Resolution

At the same time.

In the meeting hall of the Viscount's manor.

In the dead of night, this usually heavily guarded manor had exceptionally opened its main gates.

The manor was situated at the highest point of the inner city, overlooking the entirety of Gelimu Port.

The three-story stone main building stood silent in the darkness, with reliefs of the sea god and giant whales carved into the corridor pillars, speaking of the ancient glory of this port city.

The meeting hall, large enough to accommodate dozens of people, was occupied by only a few.

Candlelight flickered in the shadows of the walls, casting shifting light and dark across the faces of those present.

Old Morgan sat in the Nightwatchers' section, scanning the surroundings.

The Viscount sat in the seat of honor, his expression dark.

To his left was the Church's Archbishop Samuel, an elderly man in a purple robe with white hair, who looked peaceful despite the golden light flickering in his eyes.

To his right was the Great Ascendant of the Ascension Society, Grishis, a middle-aged man whose face was half-composed of precise mechanical structures; even while he just sat there, the clicking of rotating gears could be heard.

In addition, there were representatives from the inner city military and several newly promoted officials whose names Old Morgan could not recall.

The atmosphere in the meeting hall was heavy and somber.

"Loss statistics," the Viscount's voice echoed in the hall. "Each party report in turn."

The Nightwatchers spoke first.

"Five dead, twelve severely wounded, and several with minor injuries." Old Morgan's voice was calm, but everyone present could hear the weight within it.

Grishis of the Ascension Society followed:

"One high-level alchemist dead, three alchemists severely wounded."

He paused, a cold glint flashing in his mechanical eye.

"More than half of the laboratory was destroyed, and years of research results have been reduced to ash."

Archbishop Samuel of the Church sighed softly.

"Two priests were severely wounded, and several deacons sustained minor injuries. However, they attacked our believers, which will make the faithful feel that there are places the light of the Angel cannot reach."

The inner city military stood up at this point to supplement:

"The garrison suffered more than ten casualties, and panic has broken out among the populace, though we have already implemented a curfew."

"Furthermore, some will reconsider the safety of the inner city because of this incident, which is a considerable loss."

After the reporting finished, the meeting hall fell into a brief silence. These death tolls did not sound high in isolation.

But in Gelimu Port, a port on the edge of the Empire, such numbers were already a crippling blow! Especially for the Ascension Society, which had actually lost a high-level alchemist.

The severity of the losses exceeded everyone's expectations.

The Deep Sea Church, which had originally been disregarded, actually possessed the capability to simultaneously launch attacks on four major factions and cause such immense casualties.

"Intelligence." The Viscount was the first to break the silence. "What have you all gathered?"

Old Morgan thought for a moment and spoke.

He flipped open his notebook and recounted the intelligence provided by Lu Yuan piece by piece—the small island in the Strange Dreams, the altar, the chanting of the grey-cloaked figures—but he omitted the entity that had been summoned.

He also mentioned Lawson's warning: the crew of the Iron Whale were becoming "nutrients," and the deep sea cultists were about to make a big move.

Grishis of the Ascension Society added:

"We recently studied the ore brought back by the Iron Whale and discovered they seem to be alive. Furthermore, we can use them to detect strange fluctuations in a certain sea area."

He then unfurled a blueprint marked with dense data.

"The source of the fluctuations coincides perfectly with the location of the small island mentioned by the Nightwatchers. We have reason to suspect the ore is a beacon."

"It is too late to destroy them now."

Archbishop Samuel of the Church opened an ancient volume.

"The Church's records contain entries on this."

"Ancient entities slumber within the deep sea, older than the Eerie and more terrifying than demons."

"I have reason to suspect that the prayers used by that Deep Sea Church during the battle... were to those entities they worship."

"Therefore, it is highly probable that the deep sea group is preparing a massive sacrifice to awaken those entities. We cannot afford the consequences of such an event, nor can the Empire."

"Thus, we must accelerate our progress."

The atmosphere in the meeting hall grew increasingly heavy.

As the pieces of intelligence from each party were assembled, the outline of the truth gradually became clear.

The members of the Deep Sea Church had been lurking in Gelimu Port for a long time, and their level of infiltration exceeded expectations.

The small island in the Strange Dreams was very likely their base.

They intended to summon something... or awaken some slumbering entity.

"We must send people to conduct an on-site investigation," the Viscount decided decisively. "The sea area where the Iron Whale was lost, as well as that small island."

Old Morgan interjected at the right time:

"Viscount, we are short-handed. The Nightwatchers' recent missions have already resulted in two captains being severely wounded. Even if you count an old man like me, we only have three viable combatants."

Archbishop Samuel also spoke up:

"Our Church currently only has a few priests available as well."

Only the Ascension Society unusually remained silent.

Listening to the complaints from the Nightwatchers and the Church, the Viscount naturally understood their meaning and rubbed the space between his brows.

"I will request the Empire to dispatch a team of the Holy Armored Army. Until those rats are dealt with, the Holy Armored Army will be responsible for the security of Gelimu Port."

"Since the manpower issue is resolved, everyone should contribute personnel for this voyage."

"We of the Ascension Society are willing to provide a ship."

Grishis stood up, his mechanical eye flashing with cold light.

"The Abyssal Hunter is ready to depart at any time."

"We will also provide the primary combat force."

Old Morgan glanced at Grishis.

'As expected of the Ascension Society, their reaction is quite fast.'

Why was the Ascension Society being so proactive?

The answer was obvious.

In this attack, the Ascension Society had suffered heavy losses, especially with the death of a high-level alchemist. An alchemist of this rank was no less valuable than a knowledge transcendent between the second and third rank.

Yet they had died so abruptly.

The death of such talent was an absolute catastrophe for the Ascension Society. Furthermore, what would the Imperial headquarters think? What would the Viscount think? Could the Ascension Society not even produce this much combat power, or protect such talent?

Especially in recent years, the Ascension Society had been in an awkward position.

The Church viewed them as heretics—"Mechanical modification is a profanation of the God-given body."

The Nightwatchers viewed them as lunatics—"Replacing flesh and blood with steel will eventually lead to the loss of humanity, turning one into a monster."

Most critically, the Empire had always maintained a wait-and-see attitude toward "Mechanical Ascension."

This time, the Viscount had personally made the decision and all factions were gathered. Most importantly, this incident clearly needed to be reported, because the Empire would certainly cast its gaze toward anything involving those entities.

Therefore, this was a golden opportunity for the Ascension Society to use the Viscount to prove themselves to the Empire.

They wanted everyone to see:

Mechanical Ascension was not a wicked path, but another viable route to combat the Eerie.

If the operation succeeded, the Ascension Society's status in the Empire would be reconsidered, and the Ascension Society at the Imperial headquarters would invest certain resources.

Old Morgan withdrew his gaze and said nothing.

"The Nightwatchers will cooperate," he simply stated his position.

Samuel also nodded. "The Church will send personnel to accompany the mission and provide protection and purification support."

The Viscount looked around at everyone and said in a heavy voice:

"Depart immediately tomorrow morning."

"The situation is urgent; we can delay no longer."