I find it very sacred to pick someone up and make them a saint.

The enormous phantom of the Mother Goddess had pierced through the dilapidated factory and stood tall in the city of Valgon.

All the people saw the figure overlooking all things.

In their astonishment, they finally realized what they were facing, and that they had no way to resist, awaiting the fate that the gods would bring them.

After dismantling the last magic circle, "The Old School in the East of the City," Lucia and the other scholars, including Phyllis, sat down by the roadside to rest.

Together with the people on the side, they looked up at the oppressive aura of the Mother Goddess.

Even Phyllis's pupils constricted, and she tightened her grip on Lucia's hand.

Lucia's eyes, however, held a hint of sternness; this was their second meeting.

After multiple simulations in Hein's laboratory, the shock and panic subsided.

I heard many cries and murmurs.

She wanted to rush over immediately, not wanting them to face such fear and oppression, as if slowly tearing her own heart out to stand in front of them.

I don't want to let them down.

But having already promised Mien, I cannot act recklessly on my own.

If I make a stupid mistake, it will affect Mien's plans on the front lines, and might even ruin everything here.

He wanted to stand in front of the people, but Mien was standing in front of him.

Lucia gripped Phyllis's hand even tighter.

Neuer walked over numbly, his mouth slightly agape.

"What...what happened?"

Her heart was once again struck by shock, and her helplessness and confusion at this moment spoke of her weakness and ignorance.

Phyllis and Lucia exchanged a glance with her before looking away.

The meaning is obvious: Who knows?

Neuer pursed her lips and sat down next to Lucia.

However, unlike Phyllis and Lucia who were close together, she and Lucia were separated by a distance.

"Thank you," Neuer said softly, her eyes filled with struggle as she gazed into the empty space.

Lucia looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Thank you for everything you've done for Walgane."

Lucia suddenly realized, "Oh, this is your fiefdom."

She spoke naturally, but to Neuer's ears it sounded like disdain and indifference.

Feelings of shame and embarrassment made Neuer's face flush red.

She wanted to ask Lucia if she could help with anything.

At this moment, however, he stopped speaking and sat quietly to one side.

…………

"have no idea."

Mien answered Rachel's request for help.

"I have never seen such a scene before, and I think none of you have either. Perhaps nothing like this has happened in over a hundred years."

Phil and Rachel had to admit that they were not confident in dealing with this disaster.

"But let me try."

Mien extended his arm from his wide scholar's robe, its shimmering indigo light flowing, and gazed at the deep energy core and the Mother Goddess's gaze.

Phil stepped forward: "Do you need the help of the Holy See? The paladins and I can provide you with the assistance of faith."

He did his best to salvage the situation.

"I'll let you know if I need to."

Mien swayed his scholar's robe aside, revealing a crisp white shirt underneath, and walked past Rachel and Phil with a focused expression.

All the soldiers with swords raised saw a handsome young man dressed neatly and elegantly walk gracefully to the front of the magic array.

He raised his left hand, drawing out the power of the contractual truth from the energy storage crystal, which flew towards the energy core.

They merge smoothly upon contact and flow together.

The wind and waves ruffled his collar and hair.

Mien's expression was solemn as he carefully examined the details of the magic array.

He didn't even want Lucia to take the risk if he could handle it himself.

Even if it means losing this once-in-a-lifetime political opportunity, it is better than losing one's life.

As she examined and verified every inch, Mien couldn't help but sigh.

It seems difficult for me to do that.

However, he still gave it a try. He frowned and suddenly poured all his mental energy into it, trying his best to dismantle it.

However, they soon discovered that they were powerless against the seemingly eternal energy core and could not budge it in the slightest.

However, the threatening attempt was met with a backlash from the magic circle.

As the Mother Goddess slowly raised her chin, her gaze darkened and then revealed an intense killing intent.

The energy field suddenly rippled, and Mien was thrown back seven or eight meters before regaining his footing.

Mien sighed and shook his head.

Phil and Rachel's expressions tightened.

If even Mien can't solve it, what should we do?

Perhaps mobilizing the entire empire's power to suppress it will eventually bring down the seal.

But such a large-scale operation... even taking many days, what kind of impact will it have on the empire? It will become an absolute scandal.

"Is there anything we can do?" Rachel asked, unwilling to give up.

Mien did not answer, but his expression was tense as he pondered something, seemingly engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

The two quickly noticed Mien's thoughts.

Phil rushed to his side: "Chief Mien, do you have any other ideas?"

The situation is critical; tell me so we can discuss it together.

Mien still didn't respond, her eyes lowered as she pondered.

Waiting for them to plead with him more urgently.

"Chief Mien, if you have any concerns, Bishop Phil and I can provide assistance to you and the Academy."

"If this causes any losses to the Academy of Scholars, the Empire will do its best to compensate you."

"It's almost too late. Who knows if it will bring even greater danger!"

Mien shook her head: "That's not what I'm worried about."

"What is that?"

Mien sighed.

"I did come up with a solution, but it's something we can only try."

Their eyes lit up.

"That means we need Lucia's help. As you know, she personally dismantled the four magic arrays just now, relying on her familiarity with and resistance to the power of the Contract Truth."

The sheer volume of primordial energy from the esoteric sects is too immense to confront head-on; the only hope lies in attempting to alleviate it through resonance.

But this is too dangerous; it would require her to face the Mother Goddess alone, which could be life-threatening, resulting in the loss of the Saintess during her ascension ceremony.

Their eyes suddenly darkened.

Besides the concerns Mien mentioned.

They had more to consider...

This was originally the Saintess's ascension ceremony, and the two of them were essentially using the Saintess's existence as a pretext to gain attention through a collaboration.

Logically, the bigger Lucia's fanbase, the more they can piggyback on it, but it can't be too big...

This outbreak of cult disaster will surely spread throughout the entire empire. Thanks to the efforts of Rachel and Phil, the situation has been brought under control, making them absolute heroes.

But what if Lucia, the newly promoted saintess who symbolizes the hope of the empire, ultimately resolves this incident?

That would no longer be about riding on someone else's fame; it would cause the Holy Maiden's fame to surpass his own, making her the absolute protagonist.

Instead of trying to ride the wave, they got sucked up themselves.

She will also completely shed her former "decorative" saintly label and may even have some political influence.

This is something that neither of them can tolerate.

The fact that the saintess belonged to the Academy of Scholars had already made them somewhat apprehensive, and this would only exacerbate their sense of loss of control.

Mien immediately noticed the calculating look in the two men's thoughtful expressions.

But it is not explicitly stated.

"What do you two think?" He looked at them sincerely.

Phil was silent for a moment, then said softly:

"That's definitely too risky."

Rachel, unwilling to waste any more time arguing, became more direct, coldly stating:

"Such a thing has happened to the Empire, and we can't handle it ourselves. It's really too much to ask to rely on a newly promoted saintess."

Mien had a look of sudden realization on his face.

It was quite glaring in front of everyone, making Phil and Rachel feel slightly embarrassed.

"Like this..." Mien pondered, resting his chin on his hand.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Rachel and Phil pretended to be calm, but there was a hint of unease in their voices.

Mien seemed to realize something, looked up, walked up to the two of them, and whispered:

"In that case, it's best not to let anyone else know."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll let Lucia try to break the magic circle, but I won't let anyone else do it, okay?"

"How do I do it?"

Mien glanced at the soldiers around him: "I think your men will obey orders and keep their mouths shut. If you're worried, you can have them leave temporarily."

I will arrange for someone to quietly bring Lucia here, without telling anyone what she did.

That way, no one will know what happened afterward; people will only see what you did before.

How about this?

Phil and Rachel, already feeling somewhat embarrassed by Mien's words, were unwilling to say anything more and quickly agreed.

"Then let's do as Chief Mien says."

"I have no objection."