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Pritz Harbor, located in the southeast of the Backlund region.
A convoy of six horse-drawn carriages, decorated in an ancient and understated manner, drove through Pelican Street in the White Rose District of Pritz Harbor, heading towards the Dock District.
Inside the second to last carriage, Louise Sears sat opposite her grandfather, Sanguine Earl Mistral, feeling slightly awkward and unsure of what to say.
Sanguine Earl Mistral was the nominal leader of this sea expedition, while Marquis Nibbs, as a hidden card, was quietly slumbering in a coffin within the last carriage.
Sanguine Earl Mistral thus learned the true purpose of this operation and was even more surprised by the role his descendant played in it.
In this silent atmosphere, the carriages slowly drove onto a ship named "Moon Shadow" docked in the Dock District.
On one hand, for travel, and on the other hand, every Sanguine is a born Beast Tamer, so taming these horses was naturally effortless, and thus no one objected to the carriages directly boarding the ship.
Louise then followed Sanguine Earl Mistral into a room in the ship's cabin, and through the porthole, she saw the vast blue sea for the first time, which also helped Louise's tense emotions relax somewhat.
Just as she was imagining an adventure across the five seas, Louise was pulled back to reality by a gentle voice.
"Marquis Nibbs has already told me what happened."
"No matter what, I believe in you, and you must also pay attention to your own safety."
Sanguine Earl Mistral sat upright behind the table, his crimson eyes fixed on Louise, his face serious.
Seeing Louise nod obediently, he seemed to think of something and cleared his throat:
"Roughly when do you expect to be confident enough to become a Sanguine Viscount? Or rather, when will you be able to acquire a Viscount's Beyonder characteristic?"
Louise let out an "ah" and then scratched her head awkwardly, replying:
"Grandfather, if you are willing to lend me 3,000 soli, I can guarantee to obtain a Sanguine Viscount's Beyonder characteristic within a week."
Given that it hadn't been long since she became a Sanguine Baron, and the potion hadn't been fully digested, she also worried about advancing too quickly and causing some negative remarks within the Sanguine.
After the last mission was completed, Louise did not choose the Sanguine Viscount's Beyonder characteristic, but instead exchanged it for three opportunities for Blessed to provide assistance.
After all, within the Chaos Council, no one was competing with Louise for that Sanguine Viscount Beyonder characteristic; she could slowly save money to exchange for it, but the opportunity to ask a powerhouse of at least demigod level to act three times was rare.
When Aaron learned of Louise's request, he thought for a moment and then agreed to her choice. Although he couldn't defeat a demigod in reality, above the dark golden mist, with the help of various Sealed Artifacts, he was definitely a demigod-level combatant.
He then gave Louise a charm through the Door of Sacrifice and Grant, telling her that it was for locating the Spirit World when requesting help, to facilitate the transmission of power from a distance.
That charm was actually just a cover, an excuse to conceal Aaron's direct action above the dark golden mist without being able to appear in person.
Sanguine Earl Mistral fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, almost blurting out, "How long will it take you to get a Sanguine Earl Beyonder characteristic?"
However, he finally held back. Recalling his long years, Sanguine Earl Mistral sighed lightly, looked at Louise, and said:
"I think you must have also noticed that this time, not only you, but also many other young Sanguine Barons have come with us onto the ship."
"It will be announced later, but I can tell you in advance now that the Sanguine Viscount Beyonder characteristic obtained from the last harvest will be awarded to the Sanguine Baron who performs best in this operation."
"As a Sanguine Earl, and as your grandfather, whether for public good or private interest, I hope you can actively participate and display your strength in front of all the Sanguine."
"Defeating all opponents and achieving victory is the only way to earn everyone's respect and support. This is also what true leaders who can lead the Sanguine to glory should experience."
Saying this, Sanguine Earl Mistral looked at the silent Louise and chuckled softly:
"As for the Sanguine Viscount Beyonder characteristic you mentioned, if you can achieve final victory this time, I am willing to give you 3,000 soli, and you can buy it."
"Whether you want to exchange it for contributions to help with your Sanguine Earl advancement ritual, or exchange it for powerful Mystical Items, that Sanguine Viscount Beyonder characteristic can help you achieve these."
"And these are things that cannot be exchanged for money…"
Louise listened in silence, her fists unconsciously clenched, and fighting spirit burned in her crimson eyes.
-----------------
North Backlund, the plaza in front of Saint Samuel Cathedral.
Dusk was about to disappear, and deep night slowly enveloped the land.
Flocks of white doves flapped and flew up, then circled and descended.
Aaron, dressed in a magnificent tuxedo, chatted with Bishop Electra, while the plaza was bustling with people, all noble believers who came to attend the "Winter Solstice Festival."
The longest night of each year is the birthday of "Evernight Goddess," commonly known as the Winter Solstice Festival. Aaron speculated that this day might be when Evernight Goddess achieved Sequence 0.
On this day, all followers of the Night would go to nearby churches to witness the sunset and the arrival of night, then participate in mass, partake in communion, listen to choir performances, and engage in various activities.
Therefore, every year on the "Evernight Goddess" Holy Sacrifice Day, which is the "Winter Solstice Festival," the amount in the offering box would swell significantly.
Commoners with ample money would choose two to three soli, the middle class around 5 soli, and people from high society would directly donate to the diocesan bishop and church charities, ranging from hundreds to thousands of soli.
A portion of these donations was used for the church's daily expenses, including repairs and paying the Nighthawks team's salaries, etc., while the larger remaining portion would be used for the Church of the Evernight Goddess's affiliated charitable organizations and church schools.
Aaron had just finished discussing the follow-up arrangements for the charitable organization after his departure from Backlund with Bishop Electra, when he saw Councilor Macht approach with his daughter Hazel.
Aaron greeted him with a smile, as if knowing what he was about to say, and spoke first:
"There's no need to worry about the Kingdom Atmospheric Pollution Investigation Committee. I have personally spoken with those important figures in the Conservative Party. The House of Commons should pass it in principle this week, and it will soon enter the House of Lords for discussion."
"You can tell the others that even if I am not in Backlund, this matter will proceed smoothly."
Shifting his gaze from the excited Councilor Macht, Aaron felt an extremely faint spiritual fluctuation, originating from the "Sheriff" but strengthened several times by his Beyonder senses, seemingly observing him:
Aaron glanced at Hazel beside him. The proud young woman instantly lowered her head, and the faint sense of being spied upon disappeared with it.
"Hmm? Has she become a Beyonder? She's certainly bold."
"It's somewhat similar to the 'Excellent Observation' ability of a Sequence 9 'Marauder.' It seems that the severely wounded Jacob Family demigod from last time has also started to act."
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