I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

As it turned out, the church still held considerable power in Lionfang City, having known of the arrival of the group shortly after the Seagull docked.

When Ji Tian stepped out of the cabin, there were already people waiting on the dock.

Bishop Villar stood at the edge of the dock steps, holding a dark gray umbrella, with a thin middle-aged man in a dark gray short jacket beside him.

Lilith glanced at the bishop in surprise, then tugged at her second senior sister's sleeve and exclaimed in astonishment:

"He really came. Can prophetic magic do anything?"

"That's basically fine. If you want to learn, I can teach you."

"Okay, okay~"

Ophelia seemed to have thought of something unpleasant, and after a moment's thought, she added:

"However, this kind of thing depends on talent. If you don't have enough talent, even after studying for several years, you can only predict whether you will have bad luck when you go out tomorrow."

"...Alright then, if I need any divination in the future, I'll come to my senior sister."

"no problem."

"Quack! Senior sister, you're so kind!"

Objectively speaking, prophetic magic can indeed predict most things in the world.

Lilith had heard of the priests' prophetic magic back when she was a princess in the Demon Realm. She knew that this kind of magic was mysterious and unpredictable, but she had only seen them perform divination rituals during sacrifices and they rarely used it at other times.

At that time, Lilith thought that if she relied on the priest's prophetic abilities, wouldn't it be easy to defeat the human kingdom and sweep through the elven court?

Even if some things cannot be divined, one can still infer the other person's state through certain indirect means; at worst, one can just do a dozen or so more divinations.

But whenever she asked her father, he would just smile and remain silent.

Young Lilith was unaware that while there were far more prophets in this world than there were, each divination or prophecy required consuming lifespan. If Lilith were to make a prophecy in the way she envisioned, it could very well lead to a war and the loss of several demon priests with divination talents.

Of course, if that were all there was to it, perhaps a few ambitious and brilliant demon kings would launch wars in this way.

The real problem is that the priests hold a transcendent position among the demons and can disobey the orders of the Demon King's city, while the human side also has prophets. Once the two sides start to clash, it is very likely that the prophets on both sides will die of old age before the battle even begins.

A single-minded person becoming blocked at both ends is an example of this.

The bishop bowed slightly upon seeing Ji Tian appear.

"Brave warrior, I apologize for disturbing you, but this is Karchenko, the legendary investigator sent by the Holy City."

Ji Tian glanced at the investigator and nodded slightly.

"Come in first and we'll talk."

The cabins of the Haique were quite spacious.

Ji Tian sat down on one side of the low table, with Elena and the others sitting on either side, and the bishop and Karchenko sitting opposite him.

The bishop didn't beat around the bush, briefly recounting the cannon smuggling case, Terence's testimony, and the possibility of the "memory wedge."

"...We investigated for two months, and the clues pointed to Sheldon von Wilhelm, but that line is probably not true."

After listening, Ji Tian asked, "Wait, who is Sheldon von Wilhelm again?"

"He was the former prime minister of the kingdom, known as the King of the South."

"Oh, it's him."

Ji Tian remembered that the other party seemed to have been trying to force his Elena into marriage back then, but by the time he came to the capital, William had already retreated to the southern border and hadn't had a chance to pay him a visit.

Seeing that the other party understood, Karchenko added further:

"Terence's behavior was normal before he mentioned William's name, and the lie detector I had did not show that he was lying."

Either he really is William's man, or he himself is unaware that he has been implanted with false memories.

After listening quietly, Ji Tian roughly understood what they wanted: "What do you want me to do?"

The bishop and the investigator exchanged a brief glance. The bishop then spoke:

"We hope that you, hero, will investigate the source of the cannons along the route under the guise of 'touring the southern border.' If this matter is indeed related to William, you are entitled to question him directly."

This was like a godsend, and Ji Tian had absolutely no reason to refuse.

"I can consider it, but there are some materials you need to prepare in advance."

Seeing that the other party agreed, the bishop felt relieved: "Please speak, hero."

"I need a complete file, including the known distribution of cannon foundries, key nodes in Liontooth City's underground transactions, and the middleman network that has already been identified."

Karchenko spoke up from behind the bishop, "I can provide it, but it will take some time to organize."

The three of them then finalized some details.

After the bishop and Karchenko left, Ji Tian returned to the ship and reviewed the available information on the deck:

First, many pirates at sea have acquired advanced cannons, greatly increasing their strength, which may cause damage to merchant ships. We need to be careful.

Secondly, we haven't yet visited the abandoned dwarven mines entrusted to us by the Elf Queen. According to the map, the island where those mines are located is about half a day's sail southeast of Liontooth City.

Third, the clues to the artillery smuggling pointed to William, whose territory was also in the southern region, roughly coinciding with the direction of the mine, making it conveniently located along the way.

Elena appeared beside him at some point, leaned on his shoulder, and asked, "Which one are you planning to do first?"

"Do both. First, take a look at the mine along the way, then head north along the route. When you get close to the edge of William's territory, stop at a few ports under the guise of patrolling and see if you can find the source of the artillery."

……

Earl William’s territory spans three counties in the south, with its capital in the deep-water port city of White Gull.

With its mild climate, abundant resources, and bustling merchant ships, this region is the most prosperous trading hub in the southern part of the kingdom.

Earl William himself spends most of his time in a manor deep within his territory, a former fortress that has been converted into a residence. Since his impeachment and removal from office, he has rarely made a public appearance, leaving all affairs to his eldest son and nephew.

Adrian, the nephew of the King of the South, is twenty-eight years old, tall, and handsome. Judging from his appearance alone, he can be considered a respectable nobleman.

But those who know him well know that this young master of the William family has a temper that is far from as gentle as his appearance suggests.

His father died early, and he was raised by the Duke of William, who doted on his nephew.

Unfortunately, Adrian did not have any magical talent, so he was not valued by his family.

After he came of age, he held a nominal position as "Territory Inspector" within his territory, spending his days indulging in pleasure and "maintaining order in the territory," making him a person who had lost touch with high-class tastes.

The so-called "maintaining order" means that he can always find some "unruly" people in his territory and then use various legal or semi-legal means to make them obedient.

He especially liked to find people who had a certain reputation in the local area but were not nobles, and to fight them in free combat while prohibiting them from using magic.

Wealthy merchants, ship owners, or local bullies who have established themselves in the area over many years are all his targets.

Since he couldn't use magic, he could only demonstrate his superiority as a nobleman through pure combat.

He invested in an arms factory last year and has made a lot of money recently, so he's been in a pretty good mood lately.

That's why he decided to find a worthy opponent to "stretch his muscles".

"Any interesting figures in the territory lately?" he asked the steward casually as he sat in the study of the White Gull Harbor lord's mansion, holding a teacup.

The butler, who had watched the other person grow up, knew their thoughts at a glance and bowed, saying:

"Young master, there is a retired cavalry captain in the south of the city named Marcus Aurelius. He served in the western border for nearly twenty years. After retiring, he ran a riding school in the area and took in many apprentices. He is quite skilled in martial arts. Please think it over."

Adrian put down his glass, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Retired officers? More interesting than those wealthy businessmen..."

As for not daring to provoke someone just because they are skilled in martial arts? That's the thinking of a loser! Who am I, Adrian? The nephew of the King of the South, would I be afraid of some mere local bully?!

He stood up and straightened his collar: "Prepare the horses, let's go meet that Mr. Marcus Aurelius."