"The capital city was in utter chaos." Alphonse looked at EeDechi with a sigh. "So, you're the one who sneaked into the rich district and spanked the Holy Son's ass? People used to question whether you're really the Divine Envoy. I always defended you, but now I'm starting to have my doubts."
EeDechi shrugged and pointed at Franco. "I only gave him two slaps. The third one was from this mage here."
The whole Divine Envoy title? EeDechi couldn't care less. She was about to leave the Theocracy and head for the desert of the Eight Greed Kings—an adventure that was her true focus.
"Fine… whatever," Alphonse muttered, rubbing his forehead in exasperation. "You did take down the Slane Theocracy's traitor for us, so we're already in your debt."
He pulled out a thick bundle of seven or eight parchment scrolls from his spatial ring and handed them to EeDechi. "I figured you'd be leaving the capital tonight, so I came to see you off.
"I heard you're headed to the Eight Greed Kings' desert? You even raided our Scarab expedition team for it. Honestly, you didn't need to go that far. Just say the word, and the Slane Theocracy's archives would've been wide open for you.
"These maps and hydrological charts are decades' worth of precise surveys by the Slane Theocracy. I'm giving them to you, hoping they'll give you a leg up on your journey through the Eight Greed Kings' desert."
"Thanks." EeDechi took the maps without hesitation and handed them all to Barrett, who tucked them into his spatial ring.
These days, even slightly detailed maps, with contour lines tangled like a bowl of tossed spaghetti, were barely legible to EeDechi. Franco was completely lost with them, so they had to rely on Barrett, the seasoned adventurer.
Alphonse's face grew serious. "If you're planning to venture deep into the Eight Greed Kings' desert, maybe even explore the ancient ruins of their empire, I've got to warn you—there's a terrifying enemy trapped in those sands."
"A terrifying enemy?" EeDechi's curiosity piqued. "One of the Eight Greed Kings' surviving minions?"
"No, not quite," Alphonse said, shaking his head. "The Eight Greed Kings' followers are plenty fearsome, sure, but records over the centuries say they mostly stick to the ancient city in the core region. I'm talking about something else—a horrific soul killed and bound by the Eight Greed Kings."
Alphonse paused, his expression grim. "He's the ancient lord of death—'Dragon Endbringer.'"
"Dragon Innbringer?" EeDechi scratched her head, puzzled.
"I remember now," Barrett cut in. "Sebas's research notes mentioned it: 'The three dragon gods under the World's Throne—Dragon Progenitor, Dragon Emperor, Dragon Endbringer. The Progenitor rules creation, the Emperor rules dominion, and the Endbringer rules destruction.'"
"Exactly," Alphonse said, privately relieved that at least someone in the Divine Envoy's crew knew their stuff.
He went on, "The 'three dragon gods under the World's Throne' aren't just wild tales spun by dragonborn. They're unmatched, powerful beings, living under the same stars as us.
"Legend has it, in the year 1336 of the Eight Greed Kings' calendar, when their empire conquered the world, all three dragon gods were slain by the Eight Greed Kings. Their bones were tossed into molten golden lava, forged into dazzling trophies—monuments to the Kings' conquest over all races.
"But one of those dragon gods, the Dragon Endbringer, master of destruction, had a soul too tough to break. The Eight Greed Kings couldn't destroy it outright, so they ripped his soul from his body and, with the most advanced necromantic spells, forged it into an ancient spirit puppet to guard their city."
"Sounds intriguing," EeDechi said with a nod. "We'll keep an eye out."
The blind old woman, who'd been silent until now, spoke up: "Lady Divine Envoy, now that you've got the maps, I trust you won't need to raid our Six Scriptures' expedition teams anymore. If one of our teams happens to cross paths with you in the Eight Greed Kings' desert, I hope you'll look out for them."
"Don't worry, we'll treat them real gentle," EeDechi replied.
In the crisp night breeze, EeDechi hopped onto the carriage, and Franco clambered in after her. Barrett flicked the reins, turning the horses' heads. The carriage wheels rolled, crunching over gravel and dirt, veering around the two Divine Commandants standing on the road.
Alphonse let out a barely audible sigh. "Why does the Divine Envoy act so differently from the prophecies and scriptures? Is she really the one to bring light to our nation in the darkness?"
His words drifted to EeDechi's ears. She frowned slightly, pushed open the carriage window, and called out to Alphonse and the blind old woman: "Sure, we rob."
"And kill," Barrett added, his tone flat.
"And mess with whores!" Franco chimed in, his voice practically a shout.
"Meow~" Cheeko purred softly.
"But we're absolutely the ones who'll save you and pull this world out of the fire!" In the darkness, EeDechi's expression was deadly serious.
Alphonse rubbed his temples, then straightened up. "Of course we believe in you, and in the power of the Six Great Gods."
He muttered to himself, as if psyching himself up, "We've got to step up our game too."
The double-horse carriage rolled out, its dim yellow lantern light casting shadows on the two nightmare warhorses, their muscular bodies taut as they stomped their plate-sized hooves. Blue horseshoes kicked up sand and stones, pulling the carriage—brimming with hope—toward the pitch-black horizon.
The carriage vanished into the endless dark, growing smaller in the distance. But that faint yellow glow never flickered out, shining stubbornly, no matter how tiny, like a lone firefly in the night.
The night breeze tugged at Alphonse's robe as he gazed at the fading light. After standing there for a long moment, he quietly asked the blind old woman beside him, "I can't shake the feeling that the Divine Envoy is something else entirely. Did Daniel say anything more?"
"I extracted Daniel's memories, and some of it was downright shocking," the old woman replied. As the Divine Commandant of the Slane Theocracy's Windflower Scripture, her voice was eerily calm as she relayed the heretical words, as if stating something she'd long expected. "The Divine Envoy said there's no such thing as a divine realm, and the Six Great Gods are long gone, scattered to the winds."
"Is that so?" Alphonse's eyes stayed fixed on the darkness. "Then what we're doing can't be called blasphemy. My confidence in the plan's success just shot up."
"Same here," the old woman said, leaning on her cane. A bitter smile crept across her weathered face. "Just a shame about Antilene, that poor girl. If only I could take her place."