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

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　She was still lying on the chair, looking comfortable, surrounded by light elves dressed in cool clothes.

　Ophelia bowed slightly and said softly:

　"Miss Angel."

　"Just call me Anya. Is it necessary to show off my status as an angel or not?"

　Anya waved her hand, signaling the elves to leave, and only she and Ophelia were left by the hot spring.

　"If the little forest where I live in seclusion wasn't about to be blown up, I probably wouldn't have appeared here in my life, let alone met you."

　"It is my honor to talk to the angels on earth," Ophelia said. "How are you doing in the Citadel?"

　"It's better than in Messina."

　Anya took off her sunglasses, and her emerald green eyes were as crystal clear as gems.

　Her tone was somewhat disgusted:

　"Don't hide it from me, little girl. I know what you're here to ask. The last time we met, you helped me make an appointment with Alice Puxte, while pretending to be nonchalant and asking me about the Old Capital for a long time. Actually, I know you want to ask about Stonek Thayne, right?"

　"Yes."

　Ophelia was not angry at being exposed.

　"I wonder... Is His Majesty the Seventeenth Emerald... still in power?"

　"What's the difference?"

　Anya was devastated:

　"A king, yet even a shabby place like Akashina could be dominated by a priest's private army for over a decade. Even the first line of defense of the old capital, Grumu City, was barely snatched back from those half-baked organizations thanks to the intervention of the Star Angels..."

　"Does it make any difference whether he is in power or not?"

　"The question should be - does the kingship of Messina really still have any meaning?"

　After Anya finished speaking, Ophelia remained calm.

　She had already guessed most of it.

　"So, Emerald Seventeen would be so generous as to give you the Old King..."

　"They want to use our name to check and balance those cruel merchants." Anya waved her hand impatiently.

　The disgust on her face was genuine, and it was surprising to see it on the face of a holy angel.

　"So after I set up the Moon Altar and blasted the Caradorans Mountains, I left immediately and ran to the Citadel. You should be able to empathize with me, right? A descendant of the Thane family..."

　"Hmm..." Ophelia nodded slightly.

　"Every day, besides inviting me to banquets, they send me piles of gold and silver jewelry and have tailors make me dresses," Anya sighed. "Goddess, they really think their aristocratic etiquette is an honor! They think they can turn me into one of their own, a monkey who thinks he's superior just by dancing in a dress!"

　She glanced at Ophelia and softened her tone:

　"You're definitely a lot better than your father. No nonsense, just getting things done. You don't bother with meaningless rituals... and you even gave me the hot springs, which is what I need—not those precious stone items."

　She casually grabbed and took out a crystal clear ruby necklace.

　Ophelia could clearly identify the quality of the necklace - each ruby could buy a fully armed ironclad warship.

　But Anya just thought it was a piece of garbage, threw it into a hot spring in the distance, and let the light elves fight over it.

　"My father..." Ophelia said with some difficulty, "How far has it come?"

　"Stoke Thane is now the president of the Messina Chamber of Commerce," Anya said nonchalantly. "Although this position doesn't hold much weight in the court, he's actually the man who has the final say in Messina..."

　"Many messengers obey his orders, right?" Ophelia's voice became softer and softer.

　"After all, you know his stance..."

　Anya raised her head and looked towards the white tower in the center of the city:

　"After the Art Revolution, the last Messina Saint rang the Holy Bell, and the Citadel became independent."

　"The White Tower is the core of the Vesta Continent, there's no doubt about that. After the Emerald Family lost the White Tower, their reputation in the Messina Kingdom plummeted. Coupled with the subsequent Steam Revolution, the Emerald Family's real power has been greatly reduced in recent years."

　"That little king wants to rely on his family's connection with the Star Angels to turn things around. Haha, do you think the Chamber of Commerce will let him succeed?"

　"Since the Star Angels aren't in the Citadel, they'll just take over. How easy is that... After the Holy War is won, most of the Citadel will have become the domain of the Chamber of Commerce. Technology, talent, and infrastructure will all depend on the Messina Chamber of Commerce for support..."

　"By then, the Jade Family will be completely helpless..."

　Having said that, Anya smiled faintly at Ophelia:

　"I have to praise you here. You killed those merchants. You were very decisive. I saw it."

　"I thought it was just a coincidence at first," Ophelia shook her head slightly. "But then, I looked up the destination on the ticket Arnold sent his people on. I discovered that, although their final destination was Fallu, the hotel they stayed in was funded by the Messina Chamber of Commerce."

　"The Golden Paradise of Massena."

　In the broken Massena, there is a hotel so luxurious that it seems as if the old city around it is just debris under the feet of a giant, and it is not inhabited by rats but by humans.

　This is how the Chamber of Commerce manipulates the world—not by force, but by the flow of venom.

　"And then your father contacted you because you repeatedly disrupted his plans, right?"

　Seeing Ophelia so distressed, Anya was happy:

　"So you're coming to me now for advice... Seriously, why don't you go to Alice Pucht? Not only did you not go to her, you drove her away..."

　"The Pushet family made their first fortune in Messina," Ophelia whispered. "Alice Pushet's father has been doing business in Messina for years. Although I haven't seen her since she was eight years old, I have no reason to trust the Pushet family."

　"As long as it carries the title of nobility...as long as it's related to interests...even the kindest people will show their fangs..."

　"The blood of the nobility is sustained by interests and hereditary power."

　"Then why did you let Alice Puxter leave the city?" Anya tilted her head.

　"I don't trust the Pushet family, but I trust Alice." Ophelia's words were brief.

　"why?"

　"Because she is someone the Star Angel trusts, it's that simple."

　Ophelia closed her eyes:

　"My grandfather told me when I was a child...faith can make people pure, so pure that they ignore all external things and ultimately find inner peace."

　"I don't think Alice Puxte can be called that kind of believer. She may not even believe in the Goddess from the bottom of her heart, but she has been recognized by the Sword of Dawn, which shows that she is following the way of the Goddess."

　"She goes her way, I go mine. There's no need to be compatible with each other."

　Ophelia opened her eyes:

　"Miss Anya, if the Messina army is at the gates of the city, can you come forward?"

　"No," Anya said decisively, "Why do you think?"

　"...The Messina people will definitely choose a critical juncture in the holy war to raid the Citadel. One of their messengers is on the other side, ready to report on the battle situation at any time. You will definitely not be in the Citadel at that time..."

　"That's right." Anya snapped her fingers.

　After getting confirmation, Ophelia sighed softly:

　"My father... asked me to hand over the Citadel directly. After all, the power of the Citadel is now basically concentrated in my hands..."

　"He even used the word bloodshed."

　"What are your plans?" Anya smiled. "Why not just give it to them? A bunch of businessmen, the worst that can happen is greed."

　"I will not hand over the Citadel to them."

　Ophelia said lightly;

　"Grandpa used his life to protect this city, not to let it fall into the hands of those merchants again."

　"If necessary, I will become the complete dictator of the Citadel, and then..."

　Ophelia didn't finish the second half of her sentence. She bowed to Anya and turned to leave.

　Looking at Ophelia

　Anya sighed softly as she watched Ya's back gradually disappear into the distance.

　"What a silly child..." she muttered, "Faith...money...power...at its core...they are just illusions created by people in order to survive..."

　"However, being able to live for one's own beliefs can also be considered a kind of interest..."

　Anya raised her head and looked at the golden stars in the sky:

　"So boring! Can you please break the stars sooner so I can go...find something new to do..."

　Academi Territory.

　"Is this right here?"

　Night, farm.

　Alice and the members of Section 1 walked along the green grass and came to the edge of a farm.

　"Yes."

　Albus nodded:

　"Because it's... weird here."

　Alice's eyes fell on the farm and she immediately noticed the strangeness of the place.

　It was obvious that no one had lived in this farm for a long time. The windows of the main house were dark and there were no footprints on the muddy road in front of the door.

　But the surrounding supporting facilities are well maintained and there is no sign of abandonment.

　Alice closed her eyes, then opened them again, trying to reconcile the revelation she had seen in the Book of Hell with what she saw before her eyes.

　Then, the scenes slowly overlapped—

　"right here."

　Alice drew her wand and stepped forward first:

　"Follow me."

　She didn't know what was in this farm, but as soon as she arrived here, some strange feelings came to her heart.

　In the desolate mountains and wilderness, there is a farm that has never been inhabited but is incredibly new.

　It's like...it's waiting for someone to come.

　Alice and her group stopped at the door of the main house of the villa.

　She nodded to Albus, who drew his silver knife and a grayish-white spirit emerged.

　The next second, Albus took two steps back in pain as if he had been hit on the head.

　"Albus!" Scott quickly supported him.

　"What happened?" Alice immediately became alert.