"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you."
In the pitch-black night, it seemed someone was whispering softly.
Officer Pres barely made out all of this—it was words from the "Gospel".
Before the rise of steam technology, the Western world was ruled by the Holy Evangelical Pope Kingdom. In the name of God, they incited conflict and war on the lands. Under the power of faith, the Holy Hall Crusaders swept through the islands and continents, leaving destruction and death in their wake.
Under God's will, they executed divine authority until Ingwig's victory in the Radiant War, when steam engines shattered all beliefs. With the rapid advancement of technology, the traditional Holy Evangelical Pope Kingdom and the nations with steam technology formed a massive military gap, making faith unable to govern anyone anymore.
Despite this, the influence of the Evangelical Church on these nations still remained. After all, Old Dunling was originally established by the Romans, and most people still maintained their reverence and faith in it, whispering together, their prayers merging into a torrent.
At this moment, Officer Pres was kneeling on the ground, somewhat unable to comprehend everything happening tonight.
A few hours ago, the sheriff had gathered all personnel. He didn't know what had happened; he just knew that this was the first time in recent years that Suyalan Hall had such a massive police deployment, thinking it was some secret operation. For this, he even prepared himself for death in battle. But when a large number of mounted police arrived here, what awaited them was the Royal Guard.
Pres rarely saw these soldiers wearing red cloaks. During the Radiant War, they were Ingwig's aces. There were rumors that their cloaks were originally black, but the enemy's blood dyed them red. Their fearful enemies called them the Red Shirt Army.
The iron boots stomped on the ground, the crisp sound of metal echoing in everyone's ears. A resident living not far from the Lower City District opened his window, intending to curse these people for waking him up, but when he stuck out his head, he found an unprecedented darkness.
The Forbidden Guard, donning red uniforms, had sealed off the entire Underground Palace and its surrounding areas. They raised gun-metal forged walls of cannon to prevent unrelated people from seeing anything here and to avoid accidents. Just dozens of minutes earlier, the Mechanical Institute had cut off all electricity in this area, extinguishing lights and completely isolating people from that filthy secret.
There was no resistance, nor was resistance necessary. The Royal Guard had managed to control the situation before the mounted police even understood what was happening. A group of mounted officers from Suyalan Hall had all their weapons confiscated, kneeling under the cold night of Old Dunling.
Something must have happened tonight, as everything was incredibly quiet. Besides the sound of iron boots, only each person's breathing and the whispers of prayer remained.
Suddenly, someone among the mounted police stood up, and several Forbidden Guard soldiers directly pointed their guns at him. It was a weapon Pres had never seen; presumably a secret creation of the Mechanical Institute. But he didn't take a closer look; he understood that the more he knew, the faster he would die.
"I am Sheriff Donas of Suyalan Hall, and I have the authority to see your superior!"
It was Sheriff Donas who could no longer endure it, shouting in anger, but what awaited him was a heavy blow from a rifle butt. These soldiers didn't care about his identity at all.
"Sheriff Donas?"
Someone in the dark probed as he crooked his head in pain. Donas saw the man walking out of the darkness.
It was an outfit Donas had never seen, a pitch-black cloak with ornate edges, a sword and gun model he had never encountered before, yet judging by the complex craftsmanship, it was surely an excellent killing weapon.
There was an odd smell about him, not exactly unpleasant, just very familiar and pungent. After thinking for a long time, Donas realized it was the scent of sulfur.
"Hello, I am the person in charge here."
It was a delicate mask, but due to the darkness, Donas couldn't see its appearance at all.
"Do you know what you are doing?"
Sheriff Donas cursed angrily. As a sheriff, he had never endured such treatment, but it was clear his words were useless. Iron boots forcefully kicked his abdomen, and Donas writhed on the ground in agony.
"I want you to understand two facts, Sheriff."
The black gun was pointed directly at the sheriff, the man's attitude very casual, as if he would pull the trigger in the next second.
"The first fact, if not for your mounted police being too numerous, and we not wanting Suyalan Hall's police force left vacant—otherwise, by procedure, all of you would die tonight."
The gun was pressed against Donas's head, twisting hard as he let out a painful groan. The rest of the mounted police, seeing the sheriff treated this way, wanted to act, but the soldiers directly pointed their guns at them.
"The second fact, tonight we have the right to shoot anyone."
Raising the gun, the man glanced at his watch. It was about time, so he shouted loudly.
"Block their ears and cover their eyes, what follows is not for them to see."
Pres was moved without any resistance. The soldiers hadn't expected to encounter this group of mounted police tonight, so they could only drive them to the other side of the darkness, covering their eyes and ears. But when it came to Pres, the man suddenly paused the action and had the soldiers bring Pres over.
"What's your name, officer?"
The man looked at the Outer City District behind him, seemingly waiting for something.
"Pres Lelana, sir."
Pres didn't dare to slight this man, after all, if even his superior was hit without a second thought, what more could he say?