Chapter 1008: Chapter 550: Noah’s Ark, Sudden Storm_3

Byron let out a deep breath:

"The mastermind used an open and honest strategy this time. Even if I vouched for it with my own reputation and told everyone that the ship indeed has issues, they wouldn’t believe me.

They would think I’m like the Church trying to stop them from seeking Noah’s Ark, wanting to monopolize it for myself.

I just glimpsed the dawn of rebuilding the North Sea Empire without external interference, and the mastermind immediately gave me this huge surprise.

This time, the continent’s situation really is about to spiral out of control.

But there’s one good piece of news—[the person whose name cannot be mentioned] finally showed a tiny hint of their presence."

Returning his gaze to the page, he found that the note personally written by the mastermind contained no marks other than the text.

But during its delivery, to convey its importance to the personnel, it bore a red wax seal—a serpent staff!

Two snakes coiled around each side, heads facing each other, and at the staff’s top were a pair of angel wings.

Byron happened to know that the original source of this seal was the divine system of the Ancient Silver Empire, belonging to Mercurius, son of God King Jupiter, who held an extremely high status as the [God of Commerce].

He possessed a series of authorities such as [intelligence], [commerce], [thieves], [transport], [tourism], [animal husbandry], and more.

Legend has it that once, Mercurius threw his staff between two fighting snakes, and they immediately reconciled.

Thus, the twin snake staff is seen as a symbol of communication and reconciliation, also signifying that in commerce, there are no eternal friends or enemies, only eternal interests.

Byron, embodied as the Raven, killed at Feirentui University on the night of the coup, repeatedly searching through the collapsed school but couldn’t find the mastermind who couldn’t possibly be crushed to death.

Immediately, he understood that the title of [the person whose name cannot be mentioned] indeed possessed a high level of mystery similar to the Raven’s.

Perhaps even if both individuals passed each other at a certain moment, they wouldn’t have noticed each other.

It clearly fits well with the authority of the [God of Commerce] controlling commercial secrets.

However, Byron wasn’t in a hurry to rejoice and used the Raven’s eyes and the city-wide [Divine Sight] spanning dozens of kilometers to scan all of Feirentui.

"But, before the Silver Era, the Empire’s divine system from True Gods to Demigods to Lesser Gods should have all perished entirely, and no ancient relics could have survived to this day.

Just based on a seal, it’s uncertain if this ’traitor’ is indeed related to the Ancient Silver Empire, whose faith was replaced by the Creator’s Church and was later destroyed by the Three Great Barbarian Tribes.

Now, even the Holy Silver Empire and the northern Rhein Alliance have widely applied the serpent staff seal in various commercial organizations, large corporations, and hospitals.

This seal, which has appeared multiple times during intelligence transmissions, can only confirm that the opposing party holds considerable energy within a certain organization.

Let’s dig along this clue. Even with the same serpent staff seal, different organizations have subtle differences. Let me see what peripheral forces you have.

The mastermind is most likely an old monster who has lived for hundreds of years. Dagon said he might be backed by an unidentified Sixth Order Demigod, not easily dealt with.

But the traces left by this local entity are far more than those of the Old God Church’s newcomers crossing the border.

As long as we seize his weaknesses and the anchoring in the real world, there’s a chance to break this passive situation and engage in a battle of offense and defense with him."

...

At the same time, intelligence replicated multiple times was already spreading like wildfire among the continent’s upper echelons.

Castilia Royal Capital, Burgos.

Situated on the left bank of the Mansales River, the Old Continent’s first palace complex—The Palace of Wanxiang.

Nobles and officers frequently entered and exited the palace, presenting themselves to the eleven-year-old Queen Juana, and conveying Her Majesty’s latest orders.

Miraculously, despite being only eleven, Queen Juana was able to manage state affairs with great order, not at all inferior to those gray-haired old politicians.

Many nobles of the Regent King’s [Puppet King] faction firmly believed this was a gift from the Creator, granting them a born ruler.

The young queen, wearing a crown and a splendid gown, sat on the throne, instructing the naval general visiting her:

"Navy Department, actively seek out that legendary pirate [Bloodsail] Mihawk in the Inland Sea; he wants to be the Pirate King of the Inland Sea, doesn’t he? All conditions he sets can be agreed to.

Is he not a notorious playboy who loves Kim Bosa Dance Maids? Select the ten most beautiful ones from the Palace of Wanxiang and send them to him.

Tell him that if he can help us defeat the rebels, I won’t be stingy with rewards."

The throne war between the two queens of the leading maritime power, the Kingdom of Castilia, continued, increasingly deadlocked over time.

On land, the puppet army led by [Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse] under Regent King [Puppet King] Louis battled [The Unblemished] Queen Isabella, who used loans from the Impoverished Knights Order to summon dragon soul and dragon cavalry with the Dragon Flute.

At sea, the Puppet King and the Star Moon Empire faced off against Isabella and Fernando’s dual-king fleets, with forces on all sides evenly matched on the Inland Sea.

Notably, Violet’s Rhine Metal Company contributed significantly, repeating the feats once accomplished on the Earl’s Party and Royalist Party, now again on them and the Holy Silver Empire.

The principle of adhering strictly to neutrality and non-intervention in other nations’ internal affairs was upheld, delivering equal care to both sides.