Chapter 4: Ten Years

  Eternal Radiance Year 842

  Time is a strict elder who will not favor anyone nor be biased against anyone. In the face of time, everyone is absolutely fair.

  Ten years have passed like this, and Perseus is now fifteen years old.

  Although he still looks a bit short in stature, he is indeed already fifteen years old.

  At the age of fifteen, Peshu had already gained some fame in the church because he was a seedling that Oliveria had been cultivating with great effort. Since childhood, he had lived on the Central Continent and people at school had always looked at him with a special discriminatory gaze, fortunately, Peshu was precocious and could endure it.

  However, in order for his own plans to proceed smoothly, Oliviera currently only teaches him some light attribute magic and does not teach that powerful magic, which makes Perush unable to stop complaining. Perush's daily life is nothing but practicing light magic and swordsmanship. But after all, this life can be considered peaceful.

  No one knows if time has an end, but everyone knows that all good things must come to an end.

  On this day, Perush returned to the Central Continent. After going to a small island in the middle of the ocean, he seemed to have gained another layer of understanding about light magic, so he hurried back to meditate. Just as he was sitting upright, Perush suddenly heard a knock on the door. He didn't live in Olivira's residence "Shooting Star Sanctuary", but instead chose a place closer to the teleportation magic array to stay, saying that hurrying back to meditate and seize the opportunity to cultivate was the most important thing.

  "Who?" Perseus remained in a reclined position, but his mouth seemed to say so. It wasn't that he didn't want to get up and open the door, he was meditating and didn't want to interrupt it.

  "I, Zhū Fǎ Nuò." The voice of Zhū Fǎ Nuò came from outside the door. Pèr Xiū did a backflip and jumped off the bed. Zhū Fǎ Nuò was the one person in the church that he feared the most, even more so than the Pope who spoke with a creaking wooden tone, seemed somewhat benevolent compared to him.

  "Uncle Zhufano? What task do you have for me today?" He said as he walked towards the door. He opened the door and Zhufano also walked straight into the house, sat down in front of him and said: "Pack your bags."

  "What's going on?" asked Perseus. Zufano had him pack his bags as soon as he arrived, leaving Perseus feeling a bit bewildered.

  "Next, you are dispatched to carry out a mission, a long-term mission. You will go to a very distant place," Zhufano said, "Your target is the central region of the Spuweise continent, the capital of the Spuweise dynasty."

  Percy felt an inexplicable excitement in his heart, he could finally go out to receive a mission. Aileen always went out to receive and complete missions, busy to the point of being unable to take a break, making Percy's heart itch with eagerness.

  "Is it that far?" Perseus said, "Spruvessa isn't a small place, from the edge to the capital, even flying would take several days..." He didn't say this was according to Olivira's flight speed, but his own... Without ten days or half a month, he couldn't fly down, it's better to take transportation.

  Here is the translation:

  The means of transportation referred to here are magical horses. A galloping magical horse is only slightly faster than Olivira's flight speed, and it's no problem for a magical horse to run continuously for ten days or half a month. However, magical horses cannot traverse terrain such as forests and swamps, and in reality, they can't actually run with people on them all day long - otherwise, it wouldn't be the horse that couldn't take it, but the person. Various factors limit the speed of magical horses, yet they remain the primary means of transportation for most of the continent.

  "It's going to be a long mission." Zhū Fǎnō said, "Also, your mission objective is to protect the Crown Prince of Spuweisē. You can ask him about the details when you meet him later. You will have two seniors as companions, who are currently in Spuweisē. If all of you follow the planned route, you will meet each other on the way."

  "Can't the local Yuhua Knights complete this task?" Perseus was still hesitant about going so far, he had been living in the Central Continent since he was five years old, and subconsciously regarded this place as home. Now that he had to go out and drift again, his heart was filled with reluctance.

  Giovanni's face sank, saying: "You must remember, you are aiming for the next Pope, absolutely cannot have any weak thoughts. You have a dependence on this place, and here will be your grave!" Giovanni had always been not very good to Percival, Percival didn't know why, but every time Percival complained to Oliviera about how Giovanni was again, Oliviera would say: "It's okay, Uncle Giovanni is doing it for you."

  Oliviera didn't say that Zhufan had been aiming for the Pope, but seeing Perse's talent he couldn't help but give up, so in a sense Perse carried his dreams. As to whether it was revenge or strict requirements, Oliviera wasn't clear either.

  Anyway, Zhū Fǎ Nuò is just a little too family-oriented.

  At this point, Pearsall did not dare say more and had no choice but to accept Zulfano's reprimand.

  Helpless, Perseus packed up and left the Central Continent, the place where he had been raised for ten years. Standing in front of the teleportation magic array again, Perseus suddenly felt a wave of emotion - when he first came here, he just thought the teleportation magic array was fun, and every time he went through it to the transfer island, he had already gotten used to using this teleportation magic array. But this time, it's likely that he won't be able to return for one or two years...

  A sudden sense of loss enveloped his heart.

  He will eventually have to go on a long journey. Although he is about to fulfill his childhood dream, this feeling of leaving home is really hard to bear.

  After all, it's still better with a warm home...

  "Perseus!" A female voice rang out. Perseus heard the voice and immediately turned his head, saying "Aileen, how did you get here?"

  "I heard you're going on a long journey, so I came to see you off..." Elain said, "Master said that it's likely you won't be able to return for one or two years." Perseus smiled and said, "I'll have plenty of time here in the future, don't forget, I'm going to become the Pope after all."

  "Ah!" Irene said, "Percy, you will become the Pope, definitely will!" At the same time, she silently muttered in her heart "I will also become your strongest sharp blade..."

  This sentence has a legendary story. Before becoming the Pope, a certain Pope had loudly proclaimed that he would become the Pope, and his lover also publicly claimed that she would be his strongest blade. In the end, one of them became the Pope, and the other became the first female Grand Master of the Order of the Garter in history.

  Suddenly, there was an awkward silence, and neither of them knew what to say. Perse finally broke the silence: "Aileen, it's windy here, you go back first, I'll be right back." The central mainland had a barrier set up, although there was still air circulation, but strong winds would be weakened when approaching the central mainland. Perse said this only because he didn't know how to respond to the situation.

  "It'll be several years... I won't see you again, and after a year or two, what if I forget about you?" Irene said.

  "How is it that Irene has such a good memory." Perseus smiled and said, "It's getting late, I also need to set off, so... see you in one or two years."

  "Hmm!" Irene nodded solemnly.

  Staring at the screen shrouded in Perseus, Irene muttered to herself: "How could I forget you? I'm just afraid... that after a year or two, you'll have forgotten me completely..."

  As she spoke, Eileen took out a small bell and held it against her chest.

  At this time, they thought their separation would be just a year or two.

  He arrived at the transit island, and Perseus couldn't help but feel a little sentimental. However, the ship that was supposed to take him to his next destination soon arrived, and he knew he had to leave, so he didn't linger and left the transit island immediately. Although Perseus held a relatively high position in the church, he still couldn't compare to Oliviera, so he took an ordinary passenger liner from Spuvese. This suited his temperament, as he disliked showy ways of traveling. Oliviera didn't like it either, but at that time, he couldn't very well carry Perseus to the church on his back.

  After boarding the ship, Perseus received a message from the Lunar Festival Priest, which contained his next mission. As an executive of the Church, and still being underage, he hadn't joined the Yuhua Knights yet, but some high-ranking members of the Yuhua Knights had taken notice of him, so it was possible that once he came of age, they would recruit him as a Yuhua Knight.

  All executives of the church have a small booklet that will be written with magical symbols at irregular intervals to publish tasks, and sometimes the moon festival priest will communicate with an executive alone, such as Perseus, who received the task content is single communication, only to see those other magic texts all disappear, replaced by a detailed plan table.

  After completing his task on the ship, Peshu came to a nearby tavern after disembarking. He found a seat by the window and ordered several bottles of wine but didn't drink any. Peshu doesn't drink, or rather, he can't drink. Although it's not like one cup would knock him out, even a small amount would make him very tired and drunk.

  He was waiting for someone. Zafano had told him that a knight named Sir Catreuse Sorelenga would come to escort him, and he should wait at this tavern. Perseus held his cup, shaking it constantly but not drinking from it.

  Before long, a knight in red armor walked in, saw Perse's attire, and smiled slightly as he approached Perse. He sat down opposite Perse, then placed his right hand on the table. A curved imprint shone brightly, indicating the knight's identity. From Zul'Farran's description, Kate knew what Perse looked like, so she could recognize him at a glance. But Perse could only identify him by the imprint.

  Perseus also placed his right hand on the table, and the golden imprint emitted a more intense light than Kate's. In an instant, they both knew each other's identities.

  "Drink the wine." Perseus had finished eating the dishes he ordered, but couldn't drink the remaining cup of wine. "I don't drink," Kate smiled faintly and picked up the wine glass to finish it in one gulp, then said: "The golden-haired Perseus is indeed famous, this moment's impression can make up for our decades of hard work."

  "It's just a natural talent, my magical powers aren't as profound as the seniors," said Perseus. Perseus had heard countless people express shock or admiration for the golden seal over the past decade, and he was already used to it. The golden seal was said to be the second-highest level of seal, with higher-level seals granting more benefits. Perseus' seal was called "Justice," which could reduce the negative effects he received while increasing the positive effects, and also enhance the power of light attribute magic while reducing its magical consumption.

  Under the gilding is red gold, followed by bright white, then pure white, after that is pale mottled color, and finally it becomes mottled. Mottled colors are different colors due to different types of printing. However, without exception, the practice of printing is to remove mottled colors and apply a layer of gold. After all, no print is born with a golden color.

  After the small talk, Kate took out their travel plan. It was a map with various marks drawn all over it. Perseus carefully scanned it and roughly understood the process of the plan - after they met here, Kate would lead him to ride horses together to a place called "Anlo Town", where they would stay for five days waiting for the third person, "Kaito". Then the three would meet up and head to the capital of Spervise to escort the prince. This Kaito was said to be from Junosdobo in northwest Aier's continent, with a bloodline of Berserkers, so his crest wasn't the usual "Justice" of the church, but "Violence". Violence was an extremely overbearing crest that could grant its owner immense strength, but it would deprive them of their right to use magic.

  Perush was also recently informed of the true purpose of their journey, which is to escort the prince. This prince is the first in line to inherit the throne of Spuviese and due to the emperor's illness, he may ascend to the throne at any moment. Now this prince is going to negotiate with the Visian Empire on the edge of the Spuviese continent and the Aiel continent, and there are countless people who want to kill him along the way. Perush and his team's mission is to protect the prince.

  This is a human sentiment. After the Church sold this human sentiment to the Spuweise continent, as long as the Emperor of the Spuweise dynasty was the prince they wanted to protect for one day, the first church on the Spuweise continent would definitely be the Tasulom Church. After all, there is only one unified Spuweise dynasty on this continent, unlike Aiel, where wars are frequent and various forces want to develop industries on this continent. Even the church in the center of the world cannot escape this convention.

  "We shouldn't delay, let's set off," said Perseus. As he spoke, he picked up the map and prepared to leave. But Kate stopped him just in time.

  "Hold on, Perseus, don't be in such a rush. You've only seen the main storyline so far, but according to our schedule, we have plenty of time. This time spent in the Imperial City is just waiting around, but on the road, we can actually earn some extra money." Kate said, "During this period, we can take on some mercenary tasks along the way, first to earn gold coins..."

  Persephone pulled out a bag of gold coins and tossed them onto the table: "As for gold coins, we're not lacking." Persephone had always been treated like a treasure in the church, so she was almost devoid of the concept of money.

  "Landowner," Kate said. "However, we can exercise our skills a bit. We can also pick up some monster materials during the mercenary mission. You've also gained some experience in fighting monsters along the way, why not?"

  "It's not that we need to deliberately confront the demons, it's said that after 'that thing', the demons have basically disappeared, what's truly frightening is the human side. What we're really afraid of on this road are bandits and... " Perse said, "Not the bandit type of 'bandits'."

  Kate knew it all too well. The mountain bandits were just fugitives, if they really had exceptional abilities, how could they become bandits? However, if someone deliberately disguised themselves as a bandit with the intention of killing the prince, and then claimed it was done by the bandits... the church would not be able to reap any benefits. This move was nothing but the most despicable tactic, but it was simple, crude, and effective. Therefore, the prime minister who opposed the prince liked to use this method, and the prince was completely suppressed and couldn't do anything about it.

  "So we can take on an escort mission, what do you think?" Kate said.

  "I'll do as you say, senior," said Pechu. He had no interest in these mercenary missions and only cared about the mission of the church, so he left everything to Kate's discretion. Kate was also more experienced in this regard, and it was better for her to speak than for him to express his immature views.

  Kate hesitated for a moment before saying, "In that case, let's go to the Mercenary Guild and take on an escort mission. The target is Anluo Town."

  Kate wasn't fixated on taking a mercenary mission that didn't matter, he hoped to observe Perse's strength through this task. The internal struggle within the church was intense, and if they could pull in a powerful ally... Kate's own ideal estimate would be easily achieved. However, Perse knew nothing about the church's internal structure, only knowing that every day, Zhufano with his stern face issued tasks, Olivira who seemed mysterious and elusive did research, and Farlian who had nothing to do chatted with him. Others didn't concern themselves with him, that was all. This was also part of Olivira's plan, to ensure Perse's spiritual purity, keeping him away from those plots and schemes. Olivira and the others were deliberately creating a warm atmosphere, on one hand letting Perse maintain his high-speed training, on the other hand making Perse maintain absolute loyalty and faith in the church - they had already figured out Perse's temperament, he only wanted a home, a warm place, so if the church gave him such a home, they could firmly tie him down.

  After that, Kate left her seat and Percy followed him to stand up and leave the tavern. After all, Kate arrived here before Percy, so he knew more about this place. Moreover, according to the plan, Percy and Jie Gang were supposed to assist Kate, so Percy didn't take over as the host. In short, the two of them came to the front of the Mercenary Guild.

  Mercenary Guild, Mage Association, are the top organizations on the continent. Even in the Spervese Continent, where there is only one unified dynasty, they are everywhere. However, because these two forces cannot influence the government, the Spervese Dynasty has turned a blind eye and allowed them to develop freely. But an organization like the Church, with strong cohesion, real power, and great incitement, is absolutely prohibited in Spervese.

  Because on that continent, the Spuweise dynasty has been dominant for thousands of years. The Spuweise, who have long been labeled as "corrupt and decadent", will absolutely strangle all forces that may overthrow their rule. Therefore, the Mercenary Guild can be said to be the second largest force on the entire continent, alongside the Magic Guild, second only to the Spuweise dynasty.

  Everyone can see that my updates are all 5,000 words long! Are you afraid of 5,000 words? I'm asking if you're afraid! Cough cough, okay, I won't be nervous anymore. I stayed up all night again and feel like a mess... Ugh, I don't think I can get out of bed on time tomorrow, so I'll update ahead of schedule for everyone. Although I really wanted to wait until the first ray of sunlight shines in my home tomorrow morning, I can only choose to post at an awkward hour early in the morning. I don't like posting on a fixed schedule; it feels like the author's words are outdated. Okay, enough nonsense! I hope readers and advertisers will all take this seriously - I've hidden a huge plot twist in the previous chapters!