Elvia left helplessly.
It was not that she had not looked for Catriona's tomb.
As early as when Lin Gui first mentioned it, she had secretly ordered her intelligence operatives to investigate.
Unsurprisingly, the result was absolutely nothing.
Rather than wasting time on this illusory lead, Elvia felt she might as well find another opportunity to drug Lin Gui.
She could just force the issue, sleep with him, and rely on having a child to neutralize the poison.
Unfortunately, last night's failed “drugging” attempt had clearly put the guy on his guard.
She let out a soft sigh.
It was truly ironic to think about. As a famously beautiful lady of the Royal Capital, the noble scions who had wanted to pursue her and win her favor in the past were numerous enough to line the outer walls of the Royal Capital.
Yet now, when she was offering herself on a silver platter, she still had to painstakingly scheme and plot. It was simply...
Elvia shook off these stray thoughts and walked away quickly.
Today was the day of the official visit of the delegation from the Holy Church of Light.
Although she had basically lost her right of succession to the throne, as a member of the royal family, she still had to show her face on such an occasion.
As for Lin Gui, the “Holy Saint” who had “shone brilliantly” at the wedding banquet, she would naturally help him find a suitable excuse to be absent.
But before that, she had to find a safe place to “return” her eldest sister, who had been heavily traumatized both physically and mentally.
The Eldest Princess had to live. Only if she remained alive would she and the Third Prince, Charles, continue to tear at each other like dogs.
Only then could she, Elvia, find her own opportunity in the cracks of this chaos.
On the other side, Lin Gui prepared to continue his dragnet search.
This time, he planned to try his luck in the secret escape tunnels beneath the Duke of Wales's manor.
However, just as he was about to set off, an unexpected piece of news interrupted his plans.
A message came from the Adventurer's Guild.
An adventurer claimed to have found a clue related to Catriona.
According to the information provided by the guild, Lin Gui met this adventurer named Simon in the agreed-upon tavern.
He belonged to the “Monolith” adventure group, a Platinum Rank adventure group quite famous in the Royal Capital.
Simon's first impression was that he was highly talkative, even somewhat overly enthusiastic.
“You must be Mr. Lin Gui? I've heard so much about you! The commission you posted has caused quite a stir in our entire circle!”
Simon greeted him with a smile. He had a lean, powerful build and moved with efficiency, clearly a seasoned veteran.
Having no desire for small talk, Lin Gui cut straight to the chase. “What is the news?”
Instead of answering directly, Simon smiled mysteriously.
He retrieved a seemingly ancient stone brick fragment from his leather pouch and handed it to Lin Gui.
“Take a look at this first.”
Lin Gui took the stone brick, his gaze narrowing.
Some blurry characters were carved onto the stone brick, their structure and strokes belonging to the same type as the characters he had previously seen on Reinhardt's tombstone.
This was a script handed down from ancient times.
It was a language of which remnants could still be found in some current magic books and ruin rubbings.
Even today, quite a few mages still used it.
The reason Lin Gui could barely identify some of it was because during his studies in the Magic City, he had come into contact with many magic documents and notes rubbed from ancient ruins.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he looked up at Simon without showing any emotion.
“Where did you find this?”
“Follow me.”
Simon did not explain directly, but gestured for Lin Gui to follow.
Lin Gui frowned slightly, but followed him anyway.
Under Simon's guidance, they wound through the streets and alleys of the Royal Capital.
Along the way, Simon seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally probing Lin Gui's reasons for seeking the Tomb of Catriona.
“Mr. Lin Gui seems very interested in history? Queen Catriona... is a name that is rarely mentioned.”
Lin Gui's brow furrowed even deeper.
This did not align with a veteran adventurer's usual style of “just doing the job, asking no questions.”
Furthermore... for some reason, looking at Simon's back as he walked ahead, he felt an indescribable sense of familiarity, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
Before Lin Gui could figure it out, they had already arrived at the main thoroughfare of the Royal Capital.
King's Avenue.
This avenue was extremely wide, enough to accommodate over a dozen carriages driving abreast.
It was like an artery running through the entire Carter Royal Capital.
It was the most important passage connecting the seven rings.
However, at this moment, to welcome the delegation of the Holy Church of Light, the entire King's Avenue had been completely cleared.
A brand-new red carpet was laid out on the road.
Hanging on both sides were golden banners symbolizing the God of Light and the insignia of the Carter royal family.
Fully armed soldiers formed human walls, keeping the surging crowd partitioned on both sides of the road.
No pedestrians were allowed to pass.
The refugee shantytowns that had originally crowded near the gate of the Seventh Ring had also been “cleaned up” thoroughly in advance.
At the gate of the Seventh Ring, headed by the King of Carter, almost all members of the royal family and high nobles were present in their finest attire, standing in formation to welcome the arrival of the Holy Church of Light.
“Tsk, this is tricky,”
Simon shrugged as he looked at the heavily guarded scene.
“Looks like we'll have to wait a long time. The road won't reopen until all the big shots from the Holy Church of Light have entered the city.”
Lin Gui felt helpless.
If he were alone, slipping past with the 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】 would not be difficult.
But with Simon right beside him, he could not expose this ability.
Left with no choice, he could only suppress his urgency and, together with Simon, mingle with the crowd and wait patiently.
Before long, solemn hymns and the cheers of the populace drifted over from the distance.
The procession of the Holy Church of Light finally appeared at the end of King's Avenue.
The procession was solemn and magnificent.
Temple Knights clad in platinum armor rode on majestic warhorses to clear the way.
Behind them followed priests and nuns wearing pure white liturgical robes.
They softly chanted holy prayers, holding sacred vessels that symbolized the light.
At the very core of the procession, seated upon a luxurious carriage guarded by layers of escorts, was a young girl.
Her eyes were closed, as if she were in a deep sleep, or perhaps in meditation.
A head of pale gold hair, resembling autumn ginkgo leaves, flowed with a soft luster under the sunlight.
Her features were so exquisite they seemed unearthly, and her skin was fair, almost translucent.
She radiated a tranquil and holy aura, completely out of place with the bustling world around her.
“Is that the Holy Saintess of Light...”
“She really is just like the legends, like a goddess descending to the mortal realm...”
“Why are her eyes closed?”
“I heard Her Holiness possesses the ability to prophesy the future. Perhaps she is currently sensing a divine oracle...”
Among the onlookers, waves of irrepressible awe and hushed discussions broke out.
Lin Gui's gaze also landed on the Saintess.
However, at that very moment, he inexplicably felt a sensation.
The Saintess, who had her eyes closed, seemed to... clearly “look” at him across the vast distance and the surging crowd.
The feeling was fleeting, as if it were merely an illusion.
The Saintess remained quietly seated on the carriage, her expression serene, as if isolated from the entire world.
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