Your Holiness the Saintess… after all, I am the ruler of a kingdom. There are matters that I must handle personally. Please forgive me.”
Xinxiwusi explained with some helplessness.
“No matter. Handle your affairs first. As for the conditions you proposed, we need a brief discussion.”
With that, the Saintess began talking with a woman beside her dressed in a nun’s habit.
The people at the round table were split into two factions: on one side were the knights and councilors Xinxiwusi had brought, and on the other were mostly clergy.
These clergy members were nothing simple either. The nuns wore garments adorned with white pearls, symbolizing their rank and authority within the church.
As for the Saintess herself, she wore a gauze dress that made her indistinguishable from the angels of legend.
If it had been any other Saintess, Xinxiwusi probably wouldn’t have needed to humble himself so much.
But the one before him was not only immensely powerful, she also held sway over the future of the Kingdom of Tianyue.
So before her, even a secular king like Xinxiwusi had to show the utmost respect.
Xinxiwusi quickly tore open the envelope.
“The Forest Witch?”
The moment Xinxiwusi saw those four characters, his heart tightened. His large-scale hunting of Forest Witches had long since forged a deep grudge between them.
Now, anything related to them hung over him like a ghost, hovering around Xinxiwusi at every turn.
As for why he hunted them—it was because, many times, internal conflicts within the kingdom needed an external outlet.
That was why Xinxiwusi feared retaliation from the Forest Witches so much. They had been his scapegoats all along.
As everyone knew, almost all the problems in this world came from mages and their insatiable curiosity.
And the Forest Witches were the biggest outliers among those mages.
Xinxiwusi had simply used the people’s perceptions to shift the blame for his own governance failures onto them.
“What’s the matter? From the look on your face, this seems rather troublesome?”
The Saintess across the table noticed Xinxiwusi’s grim expression.
“Your Holiness, traces of a Forest Witch have appeared within our kingdom.”
“A Forest Witch?”
The Saintess tilted her head in confusion.
“How much trouble could they possibly stir up?”
“Well… there’s some history behind it. I won’t bother your ears with it.”
Xinxiwusi naturally couldn’t go exposing his own dirty secrets.
“This kind of small matter, I wouldn’t mind lending a hand to resolve. But you know the price.”
Xinxiwusi quickly waved his hands to decline.
He also found it a bit absurd—she was supposedly a Saintess, yet so greedy.
Xinxiwusi lowered his head and continued reading.
“Ailuo Wen… that name sounds familiar.”
“Your Majesty, Ailuo Wen is the blacksmith’s daughter you took into the inner palace during that hunt of yours.”
A knight beside him reminded him, and only then did Xinxiwusi remember the name.
“No wonder I was so bewitched back then, to have taken her…”
Xinxiwusi immediately forgot all about the fact that he had been dead drunk that day.
“So it was the Forest Witches’ doing. Once I return this time, I’ll have her hanged.”
In his eyes, Ailuo Wen was just an ordinary woman with decent looks, good enough to keep in the inner palace as a collection piece.
But if she was really tangled up with the Forest Witches, that changed everything.
“This letter was probably sent by some jealous Princess Consort. I have to admire their schemes sometimes.”
“No need for an investigation. She’s just a blacksmith’s daughter. No harm done if she’s killed by mistake.”
Just as Xinxiwusi had settled in his mind how to deal with the matter, the Saintess across from him spoke up.
“Xinxiwusi, after our discussion, we have decided to accept your conditions.”
Hearing the Saintess say this, the gloom on Xinxiwusi’s face immediately cleared.
“Your Holiness, I am deeply grateful that you would accept my request.”
“Our kingdom’s Duel Tournament is about to begin. Would Your Holiness do us the honor of attending?”
Xinxiwusi figured that since he had offered such generous terms, asking her to show her face was hardly too much.
“Duel Tournament?”
Hearing that phrase, a look of interest appeared on the Saintess’s face.
Seeing that there was a chance, Xinxiwusi quickly added more.
“Every royal family in our kingdom, including my own, sends their strongest champion to duel. The victor receives a reward granted by me.”
“I didn’t expect the Kingdom of Tianyue to have such a tradition. No wonder your country keeps producing Sword Saints and Archmages one after another.”
Hearing the Saintess say this, Xinxiwusi’s face naturally glowed with pride.
“It’s merely a custom. If Your Holiness would grace us with your presence, our kingdom’s warriors will surely fight with even greater fervor.”
A smile appeared on the Saintess’s face, clearly thinking it worth the trip.
“Very well. I haven’t left the church in a long time. I might as well enjoy your country’s scenery while I’m at it.”
“Haha, on behalf of all my people, I welcome your arrival.”
“Quick, write the invitation for the Saintess right now, and handle all the travel permits in one go!”
The civil official accompanying him immediately began to write.
[The King of the Kingdom of Tianyue, Xinxiwusi, cordially invites Xilika, Saintess of the Silent Moon Church, to attend the 304th Duel Tournament]
[All checkpoints and inspection stations must grant passage. Xilika is the King’s honored guest and shall not be slighted]
“Please accept this, Your Holiness.”
Xinxiwusi presented the invitation with both hands.
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