Chapter 0129: Hurry Up and Arrange It
Under Hisako's arrangements, the entire Sky Castle was divided into several teams, each with their own missions:
First, Kayle and Morgana, whose main objective was to lie in wait near E-Rantel to ambush Climb and Gazef;
Second, Leona, Diana, and Ahri, whose task was to raise their adventurer ranks, aiming to reach Adamantite level as soon as possible, then collaborate with Blue Rose to dismantle the criminal organization Eight Fingers;
Third, Gwen and Neeko, whose mission was to travel to the lizardman tribes from the original story and bring all the tribes under the Sky Castle's banner;
Fourth, Shyvana, whose task was to head to the Argland Council State mountains, slay the White Dragon King wreaking havoc there, and unite the dwarves and Quagoa living in the mountains.
As a result, the Sky Castle suddenly became much quieter in a short span of time. Hayashi, who had grown accustomed to the constant noise from the various guardians, found himself oddly unaccustomed to the silence.
"So, are you planning to conquer the world?" Hayashi looked up from the dining table, savoring Erina's cooking, and asked, "If that's the case, why haven't you targeted the Kingdom, the Theocracy, the Empire, or the Holy Kingdom yet?"
"Now's not the time," Hisako replied, breaking off a small piece of bread from the table and feeding it to Florges. "We don't intend to establish our own nation like the Sorcerer King, so we'll start by taking over the Theocracy first."
"Hmm—"
Heathcliff frowned, eyeing Hisako. "Why the Theocracy? According to intel from the mechanized units, the higher-ups there aren't exactly saints either."
Faced with his question, Hayashi couldn't help but scoff. "And the other nations are any better? The King and Gazef of the Kingdom might be decent, but the nobles beneath them are rotten to the core. The Theocracy itself promotes human supremacy, where enslaving other races is legal. The Empire's emperor is ambitious, scheming to invade other nations from the start..."
Heathcliff shrugged. "Then why choose the Theocracy?"
Hisako answered, "Because it's the easiest to control."
Heathcliff paused, then wore a thoughtful expression. "Because of faith?"
Hisako nodded. "Exactly! Only the highest echelons of the Slane Theocracy know about Players. Most of its citizens are unaware of their existence. So, if we can seize control of the Theocracy's leadership, we can use faith to take over directly."
In comparison, the Kingdom has a slew of corrupt nobles, and that Golden Princess is another headache. The Empire has its own discount Gilgamesh causing endless trouble—none are as straightforward as the Theocracy. As for the Theocracy's Black Scripture? They're barely a footnote in Hisako's plans.
After all, with a squad of level 100 NPCs under their command, who cares about these level 30 "small fries"?
Heathcliff nodded in understanding. "In that case, if there's anything you need my help with, just say the word."
Hayashi and Hisako exchanged a glance, both smiling in unison. "Don't worry, we'll have a use for you soon enough."
Heathcliff: "?"
Why do I feel something's off? Is this bastard planning to screw me over? Surely not—I've been a model citizen lately!
Heathcliff racked his superhuman brain, trying to recall if he'd accidentally crossed Hayashi recently. The guy held grudges like no other.
...
...
Meanwhile, in the Slane Theocracy.
"Are they still debating?" Antilene set down the Rubik's Cube in her hands, giving the Captain an exasperated look as he emerged from the room. "By the way, why hasn't the wound on your face healed yet?"
"Ahaha—"
The Captain forced a bleak smile, touching the injury on his face. "I had a faith-based caster try to heal it, but it didn't work. My guess is... it won't heal unless I bring you to the Sky Castle."
How shameless can this person be!? If the giant pandas on the mountain can't get bamboo to eat and have to barge into a streamer's home to mooch food, isn't it all your fault?
"Interesting fellow. I'm starting to like the people of Sky Citadel," Antilene said with a smile. She cast a disdainful glance at the room behind her before leaning lazily against a pillar again, twisting the Rubik's Cube in her hands.
"Is that thing really that fun?"
"Mmm, quite interesting."
"What's interesting about it?"
"If you just want to complete one side, it's relatively easy. But when you try to solve all six sides, you'll find the difficulty multiplies several times over."
"Sounds tough."
"It's manageable."
At this point, sensing Antilene wasn't particularly keen on conversation, the Black Captain stopped making small talk. Instead, he mimicked her posture, leaning against the wall with closed eyes, waiting for the group of high-ranking yet bickering cardinals inside—who sounded like haggling market aunties—to reach their final decision.
'Just as she said...'
'Boring.'
...
...
After Antilene and the Black Captain's interminable wait, the group of ancient fossils finally reached a decision—faced with Sky Citadel's absolute military might (as the Captain put it), they resolved to send the fully armed Antilene to investigate.
"So, looks like you're up," the Captain said softly, glancing at Antilene still fiddling with her cube. "You'll win, right?"
"Of course," Antilene replied, shifting her attention from the cube with unwavering confidence. "I'm the strongest, invincible!"
Under the tacit approval of the Theocracy's higher-ups, the fully armed Antilene set off that very night alongside the Black Captain and a small cavalry unit. After three days of travel, the group arrived beneath Sky Citadel.
"Is this the place?"
Antilene tilted her head back, squinting at the clear blue sky. "My, my, I don't see any trace of that floating castle you mentioned."
"Well, I can't spot it either—" The Captain spread his hands helplessly. "We'll just have to wait for them to come to us!"
"Is that so?" Antilene tightened her grip on her weapon, murmuring, "If they waste too much of my time, I won't hold back later—"
Don't go crying if I beat you to tears.
...
...
Soon, under the guidance of the angelic guard, Antilene, the Black Captain, and the knight squad entered the first level of Sky Citadel. Even after stepping into the grand hall, Antilene kept her head down, engrossed in her cube, as if the guardians of Hayashi's side were beneath her notice.
"Grrr—"
Zoe, floating mid-air, puffed out her cheeks angrily and complained to Lux beside her, "Second Sister, Zoe hates that woman! She's so arrogant!"
Standing in the second-floor corridor, Lux rested her chin on her hand and muttered, "She certainly is arrogant. I just wonder how strong she really is—ah, if we still had the game templates, we could use Appraisal to check her level!"
Syndra, floating elegantly in the air with her arms crossed and leaning against several dark orbs, glanced at her younger sister and said, "You were supposed to focus on training, but all you do is binge-watch dramas—the Supreme One has said that even without Appraisal, one can roughly estimate the level and power gap based on the opponent's aura."
"Eh? Really?" Both Lux and Zoe looked surprised as they turned to their elder sister with admiration. "Big Sis is amazing!"
"Hmph—" Syndra smirked proudly.
"Then, Big Sis, can you estimate her level from her aura?"
"..." Syndra's expression stiffened slightly. After a few seconds of silence, she replied nonchalantly, "She wouldn't last a single move against me—I wouldn't even need a second attack to defeat her!"
"Ooooh—"
Lux and Zoe clapped in unison.
Down below, Antilene, fully absorbed in twisting her Rubik's Cube, remained unaware of the second-floor guardians' comments about her. The magical barrier between the first and second floors blocked both sight and sound, making the ceiling above appear utterly ordinary to her.
"We meet again, Master of the Sky Citadel—"
The Captain gave a slight bow but couldn't help twitching his lips when he noticed, through the floor's reflection, that the injuries on his face—which had stubbornly refused to heal—had miraculously vanished.
So it really was the kind of injury that only healed after bringing someone here? That's just ruthless!
"Indeed, we meet again, Captain," Hisako smiled gently at him. "Is that black-and-white-haired lady over there the renowned strongest warrior of the Theocracy, Miss Antilene Heran Fouche?"
"Ah, yes—" Before the Captain could respond, Antilene lifted her eyelids slightly and glanced in Hisako's direction. "Didn't you say we'd fight? Hurry up and arrange it. I have things to do afterward."
'How arrogant—' Hisako maintained her smile as she observed Antilene. "My, my, it seems Miss Antilene is quite confident in her strength~"
"Absolutely confident," Antilene raised her head, looking straight at Hisako without hesitation. "There isn't a single person in this world who can defeat me."
'Too arrogant—' Hisako's lips twitched slightly. Keeping her smile intact, she turned to the two-winged angel guard beside her and said, "Call Heathcliff over. Tell him his moment has arrived."
"Understood—"
Once the angel guard departed, Hisako turned back to Antilene. "Our warrior will arrive shortly. Please wait a moment."
Antilene nodded and leaned against a pillar by the entrance, refocusing on the Rubik's Cube in her hands. 'I hope the upcoming fight won't bore me—'