Holy Wing Islands, Shila territory.
The White Sands headed north along the Ambergris River towards the royal capital. After the whirlpool storm in Azure Castle is over, everyone can feel sunny and sunny in any weather. Whether they are crew members or passengers, they prefer to lean against the railing on the bow deck and enjoy the scenery on both sides of the river. And the storm that almost sunk the entire harbor to the bottom of the sea now seems to be just a phantom that exists in memory.
There are many boats on the river that travel between the north and the south, but most of them are river boats and are much smaller than the White Sands. In addition, the flag hung on the White Sands did not belong to any country in the West Pole, so it attracted many people to watch. After all, it was the first time that a first-class battleship from outside the countries of the Sea of Tranquility appeared in the royal capital area. If it weren't for the church's flag of the goddess Hera hanging on both sides of the ship, the defense forces along the way would probably have boarded the ship to check.
"That's Shila City." Taksis said, pointing to a dense "grey jungle" not far away.
"The houses by the river... are all factories?" Li looked up eagerly.
"Well, the Royal Capital is the best among the cities in the archipelago in all aspects. The number of businessmen, workers, church believers and ordinary people is far greater than that of Azure Castle, and the embassy facilities are also much more luxurious." Speaking of this Taksis words There was a faint sense of pride in Zhong, "During your stay, I will prepare a butler and servants for you to ensure that you enjoy the most comfortable hospitality."
After a few days of recuperation, the girl's injuries have improved to some extent, and her mental state has recovered a lot. Except for a hint of calmness in her eyes, she seems to be back to the radiant look she had when she entered the city.
But other members of the Tribunal were not so lucky.
These days they have been staying in the cabin, and they rarely come out.
The rest of the people formed a tacit understanding that every meal would be delivered to the door of the room, and no one would take the initiative to mention it.
Xia Fan noticed that the closer he got to Shila, the more turbid the water beneath his feet became. Although the large number of factories built along the river could bring a lot of wealth to the royal capital, they also obviously had a lot of impact on the surrounding ecology. I just don’t know if there is any magic in the church that can solve the problem of pollution, otherwise this place will follow the footsteps of the Fog City sooner or later.
Two hours later, the White Sands docked steadily at the Wangdu Pier.
The church, which had been notified long ago, even set up a special passage to facilitate the Eastern ambassadors to disembark.
"Taksis, you are finally back." The person who came out to greet him was an adult dragonborn, about forty years old, with a square face and a sense of majesty. He wore the church's exclusive red robe with gold trim and a tall crown on his head.
"Captain, my subordinates have disgraced their mission and failed to bring back the Son of the Holy Spirit." Taxis knelt down on one knee, showing a rare look of guilt.
"I have a basic understanding of the situation. The enemy acted with intention and unintentional intention. This is not your fault." The man called the leader helped the girl up, then turned his head and looked at Xia Fan, "This must be the envoy from the East. Lord Xia Fan?" He smiled and stretched out his hand, "Welcome to the city of Hela. I am the leader of the Hera Tribunal, the red priest Sedaro. Bavar. Your heroic actions in Azure Castle, Everyone in the church is excited. The reception department has prepared a villa in the west of the city, and you can move in now."
"Nice to meet you." Xia Fan shook hands.
"Captain, why is it in the west of the city?" Taxis asked with some confusion, "Shouldn't the foreign affairs district be in the south of the city? That's closer to the cathedral..."
"The environment in the west of the city is secluded and the houses are spacious, which is more suitable for guests coming from afar to rest. And..." He paused, "The Foreign Affairs District has been very restless recently. Even the mage representatives have increased their number of outings. The church does not want the Eastern Ambassador to be Involved.”
"Is that so..." Taksis pursed her lips and did not continue to care, "Then I will take them there."
"No need." Sedaro clapped his hands, and a fleet of luxury carriages slowly drove into the dock. "I have arranged for a special pick-up. You'd better follow me back to the cathedral to return to your life."
"Captain, but..." Taksis raised her eyebrows.
"His Holiness the Pope is very concerned about this matter. My task is to bring you back to the church as soon as possible." Sedaro said earnestly.
"It doesn't matter, just go ahead." Xia Fan took the initiative and said, "After all, business is important. It won't be too late to come over after you're done."
Seeing this, Taksis could only accept it, "I understand."
After a while, the carriage carried Xia Fan and others out of the dock area.
"Let's go." The smile on Sedaro's face completely disappeared, "Let's fly."
After saying that, he transformed into a dragon and fluttered his wings on the spot.
Taxis quickly followed, and she heard a hint of solemnity in the other person's tone, "The situation in the church... is not good?"
"It's not just bad." Sedaro said in a deep voice, "If it weren't for the fact that you were traveling with the ambassador, I would have considered recruiting you back in advance. When you arrive at the cathedral, you must think carefully and answer the other red-shirted guests well. Priestly inquiry.”
"I understand," she nodded slowly.
…
The cathedral is located right in the heart of Shira.
As the headquarters of the Church of Hera, it has been expanded several times in the past two hundred years. It is now the most majestic building in the royal capital. It not only covers an area of thousands of acres, but also uses metal materials in the building for the first time, making it The height of the main tower reaches an astonishing twenty-five feet. In a city that generally only has three or four floors, it is undoubtedly the most eye-catching fortress.
After landing on the platform outside the cathedral, the two of them changed back to their original appearance and walked forward quickly. After passing through many checkpoints, Taksis once again entered the Palace of the Sun after a long absence.
This is a typical high vaulted tower. The colorful glazed high windows bring sunlight into the room, concentrating it on the center of the ground and converging into a huge spot of light. Paired with the gold-inlaid patterns carved on the stone slab, it gives people the illusion that the sun is beneath them.
The high-ranking priests and the pope's crown were standing on the platform on the second floor, and Taksis had to raise her head to see their faces.
"Taksis. Yongyi pays homage to Your Majesty." The girl followed the church's etiquette meticulously. She knelt down respectfully and touched the sun pattern on the ground with her forehead three times before speaking solemnly.
"May the light of Hera always shine on you." Pope Pella IV said leisurely.
Taksis stood up and waited for the church's senior officials to ask questions.
"We don't think there is a problem with the inference that the Azure Castle evil is related to the mage," the first person to ask was a middle-aged woman. "Intelligence shows that this evil incident is more like a special spellcasting. The problem is that it did not originate from Necromancy is somewhat similar to Eastern magic. Judge Yongyi, I wonder if you have thoroughly investigated the members of the Eastern Mission and confirmed that they have nothing to do with this matter?"