Quadruple split.

Chapter 2641 Gospel Mountain City
Game time AM10:29
Northern Sanctuary, Gospel Mountain City, Outlying Suburbs
"call……"

A travel-worn figure climbed the hillside somewhat disheveled, placed his right hand on his forehead, gazed at the vast fortified city in the distance, and let out a soft sigh.

Clearly, although he had made up his mind to get here as quickly as possible, without even having time to go home, he was still a step too late and failed to arrive before the troops entered the city.

"It's crazy."

The man took off his hood, revealing his handsome, flowing blond hair, which was somewhat messy due to neglect. He then picked up the water pouch at his waist and drank some warm water.

To be fair, according to Richard Lane's habits, at this time of year, even if he could resist touching chilled wine, he would only be satisfied with drinking water with ice crystals. As for such terrible drinks that had been sitting in a water bag for several days, and which he could only drink straight from the mouth because there was no way to pour them out, resulting in a slightly off-taste at the spout, this young master of the Lane family always kept his distance.

However, Richard wasn't concerned about gains or losses at the moment. After all, if he wanted to reach his destination in the shortest amount of time, he had to travel as fast as he could. And when he was traveling as fast as he could, let alone slowly chilling his drink with alchemical tools, even shaving and styling his hair were luxuries.

In fact, aside from being beaten up by a burly Tianzhu Mountain agent not long ago, Richard Lane had never been so 'miserable' in his life. Although this kind of life was commonplace for adventurers, mercenaries, and even countless ordinary people, as a young master from a prestigious family in the City of Light, this lion who cherished himself exceptionally had never experienced anything like this before.

There were no soft beds or incense, only the hard floor of the makeshift tent, the crackling oil lamp, and some kind of 'fragrance' extracted from dragon droppings to repel mosquitoes.

There were no fancy lunches or desserts, only high-end staple foods that, while tasty, would cause stomach aches and constipation after two days of eating them.

There were no lavish banquets or parties, only the desolate, poignant, yet incredibly enchanting wilderness and moonlight.

As luck would have it, on the very day that several incredibly promising T0-level players simultaneously achieved their breakthroughs, Richard Lane, alone bathed in moonlight and starlight, lost in the beauty of it all, also took that crucial half-step, successfully advancing from the peak of the high-level realm to the realm of half-step epic.

This was a half-step that could change his fate.

The reason is simple: although the Dawn Cult has many epic-level experts and a large number of clergy at the half-epic level, young people who have already reached such a level at such a young age are ultimately a minority.

If we also consider Richard Lane's background, then a young master like him who has achieved so much at such a young age, and whose entire family has absolute loyalty to the Dawn Cult... is an extremely rare case.

Admittedly, Richard committed a grave mistake, so much so that even if he is destined to face all sorts of troubles and difficulties in the future, thanks to the care of his family and the dean of the Heavenly Radiance Academy, as long as Pastor Black Brahma or Saintess Forgetful Words don't hold too much grudge, he can certainly avoid being thrown into the Dark Night Cult's controlled area to die, even if he can't escape punishment.

While it's hard to say whether they'll have a bright future, they'll most likely avoid a bleak future.

In fact, if it were a week ago, Richard, who had successfully broken through to the half-step epic level, might have hesitated and, after a not-so-intense internal struggle, obediently listened to the advice and accepted the dean's good intentions, becoming an exchange student sent to the Danu Military Academy.

But there are no 'ifs' in this world. At this moment, after meeting the mysterious law enforcement team captain, the charismatic Foster Ward, and choosing a path he never dreamed of before, Richard Lane could only sigh about this crucial half-step, saying, 'That way, I can travel a little further tomorrow.'

In fact, based on his speculation about the survey team from the City of Light, even if they traveled at a very fast pace, given the significant difference between their upper and lower limits and the need to address their weaknesses, it would still take them at least two and a half days to reach Gospel Mountain City. Although he had set off later, he had invested heavily in building a teleportation array for the Mage Guild to reach the City of Freedom, and then immediately transferred to an airship to reach the central part of the Holy Land. After landing, he immediately began to travel at full speed, so he should most likely arrive earlier.

However, it turned out that Richard Lane was too presumptuous and too theoretical.

Although he had seen some signs of encampment along the way, Richard, who hadn't even caught a glimpse of the enemy's tail, was now certain that the team that had been making him eat exhaust fumes for some reason had arrived at Gospel Mountain City!
"Either the members of this survey team are all high-ranking, and they almost didn't bring any spellcasters like priests or clerics..."

Richard hung the water pouch back on his waist, tightened his heat-insulating cloak, took a deep breath, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Either the leader of this team is a complete madman!"

……

at the same time
Gospel Mountain City, southern part of the training ground, temporary base of the survey troops
"That woman is absolutely insane."

Brad Rien, a high-ranking paladin belonging to the ninth squad of the [Light Chaser] battalion of the Dawn Cult's Guardian Knights, lay sprawled in his tent, his face ashen, and said through gritted teeth, "That woman is absolutely insane!"

Sitting cross-legged beside him, the Great Bright Knight Kevin, who was currently resting his chin on his hand and looking at his colleagues coming and going outside the tent, shrugged and sighed, "Tell me, isn't that fast?"

"Fast, how could it not be fast! While we're adjusting our auras with those foreign teachers we've never worked with before, we're also dragging those skinny priests and clerics on a forced march, only getting three hours of rest a day. Of course it's fast!"

Brad rolled his eyes and cursed, "I'm here to help with the fight, investigate, and hold things up, not to be exploited like a slave by that woman! And even if I were to exploit her, I'd prefer it to happen in bed..."

"cough!"

Just then, Kevin coughed loudly and gave the senior in the tent a look that said, "You'd better shut up if you don't want to die."

Brad readily complied, not only keeping quiet but also struggling to sit up despite his aching body, striking a pose of a tough guy.

Then--

"Meet in the center of the drill ground in one hour."

Clad in heavy armor, the tall and slender female knight glanced coldly at the two and said indifferently, "If you're late, just go to the city wall and report to those incompetent guards here."

Having said that, Hess Dongya, the standard-bearer of the Sun Church's Knights of the Guardians, left the place with a cold face, ignoring the two men's expressions of utter disbelief.

Hess had certainly heard the mastiff's rude remarks, but such whispers and even profanities did not stir her emotions in the slightest. As the first member of the Wintertooth tribe to return to the core of the Sun Cult in hundreds of years, she had far more important things to do than to bother with these lowlifes who showed no sense of urgency.

With the departure of the Grand Knight Commander of the Fertile Cult, the legendary strongman Madolan Locke, from the North and his return to the Holy Alliance, the current situation in Gospel Hill City has become clear. However, behind this clarity, some unsettling undercurrents are surging.

For example, there is a certain "witch" whom I have heard of before, but never thought she would appear in this land.

Although the reason is unknown, the fact is that the supreme commander of Gospel Hill, the highly respected and steadfast Knight Guest, greatly admired the girl and even lowered himself to recommend her as a staff officer for the investigation team.

"absurd."

Hess narrowed her beautiful golden vertical pupils. Clearly, like most traditional clergy, this young standard-bearer did not want anyone who did not belong to the Holy Alliance to have a place in this 'conquest'.

Even though she knew very well that the "witch" who was so highly regarded was probably much better at military strategy than herself, she could not accept that the Holy Church Alliance's forces were being told what to do by "outsiders".

Therefore, what Hess was most worried about at this moment was that one of the two women who had arrived in Gospel Mountain City before him and had already spent some time with the "Witch" might get carried away and impulsively invite her over as an advisor or something. After all, even Hess himself had to admit that Theresa Tarosa was really likable, completely different from her "Witch" title. In front of that gentle and cute girl who seemed like a small animal, even Hess himself couldn't help but want to protect her.

However, while it may be pleasing to the eye, there's more to it than that.

In any case, Hess could not accept an 'outsider' like the 'Witch' interfering with the command of the investigation team, so she was prepared to persuade the two ladies to reconsider, even if it meant defying authority.

"call."

He let out a soft sigh of relief, stood outside the rather upscale detached barracks, and narrowed his eyes slightly before saying solemnly, "Ms. Champs-Élysées, Ms. Oran, I..."

"Yo!"

Before she could finish speaking, a pretty and cute face peeked out from over the wall, grinning, and said, "Come in and talk, little lion~"

"Yes, Ms. Champs-Élysées."

Dongya bowed respectfully and then slowly walked into the camp. He then saw Clara Champagne, who currently held the highest authority in Gospel Hill and served as the second-in-command of the Dawn Sect's monastery, and Louise Oran, the living saint of the Justice Sect, who was always daydreaming and dozing off.

Besides--

"Tarosa?"

Hess's gaze narrowed slightly as he frowned at the gentle-looking, shy girl sitting at the long table, asking, "Why are you here?"

"Sister Dongya".

Theresa Tarosa, who had a brief conversation with the standard-bearer at the Gospel Hill Chapel, smiled awkwardly and whispered, "I'm here to explain the situation to Sister Clara."

"Explain the situation?"

Hess first nodded to the serene and dignified purple-haired woman sitting next to Theresa, then asked curiously, "What's going on?"

"I think that kid Guest's suggestion is good, and I'm planning to ask little Theresa to help come up with some ideas and solutions. After all, little lion, you can probably tell that neither I nor Oran have any talent for leading everyone in gang fights."

Clara first casually mentioned what Hess was most worried about, then sighed and shook her head before he could react strongly, saying, "But little Theresa herself doesn't seem too willing."

"……Um?"

Hess, who was about to loudly retort, paused, then turned to look at Theresa, whose expression was somewhat embarrassed: "You don't want to?"

"I'm just an ordinary student. Although I came here for an internship through the dean's connections, it doesn't seem quite right for me to work with the survey team."

Theresa shook her head helplessly and said softly to Hess, "But Grandpa Guest and Sister Clara... well, anyway, Sister Hess, please help me persuade them, this really isn't appropriate."

“I think Theresa is right.”

Hess breathed a sigh of relief and immediately turned to Clara, saying seriously, "In any case, she is now a student of Academy City. If she is forced to get involved in such a highly sensitive conflict, it will not be good for Theresa's future."

Clara, who looked no different from a middle school student, pouted and complained somewhat dejectedly, "But Teresa is really cute."

"...Theresa is indeed very cute."

Hess flicked his tail and earnestly advised, "But at times like this, we should consider all aspects. Ms. Champs-Élysées, once things are resolved, you can take Theresa to the City of Light for a while, but for now, let's forget about it."

Clara pouted, then turned to look at the living saint who had been silent all along, just sitting there in a daze, and asked, "What do you think, Louise?"

"If you ask me..."

Louise Oran tilted her head and thought for a moment, then turned to the witch, whose expression was quite conflicted, and said seriously, "Theresa."

Theresa nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, Sister Louise, you say it."

"Your sister is asking you..."

Louise blinked and said softly, "Do you know a paladin named Kevin?"

"Eh?"

Theresa paused for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Well, I do know a few people named Kevin, but I don't think there are any paladins among them."

"That's a real shame."

Louise shook her head, then said to Clara, "Well, I'm done."

Clara: “…”

Hess frowned slightly, recalling a certain Dawn Paladin he had seen on his way here—

[Isn't that kid named Kevin?]

Chapter 2632: The End