The defeated saint is also on the way to tame the evil god today

"Woo——————"

A long whistle sounded, and the port of Singara appeared faintly on the horizon.

According to past practice, when the whistle blows, the "Golden Fleet" will return in triumph.

This ironclad fleet has always been the glory of the empire. From New Galo to the academic city on the other side of the sea, everyone knows its reputation.

However, this time, Ahmed, standing on the bridge, could not smile.

Unlike his previous victorious returns, he was defeated - half of the ironclad fleet that went on this expedition sank, and the remaining part suffered heavy damage. The flagship "Voice of the Returning Soul" even lost all its gun turrets, and the hull structure trembled in the sea breeze and made a faint humming sound.

Ahmed could not forgive this failure. He listened to his adjutant's description of the Storm Narwhal's fighting posture and its momentum in crushing the steel fleet, his fingers crackling.

He advocated the logic of civilization, but lost to nature and the extraordinary.

This was something he would never allow to happen.

"..." The 'Marine Archon' gazed at the outline of Shin Gara from the bridge, gazing at the 'Hanging Gardens' that occupied half the sky.

"Your Excellency, Governor, we are entering the port." The adjutant reported from the side.

"Set up a cordon and forbid anyone from approaching the flagship," Ahmed whispered, "and send the Immortals to follow me."

"I have something to say to the people of Singara."

......

"Look, look, it really is that unlucky guy's ship!"

Aurora jumped among the crowd, only able to catch a glimpse of what was happening on the shore each time.

Looking at the silly cat bouncing around, Xing Mo sighed helplessly, then reached out and lifted Aurora up by her arms.

"Can you see it?" She lifted Aurora as high as she could, while her own face was pushed aside.

"Let's take a look, let's take a look." Aurora put her hand to her forehead to block out the sunlight. "Oh! See! It's tattered!"

As the Iron Fleet entered the giant port, the coastline was cleared and merchant ships were delayed in entering the port.

The military port and civilian port of Singara are integrated into one. According to Xingmo's understanding, this is because the "Golden King" advocates the use of force, and letting the people see their warships sailing on the sea is obviously a means to enhance cohesion.

Think about it, every time the whistle blows, a mountain of steel symbolizing the nation's military power rises from the sea level. Doesn't this symbolize an unparalleled sense of security?

But this time...it might have backfired.

Aurora immediately spotted the Soul Returning Voice, its battered bridge and hull. The crew had apparently patched up some of the holes with string magic, but the ship's miserable state couldn't be concealed.

The crowd began to talk. The residents of New Galo had obviously never seen such a situation: the so-called invincible "Golden Fleet" ended up in such a miserable state after an expedition?

"Was it someone from the Citadel who did this?"

"No... Impossible... The Citadel is full of weak scholars..."

"...Aren't they said to still be using three-masted sailboats?"

"Could it be pirates?"

"...Dream Kans? That's an evil captain whose powers only exist in fairy tales. How could it be possible..."

"...How could Archon Ahmed be defeated..."

"..."

Feeling the astonished discussion around her, Aurora smiled faintly:

"They could never guess that the big ship was actually dismantled by our little animals, right?"

"Keep your voice down," Xingmo pinched Aurora's leg, "Don't get caught."

"Hey, it's okay, they are all very angry~" Aurora grinned.

Indeed, most of the golden people around were in a bad mood, and a small number of them had gradually turned from doubt to anger, and the golden blood was boiling in their bodies.

The people who emerged from the desert still had that ruthlessness. When their country's army was defeated, they did not lose confidence, but instead became furious.

"I don't feel good..." Xingmo felt her hands ache as she held Aurora in her arms. "Is this all right? I'm tired..."

"Don't worry, the ship has arrived at the port! Let's take a look!"

"The crowd has dispersed. Come down quickly. My hands are sore."

"Huh? Why did the crowd disperse? Could it be——"

Before Aurora could finish her words, she saw soldiers wearing jackal masks emerging from the harbor—they were the Immortals.

Their presence seemed to create an invisible barrier, and the crowd automatically made way, clearing a large area.

The crowd thinned out considerably, and Xingmo was finally able to see the mountain docked at the port with her own eyes:

The "Voice of the Returning Soul" was slowly exhaling steam, like a sleeping giant. After entering the port, repair supports rose around it, and electric sparks flickered on the surface of the hull.

It was obvious that Ahmed Tut did not try to cover up his defeat, but instead led his fleet in openly.

This gave Xingmo a bad feeling.

"..."

Heavy footsteps were heard from afar, and in the sight of the crowd, Ahmed Tut, dressed in armor, walked out from between the forest-like buildings in the port.

His appearance seemed to freeze the midday sun, transforming it into a spotlight on the stage, falling on the "Ocean Archon".

People looked at their archon, at one of the generals who led the golden people out of the desert, at the man who used the scorching wind from the desert to stir up huge winds and waves on the sea, and their expressions gradually became solemn.

"..."

Ahmed's eyes swept across the crowd gathered at the port. At this time in the past, he would raise his arms and shout, announcing another victory to the Golden People.

But this time, the expression on his face was like that of a stone statue, or like an attendee at a funeral.

Fury, restraint, desire to conquer, hatred, complex emotions woven into a web of anger in his chest, making his eyes seem to flash with fire.

"People of the Sun, Favored by Gold, and Blessed by the Oasis..." Ahmed whispered, "Our fleet... has suffered an unprecedented defeat..."

For a moment, the people in the seawall area looked at each other with strange expressions.

Xing Mo also exchanged a glance with Aurora, endless doubts welling up in the depths of her pupils—

"What did he just say? Did you hear it clearly?" Aurora tilted her head.

"I didn't hear clearly." Xing Mo shook his head.

Apparently, Ahmed's "Immortal" had pulled the crowd too far apart, and Ahmed's voice was indeed not very loud.

Except for those in the front row, no one in the back row could hear what he was saying at all.

"I've been wanting to complain for a while now. Don't these people use a megaphone or something when they're talking like villains in novels? Or at least use wind string magic to amplify the volume..."

Aurora muttered:

"He doesn't think he's so impressive when he speaks in a deep voice, Yue, I can't even hear him."

Ahmed seemed to be aware of this problem as well. He glared fiercely at the "Immortals" who were eager to push the crowd across the street. With a tense expression, he took out his wand and gently plucked the strings in the air.

The wind chords sounded, and wind emerged from nowhere and spread in all directions, accompanied by Ahmed's voice:

"Yes, our fleet has been crushed, severely damaged by the evil forces on the other side of the sea, the overwhelming power from the White Tower!"

When Xingmo heard his first words, her pupils were slightly startled.

This guy... intends to directly link the defeat of the "Golden Fleet" to the "White Tower"?

In the eyes of the Imperials, the tower from the "Star Sea Goddess" always seemed to be a symbol of something not quite right. The extreme factions even believed that it was a blasphemy of the Star Sea against the earth.

As expected, as soon as these words were spoken, people's emotions calmed down, and an increasingly solemn atmosphere spread across the venue along with the wind.

"The people of the Citadel have imbued themselves with the power of false gods and are even preparing to usurp power," Ahmed growled. "They have drawn blasphemous power from the White Tower, polluting the land beneath our feet and the coastline!"

"Since that false golden dawn, the Folk of the Mist have always claimed to be God's chosen people. They even used the land known as the City of Learning to spread false knowledge, attempting to lead the people of the world into confusion."

"They've forgotten that it was the original 'Yi', the sacrifice of the 'Golden Sun', who saved the people trapped in the Night of Fire. It was the power of the primordial sun god that dispelled the eternal night and allowed civilization to continue!"

"They've forgotten, so we should remind them."

Ahmed took a step forward, the outline of his face slightly raised, and anger gradually filled every mark on his face:

"I will soon convene the 'Divine Chosen Meeting' and have the 'Sky Gardens' refocus on the 'Golden Fleet' to support our expedition!"

"Please support me! God's chosen people! When we set foot on the land of the school city, we will teach them what the scorching wind of the desert is!"

Ahmed said this, and suddenly clenched a fist. Fire surged out and danced at the tip of his fist.

"I will break the necks of their men and make wine from them! I will enslave their women..."

Xingmo didn't want to listen to the rest of the words.

She pulled Aurora out of the crowded area and came to the street, walking against the flow of people gathering on the street towards the port.

Aurora tilted her head to look at Xingmo's calm face and chuckled softly:

"Are you angry?"

"No," Xingmo muttered calmly, "I won't get angry about that kind of provocation. I just don't want to waste my time."

This was not true. There was indeed a surge of anger in Xingmo's heart, and the sparks hidden in her eyes were almost about to burst out in the seawall area.

But she restrained herself because she knew that even if Ahmed disappeared now, it would not solve the problem.

"He shifted the blame for the war's defeat on a 'conflict of faith,'" Xingmo said calmly. "The tool he used to incite people was simple: the beliefs that had been constantly reinforced and shaped by the people of the Empire for centuries."

"Actually, this is really abominable. How many foolish kids are going to board an ironclad ship out of pure passion..."

Aurora put her hands behind her head and walked with a carefree pace:

"Then he died without knowing why."

Xingmo shook his head:

"I'm just confused by one thing. Why did Ahmed say that he had the Sky Gardens shift their focus to the fleet at that meeting? Wasn't the fleet the focus before?"

There was a sea between the Empire and the Citadel, and the land between them was the Faroese, but the Faroese were far from being conquered.

Therefore, if the Empire wants to attack the Citadel in a short period of time, it can only do so by sending a fleet across the sea.

Including the Imperials' previous decisions: the Scarab's attention to the Citadel Fleet, the Ocean Archon's intrusion into the treasure exchange meeting, all clearly pointed to one fact—

——That is, the Imperials are expanding the influence of sea power.

"Could it be that the Sky Gardens cut the funding for that Archon because he was too weak?" Aurora blinked.

"I don't know," Xing Mo shook her head, "but it seems that not all the people in the Empire speak with one voice."

"But, I agree with him when he said he wanted to attack the White Tower~"

Aurora turned in a circle as she walked:

"We also want to tear down the White Tower."

"You are the angel, and you can't tear it down."

"Oh."

Aurora puffed up her cheeks, glanced at the sky unhappily, and then stuck out her tongue at the sky.

"So, next, should we go find that old man?"

"Well, let's ask him about his opinion on the 'Ocean Archon'."

Xingmo said, and then took Aurora along the route that Falcon had already scouted, heading to Mr. Luffy's mansion.

......

Mr. Luffy's residence is located in the area closest to the ring road. Standing on the street, one can see the city wall covering half of the sky, and even see the faint golden lines flowing on the bricks and tiles.

This place is at the foot of the city wall, in a very good location: very close to the Hanging Gardens, and just separated by a wall.

This may reflect Mr. Luffy's identity to some extent.

Xingmo once thought that as a scholar of the Imperial Wisdom Hall, Mr. Luffy should have a certain influence in the local area.

The fact that he was able to apply for legitimate entry documents for Xingmo also shows that he had a lot of explanations with the authorities.

However, Xing Mo did not expect that his power would be so great.

"...this big?"

In front of the gate of the giant manor under the city wall, Xing Mo and Aurora stared blankly at the ten-meter-high iron gate, and for a moment they didn't know what to feel.

Yes, a huge manor, a huge manor...