After two hours of hard riding, Shi Meng finally arrived outside Fontaine City with Ye Guyi.
As dusk approached, the afterglow of the setting sun plated the entire city in a layer of warm gold. From afar, the towering city walls stood majestically, with water-blue flags fluttering atop the gatehouse, embroidered with delicate water ripple emblems.
"This place was originally called Thunder City," Shi Meng introduced, pulling on the reins and pointing at the city ahead, his tone carrying a hint of pride. "Later, City Lord Thunder Leopard took the initiative to join our Axis Cult. To show his sincerity, he renamed the city to Fontaine City. Now, Lord Thunder Leopard is one of the cult's four great protectors."
Ye Guyi raised an eyebrow slightly, a flash of surprise crossing her cool eyes. "To make a city lord surrender voluntarily, your Axis Cult's strength must be quite substantial."
Unexpectedly, Shi Meng shook his head, his expression honest to the point of being simple. "No, in terms of strength, we aren't actually that powerful. Aside from the four Protectors, the strongest is the Water God Special Envoy, Lord Neuvillette. Although I can't say exactly how strong he is, I can feel that he is much more powerful than the four city lords."
He paused, his voice unconsciously lowering a bit. "As for the Pope... she is currently only a Soul Ancestor of Rank 40 or so."
"What?" Ye Guyi nearly jumped off her horse, her beautiful eyes widening. In her mind, someone revered as a 'Pope' should at least be a Rank 90 Titled Douluo.
Shi Meng wasn't surprised by Ye Guyi's reaction; he smiled honestly. "Everyone who first hears this has the same reaction. However, although the Pope is only at Rank 40, she is very young—probably only a year or two older than you, Young Miss Ye."
This shocked Ye Guyi even more. Hailed as a Genius since childhood, she knew the difficulty of a Spirit Master's cultivation. "Reaching Rank 40 at such a young age? Could she be a scion of some great Family, aided by Medicinal Pills? Or... is it Innate Full Soul Power?"
"She doesn't seem like a noble," Shi Meng scratched his head, seemingly weighing his words. "The Pope is usually... well, a bit eccentric, but she always comes up with brilliant ideas. As for whether it's Innate Full Soul Power, I'm not sure. But I do know she has twin spirits, and her spirit ring configuration is two purple and two black."
"Pfft—" The mouthful of water Ye Guyi had just taken sprayed out, leaving her coughing repeatedly.
Shi Meng asked with concern, "Young Miss Ye, are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine..." Ye Guyi barely steadied her breathing, her voice still trembling slightly. "What did you say the spirit ring configuration was?"
"Two purple and two black," Shi Meng said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Isn't that normal? The Pope calls herself the Water God. Since she's a god, it's only right for her spirit ring configuration to be stronger than an ordinary person's, right?"
He spoke so naturally, as if stating a simple fact. He had been shocked at first too, but then he thought, since she is a deity, isn't it only natural to have abilities beyond ordinary people?
"twin spirits, two purple and two black..." Ye Guyi murmured to herself, her face full of disbelief. "That's simply not human!"
Shi Meng corrected her seriously, "It's a god."
Ye Guyi: "..."
This conversation sparked a strong curiosity in her about the Pope she had yet to meet. What kind of person could inspire such unwavering faith in her subordinates?
"We're here," Shi Meng's voice pulled her thoughts back to reality.
At the city gate, two guards in water-blue uniforms saw Shi Meng and immediately greeted him warmly.
"Shi Meng, you're back early today!" a tall, thin guard laughed, his gaze falling on the Horn-scaled Horse behind Shi Meng. "Look how tired you've made this horse; it's practically foaming at the mouth."
------------------------
I've posted 40+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"